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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-15 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, October 15, 2020 — 9:00 a.m. CVB Headquarters 636 S. Main Street Grapevine, Texas AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Citizen Comments In accordance with Orders of the Office of the Governor of the State of Texas, the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board will conduct its meeting at 9:00 a.m. on October 15, 2020 at 636 S. Main, Grapevine, Texas. The meeting is open to the public or participants may call 1-210-469-4097. The audio conference PIN is 585 841 82#. The public will be permitted to offer public comments telephonically as provided by the agenda and as permitted by the presiding officer during the meeting. Starting at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, citizens can submit a Citizen Appearance request form from the City's website at htt:s://www.gragevinetexas.gov/89/Agendas-Minutes. During the meeting, the names of those that have submitted a form will be called on to speak in the order the forms were received. The deadline to submit requests will be 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14. A recording of the telephonic meeting will be made, and will be available to the public in accordance with the Open Meetings Act upon request. 3. Approval of Minutes 4. Sales & Marketing Report A. 12 Weeks of Christmas Initiative B. Come Together Initiatives Summary C. Passport & Storyland Summary 5. Old Business A. MPI-WEC Grapevine Update B. Christmas Capital of Texas Update C. Grapevine Main Grand Opening Update D. "Possible" Public Art Update E. Chamber of Commerce Fundraiser Update 6. New Business A. 1928 Model A Fire Truck Restoration Funding 7. Hotels / Attractions / Activities 8. Liaison Updates A. Heritage Foundation Activities B. Chamber of Commerce Activities 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 9th day of October, 2020 by 5:00 p.m. -7 L ndy Bell Assistant to a Executive Director State of Texas County of Tarrant City of Grapevine MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met in Regular Session on Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. at the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau, 636 S. Main Street, Grapevine, Texas with the following persons in attendance: Joe Szymaszek Mark Terpening Dan Weinberger Corinna Wenks Debi Meek Sharron Rogers Board Chair Board Vice Chair Board Member Board Member Alternate Board Member Council Liaison Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Paul W. McCallum Executive Director Brady Closson Deputy Executive Director Lindy Bell Assistant to the Executive Director Absent: lain Scouller, Board Member Cynthia Blankenship, Board Member Chuck Pacioni, Board Member CALL TO ORDER Board Chair Joe Szymaszek, called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Dan Weinberger, seconded by Debi Meek approved the minutes from the September 24, 2020 meeting and prevailed by the following vote: Ayes: Szymaszek, Terpening, Weinberger, Wenks and Meek. Nays: None SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Brady Closson reported that for September the Convention and Leisure Sales team had 41 sales leads representing more than 70,000 potential room nights and potential economic impact of over $10.7 million. There were 14 definite bookings representing over 20,000 room nights and a potential economic impact of $8.9 million. There were seven in person site visits during the month. Mr. Closson enumerated several smaller meetings recently booked at Grapevine hotels noting that the meetings are for smaller numbers and shorter length of time. Board of Directors Meeting October 15, 2020 Page 2 of 6 The sales team has been actively prospecting and data mining uses various resources such as Linked In's "Who's Hiring" list, Strategic Database Research (SDR) and Knowland Readerboards resulting in several bookings and potential bookings The sales team will be traveling to Connect Marketplace in Orlando, Florida the week of October 19. This is the team's first trade show to attend since the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, there are 40 one-on-one appointments confirmed. The team continues to work with the Arlington Sport Authority on the National Finals Rodeo to be held at Globe Life Field December 3-12, 2020. The anticipated attendance is 170,000. As of October 14, Grapevine hotels were the only hotels listed on NFR's site. Leisure and International Sales has sourced two new leads and continues to correspond monthly with regional AAA offices while also staying in touch with American Bus Association tour operators and National Tour Association operators. DFW Airport is working on incentives for international carriers to return to DFW Airport as the gateway into the United States. The Visitor Information Center distributed over 11,000 brochures and welcomed almost 3,700 visitors for the month of September. The Convention Center, Palace Arts Center and Concourse continue to see an uptick in the number of events scheduled. The largest events are consumer shows which also have large attendance numbers. The ongoing conversion of business is encouraging. Grapevine Vintage Railroad conducted 17 excursions in September, showcasing the Great Train Heist performance with a ridership of over 2,300 passengers. Three excursions were held in honor of the 100t" Anniversary of Women's Suffrage on September 12 and Sunday, September 13. The onboard 'Great Train Heist' performance continues to be popular and its experiential popularity is credited with word of mouth marketing increasing ridership. The website received approximately 66,000 unique visitors while total visitation to the site was almost 91,000. The upcoming March/April 2021 Cross Timbers Wine Trail magazine will feature several wine -related events and locations in and near Grapevine. With a circulation over 10,000, the magazine's distribution is substantial and includes 30 winery locations across the Cross Timbers Association, City and Chamber offices throughout DFW and surrounding areas as well as offices of the Texas Department of Agriculture offices. Board of Directors Meeting October 15, 2020 Page 3 of 6 One story, Red for the Arts, a 30 second spot ran for TV and radio publicity with an audience reach of over 649,000. The team continues a heavy push to promote Fall activities, especially Texas Wine Month events, in October. A new live music performance event, "Live & Local," was held at the gazebo Thursday evenings in October and was well received. No action was taken by the Board. 12 Weeks of Christmas Initiative Mr. Closson provided details regarding the new sales promotion, "12 Weeks of Christmas." The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering $12 per actualized guestroom night rebate on any new business of 20 rooms or more per night with a minimum of two nights stay. Each week the Convention & Visitors Bureau will give a holiday surprise to a planner who submits a qualifying Request for Proposal. "Surprises" range from tickets onboard GVRR to local curated gift baskets, hotel stays and more. Come Together Initiatives Summary This campaign yielded some strong results from May through September. Overall, the campaign produced 149 lead opportunities for stakeholder hotels representing almost 141,000 potential room nights and over $69 million in economic impact. 22 of those leads were converted to signed contracts with a Grapevine hotel which resulted in almost 9,000 room nights and $5.7 million economic impact. Passport and Storyland Summary The Grapevine Pioneer Passport and Storyland Adventure were two elements associated with the Summertime in Grapevine campaign which ran through the weekend of September 20, 2020. Passports were valued at $24 and sold for $12 and included five hands-on activities in the Historic District and cultural sites and a matinee movie at the Palace Arts Centre. Individual activity tickets could also be purchased for $3 each. 227 total passports were sold with an additional 51 activity tickets sold. The Storyland Adventure program highlighted and engaged in six pre -reading skills identified by the Public Library Association, and had a total attendance of 788 guests. These programs were created to drive summer programs with the hotel front desks being the primary sales point. The program was advertised to a 200-mile radius and served as a rallying point for summer programs., OLD BUSINESS MPI/WEC Grapevine Update Mr. McCallum provided an update of Meeting Professionals International/World Education Congress, scheduled for November 3 -6, only three weeks away. Of the original 2500-3000 anticipated to attend, current registration stands at 849 with 495 attending in person and over 218 attending virtually. It is hoped 700-800 will attend in person as registration and a heavy advertising push continues. A Duty of Care" video Board of Directors Meeting October 15, 2020 Page 4 of 6 featuring Grapevine and the host hotel, Gaylord Texan's, safety protocols was previously released to attendees with registration kits mailed to participants prior to the meeting to prevent a registration line. Grapevine will host the opening reception the evening of November 3 which will be broadcast to all 16,000 MPI members. A request was made of MPI, that Grapevine be allowed to have a presence at next year's Las Vegas meeting and it was agreed at no additional cost to Grapevine. The City Council and CVB Board have been invited to the opening celebration and their attendance will have a major impact. Christmas Capital of Texas Mr. McCallum reported that the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo announced the cancellation of its 2021 event, only the second time in its history since the 1800s. The cancellation will have a huge impact on area hotels. Mr. McCallum reported that there will be a Carol of Lights event on Monday, November 23, however, it will be handled differently this year. Main Street will not close and there will be a 20-minute video program shown which will repeat through Thanksgiving, providing multiple opportunities for viewing. The Parade of Lights will be held with additional adjustments. Meetings will be held in the near future to determine the best and safest method to conduct the annual event. The total number of units will be reduced from over 140 to 100. It is important the parade happen to convey that Grapevine is open for Christmas. North Pole Express tickets will go on sale Tuesday. Those in the outer markets who purchased tickets last year will be sent a special code to allow purchasing early on Monday to encourage overnight hotel stays. Other Christmas Capital of Texas events include Lone Star Christmas at the Gaylord Texan and Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge. Debi Meeks left the meeting at 10:010 a.m. Grapevine Main Grand Opening Update Mr. McCallum reported that the anticipated opening date will be Saturday, November 21. The delivery of several items are causing the delay. An 11:00 a.m. start time is an anticipated. Mr. McCallum enumerated several activities being considered for the day including events for VIP's as well as the general public in Harvest Hall as well as the Plaza. "Possible" Public Art Update Mr. McCallum reported that the dedication of "Possible," located at the corner of Main and Wall Streets, the latest piece in the public art program, was dedicated Sunday afternoon, September 20, the original closing day of GrapeFest. GrapeFest Co -Chairs Steve and Maggie Haley spoke at the dedication attended by City Council and Convention and Visitors Bureau Board members. The piece was purchased with funds Board of Directors Meeting October 15, 2020 Page 5 of 6 generated from water tower cell phone antenna. Placement of the piece is to draw visitors to the 100 block of Main Street. Chamber of Commerce Fundraiser Mr. McCallum reported that the 2021 Chamber of Commerce fundraiser calendar, "The Spirit of Grapevine," is now available for purchase. All funds raised will benefit the Chamber of Commerce. While providing outstanding support to Grapevine's small businesses during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chamber is not eligible for grant programs, government funding, etc. In addition, all of their annual fundraisers have been cancelled. Calendars are available from Chamber Board members for $100 each. NEW BUSINESS 1928 Model A Fire Truck Restoration Funding Mr. McCallum informed the Board that Grapevine's original 1928 Model A fire truck is in need of restoration and original components located and restored. Members of Grapevine's Citizens Fire Academy have raised $15,000 toward the effort which has a total cost of $28,000. Mr. McCallum suggested a grant be made from funds raised by Festivals and Events earmarked for restoration for the remaining $13,000 needed. The restored fire truck will be displayed at the new Station 2 currently under construction. Motion made by Dan Weinberger and seconded by Corinna Wenks to approve the funds was approved with the following vote. - Ayes: Szymaszek, Weinberger, Terpening, and Wenks Nayes: None HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES Mr. Closson reported that'Live and Local' would be held at the gazebo this evening from 6-8 p.m. The upcoming Barn Dance and Pie Auction has limited ticket availability. There will be two sessions of Fall Round Up with limited capacity; both sessions are sold out. The Farmers and Artisans Market will continue through the end of October at the gazebo from 10 a.m. — 4 p.m. each Saturday with live entertainment. Butterfly Flutterby concludes this Saturday with a final Monarch release at 11:00 a.m. which will be broadcast live on FaceBook. Butterfly Flutterby events ran from October 1 — 17. The Lone Star Wine Competition will be happening at the Convention & Visitors Bureau October 28 and 29 in partnership with the Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association. The Craft Beverage Tour will take place in November. Passports will be distributed to Board of Directors Meeting October 15, 2020 Page 6 of 6 participating locations and are free to patrons. The Tour may start at any location and once seven stamps are received, the individual will receive a t-shirt. LIAISON UPDATES Heritage Foundation Activities Mr. McCallum reported that the October 1 Harvest Moon Supper was a sell out and tremendous success. The meal was prepared using Farm resources and in partnership with Texas wine from a new Grapevine winery, Bull Lion. First Friday, held the next morning, had 134 guests attend for "Cowboy Cooking." A few tickets remain available for the Annual Barn Dance and Pie Auction while Saturday's Fall Round Up with two sessions are both sold out. Coming events include Family Saturday at the Settlement to City Museum on Saturday, October 24, along with "All Hallows Masquerade" to learn Victorian Halloween traditions, making masks and trick and/or treats. Bewitched by the Barn will be held Saturday, October 24, featuring Tarrant Area Guild of Storytellers telling spooky stories. November 6th's First Friday at the Farm will feature "Knots, Nets and Cordage." Chamber of Commerce The first in person fundraiser of the year was held October 5th with the Chamber's golf tournament. The event was a success with a large turnout. The Chamber's "Spirit of Grapevine" fund raising wine calendars have arrived and are on sale for $100 each. The October luncheon is today. Senator Jane Nelson will be giving an update on happenings in Austin. There being no further business to come before the Board a motion by Dan Weinberger, seconded by Corinna Wenks to adjourn the meeting at 10:38 a.m. prevailed by the following vote: Ayes: Szymaszek, Weinberger, Terpening and Wenks Nays: None PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS ON THIS 19th DAY OF NOVEMBER, 2020.