NATCHEZ &045; A management agreement with the city and the direction of the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s marketing efforts were discussed in detail Tuesday.

&uot;We want to make sure we’re getting the most bang for our buck,&uot; said commission Secretary Rene Adams.

The setting was the Convention Promotion Commission’s seven-and-a-half-hour retreat in the Bowie’s Tavern conference room.

During that meeting, the commission decided to request and review itemized information on the services the City of Natchez provides the CVB under its current management agreement, which expires in September.

The largest part of the food and lodging tax proceeds the CVB receives goes to pay a management agreement with the city.

Since the agreement was signed in September 1999, the City Clerk’s Office has taken over the responsibility of payroll, vendor payments and other bookkeeping for the CVB.

The commission decided to focus the CVB’s efforts on marketing more to conventions and individual visitors. Right now, most of the bureau’s efforts go to attracting motorcoach tours.

But figures provided by sales staffer Stratton Hall showed coach tourists spend an average of $103 a day while in town. Compare that with $125 per conventioneer or $111 per individual tourist &045; up to $140 if that individual stays at a bed-and-breakfast inn.

A 40-member advisory tourism &uot;superboard&uot; that is set to meet in the near future will come up with more detailed ways to target the convention and individual markets, commissioners said.

Adams said she will meet with Mayor Phillip West as soon as possible about sending letters to Natchezians asking them to serve on the superboard.

But for one thing, Commissioner Ron Riches said he would like to see the CVB and tourism-related businesses pool their advertising dollars to target such markets more effectively, getting more bang for their collective buck.

Commissioners and CVB staffers, who joined the commission for part of the retreat, also discussed the possibility of hiring an advertising professional to create a new advertising &uot;brand&uot; for Natchez.

In addition, both groups brainstormed growing niche markets the CVB should target in the future, including motorcycle enthusiasts, families and the recreation and outdoors market, as well as more heritage tourism.

Later in the retreat, the commission directed Tourism Director Walter Tipton to compile information on what it would cost to purchase expandable, locally serviceable software to track sales leads, among other things.

Alderman Bob Pollard &045; the Board of Aldermen’s tourism liaison, who was present for most of the retreat &045; said he will present the information to aldermen at their June 4 work session.

The commission also directed Tipton to gather information about the cost of customer service training for CVB personnel, including those manning the convention center.

And it heard a presentation from City Attorney Walter Brown about the state’s open meetings and ethics laws.