Hotel Tax increase vote on August 27...

[BoulderSooner]

The 3.75% increase is projected to bring in an additional $11.6 million, which will be allocated to as follows:

75% tourism promotion, direct funding to promote and/or foster the convention and/or tourism (visitor) development of Oklahoma City.
13.3% event sponsorships.
6.7% OKC Fairgrounds for improvements, not including operational costs.
5% OKC Convention Center for improvements, not including operational costs.

The hotel tax is currently 5.5% and is distributed as follows:
55% OKC Fairgrounds for improvements, not including operational costs.
36% Tourism Promotion, direct funding to promote and/or foster the convention and/or tourism (visitor) development of Oklahoma City.
9% Event Sponsorships.
The 9.25% hotel tax is in addition to the 4.5% state sales tax and the 4.125% City sales tax, for 17.875%.

roughly the new break down of the 9.25% tax going forward

52% to Tourism Promotion
35% to Fairgrounds
11% to event sponsorships
2% to the OKC CC

[Urbanized]

For anyone wondering, event sponsorships are generally used to put conferences, conventions and other events together. For instance they might be used to pay for transportation and logistics, or to close a gap in room rates to ensure competitiveness when bidding against a competing city. They’re used to help close most significant meetings, which are generally booked many months and even years in advance, and which are very competitive to land.

[April in the Plaza]

For anyone wondering, event sponsorships are generally used to put conferences, conventions and other events together. For instance they might be used to pay for transportation and logistics, or to close a gap in room rates to ensure competitiveness when bidding against a competing city. They’re used to help close most significant meetings, which are generally booked many months and even years in advance, and which are very competitive to land.

Taxpayer subsidies to land meetings? Between whom? That just seems wild, imo, unless “meetings” means conferences / conventions.

[bison34]

Taxpayer subsidies to land meetings? Between whom? That just seems wild, imo, unless “meetings” means conferences / conventions.

That is 1,000,000% what he meant by meetings.