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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-20 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, April 20, 2023 — 8:00 a.m. CVB Headquarters Boardroom 636 S. Main Street Grapevine, Texas AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Citizen Comments Any person who is not scheduled on the agenda may address the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board under Citizen Comments or on any other agenda item by completing a Citizen Appearance Request form with staff. A member of the public may address the CVBB regarding an item on the agenda either before or during the Board's consideration of the item, upon being recognized by the Board Chair or upon consent of the CVBB. In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the CVBB is restricted in discussing or taking action during Citizen Comments. 3. New Employee Introduction 4. Approval of Minutes 5. Sales & Marketing Report A. St. Patrick's Sales Mission Recap B. Sales Leads/Recent Tradeshows 6. Ongoing Business A. IPW Update B. Barossa Valley Mission Update 7. New Business A. Grant -In -Aid B. Convention Center Feasibility Study Hotels / Attractions / Activities A. Main Street Fest B. Openings C. Grapevine Vintage Railroad 9. Adjournment If you plan to attend this special public meeting and have a disability that requires special arrangements at the meeting, please contact the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau at (817) 410-3185 at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Reasonable accommodations will be made to assist your needs. In accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 551.001 et seq, Acts of the 1993 Texas Legislature, the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board Meeting agenda was prepared and posted on this the 14th day of April, 2023 by 5:00 p.m. ,ecky Roberson Executive Assistant County of Tarrant City of Grapevine State of Texas MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met in Regular Session on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. at the Stephen W. Stinson Boardroom of the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau, 636 S. Main Street, Grapevine, Texas with the following persons in attendance: Joe Szymaszek Board Chair Dan Weinberger Board Member Cynthia Blankenship Board Member Debi Meek Board Member Corinna Wenks Board Member lain Scouller Board Member Mike Oakley Board Member Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Leigh Lyons Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & Communications Becky Roberson Assistant to the Executive Director Sharron Rogers Council Liaison Absent: Chuck Pacioni and Mark Terpening CALL TO ORDER Board Chairman, Joe Szymaszek called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Cynthia Blankenship and seconded by Mike Oakley, the minutes from the Febuary 23, 2023 meeting were approved. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION Leigh Lyons, Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & Communications, introduced Renee Weiler, Scott Shinn, Steve Phillips, Jamie Faschingbauer, Claire Jarrell and Bailey Templin. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Mrs. Lyons shared an overview of the 35th St. Patrick's Day Sales Mission that took place in March. The Sales Team was joined by seven stakeholders, including six hotel partners and representatives from Meow Wolf. There were 76 attendees and to date, two RFPs have been received. Both of the RFPs are for 2023, one in August that has a projected economic impact of $117, 000 and another in October with a projected economic impact of $247,000. A sales representative attended the Meet New York event where she met with multiple planners. The Reverse Mexico Familiarization Tour, a partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism, took place here in Grapevine. Nineteen travel, trade and media professionals were welcomed from Mexico. Other Texas participants were Plano and Fredericksburg. She also shared that American Express Global Business Travel, a group that was recently here for a conference, used their time to not only learn but give back. While convening at Hilton DFW Lakes, the 250 attendees partnered with US Hunger Relief and made 30,000 pre -packaged meals that went to families in need right here in the North Texas area. Hotel occupancy for the month of March was 83.2% with an average daily rate of $215.80. As comparison, March 2022 saw an occupancy rate of 79.2% and an average daily rate of $205.17. ONGOING BUSINESS Mrs. Lyons shared that Heather Egan, the Director of International Sales and Tourism has forty individuals scheduled to visit Grapevine in May as part of familiarization tours. She, along with other CVB representatives, stakeholder reps, a city council member and CVB Advisory Board member, will also attend IPW in San Antonio. IPW is a top industry event for travel trade leaders throughout the world. Grapevine is partnering with Meow Wolf specifically at this upcoming event to highlight the grand opening of the newest location right here in Grapevine. Mrs. Lyons went on to share that the Barossa Valley Mission was currently underway. The City Manager, Mayor Pro Tern, Executive Director of the CVB and the Sister City Representative were in the Barossa Valley at the invitation of Barossa Mayor Bim Lange. This mission is the next step in establishing the Sister City relationship between Grapevine and Barossa. NEW BUSINESS Mrs. Lyons shared that the Grapevine High School Ex -Students had requested a grant-in-aid to go towards the Homecoming event that would take place in either September or October of 2023. This group of former students is an active group that meets formally and informally throughout the year. Homecoming is the highlight of the year and brings former students back to Grapevine to share in the football game, parade on Main Street and other festivities around town. As this event brings guests to the heart of Grapevine for dining, shopping and often times, hotel stays, Chairman Szymaszek stated his support and asked for a motion to approve the grant-in-aid of $5,000. Motion: Cynthia Blankenship Second: Corrina Wenks Approved 7-0 Mrs. Lyons shared that the City Council approved Johnson Consulting to oversee a feasibility study for the Convention Center. One goal is to determine if and how much the Convention Center can expand and if there is enough business to warrant an expansion. Then the question of what would an updated expansion detail. The members discussed the logistics of expanding the facility as it can only be expanded to the east. They agreed that the building was currently outdated and could use some improvements if the market analysis showed it to be a profitable move. HOTELSIATTRACTIONSIACTIVITI ES Mrs. Lyons shared that the 39t" Annual Main Street Fest -a Craft Brew Experience presented by Bank of the West was one month away. The theme of the festival is Texas on Tap. The festival posters have arrived and will soon be going up around town. Advertising is being pushed out to make the public aware. She showcased an ad for Main Street Fest in the May issue of Texas Monthly and an article about Grapevine in the Summer Travel section. She explained that the Craft Brew Experience is moving to the Cotton Belt Depot District to accommodate larger guest numbers and is sponsored by Karbach Brewing Company. The Craft Brew Experience would highlight fifty breweries with one hundred brews. This is the largest number of breweries to date. Liberty Park Plaza will host Taste of Texas, sponsored by Gaylord Texan Resort. This ticketed event will host twenty Texas breweries. There will also be a VIP area with special touches. Hop and Sting Brewery is sponsoring the Gazebo Stage. The Main Stage will showcase musical acts and has a new sponsor this year, Arca Continental Coca Cola Southwest Beverages. There will be a Brews and Bites workshop, sponsored by Shannon Brewery and supported by Main Street Bakery, in the Grand Hall of the CVB Headquarters and will teach patrons how to pair signature brews with a variety of meals. In a strategic effort to engage families, Chicken N Pickle will operate an installation of pickle ball courts just outside of the CVB on Hudgins Street and will host games for festival guests. Another exciting addition is a rock climbing wall at Wall Street and Main Street. Merlin Entertainment will support an activation in Kid Zone featuring a water touch pool by Sea Life Aquarium and activities by Legoland and Peppa Pig Mrs. Lyons shared happenings in the local market. Crush It! is undergoing an expansion. Son of a Butcher has opened and is reporting a strong opening. Meow Wolf has announced the fifteen food vendors. Buzzed Bull Creamery, HTeaO and Judy Pie are three local contributors. Our Marketing Team is partnering with Meow Wolf to help them achieve success within the local market and beyond. Grapevine Vintage Railroad hosted a sold out Kiss Me I'm Irish event in March. All three Jazz Wine Train events sold out and the first Friday evening event was a huge success. This is the first year that a third Jazz Wine Train was added. This decision was due to the popularity of the event in past years. The beloved train heist has returned to Grapevine Vintage Railroad excursions. Grapevine Main Live! is returning to Peace Plaza with eight live musical shows beginning Friday, May 5. The board praised the CVB on the inaugural Art Patron Party held with the 31st New Vintage Wine and Gallery Trail April 15 and 16. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:51 a.m. Motion: Debi Meeks Second: Cynthia Blankenship Approved 7-0 ATTEST: Becky Rolorson Executive Assistant APPROVED: Mark Terpening Vice Chairman