KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In order to maintain funding for key sales and marketing programs, the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association (KCCVA) is combining two departments and reducing its staff size by 17 percent from 47 to 39 full-time employees.

A dramatic decrease in business travel has impacted the association’s largest source of funding, the Kansas City, Mo., hotel occupancy tax, also known as the Convention/Tourism Tax. The KCCVA is now better prepared for additional slip in this revenue stream—which typically makes up two-thirds of its budget. The association’s total 2008 budget was $10 million, and the revised 2009 budget is $9.2 million.

“We are saddened by this necessity,” said Rick Hughes, President and CEO of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association. “Yet even with this restructuring, we are committed to maintaining our positive momentum. These adjustments will provide better efficiency, while maintaining our core mission of marketing and selling Kansas City. The KCCVA achieved record results in 2008, and we must press on to ensure that we capture outside economic impact from conventions and tourism for our community.”

Download Related Images

Photo Credit:  Photos Courtesy of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association