MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is expecting a productive new year, Executive Director Susan Riddle said on Morgantown AM.
After an eventful 2017 in Morgantown, the CVB is expecting even more people to visit town this year
“We had little over 45,000 additional room nights sold in 2017 over ’16, which lead to a little over $3.6 million in room revenue and that comes back to our community and close to about a $200,000 increase in lodging tax,” Riddle said.
Industry sources told Riddle that it was over a nine percent increase in comparison to 2016. Riddle said she expects the Morgantown Marathon and Mountainfest, in their 4th and 14th years respectively, to help drive 2018.
“They’re doing a lot of advanced ticket sales,” she said. “They’re doing a VIP experience, which if you haven’t been able to attend Mountainfest, if you get to attend as a VIP it’s a blast.”
The VIP experience will include a plethora of advantages to enjoy including free food. Mountainfest will feature Montgomery Gentry, Brett Michaels, and Alabama on stage. And, Riddle said, that’s just the beginning for Morgantown’s slate of events.
“This year we’re really looking at new ways to go after blocks of business, not just with events but also with groups,” she said.
Riddle said growth may not remain as strong as it has in year’s past, but she does expects the growth of local cultural events to continue. She cited the Cabin Fever Craft Beer Festival in February and the Pro Lumberjack Competition in June at Mylan Park. Even with a strong event portfolio already, the Morgantown Conventions and Visitor’s Bureau’s goals remains the same.
“Our number one and number two goals are to get new people to come to our area and spend one more night at a hotel and spend one more dollar,” she said. “We want new money coming into the area.”