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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Marketing Committee 02/16/2016PALM DESERT ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, February 16, 2016 — 4:00 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Rolf Hoehn called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Arlene Amick Emily Bird-Hrivnak Franchesca Forrer Rolf Hoehn, Chair Mahasti Islami Bruce Nation Jeffrey Norman Ray Rodriguez Members Absent: Theresa Maggio, Vice -Chair Staff /Others Present: Thomas Soule, Tourism & Marketing Manager Martin Alvarez, Economic Development Director David Hermann, Management Analyst Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development Manager Barbara Blythe, Tourism & Marketing Specialist Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary Art Davis III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Thomas Soule, the City's new Tourism and Marketing Manager, introduced himself to the Committee. He is pleased and excited to be here and has been on the job for 3 weeks. His previous experience was at the La Quinta Resort and he loves the Coachella Valley. Chairman Hoehn welcomed Mr. Soule and let him know that he can reach out to any of the Committee members for support and help. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF NOVEMBER 17, 2015. Ray Rodriguez moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the November 17, 2015, meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Emily Bird-Hrivnak and carried by a 7-0-2 vote. (AYES: Bird-Hrivnak, Forrer, Nation, Norman, Islami, Rodriguez and Hoehn; NOES: None; ABSENT: Amick and Maggio) V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. SELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE -CHAIR FOR REMAINDER OF 2016 Chairman Hoehn opened the nominations for Chair and Vice -Chair. At this point in the meeting Arlene Amick arrived. Jeffrey Norman moved, by Minute Motion, to nominate Rolf Hoehn as Chair and Ray Rodriguez moved to nominate Theresa Maggio as Vice -Chair for the remainder of 2016. The motions were seconded by Jeffrey Norman and carried by an 8-0-1 vote. (AYES: Amick, Bird-Hrivnak, Forrer, Nation, Norman, Islami, Rodriguez and Hoehn; NOES: None; ABSENT: Maggio) B. UPDATE ON DIGITAL ADVERTISING PROGRAMS Mr. Soule provided an overview of the last quarter's digital advertising. The transitional campaign has been pretty effective, showing a 6% increase to the website gear -over -year. Of note was a 25% bump in traffic between December 25 and January 1st. This anomaly suggests that people were searching for New Year's Eve activities. A lot of the traffic is Palm Desert specific. Nearly 50% of visitors are coming from smart phones and tablet usage is steady at 19%. There are stronger conversions from tablets, so there is more opportunity for conversions from smart phones and desktops. Conversions are measured by people who sign up for the e-newsletter and/or request a travel guide. Conversions for the e-newsletter are up 281 % year -over -year; 183 last January compared to 698 now. Mr. Soule feels this is due to H&L's decision to create specific landing pages to match the digital ads that are clicked. We are seeing increased efficiency with a lower spend, freeing up dollars to spend elsewhere. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 Responding to question, Mr. Soule said H&L has been tasked with providing a creative brief for a new ad campaign that speaks to where the City is today to replace the transitional one. The "Feel the Warmth" campaign was created about 4 years ago. He may approach some the Committee members to get their ideas and feedback. There is some money in this fiscal year's budget to do some video shooting, but it has to be done by the end of April. He doesn't want to shoot any video without having a sense of the new ad campaign, so he has asked H&L to rush their ideas. C. UPDATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PROGRAMS Barbara Blythe noted that she had provided an update to the Committee last January. The Social Media Report has been redone and no longer shows comparisons with last year. The Visitor Services Report still shows year to year numbers. The Social Media Update Report is designed to show a snapshot of how things look compared to one year ago and shows core demographics. There is a dramatic increase in Facebook followers due in large part to programs put in place by Madden Media. Twitter and Pinterest are plugging along. The biggest change has been in Instagram, which was launched a year ago. There are now well over 1,200 followers, gaining about 100 followers per month. It has not been promoted heavily. Instagram is the top media platform and has a lot of potential in supporting our brand to the young millennial demographic — 18 to 24 year -olds with income. They will be our target in 5 to 10 years. It is critical to treat Instagram as an important partner. Franchesca Forrer asked if there was any thought for co-ops with paid pins for travel. Ms. Blythe responded by saying that she has not looked for ways to see it take off. What has been done is involve an additional staff person, Brianne Lawson, to go beyond maintenance and put in fresh content. This past month has been the first time this fiscal year that the number of engaged viewers has gone up. Mr. Soule added that the digital strategy has been to promote on Facebook. Pinterest is becoming a more viable channel as a niche market in terms of ROI. Ms. Blythe also said Pinterest is valuable for travel planning but is also dependent on great visuals. Additional photography and videography will help support what we want to do. It is a challenge to find pinable images for local businesses. With Committee concurrence, the Update on Social Media Programs was received and filed. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 D. UPDATE ON 2016 PALM DESERT MEDIA TOUR The media tour was discussed at the November Marketing Committee meeting. It was a lot of work and was a fabulous event with 10 writers representing a variety of publications from across the country. The Committee members were extremely helpful in providing experiences. Information will be shared as it becomes available and regular reports will be done on the relative value we are getting. Geiger & Associates will track the impressions derived from the articles. In response to Mr. Rodriguez' question, Ms. Blythe said the busy itinerary came out of early conversations last November. Some of the writers actually asked for an extra day because there was more to see. There were 2 tracks for the writers — arts and outdoors, but they all blended their activities. All seemed to have a positive response to what they experienced. With Committee concurrence, the Update on the 2016 Palm Desert Media Tour was received and filed. E. REQUEST FOR SPONSORSHIP OF MY SKINS GAME & CELEBRITY FRIENDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Mr. Soule reported that this event has been cancelled. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None Vill. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS Mayor Pro Tern Harnik asked for feedback from the Swing 'N Hops Street Party held on Saturday, February 6tn Ruth Ann Moore said a survey has gone out to the merchants. The core group of organizers will bring back a report to this Committee. More people attended than were anticipated. Attendance is estimated at 3,000 of a wide age range and a diverse group. The event is definitely planned for next year. Chairman Hoehn asked what the target group was. After much research, swing dancing was found to be very hot with millennials. The whole 3 blocks were packed and several merchants took advantage of it. The only complaint heard was that the dance floor was not big 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 enough. The food vendors made money. There was also a car show on the ends. Mayor Pro Tern Harnik added that a New Year's Eve event on El Paseo would be a lot of fun. Also, the City did a presentation at the Building Industry Association (BIA) and the Desert Valley Builders Association (DVBA) about the General Plan Update and the changes that will occur with height restrictions and mixed use ideas to create a "city center." The changes would provide walkable areas for events such as the Swing "N Hops. The ideas were very well received and will have a positive effect. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair From the Airport Commission, January was a good month; basically even with last year. With the increased number of flights and the non-stop to New York, it looks good for the spring. Hotels are reporting good numbers. There was discussion regarding the Canadian presence in the Valley and the flow of money to Mexico. The CVB marketing programs are working very well. The construction at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is complete. They received the Certificate of Occupancy last week. Ticket sales look great and they are searching for more hotel rooms. Ms. Moore stated that Hotel Paseo will not open until September of 2017. B. Committee Members Ray Rodriguez reported that all is well. Bruce Nation noted that there are close to 400 golfers each day, and lunch is 300-500 each day. There are weddings almost every weekend. They missed the Canadians in the fall, but February and March are looking good. Mahasti Islami stated that it is already the 7th week of the concert series. They started a little early, also missing Canadian attendees. There is an Easter pet adoption event and Fashion Week is coming. Dining is doing great. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 Emily Bird-Hrivnak said the hotel has been super busy; it's a great time of year. A few of the suites have just been renovated. Jeffrey Norman said that Jersey Boys opens tonight with 8 performances virtually sold out. Only a few seats are available. The Theatre is at 104% of its projected revenue to date. The first institutional brochure has been produced to educate people on the extraordinary things that happen there. People don't realize that the McCallum Theatre is a non-profit organization and has a million dollar education program for schools. The McCallum Theatre Institute is partnering with College of the Desert for an exhibition at the Marks Art Center called "An Open Book 2" and 1,700 kids will be exposed to that exhibition. The 2016-17 season is being buttoned up. Franchesca Forrer reported that the mall got a "mini makeover" with furnishings inspired by Desert Modernism. Coachella Valley Art Scene will be working out of the mall with a soft start of "MAKE Art and Music Lounge" this Thursday in a 6,000 square foot vacant space. "MAKE" will include crafts, live music, art gallery, visiting artists, lending library, vintage vinyl, and a community art project for a sculpture that will hang in the center of the mall. There is also a happy hour daily with vintage movies and coloring therapy. Arlene Amick added that Coachella Valley Art Scene provides interactive crafts for First Friday. About 400 attended the February First Friday. The Still Life exhibition will end this Sunday, and the new one will open March 4t" with Donna MacMillan's Baroque to Bling! collection. The Museum is in the middle of a strategic plan to determine how the 3 facilities will work together. Regarding the 2 open positions on the Committee, Mayor Pro Tern Harnik said the Council is reviewing the appointed committee and commission positions. The idea is to "right size" and "right time" the committees. Until that is done, there won't be any interviews for committees. A timeline should be done in the next few weeks. C. Staff Ruth Ann Moore gave a few store updates. Off 5th Avenue will be going into the old Office Max location at El Paseo Square, as well as 4 food vendors. Fatburger is open next to Olive Garden. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Services Report N. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 16, 2016 Now that visitor services are in City Hall, the numbers are not like they were at the stand-alone location, but staff is busy providing information to people who are seeking it out. With Committee concurrence, the Visitor Services Report was received and filed. XII. NEXT MEETING DATE — MARCH 15, 2016 Chairman Hoehn noted that he will not be in attendance at the March meeting because of the Tennis Tournament. XIII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 5:06 p.m. Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary 7