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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-22 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, September 22, 2022 — 8:00 a.m. CVB Headquarters 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. Oath of Office & New Board Member Introduction 5. Approval of Minutes 6. Sales & Marketing Report 7. Ongoing Business A. 36th Annual GrapeFest Update B. Fiscal Year 2023 Marketing Committee Update 8. New Business A. Grants -in -Aid • Grapevine High School Ex Students • Latinos in Grapevine B. CCOT Planning 9. Hotels / Attractions / Activities 10. Adj ournment 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 12th day of August, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. V-de!�tv Xcky Roberson Executive Assistant State of Texas County of Tarrant City of Grapevine MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met in Regular Session on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 8:00 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 Cynthia Blankenship Sharron Rogers Chuck Pacioni Debi Meek Mike Oakley Board Chair Board Vice Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Alternate Board Member Alternate Board Member Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Paul W. McCallum Executive Director Brady Closson Deputy Executive Director Becky Roberson Assistant to the Executive Director Absent: Corinna Wenks and lain Scouller CALL TO ORDER Board Chairman, Joe Szymaszek called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTIONS Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director of the CVB, introduced Danielle Wheeler, Accountant III, Cody Scallions, Director of Heritage Programs and Museums and Chris Laugenour, Director of Finance and Operations. OATH OF OFFICE & NEW BOARD MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS Chuck Pacioni and Debi Meek were sworn in as returning Board Members. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Mark Terpening and seconded by Cynthia Blankenship, the minutes from the August 18, 2022 meeting were approved. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Brady Closson, Deputy Director of the CVB, shared that August sourced leads and bookings to our stakeholder hotels continue to be strong. Leads sourced match those of August 2019 yet definite bookings are up significantly. This August there were 30 definite business conversions compared to just 13 of August 2019. Destination Services numbers were flat in terms of number of programs assisted this August as compared to 2019. Both August 2022 and 2019 had 13 programs. Attendance within the programs was flat as well. The Sales Team was represented by Tanja Nichols and Connie Ash at the Connect Annual Meeting. Two directors participated in this mission as this event has four separate tracks. Our team focused on the Corporate and Association tracks. Together, Tanja and Connie hosted fifty client appointments, two client dinners with nine meeting planners and brought home sixteen requests for proposals. In partnership with Oklahoma, Heather Egan attended a mission to New Zealand and Australia where she met with airlines, travel planners and travel trade publication representatives. Mr. Closson explained that we continue to partner with Oklahoma because they promote Grapevine as the gateway to Oklahoma and encourage guests to spend time in Grapevine on either the front end or the tail end of any trip. The Sales Team has two upcoming missions. One will be a one day mission to New York. Heather Egan is again partnering with Oklahoma to a mission to Germany. ONGOING BUSINESS Mr. Paul McCallum thanked the Board for both their sponsorship and the hours of volunteer time they invested in the 36th Annual GrapeFest. He highlighted the new signage and the upgraded portals that greeted guests as they arrived at the festival grounds. He expressed pleasure that the signage brought definition to each space, allowed for easier access and elevated the guest experience. He shared that feedback from merchants and vendors had been positive. The Wine Pouring Society reported a new sense of control and overall enjoyment with the added VIP events that allowed more time to visit and educate guests at a slower pace. The initial review of all of the VIP events has been even better than expected, with each event selling out and unprompted reviews pointing towards great success. The overall numbers look like we will match 2018 numbers, with 2018 GrapeFest being in the top three of all festivals. Grapevine Police Department reported that there were no incidents throughout the festival. Mr. McCallum shared that the former Director of Festivals and Events, Gayle Hall was inducted into the IFEA Hall of Fame at their annual gathering on September 21. Mr. Closson updated the board members on the FY 2023 Marketing Report with the first meeting help on August 30 and the second meeting held on September 20. The meetings brought forth a proposal to proceed on all fronts for the FY 2023 plan. Staff will now roll it up and present to the board at the October meeting. NEW BUSINESS Two Grants -in -Aid were brought before the board for review. Grapevine High School Ex Students historically request funds that are utilized to support the GHS Homecoming Parade. Once again, the request was made by the former students to aid in covering parade expenses. It was explained that this event means a great deal to those that participate but also the hundreds of local residents that come to Main St. to support the parade. This year the group requests $2,500. Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to approve the grant-in-aid request for the GHS Ex Students. Motion: Cynthia Blankenship Second: Debi Meek Ayes: Terpening, Weinberger, Pacioni, Rogers and Oakley Nays: None Approved 7-0 The second request came from Latinos in Grapevine. They request $3,000 to help fund CELEBRA Grapevine, an event that highlights and celebrates the Latino culture through traditional music, dance and arts. CELEBRA Grapevine is scheduled for Sunday, October 16, 2022 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Peace Plaza. This is a collaborative effort with 121 Community Church, Grapevine First Baptist Church and the Grapevine Police Department Community Outreach Center. Although it is the first event of its kind in Grapevine, the expected attendance is estimated to be as high as 2,000. Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to approve the grant-in-aid request for CELEBRA Grapevine. Motion: Cynthia Blankenship Second: Dan Weinberger Ayes: Terpening, Meek, Rogers, Pacioni and Oakley Nays: None Approved 7-0 Mr. McCallum shared that data showed that over one million visitors came through the Historic District of CCOT last season. With that many visitors, there were some last-minute adjustments that were required. Greater lighting at specific intersections and the addition of French barricades are two that were highlighted. Since that time, many conversations have taken place both within the CVB and collaboratively with other city departments to address pedestrian and automobile traffic at peak times. The plan is to install additional lighting at specific intersections, adding greater police officer presence and adding additional signage, all as an effort to see that safety is a top priority. There is also a plan in place to establish an Ambassador/Soft security position that will be designed after the beloved Grapevine Night Watchman. This position will assist guests with questions but also keep watch over Main St. decorations. HOTELVATTRACTIONSIACTIVITIES Mr. Closson shared that the August STR (Smith Travel Research) Report showed that August 2022 occupancy was down just slightly from August of 2019. He reminded board members that room rates are up from 2019. DFW Lakes will begin their renovation next week and Mr. Closson shared pictures of the renovation design plan. He also shared that the Glass Cactus has another round of tribute shows scheduled and the Fall Music Series at Grapevine Main has an eight -week series scheduled for Friday evenings. Two showings of Parks and Rec's Sunset Live at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens is coming up. In addition, Nash Farm is focused on The Harvest Moon Supper on October 8' and Fall Roundup on October 15th. The Fall Roundup coincides with the 251h Anniversary of Butterfly Flutterby on October 151h. Day Out with Thomas is making another return to Grapevine over the weekends of October 8th and 15th Motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:16 a.m. Motion: Dan Weinberger Second: Chuck Pacioni Ayes: Blankenship, Rogers, Meek, Terpening and Oakley Nays: None Approved 7-0 ATTEST: APPROVED: Becky g6b-erson Executive Assistant toe Szymaszek Chairman r