To say the least, Interim Visit Emporia Director Matt Fowler is excited for his role — for as long as he has it.
Fowler has a range of media experience, from his time as a student at Emporia State University to serving as a photographer for the Emporia Gazette, a community relations media specialist at USD 253 Emporia and owning companies like Bluestem Productions and Gravel Guru.
Fowler is officially serving as interim director until October after the tenure of LeLan Dains. Depending on the direction from the Emporia City Commission, he may be serving as a bridge from Visit Emporia’s longtime affiliation with the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce to the city of Emporia or Emporia Main Street. The city developed a Request for Proposal process as Dains left, with the Transient Guest Tax Advisory Board receiving bids from the city, Chamber and Main Street — initially recommending Visit Emporia stay with the Chamber and getting concerns from city commissioners afterward.
The city has not said when it plans to revisit the topic.
While he is leading the agency, Fowler says one of his goals is using social media to market Emporia to Emporians, reminding them of the different local activities and also saying Emporia is a good place to visit.
