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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC23860 Full Gallop Marketing Communications - Advertising ServicesCITY OF PALM DESERT COMMUNITY SERVICES STAFF REPORT REQUEST: Award Contract No. C23860 to Full Gallop Marketing Communications in the amount of $85,800 for Advertising Services. DATE: June 9, 2005 CONTENT: Contract; Resolution 03-49; Minutes of Marketing Committee Meeting of April 19, 2005 Recommendation: By Minute Motion, concur with the Marketing Committee's recommendation and award Contract No. C23860 to Full Gallop Marketing Communications in the amount of $85,800 for Advertising Services for fiscal year 2005/06 and authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement on behalf of the City. Executive Summary: As stated in resolution number 03-49 (attached) for the creation of the Marketing Committee, every five years, or as otherwise recommended, the Committee is responsible for participating in the review process of all interested agencies. An RFQ was advertised and four qualified agencies were interviewed. After much discussion, the Marketing Committee made a recommendation to once again award the contract to Full Gallop Marketing. Over the past five years, the marketing efforts of Palm Desert have matured and an upscale, yet fun image has been established. With creative ideas such as airport pillar wraps and bus shelters in other cities, Palm Desert's brand has become known Valley - wide. Through a well -planned media schedule, Palm Desert also has developed name recognition regionally. Full Gallop Marketing has played a pivotal role in creating materials that better serve our visitors as well as residents. Additionally, other city departments benefit from Ms. Close's expertise. She has successfully organized several City events, as well as worked with Business Support and Public Works on promotional materials. The financial arrangement with Full Gallop Marketing has been mutually beneficial. While most agencies (including our former agencies) charge markups, collect commissions on media buys, and base their fees on the overall budget, Full Gallop Marketing charges only for a monthly retainer for the scope of its contract. This has resulted in a significant amount of savings to the City. The amount of work in the last five years has continually increased; therefore a ten percent increase in retainer has been proposed and approved by the Marketing Committee. Full Gallop's monthly retainer will increase by $650 per month, for a total annual contract of $85,800. CONTRACT NO. c23860 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT 1. Parties: This Agency Service Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into this 30" day of June, 2005, by and between the CITY OF PALM DESERT, a municipal corporation, hereinafter referred to as "CITY", and FULL GALLOP MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS, hereinafter referred to as "FULL GALLOP." 2. Scope of Services: Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, FULL GALLOP shall furnish and provide the following services and materials, including but not limited to those services outlined in the proposal presented to and accepted by the Palm Desert Marketing Committee: a) Prepare or cause to be prepared art work and advertisements for approval by the CITY or its designee. In connection therewith, FULL GALLOP shall: i) Work within the approved marketing plan and schedule as set forth by the Marketing Committee for the period between June 30, 2005, and June 30, 2006, for approval by the CITY or its designee, which plan and schedule shall include recommendations as to the media, art and copy appeals, budgets and coordination of such advertising with other marketing and advertising activities within the City of Palm Desert; G Cn%CIrk Knsq Knndmg_WP DatasFull GaUopn Contract 2005-06 upd 1 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. c23860 ii) Prepare cost estimates and furnish the same to the CITY, or its designee, for their approval, enter into contracts for space or time in media for approved advertisement, and forward copy and instruction for placement; iii) Create, design, and supervise the production of advertising to be published in newspapers, periodicals, magazines, trade journals, and other media; iv) Check insertion of approved advertising and otherwise verify proper delivery and distribution thereof; v) Maintain a permanent file of all art work and advertising materials, which shall be the property of the CITY and shall be made available to the CITY for use by it without additional cost or charge; and vi) Evaluate and recommend payment for all expenses incurred for art work and advertisements and for the placement and publishing thereof in newspapers, periodicals, magazines, trade journals, and other media subject to reimbursement in accordance with the provisions of Section 4. b) Prepare, publish, and distribute or cause to be prepared, published, and distributed such publications containing matter publicizing Palm Desert G Cn,,CLtk Kns[. Kncidrng,WP D+ta'FuU GaUopn Contract 2005-06 tvpd 2 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. C23860 facilities and services (including but not limited to collateral materials, brochures, website design, and special projects) as may be requested by the CITY or its designee. In connection therewith, FULL GALLOP shall: i) Furnish or cause to be furnished all required research, writing, editing, type specification, typesetting, photography, layout, illustration, assembly, and all other details connected with any such requested projects; ii) Perform such other services as may be necessary to print, publish, and distribute any such projects; and iii) Evaluate and recommend payment for all expenses incurred for the preparation and distribution of any such projects in accordance with Section 4. C. Assist in the promotion of such public relations events as the CITY or its designee may request. In connection therewith, FULL GALLOP shall: i) Prepare or cause to be prepared such exhibit and display materials as may be requested and approved in writing by the CITY or its designee; and ii) Evaluate and recommend payment of all expenses incurred in the preparation of exhibits and display materials in accordance with Section 4. G CnyChK Kruty Knmdtng RP Data Full GaDopn Contract 2005-06 %qd 3 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. c23860 3) Term: The term of this contract shall commence on June 30, 2005, and end on June 30, 2006. 4) Compensation: The amount budgeted for advertising and publicizing the City of Palm Desert's facilities, services, events, and for the production of collateral materials is established as part of the City's fiscal year budget for the period of July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006. The CITY's liability for advertising materials and services under this contract shall not exceed the amount budgeted. The CITY reserves the right, at any time during the term or any extension thereof, to adjust the amount budgeted for advertising services. Prior to performing any services orfurnishing any material contemplated by this contract to be undertaken and furnished by FULL GALLOP, the CITY or its designee, after conferring with FULL GALLOP, shall authorize the services rendered and materials to be furnished, the agreed compensation to be paid forthese services, the manner of payment, the description of the estimate of reimbursable expense, and such other matters as may be deemed proper. Subject to the limitations and provisions set forth in this Section, the CITY shall compensate and reimburse FULL GALLOP as follows: a) The CITY will pay FULL GALLOP a flat fee of seven thousand one hundred fifty dollars ($7,150) per month to cover advertising services and other projects, including but not limited to collateral materials, brochures, website design, and special projects (in accordance with the proposal presented by FULL GALLOP to the Promotion Committee and/or any marketing mutually G CtnfUk'Kruty Kneidunz WP Data -Full Gallop Contract 2005-06 wpd 4 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. c23860 agreed to by the parities hereto). Such services include but are not limited to meetings, account planning and service, production management, media planning and buying, secretarial and clerical. The parties estimate that FULL GALLOP will provide an average of approximately 160 hours per month of services; the actual number of hours provided in a given month may be more or less than 160. b) Any work outside the scope contained in this agreement will be billed at one hundred twenty five dollars ($125) per hour or on an agreed upon project fee by the departments requesting the service. c) FULL GALLOP will purchase media at the lowest rate available. All billings will be submitted at net costs for payment by the CITY. FULL GALLOP will not markup billings or receive commissions. d) FULL GALLOP shall bill the CITY monthly for the previous month's activities. Each invoice shall contain, in reasonable detail, the projects and services worked on and rendered with supporting documentation or reimbursable costs and expenses. Payment and reimbursement will be made in due course of payment by the CITY. e) FULL GALLOP shall keep full and accurate books of accounts and records and other pertinent data in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles reflecting all transactions contemplated by this Agreement. G'('11 0&KTISIN Knetdmg WP Data Full Gallopn Contract 2005-06n%,pd 5 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. C23860 5) Termination: Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time by giving the other party thirty (30) days written notice of its intent to terminate, provided, however, the CITY's obligation to compensate and reimburse FULL GALLOP for services rendered or materials furnished or contracted for as of the date of notification by either party of the election to terminate, shall continue in accordance with the terms herein. 6) Marketina Committee: The CITY reserves the right to designate the Marketing Committee of the CITY or any other committee or individual as its representative for any part of the review and approval retained by the CITY under any provisions of this Agreement and will advise FULL GALLOP of such designation, and such designation shall continue until modified by the CITY. 7) Owner of Work: All art work, advertisement of any form, exhibit and display materials or other printed material, logos, designs, drawings, and models prepared or performed under this Agreement shall be the property of the CITY. FULL GALLOP specifically transfers any "right of reproduction" as defined by California Civil Code S982 and S988 to the CITY and its assigns. FULL GALLOP also agrees to maintain adequate books and records of all works in progress throughout the duration of this Agreement. Said books and records shall be and remain the property of the CITY upon the expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement. Within five (5) days of any expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement, FULL G CayClrk Krsiy Kneiding WP Data Full Gallopn Contract 200)-06 wpd 6 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. C23860 GALLOP agrees that it shall provide the CITY with the aforementioned books and records. G ,CigClrk-Knst.� KnctdaW.WP Data PuU GaUopn Contract 2005-06 -N 7 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR SERVICES AGREEMENT CONTRACT NO. C23860 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective authorized officers or representatives as of the date and year first above written. FULL GALLOP MARKETING CITY OF PALM DESERT COMMUNICATIONS A Municipal Corporation By: By: Printed Name: Date: (SIGNATURE MUST BE NOTARIZED) ATTEST: In G CityClrk-Krmy Knetdmg-WP DataYd Gallop Contract 2005-06 wpd City Clerk RESOLUTION NO. 03-49 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, DISBANDING THE PROMOTION COMMITTEE AND ESTABLISHING A PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE WHEREAS, the Palm Desert City Council amended the bylaws and established new direction for the Promotion Committee on September 11, 1997, to advise the City of Palm Desert regarding the best method of planning and implementing an advertising, activities, and promotion program; and WHEREAS, the responsibilities of the Promotion Committee, as it was established in 1997, were to review monthly billing, to evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and direct an outside marketing agency; and WHEREAS, in July, 2000, the City created the position of Marketing Manager to bring a more dedicated effort and focus to the marketing of the City, at a significantly reduced rate. The responsibilities of this position have replaced those assigned to the Promotion Committee as it was established; and WHEREAS, the City Council formed a subcommittee of staff and two Council liaisons for the purpose of reviewing the goals, objectives, and bylaws. The City Council has found it appropriate to review all of its committees and commissions, particularly those long established, for the purpose of determining the role of the committee today in Palm Desert, its organization, its structure, and effectiveness; and WHEREAS, this review has been completed with a finding that the existing Promotion Committee in its current structure is not meeting the City's needs as they exist today. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, that Resolution No. 97-77, establishing the organization, objectives, and responsibilities of the Palm Desert Promotion Committee is hereby rescinded. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, that a Marketing Committee shall be established with the following organization, objectives, and responsibilities: 1. The objective of the Marketing Committee will be to review, monitor, and evaluate the marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts. GACityClrk%Karen Russo%ftenda hemslResolution-Promtion CommHtee.vmd Page 1 r RESOLUTION NO. 03-49 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, DISBANDING THE PROMOTION COMMITTEE AND ESTABLISHING A PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE i April 24, 2003 PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, at its regular meeting held on the 24" day of April, 2003, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: CRITES, FERGUSON, KELLY, SPIEGEL, BENSON NONE NONE 1 NONE 1ENSON,'MAYOR ATTEST: RACHELLE D. LASSE CITY CLERK GACityCWk%Ksren RussoWpenda kemMResolution-Promotion ComrtfM".wpd Page 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MARCH 15, 2005. Mr. Mandelbaum moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the minutes of the January 18, 2005, with changes to reflect that Graeme Baxter limited edition prints retail for $240 and the open edition prints retail for $55. Motion was seconded by Mr. Darius and carried by unanimous vote. V. NEW BUSINESS A. ADVERTISING COORDINATOR PRESENTATIONS ROLF HOEHN, Marketing Solutions Group, addressed the Committee. He gave a presentation to the Committee regarding his experience and credentials. Councilmember Spiegel was impressed with Aero Mexico's ad campaign, and asked Mr. Hoehn if it was successful. Mr. Hoehn said it was important to create a position wherein the reaction from the public was positive. To that end, they had received a lot of positive feedback from the public. He said they also did post testing to verify the success of the ad campaign. Mr. Mandelbaum was also impressed with the Aero Mexico campaign and asked Mr. Hoehn how he energized personnel to get them involved. Mr. Hoehn said they held internal and quality daily work programs for the employees. He added that the airline had, for the past 10 years, an excellent on -time performance record. He said the employees were proud that they were contributing to that record. Upon question by Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Hoehn said the Golf Experience was a small business development company. He said the company wanted to expand its business and was interested in developing programs to Mexico. He added that he was developing golf programs to Cabo San Lucas, which would be sold and marketed directly to Golf Experience's client base. Upon question by Mr. Darius, Mr. Hoehn responded that he was the only employee of Marketing Solutions Group. CATHY TEAL, of Firebrand Design Inc., addressed the Committee. She stated that she had over 20 years of experience in advertising, design, marketing, communications, managing creative teams, vendors, and clients. She said she had worked for the City of Santa Monica since 1987 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 and was still employed by them. She had also worked with the City of Anaheim, the City of Pasadena, the City of Los Angeles, and the MTA. She added that she had also worked for the City of Hollywood on its "Discover Hollywood" and "Hollywood Festival" campaigns, which was a destination marketing communications plan. She also spoke to the work she performed for the Harvey Milliken Foundation. Ms. Kneiding inquired about the kind of projects Ms. Teal had done for other cities. Ms. Teal said for the City of Santa Monica she had done everything from t-shirts to increasing the ridership on the Big Blue Bus. She was also involved in the campaign to help persuade residents to be more conscientious with their water usage, and she worked on private/public sector partnership events coordinated by the City, as well as events by the Third Street Promenade Merchants Association. Mr. Mandelbaum asked Ms. Teal if she had experience with budgeting a plan at the beginning of a fiscal year and then executing that plan within that budget. Ms. Teal responded that the City of Santa Monica worked differently in that they did not have a centralized control center. She said she performed work for the Environmental Programs Division and the Utilities Division. Those two divisions had budgets for the projects that they wanted completed. Mr. Mandelbaum asked who had hired her from those departments. She said sometimes she responded to an RFQ, and other times she pitched creatively for the projects. Upon question by Ms. Bowen, Ms. Teal responded that the first thing she would do to familiarize herself with a new client would be to review the previous ad campaign and figure out what hadn't worked in the past. She would also ask the client what they wanted to achieve in the future. Upon question by Councilmember Spiegel, Ms. Teal stated that she and her husband purchased a home here in 1995 and moved here permanently in 2002. She added that they previously lived in Tucson, Arizona. Upon question by Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Teal said she and her husband preferred the Coachella Valley to Scottsdale because it was still small. Mr. Rodriquez inquired about how Ms. Teal viewed the area, and what she felt was interesting and unique or worth presenting to the world. Ms. Teal stated that every area was different, but she felt it was real clear that the quality of life here was so much better than that in Los Angeles or San Diego. K, APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 Upon question by Ms. Bowen, Ms. Teal responded that she was involved in the budget process for the Environmental Programs Division at the City of Santa Monica and for her private sector clients as well. She added that she would regularly create full marketing plans for her private clients. Upon question by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Teal said that she had experience with media buys and was familiar with the local and national newspapers. Upon question by Councilmember Benson, Ms. Teal responded that the 20 hours listed on her proposal were collective hours. She added that she could act as the City's agent, or she could act as the City's agency. Ms. Gilligan asked Ms. Teal if she was familiar with the City's existing ad campaign. Ms. Teal said she unfortunately was not. Ms. Bowen asked if Ms. Teal had looked at the City's website and, if so, what stood out for her the most. Ms. Teal responded that she had seen the City's website and thought it was one of the better of the Valley cities. She thought it had a great deal of information and was concise and fast. Upon question by Mr. Mandelbaum, Ms. Teal said that she was aware of the growth in the Coachella Valley. She felt the City had a very important role to play in terms of keeping up the infrastructure, developing campaigns to inform the residents about water conservation, and protecting the environment. She felt development should be planned, thoughtful, and in keeping with planned growth. Upon question by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Teal said she was a designer and did her own production work as well. She added that she worked with two freelancers on a full time basis. Upon question by Councilmember Spiegel, Ms. Teal said she was familiar with several key events that the City had throughout the year. Councilmember Spiegel asked Ms. Teal what she believed she could bring to the City of Palm Desert. Ms. Teal responded that she had 20 years of destination and event marketing experience and could contribute a great deal. She added that she had invaluable experience with public and private partnerships, building events, working with advertisers, and working with cities to make sure that all parties get what they need out of the process. Ms. Teal distributed some examples of her work to the Committee members. 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 Discussion: Ms. Bowen said Ms. Teal did not exhibit any chemistry, passion, or energy for the position of Advertising Coordinator for the City. She felt that the fact that Ms. Teal was not familiar with the City's current ad campaign was contrary to her comments about contacting Ms. Kneiding for the past two years. Also, the fact that Santa Monica was dropping her to go with local vendors concerned her as well. She also felt that Ms. Teal was having difficulty explaining her fees. Ms. Bird felt that Ms. Teal's creativity was a step down from the City's current standards. Mr. Mandelbaum commented that Mr. Hoehn was very prepared and that he reviewed all of the Marketing Committee meeting minutes prior to his presentation. He said Mr. Hoehn had a lot of qualities that he liked and spoke to instrumental concerns, like the infrastructure, and covered all the main selling points of Palm Desert. He thought Mr. Hoehn's presentation was interesting and believed that they were getting a good cross representation of what was available out in the market. FRANK FURINO and STEPHANIE GREENE, Creative I Group, introduced themselves to the Committee. Ms. Greene described their marketing firm and elaborated on their client list and the body of work they were currently performing for those clients; i.e., radio, television, billboard projects, and special events coordination. She stated that they were public relations experts, and that was something they would bring to the table, as well as other skills. Ms. Greene complimented the City on its current marketing campaign. Mr. Furino said one of the nice things about their client base was that they were all Palm Desert oriented. They were fortunate enough to be with the McCallum Theatre during its growth, and they felt privileged to be able to work with them. They had taken El Paseo and kept it 'in the forefront of the retail business industry. They loved working with and for the City, and if there were something they could bring to the party, over and above the incredible job that Ms. Close had done, they would be thrilled to be a part of that. Upon question by Councilmember Benson, Mr. Furino responded that he and Ms. Greene believed that working with the El Paseo Business Improvement District would be complimentary to working with the City of Palm Desert. In fact, they felt that it would be advantageous to provide marketing for both entities. Ms. Greene added that the City of Palm 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 Desert account would be further reaching, wherein El Paseo does not leave the Valley. Councilmember Benson inquired about how the El Paseo Business Improvement District would feel about their working with the City of Palm Desert. Ms. Greene responded that she and Mr. Furino spoke with the Board about the prospect of their working for the City, and the Board was unanimously in favor. Upon question by Councilmember Spiegel, Mr. Furino said that the City of Palm Desert was unique in what it had to offer, especially in goods and services. Certainly the growth here was phenomenal, and he was waiting for the growth to peak, but it does not look like it would anytime soon. Ms. Greene said what was really important for the City of Palm Desert, and the future, was to leverage what the City had done into bigger and better things. She said her first job in the Valley was working with Sonny Bono on the P.S. I Love You campaign, which put Palm Springs on the map. She said that was the kind of deal they could bring to the table. Mr. Mandelbaum asked if they felt the City of Palm Desert should be playing a bigger role in going outside the box to promote Palm Desert. Ms. Greene said absolutely. She said Palm Desert had everything a city needed to be a destination location; i.e., hotels, golf, restaurants, dining, and entertainment. She said every advertising dollar should work extremely hard. Mr. Furino added that the marketing should be designed to bring in the right kind of visitor. Upon question by Councilmember Spiegel, Ms. Greene responded that they do not represent Spotlight 29. Upon question by Mr. Mandelbaum, Ms. Greene said the reason their client list was so selective was because when you hire Creative I Group, you get Mr. Furino and Ms. Greene. All of their clients have access to them. Ms. Greene gave a brief overview of the Creative I Group's staff. Mr. Rodriguez inquired as to what impressed them the most about the City's current ad campaign. Ms. Greene said the coffee table book was absolutely stunning and a stroke of genius. The Palm Desert Rocks campaign was an excellent way to execute the multi -dimension of Palm Desert. Mr. Furino added that from a creative perspective, he loved the Palm Desert Rocks campaign. Upon question by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Greene said their retainers do not include a set hourly limit or a commission structure. Whatever it takes to get the job complete, they would do. She added that the $6,000 per month fee listed on their proposal would guarantee the City 60 hours per month. 1.1 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 Ms. Bowen said she was the only one in the room who had not had the pleasure of meeting them. She congratulated them on their wonderful presentation. Discussion: Mr. Mandelbaum commented that with Creative I Group they would get a team and with Full Gallop Marketing they get total commitment and loyalty, plus Ms. Close had done a very good job for five years. He said Mr. Hoehn had a very good thought process. If he could reinvent the wheel, Ms. Close would join Creative I Group, and they would have everything. He felt the one thing that Creative I Group could bring was a world of experience, and it would be nice to have that. He added that he had known Ms. Greene fairly well and worked with her for about four years. He added that she was probably one of the most dedicated and committed people you would ever meet. Ms. Bowen said she thought of that as well, joining forces. She said it would take Ms. Close's career to a new level and move Creative I Group to new heights. Ms. Kneiding said she liked the fact that Creative I Group complimented Ms. Close on doing a good job. She respected them for acknowledging the progression the City has had in its ad campaign. Ms. Gilligan commented that everyone who submitted a proposal had the same opportunity to go to City Hall and get information, including the City's budget. She said Mr. Hoehn was the only one who requested all of that information. Mr. Darius stated that he enjoyed working with Creative I Group at the McCallum Theatre. He said their experiences and strengths complement each other. However, he did feel as though they rarely showed initiative when it came to gathering information for projects. Ms. Gilligan said that working with an advertising agency was quite different from working with an individual. She said an agency would come with more experience and expertise; however, they were always looking at the net billings because ad agencies make a lot of money off of their ads and buys. She was very impressed with Creative I Group, and with what they had accomplished with El Paseo. PIPER CLOSE, Full Gallop Marketing, addressed the Committee. Ms. Close gave a presentation on the projects and campaigns that she had created for the City during the past five years. She further spoke about 7 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 the process of creating a logo, a website, branding the City, and the Table Top book, which won a distinction at the local Addy Awards. The book went on to the district level and won a Silver Addy. She added that awards were nice, and it was nice to be recognized for the work that you had done, but it by no means measured what was good, what produced results. She also spoke about the virtual tour that she was currently working on, which was her way of taking the Table Top book and turning it into a video that would be included in the new vacation planner. Ms. Close also reviewed the projects that she had been involved with for the following departments: Business Support; Art in Public Places; Visitor Information Center; Community Services (Recycle); Public Works (Landscape); and the Sister Cities Committee. She said she had been with Desert Willow since its inception. She was its first Marketing Director and was involved with the image creation of Desert Willow. She enjoyed being able to return to Desert Willow through the City. Ms. Close concluded that she was pleased and proud to have been a part of the marketing of the City of Palm Desert for the past five years. She would very much like to remain as the City of Palm Desert's Advertising Coordinator. Mr. Mandelbaum asked Ms. Close how she saw the City keeping up with the projected changes over the next five years. Ms. Close said she maintains a production job schedule that she starts at the beginning of every fiscal year. She said she could not have better support than she has had with staff. Ms. Kneiding and Donna Gomez were the best at being there, looking at things, turning things around, getting them back to her, and giving her good input for what would and wouldn't work. It had been, in her estimation, a fabulous team effort. Councilmember Spiegel commented that UCR would be opening in the fall. He asked Ms. Close how the City could help the University and vice versa. Ms. Close responded that she felt the University was probably the single most important thing that would be happening in the City and would impact every industry, including food & beverage, hospitality, and demographics. She did not know if she had one answer, but it was certainly something she had given some thought to. Councilmember Spiegel commented that all areas of the City were doing very well, and he was pleased with the results of the City's advertising and marketing programs. Upon question by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Close said that she could not give a specific number of hours that she spent working on projects for the City. A APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 19, 2005 She said she thinks about her work all of the time. She added that she tried to keep track when she first started but did not continue doing that. Discussion: Ms. Bird commented that the presentations were interesting, and each person had his/her own unique style. Ms. Close had been doing a great job. She was a little concerned that she did not talk about the future, but she really did believe that Ms. Close had taken the City to a new level and would continue on that journey. Her decision would be to stay with Ms. Close. Mr. Mandelbaum said the City was getting an exceptionally good value with Ms. Close as well as exceptional quality. He said she always stepped up to the plate and continues to produce quality work. Ms. O'Flynn commented that Mr. Hoehn's background and presentation were very corporate, and Mr. Furino and Ms. Greene brought their knowledge of the City; however, Ms. Close blew her away. She had nothing to go on except for a few preliminary materials, but the energy that Ms. Close brought into the presentation was phenomenal, and she also did not rest on her laurels. Ms. O'Flynn continued to say that between the four, because she didn't rest on her laurels, and she had such a great background, and she understands the City so well, she would recommend retaining Ms. Close. Mr. Darius said the presentations covered every spectrum. He said Mr. Hoehn was corporate, and although he enjoyed working with Creative I Group at the McCallum, he believed Ms. Close was really the best person for the job. Mr. Rodriguez said the work speaks for itself, Ms. Close's reputation speaks for itself, and he felt that Ms. Close represented the City in a dignified and professional manner, which was called for by a city like Palm Desert. He was an enthusiastic supporter. Ms. Bowen commented, " if its not broken, don't fix it." Ms. Close had been supporting the City heavily for the past five years, and Ms. Bowen believed that Ms. Close would continue to work very hard for the City. She thought Ms. Close was a class act and had passion for the City and her work. She liked the fact that Ms. Close recognized her team as being the staff at the City of Palm Desert. She continued to say that Ms. Close worked with a lot of other departments in the City and spoke well of that experience. She said Ms. Close did not take anything for granted and presented herself and her work as if she may not have the contract next APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE year. She concluded by saying that for 21 years, was connected to Palm things were coming. APRIL 19, 2005 Ms. Close had been doing this work Desert, and believed that some good Mr. Rodriquez moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to City Council the retention of Piper Close, Full Gallop Marketing, and accept the increased fee schedule as proposed. Motion was seconded by Mr. Mandelbaum and carried by unanimous vote. VI. OLD BUSINESS None VII. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) Ms. Gilligan reported that the City Council approved travel for three members of staff, plus one member of the Marketing Committee, to travel to Aspen, Colorado, on June 101h to research its food & wine festival. Councilmember Spiegel mentioned that the concert at The Gardens on El Paseo benefited the City of Palm Desert's After School Program. He said there were over 300 people, which was the largest attendance, to date. Palm Desert Middle School and Lincoln Elementary will receive the $3,000 raised for the Palm Desert After School Program. Vill. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Chairwoman Bowen announced that she attended the ribbon cutting for the UCR Palm Desert Campus on Friday, April 15th, and was proud to be a part of such a wonderful city wherein the City Council was supportive of the future of education in the Valley. Councilmember Benson said she was proud that UCR recognized the City, and they were very gracious in all of their comments. She added that the event was very nice. Chairwoman Bowen reported that Westfield had its national conference in San Diego, April 4 — 7, 2005. She said the decision was made to drop the word "Shoppingtown" from its name, and it would now be known as 'Westfield Palm Desert." Chairwoman Bowen extended her best wishes to Ric Mandelbaum, as he will be going through some challenges in the next few months. 10