Frankenmuth

14 The Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau held its Annual Meeting in January of 2023 to reflect upon the fiscal year October 2021 through September 2022. This time f rame saw nearly the entire team turn over at the Community's longstanding membership organization that also serves as the Destination Marketing and Management Organization. The new f resh talent whom are mostly f rom the local area, have chosen to come home or remain in the area to serve their community and we are grateful for their dedication, talents and eager optimism. As a service- based organization, the only way to accomplish the goals and mission is with our talented team. The Chamber of Commerce represents the businesses within the community, but here in Frankenmuth, our businesses are overwhelmingly locally owned. Thus, our business owners are our neighbors in the community and they guide the organization with a mission that serves three stakeholder groups: member businesses, the community (which reflects local residents), and visitors. The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) side of the organization is responsible for not only marketing and promotion of the community as a destination to visitors, but also to guide and serve those guests in their planning and upon arrival. The CVB is also responsible for assisting in Destination Development and Destination Management which essentially means helping to enable new opportunities that will attract guests in the future as well as to assist in continual improvement of managing the swell our community experiences as a result of tourism. One of the ways we've done this in the last two years was to collaborate with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), City of Frankenmuth, and Saginaw Transit Authority (STARS) on a shuttle system during the busiest weekends of the fall and throughout the Christmas season. Those shuttles saw over 4,000 riders in 5 weeks of operation. While this effort is still relatively new, the increase in 2022 more than doubled f rom 2021, the riders saw more parts of town, and moved their vehicles less which helps the overall goal of reducing congestion. The CVB and DDA have now committed to expand this partnership with STARS in 2023 to offer shuttle services beginning the weekend after July 4th through the Christmas season. A N N UA L R E P O RT Chamber & CVB By Jamie Furbush, President & CEO Frankenmuth COC/CVB

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