The Boerne Convention and Visitors Bureau underwent several changes during a city council meeting earlier this month, announcing a rebranding effort and amending city policy to allow non-residents to hold a board position.
According to the supplemental information to a consent agenda item at Boerne City Council’s June 14 meeting, the visitor’s bureau will be going through a rebranding effort next year, which Chairman Larry Woods will announce during the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus annual convention this summer.
“Many small and midsized cities are not true convention and visitors bureaus in that many do not have convention centers, and only a small portion of their room generated throughout their respective cities are meeting and convention related,” the supplemental information states. “Boerne is a prime example of a leisure-marketplace where most of our occupied rooms are individuals, leisure transient in nature.”
The rebranding move comes in an effort to resemble other Texas cities’ boards using the “Visit” tag, including Dallas, Waco, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Kerrville and Bandera. The information states the name change will allow Boerne to join the ranks of other visitors bureaus that are “considered designation marketing organizations.”
The rebranding is set to align with Boerne’s overall rebounding initiative currently underway. No discussion took place regarding the rebranding of the bureau.
An update in a city ordinance approved by the council within the same consent agenda item, changing the residency requirements for appointments to the visitor bureau’s board, allowed for the appointment of Joey Boatright to the visitor’s bureau board.
“Long ago when the CVB was stood up – the CVB advisory board – there was some recognition that not every one’s going to live in Boerne that works in some of these places,” Mayor Tim Handren said. “So, all we did was make that consistent across all the different entities that allowed us to have this gentleman, Joey, potentially be on the advisory board based on your desires, your wishes. Good kid. Runs the Dog and Pony and has been in the hotel business in part of his life. He’s good, he’s got a lot of energy.”
The visitor’s bureau is required by city ordinance to have nine board members representing different sectors of business around the city, including a representative form a full service hotel, two representatives from a limited service hotel, a representative from a bed and breakfast, one representative from an attraction or venue, one representative from the “arts community,” one restaurant owner or operator and two representatives from the business district.
Boatright currently runs the operations at Dog & Pony Grill, which is one of many properties owned by Bach Holdings LLC – the company which owns and operates the Alamo Drafthouse chains across the state. The company purchased the property in 2019.
Boatright is set to hold the position for a term of two years, expiring in June 2024, information stated.
The city ordinance was amended to veer the visitors bureau requirements away from those applied to all other boards and commissions in the city, where representatives are required to be residents of Boerne. However, residents of the city are still “preferred.”
“It is preferred that board members reside within the city limits or Kendall County,” the amended ordinance now reads. “Eligible members must be actively involved in a business within the city limits of Boerne as listed above.”
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