The Jefferson County Tourism Commission will have more resources to spread the word about Jefferson County’s attractions and special events.
The commission recently received word that it will receive $120,000 in matching marketing funds by the Missouri Division of Tourism.
Last year, the commission was designated as the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the county, which made it eligible for the grants. For the current budget year, which runs through June 30, the local group received $50,000.
The money can be used on billboards, radio and TV ads and geofencing, which is targeted advertising to a specific geographic area in social media sites. Under terms of the grant, advertising has to be used at least 50 miles away from the county line to attract outsiders to the county.
“This is huge,” said Tom Polesel, president of the Tourism Commission and an owner of the Villa Antonio Winery in the Hillsboro area. “We’re very excited to hear we’re getting this money.”
Polesel said the $100,000 for the current year – the grant and the local match – is being spent primarily on social media marketing, with some radio advertising mixed in.
Planning has not yet started on how next year’s allocation will be used.
“Social media is big, so that will continue to be a focus,” he said. “But we haven’t started talking yet about whether we’ll add any elements.”
He said the commission is working with Bucket Media of Columbia to develop social media campaigns.
Sharon Floyd, executive director of the tourism commission, said three billboards promoting Jefferson County also can be found on I-55 north of Cape Girardeau.
She said the increase in funding is based on a formula used by the Division of Tourism that gauges money spent around the state on tourism-related activities.
“It could be purchases, even a candy bar at a convenience store, or hotel stays,” she said. “The state is using data from 2022, so we did well that year. We’re hoping that we’re eligible for even more next year, once we see our efforts start kicking in.”
The Tourism Commission is about three years old.
Polesel said the challenge now will be lining up matching funds.
“For the current year, the Jefferson County Council approved $25,000, and we are getting the rest through the cities, the Jefferson County Growth Association and memberships,” he said.
Floyd said the eight major cities in the county – Arnold, Byrnes Mill, Crystal City, De Soto, Festus, Herculaneum, Hillsboro and Pevely – have pledged to contribute $1 per resident toward the matching fund.
“We’ve got a good relationship with County Executive Dennis Gannon and the County Council, and while we haven’t had discussions since we learned we are in line to receive $120,000, we’re thankful of what they’ve done in the past and hopeful we’ll be able to continue our relationship,” she said.
Floyd said she hopes that the momentum will encourage more local businesses to join the Tourism Commission, which has 52 members.
She said the cost for businesses to join is $250 a year.
“We’ve been told by our members that they are seeing the benefits of promoting the county and our events outside the area,” Floyd said. “Main and Mill Brewing Company held a street fest in October, and even though there were some problems with rain, (co-owner) Denny (Foster) told us that they really got a big boost from our promoting it on social media and our website. He said he could really see the numbers jump.”
The Tourism Commission maintains two sites that promote Jefferson County – showmejeffco.com, which spotlights attractions, lodging and shopping in the county, and showmejeffcoevents.com, which focuses on upcoming events.
For information about the websites and the commission, send an email to tourjctc@gmail.com.
“We’re just so very excited about all of this,” Floyd said. “We want to emphasize that we are very thankful for our support, from the county and the cities, and our members. We’re anxious to see where this all goes.”