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Vail looking at ways to improve event funding

There could be caps on how much events could receive in public funding from the town

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Town of Vail officials are looking into ways to improve the town’s current event funding system.
Zach Mahone/Vail Daily archive

Vail taxpayers pay to support any number of events every year. Could that money be better spent?

That question was the top of a Wednesday virtual meeting between members of the Vail Commission on Special Events and town staff.

Town Manager Scott Robson said Wednesday’s meeting was the result of staff work looking at what other communities do to support events.



While the commission’s first job was attracting people to Vail, Robson said that isn’t really a problem any more. Now, he added, the job should be “attracting the type of events the community wants,” while remaining fiscally responsible.

To do that, town officials are looking at a few possible changes.

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Perhaps the biggest would be changes to the funding cycle. Vail Special Event Coordinator Jeremy Gross noted that when the Town Council approves events in its annual budget process, events are sometimes funded as much as 18 months in advance.

The commission can also have long lead times between allocating money and when events take place.

That’s slowed for 2022, as the commission hasn’t funded any event past the end of March.

Gross said the idea is perhaps taking time to review and approve event funding more than once a year.

“Multiple cycles a year would help us be much more on the ball,” Gross said.

Vail Economic Development Coordinator Mia Vlaar noted that the town should work more closely with event producers. That’s the case in Whistler, British Columbia, she noted.

Gross added that the town should consider putting a cap on per-day funding for events. That way event producers can know up front what they’re eligible to request.

Another part of the package being developed is coordination with the “Destination Stewardship” effort to help make Vail a more sustainable destination.

Vlaar said that effort will help guide the town in bringing in events that create “a positive benefit to guests and the community,” with a better idea of what events do and don’t make sense.

In addition to funding and evaluation, town officials hope to vet events through town departments affected by events, including the police, fire and public works departments.

Vail resident Beth Slifer, who spent years working on promoting the town, said whatever system the town comes up with needs to focus on three primary critera: enhancing the economy, enhancing public relations and visitor entertainment.

Commission member Kim Newbury Rediker said she hopes whatever system comes from this work has plenty of room for transparency with both the public and local businesses.

Robson said while the town’s event funding is currently split between the commission and Town Council, “One transparent pot is important to me.”

This process may also, eventually, take a look, at how the town funds events. Money now comes from the town’s general fund. But, Robson said, council members are looking at possible other sources. That could be a lodging tax. But, Robson noted both the town’s voters and the lodging community will need to support that idea.

By the numbers

$2.75 million: Town of Vail general fund 2022 allocation for events.

$3 million: Whistler lodging tax for events.

$110,000: Park City’s general fund allocation for events.

$5,000: Steamboat Springs’ per-event public funding cap.

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