Experience Pikes Peak annual meeting

Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak, the local convention and visitors bureau, held its annual membership meeting and presented its report today at a luncheon at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post.

Some highlights:

- Bureau president Terry Sullivan said Experience Colorado Springs is hoping to jump on the Olympic bandwagon with both feet, putting the Olympic rings and labeling Colorado Springs "Home of the U.s. Olympic Committee" in advertisements, mailings, business cards, a welcome sign at the city's south edge and anything else that they can get approved.

- Jim Cassidy, the bureau's CFO, said this February was the first month since January, 2007 that hotel tax revenue declined year-over-year.

- The other big item was a first look at the new Experience web site from Denver's Verbena design, which is still a work in progress.

- Not much talk on tourism prospects for the rest of this year, although visitors services director CJ Seals said the number of requests for information has remained steady.

"My research shows the price of fuel may effect the distance people are traveling, but they are still traveling," Seals said.