The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2023-01-18 CHOCVB Minutes For Approval February 15, 2023 Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau In Person Board of Directors Meeting January 18, 2023 Board Members Present: Chair Mark Bell, Spring Council, Earl McKee, Manish Atma, Karen DeHart, Jon Hartman-Brown, Matt Gladdek, Sharon Hill, Tanya Moore, Beverly Payne, Lisa Ganzzermiller, Lili Engelhardt, Heidi Werner, and Grace Holtkamp Not Present: Mayor Damon Seils, Sharon Hill and Karen Stegman Staff Attendance: Laurie Paolicelli, Marlene Barbera, Mary Salvarezza Also in attendance: Katie Murray, Shannan Campbell, Martina Brooks, Tim Hoke and Allison Leonard (Our State Magazine). Call to Order Chair Mark Bell called the meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Approval of Minutes Chair Mark Bell requested a motion to approve the November 16, 2022 minutes. Beverly Payne so moved and Manish Atma seconded the motion. With all members in favor, the minutes were approved as submitted. Guest Speaker Introductions: Katie Murray, OCAC Director and Bernie Mann, Our State Magazine Tourism and Travel Updates, Executive Director • The Visitors Bureau has requested a $200,000 Fund Balance Budget Amendment, currently pending approval by the BOCC in February. If approved, three key issues will be addressed: • Create a road map to understand how the market has changed and find out who our visitors are, and what they are looking for, or not looking for. Research whether the young tech sector of 25-35 year olds with high salaries are a potential market for tourism to Orange County. What do we need as communities to provide the visitors with more options. The Destinations International Association (formerly International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus) has a blueprint and one facilitator we have asked to use is Shelley Green of Destinations NEXT. Shelly resides in Durham and has a long history in Orange County. • Traditionally we have a soft summer and In partnership with the OC Arts Commission, funding will be designated for Trolleys in Chapel Hill and Carrboro during the UPROAR Festival if the budget amendment is approved. Additional marketing will be required to support summer events in Orange County. • The Visitors Bureau will continue to market the Atlanta and Washington DC areas. $150,000 will be allocated for this campaign. Katie Murray - OCAC Director UPROAR Festival PowerPoint presentation link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1 aSxpOo1 Zi2MP05Pssr-reAuUvSVV34Xc/view?usp=sharing Very passionate about the Arts Center. Festival runs from July 14-August 12. We will feature sixty large-scale works of art. We have many partners in this group. The OCAC also received a grant from the Fundraising should be enough to cover expenses. If any net revenue is available after the festival, it will fund future events. Very excited about the art installations in each downtown area. Artists will receive partial funding, lodging and mileage reimbursement. The Trolley is a great addition especially for visitors with mobility needs. Willing to make this presentation to anyone interested in participating. Bernie Mann — Our State Magazine We all know that the print business is not doing well. The decline started in the 1960s. The N&O had 120,000 subscribers, only 33,000 currently. This is happening all over the country. What was a weekly publication has become a monthly one, or gone out of business. Our State Magazine had its biggest year in 2020. What started as The State Magazine in black and white without ads and a base of 23,000 is now well over 188,000 subscriptions. The magazine dedicates 22 pages to NC living in every issue. Digital choices did not damage or diminish our growth. Our State Magazine will continue to celebrate Chapel Hill and North Carolina. We need to ask ourselves what makes you special, what sets you apart. We have a love of Orange County and commit to continuing our work to spotlight its unique offerings. New Business Katie Murray- OCAC Third Thursday Song Writer sessions Second Tuesday Open Mic February: Call for Art- The OC Arts Commission invites Black and Indigenous visual artists of Orange County to submit their works. Heidi Werner- Carolina Inn Redoing the lobby. 21 PagE C H 0 C V B B 0 D M e e t i n g January 18, 2023 Room renovations from May-August Second Fridays start in April Laurie Paolicelli Tourism business is coming back to Orange County. We are still struggling with midweek demand from business travel and conference travel. Need to start planning now for UPROAR. Book advertising now. Visit NC calls are answered at the women's prison. Patty will be going soon to explain new events. Katie Murray should also attend. Three hundred guests attended the MLK event on Sunday January 15. Matt Gladdek: new business coming into downtown John Hartman-Brown: new business also in Carrboro Shannan Campbell: Amanda Boyd is the new Alliance for Historic Hillsborough Director. Grace Holtkamp: working on a new lavender product Earl McKee: Orange County and Lumos Fiber (formerly known as NorthState) entered into a public-private partnership in April 2022 to bring ultra-high-speed fiber internet service to approximately 28,000 homes and businesses in Orange County, including nearly 6,400 locations that previously had little or no internet service. Next meeting: Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at The Sheraton Chapel Hill Meeting adjourned at 9:03 a.m. 31 Page CHOCVBBODMeetingJanuary18, 2023