LT2025-013-Punch Projects - Laserfiche WebLink

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Response 6.1: Provide any additional information which will assist the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee in evaluating your project and its benefit to tourism, After our third year, the PUNCH "Fire House Projeci" is home to a visual arts gallery, outdoor stagelperformance area. and a year-round indoor performance space and "snack bar" with packaged snacks and beer. Exhibitions in the gallery change monthly and we have musicians and other performers on one of ourtwo stages on nearly every Saturday. In a town with a population of approxinrateiy 200, open one day per week, we have tripled annual attendance from 937 in our first year to 2.961 the past 12 months. Gross retail sales for 2O24have continued to increase over ptevious years. and as we continue expanding our family-friendly programming with new offerings such as "movie nights," we expect numbers to continue growing. We are a unique venue not only because of our programming. but also because of our proximity to communities thai currently have limtted arts and cr.rlture offerings for tourists. Knowing that at least 525 of the 296'1 folks that visited us Sept. 2023 -Aug. 2024 were from out-of-county, translating to 243 overnight stays is testament not only to the success of our efforts and the support of the Lodging Tax Advisory Commiitee, but also to the demand for cultural, creative and artistic experiences for tourists choosing travel destinations. An investment in our marketinglpromotions and talent fees is not only a benefit to our organization. bul to the community of Thorp, as we are the only public gathering place with regular hours in Thorp. which has always been a popular scenic byway for road trippers, nrotorcyclists and bicyclists. Part of our mission has atways been to bridge the urban rural divide and connect communities across Washington state and the Greater Northwest. We hope to be a popular destination for visitors and out-oftowners io mingle with locals while experiencing ad, music and other events. We want central Washrngton to be known as an afis destination and we want to contribute to the plethora of reasons to visit Kittitas County from galleries and museums, to food, adventure and more. Lodging Tax Funds will enable us to bring talented adists to the county, expand our programming and most importantly, spread the word across the Northwest to get butts in seats. heads in beds and provide opportunities to experience the wealth of activilies and attractions in our county. 25C0 charaDter lirlril Response 6.2: You may upload any supporting documents such as graphs, images, diagrams, marketing materials, etc. YtLr are allov/ed lo slll)(lit up ig:i sirltle page iuS i-etlelj'locunlenis in .JPG. P{lF il TIFF brnlal Punch-Support-Materials-2024-01 .pdl 662.32K8 Punch-Support-Materials-2024-02.pdf 355.94K8 7l Previous Lodging Tax Grant lnformation Response 7.1 : Has your event received Lodging Tax funds in previous years? * . No, this eventlproject iras not previously received Lodging Tax Funding , Yes, 1 year previous Yes, 2 years previous , Yes, 3 years previous Yes. 4 or more years previous Response 7.2: Overall Attendance* PastActual* Projected* 2,961 3,500 Response 7.3: Number of people travelling more than 50 miles for your event?* PastActual* Projected* 525 1,000 Response 7.4: Number of people traveling from outside WA State for your event? * PastActual* Projected* 60 100 Response 7.5: The number of overnight guests who stay in paid accommodations in Kittitas County for your event? * PastActual* Projected*