Craig Daily Press / Have money, will spend

MCTA board approves $19,040 in advertising

July 11, 2008

At its Wednesday meeting, the Moffat County Tourism Association board:

• Approved $300 for the Yampa Valley Regional Airport mural project. A local artist will paint Craig’s Centennial logo on an outside wall near the departure drop-off.

• Approved a motion for a special meeting for setting a preliminary 2009 budget for 1:30 p.m. July 22 at a location to be determined.

Craig — It’s about reaching people.

“With the commitments we made today, we have the ability to reach 900,000 people,” said John Ponikvar, Moffat County Tourism Association board member.

The MCTA board approved up to $19,040 for different advertising across the state at its meeting Wednesday, centering mainly around a possible full-page ad in the 2009 Colorado Official State Vacation Guide.

The ad would cost roughly $17,000 and go inside 800,000 printed copies and be placed online at Colorado.com.

Board members said they would like to sell parts of their space to businesses and groups across town.

Although it’s a large investment, board members said it would have the biggest potential payoff.

“Let’s reach and see where we can go,” Ponikvar said.

The board also approved ad purchases in two local hunting guides: the 2008 Colorado Hunting Guide, published by the Grand Junction Free Press, and Colorado Hunter, published by the Craig Daily Press.

The Hunting Guide is distributed across Northwest Colorado and throughout the Interstate 70 corridor.

Board president Tammie Thompson-Booker said the MCTA could be well served by paying more attention to the Grand Junction market.

“Like with the Free Press, that would be a great place to advertise for Whittle the Wood,” she said. “There are a lot of people down there, and they advertise in our local paper for their events.”

Flying solo

The MCTA board gave themselves until December to have a new, working setup at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport.

Board members have said they are disappointed with Moffat County’s presence for a while.

Thompson-Booker said she met with an airport official last week about placing lit poster advertisements around the airport. Spaces for that, she said, start at $250 a month.

Ad spots above the checked luggage terminal on the airport’s east side are awarded through sealed bids, she said.

Plans are for the MCTA to purchase a flat-screen TV for up to $600 to hang on the wall where the current Moffat County displays sit.

The MCTA will have to hire an electrician to install the TV.

There is no guarantee the MCTA will be able to keep its location by the luggage terminal. Airport officials plan to remodel the airport’s east wing sometime soon.

Thompson-Booker said there’s no use in waiting for that to happen at Moffat County’s expense.

“They don’t have their (Federal Aviation Administration) funding, and we can’t wait around for that,” she said.