MANSFIELD, Ohio — The Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau has evolved over time, and Lee Tasseff, CVB president, noted the state of the agency, its progress, latest undertakings and future plans earlier this week.
Tasseff said the CVB has grown from distributing brochures at fairs and festivals to where the agency is considered an award-winning economic development agency.
“(The CVB) makes money for the community through tourism, but also raises the profile of the community, not just in Ohio, but also across the country,” Tasseff told Richland County Commissioners on Thursday.
He highlighted various events the CVB helped organize and promote this year, including the Shawshank Hustle. That event alone drew 4,500 people to the area, he said.
Looking ahead to the future, he said the 2016 Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs will be held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in September.
Commissioner Tim Wert said his corn stand saw a noticeable uptick in sales when the SCCA was previously held in the county.
“It made a difference,” he said.
Tasseff also hoped to take advantage of the Republican National Convention which will come to Cleveland in July.
“If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to market,” he said.
Commissioner Marilyn John said events, such as progressive dinners, have been created as a result of promotions like the Wine and Ale Trail.
Tasseff also talked about what was gleaned from a strategic retreat he attended. One of the topics was promoting positive messages about one’s community.
“When you put out positive information, somebody who hears about your community, even if it’s a different subject, already has a frame of reference and something positive to relate to your area,” he said
John asked if the agency’s marketing efforts are directed toward people from outside the county.
“Largely yes, because that’s where the money is,” Tasseff said. “Because if I try to get you to go spend money in Lexington, then we’d just be reshuffling money.”
He listed a number of perceptions people (mostly those from out of the area) maintain about Richland County, including “peaceful,” “beautiful scenery,” “small town” and “fun.”
“Some of this validates what we’ve been marketing for a while,” Tasseff said.
John said it’s interesting how peoples’ descriptions don’t necessarily match what’s highlighted in the press.
“I think if you were to go back and look at the number of stories that cover crime, prison and jails, you would find that to be predominant, where that’s not what people from the outside think of,” she said. “When you think about how other people see us, should we not be highlighting that, too? Because that’s overwhelmingly positive.”
John also congratulated Tasseff on his recent award. On Nov. 16, Tasseff was recognized with the state’s highest tourism industry honor, the Paul Sherlock Lifetime Achievement Award in Tourism, during the Ohio Conference on Tourism.
