In the bag

With an internationally known speaker coming to Granbury Church of Christ this month for a three-day event, church volunteer Janna Duty wondered if the Visit Granbury Convention and Visitors Bureau might provide welcome bags for out-of-town guests.

She rang up the CVB’s offices at Granbury Square Plaza.

“I said, ‘How many people are we talking about?”’ Visit Granbury Director Tammy Dooley said. “I almost fell out of my seat when she said 750.”

That number represents the capacity of the church, not the number of people who will be coming from out of town. Still, though, Dooley expects the Feb. 15-17 event featuring Ray Vander Laan to result in at least 100 room nights at local hotels and B&Bs, and maybe even as many as 250.

So, yes, Visit Granbury will be more than happy to provide welcome bags.

“I said, ‘Janna, you’re manna from Heaven,’” said Dooley, who was hired three months ago by City Manager Chris Coffman after the City Council voted to bring back a CVB.

Staffers will stuff 250 bags with items that will include the chamber magazine, maps of area restaurants, any coupons provided by restaurants or businesses, and entertainment information.

After speaking with Duty, Dooley emailed Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to local hotels and B&Bs, giving them an opportunity to provide rates for the special event. Nine responded.

To Duty’s delight, some offered special prices. A link to a list of those lodging establishments is now on the church’s website.

Duty had planned to take on the time-consuming task of notifying restaurants about the event but Dooley handled that for her as well.

“She met with the restaurant association and alerted them that from 12 to 2 on Saturday (Feb. 16), people are going to leave our church building and go to lunch,” Duty said.

Dooley even offered to have the city’s 34-seat green trolley shuttle guests from the church to the square and back again during the lunch break.

“She was very gracious about what ways can we help you,” Duty said. “She came up with the trolley idea, and I think it will be very well received.”

Duty believes that the map of local eateries provided by Visit Granbury will also be helpful for church members. Some of them are new to town, she said, and may not be aware of all of the restaurant in the area.

Dooley said that, thanks to Duty reaching out to Visit Granbury, the welcome bags may convince some people to make a return trip.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

The week of the Vander Laan weekend event, Dooley will travel to Austin with Visit Granbury and Lake Granbury Conference Center (LGCC) employees for what she called their first “sales blitz.”

They plan to fan out and visit association meeting planners.

Dooley believes that the LGCC is just the right size for associations with 350 or so members.

“They’re looking for a place where they come into town and they’re the big fish in the pond,” she said.

Dooley said that she invited lodging industry representatives to come along at their own expense. The Best Western Inn & Suites and the Hilton Garden Inn accepted the offer, she said.

In addition to part-timers who man the welcome desk, Dooley has help from Kristen Gibson, sales event coordinator and service representative, and Terri Harmon, sales manager.

The group is currently working with a Granbury High School teacher to bring a student air rifle competition to town that would result in 50 room bookings per night for a week.

Visit Granbury has received confirmation that the Cigar Afficionado Trades and Sales (CATS) annual event will be coming Memorial Day weekend, resulting in 200-300 room bookings.

“It’s huge,” Dooley said, adding that the Best Western will be the group’s host hotel and the Holiday Inn and Suites will be the “overflow hotel.”

“But they’re going to have so many people here that they’re going to be using multiple hotels,” she stated.

Already, 25 rooms at the Best Western have been reserved for four nights for the event, “so that’s 100 rooms,” she said.

Dooley said that when she met with restaurant representatives, she told them that she can send them RFPs when groups come to town, just as she has been doing with hotels and B&Bs. They have the choice of offering coupons, just as lodging establishments have the option of offering special rates if they choose.

“I think they were thrilled,” she said. “It was a wonderful meeting. I’m seeing people realize that we can do a lot better when we all work together.”

kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 258