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Home My WebLink AboutCHOC Visitors Bureau minutes 032019 For Approval April 17 , 2019 MINUTES Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors Meeting March 20, 2019 The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau met at The Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill , 27517 Board Members Present : Kayla Dempsey, Anthony Carey, Rosemary Waldorf, Annette Stone, David Brooks, Libby Hough, Andrew Strickland , Tanya Moore, Jeff Strickler, Mark Sherburne , Lydia Lavelle, Penny Rich , Shannan Campbell Not Present : Matt Gladdeck, Rachel Schaevitz, Tim Hoke , Mark Bell Staff attendance : Laurie Paolicelli , Marlene Barbera , Allison Chambers, Katie Murray, Tina Fuller, Patty Griffin Also present : Mayor Pam Hemminger, Clean Design Staff Call to Order Chair Anthony Carey called the meeting to order at 8 : 07 am . Introductions were given by all . Approval of Minutes Chair Carey requested a motion to approve the February 20, 2019 minutes . Penny Rich so moved and Mark Sherburne seconded . With all members in favor, the minutes were approved as submitted . Finance Report Penny Rich reported that the occupancy tax collections were down during January 2019 compared to collections made in January 2018 . Chair Carey said this is due to the basketball schedule requiring an overnight stay was not as strong as it was in January 2018, but February' s schedule for 2019 is stronger . In January hoteliers concerns focused on the fact that Saturday' s are down 12 % over last year and think it might be due to Airbnb . Mark Sherburne reported that rate also drove some of those collections down . Guest Presentation Clean Design presentation agenda included strategy light, campaign concepts, high - level media recommendations all followed by questions and discussions . A Situational Overview includes : Edge of the Triangle positioning no longer encompasses the brand of the area ( the entire Triangle is getting edgier) ; Chapel Hill is perceived as having become corporate; UNC defines Chapel Hill ; photography and messaging are not as inclusive as they could be . What Chapel Hill can own is the people , the traditions, the experiences, the diversity and the progressive mindset . Brand messaging platform in not our tagline or mission statement, but rather focused and prioritized messaging, directional for your visual and verbal brand . Celebration of Individualism : Chapel Hill is the progressive gem of North Carolina . It' s a place that seamlessly blends its rich tradition with an openness to change . Though historic landmarks and notable locations are everywhere you look, it' s the unique people and experiences that define the area ' s personality and make it special . Chapel Hill fully embraces the celebration of individualism for visitors and locals alike . Clean introduced two possible concepts : Just Do You and Find Your Space , Just Do You would take a word or concept and illustrate it in different ways that could be related to different things about Orange County . One of the examples given was "Watering Hole " which was illustrated by a brewery, the Old Well and cows at a watering trough . The ads feature images from municipalities as well as greater Orange County . Clean introduced the possibility of using the ads on billboards in downtown Charlotte gathering locations . In the second concept, Find Your Space, ads included rich media of space to celebrate , wide open spaces, breathing space and space to hang out . These ads also encompassed the entire county and would be proposed for billboard ads in Charlotte . They introduced experiential ideas leading with Do You, which might include working on a farm , doing open - mic standup comedy, filming your experiences and create micro -documentaries . Stake Your Place installations and Change LOCation experiences were also discussed . High - level media recommendations include shifting the perception of Chapel Hill to be a more trendy, creative destination and increasing overnight stays . Audience segments will include progressive explorers, young and trendy, older and sophisticated and alumni . Peak season is year- round with increased pressure in spring/summer which has the highest upside visitation potential . The geographic focus is primarily NC followed by SC, VA, GA and major metro areas . Paid media would create a multi - platform presence to surround the target audience during times they are most likely to visit and/or spend more time in Chapel Hill . Recommended media mix for 2019 -20 would be 31 % digital , 30% place - based , 19 % print, 12 % social and 8 % search totaling $ 365 , 000 before 15 % commission . A campaign timeline was presented . Next steps will be to develop new campaign assets, complete visitor profile research, all with a beginning of fiscal year 2019 - 20 launch . Following Clean Design ' s presentation the Advisory Board engaged in discussion , asked several questions and offered feedback . Just Do You was the overall favorite of the board , but Laurie Paolicelli reported she would poll the board for input following the meeting and will also share the research FleishmanHillard did to help direct the board in making decisions from here . The board thanked Clean Design for their brilliant work as well as the sub- committee who chose them on behalf of the board . New Business / Roundtable Chair Carey acknowledged all for updates in their respective fields : • Tonya Moore reported that the search for a new chancellor has not yet begun . A researcher from UNC was a lead researcher on a newly approved drug for postpartum depression . • Mayor Pam Hemminger reported that the town is working on improving outdoor dining with a pilot program that has been running for almost a year . The town is encouraging pop up events to bring more experiences downtown . • The Orange County grants process will open on April 1 and Katie Murray asked the board to encourage artists in the county to submit a proposal . Their main initiatives at this time are to find space and funding . • Shannan Campbell reported that the Town of Hillsborough tourism board has released their first annual report . They purposely fashioned it after the Visitor' s Bureau Annual Report so they would show comparable numbers . They have found that the age of their visitors is trending younger . • Mayor Lydia Lavelle of Carrboro reported that the lawn a Weaver Street Market is closed for renovation . They will install a small barrier between the lawn and the street, widen the sidewalk and redo the turf. • Penny Rich , Orange County Commissioner shared that Orange Human Rights and Relations have arranged a speaker on March 31, as part of the women ' s history month celebration , who is controversial with some groups in the county . The county government' s computer system was infected by a ransomware virus on March 18 and the IT department is working on correcting the problems this has caused . At the time of this meeting the Register of Deeds in not open . Next Meeting : Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at the AC by Marriott in Chapel Hill. 2 Page CHOCVB BOD Meeting February 20 ', 2019 Meeting Adjourne : 33 a Minu s r vie ed by : au rie Paolicell Exe7ltilvve Director Da e At,,, L Minutes acce ted by : Anthony Carey, hairman 41 Date 3 Page CHOCVB BOD Meeting February 20 , 2019