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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-26 Regular MeetingCounty of Tarrant City of Grapevine State of Texas MINUTES The Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met in Regular Session on Thursday, June 26, 2025 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 MarkTerpening Vice Chairman Cynthia Blankenship Board Member lain Scouller Board Member Jeff Babcock Board Member Chuck Pacioni Board Member Debi Meek Board Member Absent: Dan Weinberger and Mike Oakley Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Leon Leal Council Liaison Paul W. McCallum Executive Director Leigh Lyons Assistant Executive Director Becky Roberson Executive Assistant CALL TO ORDER Board Chairman, Joe Szymaszek, called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION Director McCallum introduced Hugo Gardea, Assistant Historic Preservation Manager, Clarisa Wheat, Event Coordinator, and two summer interns from the University of Texas Home to Texas Program. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Board Chairman Szymaszek, called for a motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. With a motion from Chuck Pacioni and seconded by Debi Meek, the minutes from the May 8, 2025 meeting were approved 7 - 0. SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Executive Director McCallum reported on recent sales missions and trade shows. National Sales Manager, Eleanor George, attended the Fraternity Executives Association Annual Conference May 28, 29 and 30. With close to 400 registered attendee executives including CEOs, Directors of Chapter Services, Member Development and organization staff, this conference focuses on building relationships between suppliers and planners. Ms. George also participated in the Team Texas Booth with the cities of College Station, EL Paso, Grand Prairie, Irving, Lubbock and Plano. She returned with one request for proposal for September 2027 and is awaiting a second proposal request for 940 room nights, with 425 on peak and 750 attendees in 2030.. The Convention Sales Team hosted six meeting planners during the 415t Annual Main Street Fest. The weekend showcased all eight of Grapevines full -service hotel properties, many off -site venues and attractions, and Grapevine's Historic Main Street District in full -swing. This group of six meeting planners represent four current working leads as well as three Leads generated after Main Street Fest. The four working leads represent 5,925 total room nights and the three generated leads represent 9,100 total room nights. National Sales Manager, Codi Missimo, hosted the Destination Grapevine Texas Women's Open FAM. Six meeting planners from her territory attended the Destination Grapevine Women's Open Pro -Am at Grapevine Golf Course. The meeting planners played on foursomes with the Professional Players and City officials in the Pro -Am held on Tuesday May 27. Four of the six planners have current proposal requests representing nine meetings with 9,510 total room nights. Director of Leisure and International Sales, Heather Egan, attended the National Tour Association (NTA) Contact on Mackinac Island May 7-11. NTA Contact is dedicated to networking, education, and product development for NTA member tour operators. This annual event gives travel buyers the opportunity to buy and sell from each other, offers a wide variety of education, and provides itinerary ideas from the suppliers and DMOs who attend through sponsorship. Our team partnered with Trips Unlimited, an NTA member on site, who has itineraries available for Grapevine. Ms. Egan returned with three leads. One tour group which typically passes through Grapevine for a day or a few hours at Christmas now wants to develop a focused Grapevine Christmas tour for 2025 or 2026, A tour company out of California which hosted a Christmas Mystery Tour in 2024 is exploring planning another tour in 2026 as a regular Christmas tour. The third lead out of Arizona, which focuses on ladies' tour getaways, wants to develop a tour highlighting Grapevine. Leisure Sales Manager, Brain Hilterbrandt, attended Canada Connect East covering both Toronto and Montreal April28 through May 2. He hosted thirty-one tour operator appointments from the Metro Toronto area and made thirty-two Travel Agency connections from the Metro Toronto area and forty Travel Agency connections from the Greater Montreal market. Mr. Hilterbrandt also attended Travel Alliance Partnership May 18 through 21 in Myrtle Beach. This tradeshow is an invitation only show. He hosted nineteen 25-minute appointments. These appointments offer an opportunity to build relationships with pure Group. Tour Operators. Four of the nineteen operators have met in Grapevine in the past five years and three were new tour operator sales managers that have yet to visit Grapevine. The three new leads coverthe 2025 Christmas season through summer of 2026. The Communications Team hosted a travel writer that writes for the French Michelin Green Guide on May 22 and 23. Multiple hotels, attractions and unique businesses along historic Main Street were showcased. The team included representatives from some of these businesses to assist with the familiarization tour. Director McCallum outlined the launch of the Summer Advertising Campaign. Beginning in May, advertising support included print event guides in Texas Highways, Texas Co -Op Power, Oklahoma Living, Arkansas Living and Houstonia Magazine. Digital and social focused on the markets of DFW, Austin, Houston, Wichita Falls, Tyler/Longview, Waco, Oklahoma City, Midland/Odessa, Amarillo, Abilene, San Antonio. Additional advertising in June and July will include organic boosting and broadcast TV, print, radio and outdoor billboards. One of the key marketing and media elements for this summer is the Universe of Light at Gaylord Texan Resort, the all -new, walkthrough attraction, Universe of Light, features multiple worlds and 30 iconic DC super heroes and villains in more than 1,000 glowing lanterns constructed by master artisans from Zigong, China. Universe of Light joins Gaylord Resort's lineup of original leisure experiences, including Lone Star Christmas, ICE!, Paradise Springs Water Park, and SummerFest. The immersive event is open now through September 1, 2025. Universe of Light has been picked up by international journalists, events guide, Texas Highways and events calendars. Spanning an impressive 17,500 square feet, visitors of the attraction will enter the DC Universe and discover 1,000 brilliantly crafted lanterns, some up to 24 feet tall,. bringing iconic DC locations and beloved characters from the comic book pages to Gaylord Texan Resort on a larger -than -life scale. From Batman's Gotham City and Wonder Woman's home of Themyscira to Superman's Metropolis, each vibrant display captures the action and artistry of DC's world-renowned storytelling. The attraction will include unique photo moments for fans, including a chance to sit inside the Batmobile and an aerial confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor. There are also meet -and -greet opportunities with real -life DC Super Heroes. It was recently announced that visitors who purchase tickets to UOL will receive free daily, short-term parking. In addition to Universe of Light, Gaylord Texan's DC Summer event includes a character breakfast with The Joker and Harley Quinn and a DC Super Hero live show as well as themed scavenger hunts, crafts, and secret menu items in the restaurants. Press releases included National Travel and Tourism Week, the 41s' Annual Main Street Fest, dedication of the Bushong Cabin, the Destination Grapevine Texas Women's Open, and highlighted partner announcements including the upcoming renovation of the Grand Hyatt, British Emporium's FAN EXPO Dallas Harry Potter Event and Meow Wolf Grapevine's win of IAAPA. The Visit Grapevine Facebook page reported over 740,600 total impressions with an estimated reach of 303,000 and engagement of 8,200. Instagram reports more than 276,600 impressions with a reach of 56,500 and engagement of over 5,000. YouTube reports a total of 34,360 views for the month of May. Marketing emails showcasing the many family -friendly activities in Grapevine, included three eblasts for a total reach of 162,800 with open rates between 53% and 54%. Considering the benchmark standard is 20.44%, the team will continue the strategic campaign to target both day trippers and overnight visitors while marketing summertime in Grapevine. ONGOING BUSINESS Director McCallum gave an update on the 41 st Annual Main Street Fest which was very successful. Data estimates overall attendance at 112,000 with large crowds at Friday and Saturday night headliner concerts featuring Neal McCoy and Downtown Fever. A focus was made on making this festival family friendlywith the return of the all you can ride wristband for the Midway on opening night as well as the activities within KidZone and family -friendly entertainment throughout the festival weekend. He also reported that the Grapevine Fairway Events Center officially hosted the first two events at the Byron Pavilion. The first was the Destination Grapevine Texas Women's Open Awards Ceremony which was soon followed by the Hotel Association of Tarrant County Hospitali-tee Golf Classic. Completion of the interior space is expected by end of summer. Recent photographs from the two events as well as of the interior progress were shared. NEW BUSINESS Chairman Szymaszek reported that Board Member, Jeff Babcock, had accepted the request to chair the Marketing Committee. The first meeting should be scheduled in the coming weeks and will be comprised of likely a dozen members from various Grapevine attractions, hotels and other businesses. Director McCallum reported that preparations for the 391h Annual GrapeFest are well underway. Bank of the West has graciously signed on as the title sponsor. Other sponsors include Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine Mills, Hilton DFW Lakes, Merlin Entertainments and Audi Grapevine, as well as many others. The festival theme is the Grape Gatsby, which gives a nod to the 1920s and the 100-year anniversary of the publication of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Festivalgoers would be encouraged to embrace the fashion of the 1920s. Cars from the 1920s will ideally be on display at strategic places on festival grounds for guests to view and for photo opportunities. Wine pairing seminars will focus on sparkling wines. Vendor applications opened June 19 and will close July 10. To date, more than sixty artisan and marketplace vendors have applied and 12 food vendors have submitted applications. HOTELS/ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES Assistant Executive Director, Leigh Lyons, reported on various happenings throughout Grapevine. The Grand Hyatt has announced a $34 million renovation. The renovations will focus on guest rooms and suites, meeting spaces, event spaces, the lobby and corridor, as well as a redesigned restaurant, lounge and bar. The renovation coincides with the hotel's 20th anniversary in July and will be complete by late 2025, according to the hotel's press release. The number of rooms will increase from 298 to 315, with each room featuring HD flatscreen TV, charging ports, enhanced lighting controls, automatic blackout curtains and enlarged vanities. The lobby and lounge area will also get a significant refresh. There will be a one -of -a -kind indoor/outdoor rooftop event space overlooking the airport runways. A corridor will connect the terminal and the airport and a state-of-the-art fitness center with Peloton bicycles will add to the project. As a finishing touch, artwork from local artists in the renovated lobby. Grapevine City Council and Planning and Zoning approved Newcrest Images proposal to bring a 5-story, 200 room hotel to the Silverlake Complex. AC Hotel by Marriott at Silverlake will be located next to the current office building that Newcrest Image occupies at 1701 SH 26. The Newcrest team estimates that the hotel will open in 2029. It was also reported that Grapevine Mills was named to USA Today's 10 Best List of Shopping Malls in the United States. Grapevine Mitts ranked No. 8 on the list, which noted the mall's aquarium, LEGO'LAND UiscoveryCenter and Peppa Pig's Land of Play. The list also said the mall's escape room, bowling altey and upscate shopping options contributed to the ranking. Grapevine Mills is also adding two new attractions. In partnership with Dude Perfect, Dig World, the construction -themed Adventure Park for all ages will open on the 2-acre parcel of land adjacent to Hampton Inn, with the expected open date falling in late 2025 or early 2026. Bubble Planet, a fully interactive experience featuring eleven thematic environments with virtual reality is coming to the space formerly occupied by Forever 21 and is expected to open in late 2025. Legacy Cakes was named the No. 3 Cake Shop from USA Today's 10 Best List while Judy Pie was named No. 8 Best Pie Shop in the USA Today's 10 Best List. Owner of Legacy Cakes, Megan Rountree, who won Food Network's "Winner Take All" competition, sculpts extraordinary cakes that range from giant cheeseburgers to baseball stadiums and come in a variety of flavors from whiskey to rose. Judy Pie offers traditional flavors like pecan and also offers unique flavorings such as cherry merlot. The menu also includes gluten -free, keto and vegan offerings. Multiple new food and beverage offerings are coming to Grapevine. Stella To Go is an Italian restaurant focused on to go options with indoor and outdoor seating for on -site dining. Pizzas, pastas, Italian coffees are just a few of the specialties that will be offered. The Dutch will feature Italian -American fare in a beautiful upscale setting and will be located in the former Fireside Pies at the Grapevine Epicenter. Landmark Coffee will move into the space previously occupied by Bull Lion winery. A variety of coffees and pastries will be available. Caribou Coffee will take over the building previously occupied by Scooters Coffee on Northwest Highway. Caribou Coffee serves handcrafted beverages such as coffee, tea, hot cocoa, espresso shakers, fruit shakers, latte and energy drinks. The coffee shop also has an all -day breakfast menu. and lunch items that include the Nashville Hot Chicken biscuit, grilled cheese and asiago bagel with turkey and provolone. Renovations are scheduled to begin June 30 with an estimated completion of September 10. Meow Wolf opened Prime Materia, a snack and beverage bar. Designed for all ages, Prime Materia invites visitors into a deeper layer of storytelling, with not only snacks, mocktails and cocktails, but with interactive art and a curious cast of characters to further Meow Wolf Grapevine's ever-expanding universe. ADJOURNMENT Board Chairman Szymaszek called for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:11 a.m. Motion: MarkTerpening Second: Chuck Pacioni Approved: 7 — 0 ATTEST: Becky Roberson APPROVED: ,1 %Joe Szymaszek Executive Assistant Chairman