[09/27/02]The Community Alliance has agreed to take over work on an image campaign for Vicksburg proposed at a special meeting of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board Sept. 5, Eric Biedenharn said at a meeting of the VCVB Thursday.

Biedenharn, VCVB board chairman, reported the development during the regular VCVB meeting. He also acts as one of the bureau’s representatives in The Alliance, a private group formed to develop and communicate ideas.

At the Sept. 5 meeting, VCVB board members, tourism leaders and city officials heard a presentation from Coopwood Communications on an image campaign designed to increase tourism and business in Vicksburg. Mayor Laurence Leyens asked the Cleveland-based advertising agency to make the presentation.

“The decision was whether to go with Coopwood’s proposal or to put it out to other agencies,” Biedenharn said. The representatives of the alliance’s members decided to send a letter to about 10 advertising agencies asking for proposals.

“We should hear from about half of them,” Biedenharn said.

The letter that he hoped will go out early next week will ask the agencies to make 45-minute to one-hour presentations of their proposals in a series of private meetings.

Biedenharn has proposed the VCVB match a $50,000 contribution proposed by Leyens for the City of Vicksburg toward the $250,000 initial Coopwood package. No action was taken on that proposal pending other presentations.

Board members also decided to place classified ads in large newspapers, saying “Vicksburg Get Away” and giving a toll-free phone number. They also talked about billboards before adjourning until Oct. 3.

The board took no action on executive director Lenore Barkley’s comprehensive plan of work, presented earlier this month.