City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Convention and Visitors Advisory Board  
300 S. Providence  
Road - Thomas G.  
Walton Building  
Monday, September 29, 2025  
Regular  
12:00 PM  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
The Board Chair, Richard Walls, called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m.  
II. INTRODUCTIONS & ROLL CALL  
11 -  
Present:  
Barth Burgin, Melody Marcks, Rusty Strodtman, Aric Jarvis, Scott Cristal, Donald  
Laird, Richard Walls, Raman Puri, Kristopher Kunz, Jamie Varvaro and Lori  
Lammers  
1 - Heather Hargrove  
Excused:  
City staff present: Amy Schneider, Julie Ausmus & Danielle Vardeleon  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
The agenda was approved as is.  
Motion by Cristal. Second by Strodtman. Motion passed.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
The minutes were approved as written.  
Motion by Vavaro. Second by Cristal. Motion passed.  
August 25, 2025 Minutes  
Attachments: MeetingMinutes25-Aug-2025.pdf  
V. OLD BUSINESS  
VI. NEW BUSINESS  
VII. REPORTS  
None to discuss.  
None to discuss.  
September CVB Staff Report & Updates  
On Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, a delegation will participate in the Columbia Leadership Trip to  
Columbia, South Carolina. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with local  
officials and business leaders to discuss issues similar to those currently faced in our  
community. Amy will also have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with the  
Columbia, SC Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director.  
Amy and Megan McConachie will attend the annual Governor’s Conference on  
Tourism at the Lake of the Ozarks on Oct. 7-9, 2025.  
Congratulations were extended to members who were recently reinstated to the  
Board. A vote will be needed at the next month’s meeting to elect a new Chair and  
Vice Chair for FY2026.  
The NCAA Cross Country National Championships will be held on November 22.  
Weekly meetings are ongoing with the University of Missouri to coordinate logistics.  
The MSHSAA State Cross Country Championships will take place the week prior  
November 6-8. Additionally, the Sports Fieldhouse expansion is progressing, with  
extra courts expected to be available by Spring 2026.  
Update Report from The District  
Nickie Davis shared updates regarding safety and operations downtown. The CID  
finances are public records, subject to the Sunshine Law. The District continues to  
work with Columbia Police Department and City officials to identify ways to enhance  
downtown safety, ranging from improved lighting to exploring the possibility of  
housing a police substation in the CID office. Proposals have also been made to the  
City and University of Missouri for introducing safety ambassadors downtown. She  
noted that these safety efforts have been ongoing for over ten years and expressed  
enthusiasm that the community is now actively supporting these initiatives.  
Upcoming District events include the Caffeine Crawl this weekend, Halloweenie on  
October 24, and the Holiday Shop Hop and Lighting Ceremony hosted by  
Serendipity on October 25, which will also feature carriage rides.  
Update Report from the Boone County Commission  
The Boone County Commission reported that ongoing meetings are being held among  
Boone County, the City of Columbia, the Boone County Office of Emergency  
Management, state representatives, and law enforcement agencies. Commissioners  
emphasized that public safety cannot be addressed in isolation, it must be approached  
as a coordinated, community-wide effort involving bars, restaurants, churches,  
businesses, and community leaders across all sectors.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
Barth inquired about the latest passenger numbers for flights between Columbia and  
Denver. Amy reported that the most recent data has not yet been received but is  
expected within the next few weeks. The Denver flights have been full, despite current  
enplanement numbers being slightly down.  
Aric asked if the wrap-up report from the Show-Me State Games had been received.  
Amy confirmed it has not yet arrived but will be forthcoming.  
IX. NEXT MEETING DATE  
Monday, November 24, 2025  
X. ADJOURNMENT  
Meeting was adjoured at 12:55 p.m.  
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.