FAYETTEVILLE — The Advertising and Promotion Commission approved $786,000 in contracts Monday for marketing and public relations.
The commission oversees the city’s tourism bureau, Experience Fayetteville. It approved contracts for an agency of record as well as public relations agency Monday.
VERB, based in Canada, was selected as the agency of record. The cost is not to exceed $700,000 for 2026.
The agency of record’s responsibilities include campaign concept development, email marketing, influencer partnerships, paid social media campaigns and media buying and strategy, according to Monday’s agenda packet.
AM Group, based in Fayetteville, was selected as Experience Fayetteville’s public relations agency. The cost is not to exceed $86,000 for 2026.
The agency’s responsibilities include gaining national exposure, strengthening connections with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and conducting local public relations campaigns.
The commission approved both contracts in votes of 6-0. Commissioner Elvis Moya was not present Monday.
In other business, commissioners discussed providing funding for the Fayetteville Independent Restaurant Alliance and the Walton Arts Center.
The Fayetteville Independent Restaurant Alliance is a nonprofit organization that assists local hospitality professionals through crisis, according to its website. The primary crisis addressed in the presentation to the commission was housing cost faced by those hospitality professionals. The alliance also hosts industry-focused events and professional development classes and assists under-employed and unemployed hospitality professionals find jobs.
The alliance requested $10,000 to help sustain it as needs, such as housing, grow.
Commissioners Elliot Hunt and Chrissy Sanderson sit on the alliance’s board.
Commissioner Katherine Kinney spoke in support of providing the funds, emphasizing the importance of the restaurants in Fayetteville for the tourist, as well as local, experience.
The commission directed $10,000 in the 2026 budget to be designated for the alliance. These funds will not officially be approved until the commission votes on the 2026 budget at its December meeting.
The Walton Arts Center requested $25,000 to go toward marketing for the Wheels On Fire: The Legacy of Levon Helm exhibit that will be hosted at the Porter Art Warehouse in summer 2026.
The commissioners agreed that $25,000 felt like too big of an ask for solely marketing purposes and instead voted 6-0 to provide $5,000 in a cash contribution as well as $10,000 for in-kind marketing done through Experience Fayetteville.
The next commission meeting will be at 2 p.m. Dec. 15 via Zoom.
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