City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Convention and Visitors Advisory Board  
300 S. Providence  
Road - Thomas G.  
Walton Building  
Monday, October 27, 2025  
Regular  
12:00 PM  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
Richard Walls, Board Chairman, called the meeting to order at 12:02 p.m.  
II. ROLL CALL & INTRODUCTIONS  
9 -  
Present:  
Heather Hargrove, Melody Marcks, Rusty Strodtman, Aric Jarvis, Scott Cristal,  
Donald Laird, Richard Walls, Kristopher Kunz and Lori Lammers  
3 - Barth Burgin, Raman Puri and Jamie Varvaro  
Excused:  
Also present City Staff Amy Schneider, Julie Ausmus and Danielle Vardeleon.  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
The agenda was approved as written.  
Scott Cristal motioned to approve, Aric Jarvis second, motion passed.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
The minutes were approved as written.  
Scott Cristal motioned to approve, Don Laird second, motion passed.  
9/29/25 CVB Board Minutes  
Attachments:  
Meeting Minutes 9.29.25.pdf  
None to discuss.  
V. OLD BUSINESS  
VI. NEW BUSINESS  
Tourism Development Signature Series Application - We Always Swing  
Jazz Series  
Attachments: Signature Series application-We Always Swing Series.pdf  
Presenter: Jon Poses presented the We Always Swing Jazz Series Signature Series  
Tourism Development application.  
This season was more challenging to assemble due to limited venue availability (only  
Sundays, no dedicated venue), but resulted in a strong lineup. The lineup includes  
Branford Marsalis, Dr. Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson with the Columbia Jazz  
Orchestra. Performances will occur on April 3, April 16 and April 30 respectively.  
This year's National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grant was withdrawn so this caused  
major financial issues. The funds were earmarked for film editing and completion of a  
full-length performance film of legendary saxophonist Bobby Watson and the  
home-grown 18-piece Columbia Jazz Orchestra. The world premiere is scheduled in  
Columbia in April 2026 and intended to be marketed nationally (e.g., PBS) due to  
Watson’s notoriety.  
Regarding the series' impact on tourism, some out-of-town attendance will be expected,  
especially for Branford and Metheny as they are well known. Pat Metheny’s tour includes  
55 total dates, but education components occur only in Columbia. Performing artists  
staying in Columbia generate 4-5 room nights with larger events reaching 10-12.  
There are a total of 14 concerts scheduled this year with a budget of $428,000, an  
increase of ~$17,000 from last year. Total budget is $428,000 (up from $31,000 initially);  
and last year $194,00 was raised from ~600-700 donors. Financial footing is stronger  
than 10 years ago.  
Discussion followed regarding the economic impact of the series and the proposal to offer  
a one-time additional amount due to the NEA grant loss and film production costs. The  
series received $10,000 in 2025.  
The board scored the application and Lori Lammers motioned to grant the series $15,000;  
Scott Cristal seconded. There was additional discussion regarding the a one-time  
additioinal funding to assist with the completion of the Bobby Watson performance film.  
The motion was amended to add a one-time additional funding of $2,500 for a total of  
$15,000. A vote was taken and the motion passed.  
Lori Lammers motioned to approve $15,000 to fund the We Always Swing Jazz  
Series, Scott Cristal second, motion passed.  
4th Quarter Communication & Outreach Report  
CommOutreach Report - FY2025 - Q4.pdf  
Attachments:  
Communications & Data Report - Presentation Summary  
There were ~14 million leisure impressions (July-September). With steady social media  
growth, we are seeing hundreds of new followers monthly with Instagram now at 10,900  
followers. The top-performing content centered on outreach and communications  
projects such as the “Coolest Week” - a July Travel Writer Visit. The CVB hosted three  
travel writers (two from Missouri and one from Arizona) with the tour focused on outdoor  
recreation, culinary experiences, and culture. The writers visited the MKT Trail, Mizzou  
campus, museums, Ragtag, The District, Farmers Market, and Rocheport. This tour  
resulted in multiple published articles.  
The new Visitor Guide was printed in August and distributed via CTM along I-70.  
Sarah Parks, Industry Relations, departed last Friday. The position is advertised and will  
remain open through 11/10.  
We are having ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup discussions as well as establishing 2026  
departmental goals.  
Datafy - Columbia Destination Summary  
Attachments:  
Columbia Destination Summary (1).pdf  
Datafy is a platform which uses geolocation + cell phone + credit card data gathered from  
2018 forward and includes detailed county polygons. It will also allow filters, such as  
event tickets sales to trace visitor origins.  
Some key findings using this platform were as follows:  
Total trips up 8.5%.  
Visitor days increased overall.  
September saw the largest spike (football games).  
6+ day visits up 5%+ - further analysis underway.  
Balanced mix of in-state and out-of-state visitors.  
Strong traffic from St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield.  
4th Quarter Sales Report  
Attachments:  
Sales Report - FY2025 - Q4 (1).pdf  
The CVB welcomed a new Sports Sales Specialist this quarter, Tevin Riddle, rounding  
out our sales team to full capacity.  
The fourth quarter we have seen an incraese in room nights compared to this time last  
year. Some of the key events we hosted or supported included the Law Enforcement  
Traffic Conference, Dental Hygiene Conference, Black Wall Street Tour, MSAE Summit  
at Stoney Creek, PDGA World Amateur Disc Golf and more.  
Looking ahead, we’ve already secured several exciting events such as the Society of  
Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) Missouri Capital City Chapter - Holiday  
Extravaganza, Wind Jammers International, Missouri Missionary Baptist State  
Convention, County Collectors 2026 Annual Conference, Missouri American Legion,  
returning annually through 2028. The sales team is also working on several promising  
leads for 2026-2027.  
During the Missouri Society of Association Executives (MSAE) Summit, we hosted a  
planner brunch at Beet Box and a tour of the Arcade District - great opportunities to  
showcase our city’s unique offerings.  
Upcoming events included the NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Cross Country National  
Championships on November 22. Approximately 600 tickets have been sold so far.  
Qualifying team will be finalized on 11/14. We will also be hosting the Missouri Sports  
Travel Exchange in March 2026.  
Vote on FY2026 Board Chair & Vice Chair  
A motion was made to nominate Rusty Strodtman as Board Chair for FY2026 and Don  
Laid as Vice-Chair.  
Scott Cristal made a motion. Aric Jarvis seconded and the motion  
passed.  
VII. REPORTS  
October CVB Staff Report & Updates  
Update Report from The District  
Nickie Davis was unable to attend. Aric Jarvis provided information. There are ongoing  
safety discussions with the CID board and community and committees are being formed  
to look at proposals on making downtown safer. Halloweenie was very successful.  
Holiday Shop Hop is upcoming as well as the Christmas lighting. The Living Windows  
Fest is December 5th and there will be horse drawn carriage rides this year every  
Saturday in November and every Saturday and Sunday in December from 4-7:00 p.m.  
Update Report from the Boone County Commission  
Justin Aldred, Boone Count Commissioner, reported $11 million has been invested into  
911 radio services to provide 800 mhz providing updates and stronger signals for hard  
shell buildings and more. This will also allow for greater GPS tracking for officers and  
responders.  
The senior personal property tax relief helped ~8,000 properties and $8.2 million in tax  
relief. It took over 700 hours of programming changes to change tax codes.  
The Boone County Sheriff office continues to provide extra support in downtown  
Columbia.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
IX. NEXT MEETING DATE  
November 24, 2025  
X. ADJOURNMENT  
A motion was made to adjourn at 1:09 p.m.  
Aric Jarvis made a motion. Scott Cristal seconded and motion passed.  
Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to  
disability, please call 573.874.CITY (2489) or email CITY@CoMo.gov. In order to assist staff in making  
the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in advance of  
the posted meeting date as possible.  
USB DRIVES PROHIBITED: A speaker who desires to display a presentation must upload the  
presentation, in advance, to the city network using an upload portal. To upload your files and learn  
more, visit CoMo.gov/upload.