MASON CITY – The Visit Mason City Board has approved marketing grants to help 10 organizations attract tourism and visitor spending to Mason City. Visit Mason City Executive Director, Sue Armour, stated “Visit Mason City grant funds will be matched with over $16,000 in private funds promoting the area as a visitor destination. These marketing initiatives are estimated to assist in attracting over 62,000 visitors to the community generating an estimated $5.5 million in visitor spending over the course of the 2012 spring, summer and fall.” Projects awarded marketing grants include:
Grant Recipient
Tourism Marketing Project
Grant Award
Iowa Choral Director’s Association
Welcome Reception
$200.00
The Decker House B & B
Brochures and Website
$350.00
Midstates Horse Shows
Printed Materials and Website
$1,250.00
North Iowa Events Center (formerly known as the North Iowa Fair Facility)
Website
$275.00
Mason City Civil War Council
Brochures and Fliers
$281.00
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
Brochures
$750.00
Tennessee Walking Horses of Minnesota
Brochures and Website
$300.00
Friends of the 457
Brochures and Posters
$194.00
USS Haggard 555 Veteran Reunion
Shuttle Transportation
$200.00
North Iowa Snowseekers
Brochure
$200.00
The next rounds of applications for the tourism marketing grant program are due:
Round 1: by 4 pm on Oct. 3, 2012 for marketing projects completed Oct. 1, 2012 – Oct. 1, 2013
Round 2: by 4 pm on Feb. 5, 2013 for marketing projects completed Feb. 1, 2013 – Oct. 1, 2013
Applicants eligible include events, tournaments, conventions and tourism facilities that create tourism activity for Mason City. Applications are available here or by contacting the Visit Mason City office via email or 641-422-1663.
Visit Mason City, formerly the Mason City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), is a non-profit organization dedicated to marketing and promoting Mason City and the North Iowa area as a multi-day tourism destination to attract, expand and retain visitor spending in the area. Tourism related direct visitor spending contributed an estimated $81.57 million into Mason City’s economy during 2010. In Cerro Gordo County, tourism generated an estimated $163.15 million in direct visitor spending, the 10th highest county level in the State. Tourism related jobs employed nearly an estimated 1,500 people in Cerro Gordo County.
