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Home My WebLink About06-10-2015 PCC Agenda packet City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Promotional Coordinating Committee PCC Agenda Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - 5:30 PM 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 Sasha Palazzo 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 May 13, 2015 C.2 Minutes of the Special Meeting on May 21, 2015 C.3 Community Promotions Budget Report C.4 Public Relations Report C.5 Grants-in-Aid Support Report C.6 Visitors Center Report C.7 SLO Happenings – Campaign Report C.8 TOT Report PRESENTATIONS 1. SLO HAPPENINGS REPORT 15 mins Representatives from Verdin will present the results of the 6 month campaign extension for the SLO Happenings app promotions. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. SLO HAPPENINGS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE 15 mins GFL will present a status update to the Board on the development of the SLO Happenings app technology. 2. 2015-16 EVENT PROMOTION FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS 30 mins The Events Subcommittee will present the funding recommendations for the 2015-16 Events Promotion sponsorship program. 3. SLO HAPPENINGS PROMOTIONAL PLAN PROPOSALS 45 mins The committee will review the results of the proposal rating and discuss the selection of the promotional plan contractor. 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 May 13, 2015 3. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE ADJOURN. POSTING STATEMENT: I, Molly Cano, Tourism Manager, do hereby certify that on June 5, 2015 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, May 13, 2015 5:30 pm at City Hall CALL TO ORDER: Chair Sasha Palazzo PRESENT: Pearce, LeMieux, Palazzo, Roberson, Lewis, Levi STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano, Tourism Manager Meeting to order at 5:37 pm PUBLIC COMMENT None. CONSENT AGENDA ACTION: Moved by Pearce/Roberson to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried 6:0 PRESENTATIONS 1. GFL TECHNOLOGY UPDATE GFL presented a status update to the committee on the development of the SLO Happenings app technology. The update included the report on the progress to the build out of the system and further conversations with the Chamber regarding the sole source data pull. In addition GFL reported that there was discussion about sharing of the online form into a sole event data portal that could feed the event content to various calendar of events. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. 2015-17 PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS The committee considered the contract requests for the 2015-17 financial plan. The committee discussed: • SLO Chamber of Commerce proposal for GIA support at $28,000 and the production of the tear-off maps for $8500. Staff reported that the TBID had taken action to share the PR contract fee with the PCC. The TBID would cover 60% of the contract fees plus the expense of the media monitoring system. This would leave $32,000 for the contract service fee for the PCC. The committee also discussed the 2-year agreement for the Visitor Center at $103,000. DRAFT Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes Page 2 • GFL Systems proposal of on-going technology services. The committee agreed that this was needed for the success of the app. The committee discussed having the event database maintenance and event approval included within this contract. ACTION: Moved by Levi/Roberson to approve contracting with the Chamber of Commerce for Public Relations at $32,000 for the PCC portion, GIA Support at $28,000, downtown maps at $8500, and two year agreement for Visitor Center Operations. Motion carried 4:0:2 Abstention: Pearce, LeMieux ACTION: Moved by Lewis/Levi to approve contracting with GFL for the technology services for the SLO happenings app, this would include the event approval piece. Motion carried 6:0 2. 2015-17 BUDGET PROCESS The committee discussed and determined the final allocations for the 2015-17 Community Promotions budget. They discussed the unallocated $12,000 made available through the TBID’s willingness to cover the majority of the PR agreement. ACTION: Moved by LeMiuex/Levi to approve the budget allocations with the added classification of the general contract services line. Motion carried 6:0 3. GRANTS-IN-AID – PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATION The Grants-in-Aid Subcommittee presented the preliminary recommendations to the committee for review and discussion. The committee reviewed each recommended funding amount and felt like it was in line with their expectation overall. 4. SPECIAL OLYMPICS HOST TOWN The committee considered the funding support for the Special Olympics Host Town event in San Luis Obispo on July 23, 2015. The committee felt like this was a great opportunity for the City. Staff reviewed the current budget. There was anticipated to be remaining dollars from the PCC budget. ACTION: Moved by Peace/LeMiuex to allocate up to $10,00 from the reminding 2014-15 budget for the event productions costs. Motion carried 6:0 COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION GIA Report: None. TBID Report: Pearce reported on the TBID updates. Tourism Program Update: Molly Cano presented the Tourism Program update: - CCTC Visit California Third Thursday presentation tomorrow - FAM Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes Page 3 o Brazil Media FAM  Visit California will host a small press trip with three key Brazilian outlets themed as ‘The unexpected affordable experiences in CA ’, jumping on the high dollar news and showing brand pillars attractions. o Westways Journalist  lesser-known college towns o Time Out Magazine Opportunity  Visit California and Air New Zealand have a fantastic partnership with Time Out in the UK which launched this week. We’re giving one lucky winner the chance to become a correspondent for Time Out and travel to California to experience some unique Outdoor, Culinary and Entertainment themed activities. The winner, plus a producer and rep from Air New Zealand (3 people in total) will be travelling from May 17th till May 23rd, with a jam packed 5 days to create 5x 2 minute videos as well as create a written guide of their experience that will be published in Time Out magazine. - Interviews for the Board seats o Applications were submitted o May interview o June new committee member - Event Promotion o 8 event apps submitted  Binder being completed now for distribution to committee members  Subcommittee will review and make the recommendations o Jazz Festival is this weekend  Trolley Service o SLO Concours  o Festival Moziac  10% off tickets o SAVOR – special offer for SLO hotels $100 pass through June & July - SLO Happenings Promotion Plan RFP o Open and receiving strong interest o Closes May 28 at 3pm Key Dates: o GIA Hearing May 20 at 5:30 o Scheduling the Event Promotions Q&A meeting next week Meeting adjourned at 6:54 pm DRAFT Promotional Coordinating Committee Special Meeting Minutes Wednesday, May 20, 2015 5:30 pm City Hall - Council Hearing Room CALL TO ORDER: Chair Sasha Palazzo PRESENT: Pearce, Palazzo, Levi, LeMieux, Roberson STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano, Tourism Manager PUBLIC HEARING 1. GRANTS-IN-AID 2015-16 The public hearing was scheduled to allow the Grants-in-Aids applicants to address the committee regarding the preliminary recommendation as discussed during the May 13, 2015 regular committee meeting. Many recipients provided words of thanks for the grant awards. ACTION: Moved by Roberson/LeMieux to recommend to the City Council the 2015-16 GIA award allocations as approved during the May 20, 2015 PCC Special Meeting. Motion carried 5:0 Meeting adjourned at 5:39 pm Report to City of SLO – PCC Public Relations Contract May 2015 Media Releases: SLO Celebrates American Craft Beer Week – Wrote and distributed release to food, beer and wine contacts highlighting SLO’ celebration of American Craft Beer Week. SLO Jazz Festival – edited and distributed release to cultural and local contacts regarding the SLO Jazz Festival. Media/Community Relations: 1. Worked with Amtrak to include San Luis Obispo events in their Amtrak California newsletter. 2. Coordinated trip for Air New Zeeland and Visit California contest winner who will be a correspondent for UK based Time Out magazine during their trip to California. 3. Hosted Matthew Hormann on assignment with Westways Magazine for an article regarding ‘unexpected college towns.’ 4. Worked with San Francisco Chronical wine and food writer Lynne Bennett on possible story angles for the San Luis Obispo pull-out travel section this summer. 5. Worked with Visit San Luis Obispo County to coordinate and host three Brazilian journalists and the Visit California Brazil PR Manager. 6. Began coordinating food-focused press trip for Bryan Roof, Executive Food Editor at Cook's Country Magazine and America's Test Kitchen, this July. 7. Spoke on air with KCPR about the impact of Cal Poly Graduation on hotel and restaurant availability. 8. Provided visitor information and materials to 4-H leaders conference at Camp San Luis; 100 leaders from the western U.S. 9. Delivered promotional materials for GIA recipients to hospitality partners. 10. Coordinated press trip for Monica Kapila, Blogger with doindubai.com, correspondent for Travel Arabia magazine and Dubai's English talk radio show The Ticket. 11. Provided photos to Meghan Storey, Web Editor of CreftBeer.com, for her article naming SLO as one of the ‘Beeriest Beach Towns in America.’ 12. Worked with Visit San Luis Obispo County to coordinate press trip for five Chinese journalists representing GQ, Trading UP, Esquire, National Geographic Traveler and Traveler Weekly this June. 13. Created and distributed June SLO Happenings event sheet to hospitality partners. 14. Continued to work with the City and Barnett Cox & Associates and StudioGood on overall tourism marketing campaign. Media Relations/Placement 1. 36 Hours in San Luis Obispo New York Times profile on San Luis Obispo was picked up by numerous national and local outlets. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/travel/things-to-do-in-36-hours-in-san-luis- obispo.html?_r=0 Circulation: 2,149,012 International Unique Views: 600,780 AOL: http://on.aol.com/video/36-hours-in-san-luis-obispo--california-518810031 Unique Views: 585,320 KSBY: http://www.ksby.com/story/29005006/new-york-times-36-hours-in-san- luis-obispo Unique Views: 235,429 2. L’Eroica Over 15 national and international outlets covered the inaugural l’Eroica California race including: Cool Hunting: http://www.coolhunting.com/travel/eroica-california-vintage- cycling Unique Views: 4,276,735 Velonews: http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/04/a-case-for-suffering/a-case- for-suffering-the-heroic_366801 Bicycling: http://www.bicycling.com/gran-fondo/what-wear-and-ride-eroica- california-vintage-event Road Bike Action: http://roadbikeaction.com/home-page/homepage-latest- news/leroica-comes-to-california ELEMENTAL.LY: http://element.ly/2015/04/eroica-california-part-2-hospice- hospice-of-san-luis-obispo-county/ Red Kite Prayer: http://redkiteprayer.com/2015/04/eroica-california/ Peloton: http://pelotonmagazine.com/feedzone/leroica-comes-to-california/ Unique Views: 141,301 Pez: http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/features/eroica-california/#.VUp_CNNViko Radivist: http://theradavist.com/2015/04/a-weekend-at-eroica-california/#1 http://theradavist.com/2015/02/wine-olive-oil-dirt-glory-120-miles-leroica- california/#1 Bicycle Retailer: http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north- america/2015/02/16/leroica-comes-california-planned-april-event#.VUqA69NViko Bicycle Times: http://bicycletimesmag.com/riding-eroica-california-with-andy- hampsten/ Bike Radar: http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/news/article/leroica-comes-to- california-43654/ Selectism: http://www.selectism.com/2015/02/17/italian-vintage-cycling-race- eroica-rides-california-april/ Glowing Garage: http://glowinggarage.com/eroica-california-2015/ 3. Our neighbors in San Luis Obispo wine country are the next Monterey Monterey County Weekly article written by Mark Anderson, one of the writers hosted during SLO Wine’s Roll Out the Barrels. Unique Views: 154,136 http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/food_wine/edible-our-neighbors-in-san- luis-obispo-wine-country-are/article_a6df423e-04c7-11e5-8a25- af734a135feb.html http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/food_blog/images-of-hours-in-slo- wine-country-california-s-next/article_4bc5609e-fe5b-11e4-bca0- 0b1d81ae04bb.html?mode=image 4. San Luis Obispo - California’s Hidden Wine Country Paste Magazine article written by Amy Glynn, one of the writers hosted during SLO Wine’s Roll Out the Barrels. Unique Views: 467,823 http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/san-luis-obispo---californias- hidden-wine-country.html?a=1 5. The United States: America West Highway One car Raiders Sina.com article regarding the iconic Highway 1 road trip. Unique Views: 19,892,910 http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4074b22d0102vkzh.html 6. Sun-Kissed Family Summer Getaways on the West Coast Mimi Slawoff Features San Luis Obispo in her MiniTime.com article regarding best family vacations this summer. Unique Views: 190,100 http://www.minitime.com/trip-tips/SunKissed-Family-Summer-Getaways-on-the- West-Coast-article 7. California's 12 Stunning Vineyards To Visit The Culture Trip features Kelsey Sea Canyon as one of the most beautiful vineyards in California. http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/california-s-12- stunning-vineyards-to-visit/ 8. San Luis Obispo New travel site, Alocato content describes where to stay, eat and explore in San Luis Obispo. https://alocato.com/go/san-luis-obispo-ca/ 9. A Perfect Weekend Vacation Rental Travels describes the perfect weekend in San Luis Obispo in three page spread. http://vacationrentaltravels.com/2015-05/#p=12 10. Central Coast Facts TravelBlog.org story on SLO San Luis Obispo history and attractions. Circulation/Audience: 439,581 https://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Pismo- Beach/blog-883572.html 11. Using Tourism to Grow Your Community’s Economy Western City article highlights San Luis Obispo’s regional tourism efforts as a key piece in our area’s economic development. Circulation/Audience: 9,382 http://www.westerncity.com/Western-City/May-2015/Using-Tourism-to-Grow- Your-Communitys-Economy/ 12. Little Theatre to open award-winning ‘Music Man’ tonight Santa Maria Times article regarding upcoming show at GIA recipient, SLO Little Theatre. Circulation/Audience: 10,749 http://santamariatimes.com/entertainment/little -theatre-to-open-award-winning- music-man-tonight/article_148e190f-75e9-511f-bf53-f2278d635335.html 13. Flavor of SLO kicks off this weekend KSBY segment regarding GIA recipient, Flavor of SLO. Page Views: 721,709 Unique Views: 59,738 http://www.ksby.com/story/28963029/flavor-of-slo-kicks-off-this-weekend 14. Author Jane Smiley to speak at library fundraiser in SLO Tribune article regarding GIA recipient, SLO Library foundation, event. Unique Views: 558,745 http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/05/05/3619649_author-jane-smiley-pac- library.html?rh=1 15. SLO Greek Festival California Greek Girl and KSBY include GIA recipient, SLO Greek Festival. Ca. Greek Girl Audience: 29,328 http://www.californiagreekgirl.com/greek-festivals-in-california-for-may-2015/ KSBY Unique Views: 59,738 http://www.ksby.com/story/29194094/greek-festival-taking-place-this-weekend-in- san-luis-obispo http://www.ksby.com/story/29199307/locals-experience-authentic-food-and- dancing-at-san-luis-obispo-greek-festival Grants- in-Aid Marketing Support May 2015 Report Organization Event VC PR SM EC EL MTG ST PC Almond Country Quilt Guild Seven Sisters Quilt Show X X Cal Poly Corporation: Cal Poly Arts BASETRACK X X X X Canzona Women's Ensemble Concerts of choral music for women's voices X X X X X X Central Coast Arts International Traditional African Music and Dance Performance X X X X X X Central Coast Children's Choir Annual Concerts X X X X Civic Ballet 2014 Nutcracker Ballet X X X X X Cuesta College Community Programs: Central Coast Writers' Conference 30th Anniversary Central Coast Writers' Conference X X X X X X Cuesta College Fine Arts Division Art Gallery Exhibitions X X X X X X Ecologistics, Inc. Central Coast Bioneers Conference X X X X Foundation for San Luis Obispo County Public Libraries Literary Salon X X X X X X X 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 X X X X Opera of San Luis Obispo Aida: A City-Wide Arts Collaboration X X X X Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church Evening in Greece X X X X X San Luis Obispo County Arts Council (dba ARTS Obispo) Children's Day in the Plaza with Passport to the Arts X X X X X San Luis Obispo Downtown Association Checkpoint Challenge San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2015 Festival X X X X X San Luis Obispo Little Theatre 2014-15 Season X X X X X X San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Taking Art Into the Community - Awakening Minds X X X X San Luis Obispo Soccer Club 26th Annual SLO Summer Classic X X X X San Luis Obispo Symphony Meet the Red Violin X X X X X San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble Kick off to Tour and Tour of Italy and Spain Concerts X X X TOR Productions ALTA United Way of San Luis Obispo County Flavor of SLO X X X X X RSVP X X X X Black is current month, gray is past work Returned or forfeited grant 25 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 SM- Ran event through Social Media outlets EC- Included in Event Calendar EL- Included in Event Listings/one-sheet sent out to local hoteliers, wineries, etc. 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 May 2015 Highlights from May in the Visitor Center: Sold Happy Town t-shirts Sold adventure passes Sold Epicurean Delight Tickets Sold SLO city bus passes SLO events promoted through Visitor Center: San Luis Obispo Museum of Art presents Rock Star SLO Wine Country Roll Out the Barrels Inspired Home Expo of San Luis Obispo Cal Poly Lion Dance Team Performance United Way Flavor of SLO Eureka! Celebrates National Star Wars Day SLO Blues Society presents Janiva Magness American Craft Beer Week SLO Jazz Festival Cal Poly presents Noir Saxophone Quartet Cal Poly Presents the Choir Spring Concert San Luis Chamber Orchestra Concert SLO Little Theatre presents The Music Man Cal Poly CE Entrepreneurship Forum SLO Blues Baseball Blues and Brews Farmers Market Public Works Night Cal Poly Brass Groups to Perform ‘All That Brass!’ Novo Presents Beleza Nights Novo’s Wine Wednesday with Stephen Ross Wines SLO Library Foundation presents Jane Smiley Downtown Brown’s Birthday Beach Bash Apple Farm Backyard Winemaker Dinner Humankind Fair Trade Eco Fashion Show SLO Greek Festival Bike Coalition Fashion Show SLO Brewing presents Eager Seas CD Release Party Black Sheep Anniversary Party Monthly Visitor Center Interactions: May 2015 April 2015 May 2014 Visitors in center: 6986 9929 6375 Phone calls: 468 521 428 Emails: 180 162 153 Calendar of Events: Events entered into calendar this month: 280 Events in the May calendar: 166 SLO HAPPENINGS MONTHLY REPORT DATE: JUNE 10, 2015 APP SUMMARY The SLO Happenings app has continued with a solid rate of monthly downloads. During the month of May, the app had 283 total downloads, 2,469 sessions and 2,621 page views. The splash page continues to direct iPhone and Android users to their appropriate app stores for instant downloading. ADVERTISING Media Outlet Impressions Clicks Click-thru rate Facebook ad for Facebook Page Likes 30,858 597 1.93% Facebook ad for Splash Page 61,286 823 1.34% SOCIAL MEDIA In May, we posted upcoming events and information on the Facebook page 5-6 times per week. During the month of May, we gained 461 additional likes, which brought our total likes to 19,512. Our average weekly reach, which is the number of unique people who saw any content from our page, was 16,722. 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 Ja n - ‐ 1 3 Fe b - ‐ 1 3 Ma r - ‐ 1 3 Ap r - ‐ 1 3 Ma y - ‐ 1 3 Ju n - ‐ 1 3 Ju l - ‐ 1 3 Au g - ‐ 1 3 Se p - ‐ 1 3 Oc t - ‐ 1 3 No v - ‐ 1 3 De c - ‐ 1 3 Ja n - ‐ 1 4 Fe b - ‐ 1 4 Ma r - ‐ 1 4 Ap r - ‐ 1 4 Ma y - ‐ 1 4 Ju n - ‐ 1 4 Ju l - ‐ 1 4 Au g - ‐ 1 4 Se p - ‐ 1 4 Oc t - ‐ 1 4 No v - ‐ 1 4 De c - ‐ 1 4 Ja n - ‐ 1 5 Fe b - ‐ 1 5 Ma r - ‐ 1 5 Ap r - ‐ 1 5 Ma y - ‐ 1 5 Facebook Likes 86 576 197 1388 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 Downloads Sessions May App Stats Android iPhone TOT Comparision 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Change +/-2014-15 2013-14 Change +/-2014-15 2013-14 Change +/-2014-15 2013-14 Change +/- July 565,386$ 565,637$ 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 8.8%87.2 86.8 0.3 143.47$ 132.62$ 7.1 125.05$ 116.34$ 7.5 August 573,057$ 609,452$ 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 8.6%85.1 83.1 2.4 147.17$ 134.54$ 9.4 125.17$ 111.81$ 12 September 465,179$ 416,859$ 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 10.1%74.5 73.1 1.8 128.61$ 121.10$ 6 95.77$ 88.69$ 8 October 418,474$ 416,905$ 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 16.6%77.9 70.4 10.6 130.39$ 119.51$ 9.0 101.57$ 84.26$ 20.5 November 375,287$ 354,737$ 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 11.6%67.8 62.6 8.3 $120.89 113.79$ 6.1 $81.95 71.36$ 14.8 December 312,510$ 274,871$ 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 10.1%57 54.8 4 $110.50 107.30$ 3 $62.95 58.78$ 7.1 January 287,474$ 258,316$ 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 20.6%60.6 54.5 11.1 110.82$ 102.55$ 8.1 67.15$ 55.92$ 20.1 February 342,220$ 292,343$ 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 17.6%66.8 63.7 4.8 $116.20 108.59$ 7 $77.57 69.20$ 12.1 March 386,458$ 289,506$ 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 16.2%70.3 66.4 5.8 121.44$ 110.14$ 10.3 85.32$ 73.16$ 16.6 April 388,911$ 391,891$ 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 8.2%78 75.4 3.3 133.83$ 124.57$ 7.4 104.34$ 93.98$ 11 May 435,516$ 393,431$ 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 70.3 128.38$ June 513,631$ 456,098$ 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 76.6 139.93$ Total/Average 5,064,103$ 4,720,046$ 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 69.81 120.25$ Occupancy ADR RevPAR Figures from Smith Travel Research report Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting Minutes Wednesday, May 13, 2015 10:00 am City Hall CALL TO ORDER: Chair Nipool Patel PRESENT: Patel, Pearce, Wilkins, Walker, Hutton STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano Call to Order at 10:03 am PUBLIC COMMENT Curt Van Inwegen from Life Elements, Inc introduced the Board to the product called Action Wipes. As a local company they would like to encourage the TBID to educate hotel guests about the drought, reduce water overall water consumption and provide a tangible solution that benefits guests, the hotel properties and the local water supply. He distributed a sample of his product Action Wipes, which is a full body wipe for when you can’t shower, made with all-natural ingredients, safe for the entire body and designed and manufactured in California. He is available to meet with any properties that would like to learn more about his product. Brittney Carter with Visit California introduced herself to the Board. Brittany is the area liaison to Visit California and is available to meet with any of the constituents in the area. CONSENT AGENDA ACTION: Moved by Hutton/Walker to approve the consent agenda. Motion carried 5:0 PRESENTATIONS 1. MARKETING AGENCY MONTHLY UPDATE BCA & Studio Good staff summarized recent promotional activity during the previous month. Updates included Celebration Weekend planning, new vido & photography project, design of the SAVOR 2015 bag, event prep and representation, designing a new rack card for the SLO TBID, and advertising efforts. They reported that the online media buys ended in April and so the advertising would be “dark” until the fall. They anticipate a small reduction in traffic during that time but expect that organic traffic will remain strong since it is peak travel season. Social media plan does account for paid media through June so those numbers should be strong. 2. VISIT SLO COUNTY QUARTERLY UPDATE Kylee Jepsen from the Visit SLO County presented the report to the Board. She announced Chuck Davison as the new CEO for Visit SLO County. Presented the results of the: Tourism Vision Workshop, Visit California Media event, recent FAM trips, and PR coverage. She reported on the approach to IPW in Orlando included the County booth partners and video. Kylee also gave an update on the TMD and SAVOR planning. She encouraged the Board’s participation in the June 10th Board of Supervisors final hearing. Notice of the hearing will be distributed in the upcoming weeks. BUSINESS ITEMS 1. 2015-16 PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS DRAFT Tourism Board Improvement District Minutes Page 2 The Management Committee presented the partnership recommendations for 2015-16. The first partnership recommendation was the SLO Chamber of Commerce. The committee recommended full funding of proposal for the continued phone/availability s ervice at $31,000. They discussed that the program has continued growing since its inception 3 years. This year the phone calls to date have surpassed the total amount received last year. They also felt it was important to maintain a point of contact for visitors looking for information. In addition, the committee recommended that the TBID support the partnership with PCC for the public relations services. The committee recommended that the TBID fully cover the media monitoring service fee of $7950 and the TBID also fund 60% of the service fee at $48,000. The committee recommended funding of the partnership proposal with SLO Wine at the amount of $18,000. The elements of partnership to be funded would be: Membership & Marketing Benefits at $10,000; PR/Media Hosting as presented but managed by staff and funded at $1000; and targeted Trade and Media Marketing at $7000. For the Trade and Media Marketing piece, the TBID would have the ability to weigh in/ approve through marketing committee the selection of the roadshow and regional show locations. ACTION: Moved by Hutton/Wilkins to fund the SLO Chamber of Commerce proposal for phone line and availability tracking service at $31,000, the media monitoring service fee of $7950, and contribute $48,000 to the public relations services agreement. Motion carried 4:0:1 Abstention: Pearce ACTION: Moved by Pearce/Hutton to fund the SLO Wine Country proposal for partnership support at $18,000 for membership & marketing benefits, PR/media hosting, and targeted trade and media marketing as recommended by the committee. Motion carried 5:0 2. SAVOR 2015 BAG DESIGN RECOMMENDATION BCA present the SAVOR 2015 bag design as recommended by the Marketing Committee. The Board was pleased with the design and discussed that is was a good departure from the designs in the past. They were pleased to see the new images used in the design. ACTION: Moved by Hutton/Wilkins to approve the SAVOR 2015 bag design. Motion carried 5:0 3. DIGITAL ASSETS EXPANDED PROPOSAL RECOMMENDATION The Marketing Committee presented the recommendation to expand the digital assets and video project based on the video elevated concept and work scope. The Board discussed that the expanded proposal would utilize locally produced music as a feature of the concept. The Marketing Committee shared that the artist preformed the song during the marketing committee meeting and the videographer showed a raw cut of the video concept. The Marketing Committee expressed that the direction was captivating and inspiring. ACTION: Moved by Walker/Wilkins to approve the expanded digital assets proposal for the production of video and still photography up to $43,000. Motion carried 5:0 BCA is to directly contract for the production and will manage the project as the marketing agency on record for the TBID. 4. 2015-16 BUDGET RECOMMENDATION The Management Committee presented the 2015-16 budget allocation and partnership recommendations for the Board’s consideration and approval. The Board discussed each line item within the budget document. The Board was complimentary to the thoughtful and thorough work done by the committee in forming the budget recommendations. Tourism Board Improvement District Minutes Page 3 ACTION: Moved by Pearce/Hutton to approve the proposed 2015-16 fiscal year budget allocations as presented. Motion carried 5:0 5. SUNSET CELEBRATION WEEKEND OPPORTUNITY The Marketing Committee presented the recommendation to participate in Sunset Celebration Weekend June 6-7, 2015. The committee commented that the booth registration was offered complimentary to the TBID. Staff commented that the anticipated budget needed for the expenses to participate in the event is $2000 for travel, lodging, and booth build out expenses. In addition, the Board considered the allocation of $500 toward the call-to-action of a getaway giveaway as a means of attracting newsletter sign-ups during the show. ACTION: Moved by Walker/Pearce to allocate $2500 for participation in Celebration Weekend. Motion carried 5:0 Staff commented that the BCA marketing team would staff the booth for the duration of the weekend. COMMITTEE COMMUNICATION HOTELIER UPDATE The Board commented that they have been reaching out to properties for the Helium integration outreach. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE Minutes were included. MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE Minutes were included. PCC UPDATE Pearce reviewed the minutes with the Board. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE - CCTC Visit California Third Thursday presentation was taking place on Thursday May 14. Staff has been organizing the efforts and will be representing the region at the presentation. - Familiarization Trips: o Brazil Media FAM  Visit California will host a small press trip with three key Brazilian outlets themed as ‘The unexpected affordable experiences in CA ’, jumping on the high dollar news and showing brand pillars attractions. o Westways Journalist  lesser-known college towns o Time Out Magazine Opportunity  Visit California and Air New Zealand have a fantastic partnership with Time Out in the UK which launched this week. We’re giving one lucky winner the chance to become a correspondent for Time Out and travel to California to experience some unique Outdoor, Culinary and Entertainment themed activities. The winner, plus a producer and rep from Air New Zealand (3 people in total) will be travelling from May 17th till May 23rd, with a jam packed 5 days to create 5x 2 minute videos as well as create a written guide of their experience that will be published in Time Out magazine. - Interviews for the Board seats o 3 Applications were submitted o Interviews will be held in May Tourism Board Improvement District Minutes Page 4 o Appointment to the Board in June - Event Promotion o 8 event apps submitted  Binder being completed now for distribution to committee members  Subcommittee will review and make the recommendations o Jazz Festival is this weekend  Trolley Service o SLO Concours  o Festival Moziac  10% off tickets o SAVOR – special offer for SLO hotels $100 pass through June & July - SLO Happenings Promotion Plan RFP o Open and receiving strong interest o Closes May 28 at 3pm Key Dates: o GIA Hearing May 20 at 5:30 o Scheduling the Event Promotions Q&A meeting next week Meeting adjourned at 11:34 am