Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutVPCMinutes_2008_02_25Promotions Committee Meeting Minutes – February 25, 2008 City Hall Present: Victoria Blatchford, Sam Nelson, Bob Johnson, Zeno Wicks III, Tom Jones, Amy Einspahr, Lynn Darnell, Tom Richter, Al Heuton, Bridgit Burghardt, Doris Roden and Deb Garbers Absent: Jerry Miller, Shari Thornes, Rod Schaefer, and Chris Daugaard. • Blatchford called the meeting to order and called for any agenda changes. Burghardt asked to add the Brookings Radio Easter Egg Hunt under presenters and under voting. • Presentation: Holly Marshall– Motivational Speaker-April 24, 2008-Request $1,000 The event is put on by the Ag/Bio Prexy Council. The event will include a keynote and workshop. The keynote speech will focus on university students ready to enter the workforce. The workshop will focus on 10 things people do to ruin the family farm. The event is mainly geared toward students, but the public is invited especially to attend the workshop. • Attendance: 398 • Out of town: 10%-40 • No hotel rooms used • Commuters: 40x$40=$1600 • $1600x1.8=$2,880 est. impact • Local retention: 358x$10=$3,580 Peggy Spinski-Quilt Show-April 19-20, 2008-Request $500 Showed a quilt as an example of the quilts that would be shown at the show. Some of the quilters at the show have shown quilts nationally. The event is focused on promoting quilting. 300 quilts will be on display, with additional exhibits including wearable art. There will be a luncheon and a silent auction. The amount raised from the silent auction is donated to the volunteer bank. New to the event this year is a scissor sharpening shop and there will also be door prizes. Question into event dates? The event is Saturday and Sunday, with vendors setting up on Friday. • Attendance: 450 daily=900 • Out of town: 66%= 297 daily= 594 • 1st person lodging: 55x$104=$5,720x2 nights=$11,440 • 2nd person lodging: 55x$40=$2,200x2 nights=$4,400 • Commuters: 187x$40=$7480x2 nights=$14,960 • $11,440+4,400+14,960=$30,800x1.8=$55,440 est. impact • Local retention: 153x$10=$1530x2 days=$3060 Lanida Czekus–University Week for Women-July 9-11, 2008-Request: $4,000 The event dates changed this year, moved closer to Arts in the Park. The goal is to bring them in for University Week for Women and have them stay for the Arts Festival. Some of the people will be staying in dorms over the weekend. Attendees will be eating evening meals around town. Most of the attendees will stay on campus. Question into where the $4000 they are requesting will be used? Leftover money will be rolled over to start advertising for next year’s event. The committee meets throughout the state to develop courses, and contact people for seminars. • Attendance: 150 daily=450 • Out of town: 89%-133 daily=399 • 1st person lodging: 3x$104=$312x3 nights=$936 • 2nd person lodging: 3x$40=$120x3 nights=$360 • Commuters: 127x$40=$5,080x3nights=$15,240 • $936+360+15,240=$16,536x1.8=$29,764.80 est. impact • Local retention: 17x$10=$170x3days=$510 • Duayne Boesch –Brookings Radio Easter Egg Hunt-March 22, 2008-Request: $1500 This is the 6th annual egg hunt. The Radio Station has always been the driving force behind the event; it is a non revenue generating event for the station. Everything is based on donations. Lewis usually donates the candy, unsure if they will be able to do it this year. If no donations, the event will not happen. The attendance continues to increase at the egg hunt. They need something to give away. Question into if buying the candy at whole sale cost would be an option? The managers at the local store does not make the decision, everything has to go through corporate. • Attendance:250 • Out of town:20%-50 • Commuters: 50x$40=$2000x1.8=$3,600 est. impact • Local retention: 200x10=$2,000 • January 25 Minutes: Wicks moved to approve. Darnall seconded. Richter mentions there are a couple of corrections to be made. He will email Burghardt the corrections. Motion carries with the corrections. • Financials: Johnson questioned if we should talk about budget prior to voting? Blatchford explained we are not done with the planning session. Wicks motioned to approve. Jonson seconded. In budget discussion, will need to discuss current contracts and if you want to continue those contracts. Weldon questioned if there is anyway to track the promotions? We are using the website imaginebrookings.com just on the commercial and billboards as a way to track. Currently have roughly $89,000 to deal with until the end of the year. Caution regarding the funds, if all the bills come due today, we would be about $50,000 in the whole. The city funds have to catch up. The Swiftel and Student funds are not part of the amount. Heuton explained that as long as the city funds come in, we will be fine. Blatchford added that as we grow, if we prove ourselves and we need more, we can ask for more. Blatchford questioned how much cash we have now? Weldon asked to clarify where $101,000 came from. Explained $46,500 left at the end of 2007. Darnall asked how the student $35,000 got paid? Heuton explained that gets taken right off the top. Bottom line, $101,000 assuming city funds come in. Weldon added it is possible the city could pull funding. Wicks commented that it is on the books as what the committee gets. Darnall asked if the money stops, is the committee liable to pay the commitments? No, just would not be able to pay what you had committed. Darnall questioned if the city makes motion to give money? Blatchford answered it is in Resolution 83-04. The city allocates the money monthly, and could change the allocation. Wicks mentioned to do that, the council would have to go back and amend the budget. Weldon explained the money comes from the council, responsible to the city. It is unlikely it would be changed, but it could be. Heuton explained that if everyone decides they need their money now, we do not have the funds to pay. Blatchford asked if the amount is adjusted, what if there is not enough money? Do we need to add a disclaimer on the applications? Heuton suggested spending in rears, collect money for a quarter, and then award that money that has been collected. Wicks added only spend if the money is available. Heuton explained they could fund all the requests today, but long term do not spend money we do not have. Wicks questioned why have not added payments for 2008? Heuton explained there is no budget. The committee has not allocated funds to accounts, the budget line items might change. Wicks added currently $29,000 in the hole, if we do not allocate funds for two months, we would be back in the positive. Darnall mentioned we are a new committee and we are growing. More applications are coming in. Heuton suggested a budget discussion. Voting on: Motivational Speaker: Wicks motioned $1000 out of student funds. Nelson seconded. Motion Carries. Voting on: Quilt Show-April 19-20, 2008-Requst-$500 Johnson motioned $500 out of event funds. Nelson seconded. Wicks expressed that the committee does not have the money, they are in the hole. Johnson answered he is willing to take the risk that the money will be there. Blatchford added there are people coming from out of state. Richter explained they rent the county space. It is a good, existing event. Motion carries. Voting on: University Week for Women-July 9-11, 2008-Request: $4,000 Johnson questioned why they are asking for money? Blatchford explained the plus goes to next year’s budget. Johnson motioned not to fund. Jones seconded. Richter questioned if student funds could be used? Nelson answered no. Nelson questioned if they had ever requested money before? Burghardt answered no this is their first request for funds. Einspahr added if they do not need the money, we could use the money elsewhere. Blatchford expressed she liked that they moved the event to the Arts Festival weekend. Motion carries. • Voting on: Easter Egg Hunt-March 22, 2008-Request: $1500 Johnson questioned if Lewis does not give candy, can we could pay wholesale. That is pending. Do not want to be seen as the group that let the Easter egg hunt die, but is that our job? The event lasts about five minutes; it is a good community event. Darnall questioned funding at $750 if do not get the candy for free? Call Cami and tell her what we talked about and give them $750 for candy. Nelson motioned to defer the vote until Monday, and Burghardt send out an email vote. Give the radio station time to find other avenues for candy, other possible sponsors. Johnson questioned if they talked to service organizations? Johnson seconded. Motion carries. • Advertising Contracts: Wicks questioned what the principal purpose was? Blatchford explained getting people here was phase one. Weldon questioned why Kelo? Decision based on viewership. Weldon added he feels the ads on Kelo are great. Those ads are the envy of other communities and would recommend the committee keep doing them. Wicks mentioned Aberdeen has started commercials. Weldon added the branding is outstanding. Feel it would be a mistake if they did not continue. Heuton explained the committee received permission from BEDC to use the Imagine theme. Einspahr expressed she feels CBS misrepresented the size and dimensions of the billboards. Wicks mentioned the Arts Festival might be willing to work with the City. Dave designs their boards. Heuton added he has heard comments regarding not knowing the girl on the billboard. Johnson questioned if we are channeling our efforts into conventions and tournaments, do we need billboards? Darnall expressed she likes the billboards, just not the ones we have right now. Nelson suggested finding new locations. Einspahr question if co-ops would be an option. Offer something like we will help pay for the board if you use the Imagine theme. Burghardt reminded the committee they can not promote specific businesses. Suggests regarding the billboards include switching the Hailey Steele photo for Arts Festival and finding different boards to rent. •Voting on CBS Billboard Contract: Darnall motioned not to renew. Jones seconded. Motion carries. • Wick leaves the meeting. • Voting on Keloland Contract: Blatchford motioned to renew contract. Einspahr seconded. Motion carries. • Budget/Allocation of Funds: Heuton gave recap of planning regarding allocating funds to tournaments and conventions. Allocate funds to tournaments: recruit 1-2 state tournaments. Currently we are funding eight tournaments. Conventions: 2007 funded two conventions. Create four new science and tech conventions. There are 10-18 other conventions happening in Brookings that did not receive funding from this committee. Also have funds for quality of life, feel good things to do. Current spending in 2008: $31,884 in tournaments, quality of life $32,800, and funds spent on advertising. Tournaments and conventions have lag time for funds. If commit $16,000, it might not come due until 2011. Blatchford added if the Swiftel Addition goes through, we have another tool to promote. Heuton explained last year funded two conventions. Blatchford questioned what a typical bid would be for a convention. Garbers explained it depends on attendance. If attendance is 300, it could require funding of $500-700. Larger groups could require $1000- 1200. 10-18 conventions come here now without sponsorship from Promotions. Science and Technology is a new market, may require a familiarization tour, an invitation, the creation of a new program. The hope then becomes the conventions become a cycle and it is less expensive. Richter mentioned if budget 2008, may not come until 2011. Some could be expensed in 2008 and some in years to come. Heuton suggested if they want to do this, allocate money to work the system. Blatchford expressed not being comfortable allocating amounts, not being through the planning session. Over allocated in some accounts, if not careful there won’t have money to do what we want. Einspahr added need to decide how much focus on promoting vs. events. Maybe hire a photographer to shoot pictures during events. Nelson added he likes the breakdown of funds, just might have to tweak the numbers. This is more focus than we have had, the model makes more sense. Heuton explained that if you want to get into tournaments, state tournaments are expensive. Sioux Falls is going after science technology conference. They are up against heavy hitters, but they are one of five finalists. They are looking for before and after networking possibilities. We could possibly get them up here, but it could cost $5,000 for half a day. We need to allocate funds and stick to that amount. Heuton suggested setting the applications up on cycle, and also entering executive session when discussing the applications. Use executive session to discuss the applications, and then vote out of executive session. Heuton suggested allocating money to state tournaments and youth tournaments. For example, allocate funds for applicants. Applicants apply for funds; compare the applicants that are applying. Allocate funds to state and youth tournament, and Bridgit and Deb go and get tournaments. Allocate funds for conventions, funds used to get conventions. Blatchford questioned how the city would feel about Promotions funding CVB? Heuton explained it would be funding her ability to get conventions. Would do research and come back and tell committee what would like to do. Jones added we might bid four conventions, and not get them. Heuton answered the money then goes back into the pot. Darnall suggested it is more proactive, if loosen the reigns. Heuton added science and technology will take some leg work on campus. Looking at those as a focus, will come back to committee and ask for funds. Blatchford added prior to bid, will need solicitation package, need to allocate money to solicitation package. It needs to be professional and able to compete. Richter added the addition will help attract other conventions. We have limitations and will try to attract other types of conventions. Funds will be needed to cultivate business. • Blatchford motioned to freeze application until the budget allocation and planning session is complete. Johnson seconded. Nelson suggested exempt student and Swiftel funds. Motion carries. •Motion to adjourn by Nelson. Seconded by Johnson. Meeting adjourned.