A Nashville research firm was hired Thursday by the city’s tourism board to help reshape the city’s brand.

The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors voted to hire North Star for $62,000 after hearing a presentation by the firm, board chairman Annette Kirklin said.

“They’re going to be doing a lot of in-depth research and it’s very important especially in this time,” she said. “It’s important to brand and get people here.”

North Star, one of two firms applying for the job, will conduct planning audits, communication and media audits and organize focus groups and interviews, consumer surveys and demographic studies.

Its work will be presented to the board in two phases: research, insight and evaluation; and creativity and action.

Payments of $34,000 and $28,000 will be made.

“We expect to get tons of information,” Kirklin said. “Their presentation is going to be so important.”

Kirklin said board advertising and marketing decisions will be based on information presented by North Star, a project that is expected to take 36 weeks.

Meanwhile, Executive Director Bill Seratt is planning for the Scenic Byway Summit with county leaders of the Mississippi Great River Road in Vicksburg on Nov. 12.

“I have convened the meeting here to get it up and running,” he said. “There will be representatives from 11 Mississippi River counties from DeSoto County in the north to Wilkinson County in the south.”

The Great River Road, which covers 10 states along the entire Mississippi River, is part of the National Scenic Byways Program that grew from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The division that will meet in Vicksburg will focus on preserving and promoting tourism in the areas around the river.

Also on Thursday, the board unveiled an updated tour-guide booklet.

The sleek book features a comprehensive, pull-out map, which lists attractions, accommodations and restaurants around the city.

On Thursday, the board also: OK’d the September budget; discussed developing a monthly arts and entertainment calendar to be distributed around town and named a four-person committee to discuss the calendar’s layout of information; approved Seratt’s report of the month; and voted to combine November and December’s board meeting and hold it on Dec. 9.

In addition to Kirklin, board members present at Thursday’s meeting were Lamar Roberts, Myra Logue, David Day, Shirley Waring, Rocky Smith, Willie Glasper, Betty Bullard, Patty Cappaert and Julie Ford.