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Bellingham Tourism Commission

BEL-TOU-2025-02-25 February 25, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Tourism Commission met to discuss two major developments that will significantly impact the region's tourism landscape over the next two years. The commission approved January meeting minutes and received comprehensive updates on FIFA World Cup 2026 fan zone preparations and the 2025 tourism grant program progress. The most significant announcement was Bellingham's selection as an official FIFA World Cup fan zone for 2026, with the city taking the lead on coordinating public watch parties for six matches to be played in Seattle. This designation comes as FIFA expects 750,000 visitors to the region, presenting both an unprecedented opportunity and logistical challenges for the community. The city is partnering with Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism and the Port of Bellingham under a memorandum of understanding that establishes three primary committees: marketing and communications, watch party events, and community engagement and activations. The commission also received detailed reports on the 2025 tourism grant recipients, with all initial meetings completed or scheduled. The presentation revealed strong performance across most funded events, with several grantees showing notable innovation in marketing to out-of-town visitors. However, discussions also highlighted emerging challenges, particularly declining Canadian tourism due to current political tensions and broader economic factors affecting the hospitality industry. Staff emphasized the need for immediate hiring of an experienced event coordinator to manage the FIFA fan zone activities, with a Request for Proposals expected to be issued Friday. The waterfront has been selected as the primary venue for watch parties, despite logistical challenges, as it better showcases the community compared to the Civic Complex.

**January Meeting Minutes Approval** - Vote: Passed unanimously - Motion and second recorded, no changes requested **FIFA Fan Zone Event Coordinator Hiring** - Staff authorized to issue RFP for event coordinator or team - Timeline: RFP release targeted for Friday following the meeting - Scope: Initially…

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**FIFA World Cup 2026 Fan Zone Implementation** The commission discussed Bellingham's selection as one of eight Washington State fan zones, joining Bremerton, Everett, Olympia, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Tacoma, and Vancouver South. The designation allows Bellingham to host public screenings of six matches being played in Seattle during the group stage. Staff reported that while the opportunity comes with licensing privileges, it provides limited additional support from FIFA or Seattle, requiring local organizations to shoulder most planning and costs. The organizational structure involves three equal partners under an MOU: City of Bellingham, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, and Port of Bellingham. Three primary committees will manage different aspects: marketing and communications (co-chaired by Lindsay from tourism and Darby from city staff), watch party events, and community engagement and activations. The committee structure aims to prevent overlap while ensuring comprehensive event management. Budget concerns emerged as a significant policy issue. Staff indicated no substantial state funding appears forthcoming, requiring the three partner organizations to develop realistic budgets independently. The commission discussed sponsorship opportunities as a necessary revenue source, with tourism staff's sales team already identified to pursue corporate partnerships. Infrastructure challenges were highlighted, including potential border crossing construction, possible airport improvements, and the cancelled Samish interchange project that was initially scheduled for summer 2026. Staff emphasized the need for early communication to businesses and visitors about these potential impacts. **2025 Tourism Grant Program Evaluation** Lindsay presented comprehensive updates on all 2025 grantees, reveali…
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**City Staff (Tara)** Advocated for controlled scope management on FIFA events, emphasizing the need for realistic budget constraints and experienced event coordination. Supported waterfront venue selection despite logistical challenges, viewing it as better community representation. Stressed importance of three-party partnership structure to prevent organizational conflicts. **Tourism Staff (Dylan)** Focused on marketing and communication preparation for FIFA events, including development of bellingham.org/fifa landing page and visitor information resources. Emphasized need for business community preparation and coordination with regional infrastructure projects. Supported sponsorship revenue development as essential funding source. **Tourism Staff (Lindsay)** Provided detailed analysis of grantee performance, highlighting successful innovations and areas for improvement. Advocated for maintaining current grant program structure while supporting better information sharing among participants. Emphasized value of direct staff engagement with all funded organizations. **Commission Memb…
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**Tara, on FIFA event scope management:** "The scope of this work has to be kind of established and executed really well, and I want to make sure we've like we're right now. We're building the 3 party ship and make sure we're all on the same page, which hasn't happened quite yet." **Dylan, on FIFA regional impact:** "Seattle. Fifa is expecting 750,000 visitors to our region. They have selected fan zones not necessarily even on the I 5 corridor they're wanting to. They they would like they're …
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**FIFA Event Planning Timeline:** - RFP for event coordinator to be issued Friday following meeting - Internal partner kickoff meeting scheduled within 3-4 weeks - Committee structure implementation with three primary focus areas - Basic communications to business community expected in 2-3 months **Tourism Grant Program Schedule:** - Initial meetings phase completion by March (Allied Arts and Paper Whale remaining) - Midway check-in meetings scheduled primarily for July-August alignment with next application cycle - Final meetings required within one month of event completion - September commission meeting proposed for comprehensive program performance review before next funding cycle **Canadian Tourism Mon…

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**FIFA Fan Zone Official Designation:** Bellingham moved from informal interest to official fan zone status with licensing rights and partnership agreements. **Event Coordinator Hiring Authorization:** City staff received approval to immediately issue RFP for professional event management services. **Grant Program Meeting Completion:** All 2025 grantee initial meetings achieved 100% completion or scheduling, representing significant operational improvement. **Canadian Tourism Impact Recognition:** Commission formally acknowledged measurable impacts on Canadian visitation, moving from specu…
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# Bellingham Tourism Commission Charts Course for FIFA Fan Zone and Reviews Grant Program Success The Bellingham Tourism Commission convened on February 25, 2025, with members gathering both in person and online to tackle two significant agenda items: planning for the city's designation as a FIFA World Cup Fan Zone and reviewing the performance of tourism grant recipients. The meeting revealed both exciting opportunities and emerging challenges as the commission navigates international events, changing visitor patterns, and evolving grant programs. ## Meeting Overview The commission meeting took place with a full quorum present, including staff from both the City of Bellingham and Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. The session was structured around two primary topics: an update on Bellingham's selection as a FIFA Fan Zone for the 2026 World Cup and a comprehensive review of the 2025 tourism grant recipients' initial meetings and progress reports. What made this meeting particularly notable was the depth of operational detail shared about both the FIFA planning process and the maturation of the grant program's oversight structure. The commission heard about concrete next steps for World Cup planning while also grappling with broader questions about Canadian visitor impacts and the effectiveness of tourism investments. ## FIFA World Cup Fan Zone Planning The commission received its first detailed briefing on Bellingham's selection as one of eight Washington State fan zones for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tara, representing the city's planning efforts, outlined the scope and significance of this designation. "Seattle FIFA is expecting 750,000 visitors to our region," Tara explained. "They have selected fan zones not necessarily even on the I-5 corridor — they're wanting to bring the games and the excitement to areas throughout our state." The fan zone designation means Bellingham will host watch parties for the six World Cup matches scheduled to be played in Seattle. The other Washington fan zones are Bremerton, Everett, Olympia, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Tacoma, and Vancouver. Bellingham's position as the northernmost fan zone, combined with its proximity to the Canadian border, creates unique opportunities and challenges. "This is going to be our opportunity to invite people from across the globe to be welcoming and to invite them into our community," Tara said. "We want …
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A structured study guide helping readers understand the meeting's content and context. ## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Tourism Commission met on February 25, 2025, to discuss major upcoming events including Bellingham's selection as a FIFA World Cup fan zone for 2026, and to receive updates on the 2025 tourism grant program from Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism staff. ## Key Terms and Concepts **Fan Zone:** An official viewing site designated by FIFA to show World Cup matches on large screens for public audiences. Bellingham has been selected to show the six matches being played in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup. **LTAC (Lodging Tax Advisory Committee):** The committee that reviews and makes funding recommendations for tourism grants using revenue from local hotel taxes. **Geofencing:** A digital tracking technology that creates virtual boundaries around specific locations to track visitor movement and behavior through mobile devices, used to measure event attendance and visitor origins. **TPA Funds:** Tourism promotion funds derived from lodging taxes, used to support events and initiatives that bring visitors to the area. **Exchange Rate Impact:** The effect of currency value differences between the US dollar and Canadian dollar on cross-border tourism, historically a major factor in Canadian visitor numbers to Whatcom County. **MOU (Memorandum of Understanding):** A formal agreement outlining roles and responsibilities between the three main partners for the FIFA fan zone project: City of Bellingham, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, and Port of Bellingham. **Out-of-Town Marketing:** Tourism grant requirement that funded events must actively market to and attract visitors from outside the local area, typically measured as visitors from beyond 50 miles. ## Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Tara | City of Bellingham staff, co-leading FIFA fan zone planning | | Dylan | Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism staff | | Lindsay | Tourism staff conducting grantee meetings and reporting | | Sarah Holliday | Hotel industry representative (calling in remotely) | | John Purdie | Theater representative | | Craig Jewell | Wild Buffalo House of Music representative | | Nick Kelly | Tourism Commission member | | Marc Blake | Tourism Commission member | | Jenny Hagemann | Bellingham Downtown Partnership (calling in remotely) | ## Background Context Bellingham has been selected as one of eight fan zones in Washington State…
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Economic Development Government Operations HB 1515 HB 1882 Backcountry Medical Guides Bellingham Festival Of Music Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Cascade Mountains City Of Bellingham Fifa Pickford Theater Port Of Bellingham Washington Film Works Wild Buffalo Comedy Craig Jewell Dylan Dylan Tourism Jenny Hagemann John Purdie Lindsay Lindsay Tourism Marc Blake Nick Kelly Sara Holliday Tara Tara City Staff Taylor Place Bellingham Waterfront Place Civic Field Alcohol Policy Best Practices Sharing Canadian Relations Canadian Tourism Cross Border Relations Cross Border Tourism Downtown Activation Event Coordination Exchange Rates Fifa Fan Zone Fifa World Cup Film Location Scouting Grant Administration Hotel Partnerships Marketing Strategies Sponsorship Opportunities Tourism Grants Tourism Marketing Transportation Planning Waterfront Events