Rutland herald

[jimbolla]

How does one post the article today from the Rutland herald

[johnny the jibber]

copy/paste?

[jimbolla]

can't seem to do it. can someone else it is about our great 1 % sales tax at work

[Mister Moose]

This article?

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20 ... 002/NEWS01

Mountain marketer sells the good life

By Cristina Kumka Staff Writer - Published: May 6, 2009


The infrastructure for a better economy is being built online and in print by Killington marketing consultant David Dillon with an available $70,000 of the town's local option tax revenue.

Dillon said he'll use the funds allocated to him to spread the word about Killington's future economic rebirth through the development of two Web sites, online marketing, the promotion of a new logo and brochures made for the Green Mountain National Golf Course.

Dillon's marketing firm Dillon Walsh Creative gets paid an additional $90,000 annually out of the town's Economic Development & Tourism municipal department budget funded by local option tax money.

EDT Director Carl Spangler said his organization controls and allocates the money, not Dillon Walsh.

In total, the $160,000 made available to the firm from the local option tax money collected by the town is about 35 percent of the overall estimated budget for the department — roughly $459,000, according to the town report.

Dillon, a former Sugarbush employee and former head of the Vermont Ski Areas Association, has developed a new logo for the town — an image of a mountain and lake with the words Explore, Discover, Thrive — that now appears on letterheads, meeting agendas and on a banner at Town Hall.

Dillon said he's completed a similar logo for the municipal golf course that will be reproduced on clothing and golf balls.

There are two new Web sites in the works, a pay-per-click online marketing campaign and postcards to be mailed to Florida residents offering a 30-day unlimited membership to the golf course for a fixed price, including lodging.

"Our goal here is to build a year-round tourism economy in this community," Dillon said in a recent interview.

"Not everybody who Googles for a ski vacation may be aware of all the other things going on," he said. "Through online marketing we can identify those people looking for the ski, hiking and golf vacation."

Dillon has championed the placement of ads in lifestyle magazines and pay-per-click advertising on the Web – "a program that enables us to choose by topic, geographic location and demographic, the people who are searching for activities we offer and direct them to our Web site," according to a recent memo by Dillon to the EDT's commission, the administrative body for the town's local option tax monies.

Dillon said pay-per-click is one of the best ways to determine who wants to come to Killington, at what time of the year and what they are most interested in doing there.

According to Susan Klein, director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce that formerly employed Dillon as its marketing director, increasing Killington's and Vermont's exposure would work for everyone.

"The more exposure they (Killington) can give to Vermont, the more we all get some of that," she said. "We all benefit."

Visitor spending in Vermont supported approximately 37,490 jobs for Vermont workers and there are nearly 60,000 jobs in the state's hospitality sector, many of which are supported locally, according to the latest figures released by the state.

On the price tag for marketing, Dillon said the recent $70,000 allocation is a "good start."

"We are trying to build a brand and online will be more cost efficient," he said. "You don't have to have a local option tax, but you have to have money to do it."

cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com

[jimbolla]

Thanks Moose

[spanky]

Maybe the EDT department would like to buy some pay-per-click advertising on killingtonzone.

[SnoBrdr]

Maybe the EDT department would like to buy some pay-per-click advertising on killingtonzone.

The whole article says a lot about nothing.

Wow a new logo for the town and a brochure for the freaking golf course.

Whoopdafreakingdee.

Once again this all sounds like a scam to enrich the Town.

[rogman]

The town of Killington relies on tourism, so simply depending on the mountain, which has made it abundantly clear (both in words and actions) that its interests are not aligned with the town would be foolish. Advertising and promotion costs money. It would be far better for both if POWDR recognized the symbiotic relationship, but clearly they don't. I don't think the town has much choice than to go it alone. Until the mountain recognizes that the town itself is a significant draw, and that actions that by POWDR that hurt the town ultimately hurt themselves, the impasse will persist.

[robrules]

Maybe the EDT department would like to buy some pay-per-click advertising on killingtonzone.

The whole article says a lot about nothing.

Wow a new logo for the town and a brochure for the freaking golf course.

Whoopdafreakingdee.

Once again this all sounds like a scam to enrich the Town.

Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Six-car
Monorail!

[jimbolla]

The town of Killington relies on tourism, so simply depending on the mountain, which has made it abundantly clear (both in words and actions) that its interests are not aligned with the town would be foolish. Advertising and promotion costs money. It would be far better for both if POWDR recognized the symbiotic relationship, but clearly they don't. I don't think the town has much choice than to go it alone. Until the mountain recognizes that the town itself is a significant draw, and that actions that by POWDR that hurt the town ultimately hurt themselves, the impasse will persist.

Powdr gave the option you talk about symbiotic relationship but the town said no. Remember Powdr offered 250k plus 200k a year each year after if the town would match it with 93k per year and this money would be going to the chamber to run events not payroll. The town read Holcombs E-mail stating that this would not work. One and a half years later the EDT commission has entered into an agreement with the Chamber to run events for them and the commission would be the banker with no payment back to the commission. Seems to be the same plan that Powdr put on the table only difference I see was no 200k in payroll no 90k in consultants or building a new web site since chamber is up and running. Seems to me the town wants the power and the town wants to be the one running private
business . Just my thoughts . I don't like where this local tax money is going since I understand that the final goal is for the town to buy a piece of property and construct an arts/in-door events hall. I don't think one can accomplish this with 500k a year so they will be knocking on our doors once again for a tax increase thru property taxes.

[Bart]

agree w/ Jimbolla

the town went to war w/ powdr from pretty much day 1 (in retrospect...although some on this board would disagree)

apparently the town council has a thin skin and were somewhat offended by KSRP...so instead of working on relationship building they decided to make a power play and show who's boss.

for all the talk about economic development the town's action's relative to powdr amount to cutting off the nose to spite the face...Killington is a resort town built around the mountain...there is no true town center (except maybe the basin area/ mountain ?)...maybe they'll put the performing arts center out by the golf course ???...I think its great that Dillion is trying to get FLA business...he would not be able to do that w/o the ski resort infrastructure (and rutland)...

if I run a business called killington town (and I want to create jobs and economic activity) and a business comes along ready to invest 100's of millions in the town ....... and I F' it up...I'm a moron and should be fired

but I'm simplifying....or maybe not...hopefully this will work out or maybe the town will wait around for the next sucker to come along w/ deep pockets ? maybe the ski resort business is a piece of cake and KSRP are crummy business people, joint ventures complicate things anyway ...guess we will find out...

[Geoff]

agree w/ Jimbolla

the town went to war w/ powdr from pretty much day 1 (in retrospect...although some on this board would disagree)

apparently the town council has a thin skin and were somewhat offended by KSRP...so instead of working on relationship building they decided to make a power play and show who's boss.

for all the talk about economic development the town's action's relative to powdr amount to cutting off the nose to spite the face...Killington is a resort town built around the mountain...there is no true town center (except maybe the basin area/ mountain ?)...maybe they'll put the performing arts center out by the golf course ???...I think its great that Dillion is trying to get FLA business...he would not be able to do that w/o the ski resort infrastructure (and rutland)...

if I run a business called killington town (and I want to create jobs and economic activity) and a business comes along ready to invest 100's of millions in the town ....... and I F' it up...I'm a moron and should be fired

but I'm simplifying....or maybe not...hopefully this will work out or maybe the town will wait around for the next sucker to come along w/ deep pockets ? maybe the ski resort business is a piece of cake and KSRP are crummy business people, joint ventures complicate things anyway ...guess we will find out...

If you look at the Access Road traffic counter data, POWDR showed up and immediately reduced Access Road traffic significantly. They also laid off a big slice of their full time employee base... many of whom live in town. They had threatened to cut the Skyeship to a 3-day schedule. They killed lifetime passes of people who vote. If you own a business in town, work for a local business, own real estate in town you hope to someday sell, or otherwise got F'ed in some way by POWDR in their first year in town, you went to town meeting and voted to give them the biggest F'ing dope slap you could.

The town is going to approve the village. There are too many people in political office who stand to profit from it. I think SP Land (Texas money that will be gone after they destroy the town) should be forced to set-aside 80% of the land in Killington Basin as greenspace the way it happened at Stowe to prevent a clear-cut blight of sprawl. Some high-density housing is fine. A jillion million dollar+ single family homes and duplexes all over the place is not. The town should insist that the existing parking near the slopes remain intact or replaced with equivalent parking near the slopes. Sadly, greed and special interests are going to win the day.

[jimbolla]

Funny take a look at the EDT minutes or the town selectmen highlights of may 4th meeting
that states that sales tax collections are up 8.5 percent from January 2008. Go look and feel free
to post it . I guess things were great even POwdr in January grew sales 8.5 percent over January 2008.
Way to go

[Highway Star]

Funny take a look at the EDT minutes or the town selectmen highlights of may 4th meeting
that states that sales tax collections are up 8.5 percent from January 2008. Go look and feel free
to post it . I guess things were great even POwdr in January grew sales 8.5 percent over January 2008.
Way to go

Good, but it doesn't mean squat for multiple reasons.

I would love to see a plot of the monthly sales tax collections for the past 10 years.....

[Geoff]

Funny take a look at the EDT minutes or the town selectmen highlights of may 4th meeting
that states that sales tax collections are up 8.5 percent from January 2008. Go look and feel free
to post it . I guess things were great even POwdr in January grew sales 8.5 percent over January 2008.
Way to go

Good, but it doesn't mean squat for multiple reasons.

I would love to see a plot of the monthly sales tax collections for the past 10 years.....

Considering they raised sales tax rate by around 20% when they put in the local option last October, collections up 8.5% may mean that they're actually down more than 10% in sales. That would better-align with everything I heard about year-on-year business conditions.