Community Promotion & Tourism

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Community Promotion & Tourism Trustee Bernie Dudek, Chairperson, Trustee Andrew Honig, Alternate Chairperson, Jill Payne, Marguerite Micken, Joe Orsolini, Nancy Schukat, Phil Dahm, and Nicholas Piron Ex-Officio Members: Melissa Infusino - Lombard Chamber of Commerce; Beth Marchetti - DuPage Convention & Visitors' Bureau; Yorktown Centre - Josh Dean; Embassy Suites - Mike Hansen; Sure Stay Plus - Randy Cline; Sonesta ES Suites - Alan Gagnon; Extended Stay America (22nd) - Iverliss Hernandez; Comfort Suites - Frank Balisteri; Extended Stay America (Technology) - Adriana DeHoyos; Fairfield Inn & Suites - Robert Stewart; Hyatt Place - Max Schultz; Towne Place Suites - Ashley Libbe; The Westin - Mike Feigenbaum Tuesday, September 7, 2021 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Bernie Dudek at 7:05 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairperson Bernie Dudek. 2.0 Roll Call Present 5 - Bernie Dudek, Marguerite Micken, Joe Orsolini, Nancy Schukat, and Nicholas Piron Absent 1 - Phil Dahm Also present: Beth Marchetti, DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau, Melissa Infusino, Lombard Chamber of Commerce and Nicole Aranas, staff liaison. 3.0 Public Participation None. Village of Lombard Page 1 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes September 7, 2021 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Joe Orsolini, seconded by Marguerite Micken, to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2021 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. 5.0 Old Business None. 6.0 New Business 210282 2022 Local Tourism Grant Program Review the 2022 Local Tourism Grant program. An overview of the 2022 Local Tourism Grant Program was presented by Nicole Aranas. The presentation included guidelines, application, call for projects, and the post-event summary form. The program is similar to past years with additional language seeking further information on services provided by the Village of Lombard, anticipated to be funded through the grant program. Committee Member Joe Orsolini asked if program materials reflect that state, local, federal COVID requirements could impact funding. Chairperson Bernie Dudek inquired about timeline for the grant program. Joe Orsolini inquired about the funding for the grant program. Chairperson Bernie Dudek addressed the fact that applicants may need to reduce their grant fund request or receive limited funding if resources of the Hotel/Motel fund are short. 210283 2022 Hotel/Motel Budget Discussion concerning the 2022 Hotel/Motel Budget. The proposed Hotel/Motel expenditures were presented to the Committee. 210054 Local Tourism Grant 2021 - Lombard Cycling Classic Follow-up by Beth Marchetti, DuPage County Convention and Visitor's Bureau of the Lombard Cycling Classic, Intelligentsia race held on July 20, 2021. Beth Marchetti of DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau gave a presentation on the Lombard Cycling Classic, Intelligentsia Bike Race. The DCVB reported 560 room stays, for the area. The event was funded through the Local Tourism Grant program. Nicole Aranas and Village of Lombard Page 2 Community Promotion & Tourism Minutes September 7, 2021 DCVB staff walked the downtown and received either positive or neutral support from all but one business and confirmed there was support for the event and the Tuesday event date. 210177 American Rescue Plan Funding Discussion concerning hospitality sector relief funding for industry recovery and public safety. Nicole Aranas shared preliminary information regarding ARPA funding and possible opportunities for supportive funding for local hotels. Information on possible options to use funding to support safety initiatives at local hotels was shared as well. Committee Member Marguerite Micken inquired if extended stays specifically generate more crime vs. standard hotels. Beth Marchetti appreciates the approach and the plan to see what hotels want. Joe Orsolini commented that this is the façade program for hotels and feels it is a great idea. Any money that goes to this program makes our hotels stand out more. Beth Marchetti, DCVB, agrees that it is better to use funding for this type of thing to do than just issuing a check. Melissa Infusino, Lombard Chamber of Commerce commented she supports this program versus forcing the hotels to adhere to safety requirements. Joe Orsolini commented that camera technology is leaps and bounds ahead of where it used to be. Beth Marchetti asked how does the video work? Tapes are running, not direct to the Village but they have a tape. Chairperson Bernie Dudek commented he feels it would be worthwhile to hear from hotels and gauge their interest and asked if there are other things that the hotels are interested in? 7.0 Other Business None. 8.0 Information Only None. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by Nick Piron, seconded by Joe Orsolini, to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. The motion was approved by all. Village of Lombard Page 3