Erie, Ottawa visitors bureaus hand destination marketing to Greater Sandusky Partnership

The boards of the Erie County Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau have each approved management agreements with the Greater Sandusky Partnership, the partnership announced Aug. 6.

Under the agreements, the partnership will manage destination marketing for both bureaus. The partnership described the votes as another step toward its planned integration with Shores & Islands Ohio, and said one final agreement among all four organizations was expected by Sept. 1.

The same announcement said Eric Wobser would become chief executive of both the Greater Sandusky Partnership and Shores & Islands Ohio on Sept. 1, and that Larry Fletcher would leave the president and CEO role that day and serve as director of strategic alignment through the end of 2026.

Background

The two bureaus oversee county lodging tax money set aside for tourism promotion. They have worked together for more than 20 years as Shores & Islands Ohio, the joint tourism brand for Erie and Ottawa counties. Their staff moved to a shared nonprofit in 2019.

The Greater Sandusky Partnership was formed by combining the Erie County Chamber of Commerce, the Huron Chamber of Commerce and the Erie County Economic Development Corporation.

What we don't know yet

The announcement did not spell out the financial terms of the agreements or how the arrangement affects bed tax funding. We have not seen confirmation that the final four-way agreement was approved. We will report those details as they become public.

Source: Shores & Islands Ohio announcement, Aug. 6