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TDC Minutes 11/22/2021November 22, 2021 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING NAPLES, FLORIDA7 November 22, 2021 LET IT BE REI��IEMBERED the Collier County Tourist Development Council in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9 4.00 AM in a REGULAR SESSION in Building F of the Government Complex, Naples, Florida, with the following members present: Chairman: Commissioner Andy Solis (via Zoom) Vice Chairman: Clark Hill Amanda Cox Susan Becker Kathleen Brock (Excused) Ed (Ski) Olesky Michael McCabe Jared Grifoni (via Zoom) Nancy Kerns ALSO PRESENT: Paul Beirnes, Collier County Tourism Director Colleen Greene, Assistant County Attorney Nikki King, Sports Marketing Manager, Collier County Tourism Buzzy Ford, Digital & Social Media Coordinator, County Tourism Melissa Hennig, Reg' 1 Mgr., Beach & water, Parks & Recreation Dept, Amanda Townsend, Director, Collier County Museums Josh Hammond, Manager, County Technical Systems Operations Kristen Murphy, VP, Acct. Services, Paradise Advertising & Marketing Amber de Lisser, Account Director, Paradise Advertising & Marketing kamwo Michelle Kelly, Lou Hammond Group (via Zoom) Phillip Downs, Senior Partner, Downs & St. Germain Research Group Joseph St. Germain, President, Downs & St. Germain Research Group November 22, 2021 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request it copy of the video recor•ding from the Collier County Communications and Customer Relations Department or• view it online. 1. Call to Order — Mr. Hill Mr. Hill called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Roll Call A quorum was established by those members present in the board room. Mr•. Hill moved to allow Commissioner Solis and M�: Grifoni to participate in the meeting via Zoom. Second by Ms. Cox. Carried unanimously 6-0; Commissioner Solis and Mr: Grifoni abstained. 4. Agenda and Minutes A. Changes and Approval of Today's Agenda Ms. Becker moved to approve the agenda. Second by Ms. Cox. Carried unanimously, 8.0. B. Approval of prior TDC Meeting Minutes L Regular Meeting October 25, 2021 Ms. Becker moved to approve the minutes of the October 25, 2021, meeting, as presented. Second by Ms. Kerns. Carried unanimously, &0. 5. Presentations/Public Comment - (3 minutes each) None 6. Consent Agenda All matters listed Ztnder• this agenda item roartine and action will be taken by one motion withoict separate discussion of each item. If discussion is desired by a member of the Council, those items will be moved from the Consent Agenda and considered separately under New Business or Old Business, A. Coastal Zone Management None B. Beach Park Facilities None C. Tourism Division None 7. New Business A. Recommendation to approve the use of Tourist Development Tax Promotion Funds to support the upcoming February 2022 Naples Pickleball Center Championships up to $7,500 and make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism. (Nikki King, Collier County 2 November 22, 2021 Sports Marketing Manager) Ms. King reported that, • Naples Pickleball Center LLC, the new concessionaire for the East Naples Community Park, has taken over from Pickleball For All Corp. and will put on an event, Naples Pickleball Center Championship, from February 3-6, 2022. • The past event, Southern Tropics Showcase, was put on over two event dates, but next year's championship will be combined into one event, Naples Pickleball Center's first 2022 event. • Based on the Southern Tropics Showcase, the championship is expected to attract 625 participants, generate 500 room nights within the County, $479,125 in direct -visitor spending and TDT revenue of $7,721. Mr. Kerns made a motion to approve the use of up to $'7,500 in Tourist Development Tax Promotion Funds to support the upcoming February 2022 Naples Pickleball Center Championships and to make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism. Second by Mr. Olesky. Carried unanimously, &0. B. Recommendation to approve an expenditure to provide court resurfacing at East Naples Community Park (ENCP) to support tournament activities associated with the U.S. Open Pickleball Championship in the amount of $100,000 and to make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism, and to authorize the necessary Budget Amendments. (Barry Williams, Director, Parks and Recreation Division) (Moved to the January 24, 2022, TDC meeting) C. Recommendation to approve five (5) Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) Category "A" Grant Applications for Beach Park Facilities for Fiscal Year 2022 in the total amount of $710,000 and to make the finding that the expenditures promote tourism. (Melissa Hennig, Region 1 Manager, Parks & Recreation Division) Ms. Hennig was seeking five funding grants and reported that: • Vanderbilt Beach Garage Elevator Refurbishment and Upgrade, $75,000. This involves a complete refurbishment of the elevator. Kone U.S., the county's elevator contractor, has received multiple calls for repairs due to the marine environment and reported that this elevator receives more calls out of any county elevator, so it recommends this refurbishment and upgrades. • Vanderbilt Beach Restroom Renovation, $250,000. This is the older restroom. Originally, the county looked at the roof and then realized that if the roof is compromised and the envelope around it is compromised, it would possibly lead to complete structural renovations. • Beach Park Lightning Detection Systems, $100,000. These systems alert the public to lighting in the area and they're installed in many county parks. Detection systems would be adding at Barefoot Beach, Vanderbilt Beach and Clam Pass. The request is due to the many lightning strikes last summer. • Barefoot Beach Roof Replacement, $85,000. There is a hole that was repaired, but there are larger issues, and the entire roof needs to be replaced. The amount requested, $85p% is higher than the estimate the county received and it's to cover unforeseen issues. If the entire amount isn't spent, the remainder would be returned. 3 November 22, 2021 • FY22 Beach Park Facility Capital Maintenance Prom, $200,000. This would be for issues that come up during season that require immediate repair but are over some thresholds that can be handled under the Capital Budget, such as roof repairs, painting and replacing signage, • The PARAB (Parks & Recreation Advisory Board) unanimously approved these funding requests at its November 17, 2021, meeting. A discussion ensued after the presentation. • Ms. Cox asked to clarify whether the requested funds would be accessed after existing Capital Fund expenditures are utilized in full and if this was above and beyond the existing budget. • Mr. Hammond said the county has existing, discrete, projects funded, such as the trellis at the Vanderbilt Beach parking garage. This is more for smaller projects, a lot of which the county is trying to do inhouse. The BCC and our department head have asked us to ramp up the work we're doing at our beach facilities. This would help us get to smaller items more quickly, such as an issue in a restroom or roofing issues. These would not rise to something that would be brought before the TDC, but cumulatively add up and negatively impact other aspects of the park's Capital Budget. All the expenditures would be documented, in case the TDC would like to review them. • Mr. Olesky asked for a progress report in a months Mr. Hammond said that will be provided. • Mr. Hill noted that obviously not enough funds were allocated in the budget and said maintenance items are critically important for the county's parks, visitors and residents, He questioned whether $200,000 is enough • Mr. Hammond said this is the first year the county would be trying this program and, ideally, it's usually done as an annual request, so this will help better forecast future years. • Mr. McCabe asked if there was a line item in the typical budget for maintenance projects. • Mr. Hammond said the larger projects at beach facilities are generally funded through tourism - tax dollars but there hasn't been a dedicated beach park, facility "catch-all" budget to handle smaller requests, which are typically handled through the general ad valorem funding. It's something the county is looking at for future years. The county has really ramped up its preventive and predictive maintenance schedules to raise the level of service across all parks sites and this is the first step in establishing something regular and routine. He said they do have a regular maintenance budget for smaller projects done inhouse, such as a light out or a sink that needs to be repaired. • Mr. McCabe asked where the tipping point was between normal county maintenance projects and what should be something the TDC would look at. • Mr. Hammond said that will be known after the progress report is completed. Mr. Oleshy made a motion to approve the five TDC Category "A" Grant Applications for Beach Park Facilities for• FY Year• 2022 in the total amount of �7.10,000 and to find that the expenditures promote tourism. Second by Mr. Kerns. Carried unanimously, &0. 8. Old Business None 9. Marketing Partner Reports These reports (Marketing Partner Reports - Doxms cl'i St. Germain Research Group; Paradise Advertising & Marketing, Inc.; Lou Hammond c�C Associates; Convention &Visitors Bureau PR L� November 22, 2021 Team, Collier County Tax Collector - tourist tax collections; Miles Partners - Website Analytics, Digital & Social Media; Book Direct, JackRabbit Systems - online hotel booking systems; County Museums) are provided to TDC members on the above digital link to the County Website. The Research Data Services report will be presented monthly, and the other reports will be presented at TDC meetings on an -as -needed basis. TDC members may request a presentation by the marketing partner representative or by tourism staff at each TDC meeting. Part 1. Marketing Partner Report A. Downs & St. Germain Research Group — Phillip Downs and Joseph St. Germain "Collier County Tourism Research — October 2021 Visitor Tracking and Economic Impact Study" A discussion ensued after the presentation. • Mr. McCabe asked about attracting millennials, which total about 40%, and whether it would take a different advertising approach to pull them in. Do you have recommendations on that, and should we be adjusting the mix? • Mr. Downs said they'd leave that to the county's marketing team. He said his firm works with the marketing firms. • Mr. McCabe asked about the 8.7 ranking, which the report branded "good, but not great." • Mr. Downs said it was a pretty good ranking, but not an A and that's because it's hard for upscale destinations to break into a 9 and above ranking. Visitors question how much value they got for their money when they're spending a lot and if the county knocked it out of the park. • Mr. St. Germain said it's useful now, but they'd be getting comparative data, as well. • Ms. Cox asked about visitor origins and Florida's higher than normal dip. Are we able to lining up 2019, 2020 and 2021 simultaneously up to determine if in the past 18 months to two years we had international visitors who may have been Hawaiian, cruise, etc., and which tourists would stick around and which might return to their usual destinations once there were other options, it might be interesting to take a look at that. • Mr. St. Germain said that was a good idea and that was something that would change once they moved forward. We want to make sure you're getting what you need. If the TDC and team thought it was useful, his firm could look into it moving forward. • Ms. Cox asked about capturing revenge travel/revenge spending and how the county could capture the largest share of spending. The county is spending a lot of time looking at TRevPAR, total revenue per available room, as opposed to just room revenue per available room, such as restaurants, golf, and other things. She wondered if total impact was on a destination level. • Mr. Downs said they would be looking at that and providing a report. • Ms. Becker questioned how the firm got its opinions for research on why visitors traveled here, what they did here, and asked if the interviews were face-to-face. • Mr. St. Germain said they're conducting mostly "intercept interviews" at large places visitors might be but will be adding tourist attraction areas and hoteliers. They also conduct a small percentage of online interviews in case some areas are missed. In addition to hotels and airports, they plan to be at events moving forward to get a representative sample. They're conducting about 100 surveys monthly and expect almost 2,500 per year. • Mr. Hill questioned why Smith Travel wasn't included. • Mr. Downs said they wanted to focus on other sources, but it will be included next time. • Mr. Hill asked about short-term rentals and how they were calculated. 5 November 22, 2021 • Mr. St. Germain said they were tallying licensed transient units, combined hotels and vacation rentals, and they will again add the STR (Smith Travel Research) reports. • Mr. Hill noted that it was strictly licensed lodging and noted they estimated there were more short-term rentals available than licensed rentals indicate. • Mr. Downs said the goal is to bring it all into calculate metrics, but it's been a difficult side to track — not as easy to track as hotels. They are looking at several data options. He noted STR/Smith Travel has been at it a long time. • Mr. Hill said vacation rentals may be easier to track once the required property rental registration law takes effect on January 3rd. He said it wasn't surprising that Collier was seeing more first-time visitors because most people fly here from international and domestic destinations. Without flights, he wondered how that influenced repeat business. • Mr. Beirnes noted there was a lot of good information. Anecdotally, since borders opened up November 8th, there are more international travelers. He said Kathleen Brock reported that Everglades City was very busy and was seeing many Norwegian travelers arriving who reported that their flights were jam�packed. He noted that after 1 & 19 months of lockdown, many people haven't taken vacations from work, so they would lose those days if they didn't use them by the end of the calendar year. He expected a lot of last-minute bookings in December and noted that visitation occupancy did spike in Smith Travel reports. He expected that interviewing visitors at special events at the county's sports complex will bring in more useful information, such as whether they were staying on or just coming for the event. B. Paradise Advertising — Ambe�de Lisset "Advertising Report — FY 2022 " C. Lou Hammond Group —Michelle Kelly "Nutional Public Relations Update — TDC Meeting— Set•vices COrldtlCed in October• 2021 " A discussion ensued after the presentation: • Mr. Hill said it was interesting Will sync the PR and marketing efforts are. • Ms. Kelly attributed that to Amber and the Paradise team and said it would continue under Beirnes' leadership. • Mr. Beirnes said that synergy would continue because TV, PR and marketing efforts all need to have the same cohesive message that considers the customer journey, the mindset of travelers, the barriers and opportunities. He said all partners will be considering those factors. Part 2. Marketing Partner Reports D. Collier County Tourist Tax Collections — Paitl Beirnes "Tourist Tax Collections" E. County Museums —Amanda Townsend "Collier County Museums" 10. Council Member Discussion Mr. McCabe, reiterated Mr. Beirnes' remark about what a difference a year makes and noted that there was arecord-setting "slow" season that never slowed, which makes business owners cautiously optimistic about what high season will bring. He said the city is in the midst of designing how to take C•� November 22, 2021 the section from U.S. 41 from Goodlette Frank Road to Fifth Avenue to create a new commercial district. He noted that the city hired DPZ CoDesign, the same firm Naples hired in in 1997 to revitalize Fifth Avenue South. He said they're looking forward to developing a new area that will be a draw. Ms. Becker• said she'd received a call about a possible error or misleading wording on the Paradise Coast website about the tree -lighting ceremony on Third Street with Santa. She said the tree lighting is November 22°d, tonight, not tomorrow night, but a restaurateur said he'd received reservations from patrons who thought it was tomorrow night; Mr. Beirnes said he and Mr. Ford would look into it. Commissioner Solis said the TDC will monitor how the short-term ordinance affects numbers, noting there may be changes that are needed, but it was the best that could be done given the situation. Mr. Beirnes said there will be no meeting in December, but monthly reports will be sent out. Commissioner Solis said they'd finalized the agreement with the new manager for Paradise Sports Complex. He asked them to reach out to the TDC and FRLA and to keep them involved and they've committed to do that. He said it was important to improve communication. He wants them to make a presentation in early 2022 on how they plan to take care of issues the county had with prior management, He also wanted to ensure that the TDC still wanted the BCC to attend its January or February meeting. Ms. Cox and Mr. Hill agreed the BCC should attend a meeting. Mr. Beirnes noted the new management takes over this week. 11.Tourism Staff Reports A. Director B. Group Sales C. Leisure and Travel Trade Sales D. Sports Marketing E. Public Relations & Communications F. Film Office GInternational Representatives . H. Visitor Centers 12. DetaiOUTITOWIMI led Staff Reports A. Detailed Staff Reports 13. Next Scheduled Meeting Date/Location — 9:00 a.m. Jan. 24, 2022 Collier County Government Center, Administration Bldg. F, 3rd Floor, 3299 East Tamiami Trail, Naples, Florida 34112 7 November 22, 2021 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 10:35 A.M. COLLIER DEVELOP Cha These minutes were approved by the Council on as presented or as amended URIST fCIL mCssioner Andy Solis