Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-08-2009 PCC MinutesPromotional Coordinating Committee Minutes Wednesday, July 8, 2009 5:30 pm City Hall Council Hearing Room 990 Palm Street CALL TO ORDER: Chair Terry Conner 5:30 pm PRESENT: Norton, Babb, Davis, J. Conner, Rizzo STAFF PRESENT: Brigitte Elke, Principal Administrative Analyst PUBLIC COMMENT Deborah Cash and Diana Cotta from the Downtown Association came to thank the committee for its grants-in-aid recommendation which will allow for the Farmers’ Market event for Veterans in November to take place. CONSENT AGENDA ACTION: Moved by J. Conner/Babb to approve the consent agenda as presented. Motion carried 6:0 PRESENTATIONS 1. SLO BOTANICAL GARDEN – LIZ SCOTT-GRAHAM Liz presented the Botanical Garden’s vision for the future of the Garden. Efforts to rename and rebrand the Garden are in the works. The vision is to create a truly unique place encompassing 55 miles of paved paths, educational and recreational sections, as well as children camps and classes. The project requires approximately $11 million for completion and the committee is working on making the right connections nationwide to fundraise this ambitious amount. 2. QUARTERLY REPORT – CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Lindsey Miller presented the Chamber’s quarterly report on PR, Visitors’ Center, and website. The Chamber continued work with strategic alliances such as the SLO Airport’s Community Marketing group, CP Alumni, SLO Carfree, Amtrak, Downtown Association, and the SLO International Film Festival. Involvement also began with the 2010 Culinary Carnival. PR coverage was achieved in the New York Times which was syndicated in at least five other metropolitan newspapers. The LA Times covered cycling in SLO and this article was also syndicated in various other print publications. Both articles appeared in the online editions of the publications. Additional PR coverage appeared in US News & World Report, the Nest.com, KTLA, Press Democrat, and Santa Ynez Valley Journal. The Chamber is expecting travel writers from LA Getaways, Desert Sun, Inside Reel, and a Bay Area freelance writer. For the upcoming quarter, they will target the “Culture” niche including “Path of History” and “Hearst Castle”. Niche media will be Blogs. Lindsey also reported on her attendance at CalTIA and presented the Visitor Services Report for the website and Visitors’ Center. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. CONTRACT SERVICES 2009-10 The PCC in its June 10, 2009 meeting asked the Marketing Subcommittee to meet and evaluate the proposed contracts with the Chamber of Commerce for PR, Events Promotion, and Website/Visitors’ Center services and Verdin Marketing for ShopSLO & DineSLO. In its meeting on June 18, 2009, the subcommittee formed the recommendation to go forward with the Website/Visitors’ Center and Events Promotion contracts as submitted. The Visitors’ Center should include the physical improvements to the center and the contract will be amended accordingly. The committee members asked the Chamber representatives to come back to the PCC meeting in July with a better matrix to gauge ROI for the PR contract. They felt that the current language is too broad and does not really concentrate on achieving high level PR coverage for San Luis Obispo. Verdin Marketing had been asked to detail the campaign and present a budget including a media plan at the PCC meeting. After committee discussion of the new presented matrix for ROI measurement, the PCC recommended to move forward with the PR contract. The committee members felt that the tiered approach defining ROI depending on the reach of the media was fair. ACTION: Moved by Rizzo/Davis to recommend to Council to approve the contracts for website and visitors’ center, PR, and events promotion with the Chamber of Commerce incorporating the presented matrix for PR ROI as established in the meeting. Motion carried 6:0 Mary Verdin then presented the proposal for the ShopSLO and DineSLO Campaign. The committee liked the approach and the online features presented, as it presents an opportunity even for businesses that currently do not have an online presence. ACTION: Moved by J. Conner/Babb to recommend to the City Manager to approve the ShopSLO and DineSLO contract for 2009-10 according to presented proposal. Motion carried 6:0 2. GIA LIAISONS FOR 2009-10 Given that there were 30 successful applicants and currently six PCC members, each member was assigned five organizations. As the Chair read down the list, the members selected the organizations they wanted to represent. PCC LIAISON REPORTS TBID Board Report John Conner reported that the TBID’s ad agency presented logo and web design concepts and that the committee had given directions as to which design to pursue. PCC COMMUNICATIONS Staff gave an update regarding the SLO Visitors & Conference Bureau (VCB). To date, all incorporated cities in the County had pledged financial support for the organization. The committee asked the Marketing Subcommittee members to convene a meeting with VCB staff to evaluate possible collaboration and contract terms. Meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.