December 7, 2023
Meeting Summary
Presiding: Dave Hansen
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Tom Mangan & Team
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote:
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests: Paul Montoya
Guests:
Visiting Rotarians:
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA/Exchange Students: Hunter and Hannah
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor: Todd Pearson
Foundation Drawing: Keith Downey won $10 with $304 in the jackpot.
O’Dwyers Drawing: Jaime Stine
Announcements:
- Don’t forget to volunteer to work the greeting table!
- Anna Cramer gave an update on the United Way of Albany County’s campaign. We would like 100% engagement from all Rotarians. We are at 30 percent.
- Todd Pearson told the club that signups to help with youth exchange ski weekend will start next week. The weekend is Feb. 1-4. We need transportation and host families.
- Sign up for the holiday party on January 11 at 6pm at O’Dwyers. It is $40 a person.
Upcoming Programs:
- Dec. 14: Youth Exchange, Marianna
Rotarian of the Week: Murray Schroeder nominated Pam Dunnuck, Hanna Eslinger, and Sarah Brown Mathews for doing the Christmas family shopping; Dave Hansen nominated Jan Lawrence for hosting former youth exchange student, Juliette Robert.
Songs: Deck the Halls, Frosty the Snowman
Program: Visit Laramie, Scott Larson
Introduction: Tony Hoch
Scott Larson provided a travel and tourism economic impact update. Visit Laramie focuses on bringing people to Albany County, sharing travel experiences, and sharing what makes our area special and unique. It is an economic driver to businesses and provides more amenities for locals.
Visit Laramie operates the Laramie and Centennial visitor centers and handles marketing for Albany County. I is funded by visitor-facing taxes, mainly a lodging tax at 4 percent. They have 6 staff members.
It provides marketing and visitor services and runs many campaigns. It has about $100,000 in grants for events that encourage people to stay overnight in Albany County. It produces 100,000 visitor guides and brochures and sees 20,000 website visits per month.
Nearly 1 million people have opened an email from Visit Laramie. The visitor impact in 2022 was:
- 765,000 people
- 85% stayed overnight
- Average length of stay was 3.2 days
- 75% of Colorado travelers stay overnight
Most of this is tracked using cell phone data. Inflation has caused some decreases in 2023.
A survey reported that 70% of visitors noted that Laramie exceeded expectations, and 50% noted Laramie as their final destination.
The average occupancy in 2022 was 62% for hotels and 52% for short-term rentals.
Direct spending is on average $198.9 per person. This helps increase Albany County jobs and was $4.6 million in tax revenue for the county. Eighteen percent of sales tax was from visitors.
If not for the taxes paid by visitors, the average household would have paid $693 more in taxes.
Visit Laramie has doubled since 2019, and 2023 is experiencing several all-time highs. They have an interactive app that can be used for maps, trails, trail heads, descriptions, and what’s in the area. It is expanding its marketing to encompass shoulder season and winter more effectively.
Response: Jaime Stine
‘Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
Rotary 4-way test
Of the things we think, say, or do:
•Is it the Truth?
•Is it Fair?
•Will it build Good Will and
Better Friendships?
•Will it be Beneficial to All
Concerned?
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
•FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
•SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
•THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
•FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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Website: laramierotaryclub.org
Spoke Editor: Caitlin White, 307-630-1965, cwhite@acplwy.org