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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-21 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, March 21, 2024 — 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. STR Report B. Sales Trade Shows and Missions Report C. Texas Women's Open D. Media Report 6. Ongoing Business A. Concourse Update B. Bushong Cabin Update C. Main Street Fest Pricing Review 7. New Business A. Grapevine Tasting Rooms B. GrapeFest Update 8. Liaison / Hotels / Attractions — Updates A. Liaison Updates B. Grapevine Hotel Renovations C. Grapevine Vintage Railroad Season Opener D. Grapevine Visitor Shuttle Wrap 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 15th day of March, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. Wec- y 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, March 21, 2024 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 Chairman Mark Terpening Vice Chair Chuck Pacioni Board Member Cynthia Blankenship Board Member lain Scouller Board Member Debi Meek Board Member Mike Oakley Board Member Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Paul W. McCallum Executive Director Leigh Lyons Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & Communications Becky Roberson Assistant to the Executive Director Leon Leal Council Liaison Kelly Schwartz Chamber Liaison Absent: Matthew Brink and Dan Weinberger CALL TO ORDER Board Chairman, Joe Szymaszek, called the meeting to order at 8:01 a.m. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION Executive Director, Paul W. McCallum, welcomed Jaime Ingram, Retail and Inventory Coordinator and Emily Beardmore, Director of Festivals and Events. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to approve the minutes from the February 22, 2024 meeting. With a motion from Mark Terpening and seconded by Mike Oakley, the minutes from the previous meeting were approved by a vote of 6-0. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & Communications, Leigh Lyons, shared that the February Smith Travel Report showed Grapevine as the market leader in North Texas with an occupancy of 74.3% and an average daily rate of $203.56, which was up from $194.56 in February 2023. Ms. Lyons also reported on recent Sales Trade Shows and Missions. Sales Manager, Codi Missimo attended Meet NY February 26 — 29. Meet NY is the largest hosted -buyer hospitality event in the Northeast United States. There were 275 New York area meeting planners in attendance. Codi had individual meetings with 22 of the planners and secured four more attendees for the 361h Annual St. Patrick's Day Sales Event. Prior to the Meet NY tradeshow, Codi attended the Northeast CVB Destination and Client Luncheon with fifty-two meeting planners in attendance. This event is for destination representatives from across the country. Director of Leisure and International Sales, Heather Egan, hosted three Mexico Sports Tour Operators along with Travel Texas' Mexico Representatives February 17 and 18 where she had the opportunity to highlight Grapevine's many family friendly businesses. Heather also attended Go West Summit in Lake Tahoe, Nevada February 26, 27 and 28. Go West Summit is an appointment -based industry trade show, connecting suppliers with buyers and media from all over the world. Buyers are made up of a blend of International tour operators, International inbound receptive operators based in the USA, and online travel agencies. Go West Summit focuses solely on the western portion of the USA, Texas and above and everything west. Heather had a total of 49 appointments during the show. Ms. Egan reported that many valuable contacts were made. One tour operator based in the United Kingdom, expressed interest in developing a day itinerary highlighting Grapevine for its Texas tour. Another tour operator which focuses on student educational tours expressed interest in developing a two day tour for Grapevine which would include Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Grapevine was represented at International Media Marketplace in the United Kingdom February 19 and 20. This is one of the top global networking events in the world to connect media, editors, and journalists with destinations with more than 400 media and influencer attendees. One priority of this event was to market Grapevine as the mid US entry for international travelers. Canuckiwi represented Grapevine at Visit USA in Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, Australia February 14, 15, 19, 20 and 21. The Visit USA expos welcomed 627 travel agents across Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. These are important markets for Grapevine. Visit USA and Brand USA are leaning in to promote US travel to the Australasia markets which include Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Currently, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport receives more inbound international flights from Australia than any other US destination. Just on Qantas, there are direct flights from Sydney to Dallas Fort Worth and Melbourne to Dallas Fort Worth and beginning in October, the new Brisbane to Dallas Fort Worth flight will launch. These flights offer more than 2,000 daily seats into Dallas Fort Worth with 1,200 being nonstop flights. These are important guests for Grapevine to capture on their US arrival. Grapevine Wine Pouring Society liaison, Kim Dobecka, attended the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association's Annual Conference February 22, 23 and 24. This conference targets grape growers, vineyard owners, winemakers, wineries, wine tasting rooms, viticulture students and others interested in grape growing and wine production. She had the opportunity to speak to winery owners and operators about GrapeFest, as well as the potential for future tasting rooms in Grapevine. Director McCallum announced that the Texas Women's Open will be played in Grapevine at the Grapevine Golf Course in 2024, 2025 and 2026. He informed the board that the announcement would be made public later that day by the Northern Texas Professional Golf Association. The Texas Women's Open was first played in 1933 and this year's event would be the 44th installment, taking place May, 28, 29, 30 and 31. Acting as co-sponsor, Destination Grapevine would bring focus to Grapevine as a destination, not just the golf course. As many of today's meeting planners are women, this would be an opportunity to bring them to Grapevine and show them all we have to offer. The 2024 beginning field would be made up of 144 professionals and top amateurs from the United States. These golfers will play for an anticipated purse of $75,000. There would be a separate $75,000 purse for the legends of the Ladies Professional Gold Association. Last year 24 legends, representing various countries, played in the tournament. The Convention and Visitors Bureau Team is already looking for avenues to maximize media opportunities. Ms. Lyons reported on the multiple media and marketing highlights from the previous month. She shared the eight media releases that were distributed in February on topics such as Train-a- Palooza, Texas Independence Day Event, Total Solar Eclipse Event, Grapevine Vintage Railroad Season Opener, Grapevine Vintage Railroad Spring Break Excursions and New Vintage Wineries and Galleries Trail. She shared that KRLD and NBCS shared our Texas Independence Day event. There were two Hotel Scoop articles from earlier this year, one on Hotel Vin and one on Hilton DFW Lakes. Thrillist featured the Grapevine Vintage Railroad Season Opener and CraveDFW had a Grapevine Vintage Railroad Spring Break story. Southlake Style and Paper City Magazine both showcased Grapevine's plans for the solar eclipse. The Gilmer Mirror had coverage on the 32"d Annual New Vintage Wineries and Galleries Trail. The marketing team had 15 posts on Facebook in February covering a variety of events. From those posts, we received 102,000 impressions. Instagram had 56 total posts which included both stories and reshared content. From those, 55,000 impressions were garnered. Included in the presentation was a sample calendar of scheduled media posts. Multiple ads ran in various print publications and digital platforms showcasing Grapevine Vintage Railroad, family friendly attractions, meeting spaces, upcoming events for spring, and more. ONGOING BUSINESS Executive Director, Paul W. McCallum, reported that plans for the renovation of the Grapevine Concourse were moving along. All exterior material had been chosen based on the Pro Shop. He shared the proposed floorplan, highlighting the pre -function space and open-air pavilion. A primary focus is to keep as many mature trees as possible by working the design around them. He also presented the projected timeline for taking bids, securing a contractor and completing the project. Director McCallum also gave a brief update on the Bushong cabin. He reminded the group of the historical significance of the structure. And now that the building had been legally secured and the purchase approved by the city council, that preliminary plans for the move are underway. The board members expressed praise that the community continued to find value and significance in the rich history of the town and took steps to preserve these irreplaceable structures for future generations. Mr. McCallum reported that there were no plans to increase pricing for the upcoming 40th Annual Main Street Fest. There would still be an emphasis on craft brews as craft brews have maintained popularity with men and are gaining more attention by women. To go along with the current festival activations, a new attraction was underway. Taking into account that Grapevine is centrally located between the Byron Nelson Golf Course and the Colonial Golf Course, coupled with the ever-growing interest in golf, the team proposed a new activation that would offer guests the opportunity to participate in golf related games while enjoying an elevated lounge experience, with traditional pimento cheese sandwiches, iced tea and craft beverages. The Cotton Belt Golf Club will be located at the south end of festival grounds in the Cotton Belt Depot District. Participants will have the opportunity to play three separate games for $15. Multiple rounds of play will be an option. For an additional cost of $20 pre -festival and $25 after the festival begins, guests will have access the clubhouse lounge area that will offer premier seating, music and commemorative items. The Brews and Bites Workshop is slated to be held in the Tower Gallery of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. It will again be a one hour, ticketed event with two options. The $35 option will offer 3 three ounce craft tastings with food pairings and the $50 option will offer 4 three ounce craft tastings with premium food pairings. The goal is to have the workshop led by cicerones to offer a true educational experience that will go beyond the hour-long event. Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to approve the suggested fee structure for the Cotton Belt Country Club activation. Motion: lain Scouller Second: Mike Oakley Approved 6-0 NEW BUSINESS Director McCallum shared that OG Cellars, a winery located in Sunset, Texas, was making plans to take over a space at the intersection of Dallas Street and Main Street for a tasting room. This winery had been exploring possible locations in Grapevine for some time and believed they had now found the right location. He went on the share that when Grapevine held the first GrapeFest, there were just seventeen wineries in Texas. Today there are more than five hundred bonded wineries throughout the state. With such a growth in the wine industry, he shared his hope that more tasting rooms would call Grapevine home. He reported that at the recent Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association Conference, two wineries expressed interest in opening tasting rooms in Grapevine. Mr. McCallum also gave a brief update on preliminary plans for GrapeFest in September later this year. He shared the anticipated wine regions that would be showcased as well as the possibility of some improvements. HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES Kelly Schwartz, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce liaison, shared a brief update of recent and upcoming chamber events. Mrs. Lyons then shared that a handful of stakeholder hotels were in varying stages of renovations. Some of the hotels mentioned were Grand Hyatt, Silverlake Crossings, Hilton DFW Lakes, Great Wolf Lodge and Spring Hill Suites. A family centered attraction, Crush It is also undergoing an expansion, adding more gaming area and additional seating. She also reported on the successful Grapevine Vintage Railroad Season Opener which took place February 17 and 18.On Saturday, both the Cotton Belt Excursion and the Trinity River Excursion also welcomed 362 passengers. That same week, Grapevine Vintage Railroad also operated the Sweetheart Wine Train and a private charter for a total ridership that week of 1,913 guests. Ms. Lyons reported that one of the Grapevine visitor shuttles received a new wrap featuring Meow Wolf. The shuttle wrap was a collaborative design between the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Meow Wolf Team and sponsored by Meow Wolf. This shuttle primarily runs the Green Route with stops at Hyatt Regency, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Terminal D, Grapevine Main, Grapevine Mills and Embassy Suites/Bass Pro. In February 2024 the Green Route served 1,123 riders. The goal is to run the shuttle on all three of the routes to maximize exposure for Meow Wolf. She completed her report by sharing that Maria's Bakery opened off of Highway 121 and offers a tasty selection of Mexican pastries including concha, croissants, cookies, flan and a variety of cake options. ADJOURNMENT Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:19 a.m. Motion: Debi Meek Second: Mark Terpening Approved 6-0 ATTEST: Becky Roberson APPROVED: Mark Terpening Executive Assistant Vice Chairman