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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 08-20-1997 Board Mtg Minutes Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board August 20, 1997 The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board met Wednesday, August 20, 1997 at 8:00 a.m. at the Chapel Hill Museum located at 523 E. Franklin Street. Board Members Present: Lee Pavao, Chairman Moses Carey, Jr. Margaret Skinner Catharine Callaway Rick Strunk Nancy Davis Board Members Absent: Hilliard Caldwell Stephen Halkiotis Remus Smith Pat Evans Staff Present: Shelly Green, Director Betty Davis, Administrative Assistant Amy Westbrook, Communications Specialist Guests: Ted Abernathy, Orange County EDC Cathleen Turner, Alliance for Historic Hillsborough Chairman Lee Pavao called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. at the museum. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Mr. Pavao welcomed members and guests to the board meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Pavao requested the approval of the minutes. Ms. Margaret Skinner made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted and Mr. Moses Carey seconded the motion. All members were in favor and the motion was approved. MARKETING COMMITTEE Ms. Margaret Skinner announced that she was very pleased with the bureau's advertisement that appeared in the August issue of ConventionSouth magazine. She distributed a copy of the publication for members to review. (A copy of the ad was included in the August board packet.) Ms. Green stated that Sheer and Associates designed that ad and the Carolina Heritage Guide ad. Also, two additional ads would be appearing in other trade publications soon. BUDGET AND FINANCE Mr. Moses Carey, treasurer, stated that only the "gross receipts"portion of the financial reports was enclosed in the board packet. Ms. Green explained that June 30, 1997 was the fiscal year ending for Orange County. To insure the accuracy of the financial reports to the board, the year-end report will be in the October board packet. She noted that over $400,000 in occupancy tax had been collected for the 1996-97 fiscal year. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Green reported to the board about a new festival that was being planned to celebrate black culture. It will occur throughout the months of January and February in 1998. At this time many details of the event are not clear but additional information will be distributed to board members, as it becomes available. The role of the Visitors Bureau will be to help promote the festival outside the immediate area. Sheer and Associates will design and place advertisements for the event. Ms. Green noted that Sheer Associates was working with the bureau to create a marketing slogan. She suggested that the board review these slogans before submitting the final highway sign design to the Board of Commissioners. It is likely that this new slogan can be used on the highway sign and will ultimately be more effective than "People Progress Preservation,"which is now being suggested. The board agreed to let Ms. Green come back at the October meeting with suggested marketing slogans, and to review the highway sign project at that time. The Visitors Bureau has been asked to serve in a pilot program by CitySearch entitled "Community Works." This involves the creation of an interactive web site for the Bureau using "pages" and topics that would be of interest to a local audience. Our site will feature items such as how to invite a group or organization you are a member of to hold their next meeting or conference in Orange County, how to find a hotel room for family and friends during peak"sell-out" times, and a description of services offered by the visitors bureau. The information on this site can be updated by the Bureau instead of a third party, allowing frequent, fast changes. It also allows interaction via e-mail with our constituents or interested citizens who sign up to be part of our "community." A draft of the bureau's lure brochure was distributed to members present. Ms. Green asked that board members review the brochure and if they had questions or concerns to call the office today with suggestions. She further explained the lure brochure was a tool used at the RDU airport and at North Carolina welcome centers to "lure"visitors to the Chapel Hill/Orange County area. 2 The fall edition of the "Happenings, Calendar of Events"was distributed to board members and guests. Ms. Green informed the board that she would begin working on the annual report, and should have a draft ready by the October board meeting. A program called "Tar Heel Town," sponsored by UNC-CH, will be taking place on campus near the Bell Tower prior to each home football game this season. The bureau will set up a kiosk with information and coupons from local businesses to encourage increased spending in the community by fans. Ms. Green announced to the board the resignation of Amy Westbrook, Communications Specialist. Ms. Green and the board expressed gratitude for her work with the bureau and wished her success in her new employment at Mapleview Dairy Farm Milk Company. Ms. Green stated that the Orange County Personnel Department had completed a search for internal candidates to serve as Communications Specialist. There were no qualified applicants. The position will be advertised for two weeks locally and through state publications and organizations. The deadline for applications is September 2nd, and if all goes well it is expected that a replacement will be on board by mid-October. OLD BUSINESS At the June board meeting it was requested that Ms. Green research how the impact of the loss of occupancy tax from the Carolina Inn has affected the bureau. Ms. Green stated that at this time she estimated the loss to be approximately $25,000 from January 1997 to June 1997. She added that the impact next year when the policy will be in effect the entire year would likely be between $50,000 and $58,000 for the fiscal year. Also at the June board meeting board members requested copies of letters written by Chancellor Hooker and County Commissioner Bill Crowther concerning the occupancy tax issue. Copies were included in the August board packet for review by board members. Mr. Moses Cary asked Ms. Skinner how many customers at the Carolina Inn were tax exempt, to which she replied approximately 43%. He also asked who determined whether or not a guest was exempt. Ms. Skinner explained that the reservations department asked each callers if his or her stay was university related. Their response determined if they were exempt from paying the occupancy tax. After a brief discussion Ms. Skinner asked if there were suggestions or questions from the board, and if so, to please let her know. She would review it with management and bring back responses at a future meeting. NEW BUSINESS 3 Ms. Green, treasurer of the Chapel Hill Museum, gave a brief overview of the progress and accomplishments of the museum over the past year and a half. A $35,000 Department of Cultural Resources grant paid for renovations to the building, which were now almost completed. The committee is now fund raising, and to date approximately $12,000 has been received from individuals and $15,000 from local businesses to support the museum. The museum board is now in the process of hiring an executive director. Ms. Green stated that all was going well and a target date for the opening has not been scheduled. The board complimented Ms. Green and the museum board on all the time and effort they had invested in the project. Ms. Green also distributed to board members and guests, the newly printed Revolutionary War Tour brochure. Sheer and Associates designed the brochure. Ms. Cathleen Turner, director of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, stated that Colonial Guides would be offering guided tours of this trail on Fridays and Saturdays in the near future. Michael Weil who was appointed to the Visitors Bureau Board, representing the Chamber of Commerce, resigned from the board. Mr. Weil recently purchased a travel agency in Cary and felt that he could no longer do an adequate job of representing the interests of the Chapel Hill business community on this board. Mr. Pavao asked Ms. Green to contact the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce to suggest a replacement for Mr. Weil. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to be discussed Mr. Carey made a motion that the meeting adjourn. Ms. Skinner seconded the motion. With all members in favor of the motion the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 a.m. Minutes Drafted by: Minutes Accepted by: Shelly A. Green, Executive Director Lee Pavao, Chairman Date Date c:my document/Board/August 20, 1997 Board Meeting Minutes 4