2019 Tourism and Economic Development           ITEM NO: 5 and 6 supp
DATE OF MEETING:  July 23, 2019 
Grants Overview and Update 



Tourism Development Cooperative Grants 
Visit Bellevue and City of Kirkland as Guests

Tourism Grant Programs Overview 
Tourism Partnership programs advances statewide tourism
and use of Port facilities 
Four years of Tourism Marketing Support Program 
Airport Spotlight initiated October 2017 
Programs producing good results and building effective
partnerships across Washington 
Generating visitor interest and travel 
Smaller organizations VERY appreciative 
2

Statewide Impact - Driving Use of Port Gateways 
King County           8 
Eastern WA           7 
Kitsap & Olympic      4 
Peninsula 
Northern WA &      4 
Islands 
Southwest WA        3 
Pierce County          2 
Statewide             1 


3

Special emphasis: Eco/Sustainable Tourism 
25 recipients engaged in
projects involving: 
Eco/Sustainable 
Cultural/Historical attractions 
Outdoor/Nature 
Promotion of public lands
and waters                   Assisting in environmental, outdoor and cultural projects 

4

Marketing Partnership Generates Results 
Increasing tour products and sales
through familiarization tours 
Increasing out of state attendance
at events/cultural attractions 
Generating awareness and
bookings through digital media
campaigns 
Generating earned media and
testimonial value for Washington           Increasing visitors to all of Washington 
State travel destinations 
5

Visit Bellevue 



6

City of Kirkland 



7

City Economic Development Grants Update 
City of Woodinville and Startup 425 as Guests


Economic Development Partnership Program 
Commission created program
in 2016 
Provides King County cities
with per capita funding to
support economic development
projects 
Approximately $795,900 has
been awarded to 25 cities in
2019 
Downtown Renton Storefront Makeovers 


9

Cooperative Program 
King County cities receive funding
to advance local economic
development projects throughout
the region.
Annual grant funding provided on a
$1 per capita formula: 
Grants capped at $65,000 
Smallest cities receive a
minimum of $5,000 
Cities contribute a 50% project
match where up to 25% of Port            Bellevue and Washington on-stage at Mobile World
match can be in-kind resources            Congress  the largest mobile device focused event in
the world. 

10

Categories of Economic Development Projects 
16 
14 
12 
Number of Projects   10 
8 
14 
6                              13 
10 
4                                                                     9 
2                                                                                        4 
0 
Business        Business       Planning &       Tourism       Buy Local &
Recruitment    Assistance and    Feasibility                     Marketplace
Retention        Studies                       Development 
Economic Development Project Categories 
11

Woodinville: Adult Beverage Business Incubator Study 
Past City Grant-funded
Projects: 
2017: Wine Tourism Study 
2018: Trestle Mural Project 
130 wineries, breweries, and
distilleries serving 800,000
visitors annually 
Goal: Support and enhance
existing adult beverage
economy 
12

Woodinville: Adult Beverage Business Incubator Study 
Feasibility study to understand requirements,
resources, policies, etc. related to
establishing an adult beverage production
business incubator 
Three aspects: 
Educational partnership with a local/State
college or university 
Facilitation of production by provision of City-
owned equipment, storage space, operations
facility, etc. 
Venue/space that will allow a "behind-the-
scenes" look into the winemaking process 
13

Startup 425 is an alliance of 5
cities bound by an Interlocal
Agreement 
Renton 
Bellevue 
Redmond 
Issaquah 
Kirkland 
The City of Kirkland currently
administers Startup 425

"Our mission is to provide access to tools that experienced workers, and
entrepreneurs need to go from idea to working business in a successful,
sustainable manner. 
We lower the barriers to entry for non-traditional and first-time
founders. This keeps our ecosystem diverse, encourages spontaneous
collaboration, and provides pathways to prosperity for our whole
community."

In 2019 assisted by an economic
development grant from the Port of
Seattle and funding from partner cities
we are engaged in the following efforts: 
Startup 425 Foundations Series (in
partnership with KCLS and SCORE) 
3-5 Year Strategic Plan 
Advanced Fall Series (in partnership
with SCORE and CoBox, Bellevue
Coworking Space) 
Representation at numerous trade fairs
and events 
Mentoring by Duncan Milloy and SBDC  "Startup 425 Foundations" workshop series for entrepreneurs

THANK YOU 
17