Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Convention & Visitor Bureau - 05/17/1994 411110 ai3- 2 dzrah i tri,0/0000/e--- ,00f /e--' CCACVB BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MAY 17, 1994 3PM CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU, 2ND FLOOR BOARD ROOM 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 3:35PM by Chairman Jones. ll. Roll Call Directors attending: Al Jones (Chairman), presiding Marco Arredondo, David Coggins, Cathy Harrison, Rex Kinnison, Bill Pruet, Ricardo Sanchez, E.J. Schenfarber, and Jean Titus. Absent: Rosario Carrizo, Ralph Ehrlich, Lillian Murray, Barbara Sheppard, Gene Urban and Erich Wendl. Attending Staff: Keith E. Arnold, Mary Etta Brundidge, Marilyn Pierce, Dana Stephens and Dottie Sylvester. Guests: Bert Beecroft (Airport Advisory Board), KDF-TV, Mo Morehead (MDL), Holly Osborn (MDL), Dan Pedrotti (Airport Advisory Board) and Rick Stryker. Ill. Motion to approve Minutes of April 14, 1994 Board of Directors Meeting On a motion made by Cathy Harrison which was seconded by Rex Kinnison, the above minutes were approved. IV. Airport Advisory Board Presentation Q Keith Arnold asked the representatives of the above board to make their presentation. W They began by stating that "the airport and tourist board are tied together bringing z people to Corpus Christi. " Their loads have been increasing slightly every year but they want to see more activity. Dan Pedrotti stated that "our goals are commonly linked"and expressed a need for help from the Bureau in accomplishing certain goals. Q They have defined nine specific goals they would like to see come to pass which they C..) feel would result in more ridership and better air service (ATTACHMENT A). IPCNIB co1,1,1s Cmusn AMA COME\ \ Pm,IR RIM 1201 N Suou- INE, I'.O.Bo 2604.Conti,CnR]suuTI]y: 4LU :oh4 USA • sr-sr , , • i-noo-r, i 'I . FAX ;12.,,N2-42;6 2 The Airport Board is currently waiting on Congress to release funds being held in order to renovate the airport terminal. As soon as those funds are released the Airport Advisory Board will put up 10% of the money needed while 90% will come from an aviation fund. They are unable to go to contract without funds in hand first. They would like to have people view a large display of "everything that goes in Corpus Christi" in the median of International Drive so that it will leave a lasting impression to departing visitors. They expressed the need for a direct air link between Corpus Christi and Monterrey. American Airlines has indicated an interest in doing this at some point in the near future. It was noted that it is only a 2 1/2 hour drive from here to San Antonio. Because San Antonio has a more competitive rate structure, some people opt to drive to San Antonio. With downgrading in service, further motivation is given to people to drive to San Antonio. The Airport Board believes a vacation package is crucial to ridership and asked the CVB Board for their help in creating such a package. In addition to helping to put together a package, the Airport Board asked that an ad hoc committee be puttogether composed of members of both boards. The members would visit the other board in an advisory capacity. Chairman Jones noted that "we'd be happy to have one of your representativesatallofourboardmeetings. We'll appoint a member of our board to sit in on your's. " Mr. Arnold noted that the airlines are only willing to carry a package for Corpus Christi in their computer system if the Bureau can support it financially. He added that "the packages are there" as the ground packages that are already set up can easily be transferred to incorporate air travel. It was pointed out that American Airlines "got burned" with a Galveston package a while ago. The commitment of financial support is the issue. The Bureau will come back to the Board at next month's meeting with how much American Airlines wants to carry such a package in their system. It was also noted that it will take personal calls to travel agents in order to achieve a direct line of support for the package program. It was brought up that three years ago Corpus Christi had a joint package with San Antonio. It was suggested that the City start that way until they can "fight for their own survival". Mr. Arnold responded that the Bureau's tour operator for the package plan already in place is in San Antonio. He reiterated that "the difficulty is in getting an airline to step forward and trying to find out what they want in order to put us on their network. " The Airport Advisory Board will appoint a liaison to sit in on CVB Board meetings. The Airport Advisory Board meetings are held the third Monday of every month at 3:30PM in the Airport Terminal conference room. Chairman Jones urged the Airport Advisory Board to be a part of Vision 2000. They agreed to participate. The Vision 2000 meeting will be held on June 25th from 8AM - 3PM at West Oso High School. V 3 Mr. Arnold stated that he would continue to pursue obtaining figures on the number of leisure travelers to Corpus Christi as well as number of seats, etc. which would be needed in order to obtain an air package program. The Bureau noted that "our inability to work with South West Airlines is frustrating as they dominate and push South Padre Island. " They have asked Bob Wertheimer to plead their case with South West but nothing has developed to-date. "They own the markets we want to dominate in. " V. Columbus Fleet Board Nominations & Discussion Rick Stryker submitted a slate of nominations for the Columbus Fleet Board of Directors for the CVB Board's approval (ATTACHMENT Bl. He noted that the Columbus Fleet Board had drawn straws for three year terms. One third of the Board's terms ended in February so the Board has renominated ten members for additional three year terms. They would like to add other people as well but will have to wait until changes in their bylaws are made. The renomination of the ten people will bring their Board count up to 33. A motion was made by Ms. Harrison and seconded by Mr. Pruet to approve the slate of nominations presented. The Board was in full agreement. At this point Mr. Stryker expounded on the status of the Columbus ships. "We're in the midst of a challenge. " The barge for the Pinta was bashed extremely hard. Repairs on the Pinta and Santa Maria are extensive even if the cost is covered by Kirby. He pointed out that "it is a three ship show. When one of the ships is gone there's a 46% drop in attendance". It is important to have three ships open and operational which is why they are not fixing the ships right now. In Mid-October one ship will go into drydock 4-6 months for repair. He went on to state that "we're committed to working with the CVB and the Texas State Aquarium as closely as possible. " Attendance at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History has increased 45% because of the ships. There is also the ability to create packages with the Museum and the ships. It was pointed out that the Museum and Columbus Fleet is responsive to fam tours -- they are willing to help promote the City through the two attractions. Mr. Stryker sensed a long term promise for them with the Seaside Trail signage as has it has created a visibility for them. "The CVB has given us a profile we wouldn't have otherwise. " The Museum and ships have devised a new "free pass" program for every hotel employee during the month of May to "come and see us". They plan on continuing the free passes for new hotel employees. In June the Nina will be able to sail on a regular basis -- at least once a month during the season and on special occasions. Due to the April 12th accident the ships were covered on an AP out of Dallas. Mr. Stryker a/so had interviews with other media from Houston and San Antonio. They got a lot of press coverage out of the accident. He emphasized that the PR value of the ships is "incredible" -- the bad news is that it is negative PR. . � V 4 The question was asked if all three ships would be accessible for the Summer. It was explained that the Santa Maria and Nina are 100% accessible. The Pinta will be if the barge problem can be solved. VI. CCACVB Financial Report Mr. Schen farber asked if anyone had any questions regarding the financial statement for the past month (ATTACHMENT C). No questions were posed. Mr. Arnold remarked that the Bureau was in good financial shape. VII. Departmental Reports Mr. Arnold encouraged the Board members to look at the new signs which had been put up for the Seaside Trail. To-date, the City is waiting for the State to complete the loop around the Bay. The Mayor has sent a letter to the State requesting this. A cut down version of a topographical Corpus Christi map will be placed in hotels to promote the Seaside Trail. MDL is currently shopping for four cross-marketing billboards which will go up in June. The billboards will read along the lines of "Do the whole trail -- don't miss the key spots!" The Board was encouraged to participate in Vision 2000 and to also encourage their own employees to attend. A Lexington Marketing Committee meeting was held earlier this morning at which time it was decided that an Action Plan would be put forth for the coming year. A joint meeting was held during the past week which was comprised of Chairmen and Presidents of the EDC, Chamber and CVB. This meeting will continue to be held on a regular basis so that the three organizations can work better together. In addition, a presentation will be made by each group to the Boards of the other groups on what they do. The goal is to better understand what each organization does, i.e. their key projects. Ms. Pierce reported that as of April 104,907 definite room nights had been booked against their goal of 152,000. Therefore, they have already met 69% of their goal for the total year. They are "within striking distance of hitting 152,000 room nights for this year". Jill Borelli started this month by booking 4, 180 room nights. The Sales Department is through with the tradeshows they scheduled for this year except for the June TSAE tradeshow. The Bureau will be participating at TSAE with six coop partners as well. They have arranged to have a six booth display showing a beach scene. Teal blue mountain bikes (his & her) will be the giveaway prize. In 19.96 TSAE will be in Corpus Christi. Mr. Arnold suggested that perhaps a major block party be held along Shoreline with reggae and beach music playing. Additionally, it was suggested that all the restaurants, clubs and hotels help participate in making it a "real island type of experience". It was noted that 80% of the Bureau's convention business comes out of Texas and TSAE. TSAE a/ways has their biggest attendance at Corpus Christi as their members love the City. 410 5 Ms. Pierce thanked Dana Stephens and Chuck Bradley for their efforts on the Armed Forces Day event held aboard the Lexington as well as the christening of the Blue Angels onboard the ship. Discover America weatherman, Spencer Christian, is tentatively scheduled to do a 5-6 minute segment on the Lexington which will include four morning weather segments. Chuck Bradley is currently endeavoring to get a Good Morning, America person to do a broadcast from the Lexington for the 50th anniversary of "Turn on the Lights". The question was asked if the Bureau was participating in the Legislative weekend. The response was no. It was asked if the powerboats would be returning to Corpus Christi. The response was that the control for the event was taken away from Elaine Motl by the Galveston powerboat organization. The powerboats will be going to South Padre Island who is putting up a large sum of money for the event. The CCACVB has not approached the powerboats as yet. VIII. 1994-95 Marketing Plan and Budget Presentation Mr. Arnold noted that he would highlight the above assuming that the Board members had already read the documents which were mailed to them in their Board packets. Regarding bookings -- the Bureau is looking fora conversion rate of over 50%. "We want to make sure our leads are genuine and qualified. " It was pointed out that the Bureau did above 50% for the current fiscal year. Mr. Arnold congratulated the sales staff for their achievements. The City Manager had been positive about shifting the occupancy tax formula by which the Bureau's money is received from the City to at least 50/50 (the City receiving half while the Bureau receives the other half). The Bureau will be re-visiting this issue with the City Manager on Thursday even though the American Bowling Congress is not coming back to Corpus Christi. The City is willing to discuss it. Rex Kinnison asked if there was anything the Board needed to do regarding the gaming legislation. The Chamber of Commerce is working on a white paper regarding gaming and asked for input from the Bureau. ATTACHMENT D is a position paper on gaming which was submitted by the Bureau to the Chamber. The Bureau is concerned with the State Association market -- they cannot anticipate great expansion in that market as it is plateauing. However, the motorcoach market has expanded rapidly--Kim Lemley, Tourism Sales Manager, was at 4900 room nights at the end of April for the current fiscal year. The Bureau has found that the number of benchmarks for doing marketing research in Mexico is very limited. There are, however, some facts that lead them to believe that "Mexico means Monterrey to the CVB". (110 6 The Bureau staff seemed to feel that if the City "holds the line" on security, that it would have opportunities in the Mid-West. This is especially a good possibility in light of the bad PR Florida has received on personal safety issues. The Bureau needs coop dollars. For the current fiscal year they've raised $76,000 in coop money outside of the Lexington's contribution. $100,000 of coop money is called for in the budget for next year which hasn't factored in the Lexington yet. The sales team will continue to make a minimum of two hours of prospecting calls as it has "paid off" for the Bureau. There is a need to expand other State groups which is why markets such as fraternities, sororities and reunion groups will be pursued by sales staff. A blitz in Houston for corporate business is planned for the Fall. The perception the Bureau has received from tour operators has been to stay in Corpus Christi and visit San Antonio and Mexico rather than doing the reverse. As a result, the area has been experiencing longer stays from tour groups. The Bureau has sensed an attitude from local businesses of "let's leave the marketing up to the CVB". This is fine with the Bureau as long as it has buy-in's from the local businesses for coop advertising/promotion. As a result of the recent TTIA insert, 4018 pieces of mail 126 bags of mail) were sent out in one day by the Sparklers achieving a one day turn around for requested information on the City. 3,000 pieces were sent out today as well. The Bureau is going to concentrate on pulling out of trade magazines and doing more direct mail advertising. The major difference between the current fiscal year makeup of staff and the next fiscal year is that the CVB is requesting a sales manager for marketing to Mexico. They will need someone with tourism and sales experience to fill this position. The Sales Department's overall room night goal will increase from 152,000 for this year to 172,000 for next year. This is a benchmark they feel is feasibly attainable. A goal for the Bureau is to be able to give the Board better reports through graphics usage. Also, they plan on cross-training people in all areas of operation. Due to the efforts of Mary Etta Brundidge, the Bureau's interest collected has gone from $3,200 for last year to over $7,200 YTD. Better forecasting is a goal for next year. The CVB has been told by the City Manager to forecast flat for this year. A question arose as to the accuracy of the graphs in the Sunday paper which shows an increase in occupancy rate and revenue. The response was that that is not a valid number. The Bureau has started using the services of Smith Travel Research (ATTACHMENT E) which is more accurate. It shows 23 out of 43 properties reporting. 7 At this point E.J. Schenfarber informed the Board that John Deere would be booking Corpus Christi. Mr. Arnold congratulated Marilyn Pierce and the Bayfront Connection team for their work on winning the booking. The booking will mean 7500 room nights in February of 1995. Delegates will consist of all major dealers and top sales people coming in for training. 1500 acres will be used at the King Ranch, 500 acres will be used at King's Crossing and TRT has provided a warehouse. The booking will generate over a million dollars in revenues. The delegates will come for three night stays arriving every Sunday and Wednesday. They will fly in from all over the world. Tentatively, each new group will do a function on the Lexington. The competitors for the booking consisted of Phoenix and San Antonio. It was pointed out that John Deere does not want substantial press coverage on their "training university". The new video has been completed in three versions. The covers for the video will arrive in approximately three weeks. The Bureau is concentrating on slowly cutting down on database and association affiliations. They will remain in TSAE as their constituents form the City's biggest marketplace. They will also retain membership for two databases - CINET for national meetings and TNET for Texas meetings. The goal for motorcoach for next year is to book 5000 room nights. CCACVB's goals are most aggressive and rank alongside Ft. Worth's goals. The Bureau has an opportunity to coop with the Texas State Aquarium (TSAI on research. They will be measuring identity awareness, points of origin and what percentage of visitors are guests at hotels, etc. The CVB has asked TSA to also measure why people chose to come to Corpus Christi. They will be able to tie in with TSA's research for less than $7,000. It was added that a notice will be put out regarding the research meetings and several Board members will be asked to participate in the study. As the CVB cannot afford to go to all the outdoor tradeshows that there are, they will be contracting people such as fishing guides and retail outlets to represent them. It was noted that the traffic at these tradeshows is huge. They plan on participating in the tradeshows held in San Antonio, Houston and Austin. There will be off-season and peak season cooperative advertising campaigns. To-date, the Bureau has received 20,886 inquiries from people in response to the TTIA insert. It was pointed out that this is where a conversion study is needed to see how many of the inquiries turned into visits. The Bureau has secured the inside front cover of the Texas Accommodations Guide which has a distribution of 900,000. Additionally, they are seeking prime spot advertising in four other State publications which, if achieved, will give Corpus Christi a readership of five million for all five State publications. It would also mean that all materials put out by the State would be dominated by Corpus Christi. A new image (lure) piece for the area has been planned as well as the production of a brochure in Spanish. 410 4111) 8 A note will be sent out to all hotels to participate in a commission structure for Visitor Center travel counselors who succeed in getting a traveler to stay overnight in a hotel. A goal of 60% rebooking of conventions within 12 months of being in Corpus Christi has been set for Convention Services as an incentive program. The Bureau would like to see the reemergence of the Hometown Heroes program where locals act as a liaison for the CVB to bring whatever group they are apart of to Corpus Christi. The CVB is currently devising ways to motivate people to step forward to win conventions to the City, i.e. "Go to bat for Corpus Christi"using the Barracudas. Dusty Durril/has Fulton Construction revamping plans fora mirador to be constructed at a prime location spot in the Airport (such as the luggage area). An Info Center will be housed in the mirador which will have a lucite back with clear brochure racks. Mr. Arnold pointed out to the Board members present that they were given an explanation line item by line item of the budget (blue notebooks placed at their seat). He thanked Ms. Brundidge for her help with the budget for the coming fiscal year. At this point, a quorum of Directors was no longer present. Therefore, the Board did not vote on the above Marketing P/an and Budget. IX. Old Business Rex Kinnison informed the Board that a feasibility study will be done on the proposed Sports Arena. The study will look at the development of two facilities -- an indoor arena which would be connected to the Convention Center and an outdoor, multi- purpose facility. The outdoor facility's location would be determined by the study and would include a baseball arena. X. New Business No new business was brought forth. XL Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 4:50PM. Dottie Sylvester Recording Secretary