The Marshall County tourism commission approved a $3,000 package to support the Blueberry Festival and the Blueberry Stomp race, combining a $1,000 sponsorship level (logo placement) and $2,000 earmarked for marketing and hotel-incentive activities.

Board members reopened dialogue about an earlier $5,000 request from festival organizers and focused discussion on whether the event is generating overnight stays—an important metric for lodging tax revenue. Commissioners and event organizers discussed several practical ways to document overnight stays, including adding a single question to hotel check-in, creating hotel rate codes tied to the event, offering a small rebate to hotels that track special-rate bookings, and packaging registration with a subsidized room rate for runners.

One board member summarized the shift in emphasis: "the objective is to get people to stay more overnight in the county, and then we can market those people that are staying overnight." Commissioners discussed a range of incentives, including a capped subsidy per runner (examples discussed: $50 off a room or partial reimbursement of entry fees) and a limited pilot (first 60–100 bookings) so organizers can gather reliable data.

After debate about the accuracy of organizers' stay estimates and the need for thresholds to prevent gaming of incentives, a motion was made and seconded to approve the sponsorship and marketing/incentive funds. The commission voted in favor (voice vote). Commissioners asked organizers to supply a short implementation plan, a capped use of funds, and a proof-of-stay verification method before funds are disbursed. The board assigned a member to help fill the formal request form and to coordinate invoicing and check pickup.

Why it matters: The commission tied any future or larger event funding to demonstrable increases in overnight stays. The approved approach tests incentive ideas while requiring organizers to collect data that the tourism board can use to measure return on investment of event support.