2020 Annual Meeting Recap

The 2020 WMTA Annual Meeting was held in a virtual format on Tuesday, October 27th.

Highlights included:

  • Financial Report
    • Bottom line: WMTA ended the fiscal year less than 2% short of our original budget goal
  • 2019/2020 Year in Review (see slides below)
    • Recap of new projects
    • Growth numbers
  • Election of Officers: 2020/2021 Executive Committee
    • President:  Maia Turek – DNR
    • Linda Freybler – 1st Vice President –  Battle Creek/Calhoun County CVB
    • Arah Johnson – 2nd Vice President – Crystal Mountain
    • Jeff Swanson – Treasurer – Country Dairy
  • Proclamation from Board (see full text below)

 

 

The Board of Directors issued the below proclamation at the annual meeting:

Proclamation

October 27, 2020

WHEREAS…2020 was a year fraught with challenges that deeply impacted Michigan’s tourism industry, including the complete removal of Travel Michigan funding to support these hard-hit businesses.

WHEREAS… the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) was also hit hard because of how their membership was impacted, resulting in the need for staff furloughs for this already lean organization.

WHEREAS…during this time, remaining staff not only accepted additional duties, but strived to be innovative for, and collaborative with, members to help continue to keep West Michigan tourism destinations top-of-mind.

WHEREAS…a focus on industry updates, innovative marketing solutions, and advocacy gave WMTA members a voice in all aspects of the COVID crisis.

WHEREAS…this is the second pandemic the organization has weathered during its tenure of serving the west Michigan travel industry.

Now, therefore, we the Board of Directors, bestow upon all seven staff members of the West Michigan Tourist Association, these tokens of our heartfelt appreciation for your continued commitment to the more than 100-year-old mission to market the whole of West Michigan as a destination.