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Home My WebLink About08-13-2014 PCC Agenda PacketCity of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Promotional Coordinating Committee Wednesday, August 13, 2014 5:30 P.M. City Hall – Council Hearing Room The goals of the City of San Luis Obispo Promotional Coordinating Committee are to (1) improve the quality of life available to all residents of and visitors to San Luis Obispo and (2) promote, in a manner consistent with long-range community goals, the development of San Luis Obispo as a regional and tourist center. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jill LeMieux PUBLIC COMMENT: Each speaker is limited to three minutes of public comment. At this time, you may address the Committee on items that are not on the agenda but are of interest to the public and within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Promotional Coordinating Committee. The Committee may not discuss or take action on issues that are not on the agenda other than to briefly respond to statements made or questions raised, or ask staff to follow up on such issues. CONSENT ITEMS C.1 Minutes of the Meeting on July 9, 2014 C.2 Community Promotions Budget Report C.3 Public Relations Report C.4 Grants-in-Aid Support Report C.5 Visitors Center Report C.6 SLO Happenings – Campaign Report C.7 TOT Report PRESENTATIONS 1. SLO LITTLE THEATRE 10 mins Representatives from the SLO Little Theartre will share a multimedia presentation about the Little Theatre and future plans for a new theater in downtown San Luis Obispo. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. 2014-15 CONTRACTOR WORKSCOPES 15 mins The committee will review the 2014-15 contractor workscopes for approval. Contracts include: Chamber GIA Support and PR Services. 2. IN-KIND EVENT SUPPORT PACKAGE 20 mins The committee will continue to discuss the event support packages to offer to events that do not receive funding through GIA or Event Promotion application process. PCC LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION At this time Committee members make announcements, report on activities, refer to staff issues for study and report back to the Committee at a subsequent meeting. 1. GIA UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT 2. TBID BOARD REPORT – TBID Minutes July 9, 2014 3. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE ADJOURN. POSTING STATEMENT: I, Molly Cano, Tourism Manager, do hereby certify that on August 8, 2014, by 5:00 p.m., a true and correct copy of this agenda was posted on the bulletin board outside City Hall. Internet access to agendas and related material is available at www.slocity.org. Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting Minutes Wednesday, July 9, 2014 5:30 pm at City Hall CALL TO ORDER: Chair Jill LeMieux PRESENT: LeMieux, Cox, Franciskovich, Palazzo, Rizzo, Pearce STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano, Tourism Manager Meeting to order at 5:32 pm PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment. CONSENT AGENDA ACTION: Moved by Rizzo/Palazzo to approve the consent agenda . Motion carried 6:0 PRESENTATIONS 1. QUARTERLY REPORT BY CONTRACTOR The SLO Chamber of Commerce presented the 2013-14 year-end reports as the year-in-review. The Chamber reported that the Visitor Center served over 72,000 guests in the new space. That was an 11% increase in traffic year over year. They also printed and distributed 100,000 tear off maps funded through the PCC. The maps were provided quarterly and as needed to the hotels within the City. Other programs included participation at the Cal Poly events, promotion of over 16,000 events and distributed the redesigned monthly event sheet. For GIA the Chamber utilized their deep connections in the community provide hands on marketing support to the 25 GIA recipients and as a result, many of the events were picked up in local as well as industry specific outlets. In addition the Chamber shared the results of the PR efforts including the SLO accolades on numerous Best Of lists and other PR highlights locally, nationally, and internationally. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. SLO HAPPENINGS PROGRAM UPDATE Representatives from Verdin presented an update on the results of the SLO Happenings app during first and second quarter. The app began development in November 2013 and was designed first in wireframes with the new look, then built for ios and android platforms. The app was programmed as a web -based portal to manage events and provided and event submission tool. The app launched in March with the Film Festival and the splash-page on the City’s site directs user to the appropriate app store for downloading. Printed cards were also created to promote the app and distributed to events, local hotels, and the Visitor Center and are continually replenished monthly. Quarterly results for the app include: nearly 3000 downloads, 9,000 sessions, and nearly 10,00 app page views. Facebook ads started in February with total impressions of nearly 200,000. KSBY ads as the digital banners only showed about 700 click thru. Verdin recommended to the committee to move the digital ads to a new program with Charter that allowed more detailed analytics, demographic data, and an increase in impressions and click thurs for the same budget. Facebook results for January-June showed total likes increased by 24% and post engagements rate increased to 5% with the weekly reach of 11,500 average per week. Verdin DRAFT Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes Page 2 also reported on contests and campaigns offered through social and presented the information on the new twitter account. The committee discussed the contracts recommendation to move the digital advertising funds from KSBY to Charter and directed it back to the agency as the experts on the allocation of the marketing funds for the desired program results. 2. 2014-15 CONTRACTOR WORKSCOPES Due to the committee’s lack of quorum to vote on the workscopes, the item was postponed to the August meeting. 3. SLO HAPPENINGS PROGRAM RFP The taskforce members presented the draft RFP document to the committee and discussed the items that they had added to the document. The committee particularly discussed adjusting the contract to match the fiscal year schedule since it was no longer a printed piece per year. ACTION: Moved by Palazzo/Pearce to approve the RFP document and recommend the release of the RFP to City Council. Motion carried 6:0 4. REVIEW GRANTS IN AID APPLICATION PROCESS The committee discussed the recent application process and began the discussion on potential changes and considerations for the program. The committee discussed the sustainable funding model and how to address the term limits for funding consideration. The committee felt that it the model was important to maintain. The committee discussed creating an in-kind support package to offer to events that didn’t receive funding but met certain criteria. The committee directed staff to begin the development of the package and for it to be considered further at a later meeting. COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION GIA Report: None. TBID Report: Staff updated the committee on the recent TBID meeting and reviewed the minutes included with the agenda. Tourism Program Update: Molly Cano presented the Tourism Program update on the following topics: - 7/1: Council approval of the community promotions program including the PCC and TBID program plans and recommended allocations - Events Promotion sponsorship funding application is now open. Meeting today was 4:30pm in the Council Chambers to answer any questions from the events. The applications are due to the City by 5pm on August 8 for consideration - GIA contracting for 2014-15 is underway and reviewing the final reports that are due by August 31, 2014 Meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm Community Promotions Budget 2014-15 Budget 2014-15 Amount Budget 388,326$ 2013-14 Requested Carryover 3,000$ Total Budget 391,326$ Expenditure Last Updated 8/8/2014 Expenditure Allocated Expended Other Expenditures Available Balance Contractor Grants-in-Aid Program 90,000$ 90,000$ -$ -$ City Administration Grants-in-Aid Support 25,000$ 25,000$ Chamber of Commerce Events Promotion 48,000$ 1,100$ 46,900$ City Administration 2015 SLO Happenings Program 32,000$ Visitors Center 95,000$ 95,000$ -$ Chamber of Commerce PR Contract 58,000$ 58,000$ -$ Chamber of Commerce Downtown Maps 8,000$ -$ Chamber of Commerce Beautification 4,000$ 4,000$ Support Cost 5,000$ 9$ 4,992$ City Administration Administration 26,326$ Total 391,326$ 269,109$ -$ 55,892$ Remaining Balance 55,891.50$ Report to City of SLO- PCC Committee Public Relations Contract July 2014 Media Releases: Local Firms Partner to Lead SLO Tourism Marketing Effort – Wrote and distributed press release regarding Barnett Cox & Associates and StudioGood partnering as the TBID’s new marketing agency. San Luis Obispo continues to garner national attention on numerous ‘Best of’ lists – Updated and distributed press release regarding the many accolades San Luis has recently received. Pride in the Plaza – Distributed press release regarding Pride in the Plaza and associated Pride W eek events. Media/Community Relations: 1. Worked with Meg Nolan, a reporter with Rizzoli USA, to feature Granada Hotel & Bistro and Petit Soleil in her story about small, luxury hotels that are owned and run by couple-teams - those who have made their dream come true by opening and running a small hotel. 2. Worked with a reporter to feature San Luis Obispo as a ‘Must Visit Dog Friendly Destination.’ 3. Worked with Randol White, news director at KCBX to set up an interview with Molly Cano as part of the KCBX coverage of San Luis Obispo’s recent recognition on numerous best of lists. 4. Submitted local attractions including Bubblegum Alley, Madonna Inn, Palm Theatre: the nation’s first solar powered theater, San Luis Obispo outdoor activities and the Sunset Drive-in to be featured in the fall issue of What's New in California in response to a request for Only in California experiences. 5. Provided photos and editorial suggestions to Daughters of the American Revolution to feature San Luis Obispo in the travel section of their magazine American Spirit. 6. Worked with Brenna Swantson with Mustang News at Cal Poly on a story regarding ‘The top 10 things to see and do in SLO upon arriving’ that will run during WOW . 7. Worked with Jamie Moore of Smarter Travel to include San Luis Obispo in an article that will feature ‘America’s Best Small Cities on the Rise.’ She was specifically interested in economic growth rates, historic preservation, natural amenities and interesting and new activities and attractions for visitors. 8. Provided YP Real Yellow Pages with pictures of San Luis Obispo to be featured in the community section of this year’s book. 9. Added Central Coast Pride Week, SLO Summer Classic, Traditional African Music and Dance Performance and Pop-up Art Bar to SLO Happenings App on behalf of the event organizers. 10. Worked with Hunter Simmons, learning community coordinator with Cal Poly’s University Housing Department, on ways to more effectively connect Cal Poly students and parents to the community. 11. Worked with Aaron Drake, a contributor to Amtrak’s Ride With Pride blog, to secure lodging for his recent trip to San Luis Obispo. 12. Submitted Tap It Brewing Co., Hop-on Beer tours, Central Coast Brewing and Creekside brewing Co. to be featured in the fall issue of What's New in California in response to a request for craft breweries and unique beer experiences. 13. Answered questions and distributed City maps, Visitor Guides and Hiking Guides at Pride in the Plaza booth. 14. Continued to work with the City and Barnett Cox & Associates and StudioGood on overall marketing campaign. Media Relations/Placement 1. Registration Opens For 5th Annual Bioneers Conference Noozhawk: 23,169 unique visitors per month http://www.noozhawk.com/article/registration_opens_for_5th_annual_central_ coast_bioneers_conference 2. Central Coast Pride 2014 held in San Luis Obispo KSBY: 22,683 viewership http://www.ksby.com/news/central-coast-pride-2014-held-in-san-luis-obispo/ 3. America's Best Small Cities on the Rise SmarterTravel.com: 538,066 unique visitors per month http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/americas-best-small- cities-on-the-rise.html?id=802 4. San Luis Obispo continues to ride wave of "best places" lists KCBX http://kcbx.org/post/san-luis-obispo-continues-ride-wave-best-places-lists 5. California Staycation in San Luis Obispo 2 Kurious Kids http://2kuriouskids.wordpress.com/ 6. TripAdvisor Shines Its Headlights On America's Top Drive-In Movie Theaters International Business Times: 2,584,189 unique visitors per month Also featured on HuffingtonPost.com (40,912,846 unique visitors per month) and (ConsumerTraveler.com: 100,000 unique visitors per month) http://www.ibtimes.com/press-release/20140730/tripadvisor-shines-its- headlights-americas-top-drive-movie-theaters-1643176 7. Top 8 Farmers Markets to Visit This Summer SaveOn Energy https://www.saveonenergy.com/green-energy/top-8-farmers-markets-to-visit- this-summer/ 8. The 10 Most Cheerful Cities in America The Street: 2,321,199 unique visitors per month http://www.thestreet.com/story/12759710/3/the -10-most-cheerful-cities-in- america.html 9. California’s Central Coast, Overflowing with Attractions Washington Post: 9,770,264 unique visitors per month http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/californias-central-coast- overflowing-with-attractions/2014/07/31/9d51b9f0-11c9-11e4-98ee- daea85133bc9_story.html Grants- in-Aid Marketing Support July 2014 Report Organization Event VC PR SM EC EL MTG ST PC Almond Country Quilt Guild Seven Sisters Quilt Show Cal Poly Corporation: Cal Poly Arts BASETRACK Canzona Women's Ensemble Concerts of choral music for women's voices Central Coast Arts International Traditional African Music and Dance Performance Central Coast Children's Choir Annual Concerts Civic Ballet 2014 Nutcracker Ballet Cuesta College Community Programs: Central Coast Writers' Conference 30th Anniversary Central Coast Writers' Conference Cuesta College Fine Arts Division Art Gallery Exhibitions Ecologistics, Inc. Central Coast Bioneers Conference Foundation for San Luis Obispo County Public Libraries Literary Salon Foundation for the Performing Arts Center BravoSLO 2014 Gay And Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast (GALA)Central Coast Pride Week X X X X X X Jewish Community Center of San Luis Obispo (JCCSLO)Jewish Film Festival Opera of San Luis Obispo Aida: A City-Wide Arts Collaboration Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church Evening in Greece San Luis Obispo County Arts Council (dba ARTS Obispo) Children's Day in the Plaza with Passport to the Arts San Luis Obispo Downtown Association Checkpoint Challenge San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2015 Festival San Luis Obispo Little Theatre 2014-15 Season San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Taking Art Into the Community - Awakening Minds San Luis Obispo Soccer Club 26th Annual SLO Summer Classic X X X X San Luis Obispo Symphony Meet the Red Violin San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble Kick off to Tour and Tour of Italy and Spain Concerts TOR Productions ALTA United Way of San Luis Obispo County Flavor of SLO RSVP X X X Black is current month, gray is past work, P is for pending work, D is for Did not workout 26 Total; 23 served to date or in progress VC- Dropped off materials for display in Visitor Center; brochures, posters, etc. PR- Sent out Press Release to local media list SM- Ran event through Social Media outlets EC- Included in Event Calendar one-sheet sent out to local hoteliers, wineries, etc. EL- Included in Event Listings sent to local media highlighting upcoming local events MTG- Meet with Groups in person to offer public relations advice and support ST- Sell Tickets for events through the Visitor Center PC- In place of in person meeting, had phone call with group to discuss details. Visitor Services Contract Report July 2014 Highlights from July in the Visitor Center:  Sold tickets for Renaissance Festival  Sold tickets for RSVP Senior Volunteers  Booth at Pride in the Plaza SLO events promoted through Visitor Center: Concerts in the Plaza SLO Brew Presents Heart to Heart Festival Mozaic Temple Ner Shalom presents an Evening of Celebration SLO Blues Baseball & Fireworks Central Coast Polo Club Presents Summer Camps SLO Museum of Art Film Arts Obispo Shardy Arti Party Antique Truck Show The Central Coast Renaissance Festival Dana Adobe Family Campfire Gala Pride in the Plaza SLO Triathlon Cal Poly Arts presents Children's Summer Theatre Workshop Sierra Club Historic Walk of San Luis Obispo's Secret Past Paso Robles Mid-State Fair Swings for Dreams Summer Benefit at Assets SLO Court Street Concert GALA presents Margaret Cho SLO Brew Presents Central Pride 2014 Drag Show Ft. Tammy Rose & the Playgirls Fremont Theater Comedy Club presents Ralphie May Central Coast Shakespeare Festival Central Coast Wine Classic SLO Jazz Summer Jazz Workshop Pismo Preserve Benefit Concert Goldens in the Park Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab's Cash Mob Monthly Visitor Center Interactions: July 2014 June 2014 July 2013 Visitors in Center: 7,188 6,549 6,549 Phone calls: 611 483 510 Emails: 152 139 118 Calendar of Events: Events in the July calendar: 164 Promotional Product Sales: Visitor Guides: 47 City Maps: 67 Promotional Product Giveaways: Central Coast Soccer League: 250 Tear-off Maps, 50 Hike SLO Maps. SLO HAPPENINGS MONTHLY REPORT DATE: AUGUST 13, 2014 APP SUMMARY The SLO Happenings app has continued to experience exciting growth. During the month of July, the app had 451 total downloads (up 15% from June), 2,161 sessions (previously called visits) and 2,246 page views. The splash page continues to direct iPhone and Android users to their appropriate app stores for instant downloading. Printed cards promoting the app are distributed monthly to local hotels and the SLO Visitor’s Center. ADVERTISING Media Outlet Impressions Clicks Click thru rate Facebook ad for Facebook Page Likes 6,827 361 5.29% Facebook ad for Splash Page 40,081 916 2.29% KSBY In-App Banner Ads 41,765 229 .55% SOCIAL MEDIA In July, we posted upcoming events and information on the Facebook page 6-7 times per week, which has been successful at increasing engagement of the page. During the month of July we gained 351 additional likes, which brought our total likes to 16,000. Our average weekly reach, which is the number of unique people who saw any content from our page, was 15,845. 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 Facebook Likes Likes 136 748 315 1413 0 500 1000 1500 Downloads Sessions July App Stats Android iPhone TOT Comparision 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Change +/-2012-13 2013-14 Change +/-2012-13 2013-14 Change +/- July 565,386$ 565,637$ 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 9.9%83.4 86.8 4.2 127.70$ 132.62$ 4.2 August 573,057$ 609,452$ 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 8.1%81.5 82.9 2 127.75$ 133.26$ 4.6 September 465,179$ 416,859$ 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ -0.5%73 73.9 1.3 119.34$ 121.10$ 1.5 October 418,474$ 416,905$ 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 8.4%68.8 70.6 2.6 114.95$ 119.51$ 4.0 November 375,287$ 354,737$ 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 18.5%56.6 62.8 10.9 $107.59 113.79$ 5.8 December 312,510$ 274,871$ 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 11.2%50.9 54.9 9.2 $100.40 107.23$ 6.9 January 287,474$ 258,316$ 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 9.8%52.2 54.7 4.7 97.96$ 102.51$ 4.6 February 342,220$ 292,343$ 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 6.6%60.8 63.7 5.3 $105.25 104.94$ 2.4 March 386,458$ 289,506$ 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 5.0%68.1 66.2 -1.9 106.61$ 107.46$ 3.6 April 388,911$ 391,891$ 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 16.0%71.7 75.4 5.2 118.03$ 124.53$ 5.8 May 435,516$ 393,431$ 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 11.6%69.5 70.3 1.4 118.35$ 128.38$ 8.6 June 513,631$ 456,098$ 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 3.2%79.5 76.6 -3.3 130.32$ 139.93$ 6.3 Total/Average 5,064,103$ 4,720,046$ 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 8.6%68.00 69.90 114.52$ 119.61$ Occupancy ADR Figures from Smith Travel Research report SCOPE OF WORK FOR MARKETING SUPPORT SERVICES TO GIA PROGRAM Objective: Secure ROI of the GIA investment by assisting the organizations in utilizing the funding to increase attendance and nurture collaboration. Goal: Increase awareness of the supported events to attract residences and visitors in order to maximize the event income to move toward self-sufficiency. 1. Manage a comprehensive marketing support program available to all Grants-in-Aid recipients to enhance event visibility and increase event attendance. The program will include support through: • Writing press releases and distributing to local, regional and national media outlets • Promoting events through social media channels • Including events in event calendars to local tourism-related businesses • Including events in upcoming event releases to local media outlets • Meeting in-person, or by phone with groups • Offering to sell tickets through the Visitor Center (at no charge) • Promoting events through the Visitor Center by display of event materials- brochures, posters, etc. • Distribution of the easy-to-use, monthly local events one-pager to the local hospitality industry that is consistent with the “look and feel” of the city’s messaging efforts 2. Provide a monthly events calendar to all tourism outlets in the City including all lodging properties that embodies the City’s tourism brand. 3. Provide written reports all support activities monthly (by noon on the first Wednesday of the month) to the City of San Luis Obispo’s Administration Department to be included in the PCC’s meeting packets. At a minimum the reports shall include: 3.1. A matrix of services fulfilled for each organization 3.2. List of issues encountered and current and future opportunities 3.3. List of media reached out to and copy of press releases sent 3.4. Copy of the monthly events calendar. 3.5. Summary on generated media coverage for events. 3.6. Maintenance of a digital clip book of articles garnered through media outreach. 3.7. Monitoring of ROI achieved from media outreach and reporting on, at minimum, ad value equivalency, overall impressions, and circulation figures. 4. Once a quarter, present the PCC with a detailed oral report highlighting achievements as compared to the work scope and elaborate on upcoming plans and events. SCOPE OF WORK FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICES Goal: Increase awareness and maintain the positive public image of the City of San Luis Obispo, targeting its residents, and visitors on a local, regional, and state-wide level. Objectives: Through the public relations process and in collaboration with the City’s Tourism Manager: 1. To continue to strengthen San Luis Obispo’s position as a sought after tourist destination 2. To promote community activities that are meaningful to residents and visitors and support the high quality of life enjoyed in SLO 3. Work in close partnership with the TBID marketing agency to develop/coordinate messaging to maximize the city’s PR effectiveness Reactive PR Component: - Provide information at the request of journalist- including travel writers, bloggers, and the general media. - Coordinate and host press trips featuring City of San Luis Obispo lodging properties, restaurants and activities, whenever possible. - Provide PR support to local events: o Prepare and distribute materials and photography through collateral and digital channels, undertake any research and fact checking for media; make any introductions and contacts media needs for story. o Represent the City at specific events such as Cal Poly Open House and Homecoming. Representation includes a booth at the event that highlights San Luis Obispo, two (2) staff members from the Visitors Center who work throughout the duration of the event time. - Monitor outreach effectiveness by providing analysis based on media monitoring system established metrics. Proactive PR Component: - Develop and implement a comprehensive annual public relations and communications strategy and plan and incorporate conventional and digital communication channels as part of the strategy. - On a monthly basis, develop and pitch story ideas to media on tourism related topics, news stories, and to promote events in an effort to obtain third-party coverage for the City of San Luis Obispo. - Prepare and distribute up to 24 press releases per year on behalf of the City, through all channels and Vocus- media management tool. o Coordinate branding and messaging with the City’s Tourism Manager. o Releases are to be reviewed by the City of San Luis Obispo Tourism Manager with a 24-hour response turnaround and include City of San Luis Obispo’s tourism boiler plate when appropriate. - Coordinate and maintain the media kit in order to provide collateral and online tourist information, as part of the Communication Plan. o In addition to the Chamber Visitor Guide and media information, the Media Kit should include: City of SLO lodging information, ever-green release on the City of SLO tourism information pointing journalists to the City’s tourism website, www.sanluisobsipovacations.com, and contact information for the City of San Luis Obispo’s Tourism Manager. - Monitor outreach effectiveness by providing analysis based on media monitoring system established metrics. Implement the City’s support for local public relations efforts for San Luis Obispo events: a. Work with event groups supported by the City of San Luis Obispo to offer public relations assistance and assist in the execution of a comprehensive public relations plan. b. Maintain and develop relationships with local and state-wide media for events promotion. c. Send out media releases about events to local and state-wide media (as many as needed) for active events promotion. d. Provide a monthly events calendar to all tourism & lodging outlets in the City. Reports 1. Provide written reports on activities monthly (by noon on the first Wednesday of the month) to the City of San Luis Obispo’s Administration Department to be included in the Promotional Coordinating Committee’ monthly meeting packets. At a minimum the reports shall include: 1.1. Summary of activities & achievements relating to the work scope as outlined in Exhibit A and A.1. 1.2. Number and copies of press releases distributed. 1.3. Listing of media outlets contacted and worked with over the course of the month. 1.4. Maintenance of a digital clip book of articles garnered through media outreach. 1.5. Provide relevant articles in the proper format for use in the press section of the city’s tourism website. 1.6. Monitoring of ROI achieved from media outreach and reporting on, at minimum, ad value equivalency, overall impressions, and circulation figures. 2. Once a quarter, present the PCC with a detailed oral report highlighting achievements as compared to the work scope and elaborate on upcoming plans and events. EXHIBIT A.1 SCOPE OF WORK FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICES Public Relations Strategy Overview Objectives 1. To continue to strengthen San Luis Obispo’s position as a sought after tourist destination 2. To promote community activities that are meaningful to residents and visitors and support the high quality of life enjoyed in SLO 3. Work in close partnership with the TBID marketing agency to develop/coordinate messaging to maximize the city’s PR effectiveness Two Primary Target Markets The two areas of focus for SLO promotional efforts will be: • Visitors from outside the area • SLO County residents Tactics to Reach Visitors From Outside the Area: 1. Focused Messaging: The primary target demographic of visitors to SLO is people ages 40-69. While this remains a primary focus, we will also be looking to reach across all age groups to attract people to the area based on their interests. We will work with targeted media to focus delivering content and stories that appeal to what people value, and what is important to them. Some areas of focus include: • Families- newer travelers, interested in outdoor activities, child-friendly events as well as family friendly restaurants. Safety, ease and fun are their main concerns. • Outdoor Enthusiasts- interested in outdoor activities as well as events, food, wine and beer. Looking to get away from an urban environment or explore a new challenge. • Foodies- interested in the locally grown and sourced foods throughout the area as well as wine and beer. They care about the process behind every bite. • Experience Seekers - Seeking boutique destinations, insider knowledge, and hidden gems. The ultimate compliment to an experience seeker is being stopped on the street and asked for directions. • Events- Community Promotions funded events through GIA and Events Promotion of PCC/TBID, as appropriate Additional -- although smaller -- target demographics will be: • The LGBT community- interested in an open minded, welcoming/accepting community. • Cal Poly Alum and Parents- interested in re-visiting their college stomping grounds and knowing about where their children are going to school, looking for fun local experiences while they’re here. • Travelers with Pets- interested in knowing their pets are warmly welcomed. They feel valued and comfortable when their pet is. • Girls Getaway- interested in spending time together while bonding and experiencing San Luis Obispo. • History Buffs- interested in the historical and cultural things to do and see. Always looking for facts you can’t find online or in a book. • On a Budget- interested in a unique experience for a good price. • Couples Getaway- interested in a relaxed, memorable experiences Tactics to Reach Residents of SLO County While SLO welcomes guests from outside our area, we are equally passionate about promoting amazing offerings and activities to those that live in the city and surrounding areas. To do that effectively, we will work with local media to highlight the various events and activities going on in our area. • Cultural events such as: SLO Film Festival, Jazz Festival, Festival Mozaic, Restaurant month, Civic Ballet, Opera • Sporting events such as: SLO Marathon, Cal Poly Athletics, City to the Sea Marathon, Bravo SLO, La Guitarra Festival, Summer Soccer Tournament • Special Interest such as: Remnants from the Past, Science After Dark, Mini Maker Faire, Quilt Show, Craft Beer Festivals (Oktoberfest) • All Community Promotions funded events through GIA and Events Promotion of PCC/TBID Reach 1. National Reach Primary targets will be to reach to media outlets in California and the Western United States. Western United States defined to include Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. In addition, the Chamber will proactively outreach to major national media outlets including magazines and newspapers with a national reach as well as target guide books for updated and enhanced content. 2. International Reach The Chamber will collaborate on international public relations efforts with Visit California, California’s State Office of Tourism, on their international public relation campaigns. Themes, timing and support will be determined by the organization. Chamber will be responsive to their needs. 3. Cross Marketing/ Strategic Alliances The Chamber will proactively seek ways of working with other organizations to both cross market through public relations initiatives as well as through building strategic alliances. In the upcoming year we are excited to be collaborating with the city’s new marketing agency as well as other partners to promote and market San Luis Obispo. Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting Minutes Tuesday, July 9, 2014 10:00 am City Hall- Council Hearing Room 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo CALL TO ORDER: Chair Nipool Patel PRESENT: Patel, Hutton, Walker, Wilkins, Conner, Adams, Pearce STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano, Tourism Manager; Lee Johnson, Economic Development Manager Chair Patel called the meeting to order at 10:02 am PUBLIC COMMENT None. CONSENT AGENDA ACTION: Moved by Hutton/Conner to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried 7:0 PRESENTATIONS 1. CHAMBER YEAR-END REPORT Ermina Karim from the SLO Chamber presented the 2013-14 year-end report for their contract with the SLO TBID. The Chamber reported that there were 479 calls to the TBID specific phone number- up from 119 the previous year. For the availability tracking the Chamber made 670 touch points with hotels via email and 1303 through phone calls. In total over 72,000 visitors were served in the new Visitor Center which was an 11% increase in traffic. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. COUNTYWIDE TMD UPDATE The Board received an update from Visit San Luis Obispo County on the countywide TMD initiative. Visit SLO County reported that as of the end of June 75% of the hotel properties in SLO had signed the letter of intention to support the district. The next phase in the process will be the distribution of the petitions which is currently be worked on through the County. The Board asked how long the petition process will take and the response was as long as it needs to take to achieve the amount required for support. Visit SLO County also commented that there was still a lot of work to be done as it was a grass roots effort. 2. 2014-15 CONTRACTOR WORKSCOPES The Board reviewed and approved the 2014-15 contractor and partner workscopes. Works scopes include: Visit SLO County, SLO Chamber, SLO Wine, and Cal Poly Athletics. ACTION: Moved by Pearce/Hutton for the TBID Board to approve the 2014-15 contractor work scopes for the following organizations as presented: Visit SLO County, SLO Chamber, SLO Wine, and Cal Poly Athletics. Motion carried 7:0 DRAFT Tourism Board Improvement District Minutes Page 2 3. REBRANDING OVERVIEW & COMPONENTS Representatives from BCA & StudioGood presented an update to the Board on the marketing activities. They reviewed the memo distributed to the Board on the process for the first major marketing project for the rebranding. The Board provided brief feedback to them on the direction for the rebrand through using the adjectives outlined in the strategic plan. The agencies will work with staff and the marketing subcommittee on the development of the new logo and campaigns. The Board discussed that the timing of the rebrand should not be rushed in order to meet the fall deadlines, but instead be through and well-designed even if the timeline takes longer than originally anticipated. They agencies asked the Board that if there were brands that resonated with them to please send them to the agencies for their consideration in the design work. COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION HOTELIER UPDATE PCC UPDATE Staff reviewed the minutes with the Board of the PCC’s June meeting. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE Molly Cano presented the Tourism Program update on the following topics: 7/1: Council approval of the community promotions program including the PCC and TBID program plans and recommended allocations Helium update: the contract is currently being routed for signatures; a meeting is being scheduled between marketing agencies and Helium to begin the dialogue Events Promotion sponsorship funding application is now open. Meeting today at 4:30pm in the Council Chambers to answer any questions from the events. The applications are due to the City by 5pm on August 8 for consideration. Cal Poly Athletics Room request for 2014-15 seasons will be distributed later this week. Please be watching for the email and reply with your availability. Meeting adjourned at 10:39 am