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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-02-19 Regular MeetingCITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS GRAPEVINE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Thursday, February 19, 2026 — 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. Sales Missions and Trade Shows B. Media Report 6. Ongoing Business A. Grapevine Heritage Vehicle Display Museum B. Grapevine Today 7. New Business A. 34th Annual Spring Wine Trail B. 42nd Annual Main Street Fest/Golden Jubilee C. Grant in Aid Request - Runway Theatre and Celebra 8. Liaison / Hotels / Attractions Updates A. Liaison Updates 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 13th day of February 2026 by 5:00 p.m. 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, February 19, 2026 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: Mark Terpening Vice Chairman Cynthia Blankenship Board Member Jeff Babcock Board Member Mike Oakley Alternate Board Member Kim Farbisz Alternate Board Member Absent: Joe Szymaszek, lain Scoutler, Chuck Pacioni and Fabien Goury Constituting a quorum, with the following liaisons and staff members present: Leon Leal Paul W. McCallum Leigh Lyons Brady Closson Ellen Stallcup C.J. Gardner Becky Roberson Council Liaison Executive Director Assistant Executive Director Assistant Executive Director Director of Marketing Website Manager Executive Assistant CALL TO ORDER Board Vice Chairman, Mark Terpening, called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. NEW EMPLOYEE INTRODUCTION Executive Director Paul W. McCallum introduced Kenneth Gray, Superintendent of Railroad Operations and Randall Sweet, Communications Coordinator. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Board Vice Chairman Terpening called for a motion to approve the minutes from the January 15, 2026 meeting. Motion: Jeff Babcock Second: Mike Oakley Ayes: Terpening, Blankenship, Babcock, Oakley, and Farbisz Nayes: None Approved: 5 - 0 SALES AND MARKETING REPORT Assistant Executive Director Leigh Lyons reported on sales missions. Director of International and Leisure Sates, Heather Egan was one of 28 partners that attended the Brand USA Mexico Mission January 11 — 16 in Mexico City. This mission included three cities in Mexico: Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City. In each city the Brand USA team hosted a morning training session with travel agents in which the team presented five times per city to groups of 20, equaling 100 travel agents per city. In total, Ms. Egan presented to approximately 300 travel agents and conducted appointments with 75 tour operators across Mexico. While reports from tour operators on travel to the USA were mixed due to political issues, Price Travel, a Longtime travel partner, reported a 100% increase in travelers to Grapevine, up to 689 in 2025 with 330 bookings and 488 room nights booked in Grapevine. Heather Egan and Brian Hilterbrandt attended the American Bus Association Marketplace January 9 -14. Ms. Egan is now a member of the ABA Board of Directors. This is a very prestigious honor as Grapevine is one of five suppliers made up of Destination Marketing Organizations, restaurants, and lodging members represented on the ABA Board. Together, Ms. Egan and Mr. Hitterbrandt conducted 52 appointments and secured 39 Leads. 2024 Data provided by ABA at the conference reported that motorcoach group travel in Texas accounted for $6.8B in revenue, with Texas ranking as #3 in the country in top revenue production and creating 40,521 jobs in 2024 in the State of Texas. Ms. Lyons reported on earned media and shared various articles. The Dallas Morning News Business Section reported on TEXRail's record numbers. Our team worked with TEXRaiI on their release. Director of Communications, Elizabeth Schrack hosted a familiarization tour in 2025 and as a result of that tour came the French Michelin Green Guide article. Southlake Style covered Tatking Animals Books' opening of their second location. True West highlighted Grapevine as one of the Best of the West towns. Texas Highways Events Guide shared many Grapevine events. In addition to print, digitat coverage was shared. Ms. Schrack's press release on Coffee in Grapevine was picked up by Global Travel Media. JRNY Listed Grapevine as one of Eight Beautiful Small Towns in Texas. Other familiarization tours resutted in an article on The Traveling Cheesehead blog and an articte on the Travel & Leisure site. The Fort Worth Report featured a story on daytripping on TEXRaiL and Forbes shared a Santa's North Pote Express article. Ms. Schrack pitched an idea for a spotlight on a local coffee shop, Howdy Honey, to Good Morning Texas which resulted in broadcast coverage. A travel writer for Texas Lifestyle magazine and on -air travel correspondent was hosted for a brief outing in Grapevine and the team continues to build retationships with travel writers and often pitches stories and potential topics of interest. Director of Marketing, Ellen Stallcup, gave a report on the strategic marketing efforts designed and implemented to attract visitors to Grapevine for the Christmas Capital of Texas. The 2025 Christmas Capital of Texas campaign was structured in three intentional tiers, designed to maximize overnight stays and visitor spending. Tier 1 focused on drive markets, those more than 75 mites from Grapevine, including Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport, Little Rock, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Amarillo and Lubbock. The campaign was launched in late September. The timing of the campaign was crucial as it provided visitors ample time to plan their getaway and book hotels and attractions. Beginning mid -October, Tier 2 of the marketing plan was activated. This segment Layered in daytripper markets such as Waco, Tyler/Longview, Sherman/Ada and Wichita Falls/Lawton. Tier 2 strategically targeted daytrip markets with messaging designed to convert short visits into multi -night stays and consider it a "vacation", increasing per - visitor spend across lodging, dining, attractions wineries and retail. Tier 3 added in the "Staycation" group of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex which launched beginning of November. Unlike prior campaigns, the focus was altered on those with discretionary income, to ensure that we were targeting a market that would spend money by opting for a hotel stay, visiting attractions, dining, enjoying the wineries and shopping while also considering a Christmas getaway at our hotels. A significant marketing shift in 2025 was the reallocation of dollars into precision -targeted digital media. This allowed us to reach qualified audiences with measurable performance tracking in real time. As a result, the campaign netted 8.6 million impressions with over 2.7 million completions demonstrating a strong performance across a diversified media mix. Scalable channels like Display with 3.7 million reported impressions and Connected TV and Over -The -Top with 633 thousand completions drove broad awareness, while Audio, Video, and Meta exceeded benchmarks. More importantly, these impressions translated into measurable engagement and high -intent traffic. Dallas Ft. Worth & Houston, being the largest markets, drove the bulk of impressions and clicks, showing strong reach. Austin & Oklahoma City, considered mid -sized markets, delivered consistent performance. Smaller Texas and Louisiana markets like Waco, Shreveport, Tyler -Longview and Wichita Falls had the highest click through rates and video completion rates, indicating smatter, more targeted audiences are highly engaged and responsive. Ms. Stallcup reported that throughout the Christmas season and beyond, the team received positive feedback regarding an increase in visitors and most importantly, an increase in spending. During the Christmas Capital of Texas, 77% of the total spending in Grapevine was contributed by visitors. While out of state visitors comprised 52% of the spend. Visitors made up 83% of total restaurant spend and 94% of retail spend. Top visitor markets based on spend included Houston, Austin, DFW, Waco, San Antonio Tyler/Longview and Lubbock. According to Smith Travel Research and their December report, hotel occupancy was 71.8% with an average daily rate of over $220. Revenue per available room rate was over $158. Grapevine outperformed our closest competitive district by more than $50 in revenue per available room rate, demonstrating not just occupancy, but rate strength. Because of the measurable success of the Christmas strategy, we deployed the same high -performing targeting model for Spring Break, launching earlier than ever before to capture planning intent. Additional tactics have also been employed, including television and print. As the Spring Break advertising will conclude in a few weeks, the 42nd Annual Main Street Fest advertising campaign will launch in drive markets while the Summer campaign featuring All Tracks Lead to Grapevine will launch a short time later. Ms. Stallcup concluded the report by explaining that the focus is to drive qualified visitors, extend length of stay, and increase per -visitor spending. ONGOING BUSINESS Mr. McCallum gave an update on the Grapevine Heritage Vehicles Display Museum. He reminded the board that on February 17, 2026, the City Council had approved a construction contract for the Historic Grapevine Vehicles and Agricultural Machinery Museum to Ware Brothers Construction along with an ordinance appropriating funds. The project will include construction of approximately 1,300 square feet of enclosed space to house Heritage Vehicles including an 1870 Studebaker Wagon, 1913 Case Steam Tractor, 1932 Grain Truck, 1928 Grape Crusher Truck also known as Ms. Grapevine and on occasion, Grapevine's own 1928 Fire Truck. The building will be located at 701 S. Main Street. Grapevine aims to provide the quintessential hometown encounter, and offering that experience extends dwell time of visitors. The vehicles that will be showcased in the museum will tell the story of Grapevine's history from life on the Grapevine Prairie, the farming history, the introduction and importance of the railroad coming to town. The vast majority of the vehicles were donated. He concluded the report by sharing that funds for this purchase were available in the Special Revenue Fund through an anonymous donation in the amount of $296,355. Mr. McCallum presented the three seasonal covers of Grapevine Today. The 2026 Edition is complete and at the printer, with copies scheduled to be delivered to our stakeholders and Travel Information Centers across Texas within weeks. He explained that prior to Covid, Grapevine Today was in all the Grapevine hotels, and the team is actively working towards that goal again. A digital tink for the VisitGrapevine website is live. NEW BUSINESS Director McCaltum reported that the 34th Annual Spring Wine Trail would be held on Saturday, April 11. The Blessing of the Vines and Wines would begin at 10:20 a.m. and immediately following the Blessing, the Procession woutd take place on Peace Plaza. He also explained the long-standing tradition of the Blessing that dates back more than 500 years. Guests at the Spring Wine Trail will be able to sample New Vintage wines at 9 of Grapevine's winery tasting rooms. Small bites will be available at each winery tasting room as welt. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to experience one -of -a -kind works of art at 7 of Grapevine's art galleries. Director McCallum then reported that plans for the 42nd Annual Main Street Fest —A Timeless Texas Tradition were well underway. This year's festival would also be the kickoff of the Golden Jubilee, the celebration to honor Mayor William D. Tate's 50 years of service and leadership as mayor of Grapevine. There would be an emphasis on family and on family -friendly activations. Mr. McCallum shared the names and titles of the members that comprised the Golden Jubilee Honor Committee and spoke of the significance of the elected officials, prominent business owners, community civic organizations and international leaders from Grapevine's Sister Cities. He shared that in addition to the regular events of the festival, there would also be signature events focused on Mayor Tate, such as the public art dedication on Saturday, May 16 and the Community Picnic on Sunday, May 17. These two events are meant to include the Grapevine community and will include live cultural performances. Artisan and food vendor applications for the 42nd Annual Main Street Fest are live and witl remain open until March 17. Entertainment was being secured with a plan to publicize headliner acts soon. The Craft Brew Experience wilt take place at Liberty Park Plaza, and the team is working to coordinate scheduled keg tapping of highlighted craft brews. Director McCallum then shared that two local organizations had requested grants. He shared that 2026 marks the 41st season of the End of the Runway Players. The End of the Runway Players is comprised of actors and a host of volunteers that exist to promote entertaining theatre in a welcoming environment. They strive to engage community members of all backgrounds and experience levels while promoting the merits of community theater. Many of the cast live in the general area, but not necessarily in Grapevine. They come to Grapevine regularly to build sets and rehearse. They also make efforts to bring their circles of influence to Grapevine to watch performances, dine and shop. Actors and supporters of The End of the Runway Players volunteer at local events. At GrapeFest, 56 volunteers volunteered more than 455 hours at the People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic. Discussion was had about the importance of volunteers at festivals. The End of the Runway Players requested $26,000 to assist with costs for scripts, royalty fees, publicity, set construction and props, costumes, musician fees, and general supplies. In a recent Economic Impact Survey, the Runway Theatre reported that 79.5% of theatre attendees were non- residents of Grapevine and 89% of patrons reported dining in Grapevine either before or after a performance. With an average spend of $55 per person, the economic impact of the food and beverage atone was more than $210,000. A report provided by The End of the Runway Players for the 40th season showed that funds were utilized for royalties, scripts, publicity, promotions, printing, season collateral and production costs, with a detailed breakdown. Following discussion, Board Vice Chairman Terpening called for a motion to fund the grant request of $26,000 benefiting The End of the Runway Players. Motion: Cynthia Blankenship Second: Mike Oakley Ayes: Terpening, Blankenship, Babcock, Oakley, and Farbisz Nayes: None Approved: 5- 0 Director McCallum shared the grant request for Celebra Grapevine 2026. In observation of Hispanic Heritage Month in October, Latinos in Grapevine, an initiative of Dev Culture, Inc., is planning a community event to celebrate the contributions of the Latino population within the City of Grapevine, highlight local talent, and establish a platform for cultural arts and learning. The event aims to curate an elevated indoor experience that feels Like "Main Street meets Latin America" with music spanning regional Mexican, Caribbean, and Latin pop sounds, Mariachi performances, authentic food and beverage from local and regional Latino vendors, and lucha libre-inspired entertainment. There are also plans for a curated cultural fashion show. This family friendly event is planned for October and will take place at the Grapevine Convention Center. The group requested $4,000 to go towards publicity, promotion, printing costs and other professional service costs as well as a sponsorship of $6,800 to cover costs of the facility rental fee, linens and audio-visual fees. Discussion spoke to events such as these not only offering cultural experiences but also connecting those in need with services such as affordable healthcare options, addressing food insecurity and strengthening community bonds. Following discussion, Board Vice Chairman Terpening called for a motion to grant Dev Culture, Inc. $4,000 along with a sponsorship of $6,800 for Celebra Grapevine 2026. Motion: Mike Oakley Second: Jeff Babcock Ayes: Terpening, Blankenship, Babcock, Oakley, and Farbisz Nayes: None Approved: 5- 0 HQTELS/ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES Ms. Lyons announced that the Grand Hyatt DFW had completed its renovation that began in July 2025. Mr. Babcock reported on the many upgrades and overall transformation, including technology upgrades, addition of 17 guestrooms and suites, reimagined Grand Met restaurant, and the one -of -a -kind indoor/outdoor rooftop flight -deck event space overlooking the airport runways. Ms. Lyons shared the opening of Butter My Brunch on January 19, and Willhoite's Restaurant celebrated their 45th anniversary on January 14. Mrs. Blankenship shared that Bank of the West will celebrate their 40th anniversary on April 1. ADJOURNMENT Board Vice Chairman Terpening called for a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:37 a.m. Motion: Cynthia Blankenship Second: Kim Farbisz Ayes: Terpening, Blankenship, Babcock, Oakley, and Farbisz Nayes: None Approved: 5- 0 ATTEST: APPROVED. 04-,/y Becky Roberson ; Joe Szymaszek Executive Assistant Chairman