ࡱ> VXU#` 'bjbjmm 8<h$jjj8,$464848484848484$O7h9r\4:"::\4q4 :j864 :64 81|2 1bj^1644041): v):$22):J3|/ la\4\4x ^4:::: d Goodland Proposal Page Two September 14, 2004 _______________________________________________________________________________ Testimony to the Joint Committee on Senate Commerce and House Economic Development & Tourism January 30, 2008 By Claudia Larkin Committee Chairs Brownlee, Jordan and Gordon, and members of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Economic Development & Tourism Committee: My name is Claudia Larkin and I am pleased to provide this testimony in support of the Kansas Tourism Initiative. From 1994-2000, I worked in the Kansas Department of Commerce in the Travel and Tourism Division and had the pleasure of serving for two years as the State Tourism Director. In this position, I came to understand intimately the trials and tribulations of accomplishing effective marketing within a system that was structured, justifiably, to ensure specific processes are followed. There were three areas specifically that were hindering to doing the best job possible, and the Kansas Tourism Initiative provides alternatives to overcoming these obstacles so that the state may better compete for todays travel dollar. Lack of funding to market competitively. There is no doubt about it that tourism marketing is an out of sight, out of mind game. Creating an awareness of Kansas as a viable and enjoyable tourism destination is, unfortunately, directly related to the dollars available to promote it. The states of Missouri and Oklahoma provide excellent examples to this fact. These states at one time suffered as Kansas does today from inadequate funding that made competitive marketing impossible. As funding sources were dedicated by these states legislatures, the economic impact of tourism in these states began to turn. Today, both states, due to increased budgets that allowed for more frequent and more competitive marketing, have developed into major competitors with regard to attracting international travelers, particularly from the United Kingdom and Germany. KTI allows for a responsible funding stream that would provide the dollars for Kansas to compete competitively with a consistent message in this out of sight out of mind environment. Lets face it; why do we really buy Coke? We buy it because we see ad after ad after ad telling us that Coke is it. Just like Coke, in the world of tourism marketing where we compete globally, having an adequate advertising budget doesnt cost; it pays. Required processes that do not allow for flexibility and responsiveness within a competitive marketing environment. Please dont get me wrong. As a Kansas taxpayer, I appreciate the process that ensures my tax dollars are spent appropriately and efficiently by state employees. But as a professional marketer with nearly 20 years of experience, I know firsthand that the multi-step processes utilized legitimately in other areas of the States business can hinder project execution and effectiveness when it comes to travel marketing, where competition is the rule of the day, and where nimble, responsive, decisive decisionmaking are necessary to take advantage of advertising opportunities to influence decisions and traveler spending. For example, how does the Travel and Tourism Division, which regularly purchases photography, spec and bid for a photograph of a Kansas sunset? It is not possible and Im sure you would agree that a photo I might take as an occasional picture taker would look much different from a photo taken by a professional photographer. I may charge less for my photos, but the pros photos are going to be markedly better than mine. The process doesnt work. How does the Travel and Tourism Division, which must seek out the best advertising talent to compete effectively within a global market, rely on the competitive bid process when seeking the services of an advertising agency? The process cant be applied here either because selecting an agency that has the creativity and contacts that can move the state forward relies on so much more than who provides the lowest bid. These are both illustrations of how some processes within a marketing environment can cause bureaucrats to be penny wise and pound foolish. The recommendation in KTI which allows for Tourism marketing initiatives to be exempt from the States competitive bid process, make good sense and allows a responsible leader to make good decisions within fast moving and constantly changing environment. The turnover within the State Tourism Directors position, which leads to scattered messages, abandoned strategies, and limited marketing traction. As you may know, the position of State Tourism Director serves at the pleasure of the Governor. As a result, as the chief position transitions, it has been typical for this position to transition as well. In the world of marketing, where pounding away at repeated messages over the duration of time is one of only a few ways to create awareness and consumer spending, having the top position change as the winds of politics change leads to ineffectiveness and staggering waste, as previous initiatives are abandoned because they are not understood or because new leadership wants to create their own legacy. Until there is some consistency in this position, the economic traction that comes from repeated and consistent messaging is difficult if not near impossible to achieve. KTI, with the recommendation that the top tourism position serve a board appointed by the Governor ensures proper accountability, but also enables this important position to remain in place as the political winds change. The Topeka Capital Journal recently made this statement in an editorial: Unfortunately, Kansas is a tough sell to tourists, no matter how much money is spent in the effort. No mountains, no beaches and no major theme parks are hardly the best formula for attracting visitors. Its that kind of thinking that we Kansans tend to use to tell ourselves that we cant possibly be appealing to others. Its that self-defeating we dont deserve it attitude that keeps us from thinking that what we have is not valuable. Who would have thought that Oklahoma would position itself as the hub of Native America? Who expected Missouri to create itself into a haven for resort seekers looking to enjoy the outdoors? These states were successful in breaking the paradigms Kansas tends to suffer from today because it believes it doesnt have what it takes to compete. While director, I was interviewed by a writer for The Economist. This writer, who had traveled the globe, was in Kansas for the first time, so I couldnt resist asking him about his perceptions. His comment I still remember vividly today. He said, Kansas isnt viscerally beautiful. What makes Kansas beautiful are her stories. Who she was and who she is and what she has stood for through the years. Why is it that a stranger to Kansas can see the value in this beauty when we Kansans sometimes cant? I urge you to consider KTI as a long-term economic development tool that can help our state, not by stripping away dollars from other programs that need them, but as a strategy that can create wealth for funding Kansas toughest challenges. When I was the Tourism Director talking about funding, I used to speak of it this way, because there is no doubt that there are many immediate needs within our state competing for limited resources. But you can put a dollar into something important like education and get a dollar of value back. But in tourism, you can put a dollar into strategic advertising and get $9 back to use for education. Who wouldnt make this kind of investment for themselves? We need to be confident in making the same investment for Kansas. Thank you.     3455 Brandywine Court * Topeka, Kansas 66612 * Tel: 785.228-1683 * Fax: 360.935.5419 Free Bird Business Solutions " P [ { | }  ösf\Rh =OJQJ^JhAG6OJQJ^Jhh]JOJQJ^Jhha 5OJQJ^J!hha 56>*OJQJ^JhOJQJ^Jhha OJQJ^Jhh:OJQJ^JhhQ`OJQJ^JhhO&{OJQJhO&{OJQJhO&{CJOJQJaJmH sH hO&{hO&{5CJ\jhO&{CJUaJ"5 | } ^gd]Jh^hgd]J & Fgd]JgdQ`$a$gdQ`1$&&'ST<#gs!,i'=J(25渧渌悸ϸq!hh:56>*OJQJ^Jh =OJQJ^JhOJQJ^J!hhV+56>*OJQJ^J!hh]J56>*OJQJ^Jhh:OJQJ^JhOJQJ^JhAG6OJQJ^JhhOOJQJ^Jhha OJQJ^JhhV+OJQJ^J,QR 34[' s!t!v#w#gdOgd =^gd =h^hgd & Fgd]Jh^hgd]J^gd]J5dSh c{bcx24KZf,[ŸϮϝϮϸqhAG6hO6OJQJ^JhhOOJQJ^J!hh56>*OJQJ^J!hh]J56>*OJQJ^Jh =OJQJ^JhhOJQJ^JhOJQJ^Jhh]JOJQJ^Jhha OJQJ^JhAG6OJQJ^Jhh:OJQJ^J)[&'ux   r!s!!!!!{"}""b#l#u#v#x####$-$f$g$h$j$k$m$$$$$%%%)%?%@%ļϳϔğĉ~~~v~h =OJQJhhOJQJhhV+OJQJhhOJQJh5"OJQJhh6OJQJh6OJQJhV+OJQJhhV+OJQJhOJQJhhOJQJhAG6OJQJhh =OJQJhhOOJQJ.w#l$m${&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&'''''''1$$a$  !gdQ`gdQ`gdO@%&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&''''''''n^RhO&{CJaJmH sH hO&{CJOJQJaJmH sH $hO&{5CJOJQJ\aJmH sH hO&{CJ(aJ(mH sH jhO&{CJ(UaJ(mH sH $hG hO&{CJ(OJQJaJ(mH sH hO&{hO&{CJaJmH sH hjhUhQ`hO&{OJQJhQ`hO&{OJQJ^JhQ`hQ`OJQJ^JhV+hhV+OJQJ''6 00&PP/ =!"#$%  Dd 0  # A" llSG ̏>d D@=\ llSG ̏>\bT/* x흹r]RID&;܁;CL N1UN)PT־DMxFq~O/4M_xPӜOoj {ۚ75pwviߐ!yH{~5W8o&v]|>W\ʿϟ*UTRJ*UTRJ*UTRJ*UTRJ6z~iÇǏ/_;g߿owF/^~a˱oߎO~y݇9>%I'O^/_>vMk%1:Çcn޼9v-$}:Q(tH>e:yR_zu&`I3ݻG2ѣv탥~:QViaq-v8(ϹZ^30y۶mv׮]#<=t+hwr:w\/߿|[@goݺ5!TZ{aB9ac$><+6 r׌?|w`¹̜ݷo_6ݻwz l1r-w{\/J_"7'>/.kڷ67vt,;@N A6lͼ?mZJR&/J;SyoeC7ʇDP>jHlhj38;wIg1Q1)(?n)~ylyqG/ı;ToAOr} %FetQ&b e^H9jd>gTook[cҚ$-> }"1ALLde"x33tȑ̅2 [I=ͼeAi/!'<=x{?l]a;:7 ۬Vmf#9qKiV܊tرVF(bk!۷oO|:vS7lQ`27{v^%߳6YW٬euhOoJ6j51`º mB12B}_k2GOL|rOcLrcnvdV!|An{" ٞDX=%ʇ Pe=ehʚb_[1sUL|R^ K`œEW!{g s/Jhv()Fr D/L9u6slYg3 pSE<9sm˱/j#^[cu3^qwbsX]7.^9_xV9})&`<]WNu|ҋ-y<*=1s,}ccj͜,r Յ1hĚ%\8*,3;Nn+#oÓ-{Yr"Ƒ1r\1D0e)$1)ךP<':W#>zq.kyxuiKfw i{%KϜ݅Xαniq̓dͼ_ ױCҞ0|.WWxy }OYZ㭹@=ecK΃E3uS7g\2e}OxV_a)}*&l^6sqzը*>u),}LA-{l+ތW=q^{l\ZruWyݑ͞Ԗ1&~','1ɵczHwi?a#f8H}O3ΖrɣI)'ѱ*qOSr֥|֜)3m謽]K>cKyĉ%xVff&Gwٛ'ὌCMi?aqmXH]i>ۖqZ|vcDkp87%dڭr${k¼~Erʤޚx#eiIYZq4|Pc} nuz}X_12\q1t2>2AWeˮ׆24Qn/Yt 8=bO&%c5. {|e}W[R}Js;Ϛ>ebY#R+yKelJzi,ׅWylk@]%smO*1uזnטx88~6+yZL!kٿrJ]s͚B `DL#~I5o<﹬+Y=xqsȢoj(+'`){J?юkՖgw֧O!|12`i(mʻ_HR-~i㔽A_5IPuX mlE [^w(}`6µZ!\'஬s~"c BAo\ivm[is/<~@GC|9:pݘvNPG(K셥!ȪZyeM?OD)}+_Ҟ4q\ۗ4c75}`ALWAc|R~Ȉ}W>@2> Title$a$5OJQJ\^J4OB4 Jintrodd[$\$4U@Q4 J Hyperlink >*ph$Oa$ Jsource6Or6 Jauthordd[$\$B^@B J Normal (Web)dd[$\$##&<"5   |}   QR 34['stvwlm{000"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0" 0"0"0"0"0"0" 0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0" 0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"@0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"@000@000@000@000@0@0 000(0(000 0 0 "5   |}  4[ 0 00"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0"0" 0"0"0"0" 0" 0"0040000 @0 0 00 0 gj5[@%'w#'''8@J(    Zcccc3"@@K B S  ?$pt- ܷ    $ 䔘   l0" ơ K" " " l & ? 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