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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 10-21-1998 Board Mtg Minutes Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board October 21, 1998 The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board met Wednesday, October 21, 1998 at 8:00 a.m. at The Hillsborough House Inn in Hillsborough. Chairman Lee Pavao called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Board Members Present: Lee Pavao, Chairman Moses Carey, Jr. Creston Woods Rick Strunk Nancy Davis Pat Evans Steven Halkiotis Catharine Callaway Glenn O'Neil Nancy Davis Board Members Absent: Diana McDuffee Guests: John Link Sandy Roberts Staff Present: Joe Blake, Acting Director Betty Davis, Administrative Assistant INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Mr. Pavao welcomed everyone to the board meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Pavao requested the approval of the minutes from the August Board Meeting. Ms. Pat Evans made a motion to accept the minutes as written and Mr. Creston Woods seconded the motion. With all members being in agreement the minutes were approved. ANNOUNCEMENT Mr. Pavao introduced John Link, County Manager. Mr. Link announced that Joe Blake had accepted the position as Executive Director of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Marketing Committee Mr. Creston Woods reported that the marketing committee was being assembled to begin preparations for the 1999-2000 marketing plan. Rick Strunk of NCHSAA, Cathleen Turner of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough and Anita Vaughn of the Siena Hotel had consented to serving on the committee. Two other individuals had been approached, however, neither had yet committed. Mr. Woods also reported that the expanded Internet web site was active and congratulated the visitors bureau on the web site and all the preparation and work which had gone into the project. Budget and Finance Committee Mr. Moses Carey stated that he had reviewed the financial records and all was in order. Mr. Carey entertained questions with no responses. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Mr. Joe Blake reported to Board Members on the changes that were included on the Bureau's newly revised web site. The site, an expanded, electronic version of the Visitors Guide, went live on October 9. He requested that Board Members view the site and submit any comments on it to him. Mr. Blake informed the Board Members about the NC Division of Tourism, Film & Sports Development new visitor inquiry and Internet database system that will go online in early- to mid-December. The state web site address is http://www.visitnc.com/. Patty Griffin attended a training session sponsored by the state that will enable our bureau to directly access the database and make immediate updates to Orange County information and visitor industry listings. Blake also reported that Ms. Griffin conducted the first classroom hospitality training on October 19th at the Homestead Community Center. There were 25 in attendance. The format for the training was a slide presentation by Ms. Griffin and guest speakers from local venues. The training lasted approximately 4 hours and judging from comments on the program evaluation form, the hospitality training session was successful. Mr. Blake reported on the NC Bid Committee 2007 delegation's trip to the U.S. Olympic Congress that was held in Phoenix on October 10-14. Representatives from Wake, Durham and Orange County were in attendance to promote the Triangle's bid for the 2007 Pan American Games. Several hundred attendees visited the group's booth during the marketplace and the closing reception, which was hosted in part by NCBC2007. Feedback on the Triangle's bid was overwhelmingly positive and helped position our area 2 as a serious contender to win the event. The U.S. Olympic Committee Site Selection group will visit the Triangle during the first quarter of 1999. Mr. Blake announced to the Board Members that the visitors guide had been submitted to the printer. It was anticipated that the new visitors guides would be ready in approximately four weeks. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Blake reported that the highway sign project was in the final process of completion. It was expected that all signs would be erected prior to the December board meeting. Ms. Pat Evans reported on the progress of the proposed bed &breakfast inn ordinance for Chapel Hill. Ms. Evans stated that the Orange County Lodging Association was supportive of the proposal to legalize the operation of a bed &breakfast within the town limits. Mr. Moses Carey made a motion that Mr. Blake and two Visitor Bureau Board Members are present at the town council meeting to show support for the approval of Bed and Breakfast Inns in Chapel Hill. Creston Woods seconded the motion. With all members in agreement, it was determined that there would be representation at the Chapel Hill Town Board meeting in support of the proposal. Mr. Blake reported that staff had contacted City Search about establishing a procedure for providing updates on Orange County visitor information listed City Search's Triangle web site. City Search personnel requested that the Bureau provide information on a quarterly basis for updates. Additionally, City Search will continue hosting the Bureau's community pages site at no cost to the bureau. NEW BUSINESS Chairman Pavao made a suggestion that members of the Visitor Bureau Board schedule visits to Chapel Hill/Orange County accommodations. Mr. Pavao felt that this would enhance the support from the local accommodations for the visitors bureau. Chairman Pavao and Mr. Blake will coordinate a schedule with the accommodations in Orange County. Mr. Woods reported on the marketing research project proposed by D. K. Shifflet and Associates. Mr. Woods stated the company had a proven track record in providing reliable hospitality industry research. Furthermore, he mentioned the Bureau would be able to save one-third off the project price due to its membership with the North Carolina Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus. The resulting market research report will be used as a tool in the development of the 1999-2000 marketing plan. Mr. Blake reported to the Board Members that information for the Bureau's 1997-98 annual report was being compiled and would be submitted to the marketing agency for 3 design and layout. He indicated that members would receive a draft copy for their review and feedback prior to the final printing. Blake gave an update on the occupancy and average daily rates (ADR) of the Orange County accommodations. For the month of September, Orange County's occupancy was down 5% and the ADR was down by $1.00 versus the same month in the prior year. For the fiscal year-to-date, occupancy tax collections remained at about the same level as the prior year due to an overall increase in average daily rate that had helped offset the drop in occupancy. According to Mr. Wood, this followed regional and national trends. ADJOURNMENT With all business being concluded Mr. Pavao asked for a motion for adjournment. Mr. Woods made the motion for adjournment; Ms. Evans seconded the motion. All members being in agreement the meeting adjourned at 8:45 a.m. Minutes Drafted by: Minutes Accepted by: Joe Blake, Executive Director Lee Pavao, Chairman Date Date c:my document/Board/October 21,1998 Board Meeting Minutes 4