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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-09-26 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, September 26, 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. Oath of Office 5. Approval of Minutes 6. Sales & Marketing Report A. Leisure Sales Australia & New Zealand Travel Trade Mission B. Sales Trade Shows C. Smith Travel Report D. TACVB Conference E. Media Report 7. Ongoing Business A. GrapeFest Update B. 2024/2025 CVBB Calendar 8. New Business A. Festival Proceeds Grants a. Bushong Cabin Restoration b. Festival Box Truck Replacement B. Grant-in-Aid Request a. 2024 Salute to Veterans Dinner 9. Liaison / Hotels / Attractions Updates A. Liaison Updates 10. 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 20th day of September, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. 4mz 14411 /Becky 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, September 26, 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 Dan Weinberger Board Member lain Scouller Board Member Debi Meek Board Member Cynthia Blankenship Board Member Mike Oakley Board Member Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Paul W. McCallum Executive Director Leigh Lyons Assistant Executive Director C.J. Gardner Becky Roberson Leon Leal Website Manager Executive Assistant Council Liaison Absent: Matthew Brink and Chuck Pacioni CALL TO ORDER Board Chairman, Joe Szymaszek, called the meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION Executive Director McCallum introduced Ellen Stallcup, Director of Marketing and Brand Management, and Patrick McCage, Festivals & Events Manager II. OATH OF OFFICE Cynthia Blankenship and Mike Oakley were sworn in as returning board members. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to approve the minutes from the meeting. With a motion from Mark Terpening and seconded by Dan Weinberger, the minutes from the August 15, 2024 previous meeting were approved. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Assistant Executive Director, Leigh Lyons, shared that Director of Leisure and International Sales, Heather Egan, participated in a Travel Trade Mission to Australia and New Zealand July 29 through August 9. During the mission, she facilitated seven Travel Trade Product Development Meetings and four Travel Agent Training Sessions, hosted five media appointments, and gave three interviews. During the mission four articles highlighting Grapevine were written. The mission included six presentations with hands on activities and a total attendance estimated at 170 agents and media representatives. There were meetings with key industry partners in Australia and New Zealand including American Airlines, Flight Centre, HelloWorld and Deals Away. As a result of the mission, the New Zealand Herald will be sending a writer to the upcoming Christmas Media Fam. Karry On Travel and Q weekend are also sending writers to our Christmas Media Fam. National Sales Manager, Ellie George, partnered with the Hyatt DFW, attended the Marine Corps League Attendance Builder. Last year that team created a fantastic video and won the bid for the 2025 Marine Corps League to Grapevine and the Hyatt Regency DFW. Ms. George gave a presentation about all the exciting things new in Grapevine since last year's bid program. The group is now expecting to have a larger presence in Grapevine in 2025 which is the 250tn anniversary of the Marines and 100t' anniversary of the Marine Corps League. Dates of the conference are August 7 through 16, with 2366 room nights and 350 on peak with a minimum of 500 attendees. National Sales Managers, Tanja Nichols and Connie Ash attended Connect Marketplace in Milwaukee August 27through 30. Connect Marketplace is one of the leading industry reverse tradeshows. They meet with meeting planners from the association, corporate, diversity, receptive tour operators and sports segments. Together, Connie and Tanja had appointments with 65 clients. The pair returned with two requests for proposals, both for 2026. In addition, HPN Global, a third -party meeting planner is currently working on three requests for proposals for business for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Director McCallum then shared data from the Smith Travel Report. The report showed that Grapevine hotels rebounded in August to post a very strong month. August occupancy in 2024 was 69.7% which was up from 69.2% in August 2023. The average daily rate for August 2024 finished at $206.56 which is up $14.81 from August 2023. Grapevine continues to be a leader in the twenty competitive set cities in Texas we track on a monthly basis. Grapevine was second in occupancy Houston at 72.7%, but first in average daily rate. Director McCallum reported on a recent conference. Four staff members attended TACVB's Annual Conference August 21-23 in Austin. The conference hosted leaders in the industry, learning sessions and networking events. The learning sessions covered a range of topics, including Al, travel trends, SEO insights and how to provide the best site visit for potential clients. Staff reported that the session covering Al was particularly insightful, as the importance of giving the tool the correct prompts to get the response you are looking for was emphasized. Learning the latest travel trends provided useful information about how people are traveling within Texas and how to best attract visitors from other states and outside the country. Mrs. Lyons shared the media report covering August. Six press releases were produced highlighting the 38th Annual GrapeFest, live entertainment at the festival, the concert series at Grapevine Main LIVE, Christmas Capital of Texas ticketed events and Day Out with Thomas. She also shared printed articles. Grapevine was featured in A Taste of Texas article in Association Conventions and Facilities meeting magazine. There was an article in Splash Magazine that originated from a recent Media Fam. Community Impact ran a GrapeFest ad and an article on the Bushong Cabin. The Dallas Morning News Weekend Events Guide advertised GrapeFest with three wraps. Texas Monthly also ran a 38th Annual GrapeFest ad. The local publication, 360 West, had a story on Blue Ostrich Winery which emphasized the important role GrapeFest played in the winery's history. Director of Communications, Elizabeth Schrack, made tv appearances promoting the 38th Annual GrapeFest in Houston on KHOU and Austin on KEYE. Each of the segments lasted more than five minutes. The upcoming festival was also featured on multiple local news channels, including WFAA, FOX4, NBCS, CBS11 and CW33. The VisitGrapevine website welcomed 175 thousand users over the month of August and had more than 705 thousand page views. The top page was our Events page, followed by Grapevine Vintage Railroad and Santa's North Pole Express. Mrs. Lyons explained that ach month, the social media team is charged with promoting a variety of events such as annual festivals, cultural celebrations like Celebra and other events taking place in Grapevine. In addition, the team works each day to promote Grapevine as a year-round or daily destination for dining, shopping, great getaways and opportunities for all ages. The team works to stay current with social media trends and opportunities. An example of a recent social media reel was shared. The team's focus on social media is to drive business into retail, restaurants, shops, hotels and businesses across the city. ONGOING BUSINESS Director McCallum gave a brief overview of the 38' Annual GrapeFest. He shared preliminary numbers for various activations such as People's Choice and Champagne Terrace. He also reported on the success of the Wine and Food Pairing Seminar and the Barossa Premium Wine Experience and Master Class. Feedback from first-time wineries and food vendors was shared and multiple board members shared feedback from their own festival experiences. The proposed Convention and Visitors Bureau Board calendar for the upcoming year was shared. It was reported that most meetings would fall on the intended third Thursday of each month. There were some months where the meeting was moved to accommodate holidays or industry events. NEW BUSINESS Director McCallum reported that work is progressing nicely on the Bushong Cabin. The stone chimney has been completed. Demo of roof and framing was completed. The cedar baton board shed has been completed and an access door will be added. Work to add cedar siding on gable ends and cedar shake roof continues. Additional stone in the interior fireplace area will be added soon. The current windows will be replaced with period appropriate windows. In order to fully restore the historic cabin, it was asked that $45,000 be granted from festival proceeds to complete the project. Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to fund the restoration of the Bushong Cabin through festival proceeds in the amount of $45,000. Motion: Mike Oakley Second: Debi Meek Approved: 7-0 In December 2022 the box truck used for festival operations was destroyed when the tornado hit the city service center. A replacement vehicle has been identified. A 2023 Chevrolet Express Box Truck from Classic Chevrolet which had previously been used as a parts delivery truck was recommended. Although it has more than 80,000 miles, it has been well maintained and is in excellent condition. It also has the necessary roll up door. Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to fund the purchase a festival box truck replacement in the amount of $34,000. Motion: lain Scouller Second: Mark Terpening Approved: 7-0 Director McCallum reported that a grant-in-aid request had been submitted for 2024 Salute to Veterans Dinner hosted by Grapevine First Methodist Church. The event is meant to honor veterans from Grapevine and the surrounding Metroplex. It will include a catered meal provided by Bartley's of Grapevine and will be free for veterans and their guests. Mayor William D. Tate is set to do the Invocation with the Presentation of Colors by Grapevine Police and Fire Department Honor Guard and keynote speaker will be Col. Charles Freeman. The grant application stated that through this event, they aim to honor veterans and promote community engagement and appreciation for the arts, making it an enriching experience for all attendees. The estimated budget is based on 250 guests and the total amount of project is estimated to be $12,220. The grant request is for $5,000. As of August, $3,350 has been raised. It was reported that sponsors are being secured to raise the additional $7,220. After much discussion about the purpose of the Grant -In -Aid program and the specific parameters in which the program operates, Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to deny the grant request for $5,000 but support an in -kind sponsorship. Motion: Mike Oakley Second: Mark Terpening Approved: 7-0 HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES Mrs. Lyons shared that Grapevine City Council approved a new Mexican restaurant called Vidorra that will be located at 700 West State Highway 114. Vidorra advertises upgraded Tex- Mex dining for guests. Sam's Club is set to reopen on October 17. Great Wolf Lodge is working through multiple upgrades spanning from the entrance and lobby to the exit lanes of the parking area. The addition of new retail space, games and dining spaces are planned to be completed by mid- November. Bohemian Bull has added a family carryout meal program as part of its services in Grapevine. The restaurant, which celebrated its first anniversary in July, launched the new program Sept. 5. The curbside pickup family meal program provides generous portions that make it easy for working parents to take care of dinner plans at an affordable cost. The program's tagline is — "it's as easy as 1-2-3 and delicious as can be." A new tasting room for OG Cellars is open in Grapevine, operating Thursday through Sunday while awaiting final permitting from the state to be open seven days a week. The grand opening will be celebrated on Oct. 5. Newsweek is running a contest as the publication determines its readers' opinion for the best Christmas towns in the United States. Today is the last day to vote in the contest. Grapevine was nominated along with 14 other cities across the United States. The winner will be announced in early October. Chairman Szymaszek shared that Grapevine Mills was set to welcome four new stores. Cavenders is set to open on November 5 and Gorski is set to open on October 3. Primark and Columbia will also open in coming weeks. ADJOURNMENT Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:42 a.m. Motion: Debi Meek Second: Mark Terpening Approved: 7-0 ATTEST: Becky Roberson Executive Assistant APPROVED: A oe Szymaszek hairman