A proposal to spend $189,800 to sponsor two free community events sparked discussion among Guam Visitors Bureau directors on Thursday over whether sponsorships attract tourists and how to measure the return on investment.
The bureau regularly sponsors and promotes events that are open to the community as well as visitors.
During Thursday’s meeting, the directors were presented with a motion to sponsor the new Jingle on the Block party and Mad Collab 2027. The events are being organized by GuamTime, which has supported concerts, sporting events, festivals and other gatherings.
Mad Collab 2026, held in May, attracted close to 7,000 ticketed people, including about 190 tourists, according to GuamTime CEO Matt Sgro. He said the number is skewed because hundreds of people either did not have tickets or were not scanned.
He envisioned expanding the event – a collaboration of businesses, food vendors, artists and musicians – to include participants from Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Director Joanne Brown asked about the measurable results of the sponsorship. She said she would gladly spend the same amount of money on visitor safety or to improve the condition of island parks.
“That's wonderful that we're going to want to invest all this money in these events. But what's the turnaround? What's the investment back that we're getting for this? I mean, it's great. Everyone wants to get together and have a free event,” she said.
She said GVB is quick to sponsor sports events and other community gatherings, but she is getting feedback from the public that those expenditures are not in line with GVB’s mission.
She said GVB should be planning which events to promote and setting the agenda, rather than having outside entities coming in and asking for sponsorship money.
“I have no sense of what the return is going to be on this, and this is a big amount. Like I said, I'm all for more money for safety officers and improving the product because we're out advertising, and I drive the streets every day, as we all do,” she said. “And you know, I'm not tripping over myself to want to travel here.”
The board considered spending up to $50,000 for the Jingle on the Block event, but board member and Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann suggested that amount be raised to $60,000 if the event included performances by school children. The motion was approved.
The board decided not to sponsor the Mad Collab event.
