'HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME': Door prizes at a 10 year low, as snowbirds scramble for sponsorships

The Destin Snowbird Club isn’t feeling as appreciated as they have in years past, as sponsorship for the group is down significantly.

Don Cooksey, a member of the snowbird door prize committee, said only about 20 percent of the businesses he’s approached this year have signed on to sponsor the group, compared to 90 percent last year. Overall, the snowbirds have lost more than half their sponsors, bringing them down to less than 100 from about 250 in years past.

“This is the worst it’s been in ten years,” Cooksey said. “I’ve gone to some businesses three or four times, and they just stall us or put us off. And the ones that do sponsor us are giving less than they have in the past.”

According to Cooksey, about 2,000 snowbirds will be roosting in Destin by the peak of the season in mid-January.

He said he’s estimated that the group brings in somewhere between $25 million and $35 million in revenue a month, and their season goes from the end of November until the end of March.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” Cooksey said. “We fill the void between summer and spring break.”

The snowbirds hold 21 meetings over the course of their stay in Destin, with the first on Dec. 1 and the last on March 9. Sponsors provide door prizes for those meetings, and in return, the snowbird club refers their members to those businesses by reading a list of sponsors at the beginning of each meeting and publishing a list for display at the community center and for distribution to snowbirds during peak season.

“They (snowbirds) come to the meetings because they want the door prizes and they want to find out where to go in Destin,” said Jan Moores, a member of the door prize committee.

“We encourage our membership to visit our sponsors,” Cooksey said.

Due to the decline in sponsorship, the snowbird club will be giving out only 20 door prizes per meeting rather than 40-50 per meeting as in years past. And the list read by the club at the start of each meeting will be significantly shorter this year.

“Last year, the merchants couldn’t wait for us to get here,” Cooksey said. “They welcomed us with open arms. But this year we’ve had a devil of a time with them. It just shows that maybe our sponsors don’t appreciate the snowbirds.”

Destin Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Shane Moody said that while local businesses welcome the snowbirds, sponsorships are down across the community due to the economy.

“I think people are reluctant and scared to do it (sponsor) because they don’t know what’s coming,” Moody said. “Unfortunately, it’s just a sign of the times right now.”

How to help
To sponsor the Destin Snowbird Club, contact the door prize committee at 850-862-1769, 850-837-3637 or 850-837-8386.