►
Description
This work session served as an introduction of the county's Executive Director of Sports, Visitation and Entertainment, JC Poma. During the session, Mr. Poma briefly discussed his background, the county's approach to tourism development and why it is important to Chesterfield's overall financial ecosystem.
A
B
I'm
here
just
for
a
simple
introduction,
I
think,
given
in
everything
that
Mr
Walker
just
went
through
in
terms
of
the
constant
attempts
to
limit
our
Revenue
abilities
at
the
local
level.
Now
this
next
work
session,
you
know,
becomes
all
the
more
important
and
tourism
in
general
has
been
a
real,
valuable
tool
for
us,
the
better
part
of
the
last
10
years.
B
The
experience
for
the
folks
that
come
here
locally
and
has
also
been
the
front
door
for
Chesterfield
County
nationally,
with
a
lot
of
the
specifically
the
sports
tourism
events
that
we've
been
able
to
attract
so
there's
not
a
whole
lot
of
things
in
our
overall
portfolio
that
check
all
of
those
boxes
and
also
have
a
limited
service
demand.
You
know
for
folks
that
you
know
generally
come
here
and
spend
money
and
don't
demand
a
lot
of
services.
B
So
that
that
really
is
a
win-win-win
for
us,
so
we
become
much
more
deliberate
from
that
from
a
staffing
perspective,
you
all
approved
as
part
of
the
FY
24
budget
within
the
tourism
fund,
the
creation
of
Mr
Pullman's
positions,
actually
a
transition
from
a
existing
resource.
That's
one
of
the
things
that
I
just
wanted
to
underscore.
My
part
of
this
is
you
know.
B
C
You
Matt
Mr
chairman
members
of
the
board,
Dr
Casey
friends
and
colleagues,
it's
great
to
be
on
this
side
of
the
presentation
table
and
I'm
really
grateful
for
your
trust
in
growing
this
department
and
so
grateful
to
be
here
with
you
today.
I
I
think
what
we're
going
to
see
today
is
ample
opportunity
for
growth,
but
I
also
want
to
start
looking
at
some
of
the
things
that
we're
going
to
talk
about
annually,
because
it's
going
to
be
the
annual
growth.
C
We
see
that's
going
to
drive,
drive
all
of
us
working
together
to
move
this
forward
in
the
future.
So
these
first
two
slides
we're
going
to
look
at
are
dabbling
in
some
of
those
data
points
that
we're
going
to
look
at
and
review
on
an
annual
basis,
and
even
here
again
in
the
fall
as
new
data
is
released,
data
is
a
little
bit
slow
to
get
to
us.
So
we
still
the
most
recent
data
we
have
is
2021,
but
these
are
three
or
four
of
the
biggest
numbers
that
I
want
us
to.
Look
at.
C
We've
talked
about
sports
tourism,
a
lot.
This
is
representing
what
tourism
overall
means
to
Chesterfield
County
I
looked
at
tried
to
look
at
really
in
the
2016
time
frame,
and
why
is
that?
That's
the
acquisition
of
River
City
Sportsplex
in
River
City
Sportsplex,
has
shown
our
commitment
to
tourism,
but
I
think
this.
What
you
see
right
here
shows
an
11
increase
in
visitor
spending
from
2016
to
2021
and
I
can
promise
you
when
I
get
back
up
here
in
the
fall
or
the
next
time
we
present.
C
That
number
will
be
even
bigger,
but
I
think
what
you
see
here:
535.9
million
dollars
in
visitors,
funding
in
the
Commonwealth
of
Virginia.
That's
the
eighth
largest
visitor
spending
in
our
state
and
I.
Think
what
we
want
to
highlight
There
is
five
of
those
that
are
ahead
of
us:
have
national
airports
in
there
and
that
kind
of
skews
that
data
a
little
bit.
C
But
when
you
look
at
that
number
and
for
the
amenities
we
have
currently
in
the
the
attractions
that
we're
going
to
have
here
in
the
future,
that's
a
very
big
number
that
is
only
going
to
grow
and,
of
course,
the
26.1
million
in
local
tax
revenue.
That
comes
from
that,
but
I
also
want
us
to
focus
on
that
jobs
number.
We
all
know
the
effect
that
covid-19
had
on
our
industry
in
the
region.
C
We
had
about
25
000
and
today
about
25
000
and
in
2019
25
000
employees
in
the
region
who
were
employed
in
this
industry.
5579
of
those
are
in
Chesterfield
County.
If
this
gives
you
kind
of
it
shows
the
effect
in
the
rebound
of
of
covid
at
the
lowest
point
during
covet
in
the
region,
we
were
down
to
3
900,
total
jobs
in
this
industry,
so
to
see
just
Chesterfield
County
bounce
back
like
that.
Those
are
our
citizens
and
our
constituents
that
are
employed
in
this
injury,
industry
and
I.
C
Think
it's
an
important
piece
of
what
we
will
focus
on
moving
forward,
that
the
second
kind
of
data
point
I
want
to
look
at
is
the
transient
occupancy
text.
You'll
probably
hear
us
moving
forward,
just
call
it
the
hotel
tax,
but
the
tot.
It
shows
ample
growth
and
if
you
look
at
that
over
time,
again
really
focus
on
that
2016
time
frame
that
2015-2016
time
frame
when
River
City
became
a
part
of
of
our
tourism
commitment.
C
Look
at
the
growth
and,
of
course
you
could
ignore
a
couple
of
those
data
points
in
between
because
of
the
effect
of
coven
19.,
but
also
on
the
right
there,
the
49
hotels
and
4
249
rooms.
That
is
that's
a
Nexus
of
what
we're
committed
to
in
our
growth
here
in
the
county.
When
we
have
more
room
for
growth,
it's
because
we
have
more
hotel
rooms,
and
so
you
look
at
that
number
of
rooms
that
those
total
number
of
hotels
and
thanks
to
Garrett
and
team,
that
number
is
going
to
grow.
C
We
have
opportunities
here
in
the
short
term
for
growth
and
if
you
look
at
that,
22
percent
of
the
hotel
of
the
region
that
very
that
mirrors
our
percentage
of
the
tot
we're
about
21
and
a
half
percent
of
the
tot
here
in
the
region.
So
it
really
does
show
that
correlation
to
hotel
rooms
and
demand
for
hotel
and
the
revenue
we
do
see
from
that.
C
Now
Sports
tourism,
I
talk
about
River,
City
and
River
City
and
sports
tourism
has
become
the
gateway
to
our
County
and
we'll
talk
about
that
a
little
bit
more
with
some
data
points
here
in
the
future.
But
what
I'm
going
to
promise
you
today
is
sports.
Tourism
is
a
big
part
of
our
commitment,
but,
as
we've
talked
about
over
these
last
couple
weeks
and
really
focusing
on
moving
forward,
it
is
not
just
Sports
tourism.
That's
going
to
be
what
drives
those
numbers.
C
If
you
talk
to
maybe
a
hotelier
like
Mr
Amin,
Mr
Patel
they're,
going
to
talk
to
you
about
sports
tourism,
it
has
had
a
huge
effect
on
the
growth
of
their
properties.
Here
in
the
county.
We
can't
forget
about
sports
tourism,
but
it
is
not
the
only
part
of
what
we're
going
to
focus
on
here
to
grow.
The
revenue
potential
that
Mr
Harris
spoke
about
now.
I
want
to
kind
of
start
with
a
baseline
for
our
numbers,
so
so
every
year
we're
looking
back
this.
C
This
department
has
been
really
a
collaboration
with
two
departments:
Economic
Development
and
our
team
at
Parks
and
Recreation
I,
say
at
least
up
there
at
the
top,
just
through
process
conversation
and
commitment
to
this
in
starting
on
fiscal
year
24
on
July
1st,
we
already
have
75
booked
events
for
the
upcoming
fiscal
year.
There
are
things
happening
in
our
County
that
we
will
never
know
about,
and
that's
the
benefit
of
sports
tourism.
C
Just
this
past
weekend,
we
had
the
biggest
lacrosse
tournament,
we've
had
in
a
really
long
time
and
we,
the
weather,
held
off,
and
we
were
able
to
get
a
play
in
over
at
Horner
Park
in
Mr
Carroll's
district,
and
you
know
when
you
have
a
big
tournament
like
that.
They're
at
Stratton
Park
they're
at
Horner,
Park
they're
at
River,
City,
Sportsplex
and
they're
across
the
region.
C
So
I'll
talk
through
a
little
bit
of
it.
Data
is
evolving
every
day.
Our
cell
phones
are
are
a
very
scary
thing
sometimes,
but
it
also
gives
us
access
to
so
much
data,
and
this
is
for
River
City
Sportsplex.
However,
with
the
access
to
data
and
the
growth
of
our
venues
we'll
be
able
to
start
kind
of
digging
in
to
Geo
targeting
other
venues
within
the
county.
But
if
you
look
at
River,
City
Sportsplex
is
kind
of
that
gateway
to
the
county.
C
That's
a
hundred-
and
this
was
last
year
last
calendar
year-
the
way
this
data
works.
We
had
almost
198
000
unique
people
from
outside
a
51
mile
radius
visit
River
City
Sportsplex.
That
is
that's
data
at
its
finest
another
data
point
I
want
to
call
out
is
I.
Want
you
to
look
at
that
as
trips
by
nights
in
Market,
I
haven't
had
a
tournament
that
I
can
remember,
since
the
iwlca
was
here
where
they
were,
you
needed
to
stay
more
than
two
nights,
but
look
at
the
second
that
second
highest
number
there
in
the
middle.
C
That's
a
three-night
stay!
That's
what
I
I
call
this
I,
don't
know
if
it's
made
up
or
not,
but
it's
called
eternication
and
those
are
people
who
are
visiting
our
attractions
eating
in
our
restaurants
and
staying
over
because
of
sports
tourism,
but
River
City
and
data
like
this
and
why
we're
going
to
use
data
moving
forward.
Is
we
get
Sports?
Tourism
gives
us
access
to
highly
marketable
people,
we
can
track
them
and
we
can
influence
their
decisions
and
their
behavior
within
the
county
to
spend
money
in
our
County,
and
so
as
this
data
evolves.
C
As
as
our
team
grows
and
really
everyone
here,
you
know
that's
able
to
work
with
us
we're
going
to
commit
to
really
telling
that
story
of
Chesterfield
County
through
a
few
things.
We've
already
talked
about
and
a
few
things
we'll
discuss
here
moving
forward,
but
you
know
you
look
at
the
regionality
of
that
Washington
DC
New,
York
Philadelphia.
Those
are
all
ahead
of
Norfolk
and
you
know
the
beach
area
that
shows
the
power
of
sports
tourism
getting.
D
C
More
absolutely
yes,
sir,
and
that
equated
to
about
58
I,
believe
it
was
of
usage
at
River
City
and
those
are
important
things
because
it
allows
us.
The
revenue
allows
us
to
do
so
much
more,
but
this
is
the
type
of
daddy
data,
literally
by
the
month,
we're
getting
access
to
more
and
more
data
through
Partners,
like
Richmond
region,
tourism,
VTC,
and
will
continue
to
Monitor
and
again
it's
the
marketability
and
to
allow
us
to
use
this
data
to
keep
their
business
here
in
the
county
thanks.
C
So
this
slide
is
two
years
old,
so
that
top
right
number
is
about
two
years
old,
but
I
wanted
to
show
the
power
of
it.
When
I
first
started
in
this
industry,
with
Richmond
region,
tourism
I'm
having
trouble
seeing
that
now,
400,
that
was
around
477
destinations
in
the
United
States
that
were
taking
part
in
sports
tourism.
C
I'd
kind
of
equate
that
to
when
we
acquired
River
City
Sportsplex,
the
competition
wasn't
nearly
what
it
is
today
and
if
that
top
right
number
two
years
ago,
I
believe
is
800
and
840
destinations
across
the
U.S
that
have
committed
to
sports
tourism.
But
what
we're?
Not
going
to
do
is
we're
not
going
to
slow
down
because
we
are
one
of
the
most
strategically
located
markets
on
the
east
coast
and
the
Mid-Atlantic
Mr
Holland.
C
This
tell
the
story
of
Chesterfield
County.
There's
a
program
at
Richmond
region,
tourism
called
IM
tourism,
Mr,
Hong
I,
know
you're
an
I
am
tourism
graduate
and
that
that
is
to
tell
the
story
of
what's
in
our
own
backyard.
That's
something
we're
going
to
do
here
in
Chesterfield
County,
but
it's
also
to
help
to
tell
that
story
to
the
visitor
and
help
Drive
their
money
to
our
County
businesses
and
we're
committed
thanks
to
Teresa,
Dave
Matt
and
so
many
others.
In
this
room.
We
are
committed
to
rebuilding
experienced
Chesterfield.
C
We
had
a
tremendous
kickoff
meeting
yesterday
experience
Chesterfield
is
going
to
start.
Local
is
going
to
be
for
our
constituents
to
tell
those
unique
experiences
of
what
makes
Chesterfield
that
great
place
to
live,
that
great
place
to
play,
that
great
place
to
work
and
I
like
to
add.
This
word
stay
at
the
very
end,
because
tourism
is
a
piece
of
this.
That
is
something
we're
all
very
excited
about.
We
will
keep
you
informed
of
the
evolution
of
that
and
the
launch
of
that
here.
Moving
forward.
C
I
think
this
is
one
of
the
most
important
things
to
me
is
with
this
new
Department.
We
know
we're
going
to
get
them
here,
that's
because
of
what
we
have
in
this
County,
but
we
have
to
keep
them
here.
Thanks
to
Garrett
and
the
team
sports
tourism.
You
know
it
gives
us
again
that
marketability
factor
it's.
We
may
109.
Let's
use
the
197
000
people
that
came
to
River
City
Sportsplex.
Maybe
a
student
wants
to
go
to
Virginia
State
University
after
coming
to
Chesterfield
County.
Maybe
somebody
wants
to
start
a
business
here.
C
C
We
referenced
this
earlier
facility
development
and
planning.
That's
why
River
City
Sportsplex
brought
us
into
why
we're
sitting
here
today.
I
probably
wouldn't
be
sitting
here
today
without
River
City
Sportsplex,
but
we
have
potential
again
in
every
one
of
our
districts.
I've
I
think
my
favorite
part
about
these.
C
We
have
that
so,
as
we
become
very
intentional
about
our
facility
development,
not
just
for
sports
tourism
for
leisure
travel,
you
know,
let's
look
at
our
outdoor
recreation
from
fishing
to
river
access.
Those
are
things
that
aren't
just
they
have
sports
tours
and
elements,
but
it's
also
for
getting
people
here
to
the
county
through
various
different
Recreation
mentalities.
We
have
so
many
projects
that
we've
talked
about,
but
again
each
one
of
our
districts
I.
C
Think
that's
what
excites
me
the
most
is
the
what
unique
assets
we
have
and
will
have
in
the
future
in
each
one
of
our
districts.
This
summer
will
really
in
the
fall
will
really
be
about
working
with
Parks
and
Recreation
working
with
a
third
party
to
look
at
our
venues
and
come
out
of
it
with
a
strategic
venue
development
plan
and
we're
going
to
do
that
through
our
stakeholders.
It's
not
us!
It's
the
people
of
our
County
and
our
stakeholders,
and
that
gives
us
the
assets
to
move
forward.
C
I
referenced
it
and
I'll
kind
of
end
on
this.
This
is
what
makes
Chesterfield
County
great.
This
is
why
I'm
sitting
here
today
is
those
Partnerships.
We
have
it's
not
just
rich
and
region
tourism.
It's
not
just
Virginia
tourism
Corporation!
It's
folks,
like
swim,
RVA,
Mr,
Holland,
we've
they're
a
tremendous
asset
to
the
county.
C
We
have
people
all
over
this
County
that
we've
already
talked
to
and
when
I
say
this,
when
I
get
to
go
out
and
talk
to
a
local
organizer
about
creating
a
tournament
here
in
Chesterfield
County,
that's
a
weekend,
we
don't
have
to
go
out
and
bid
on.
That
means
more
money.
That
means
more
access
for
our
constituents
and
it
also
means
tourism
to
the
county,
which
means
revenue
and
it's
our
job,
to
keep
them
here
and
keep
their
revenue
in
our
businesses.
E
Lord
members,
yeah
Mr,
chairman
I
Just
Want
to
Thank
You
JC
for
first
of
all
joining
us
we're
glad
to
have
you
on
the
team.
Thank
you
very
proud
done,
a
tremendous
job.
We
worked
together,
some
at
Richmond
region,
tourism,
I,
am
an
ambassador
and
those
are
things
I
hope
we
can
do
in
the
county,
as
we
continue
to
help
our
County
residents,
receive
our
visitors
and
be
hospitable
and
I
welcome
them
to
the
county,
because
we
have
people
come
from
all
over
the
world.
E
You
know
Mexico
some
Summers
and
another
thing
too.
That
I
find
is
that
they
want
to
learn
about
the
history.
We
are
in
the
middle
of
the
historic
area
of
the
of
this
country
when
you
think
about
Richmond
Chesterfield,
you
think
about
the
sea
having
Rikers
or
you
think
about
we
just
like
a
history
of
Mecca
that
people
really
want
to
see
and
hear
about
and
along
with
play
as
well
during
our
venues.
E
So
I
hope
that
we
can
continue
to
coordinate
and
work
with
our
hotelers,
our
restaurant
months
and
even
our
citizens,
who
can
be
a
significant
part
of
making
this
in
a
spillable
place
for
people
to
come,
stay
and
hopefully
live
so
someone
will
come
back
to
stay
as
well.
So
thank
you
for
that
efforts.
We
appreciate
the
data
driven
that
you've
considered
working
on.
E
We
appreciate
data
and
help
us
to
understand
where
we
are,
but
where
we're
going
and
the
venues
that
we
need
to
do,
and
so
you're
right
thanks
for
mentioning
some
RVA,
which
is
a
certainly
a
welcome
asset
that
now
online
there
for
over
10
years,
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
with
them
as
they
continue
to
serve
the
community
and
drown
proof
Richmond.
So.
C
Thank
you
and
just
one
follow-up
note.
Mr.
As
we
look
at
experience
Chesterfield,
we
will
be
setting
up
meetings
to
get
your
feedback
because
there's
so
much
for
us
to
all
talk
about
I
mean
so
much
education.
You
know
we
need
our
Consultants
need
as
we
look
to
build
this
out
and
Teresa
and
Dave,
and
that
we're
constantly
talking
about
the
it's.
How
excited
we
are
to
build
this,
but
we
need
yours.
We
need
your
input
as
well.
F
G
Chairman
I
would
just
say,
I
very
much
appreciate
the
data
driven
approach
as
well.
I
mean
I
I
understand
your
department
is
undertaken
a
gap
analysis
right
now,
both
in
the
county
and
regionally
in
terms
of
what
we,
what
demand
is
out
there
and
what
we
may
be
missing
as
a
region
as
a
county
and
I
very
much
appreciate
that
I
do
think.
G
Aside
from
those
weekend
tournament
times,
you
get
a
real
sense
of
what
the
value
is
and
over
the
last
five
years,
just
speaking
with
school
groups,
I
have
seen
an
increasing
number
of
hands
raised
when
I
say
have
you
ever
visited
River,
City,
Sportsplex
and
every
year
more
and
more
hands
go
up,
so
it's
being
used
and
we
are
looking
forward
to
seeing
the
increased
benefit
in
your.
Your
involvement
in
this
department
is
just
so
welcome.
So
thank
you.
Thank
you.
A
Mr
tangle
Mr
chair,
thank
you.
I
appreciate
your
enthusiasm
as
you
talk
about
river
access,
we,
as
you
know,
we're
going
to
have
two
ramps
coming
in
to
the
county
that
will
actually
have
decent
access.
The
ramp
that
we
currently
have
is
not
suitable
for
bringing
in
tourism,
we'll
just
leave
it
at
that.
A
That
being
said,
I
know
that
there
is
a
lot
of
people
in
the
county
that
are
very
much
looking
forward
to
those
tournaments,
so
I'm
glad
to
hear
that
you're
working
on
that
and
I'm
excited
to
hear
that
there's
so
many
opportunities
for
public
and
private
Partnerships
to
work
together
to
bring
in
more
people
to
Chesterfield
County
to
experience,
Sports
and
other
activities
in
the
county.
I
think
that
that
absolutely
is
a
positive
for
going
forward
is
to
work
together
with
them.
Thank.
F
F
You
Mr
chair
I,
too,
share
your
excitement,
it's
one
of
those
things
where
it's
about
time.
The
time
has
come
for
Chesterfield
County
to
step
up
and
take
its
place,
its
rightful
place
in
the
history
of
this
country.
You
know
this
was
the
quote:
unquote.
Second,
permanent
settlement
in
the
new
world
again
with
the
quotes
under
new,
but
I
do
want
to
say
that
you
know
with
henricus,
and
then
you
know
this
being
the
first.
F
You
know
when
Chesterfield
County
was
founded
in
1749.
Just
looking
at
that
logo
and
to
go
whoa,
there
is
so
much
that's
here
and
so
much
that
we
need
to
take
into
account
so
Sports
and
history,
and
all
of
that
I'm
glad
you're
here
and
exploring
all
this.
It's
an
untapped
or
it'd
be
just
at
the
beginning,
tapped
resource
and
boy.
Is
it
going
to
be
fun
absolutely.
D
D
So
my
question
is
to
make
sure
that
we
are
working
with
our
transportation
department
to
monitor
how
that
traffic
and
increased
traffic
is
captured
and
where
those
traffic
points
are
going
to.
For
example,
you
know
the
complaints
that
we
get
from
the
citizens
from
the
community
is
that
our
roads
are
too
congested
and
these
kind
of
things
well.
D
It
helps
us
when
we
go
after
state
and
federal
dollars
to
get
Transportation
dollars
to
justify
improving
our
roads
and
improving
our
projects
to
have
this
information.
So
when
we
submit
project
for
smart
scale,
we
can
make
the
articulation
that
you
know
we
have
an
increased
economic
impact
in
the
community
in
this
area.
That
may
not
be
getting
actually
measured
when
we
put
in
for
these
projects
and
so
to
be
able
to
show.
For
example,
like
you
said,
you
have
a
lacrosse
treatment
come
in
town
and
we
show
on
that
weekend.
D
All
of
a
sudden.
We
have
an
x
amount
of
trips
that
are
increased
in
an
area.
Then
we
we
also
can
show
that
those
trips
were
dispersed
out
either
a
getting
back
on
288
North
to
go
over
to
Henrico
or
they're,
actually
dispersed
out
in
other
ways
down
to
Hull
Street
up
to
Midlothian
Turnpike
in
other
areas.
D
I
think
I,
think
analyzing
our
traffic
patterns
and
the
increased
traffic
in
the
community
when
these
events
come
in
will
do
nothing
but
help
us
to
articulate
why
we
were
you
know,
building
the
poet
Parkway
extension
as
an
example.
I
wanted
to
have
as
much
ammunition
as
possible
in
the
future
to
get
Transportation
dollars
for
Chesterfield,
County
and
I.
Think
this
is
a
data
point
that
we
may
have
missed.
So
hopefully
you
can
coordinate
and
Parks
and
Rec
can
coordinate
with
our
transportation
department
when
we
have
these
big
tournaments
coming
in.