City invited to bid for State Convention

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

The City of Eagle Pass has received an invitation to bid and pursue hosting the 2017 Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau annual conference at the City of Eagle Pass International Center for Trade according to City Manager Gloria Barrientos.

Barrientos presented City Council with the details of the invitation to bid. The proposed annual conference of the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau would be held on August 8-10, 2017 and with an alternate date of August 15-17, 2017.

“The deadline to submit the bid package is July 17, 2015 and they are asking for various things such as hotels for over 200 people and also space of minimum 10,000 square feet facility for their exhibitor setups. The city, if selected, will be responsible to sponsor one luncheon at a cost of $2,500. We would also be committing for a 2016 annual conference, 2017 mid-winter conference to attend and do a presentation there. There are about 8 events that the city would be committing to if we are selected to this bid. “ said Barrientos.

Barrientos stated that there are other requirements that are sought through the bidding process such as room rates and other sections identified in the bid package.

“If council would be interested in submitting this bid we would more than likely need to pull some staff, immediately to start looking at everything if all this spaces are available and probably coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce to be able to fill out the bid,” added Barrientos.

Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu stated that this conference was something that the city needed to look at and possibly go after because it would be a great help to not only the city but the entire business community as well.

“Ultimately, this is something that the Chamber had contacted me on, in reference to this. I think these are opportunities where the city should start looking at being a little bit more competitive to bringing in conventions because at the end of the day that trade center is being funded through room tax dollars and this is what we should be doing,” said Cantu.

Mayor Cantu asked if there was a way for the city to begin taking these initiatives in looking for bids and opportunities like this one, and to begin taking advantage of these opportunities.

“This has extreme potential and if we can get our city staff to start working on ways to attract this ,maybe this will be a way to prep our Trade Center to be used for what it is made for,” said Cantu.

Unfortunately, the City of Eagle Pass does not have a Convention and Visitors Bureau such as other cities and this state-wide association. The City awards over $90,000 to the Eagle Pass Chamber of Commerce to handle convention and tourism for the City of Eagle Pass. Many local professionals and public officials have recommended to the City of Eagle Pass to establish its own Convention and Visitors Bureau to solicit and attract more conventions and tourism to the city, but their recommendations have fallen on deaf ears at City Hall. Perhaps with this bid, the City will learn the many advantages of having its own Convention and Visitors Bureau. Conventions and tourism are important economic development boosters for any community and its business community, benefitting local citizens with new jobs and activities previously unavailable.

The City Council unanimously approved to authorize Administration to make a bid for this annual conference on behalf of the City of Eagle Pass.