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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Marketing Committee 09-17-2013 � _ � �..; � PALM D ES E RT PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, September 17, 2013 — 2 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Sara O'Flynn called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Sara O'Flynn, Chair Emily Bird-Hrivnak Theresa Maggio, Vice-Chair Tim Snyder Arlene Amick Diane Williams Rolf Hoehn Stephanie Loog Jeffrey Norman CITYCOLINCILACTION Nyla Patzner AI'YROVF,D i�r�v�rn Marlane Wolf RECEfVI:D `� ���� 07'HF,It Staff/Others Present: M�;F.TING llATE ia - �� -ao�3 Jan Harnik, Mayor AY�s:,��%�5�n� Nc�n'���S.o+e��, � � �T.7«,nn�� Robert Spiegel, Council Member No[�s: I�o n�_ Donna Gomez, Tourism & Marketing Mal��,'�'�"�� N on� Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Developmer��i��e �' � David Hermann, ManagementAnalyst vrtt�F��:� �;v� �K (,r� Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary Original an File with City Clcrk's o�tice Art Davis, palmdesert.com III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Art Davis stated that he has been the owner and operator of the domain name www.palmdesert.com for the past 19 years. He has decided to sell the domain name and would like to offer it to the City first. It is currently being appraised. Mr. Davis will contact Donna Gomez once the appraisal is finished. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JUNE 18, 2013. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the June 18, 2013, meeting as presented. Motion was seconded by Arlene Amick and carried 6-0-1- 4, with Sara O'Flynn abstaining, and Emily Bird-Hrivnak, Rolf Hoehn, Tim Snyder, and Diane Williams absent. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. ANNUAL REPORTING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012/13 Referring to the reports in the agenda packet, Donna Gomez provided a brief overview of program results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. Ms. Gomez is very pleased with the results and mentioned the following highlights relating to the goals and objectives: ■ The website was converted to a responsive/adaptive format allowing access from all mobile devices. Visits to the site were up almost 60% year over year. ■ The new "Feel the Warmth" campaign was incorporated. ■ OMA conducted a database survey, which helped direct the style, information, content, and design of the e-newsletter. Since then the open rate has increased to 20%. ■ The 3-tiered approach of reaching people in the trip planning process was successful and will be continued. ■ Several co-ops were very successful and will continue: • Canadian campaign with the JW Marriott • EI Paseo Business Association • Multi-agency: The Living Desert, Palm Springs Art Museum, and EI Paseo ■ This fiscal year OMA will take a stronger role in social media and developing promotional programs. The first promotion will be implemented next month through Facebook and Twitter. ■ Some testing was conducted in the Canadian market. The success rate was not as high as desired, but some investment will be made this fiscal year because that market is important and valuable. ■ Call to action and conversion points have been revised. From the website, people may now directly call hotels, restaurants, and golf courses to make reservations. These are more appropriate and measurable conversion points. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 ■ Metrics and analytics indicate desired increases. Information is easier and faster to access. ■ About 39% of website visitors are from the San Diego area and 24% from the Los Angeles area. At this point in the meeting Rolf Hoehn arrived. Councilmember Spiegel questioned the 40% decrease in Vacation Guide requests. Ms. Gomez responded that she is not concerned because people are easily accessing information online, such as the Dining Guide, which in turn will eventually allow cutting back on printing materials. Additionally, the Vacation Guide is expensive to produce. Ms. O'Flynn added that printed materials will not completely go away, but the trend is to view them online. Ms. Gomez concluded by saying that the digital media cost is less with more impressions and clicks. OMA is working hard on the City's behalf and has provided proven results. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON "CELEBRATE FAMILY & FRIENDS DINE OUT PALM DESERT" PROGRAM Ms. Gomez reminded the Committee that a sub-committee headed up by Tim Snyder had met to develop this campaign to revamp the Dine Out Program. The new theme is "Family & Friends." She distributed the design of the online coupon and rack card that will be available at various locations throughout the city. Forty restaurants are participating, with each having customized the discount they will offer in accordance with the theme. Participating restaurants will be surveyed afterwards to determine if this is a worthwhile program. Responding to question, she said that allowing the discount offer to be determined by each restaurateur did not make it easier to get more participants to sign up. After reviewing some sales tax numbers, it appears that restaurants are doing better and may not require assistance with city- sponsored promotions. Ruth Ann Moore commented that staff struggled to get restaurants to participate. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 Ms. Gomez went on to say that visitors and locals are looking for discounts, but it is was hard to get decent discounts and restaurant participation. David Hermann added that it has been harder to promote the program when the discount is unknown. B. UPDATE ON "FIRST WEEKEND PALM DESERT" ACTIVITIES Ms. Gomez stated that this concept is part of Palm Desert's Economic Development Strategic Plan. A committee is already working to implement the program. A logo and tag line of "First Weekend Palm Desert — Put Culture on Your Calendar" have been developed. She distributed a sample of the logo and rack card that will be finalized and going to print soon. The City's job will be to market, advertise, and promote existing arts and culture events occurring the first weekend of the month from November through May. Media buys will be local the first year and include publications such as the Desert Guide, Desert Art Scene, Desert Entertainer, and also on the radio. Social media will also promote "First Weekend", and a landing page has been developed. Ms. Moore added that the logo will be provided to all the partners. The City is pulling all the information under one umbrella and promoting it. Responding to Rolf Hoehn's question, the website landing page will have links to each event, and partners will be asked to link back to the City's website. Click throughs will be tracked to determine how successful the program is. Arlene Amick said that she has been designing ads, and there is already some community interest. The EI Paseo Art Walk will be tied in as it has been changed to the first Friday of the month. Ms. Gomez answered Ms. Maggio's question regarding how up-to-date the landing page will be by saying that the calendar is dependent upon the information that is received. However, staff will also do research on upcoming events and keep it very current. Mayor Harnik asked if retailers could also be involved. Ms. Gomez responded that eventually First Weekend could grow into having package deals with hotels and retailers, but this first year will maintain an arts and culture focus. 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 Ms. Moore said that the EI Paseo merchants will be asked to help promote First Weekend as well as stay open later on the first Friday of the month in conjunction with the Art Walk. IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS Mayor Jan Harnik reported that the Sister Cities' September 11th concert at the McCallum was an outstanding and wonderful event. Road construction in Palm Desert is almost completed. Mr. Spiegel said that SunLine's new General Manager will start work the end of October. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Ms. O'Flynn reported that the renovation construction at The Gardens will be finished November 2"d or 3�d, with a Grand Re-Opening scheduled for Saturday, November 16t". The event will include a concert benefiting a local non-profit organization. She then described the renovations, mentioned that Saks Fifth Avenue is under new ownership, and reported on 2 new store openings. She invited the Committee to participate in Paint EI Paseo Pink, which will be held at The Gardens on October 12th. B. Committee Members Ms. Maggio said that homes and home sites have been selling. She has just wrapped up the 120-page Bighorn Magazine for a November 1 St delivery. The Miracle on EI Paseo benefiting Bighorn BAM is planned for November 23�a Ms. O'Flynn congratulated Ms. Maggio by announcing that she has been selected to receive the 2013 ATHENA Award, which will be presented at a luncheon on October 30th at Desert Willow. Marlane Wolf was happy to report that after almost two years of work her non-profit will be starting up. The organization will benefit veterans with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. To help with fundraising for research into the two causes they have partnered with Cleveland Golf, who will supply products. A pilot program utilizing veterans will begin next May in Arizona golf shops. Most of the money raised will go to support another partner, "One Mind for Research". 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 Nyla Patzner indicated that The Living Desert is preparing for Halloween events scheduled for October 26 and 27. Wild Lights officially starts November 29t". A special bird exhibit is planned for January to May. Arlene Amick said the Art Museum has completed a full season in Palm Desert. The upcoming season is expected to be very busy. The focus is to be involved in more community events. In conjunction with the Friday EI Paseo Art Walk and First Weekend, the museum will have a free community evening with music and entertainment from 5-7 p.m. The museum will hold a 5K fundraiser on January 4th. Jeffrey Norman reported that single tickets went on sale today with many people showing up at the McCallum box office. A new brochure has come out with 12 to 14 performances added since April. He thanked the Mayor and City Council for their support of the 1St Annual Palm Desert International Dance Festival. The Choreography Competition, which has been occurring for the past 16 years, will open the festival and will be a First Weekend event. The education division has begun workshops for this season, with 1,700 individual classroom workshops planned in 27 schools, working with about 250 teachers and 7,500 children across the Valley. The workshops wi�l offer training in theater, music, dance, and visual arts. The McCallum's annual Gala is set for December 3`a Rolf Hoehn offered news of the airport by saying that Virgin America will again have flights to and from New York. A team from the airport and the CVB met recently with United Airlines to discuss expansion of current services and the addition of new markets. The new FAA tower is in operation and will have an official opening and dedication ceremony on September 1 gt" The CVB's summer program for tourism has had good results, and representatives have gone on several sales trips to Canada and Europe to promote the Valley. The July hotel occupancy rate for conventions was not very good, and the overall forecast for the next few months is not very positive. The CVB website has been revamped to make it more user- friendly. The ongoing tennis stadium construction is on schedule. Advance ticket sales are ahead of last year and ahead of budget. C. Staff Ruth Ann Moore reported that every big box that was lost during the recession has now been leased and is under construction. Nordstrom Rack will open in the spring. She then described plans for several new stores. She is also working on selling property owned by the City. 6 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 Ms. Gomez referred to the most recent by-laws that were included in the agenda packet. She reminded the Committee of the attendance policy. If a Committee member needs an "excused" absence, a written request needs to be submitted to the Mayor. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Center Report Referring to the report, Ms. Gomez stated that visitor numbers continue to lag, but sales numbers continue to rise. Upon question regarding the JNS year-end report, she said there was amazing added-value, about $200,000, as part of print advertising. She explained that it is very difficult to track print advertising. Nyla Patzner suggested that a text keyword for some kind of offer be included in the ad, which is how she tracks her print ads. XII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 3:25 p.m. � ' � � % ` ���' �ec,�� Ja Stanley, Record' g Secretary 7