Attachment 2 - Chamber of Commerce Memo Year End Report for Visitor and Information Center FY 22-23Memo To: Town of Los Gatos Staff and Town Council
From: Catherine Somers, Executive Director, LGCC
Jim Foley, President LGCC Board of Directors
Subject: Year End Report - FY 22-23
$55K for Town Information Center
Date: April 19, 2023
The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce is an independent contractor that is paid a fee for service
by the Town of Los Gatos. This memo details the ways in which the Chamber has fulfilled the
scope of services outlined in the Town’s Agreement with the Los Gatos Visitor and Information
Center.
For reference: Primary purpose of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce
Our Mission: The Los Gatos Chamber serves the community first and foremost by being a
catalyst for business growth and success; acting as a convener of community leaders and
influencers to get things done; and serving as a champion for a thriving business community.
Our Vision: The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce will be a strong, unified voice of the spirited
Los Gatos business community… recognized as a catalyst for business growth and advocacy.
Being a champion for the town of Los Gatos, the Chamber will work to preserve the cherished
quality of life and integrity in our town … and will be admired for its skill in listening to the
concerns of all segments of the community and acting as a convener of all for dialogue and for
problem solving.
ATTACHMENT 2
As a courtesy, the Town has an agreement with the Chamber to manage the Town’s Visitor and
Information Center. This agreement has been in place off and on for the past 23 years.
Back in the early days, The Town Council approved as much as $100,000 for services provided
by the Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, that amount has decreased significantly, yet the
expectations of the agreement have remained the same.
Since 2019, the Chamber has received approximately $55K.
In the last few years, the Chamber has received some additional funding for DEI worthy projects
and ARPA funding for some emergency destination marketing.
In the FY 22-23, the Chamber provided the following services to meet the expectations
outlined in the current agreement. Please see the 2022-23 Scope of Services for cross
reference.
Los Gatos Information Center @ $55 K
The Town of Los Gatos’ Information Center is open all year, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
except for scheduled holidays. Often, we will open for part of the day on a Saturday or Sunday,
particularly on Holiday or Special Event weekends. We respond to all Los Gatos visitor and
resident inquiries regarding shopping, dining, lodging, events, relocation, general commerce,
and other related visitor information topics. Typically, we receive 3-5 out-of-town guests per
day and a handful of our in town locals who stop by for information on current events. We
distribute Los Gatos promotional materials and replenish the brochures as needed all the while
working with the town to fulfill any relocation requests from people looking to relocate here or
to start a business here.
On most days, we answer 7-10 phone calls from people seeking Visitor or Town information.
In the summer, the average number of calls increases. Comments suggest we act as a local
concierge service trying to fulfill the needs and entertain our town guests. This year, the
Chamber added a few items to our list of responsibilities including but not limited to a more
comprehensive social media destination marketing campaign (we were able to fund this
program with the ARPA funds we received in 2021). Since January 1, 2023, the Chamber of
Commerce has funded this marketing. We also facilitated another series of six Promenades on
North Santa Cruz Avenue. We followed up on a few beautification initiatives we started a few
years ago. Sights have also been set on potential Los Gatos Boulevard developments, so we are
trying to coordinate efforts and building plans with property owners. Lastly, we have built a
stronger relationship with Los Gatos Music and Arts, Jazz on the Plazz and Music in the Park;
collectively advertising the Sounds of Summer.
The Chamber pays rent in the amount $1,000 per month for the Town’s Visitor and Information
Center space which is approximately 500 sq. ft. The rent paid includes the use of the meeting
room. The Chamber covers the cost of staff help as it relates to visitor services (40 hours per
week at $30 fully loaded per hour) and we maintain the only public restroom in town.
Town Marketing efforts in 2022-23 included:
• Creation and maintenance of the Visit Los Gatos Website (as funded initially by the ARPA
Destination Marketing Grant and now by the Chamber itself)
• Los Gatos Dining and Places to Stay Guides (produced electronically and in print and
maintained by the LGCC)
• Los Gatos Self-Guided Walking Tours – Discover Lost Gatos (funded by LGCC)
• Los Gatos Event Venue Guide (produced and maintained electronically by the LGCC)
• Los Gatos Creek Trail, Lexington, Vasona, Villa Montalvo, and other informational
brochures
• Advertising and editorial content in local newspapers/magazines including: Los Gatos
Magazine, Los Gatos Weekly, San Jose Mercury News, Content Magazine and The Metro
• Los Gatos Town Map (produced and maintained by the LGCC)
• Los Gatos Downtown Tourist Map (produced by LGCC)
• Santa Cruz Mountain winery maps/ Santa Clara winery maps/Livermore winery maps
• Los Gatos Local Resource Guide and Directory – (sent to 15,000+ LG residents and 3500
Monte Sereno residents produced and maintained by the LGCC)
• Partnered with a firm which maintains a display rack of information promoting tourism
and things to do in Northern California
• Work with Visit California and Team San Jose, encouraging them to feature Los Gatos in
their tourist publications
• Community-wide events posted in our front windows, newsletter and website
• Weekly updates to our Chamber and Visit Los Gatos websites and the Community
Calendar
• Daily updates (as necessary) to all social media platforms—VisitLG including Facebook,
Instagram, NextDoor and LinkedIn – these updates include original content created by
the staff
• Host/organize multiple community-wide events – and do the advertising and facilitate
staffing
• Weekly Town-wide event newsletter
• Summer Event Guide (produced in partnership with Los Gatos Music and Arts)
• Promotional posters and banners for the town promoting summer events and other
happenings
• Holiday Shop Local and Visitor Campaign to accompany the Los Gatos in Lights
• Host monthly Food and Wine meetings
• Host quarterly Merchant Meetings
• Host quarterly service organization meetings and service provider meetings
• Host and manage finances of all social media platforms for destination marketing
• Host community events drawing people to Los Gatos from all over the Bay Area
• Focus on DEI related events and messaging to benefit the whole community to make Los
Gatos more welcoming and inclusive
We send all requested materials free of charge via USPS. Typically each packet costs about $10.
We consistently update our website and Visit Los Gatos and other social media platforms on all
information regarding Town, resident and visitor events, though we have struggled to keep up
the Visit Los Gatos accounts with this demand as we do not have the funding to do it properly.
We manage a robust Community Calendar which we update on a daily basis, consistently
posting community events. We inform community members who are on our Constant Contact
list of upcoming Town Council or Planning Commission meetings and any other important
information, such open as Town commission and committee positions.
Additionally, the Town Information Center sells LG swag and other merchandise. Items for sale
include:
• Legendary Locals of Los Gatos and other historical books
• Visors and hats
• Pens
• Note Cards
• Los Gatos post cards
• Tote Bags
• Water Bottles
• Wine tumblers
• Other