GVB approves sponsorships, RFPs for marketing and more
The Guam Visitors Bureau board of directors approved $112,000 in sponsorships for three upcoming events at a roughly 30-minute board meeting held on May 22.
The largest allocation was a $75,000 sponsorship for the Guam Basketball Confederation’s match against Japan in the International Basketball Federation Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers. The match is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Aug. 1– 8. Guam is one of 16 national teams that qualified in March.
Board member Joanne M. Brown stated for the record that, in light of recent research shared at last week’s GVB membership meeting, additional revenues not accounted for in the current budget should be directed toward visitor safety resources at popular sites outside of Tumon and Hagåtña.
“I would definitely like to see more of that,” she said. “I understand the importance of [the games], but at the same time I just think we need to start focusing a little more of our financial resources on [visitor safety].”
Acting chairman Jeffrey B. Jones concurred with Brown, noting concern about GVB’s budgetary constraints.
Jones served as acting chairman at the May 22 meeting. Photo by Skyler Obispo
Current chairman, George Chiu who attended virtually, said that this particular match is “huge” for Guam.
The August games marks the first time Guam has gone to the qualifiers and the turnout at its home game against Mongolia and China highlights its significance in the eyes of the community and its potential in exposing the world to Guam as a tourist destination, said Chiu.
The board also approved a $12,000 sponsorship for the Electric Island Festival 2025.
The electronic dance music festival will take place on June 21 at Skinner Plaza in Hagåtña.
Kraig Camacho, a senior destination specialist at GVB, said that the event is being promoted in Guam’s source markets (Taiwan, Korea, and Japan) through the Road to EIF series.
EIF is one of the events listed as part of GVB’s tourism recovery plan.
Lastly, the GVB board approved $25,000 towards the Guam Summer Concert series by New Waves Studios.
The Wailers, a Jamaican reggae band who played alongside the late Bob Marley, will be performing at the Ypao Beach Park on July 19 as a part of the series.
The board also approved three requests for procurement for visitor concierge services, event management services for its planned Tumon Street Festival in Pleasure Island in Tumon, and destination marketing services in Taiwan.
The approval allows for GVB’s president and CEO and chief procurement officer to enter into discussions and select the highest rated offerer for each contract for board approval and award. mbj
