Tourist Map Should Soon Include City

It’s been foggy and damp in the region the past several mornings, but for John Brewer the outlook is clear and bright.

Brewer is the new president and general manager of the Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

On the job since Aug. 1, Brewer has had big shoes to fill, literally and figuratively. He succeeded Hartly Kruger, a tall man and towering presence for Spokane in the visitor trade for 15 years.

Brewer is a Miles City, Mont., native who previously was director of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Council. Prior to that he worked at an advertising agency marketing, among other things, Yellowstone Country and the Old West Trail.

Brewer said Spokane’s visitor and convention industry is at a crossroads.

There has been steady growth in the visitor trade - from $472.8 million in 1998 to $501.8 million last year in Spokane County. But Brewer sees a path which, with a few significant improvements, could take the area up to the next level in attracting gatherings and tourists.

Brewer shared his vision and enthusiasm with SCVB member firms and others at Friday’s annual meeting, where the theme was “Forecast: Sunny.”

“This is an exciting time for Spokane,” Brewer said earlier.

“We are a community sitting on the edge of having a world class setting for meetings and for visitors - not only regionally, but even internationally.”

Brewer said expansion of the convention center “would not only expand the site, but bring a new level of technology to the facilities.” More space, he added, would accommodate larger gatherings, but also allow more conventions to meet here concurrently.

Brewer’s basis for optimism lies in what he says are Spokane’s setting and amenities.

“Our downtown is really a campus setting,” he said, where visitors can walk comfortably from hotel and meeting rooms to Riverfront Park, River Park Square and other facilities.

Brewer cites the high conversion rate - he pegs it at about 68 percent - of travel and meeting planners who visit the area. They come with misperceptions that Spokane is rainy like Seattle, or low perceptions about booking meetings here.

Once they visit and see the campus setting, the falls and how many outdoor activities are nearby, their opinions change, Brewer said.

“You can have a meeting inside four walls anywhere and sleep in a hotel bed anyplace,” he said. “You’ve got to give attendees something to hook them on about coming to Spokane.

“It puts us in a unique position to build a brand,” he added.

Air service is adequate for most groups, he said, noting the recent airport expansion is an asset.

The relatively low cost of holding meetings here helps, “though we don’t promote ourselves as a blue-light special,” Brewer said.

Reopening the Davenport Hotel and adding its 300 or so more rooms to the mix would only expand the opportunities, he said.

One strategy, Brewer said, is for Spokane to get on the western site rotation of groups with annual national meetings who already go to Seattle, Portland, San Jose and Albuquerque.

The more competitive advantages we have to sell, the better, he said, adding the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, with its major display of Native American artifacts, will be a big attraction.

The same amenities that attract meeting planners also appeal to tourists and casual visitors, Brewer said.

His five-year strategic plan includes collaborating with tourism industry partners in the region to entice visitors to spend extra time in the Inland Northwest.

“The time is right,” he said, “to make inroads beyond our borders.

“We can be competitors and partners at the same time,” Brewer said.

A couple of trends are helpful.

The Internet has expanded interest, even worldwide, in visiting new places. If Lewis and Clark were making their trip today, they could make their travel plans online, maybe even book a tee time at, where else, Indian Canyon.

Even with higher gasoline prices, more people are willing to travel farther to visit regions they haven’t seen.

And more travelers want first-hand experiences to be found in the area, not just “a windshield tour,” Brewer said.

Though the Lewis and Clark Trail doesn’t pass directly through Spokane, Brewer said the city can still be a starting point for visitors touring nearby parts of their expedition.

So even if Meriwether Lewis and William Clark didn’t put Spokane on the map 200 years ago, John Brewer plans to do just that in the minds of more visitors.

Now, if he can add a little more sunshine …