MORGANTOWN — One more night. One more dollar.
Those are the goals of the Monongalia County Tourism Advancement Fund launched Wednesday by Visit Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The fund is a grant process aimed at attracting events, large and small, to the county.
The Monongalia County Commission put up $150,000 for the initiative in May as part of an effort to spur small business and kickstart the county’s post-lockdown economy this summer.
“I’m really thrilled,” Commissioner Tom Bloom said. “This is all three county commissioners saying how are we going to jump start this summer’s programs and economic growth for small businesses.”
The program is not a new one for the CVB, but it has been completely reworked in an effort to make it more nimble.
VMCCVB President and CEO Susan Riddle said the entire process will be handled through an online portal located at visitmountaineercountry.com/ tourism-advancement-fund.
The size of the event, and grant request, determines how detailed the application process is. She said $25,000 has been set aside for small events requesting $2,500 or less.
If a request for funding is granted, half of the money is provided up front with the other half following a post-event report.
“Requests greater than $2,500 have more requirements. They’re asked for safety plans and licensing … we’re promoting best practices. We want to make sure the events we’re supporting are doing things the way our community needs them to be done, whether that be the health department licenses or working with a fire and safety plan with 911 or traffic, whatever,” Riddle said.
The aim, Riddle continued, is to get applications submitted and reviewed as quickly as possible — ideally within a week, though the application says within 30 days.
“We try to under-commit and over-deliver. We are well aware that events are already chomping at the bit. I’ve had many, many, many, many calls on this already,” she said. “In the past we’ve required everybody had to submit their application no less than 90 days before their events. Well, that’s not going to happen right now. We’re in different circumstances.”
Commissioner Jeff Arnett said he fully expects to see a return on the county’s dollar.
“This is a true investment from the county. Anything we do we don’t look at as handouts. It’s always investing and trying to bring money back in,” he said. “I think this will pay for itself.”
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