Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarketing Cmte - 04-16-2013 � � .� � ['ALM C►ESEI�T PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, April 16, 2013 —2 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Sara O'Flynn called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m. The Committee observed a moment of silence out of respect for those involved in the bombing in Boston yesterday. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Sara O'Flynn, Chair None Theresa Maggio, Vice-Chair CtTYCOUNCILACTION Arlene Amick pPPROVED DT:�v1I?D . Emily Bird-Hrivnak RECEIVED �' � � (�Tt�E'.It �___.__ Rolf Hoehn -.-..�-- Stephanie Loog MEETING DATE " �3"�� 3 ----- --- Nyla Patzner AYES: -�----- Tim Snyder NOES� _I�vn�- �_____ Diane Williams ABSENT: ��an� ..____.__ Marlane Wolf ABSTAIN: -------- VERIFIED BY: —�— Staff/Others Present: Original on File with City Clcrk's f17cc Jan Harnik, Mayor Robert Spiegel, Council Member Donna Gomez, Tourism & Marketing Manager Martin Alvarez, Economic Development Director Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development Manager David Hermann, Management Analyst Jane Stanley, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JANUARY 15, 2013. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the January 15, 2013, meeting as presented. Motion was seconded by Nyla Patzner and carried 10-0. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON CO-OP CAMPAIGNS Donna Gomez reminded the Committee that one of the goals for this year is to expand co-op opportunities with local partners. The City has entered into partnerships with EI Paseo and the JW Marriott, as well as a multi- agency co-op with EI Paseo, The Living Desert, and the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. The EI Paseo co-op with Expedia has been repeated with some tweaks with great results that EI Paseo is very happy with. Ms. Gomez distributed samples of some banner ads and the landing page to give the Committee an idea of how that advertising looks. Southern California is the target market. She will be reporting to the EI Paseo Board this coming Thursday morning. This co-op may be repeated again next year. Utilizing Pandora radio and ValueClick, the multi-agency co-op target is the drive market. For a first try, the great results are higher than industry standards and speak for themselves. The promotion includes a sweepstakes for a getaway trip to Palm Desert. Responding to Rolf Hoehn's question, Ms. Gomez said the only changes that were made to the campaign were in regards to the sweepstakes, which is now being heavily promoted at the Visitor Center. The co-op with the JW Marriott is running in newspapers and WestJet magazine in the Canadian market. Emily Bird-Hrivnak added that the co-op has been beneficial to the JW Marriott. The CVB air service campaign is currently running through May with good results so far. Previously money was given directly to the airlines, but now the CVB is taking a stronger role in the campaign. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 B. CONSIDERATION OF FY 2013/2014 BUDGET Referring to the proposed budget, Ms. Gomez highlighted some important aspects. The overall total is reduced by $3,200. $100,000 is allocated for Community Promotions such as the calendar, BrightSide, and advertising for local events. The rest of the budget is for tourism and marketing efforts. Because the website redesign and collateral updates were done this year, these 2 areas have been reduced, allowing more funding for Media Buys. Digital and online advertising is slowly increasing year over year while maintaining a balanced approach in all mediums. The City Manager has also requested investing in a co-op with Desert Willow. In conjunction with Off Madison Ave. and JNS Advertising, Ms. Gomez will present specific media buys and a marketing plan for an upcoming Marketing meeting. Responding to Mr. Hoehn's question, the City had allocated an additional $30,000 to the budget last year for a partnership with the JW Marriott to help with airfare for a media convention, which was not carried forward to this budget. Councilmember Spiegel asked Ms. Gomez where she would allocate additional funding, to which she indicated in Media Buys and to strengthen ads in the Canadian and New York market. He also asked how this budget compares with those of Palm Springs, Indian Wells and La Quinta. Ms. Gomez will provide that information at the next meeting. Nyla Patzner stated that the Palm Springs marketing budget is over $1 M and includes support for the Convention Center. Rolf Hoehn moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend approval of the 2013/2014 Marketing Committee Budget as presented to the City Council. Motion was seconded by Diane Williams and carried 10-0. C. UPDATE ON REAL ESTATE GOALS Ms. Gomez reported she met with some California Desert Association of Realtors (CDAR) in late November to come up with some goals and objectives. They were hoping to duplicate the Indian Wells program but ran into a glitch with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system where there would be a charge for singling out Palm Desert listings. There is already a link on the e-gov website to the CDAR but it is not specific to Palm Desert. Ms. Gomez will be meeting with the Mayor and City Manager to discuss how much effort would be invested in this marketing effort. 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETiNG COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 Ms. Gomez distributed a draft of a 1-page flyer to be used by realtors to promote Palm Desert. D. REPORT ON MODERNISM WEEK Referring to the letter about the results of the 11-day Modernism Week, Ms. Gomez stated that over 40,000 people attended with visitors from 43 states, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Over $500,000 was raised, some of which will go to scholarships for local students. She then distributed a wrap-up from the Designer Showcase at Marrakesh Country Club that was part of Modernism Week. Over 3,000 people participated in the Designer Showcase, and over $40,000 was raised. Arlene Amick reported that about 250 people came to the reception at the Museum after the Sandpiper event. Ms. Gomez reminded the Committee that the sponsorship funding from the City goes directly to Modernism Week. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. CONSIDERATION OF NEW CONCEPT FOR DINING PROMOTION Ms. Gomez stated that this sub-committee met to address the struggling Dine Out promotion typically held in October. Tim Snyder led the group to come up with some ideas on how to get more participating restaurants. Tim Snyder reported that they came up with the idea to celebrate families for the whole month of October. Participating restaurants can choose their own discount and level of participation. The program would not be restrictive and every restaurant could participate. Mayor Harnik suggested that local attractions cross promote with the participating restaurants. Ms. Gomez mentioned that the committee had talked about growing the program for October to be "family month." Mr. Snyder acknowledged that a solution would be needed for what groups of people would get the discounts. By including as many restaurants as possible, they could provide more input. Ms. Gomez said they had come up with "family and friends" or perhaps a minimum of 4 people dining together. Rolf Hoehn said the family element would be determined by the menu. 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 Upon question, Ms. Gomez stated that timing is critical and the program would need to be refined right away. Diane Williams moved, but Minute Motion, to approve the Dining Promotion concept as outlined and to add "family and friends." Motion was seconded by Marlane Wolf and carried 10-0. VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS Councilmember Robert Spiegel distributed an invitation from Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet for their 75t" Anniversary Celebration at the O'Donnell Golf Course. He then mentioned that the City is talking about purchasing benches for EI Paseo, but wants to be sure that the EI Paseo Merchants Association is aware and approves. Ruth Ann Moore confirmed that the item is on their upcoming agenda. CVAG has been working diligently on getting passenger rail for Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Indio, and have requested $1.5M from SunLine. However, he would not want the bus service to be harmed in any way. Questioning Ms. Amick on Museum membership levels, she stated that they get about a dozen new members per month. Two people joined at the Fashion Week after party and they are looking at creating a family membership. The Council vote regarding Palm Desert Country Club members paying a nominal fee for water and electricity for the golf course has been continued until October, when residents have returned. Mayor Harnik was pleased to report that Fashion Week was very successful and some great things have come from it. Because of the overlap with the tennis tournament, EI Paseo was very busy. Something that should be looked at is for stores on EI Paseo to be open past 5:00 p.m. from January to April. Some exciting things are forthcoming with Economic Development in the City. Responding to question, she noted there is some activity involving hotels, but nothing definite to report. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Sara O'Flynn stated that the last concert at the Gardens will be Saturday, benefiting Shelter From the Storm. The last Cruise Night will be Friday. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 The Gardens will be expanding and renovating with completion expected by November. Upon question from Mr. Spiegel, she reptied that the Gardens is at 94% occupancy. B. Committee Members Theresa Maggio remarked that the Annual Home Tour is Thursday, which is one of the biggest events of the year. Bighorn Behind A Miracle finished the fundraising season by giving away $700k to Eisenhower and the Pendleton Foundation. Rolf Hoehn explained that the BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament was a great success. A pre-qualifying event was added that brought in over 200 young players. Over 1,500 children came for kid's day held in conjunction with the Living Desert. Construction is underway to add an 8,000 seat stadium and infrastructure in time for the 2014 event. Mr. Hoehn is willing to bring information to the Committee regarding the site development. The owners' vision is to have 500,000 attendees over the tournament period. Arlene Amick conveyed that the Museum was very busy in March, with over 450 people attending the Fashion Week event. They definitely want to participate in Fashion Week next year. April 27th is a community day, "Art Party Palm Desert." An interactive guide has been developed for the Sculpture Garden. In December there will be art camps for the first time. Tim Snyder said business was great in March because of Fashion Week and the tennis tournament. Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week begins on May 31 St Diane Williams reported that single family homes sold for an average of $451 k in January compared to $293k a year ago. Condos averaged $241 k, up from $205k. February prices are $541 k for single family homes and $235k for condos. 30% of buyers are move up buyers, 25% are new home buyers, 20% are investors, 8% are the luxury home market, 8% are retirees, and 3% are international market. Nyla Patzner said Fashion Week was also good for the Living Desert and attendance has been good for spring break. "Brew at the Zoo" will be Saturday, May 4t", with the theme of "Saving Wildlife One Beer at a Time." Emily Bird-Hrivnak agreed and said that the JW Marriott Desert Springs has been very busy. This Saturday they are partnering with Nordstrom's and 98.7 to host 400 VIP clients for a private pool party to promote the Mimi Chica clothing line inspired by Coachella fest. Responding to question she said the hotel was sold out for Coachella fest. 6 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APRIL 16, 2013 C. Staff Ms. Gomez informed the Committee that at the April 25t" meeting the Council will be considering the appointment of Jeffrey Norman to the Marketing Committee. Mr. Norman works at the McCallum Theatre. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Center Report Sara O'Flynn noted the dramatic increase in Facebook interactions from 2012 to 2013. Ms. Gomez explained that the numbers of visitors to the Visitor Center is down compared to last year partly because they are now open 6 days instead of 7. Mr. Spiegel suggested that this be revisited in the fall. Ms. Gomez distributed the March report from Off Madison Ave. As part of the mobilization of the website a feature has been added giving the ability to click to call restaurants and hotels. Calls to actions and conversions are being looked at to change. Overall, unique visitors are up 11% year over year. XII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m. ���� Ja e Stanley, Recordi Secretary 7