Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-06-20 Regular Meeting ' ...... Fut,,i 2.4- _ ( /A 400, CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 115-, BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1996 - 11:30 AM ONE LIBERTY PARK PLAZA ' 01 /- AGENDA � -� . . i 'LLQ,,. I. CALL TO ORDER • II. OATH OF OFFICE III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MAY 23, 1996 MEETING1- (fi, {Q, _ sr / Com "= kt IV. OLD BUSINESS � S A. TARANTULA UPDATE `f _ B. LIBERTY PARK FOUNTAIN — - 11+ (kW bkeassd 7/;4\11kAeitoe‹, --(""1%6A4rvtl, V. NEW BUSINESS A. GRANT APPLICATION - END OF THE RUNWAY PLAYERS B. NONACTION DISCUSSION ITEMS VI. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT ---,_ VII. EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT V9.,,..,LG 12•.2a VIII. ADJOURNMENT ( r/1( TIA/11/ n-(11 reAAM4C;v- )Rv L'A(Z97 1111fiV Pi\M"MA) (iv TK � � , ,, ) ,,// 1, 1 /41 STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF TARRANT CITY OF GRAPEVINE MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met on Thursday, June 20, 1996 at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, One Liberty Park Plaza, Grapevine, Texas at 11:30 am with the following persons in attendance: Don Bigbie Chairman Colin Ankersen Board Member Warren Dearing Board Member Gary Blagg Board Member Gayle Hall Hemingway Board Member Bill Brink Board Member Jerry Pittman Council Liaison Wanda Blagg Chamber Liaison Paul W. McCallum Executive Director George Kakos Director of Sales & Marketing Absent: tor Phil Parker Board Member Bruce Crouch Board Member Steve Trent Board Member Trent Petty City Manager CALL TO ORDER Don Bigbie, Chairman, called the meeting to order. OATH OF OFFICE Rusty Hernandez administered the oath of office to Don Bigbie and Bill Brink. Mr. Bigbie then welcomed Mr. Brink to the Board. Mr. Brink shared that he retired three years ago from Allstate Insurance where he had been employed for 30 years. He has been active in Grapevine as a member of the Dirty Dozen, a volunteer in the Visitor Information Center and a member of the Wine Pouring Society. He moved to Grapevine in 1977 and has witnessed the tremendous growth. Mr. Brink stated that through volunteering he has received more than he has given and looks forward to the opportunity to promote Grapevine. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes from the May 23rd board meeting was made by Gayle Hall; seconded by Gary Blagg. Motion carried. Ms. Hall asked if the paperwork for the Texas Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps grant had been received, and it was noted that it had. • Board of Directors Meeting June 20, 1996 Page 2 of 5 OLD BUSINESS Tarantula Update Mr. McCallum reported that the tentative date for the inaugural run for the Tarantula is Thursday, August 1, 1996. It would entail a midmorning departure from the Stockyards to Grapevine. Upon arrival in Grapevine we would dedicate the turntable. There will be approximately 250 VIP guests on this inaugural run. The Grapevine/Fort Worth Historical Railroad Corridor Marketing Committee has been formed. Committee members are Jim Martin, president of Tarantula, Hub Baker, president of North Fort Worth Business Association, Doug Harmen, president of Fort Worth CVB and Paul W. McCallum, executive director of Grapevine CVB. One of the goals of this committee is to maintain the good will of the neighborhoods located along the rail line. At this time they will do day trains only to minimize the impact on the neighborhoods. A second goal of the committee is to develop jointly, literature and promotional materials that will benefit the Metroplex area. Grapevine is awaiting engineer reports pertaining to the development of water and sewer necessary for the train. It can be expected that for the first 90 days of operation there will be some temporary facilities as it is determined what will be the best direction to proceed with permanent facilities. Train fees have not been set at this time. A fee of less than $20. has been discussed, possibly in connection with a discount to people who shop in Grapevine or in the Stockyards area. It was noted that the Rusk/Palestine train is offering a $ 13.95 special between July 1st and September 30. The Tarantula is looking at a 10 am departure from Grapevine to the Stockyards Station. A noon to 1:00 pm run from the Stockyards to 8th Avenue to accommodate school groups and others in Fort Worth and a 1:30 departure for the return trip to Grapevine; arriving here around 3 pm. We are in discussion with Super Shuttle regarding a shuttle to the Stockyards for those people wishing to ride the train one way. Mr. Blagg asked if the train was handicapped accessible; and it was noted that it is. Liberty Park Fountain Mr. McCallum reported that the sculptor is presently working on the sculpture and it is scheduled to be in place for a July 4th dedication. The dedication will take place at 5:00 pm. It is felt that this will mesh with a 3 pm and 6 pm patriotic extravaganza at the Palace Theatre, thus presenting the opportunity for a larger number of people to attend the dedication. Refreshments, Independence Day decorations and a brief dedication ceremony featuring a speech, "Walking to Texas" by Mayor Tate. The CVB Board will host the dedication with the (Iw official invitations being mailed next week. • i Board of Directors Meeting June 20, 1996 Page 3 of 5 NEW BUSINESS Grant-In-Aid End of Runway Players Mr. Bigbie presented the grant request from the End of the Runway Players. While we did not fund them last year, we have funded them in the past and the money is available. Mr. McCallum reported that at this time he knew of only one other request that would be coming. It is from the World Button Accordion Association for $ 1,200. Upon being asked for his recommendation, Mr. McCallum stated that the End of the Runway Players did a good job of promoting outside the city and followed the guidelines set up in the grant procedure. His recommendation was to approve the grant. Gayle Hall Hemingway moved that we accept the grant application and approve it. Mr. Dearing seconded the motion which carried. Mr. McCallum asked if the board would like staff to request passes to be used by the board. Board members expressed the feeling that tickets should be requested for promotional needs when required but not for board members. Mr. Bigbie stated that plays at the End of the Runway Theater were superior to ones he had attended in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Mr. Pittman added that this created one more entertainment aspect for Grapevine and was a good value. The desire to see them housed on Main Street was expressed. Non Action Items Mr. Blagg invited the board to a 10th Anniversary Appreciation Celebration on June 25th at the Grapevine Convention Center at 6:30 pm. He emphasized that they would be serving Texas wine. Mr. Blagg asked about the renovations at the Hilton. Mr. Ankersen stated that on July 11th there would be a showing and appreciation celebration at 4:30 pm to which all the board would be invited. He reported that the new food and beverage area looked very good. Mr. Ankersen also announced the new name for the facility is DFW Lakes Hilton an Executive Conference Center. It is felt that the new name will present a softer image and draw a picture of a resort property with resort amenities. The next step will be to work on service levels and marketing to a weekend get-away guest by appealing to the resort amenities. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Mr. Kakos shared the collateral for the Dallas Metroplex Program which is the result of the pooling of resources from the major bureaus in the Metroplex. This year the Dallas Cowboys also became a partner in this program. An estimated 60,000 inquiries are expected. The collateral includes a DFW area guide, cover piece, coupon book and fun map. The Hilton is participating in the coupon book and reported that May bookings have covered the cost of participating. The bureau receives a data list of requests from this program and we are tr, following up to certain targeted areas with our summer values package. Mr. Kakos shared the Board of Directors Meeting June 20, 1996 Page 4 of 5 SALES AND MARKETING REPORT cont. materials from this package. Approximately 6,000 have already gone out to a data list received from TDOC (Texas Department of Commerce) which advertises outside the state of Texas. We are also sending our summer value package to responses to our ads in Southern Living and Texas Monthly magazines. Mr. Ankersen shared some of the marketing programs that the various levels of Hilton hotels are involved in. Mr. Pittman suggested that the Metroplex campaign materials be shared with the city council. EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT Mr. McCallum reported that Karl Stundins was released from his position as Foundation Director. This is one of the most difficult positions to fill due to the wide array of activities involved. He reported that there are however some excellent candidates and he would keep the board appraised of the search for a new director. Mr. McCallum reviewed the funding of the CVB and distribution of those funds. We are an enterprise division of the city; we do not draw revenue from the general fund. We generate our own revenue. Grapevine assesses a 6% hotel occupancy tax. The city pays the hotels 1% to collect the tax for the city and 7.5% of funds collected go to the city for the administrative services they render to the bureau. It is estimated that $ 2.4 million will be collected next year from the Hyatt Regency DFW, DFW Lakes Hilton, GTE Terraces, Super 8 and 1934 Bed & Breakfast and rental of the Convention Center. Funds also come from the lease of the Concourse, interest on investments and other miscellaneous sources bringing the total funds collected close to $ 3 million. We manage the Grapevine Heritage Foundation whose budget is over $ 1 million. The foundation's revenues come from festivals; grants; and memberships. Bureau revenues have increased from $ 1 million in 1986 to a combined $ 4 million in 1996. The CVB consists of three divisions: 01 Sales and marketing Administrative Division 02 Historic Preservation Division (less than $ 200,000) 03 Convention Center Division (The center is covering their own operating costs. Revenue is expected to be over $ 360,000 this year.) The CVB also administers and staffs the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. Normally 1/3 of revenues is spent on personnel, 1/3 on operational costs, and 1/3 on advertising and promotional costs. A bureau with our size budget would normally operate with 28 - 30 people. • Board of Directors Meeting June 20, 1996 Page 5 of 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT cont. The number of board members for the CVB has been increased to give a wider range of people an opportunity to serve. A counterpart city in Florida is using Grapevine as a model for their bureau. The Convention and Visitors Bureau costs you nothing and pays you plenty. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to be brought before the Board, a motion to adjourn was made by Gayle Hall Hemingway; seconded by Gary Blagg. Motion passed. Attest Date