Since the beginning, more than 80 years ago, the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce has provided information about Boerne to everyone who called, wrote or visited. Over the years, as various segments grew, it became necessary for the Chamber’s Board of Directors to develop a new vision for the future. One such project was the launching of an Economic Development Corporation a few years ago. Another was the development of an independent Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In February of 2004, the Chamber’s Board of Directors created a plan to develop the Convention and Visitors Bureau with a full time CVB Director whose job it would be to promote tourism. At that time, the Chamber Board set in motion a plan that would produce a self sufficient CVB in 3 to 5 years. This plan was shared with all stakeholders as a goal the Chamber was working towards.
Five years later, the Chamber succeeded in developing this organization under our umbrella with the addition of a full time CVB Director, another full-time staff member to handle in-house marketing, and two additional part time employees. This staff of four employees runs the day to day operations of the CVB. The CVB annual budget in 2004 was $35,150 and currently has an annual budget of $359,400.
The Board of Directors of the Chamber has accomplished its goal of producing an independent CVB and is proud of this great accomplishment. With the CVB fully functioning and ready to fly on its own, the Board of Directors agreed with the recommendation of Larry Woods, CVB President, to become a separate department of the City of Boerne. The Chamber and the CVB will continue to work together to promote tourism as Boerne continues to be a destination of tourists far and wide.