A successful business environment for Branson’s businesses requires the same thing that makes Branson’s Lake Taneycomo the successful trout fishery that it is, comparatively speaking, lots of fish. In the case of fishing in Lake Taneycomo, it is enough Rainbow and Brown Trout to provide a quality fishing experience for most of those fishing the Lake. In the case of Branson’s business environment, it is in providing enough potential customers to provide a quality business experience for Branson’s businesses.
The responsibility for insuring that there is a constant supply of trout for Lake Taneycomo’s anglers is the responsibility of the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. Both the hatchery and Lake Taneycomo are managed to maximize the number and size of trout in Lake Taneycomo. The result, for most anglers, is a quality trout fishing experience.
Whereas a definite physical facility, the hatchery, operated in a specific prescribed manner by one entity, the Missouri Department of Conservation, can, absent natural disaster or calamity, provide enough trout to make Lake Taneycomo a successful fishery, the same cannot be said for providing Branson’s businesses with enough customers to be successful. The hatchery equivalent, in terms of providing enough customers for Branson’s businesses, is marketing.
Whereas the running of a hatchery and managing the Lake Taneycomo fishery is more a matter of science than art, marketing is at least as much art as it is science. In addition, the marketing of Branson involves the active participation and coordination of two primary government entities, the city of Branson and the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District. They finance and administer Branson’s marketing program and select an organization to actually development and implement the marketing program, which is currently the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Some might say, “Now hold on there Seagull, what’s all this marketing stuff, isn’t it "things," especially new "things" such as Branson Landing, the Titanic Worlds Largest Museum Attraction, Branson Convention Center, Dick Clark Theatre Complex, the anticipation of the new Sight and Sound theatre that are bringing people to Branson?” To an Ole Seagull the answer is “No.” Simply put, it is the marketing of those "things" and everthing else that Branson is that brings people to Branson.
As an example, when Branson Landing was in the planning stages, one of the city’s nationally recognized consulting firms forecast that existing retail in Branson would suffer about a 19 percent drop in the two years immediately after Branson Landing opened. Yet, as recently as the Budget/Finance Committee held at Branson City Hall on Sep. 25, a city official expressed the opinion that, according to the city’s analysis of sales data, those forecasted drops were not occurring.
Why, what changed? Could a nationally recognized consulting firm be that far off on their estimates? Maybe so, but may an Ole Seagull suggest that they could not possibly have taken into account the effect of a marketing tax that was non existent at the time they made their forecasts. The Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District tax was passed, after a Herculean effort spearheaded by the board, other organizations and people in the community, in Nov. 2005.
The proceeds from that tax, and the astuteness of the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District Board in jump-starting the marketing effort in early 2006, resulted in huge increases in the number of people coming to Branson in 2006. Although the most recent figures indicate the possibility of problems down the road ,if not an anomaly, the number of people coming to Branson thus far in 2007 is greater than in 2006 and Branson still has the strongest part of its season ahead.
Does that mean that every business in Branson is doing well? No more than just because there are plenty of Rainbow and Brown Trout in Lake Taneycomo every fisherman is going to catch their limit. What it means is that Branson’s marketing is working, there are plenty of people coming to Branson and that every business in Branson has an opportunity to earn their patronage and business.
