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A modified operating budget for the Fiscal Year 2020-21 was approved by the Bartlesville Development Authority for the Bartlesville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau on Wednesday.

CVB Executive Director Maria Gus opened the discussion. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Gus said things were going well at the Bartlesville Convention & Visitor's Bureau. She said they were down slightly in occupancy for Bartlesville, but their revenue numbers were up. Occupancy was also starting to trend upward prior to the virus.

Every year, the CVB tries to track the fiscal impact of the events that come to Bartlesville from a visitor development standpoint. This is done with data and metrics that are given to the CVB by the Oklahoma State Tourism Department to determine economic impact and visitor spending. From there, the CVB can determine how much revenue is generated for the City of Bartlesville from the events. This is called fiscal impact.

Last year, Bartlesville generated $675,000 in fiscal impact from the events that were held in the city. When you look at the last fiscal year, that revenue has dropped to $367,000. This is completely attributed to COVID-19, as many events have been cancelled because of the virus. Even with COVID-19, the $367,000 was generated back to Bartlesville for a positive return of 15-percent.

Gus is currently working on an advertising campaign that shows off local outdoor opportunities like the Pathfinder Parkway, the Heritage Walking Trail, and the Tower Center at Unity Square in downtown Bartlesville. The budget for the Bartlesville Convention & Visitor's Bureau is largely unchanged. The CVB will move some money from advertising into improvements for their website - visitbartlesville.com.

After approving the modifications to the CVB's operating budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, the Bartlesville Development Authority would approve the annual contract they have with the CVB. This is subject to budget approval by the Bartlesville City Council. BDA President David Wood said the contract between the BDA and CVB is same contract have had for five years now. He said the only thing that has changed are the dates and the amounts.