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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCH-OCVB minutes 101503Minutes Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board October 15, 2003 The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board met at the Holiday Inn Express, Cardinal Drive, Hillsborough on October 15, 2003. . Board Members Present: Lawrence Walters Sam Hobgood Kevin Callaghan Rick Strunk Frances Dancy Moses Carey Bill Crowther Creston Woods Board Members Absent: Anne Loeb Nancy Davis Lee Pavao Pat Evans Staff Present: Joe Blake Betty Davis Guests: Cathleen Turner Anjan Desai CALL TO ORDER Chair Lawrence Walters called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS Mr. Walters welcomed Board Members and guests. Mr. Anjan Desai, owner and general manager of the Holiday Inn Express also welcomed Board Members and guests to the Holiday Inn Express. Mr. Desai gave a brief overview of the property since he acquired it in 2001. Mr. Desai extended an invitation and stated he would be available to those attending wishing to tour the property after the Board Meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Walters asked for approval of the minutes of the August 20, 2003 meeting as presented. Mr. Moses Carey made a motion to accept the minutes as presented. Mr. Rick Strunk seconded the motion. With all Board Members in agreement, the motion was carried unanimously. COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget and Finance Mr. Carey presented the FY 2002-2003 year-end financial report. Mr. Carey stated that the report indicated that the Bureau had a good year-end report. 91% of the budget was spent. The report also reflects the interest income was up over previous years. Mr. Blake reported that the expenditures were in line and there were no unforeseen expenses. Marketing Mr. Rick Strunk, Marketing Chair, reported that the updated visitors guide, dining and nightlife guide and the “Happenings” Calendar of Events were in the September board packet. Mr. Strunk also reported that “Great Summer Getaways” promotion was successful with 5,000 visits to the special section on the website, 900 phone requests and 500 reply card requests resulting from the AAA magazine advertisement. The Bureau’s electronic newsletter was sent out on October 14th. The “Wonderful Whimsical Winter” promotional brochure will be distributed within two to three weeks. The winter promotion will run from November 9th to January 24, 2004. DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Blake announced that the North Carolina Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (NCACVB) partnership with Time Warner’s ad campaign “Everything is Closer in North Carolina” has proven to be successful. Blake stated that he had met with the Time Warner representative and that the Bureau would now promote the “Wonderful Whimsical Winter” promotion and also do some advertising using the exiting beta roll that the bureau has available. The cost of the advertising is reflected in the budget. Time Warner is defraying millions of dollars in cost to accommodate the NCACVB advertising project. Mr. Blake reported that Mary Faucette, an Orange-A-Temp, would be working a temporary assignment in the Visitors Center. Mr. Blake reported that the Bureau hosted the “Pathways to Successful Meetings” on September 23rd with 30 meeting planners attending. The group visited several accommodations and attractions during the day. At each facility an educational mini seminar was offered to participants. Feedback from meeting planners attending was good. At this time it is unknown the number of bookings that will result from the event but the interest in bringing business to Chapel Hill/Orange County was very evident. Mr. Blake reported that in 2004 the National Hockey League would hold the player drafts at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The Carolina Inn has been selected to accommodate a couple of teams. It is anticipated that the National Hockey League drafts will attract players and families, news media, team owners and coaches to the Triangle that would result in a strong economic impact to the area. Mr. Blake reported that the Downtown Commission Members voted to search for someone to work in the capacity of economic development in the downtown district. The position of Director of the Downtown Commission was terminated. NEW BUSINESS Ms. Cathleen Turner, Director of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, updated the Board Members on projects and initiatives of the Alliance. Ms. Turner talked about the staffing and growth of the programs at the Burwell School and other visitor services provided by the Alliance. Ms. Turner also spoke about creating a more attractive entrance corridor into downtown Hillsborough, making it more visual to the visitor. Ms. Turner also shared with Board Members about the self-guided tour brochure that is being made available to visitors through the Alliance. The brochures are being printed and should be available to visitors within a short while. The Alliance is also in the process of launching guided tours of Historical Hillsborough and recruiting guides to conduct the tours. Mr. Walters presented the proposed legislation update on travel and tourism, House Bill 1316 with short title of N.C. Travel and Tourism Investment Act. A brief discussion ensued and as more information becomes available Board Members will be informed. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Walters informed the Board Members that three Board seats would be expiring in December. The vacant seats will be a representative from the University, the Orange County Lodging Association and the Town of Chapel Hill. Ms. Dianne Reid was not able to attend the meeting , but in her absence Mr. Blake reported on the Orange County Agricultural Heritage Festival and Festival of the Autumn Moon. Mr. Blake reported that the festival was very successful. It is estimated that between 3,000-4,000 people took the shuttle provided for the event. This number does not include vendors and those not taking the shuttle. There has been a great amount of positive feedback for the event. Mr. Blake announced that the Orange County Business Expo would be held at the Chapel Hill Sheraton from 1:00 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. on October 16th. Mr. Walters presented Mr. Creston Woods with a certificate of appreciation for his service to the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau from 1998 through December 2003. Mr. Woods served as Chair of the Board from July 2000 to August 2003. Other Matters of the Board and Announcements No other matters or announcements were presented to the Board for consideration. ADJOURNMENT With all business of the Board completed, Ms. Frances Dancy made the motion to adjourn the meeting with a second to the motion by Mr. Kevin Callaghan. With all Board Members in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 a.m. ________________________________ _________________________________ Minutes Drafted by: Minutes Accepted by: Joseph Blake, Executive Director Lawrence Walters, Chairman ________________________________ _________________________________ Date Date