When I was invited to the annual Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau luncheon, my first thought was, “Sure, thanks.”
My second thought – considering the scrutiny the CVB has been under the last six months – was whether I should worry about what’s on the menu. Sack of Krystals and water? Catered by Ci-Ci’s Pizza with a limited number of trips to the buffet? Brown-bag lunches with ham-and-cheese for the meat-eaters and PB&Js as the veggie option, maybe?
In truth, the meal was a very nice steak and the fixings. While you can rest assured I had to double- check which spoon went with which course, the CVB folks quickly noted the entire lunch was paid for by sponsorships and purchased tables. I went on an invite from the higher-ups at the Times Free Press, if you’re wondering.
The luncheon was part pep rally and part presentation Wednesday. There was praise for event volunteers, notably Dr. David Bruce, who has served as the lead medical poohbah at all of the Ironman events in town.
Jay GreesonBut the central figure was Bob Doak, who will step down in February after 15 years at the helm of the bureau.
Bob Corker spoke in a video recording. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and Mayor Jim Coppinger spoke. County commissioners, judges and state elected officials were recognized. Heck, you couldn’t sling the wrong salad fork and not find someone who has had their name on a bumper sticker.
The elephant in the room – the questions, mainly raised by Hamilton County Commissioner Tim Boyd earlier this summer, about the county’s close to $8 million allocation to the CVB from taxes paid by overnight visitors to our city – was dealt with in a humorous yet targeted way. (And no, Boyd was not at the luncheon, if you’re wondering.)
“I’m really trying to cut back on my lunches at Hennen’s,” Doak said in the annual spoof video the group shows at the event. That, of course, was a reference to the number of meals expensed from the downtown eatery by Doak and some of his guests. That practice was an especially big part of Boyd’s talking points.
We are all for our elected leaders requiring accountability and transparency about how directed tax money is spent. (And we’re also all for accountability and transparency about the dealings of those leaders, especially when it comes to funds that in the past have been described as “discretionary,” while we’re at it.)
But you cannot overlook the staggering financial affect the CVB has managed to create with $8 million in county hotel-motel taxes.
More than $1.05 billion in tourism was spent here last year. Yes, billion with a B. Close to 9,000 jobs are connected to the tourism industry here. Heck, according to the presentation, the two Ironman events this month will generate more than $36 million. Even keynote speaker, former Knoxville mayor and current Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam reluctantly admitted Hamilton County edged Knox County in tourism money generated.
Considering how much Doak has done for our city and those connected to the tourism industry, Wednesday’s event was a fitting way for him to walk into the final months of his gig.
It’s been a tough year for Doak. The external questions, a state audit and surrounding negativity have made for a difficult turn.
That’s part of the path when you have a taxpayer- funded job that comes with a six-figure salary, but that does not make it any easier for you or your family.
But Doak deserves his time to bask in the positive changes he’s made in his niche. Tourism has never been better, and a big part of that growth can be attributed to the organization he was leading.
That is certainly leaving it better than you found it, and that’s a fundamental definition of success.
The math proves it out.
That was the undeniable takeaway Wednesday: Getting $1.05 billion when spending $8 million is a darn good return on investment, a hard and fast fact that leaves a smile on your face.
Just like expecting a Value Meal and getting a filet.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.