Frankenmuth

WHAT is THE CVB? T he Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau; many refer to it as just "the Chamber" and most assume it is one organization. However, the reality is that the Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau are actually two separate organizations, bound by unifying bylaws. They operate under two separate boards of directors and have completely separate financial operations. This unique structure is by design to function as unified as possible and operate for the good of the whole. It goes back to the 90's when the CVB formalized. While the Chamber is widely recognized in the community for being an organization that primarily supports the business community by providing business advocacy, networking, educational and communication opportunities, it is less understood what the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is or does. The Frankenmuth Convention & Visitors Bureau is a Destina- tion Marketing & Management organization which means it's focused on promoting Frankenmuth as a destination to visitors, managing the visitor experience, and driving economic development through tourism. There has long been confusion about the Chamber doing things that are actually a function of the FCVB. In the past, it didn't matter much because leaders shared the same goal: working together for the good of the whole. However, now as the FCVB embarks on leading its largest tourism economic development project, it is important to understand the difference, especially because of how the two organizations are funded. The Chamber of Commerce is funded through membership dues, programs and sponsorships. Nearly everything it does has to be financially self-sustaining because the greatest resource of the Chamber is the talented team of professionals that provides the members with programs, services and opportunities. However, the Convention & Visitors Bureau is primarily funded through two sources of lodging taxes or assessments collected from visitors staying in our local hotels. These funds can only be used for specified tourism-related activities based on the two separate governing models. Historically, CVB's were focused on marketing, sales (motorcoaches, meetings/conventions, and social groups) and visitor services. That has been evolving globally as destination organizations strive to be responsible stewards of how tourism can align with the needs of the local community. The Frankenmuth CVB does continue to execute an impressive marketing and advertising plan to attract visitors to the destination. It also operates the visitor center and public restrooms along with answering thousands of calls and email requests. This is the organization responsible for the public facing website www.frankenmuth.org, producing the annual visitor guide, providing maps & coupon books as well as distributing those materials locally, state-wide, and even internationally. Most of the big advertising the FCVB does, the local community never sees as it is focused on attracting and serving those who visit from outside the area. However, the FCVB has also done many things in the community that have helped the destination develop over the years including starting a couple of the annual festivals that are still successful today including the World Expo of Beer and Frankenmuth Oktoberfest. By Jamie Furbush, President/CEO of Frankenmuth Chamber & CVB 16

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