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Home My WebLink AboutLRC2 Minutes Tourism Business Improvement District Board Wednesday, November 18, 2015 Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District Board was called to order on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room, located at 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Patel. ROLL CALL Present: Board Members Dean Hutton, Matthew Wilkins, LeBren Young-Harris, and Vice-Chair Clint Pearce, and Chair Nipool Patel Absent: Kimberly Walker Staff Present: Tourism Manager Molly Cano and Recording Secretary Kevin Christian PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates Inc., complimented the Board and staff for their successful presentation of its annual report to the City Council on October 20, 2015 and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be part of that success. Bettina Swigger, Executive Director for Festival Mosaic, reported record ticket sales for the first weekend of their sponsored event, thanking the Board, the City, and media contacts for their part in this success. She also announced that Festival Mosaic will be bringing a group of Arts leaders to town in January and will keep the Board informed concerning opportunities that may arise related to this event. John Salisbury introduced himself as a Homestay operator and stated that he was interested in learning how the Board and Board sponsored programs support homestays. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER H UTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve Consent Calendar Items C1 thru C6. C1. MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Minutes of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board meeting of October 14, 2015, as presented. Draft – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes of November 18, 2015 Page 2 City of San Luis Obispo, Title, Subtitle C2. SMITH TRAVEL REPORT MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Smith Travel Report. C3. CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Chamber Public Relations Report. C4. BCA + STUDIOGOOD MARKETING REPORT MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the BCA + StudioGood Marketing Report. C5. CHAMBER VISITOR CENTER REPORT MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Chamber Visitor Center Report. C6. TOT (TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX) REPORT MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the TOT Report. PRESENTATION ITEMS 1. MARKETING AGENCY QUARTERLY REPORT Representatives from BCA + StudioGood reported that 2015-16 media and events planning are currently underway; reviewed advertisement placement on Trip Advisor, Sunset Magazine, Bay Area News Group, SanLuisObispo.com (the Tribunes website), and the San Diego Union Tribune; specifically noting that the San Diego area is being targeted for marketing San Luis Obispo. It was further reported that website and social media metrics are down over October, 2014; stated that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts are ongoing; noted that a ticket giveaway for the Cal Poly homecoming game was coordinated with #ShareSLO and Cal Poly Athletics; and noted that the CCTC (Central Coast Tourism Council) blogs are driving traffic to the website. The Board was apprised that upcoming advertisements will be featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Horizon Travel and Lifestyle magazine, as well as a video advertisement in Time Square, New York City; informed that a #ShareSLO campaign reaching out to local chefs for Restaurant Month in January is planned. Draft – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes of November 18, 2015 Page 3 City of San Luis Obispo, Title, Subtitle BUSINESS ITEMS 1. TOURISM WEBSITE FINAL APPROVAL Representatives from StudioGood presented the final website design for the Board’s approval. They noted that with the Board’s approval, the site launch will be in two stages; Stage One will consist of making the site live to the public on November 19, 2015, with a media push following the holidays, and Stage Two will be with the integration of Helium in January, 2016, with a corresponding media push. It was noted that the web address SLOvacations.com has been purchased and that it will be redirected to the official website address, SanLuisObispovacations.com Tourism Manger Cano reminded the Board that the new tourism website design is aligned with the goals of the TBID strategic plan. The Board discussed the website design noting that they were very satisfied with the product and the working relationship with the agency, the increased functionality for mobile device users, and the increase of available images and videos created as a byproduct of the project. MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER WILKINS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the final website design for site launch. 2. DIGITAL ASSETS PROJECT COMPLETION Representatives from BCA presented videos created for use on the new website and for social media; noted that the music was created by the local band, Moonshiner Collective, specifically for the web site and that different scores were generated for use by the San Luis Obispo Symphony and the Cal Poly Marching Band. The Board expressed their overall favorable impressions of the videos. Chair Patel opened the item for public comment. Bettina Swigger, Executive Director for Festival Mosaic, requested the music score. A representative of BCA indicated that the request would be researched. 3. HELIUM UPDATE Board member Wilkins reported that Helium integration with AutoClerk was approved the week of November 9, 2015. Tourism Manager Cano informed the Board that approval of “Milestone 5” is dependent on AutoClerk approval of Helium integration. Tourism Manager Cano noted that StudioGood is now in direct communication with the developer to integrate the function into the new website; reported that information is now being gathered from homestay rentals for integration with Helium in the January roll out. Draft – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes of November 18, 2015 Page 4 City of San Luis Obispo, Title, Subtitle The Committee discussed the desire to have a live test location; requested and confirmed that Board Member Wilkins’ property could be used for this test. MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER PEARCE, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, CARRIED 5-0, to approve Milestone 5 and to include Board Member Wilkins’ property as a test property for live integration with AutoClerk. 4. TRADESHOW DELEGATION Tourism Manager Cano outlined the process of candidate submittal for the upcoming tradeshow delegation and announced that final selections will be made during the December TBID Board meeting. The Committee discussed the value of tradeshows and Board Member Pearce explained that hoteliers involved in the delegation help promote the whole area, not their particular property. 5. COW PARADE SLO COUNTY Tourism Manager Cano announced that BCA is representing the Cow Parade so they will not give input to the TBID concerning financial support for this event. Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the options for sponsorship as they were considered by the Marketing Subcommittee. The final recommendation from the Marketing Subcommittee presented to the Board is to become the Official Press and Media Host Partner for CowParade, with a $14,000 cash commitment for two cows and up to $3,000 in-kind to host journalists. The Committee discussed the event, known commitments made by other local cities, and the potential for tourism generation from the event. It was specifically noted that exposure could be up to 500,000 out-of-the-area followers and that this will be the only California location for the event. MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER HUTTON, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER HARRIS, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Marketing Subcommittee recommendation to become the Official Press and Media Host Partner for CowParade, with a $14,000 cash commitment for 2 cows and up to $3,000 in-kind to host journalists. The Board gave staff direction to use event funding for this sponsorship. TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION 1. HOTELIER UPDATE None at this time. 2. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE Draft – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes of November 18, 2015 Page 5 City of San Luis Obispo, Title, Subtitle No further report. 3. MARKETING COMMITTEE No further report. 4. PCC UPDATE Board Member Pearce reviewed the last Promotional Coordinating Committee meeting, noting that considerable time was spent in discussion on the SLOHappenings app. 5. VISIT SLO COUNTY UPDATE Board Member Pearce reported that the SLO County marketing plan has been approved and that a new web site is being worked on. Tourism Manager Cano noted that the Marketing Committee is working on an icon in the shape of the state of CA with San Luis Obispo County pinpointed. This icon will be used to help integrate all SLO County marketing initiatives. 6. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE Tourism Manager Cano announced that mid-year event sponsorships are open for application; reported that the TBID was approved for another year by the City Council at the Public Hearing on November 3rd; announced that the CCTC retreat will be held in the City of San Luis Obispo early next year; reminded the board members that applications for the open TBID seat are available on the City’s web site; reported that homestay data has been requested from local businesses for integration into Helium; and updated the Board on the Tourism Intern’s activities. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m. to the next Regular meeting, to be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Christian Recording Secretary