City of Lawrence
Lawrence Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 minutes
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MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Karen Christilles, Derek Felch, Doug Holiday, Stephen Horton, Don Johnston, Kate Kelly, Brad Kemp, David Longhurst, Maria Martin, Michael Moore, Bob Schumm, Constance Wolfe |
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MEMBERS ABSENT: |
Ron Desch |
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STAFF PRESENT: |
Billings, Brandy Ernzen, Susan Henderson, Bob Sanner, Debbie White |
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City Liaison: |
none |
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PUBLIC PRESENT: |
none
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The meeting was called to order by chairperson Maria Martin. Holiday moved, Kemp seconded to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried. Martin welcomed new board members Michael Moore (SpringHill Suites by Marriott) and Bob Schumm (Buffalo Bob’s Smokehouse & Mass Street Deli).
Financial Report
Billings discussed the monthly financial reports and noted that the guest tax collection is down slightly, possibly due to late filings by hotels. According to voluntary reporting, the ADR is up fairly significantly. Billings briefly discussed the monthly budget.
Old Business
i. 2006 Visitor Guide Production: Henderson announced that the Visitor Guide is getting close to going to Allen Press; she is in the final proofreading stages. Once the files get to Allen Press, it will take 3-4 weeks before the guides are off-press. Ad sales were on par with the 2004-05 guide.
ii. Direct Mail & Holiday Promotion: White noted that this week holiday-themed postcards will be mailed to approximately 1,200 group tour operators. The cards will encourage tour operators to bring groups to Lawrence for holiday events. A separate postcard will be mailed to approximately 2,100 visitors in the database as well.
iii. Hospitality Training: White stated that the next hospitality training will be August 2 and will focus on teaching hotel employees how to navigate the public transportation system, the T. White and Ernzen also will provide event- and attraction-oriented trivia throughout that afternoon to help prepare front desk staff for fall visitors.
New Business
i. Sponsorship on CVB Web site: Billings announced that the Chamber will begin to offer homepage sponsorship opportunities to its members and asked the board for feedback on whether the CVB should offer the same. Sponsorships would be sold for the same amount as the Chamber site: $1,500 quarterly or $4,200 annually, and would be limited to three advertisers at any given time. Discussion followed regarding whether that feature would undermine the CVB’s online booking system, what price point(s) is feasible to charge, different ways of generating advertising revenue on the site and, ultimately, what the visitor would get out of the new feature. Several scenarios were discussed. Ernzen will discuss with the Web developer and have more hard costs for the next meeting.
ii. Local Event Sponsorship/Involvement: Billings mentioned that the CVB gets numerous requests to get involved with local events. While the bureau currently does not offer money to events, it does offer marketing capabilities and its expertise. In some cases – most notably AFA Softball, the National Collegiate Cycling Championship and the Lawrence Indian Art Show – the CVB works directly with the event. Billings asked the board for advice on where to draw the line. This issue arose after the CVB realized that the Web site could be used to help promote those events that do not have their own Web site presence. Discussion included whether the CVB should charge a fee for this service, what would be provided for that amount and if the bureau should decide which events to align itself with based upon economic impact. Ernzen will bring a list of annual events to next month’s meeting to continue the discussion.
Staff Updates of Involvement
Heritage Area: Billings reported that the Heritage Area bill passed the Senate today and it needs to pass the House next. The Bleeding Kansas brochure is on hold again.
Online Hotel Booking: Ernzen stated that the online booking numbers are back up and Web visits remain steady. She and Amber Kollman, the summer intern, have made numerous updates and additions to the Web site over the summer.
General Marketing: Henderson announced that the Wichita Register’s September/October issue will feature an article about Lawrence daytrips, and that she is placing an ad in that edition.
Henderson also reported that, to get a better handle on trends, she is comparing previous years’ advertising leads to this year’s leads placed in the same issues. Henderson briefly explained the accompanying graphs to the board. Discussion followed.
Sporting Events: Sanner
announced that 110 teams participated in the AFA National Softball Tournament,
and that the Journal-World did a great job of covering the teams from Hawaii, Maryland and Canada. This year marks the first time
that the tournament has morphed from a “regional national” to a true national
event. In addition, the CVB office was more involved in organizing than in the
past, and Sanner will continue to work closely with AFA Kansas to keep the
tournament in Lawrence.
The Midwest Mayhem triathlon featured approximately 350 participants. Sanner emailed participants to solicit feedback on their experience, and he has already received 25 responses. Many of the participants complimented the course design.
Sanner also submitted a bid to host the 2007 Junior Olympic Cross Country National Championship at Rim Rock Farm. The event would take place in December and host around 3,500 participants.
Other
Ernzen encouraged board members to take Civil War on the Western Frontier and Farm Tour 2005 brochures for their businesses.
Meeting Adjourned
Schedule
of Upcoming Meetings:
Tuesday, August 23, 2005, 4:00 pm at Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts
Tuesday, September 27, 2005, 4:00 pm at Eldridge Hotel
Tuesday, September 25, 2005, 4:00 pm at Eldridge Hotel