Scores Released For Top 5 Finalists Of Duluth’s Next Tourism Marketing Contract
Council to vote for or against Madden Media of Arizona at Monday night's city council meeting (Dec. 9)
DULUTH, Minn. — We now know the scores for the top five marketing agencies that applied for Duluth’s next multi-million dollar tourism marketing contract.
Below are the scores based off a 100-point scale:
Madden Media of Arizona: 81.65
Hailey Sault of Duluth: 78.31
AIMCLEAR of Duluth: 78.29
Lawrence & Schiller of South Dakota: 75.20
Swim Creative of Duluth: 73.55
Any applicant from the Duluth area was given 10 extra points to start with.
The five candidates were chosen after a Request for Proposals (RFP) garnered 26 proposals.
A six-person selection committee formed by Chief Administrative Officer David Montgomery blindly voted on each proposal.
Duluth Airport Executive Director Tom Werner chaired the committee.
The final five candidates were then interviewed and presented in person to the committee.
Some local agencies like AIMCLEAR are not happy the winning finalist is not local, especially after Mayor Roger Reinert in March said local talent tell Duluth’s story better than people out of the area.
At the committee-of-the-whole meeting Thursday, the city’s attorney said there could be legal issues if councilors do not sign off on Madden Media at Monday night’s city council meeting because the RFP process is legally binding.
Meanwhile, Visit Duluth will continue to market conventions and act as a visitors’ bureau while working with Madden Media if the council approves.
