TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute the Nineteenth Amendment to Agreement No. 28164 with the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc., to extend the agreement by a period of one-year and to provide funding in the amount of $4,608,676 for Fiscal Year 2021. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On October 1, 2002, the City Council approved Agreement No. 28164 (Agreement) with the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. (CVB) to develop a program to promote the City of Long Beach (City) as a convention and tourist destination. Since that time, the CVB has been administering a marketing program to establish the City as a site for conventions and tourism by promoting its attractions, resources, climate, and facilities. The contract with CVB is funded through two sources: the Special Advertising and Promotions Fund Group and the Tidelands Operating Fund Group. The Agreement is amended annually to extend the term and to reflect the level of funding appropriated by the City Council. As in prior years, the proposed amendment includes funding for various promotional activities that support the City’s economic development objectives.
On September 8, 2020, the City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 21) Budget, which includes funding for the agreement with the CVB in the amount of $4,608,676, a decrease of $450,000 from FY 20. This decrease reflects the significant loss of revenue in the Special Advertising and Promotions (SAP) Fund Group due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in the annual contract amount was partially offset by a one-time increase in funding in the amount of $300,000 for FY 20, to support an investment in the promotion of travel and tourism in Long Beach, and to help generate increased revenue for the City. The one-time transfer of funds has allowed the CVB to market Long Beach attractions, hotels, restaurants and other businesses as they begin to safely reopen.
The COVID-19 pandemic has h...
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