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Home My WebLink About2004-09-16 Regular Meeting CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, September 16, 2004 -- 11:30 a.m. WALLIS BUILDING ONE LIBERTY PARK PLAZA, GRAPEVINE, TEXAS AGENDA I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES III. HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS REPORT IV. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT (re V. OLD BUSINESS A. BUDGET UPDATE B. GRAPEFEST REPORT VI. NEW BUSINESS A. 2004 - 2005 MEETING CALENDAR B. GRANTS-IN-AID REQUESTS 1. END OF THE RUNWAY PLAYERS, INC. 2. ARTSNET 3. GRAPEVINE HOMECOMING PARADE C. JOINT ROTARY - CVB FLAGPOLE PROJECT D. TRANSPORTAION STUDY VII. REPORTS A. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE B. HERITAGE FOUNDATION VIII. ADJOURNMENT State of Texas County of Tarrant City of Grapevine MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met on Thursday, September 16, 2004 at the Wallis Building, Grapevine, Texas with the following persons in attendance: Don Bigbie Chairman Ev Barnes Board Member Bill Brink Board Member Philip Cloud Board Member Kathee Livengood Board Member Paul Slechta Board Member Tom Smith Board Member Steve Stinson Board Member Darlene Freed Council Liaison Pat Stinson Heritage Foundation Martin Thompson Grapevine Chamber Paul W. McCallum Executive Director George Kakos Assistant Executive Director Absent: Cliff Reynolds Board Member CALL TO ORDER Chairman Bigbie called the meeting to order. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes from the August 19th meeting was made by Bill Brink and seconded by Ev Barnes. Motion carried. HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS REPORT Mr. McCallum shared the following: • The Ramada was converted to a Fairfield Inn and opened in August with extensive interior renovations. • The Springhill Suites is under construction. • D'Vine Wine Winery signed a lease on the former Cap*Rock location. They expect to be open in the next 6 to 8 weeks and will have a format similar to Su Vino. • Off the Vine and Into the Glass will serve flights of wine and food in a small intimate setting. • Work is ongoing on engine 2248. (11w • Engine 2199 is being painted at this time in a cabernet and champagne color combination. Cor The Board of Directors Meeting September 16, 2004 Page 2 of 4 HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS REPORT cont. • Staff has looked at a complete train set of 9 cars including a bar car, lounge car, kitchen, concession, and dining cars. The train seats 420 and is pulled by two 1950's F-7 engines. The train has been in storage for the past two years. • Butterfly-Flutterby is scheduled for October 16th. • Thursday, November 4th at the Palace Theatre will be the "160 Years of Grapevine Settlement" celebration and fundraiser. Don Edwards is scheduled to perform. Two levels of participation include a show in the Palace for$18.44 per person and the show along with a cast party in the Lancaster for$160.00 per couple. • The eye of hurricane Ivan passed over Foley, Alabama early this morning. At this time there have been no deaths in Foley. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Mr. Kakos reported for the month of August that the convention sales division produced 30 leads representing 24,611 potential room nights. The team assisted with 6 definite groups representing 9,066 room nights. The team conducted 3 site inspections and participated in the American Society of Association Executives convention and attended the Pfizer Pharmaceutical meeting which generated 8 new contacts. Convention (lov Services assisted 6 groups representing 11,500 attendees. Tourism division produced 5 leads representing 168 room nights and 256 attendees and assisted with 5 definite bookings representing 226 room nights and 302 attendees. Staff attended the San Antonio Lawn and Garden Show. The Convention Center booked 43 events representing 16,382 attendees. The Grapevine Vintage Railroad carried 4,097 passengers in August. Thomas the Tank is confirmed for April 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10. Web site traffic was 6,210 visits on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad site and 5,406 on the general site. The average over the past 6 months was 6,385 versus the previous 5-month average of 2,456. Public Relations generated $142,383 in print and $109,234 in electronic media coverage. All local stations covered the festival; all came on site along with studio coverage with two stations. The coup was the national coverage on CNN. OLD BUSINESS Budget Update Mr. McCallum reported that the budget passed as presented. Capital project dollars for the wall in Liberty Park Plaza will be directed to other projects in the Historic District. GrapeFest Report Mr. McCallum thanked Kathee Livengood for the tremendous job she did as chair of the festival. She was at all the events all over the grounds. He recognized Darlene Freed for the success of the Texas Wine Tribute and dealing tastefully with 9/11. 241,650 people, an increase of 14,000 over last year, attended GrapeFest. Much of the growth Board of Directors Meeting September 16, 2004 Page 3 of 4 OLD BUSINESS cont. GrapeFest Report cont. was on Thursday and Friday. People's choice had approximately 7,000 participants and the Italian Car Fest had 8,500 attendees. The Tennis Classic had over 400 participants at the Hilton DFW Lakes. Steve Stinson and Bill and Kathrine Brink were involved in the trade tasting and presentation of Lone Star winners. Llano acquired 5 new customers from the event. Many people helped with the fams. The culinary area was a great addition. Mr. McCallum thanked Don Bigbie for being the emcee for the mayor's breakfast, which is a great forum for sponsor, volunteer, and business awards. The mayor has taken ownership of the event. Mr. McCallum thanked Ev Barnes for assisting with the Sister City group. We also had assistance from Alicia De Los Santos from the police department. The AMBUCS sent 7 trykes to Parras with the group. A table was auctioned which raised $2,100 to repair a school in Parras for the Rotarian centennial project. Board members shared several positive comments and experiences. NEW BUSINESS 2004 - 2005 Meeting Calendar Steve Stinson made a motion to adopt the 2004 - 2005 meeting calendar as printed; seconded by Bill Brink. Motion carried. Grants-in-Aid Requests End of the Runway Players, Inc.: This group is requesting $6,000 for promotion and publicity. Staff recommends approval. Kathee Livengood made a motion to fund their request in the amount of$6,000; seconded by Phil Cloud. Motion carried. Artsnet: This request is for a cooperative effort between Artsnet and the CVB for a traveling exhibit that focuses on Native American Art. It will be in Grapevine October 27 - 31St. The request is for$7,000.00 payable after October 1. Staff recommends approval. Phil Cloud made the motion to fund the request; seconded by Ev Barnes the motion carried. Grapevine Homecoming Parade: This was moved to the beginning of the meeting due to another commitment by Gary Blagg who was in attendance to make the presentation. The request was for$2,500.00. Phil Cloud made the motion to fund the request; seconded by Kathee Livengood. Motion carried. Mr. Blagg stated that the 100th anniversary of the Grapevine school district is next year and they are looking for ideas for something special to do to recognize that anniversary. Joint Rotary - CVB Flagpole Project Rotary's Centennial Celebration Project is to enhance a community in a substantial way. The Grapevine Rotary Club approached the City Manager about a permanent flag display. The concept plan, which has been approved by the Rotary and the Heritage Foundation, will complete the Coming Home statue in the Heritage Center. It will be a joint venture between the Rotary, the City, the CVB, and the Foundation. The Board of Directors Meeting September 16, 2004 Page 4 of 4 NEW BUSINESS cont. Transportation Study Mr. McCallum reported that there are funds in next year's budget for a transportation study to move people in and around the area. The Gaylord is presently offering a very limited service. Staff will bring some proposals to the board, then to a council workshop. It is the CVB's desire to cover as many areas as possible with transportation and there is a commitment from the council for resolution to the problem. REPORTS Chamber of Commerce Martin Thompson reported that the Chamber received a check for over$16,500 from GrapeFest. This beats their past record. The Business Expo during GrapeFest in the people's choice area had over 40 businesses represented. The club received a recognition award at the Mayor's Breakfast. There are still 3 team slots available for Monday's golf tournament. Leadership Grapevine has 25 participants this year. December 9th is the date for the Chamber Christmas Party at Bank of the West. Heritage Foundation Pat Stinson thanked the board for the proceeds from GrapeFest on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. "State Fair" starts tonight and runs for two weeks. There is lots of activity at Nash Farm. The capital campaign and steering committees are in place for Nash Farm and there will be a gala fundraiser in the fall of 2005. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Bigbie reported that Cross Timbers will host a series of Parras nights in Grapevine to raise funds for the orphanage in Parras. The first night will be September 24 . There being no further business to come before the board; Bill Brink made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Steve Stinson. Motion carried. ATTEST: DATE: