tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post823074752774844557..comments2024-03-28T17:55:31.180-04:00Comments on The Gossips of Rivertown: An Evening with the Tourism BoardCarole Osterinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16010623982526286408noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-13339173029080292992019-04-06T14:05:15.404-04:002019-04-06T14:05:15.404-04:00This is a very important conversation. I agree wi...This is a very important conversation. I agree with the heads in beds! Research shows that if you start by encouraging overnight visitors, it delivers the best return. The town of Lenox now has a pop up on its home page taking visitors straight to a link to book lodging. Their Chamber initiated the website and agreed that this was the best move for them. The city of Las Vegas has done something similar. Day trippers will not sustain the retailers on Warren street. The other issue, the short term rentals, is a huge problem, not just in Hudson or the US, but around the world. Official B&Bs are registers in NY State, pay fees for it and must follow certain guidelines like hard wired smoke detectors. I cannot fathom how the "AirBnB" phenom has gone on so long without a more concerted effort to regulate what they do. Sorry I missed the meeting but at least we are all talking about this and, it seems, expressing honest opinions. Finally, I would note that we have a terrific group of business and marketing professionals right here in our own back yard and they did an excellent job branding Hudson for the Husiness Coalition and its website. Why not work together and not reinvent the wheel? I am sure there are reasons for not tapping into the excellent work that is already building a broad identity for Hudson but I hope it is being discussed. Chris Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14672643174389839423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-33821704183187285032019-04-03T11:17:39.597-04:002019-04-03T11:17:39.597-04:00Carole, this is a great post, in my humble opinion...Carole, this is a great post, in my humble opinion. It asks the question so articulately: what are people looking for here? I would argue, along with those who suggest using tourism money to improve our events, public spaces, and sidewalks, etc., that it is the spirit and usability of our city--exemplified by winter walk, festivals, parades, fun. It is also the potential for a city in transition, transition into a place where there are free fun opportunities as well as good shopping opportunities. People come here to be in the Hudson Valley, in part--so more funded, outdoor stuff would be an absolute draw. I think you've laid the case out beautifully. Again: my opinion is humble.Tamar Adlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01163670945298995668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-43647278044332931272019-04-02T13:01:14.674-04:002019-04-02T13:01:14.674-04:00When I was producing the Hudson Music Festival fro...When I was producing the Hudson Music Festival from 2011-2014, we had become New York State's largest free weekend music festival. All of the press we did were in-kind donations. That included a tv commercial that Mid-Hudson Cable produced, advertising and a special schedule produced through Register-Star, numerous newspaper notices and articles, and our Twitter account had over 5,000 followers. We also had an article in the annual Amtrak magazine. We estimated that there were close to 15,000 visitors in Hudson for the weekend, with many booking rooms. <br /><br />Producing a large event like this is expensive, at least $25k for us. Add paying the artists would be an additional $25k, mind you, we had over 300 artists participating!Chad Wecklerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15721057452000779552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-62007921079623272702019-04-01T16:43:57.490-04:002019-04-01T16:43:57.490-04:00Former mayor Rick Scalera submitted this comment:
...Former mayor Rick Scalera submitted this comment:<br /><br />My two cents….Apparently Jane Smith Quinn, Executive Director of the FASNY Museum of Fire Fighting has never attended our events such as Flag Day, OutHudson Parade Winter Walk, The Black Arts & Cultural Festival , The Bangladesh Cultural Festival, and last but not least The Halloween Parade. Investing a small percentage ($20,000) of lodging tax dollars toward these and other events here in Hudson is exactly how the monies should be spent!<br /><br />Rick ScaleraCarole Osterinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16010623982526286408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-39374755399231252792019-03-31T10:19:05.861-04:002019-03-31T10:19:05.861-04:00My wife and I used to live in the Albany burbs and...My wife and I used to live in the Albany burbs and used to regularly come down to the Winter Walk (Wow, were there ever some cold ones). So I'd have to say Ms. Quinn is erroneous in her thinking. Very Slim Pickenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08924002901066759675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-2783379693068015912019-03-30T23:07:44.911-04:002019-03-30T23:07:44.911-04:00How about restoring the Park on 7th st ? How about...How about restoring the Park on 7th st ? How about taking down the electric poles on Upper Warren from the park to Worth Avenue to make it look like the rest of Warren St. ? <br /><br />Restoring the town is what brings the tourists to see an incredibly beautiful mostly intact 19th century Main St with unique stores, restaurants, and yes air bnb apts and hotels, motels and all sorts of other amentities. The Opera House. Club Helsinki with Stevie Nicks singing there tonight. !! <br /> <br />Pretty amazing i would say, in the last 25 years. j kayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08669649380477390089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-37175798062381314082019-03-30T21:49:25.297-04:002019-03-30T21:49:25.297-04:00heads in beds. that's where the money comes fr...heads in beds. that's where the money comes from and you use it to get more heads in beds to collect more money. events that don't put heads in beds don't get money, or shouldn't, pretty simple. The extra heads spend money in our shops, restaurants, and attractions. michael lesawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13283350595244628737noreply@blogger.com