Most fledgling non-profit organizations – and many for-profit operations – suffer growing pains in the early years.
That has proven especially true for Tourism Langley.
This is an organization that almost a decade ago now – still not that long ago in the lifespan of an organization – was one of the first destination marketing agencies created in B.C. – at about the time the provincial government basically pulled the plug on the old visitor centre concept.
These destination marketing organizations are funded under a very convoluted arrangement mandated between the provincial government, the municipalities, and the local hotel businesses. In Tourism Langley’s case, they operate on an annual budget of about $400,000. Much of that comes from a two-per-cent hotel tax levied based on occupancy, with the Langley City kicking in $15,000 and the Township paying $51,000.
In their case, there’s a volunteer board of directors at the helm (made up of 12 people who are giving of their time and sporting different backgrounds and views). Add in close to 200 members, each holding fast to their ideas, plus thousands of consumers seeking out the agency’s services each year, and a handful of staff toiling to create campaigns and build relationships to increase tourism within this community.
That a lot of moving parts.
So, it’s no wonder this train came off the rails last fall when Langley Township council announced it was contemplating pulling out, and going it alone on the tourism front. They sent it to staff to review.
This week, council returned to the table proclaiming that after review it has chosen to keep playing within the proverbial sandbox. But, councillors are demanding a few new rules – and the current tourism board seems amenable to most.
The one outstanding question is about power – voting power. Imagine that with politicians? It remains to be decided – by the 180-plus Tourism Langley members – if both councils should have voting power at the table, and if so, how many votes? The Township three representatives at the table – two councillors with voting power, one staff member without. As it stands now, each council has one ex-officio representative on the board.
Ultimately, that decision will have to wait until the Tourism Langley annual general meeting in May - when the membership will be asked to decide if that is appropriate.
In the meantime, this “review” has thrown the organization into limbo. They lost the executive director last month (a head hunt for her replacement starts next week), and any big projects and efforts were put on hold indefinitely. Now, it appears, Tourism Langley's board of directors and their current skeleton staff can get back to work.
Admittedly, this “moment of pause” did come with some upsides, as well.
It did reveal some important insights. It seems there’s been a lack of transparency within the organization. We doubt the problem was caused by any type of malice or intended deception whatsoever, but rather maybe some inexperience (back to that fledgling organization reference) and tunnel vision.
It sounds like this organization focused all its efforts on promoting Langley to the world, and failed to spend enough time touting the good work it was doing to the agency’s stakeholders.
So, with some clear new direction, and more checks and balances in place, let’s hope Tourism Langley can right itself and continue running successful and highly regarded campaigns that keep drawing people (in and out of the community) to discover all that Langley has to offer.
Fair to say that all involved are in agreement on one thing: you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
So, call for more reasonable accountability and more communication – and even blatant self-promotion. But don’t waste the hard work that has been achieved in the past nine plus years. Retool, if you will, the governance structure of the agency, then let’s get back to the business of promoting Langley to the world.
– R.H.