TDC Agenda 02/28/2022COLLIER COUNTY
Tourist Development Council
AGENDA
February 28, 2022
9:00 AM
Board of County Commission Chambers
Collier County Government Center
3299 Tamiami Trail East, 3rd Floor
Naples, FL 34112
Commissioner Andy Solis, Chair
Clark Hill, Vice-Chair
Councilor Jared Grifoni
Susan Becker
Amanda Cox
Nancy Kerns
Kathleen Brock
Edward (Ski) Olesky
Council Member Beth Petrunoff
All interested parties are invited to attend, and to register to speak and to submit their objections, if
any, in writing, to the Council prior to the meeting if applicable. For more information, please
contact Paul Beirnes at (239) 252-4040. If you are a person with a disability who needs any
accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the
provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Collier County Facilities Management Department
located at 3335 Tamiami Trail East, Suite 101, Naples, FL 34112-5356, (239) 252-8380. Public
comments will be limited to 3 minutes unless the Chairman grants permission for additional time.
Collier County Ordinance No. 99-22 requires that all lobbyists shall, before engaging in any lobbying
activities (including, but not limited to, addressing the Board of County Commissioners before the
Board of County Commissioners and its advisory boards, register with the Clerk to the Board at the
Board Minutes and Records Department.
About the public meeting:
Two or more members of the Board of County Commissioners, Coastal Advisory Committee, City of
Naples City Council, and City of Marco Island City Council may be present and participate at the
meeting. The subject matter of this meeting may be an item for discussion and action at future
meetings of these Boards.
February 2022
Collier County Tourist Development Council Page 2 Printed 2/24/2022
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Roll Call
4. Agenda and Minutes
A. Changes and Approval of Today's Agenda
B. Approval of prior TDC Meeting Minutes
1. January 24, 2022 BCC and TDC Joint Meeting Minutes
5. Presentations
6. Consent Agenda - All Matters listed under this agenda item are considered to be routine and action
will be taken by one motion without separate discussion of each item. If discussion is desired by a
member of the Council, that item will be moved from the Consent Agenda and considered
separately under New Business or Old Business.
A. Coastal Zone Management
B. Beach Park Facilities
1. Recommendation to approve a Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC)
Category “A” Grant Application for Beach Park Facilities for Fiscal Year 2022 in
the total amount of $36,970 within TDC Beach Park Facilities Fund (183) and to
make the finding that the expenditure promotes tourism.
C. Tourism Division
7. New Business
A. Recommendation to authorize the necessary budget amendment to reallocate funds in
relation to Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass Dredge
2021-2022,” in the amount of $2,197,180.00 and make a finding that this expenditure
promotes tourism. (County-Wide Capital Projects Fund 301 / TDC Beach Renourishment
and Pass Maintenance Fund 195, Project No. 80288 & 90549).
8. Old Business
9. Marketing Partner Reports
A. Part 1
February 2022
Collier County Tourist Development Council Page 3 Printed 2/24/2022
1. Marketing Partner Report Part 1
B. Part 2
1. Marketing Partner Report Part 2
10. Council Member Discussion
11. Tourism Staff Reports
A. Tourism Staff Report
12. Detailed Staff Reports
13. Next Scheduled Meeting
A. Next Meeting Date - March 28, 2022
14. Adjournment
02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 4.B.1
Item Summary: January 24, 2022 BCC and TDC Joint Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: Administrative Assistant – Tourism
Name: Jennifer Leslie
02/10/2022 9:06 AM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Paul Beirnes
02/10/2022 9:06 AM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Jennifer Leslie Tourism Division Completed 02/10/2022 9:07 AM
Tourism Kelly Green Stage 1 Review Completed 02/10/2022 10:15 AM
Corporate Business Operations Jennifer Reynolds Stage 1 Review Completed 02/11/2022 8:24 AM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/11/2022 8:39 AM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/22/2022 4:26 PM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:30 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
4.B.1
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE
TOURIST DEVLOPEMENT COUNCIL AND
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Naples, Florida, January 24, 2022
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Tourist
Development Council and the Board of County Commissioners,
having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 a.m., in
JOINT SESSION in Building "F" of the Government Complex, East
Naples, Florida, with the following members present:
BCC Chairman: William L. McDaniel, Jr.
Rick LoCastro
Burt L. Saunders
Andy Solis
Penny Taylor
TDC Chairman: Andy Solis
Amanda Cox
Clark Hill
Nancy Kerns
Susan Becker
Kathleen Brock
Jared Grifoni
ALSO PRESENT:
Mark Isackson, County Manager
Jeffrey A. Klatzkow, County Attorney
Troy Miller, Communications & Customer Relations
Paul Beirnes, Tourist Development Director
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MR. BEIRNES: Good morning and welcome to a nice chilly
morning. Especially want to thank everybody for coming together
this morning. This is a real milestone meeting. Looking forward to
it. We'll address -- address that in a few moments. But I also want
to specifically say thank you to everyone that has allowed this
meeting to come together. There was a lot of protocol, a lot of
chairs being moved, a lot of IT and, certainly, changes on your
agenda as well. So thank you.
Please accept my apologies in advance. It's an interesting
meeting. The dynamics of a BCC/TDC and the decorum and such
will follow a little bit of hiccup, I'm sure.
But I, first off, want to welcome Chair Solis from the TDC and
Chair McDaniel. Thank you very much. And we'll do a little bit of
a dance as far as how we navigate this. But I'll turn it over to Chair
Solis, I assume, to do a call to order and start.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you. Welcome, everyone,
to the January 24th, 2022, Tourist Development Council meeting
and -- well, it's actually a joint meeting with the Tourist Development
Council and the Collier County Commission. So thank you to all my
colleagues for joining for this TDC meeting.
And we will start with the Pledge of Allegiance. And,
Commissioner McDaniel, would you lead us in the Pledge.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I'd be honored. Please, with
me, ladies and gentlemen.
(The Pledge of Allegiance was recited in unison.)
MR. BEIRNES: All right. For our roll call, we have a
significant amount of people here, but we will start with Board of
County Commissioners, and in the chambers here we do have Chair
McDaniel, Commissioner LoCastro, Commissioner Solis, who is our
chair on both -- or present here and chair for the TDC coming up;
Commissioner Burt Saunders, and Commissioner Penny Taylor.
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On the Tourist Development side, as I mentioned, Chair Andy
Solis present, Clark Hill. Jared Grifoni is remote, and I -- Jared, are
you there?
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: Yeah, I'm here. Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful. Thank you.
Susan Becker is present. Amanda Cox is present. Nancy
Kerns is present. Kathleen Brock is remote. Kathleen, are you
there?
MS. BROCK: I'm here.
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful, thank you. And absent is
Mr. Olesky and Mr. McCabe.
With that said, our agenda and minutes, as far as changes and
approval of the today's agenda, there is no changes to today's agenda.
I'm going to make a notation, though. Historically or typically,
when we get to 9C, we then have our discussion of the items. We've
added for the purpose of this, and just for the linear notion of it,
we've actually added an additional section which talks about our
forward-looking strategies. We'll evaluate whether or not we want
to take a brief pause to have that conversation, because we don't want
to delay too long and have everybody sit on their questions until then.
So other than that, there are no other agenda changes.
And, Chair Solis, approval of the TDC previous meeting
minutes.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Is there a motion to approve the
agenda and the minutes from the November 22nd, 2021, meeting?
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: I so move, approve the
agenda and the comments from the November 22nd meeting.
COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: I second.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Second.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: A point of order. Because we
weren't present at that meeting, this is for the TDC, do we vote on it?
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BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: This isn't for us.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: We don't vote on it, correct?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: That's correct.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: No.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Thank you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: So there's a motion and a second to
approve the agenda and the meeting minutes. All in favor, say aye.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Aye.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER KEARNS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BROCK: (No verbal response.)
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: (No verbal response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any opposed?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Okay. Motion carries.
Next is the presentations?
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful.
The presentation, which was actually inspired coming out of our
last meeting, which is actually November, believe it or not, was for
Parks and Recreation to come and give us a brief update. And,
Melissa, I will step aside and let you take it from here.
MS. HENNIG: Good morning, everyone. Melissa Hennig,
regional manager, Parks and Recreation.
So it was requested that we give a presentation, an update on the
beach projects. And I'd just like to show one slide. First off, I'm
going to go over the visitation numbers since the last time I updated
you, I think, in April, and then the status of the different projects.
So here's our visitor counts. Total between March and
November was 8,888-plus visitors, but that doesn't really mean
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anything unless you look at a graph to compare it to other years.
And so it's -- it's up. It's -- except for March there, in 2019, if you
look at -- '20 was an odd year because of COVID, but we're pretty
much steady with our beach visitation.
Hold on one sec. Okay, there we go. And revenue, same
thing, up from previous years.
So jumping into the capital beach -- TDC beach projects.
Barefoot Beach access. This one is almost complete. The
boardwalk and the pavilions are up. We're waiting on benches for
the pavilions. The tollbooth replacement at Barefoot Beach
Preserve, the PO has been issued. We're waiting till the
end -- end'ish of season in April before that gets going.
The road/parking seal and striping for the parking lot and
roadway is pending coordination with FWC. There's quite a few
gopher tortoises living there and burrowing under the road, so that's
got to be taken care of before we can move forward.
The dune crossovers, that project is still at 90 percent design.
And I'm going to get with Facilities Management before April to see
if that's going to require additional funding based on what they're
projecting.
Roof replacement, this was brought before you at the last
meeting. The PO has already been issued, and we're working with
Facilities Management -- this is at Barefoot Beach Preserve -- on the
timing for replacement for that, since it is season again.
Vanderbilt Beach, we're still waiting on the permits for the
improvements to the boardwalk and a lookout there. Parking garage,
substantial completion was December 2021, so that's wrapping up.
Restroom improvements, these two came before you at the last
meeting, and the scope and development for the restroom, that's the
older restroom, and we are soliciting new quotes for the garage
elevator since the ones we had were expired. But we're moving with
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those.
Clam Pass Park. This was Phase 2, which was -- this is going
to be in addition to the improvements to the restroom and the
boardwalk. Those are complete. There is still money remaining in
the budget for that project, and Facilities is looking at replacing the
kick rails, the handrails by the concession, and possibly some minor
parking lot improvements.
Tigertail Beach Park. The playground was complete in June.
Restroom and parking enhancements, they're going for their coastal
construction line permit this week, and pending that permit issuance,
we're hoping for June/August start date on that one. And the south
restroom, those are still pending permits from the Marco Island
section.
This is the lightning detection systems. The scope is in
development, and we're coordinating with Risk on what sort of
emergency action plans will be required. We're going in -- there's
several other lightning detection systems that are being upgraded and
installed throughout the park system, so we're kind of pooling them
all together to get -- see if we can't get a better price.
This is the capital maintenance grant that was approved at the
last meeting, and one of the requests was, you know, let us know
exactly what is this and what kind of projects would you want to
spend the money on. It was approved to have $200,000 in the TDC
budget for unforeseen maintenance that would allow us to jump on it
right away without having to come back to ask for additional funding.
So the eligibility would be individual projects that would be
between 5,000 and $100,000. And it wouldn't be anything that
would, say, supplement an ongoing project. We'd have to come
back for that. It wouldn't be regular day-to-day maintenance, and it
wouldn't be anything that would add amenities like a new project.
And I can't -- I couldn't see that last one.
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Troy, is there a way to hide that?
MR. MILLER: Sorry.
MS. HENNIG: Okay. And, again, that's the same general
thing. It's not something that's going to expand or be new. It's just
to repair things that exist.
So some examples would be to repair or replace substantial
things like roofs or A/C systems, fences, restroom renovations, large
entrance signs that can be quite expensive, and refresh projects that
just -- painting and pressure washing large-scale, things of that
nature.
So we did outline some projects that are proposed for this year.
First, at Barefoot we need to replace the interpretive signs, and we're
estimating that would be $10,000. It seems like a lot of money, but
that's -- they're pretty expensive, these signs; $2,000 apiece at least.
Restroom floor renovation and a fence upgrade in the parking lot.
Right now it's post and rope fence to try to protect the gopher
tortoises.
Bluebill access, restroom floor renovation, once again.
Marco South restroom renovation. We actually had someone
out there looking at that last week. The beach access ramp ADA
improvements, so now the mat's out there, and the engineer realized
that the ramp itself wasn't up to ADA compliance, so that would be to
bring it back to compliance, and then also repair the parking lot
fence.
And that is the end. Any questions?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: And how would you prefer
we move forward with our questions if you --
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: I think just -- we go through the
presentation, and then we can just ask questions. I mean, the whole,
I think, genesis of this joint meeting was for the commission to kind
of hear the data that we hear on a regular basis, and, you know,
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understand and ask questions, so.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Do you want to call on
Commissioner LoCastro?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Sure. I think --
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: All three --
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: We'll just go down the row.
Commissioner LoCastro.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Melissa, a couple questions I
have. So the number of beachgoers increasing, you know, notable
increase. Have we done anything to increase the frequency of
cleaning the beaches? Have we added more garbage cans? Are we
increasing the frequency of emptying the garbage cans? And I say
that because I, and I think the other commissioners, have gotten more
than a couple -- at least I have because -- from the beaches that fall
under District 1 -- complaints that they've noticed the beaches being
dirtier. And one of the things is, well, more people are using them.
But are we keeping up with the raking, the cleaning, the emptying,
the, you know, added garbage cans so that the two that are out there
don't overflow and we pick it up, you know, every three days or
what --
MS. HENNIG: Right. And we do have staff daily at all the
beaches. We just have the two at on Marco. And on holidays, we
actually have several pickups, because that's when it's normally the
busiest.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: And I only ask that because
don't be shy about asking for, you know, more -- a bigger budget. I
mean, it's great that we're fixing fences and all those things as well
but, you know, the keeping it clean is a big thing.
And then my follow-up was, what's the latest on the Tigertail
concessionaire? So I know that, you know, we switched from Tony
Smith to the new guy from Orlando. I -- you know, I hear from
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residents sort of, you know, different -- different levels of feedback.
Anything you can tell this group? You know, is he open regularly?
Is he doing well? Are we squeezing him?
MS. HENNIG: We did have a meeting with him last week to
discuss --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay.
MS. HENNIG: -- different things that are happening. He is
having issues with staffing, like everyone else across the state. So
we're staying on top of that and just want to --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Are we getting any vibe from
him that he might back out of the contract, or he's still --
MS. HENNIG: Not right now.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay. That's it. Thank
you.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Commissioner Saunders.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: You were talking about the
Vanderbilt Beach parking garage improvements. The One Naples
project that was approved by the Commission some time ago, there
were commitments from Stock Development to do some significant
improvements to that facility. Has that -- have you had
conversations with Stock Development? I just want to make sure
we're not doing something in terms of repairs, and then he's going to
come back later with some other stuff that would require redoing
some of that.
MS. HENNIG: Right. No. We've been meeting with them,
and we just had a site visit last week to go over the final location of
the meters. They're going to provide additional meters and a new
system at the front where it counts the cars and then closes them
automatically. So we're not going to have a booth attendant there
taking the money, so there will be a clean entrance, and there won't
be a slowdown on --
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COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: That's similar to what they
do in the City of Naples?
MS. HENNIG: Yes, yeah, yeah.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: And when will that be
completed; do you have any idea?
MS. HENNIG: Soon. Spring, most likely.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Thank you. That's all I had.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Commissioner Taylor.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Thank you.
I noticed -- I paid attention when -- with Clam Pass Park you say
you had some money left over. I don't know how much it is, but
there is a significant loyal and passionate group of residents up there
that use this all the time. They had me walk it before it started.
They have great ideas. It's their backyard.
So I'm wondering if you know who these folks are. If not, I can
tell you off-line and maybe you could reach out to them about how to
disburse the end of the money of that pot of money for that park,
because I think it would go a long way. And they may be very
happy and they say, well, what do you think? But I think to bring
them into it would be very good.
MS. HENNIG: Okay, yes.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Thank you.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: My only comment is similar
to Commissioner LoCastro. If you're -- and I've advocated for this
for quite some time.
The first place that the general public touches your government
is in your parks. And so if you need more money with regard to
repairs and maintenance and cleanliness and so on and so forth, talk
to us about that so that we can make sure that those are okay. I
recently visited Veterans Park this past weekend just on a little
walkabout. And so having said that, it's imperative that
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those -- those items are kept to the -- especially on the beach side.
Because you've got -- you've got so much corrosion. Saltwater is
wicked, just wicked. And so make sure we're standing on that.
That's all.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you.
MS. HENNIG: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: All right. As we move through, there is no
consent agenda items at this time, and we'll move to 7, which is new
business. We've actually got four executive summaries. And, Troy,
if you could pull up that one PowerPoint document, that will be great.
Our first two executive summaries are actually related and were
really inspired by a unique opportunity that came to us over the
course of the fall. I've got to give full kudos and call out to
Commissioner Taylor who really -- you know, from hearing some
inspirational ideas, facilitated a meeting that just really catapulted
what I'll call the arts and culture community to a level we've never
seen before. And it is really, really exciting.
For this next portion, I'm going to invite Donna
McGinnis -- she's the president and CEO of Naples Botanical
Garden -- for a little color commentary as I go through this, because
what actually occurred -- and I'll start working our way through here.
What actually occurred was inspired by the Naples Botanical Garden
and some of the -- if you want to come up here, Donna.
The Naples Botanical Garden introduced a couple events that
they were planning or considering for later on this year.
Technically, it's right at that cusp of Fiscal Year '23. La Calavera
Catrina event, Día de los Muertos -- you do not want me to butcher
these names, so I apologize up front. Canadian speaking Spanish.
Frida and her Garden, and then Plein Air Festival, which is
tentatively looking at January of next year.
And we were discussing this, then others like Opera Naples said,
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well, you're kidding me because we've got Opera Frida, and then the
Naples Botanical Garden at the same meeting then proclaimed, well,
we're looking at a Latin America major expansion of our facility. So
there was this real kismet of all of this.
And I'm going to allow Donna on a few slides here to hit on a
couple of these. But, really, the intention and what was really
inspiring us is, you know, just one of those events or two of those
events through Botanical Garden had a real opportunity to driving
overnight visitation and attracting visitation to our destination. But
what was really fascinating -- and this slide right here tells so much.
Commissioner Taylor, I think we've held three meetings, four
meetings where we have simply just invited those that were interested
in what was going on. On the slide here I think it's 26 to 30 arts and
culture organizations that have, you know, either sent one to as many
as three or four people to our meetings, because there's a lot of
excitement, and this is an excitement that really has not existed
surrounding the arts and culture. We have had a lot of discussion of
how do we really enhance this, because this is a one-time opportunity
to take it to the next level.
So I just share those that have been part of this, because the
inspiration was that one event. That's great but, wow, what if we all
came together and we all found a way of making it bigger and more
of a community-wide event, and that's what all of these community
support individuals are really committed to doing. And this is part
of the inspiration of what we're going to talk about in some of the
slides following, but this is a little bit of a teaser alert but really get
you set up.
So, Donna, I'm just going to allow you to just hit on a couple of
these and share just how dynamic and how significant these are. Let
me just advance right there as you wish.
MS. McGINNIS: Thank you. It is so fantastic to be here this
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morning. I'm Donna McGinnis. I'm the president and CEO of
Naples Botanical Garden.
And first, let me say -- and you probably know this -- but our
non-profit community is very collaborative here, at least in my five
years, I've certainly found it that way. COVID really ramped that
up. So all across the board, arts, culture, human services,
homelessness, food security.
We've all been talking with each other for a couple years now
very closely, taking care of our own employees, taking care of the
people we serve, coordinating who has the masks, who has the water,
where we can refer people, things like food distributions on parking
lots, all of those kinds of things, and so that's been going on and been
very strong.
And then in the cultural community, the energy really started to
come together pre-COVID with the formation of the Arts and Culture
Strategic Plan for Collier County. That got us around the same
table. It got us excited in talking about working together.
And while that initiative in particular slowed down as COVID
became the emergency we had to deal with, in recent months we've
been talking with each other about as we're able to get back out there
and get our programming back out there, and especially for
performing arts organizations and museums, those who have indoor
facilities that have been more challenged, how can we work together
to really, essentially, lift all boats.
And so at the garden we've been planning this season of activity
for a couple of years, but once we also, then, knew that Naples Zoo
was opening a new Latin American permanent exhibit with more than
a million dollars of investment, then things really took off.
So we appreciate Commissioner Taylor gathering us all
together, but for a few months now we've really been talking about
how do we leverage a couple of big anchors and build something that
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both can attract tourism here, build audiences that are going to come
here as a destination to enjoy many things, including this, but it's also
going to strengthen our own organizations and build local audiences.
So for us as the Botanical Garden, if we are then promoting the
other activities of other organizations, that's going to benefit
everybody's audience growing.
So just a quick overview of the exhibits. La Calavera Catrina is
a series of sculptures that comes to us from Denver Botanic Garden.
We're really tying this into a Day of the Dead, something that we are
planning to be an anchor annual activity at the garden, but this is
going to be what kicks it off. This artist is also planning to be here
and engage in the community, so we're talking about a number of
community art projects that might go along with this. There's still a
lot in development collaboratively.
Frida and her Garden. So this does not bring actual paintings
by Frida Kahlo to our community, but it's an exhibit created by the
San Antonio Botanic Garden. It is a large-scale multi-sculpture
installation that will be all along the grounds of Botanical Garden and
highlight the plants. We'll build new display gardens around these
works that highlight the plants of Mexico, the plants that were in her
paintings, and the plants that were in her Casa Azul in Mexico.
So this, for us, is going to be our blockbuster, and this is where
there could potentially be a whole lot of energy as the organizations
have been working together.
So Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, again, we're going to
develop a family festival around this in October and November of
2022. This is something that we are planning to be an annual
celebration that we can bring to the community.
Sorry. I'll let you jump in.
MR. BEIRNES: Yeah. And as I mentioned, a lot of
inspiration. I've got a number of slides here, but the inspiration of
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others from Opera Frida to the zoo, just gave us a great opportunity
to -- and let me also tee up and say, as Donna said, we're in that
infancy. We're inspiring what it will look like, but we're also
dissecting it and trying to figure out the logical flow chart, if you
will, of communications.
And we started putting items on the -- on the map or -- on the
calendar, rather, it really showcased what ended up being pretty
evident a year-long ever-changing festival, which gave a lot of
credence to doing this because it wasn't something that you just
plugged in and it played for a year but, rather, there was new, fresh,
evolving, you know, reasons to revisit the destination accordingly.
And then, of course, the CVB, we have been at all of the
meetings, because we really see this as an opportunity, one, to be able
to create the branding message around it and the communications,
integrating our communications within social media, and in addition
to that -- and we're really excited. I'm not allowed yet to name
the -- name the individual, but we have actually extended an offer for
a manager of arts and culture which will actually report in through
the CVB.
So the timing of this individual who's completing the paperwork
is really exciting, because it does allow us to put a lot of momentum
in these events, because they will take a lot of effort.
So I just -- and, Donna -- I just included a couple items here,
pictures, that Donna has provided with regards to how some of these
festivals will come to life at the Naples Botanical Garden. And it's
pretty exciting to be able to see all this happen. This is all new, all
incremental effort.
So, Troy, if we could toggle over. That was the inspiration, if
you will, for the next two items, which are part of our executive
summaries. The first one -- and, actually, I'm going to tee up what
they are and how -- and then I will actually get into the wordsmithing
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here.
The first one really allowed us to take a look at the existing
grants that are available that really, one, inspire and allow many of
these events to happen, and the collaborative community-wide desire
to make this much bigger than just an individual location was very,
very unique. So we've worked with the county attorneys to
determine what we really need to be able to take this event to the next
level.
So the first one will be just a slight modification of the allowable
uses for the grants, and then the second one that I'm going to hit on in
a second is that this is a first-time opportunity. We've never seen the
momentum before, and we wanted to really encourage the
collaborative thinking. We do have reserve funds from unallocated
grants in previous years that were in reserves. So we are looking to
move some funds in to really jump start a first-year initiative, and
then we can determine what that is going forward.
So as it appears on the Executive Summary, 7A is the
recommendation to approve proposed modifications to the allowable
uses within the grants applications guidelines for C-2
noncounty-owned museums as well as for Category B, marketing and
promotion grants, by adding an additional allowable use that include
funding consideration for an exhibit or activity and related promotion
marketing that will be showcased at an event or location whose
primary purpose is the promotion of tourism.
Again, what this allows is that -- that opportunity to make it
larger than life, if you will. Just to really have the likes of the
operas, Coastland Mall -- well, you know, it is really everybody that
you saw on those 30 participants rallied together to make a giant
event that, collaboratively, is intended to drive overnight visitation.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Paul, can I just -- and just to shed
some light on when we changed these categories -- and,
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unfortunately, we don't have any grant applications that the TDC is
reviewing today. But could you just give an overview of what the
information is? When there's a grant application that comes to the
TDC, and we're provided the information upon which we make a
recommendation of approval to the Commission, those are usually
on -- I think on the consent agenda. So it might be helpful for
everybody to know the kind of information that's provided for us to
make those recommendations.
MR. BEIRNES: Yeah. And it's a very good point. We
typically solicit the grant applications in the month of February.
Because there is such forward momentum and we wanted to make
sure that we were teeing up ourselves for success, we're going to
nudge that back to March, and then the next step is in May we decide
on what that application is.
Historically, under C-2, it was -- and I'm going to paraphrase if I
can. It really pigeonholed the application to those such as the
Botanical Garden itself but did not allow for that, you know,
collaborative means to elevate the larger promotion. We, as a -- the
TDC will have full decision on all of the -- all of the grants and how
it all plays out. I do not have historic reference, I apologize -- and I
look around to see who might have been on those committees.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Well, let me just jump in, because I
think what's important is that we're provided the information of how
many room nights are going to be generated based upon historical
data for those events. You know, usually, they're recurring events so
we have some data. If it's a new event, then maybe we look at it a
little closer. Maybe they've done other events somewhere else.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Marketing plan.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: So there's a lot of data that comes
with these grant applications on the number of room nights,
what -- what data related to spending within Collier County as a
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result of, you know, tourists coming here.
So I just thought it might be helpful to know that these aren't
just, okay, we look at these like -- this sounds like a great idea.
There's a lot of data that comes with it. And we've asked some -- the
Council's asked some tough questions for some of them when, you
know, it doesn't seem like we're getting enough bang for the buck, so
to speak.
So I just wanted the other board members that haven't attended a
TDC meeting to know that there is a lot of analysis and data that's
provided along with these grant applications.
MR. BEIRNES: Fair enough. Thank you. Thank you,
Mr. Chair.
So that is the presentation of the executive summary for 7A.
Do we make a motion to accept?
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: I'll make a --
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Go ahead.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Okay. I'll make a motion that
we accept this agenda item and draw the conclusion that it does
promote tourism.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: I'll second.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: There's a motion and a second.
All in favor, say aye.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Aye.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER KEARNS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BROCK: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: (No verbal response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any opposed?
(No response.)
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MR. BEIRNES: Thank you.
And 7B, as I mentioned, it is kind of a collaborative piece. It is
the recommendation to approve an increase in the tourist
development tax grant application funding amount for Fiscal Year '23
noncounty-owned/operated museums, formerly Category C-2 in the
amount of $250,000 with a budget amendment from grants reserves
for a one-time increase in order to encourage support of the Fiscal
Year '23 arts and culture festival and making the finding that these
expenditures promote tourism.
Now, I will say that, technically, there is not a requirement of us
to bring this item necessarily to the -- to the TDC because we could
actually make the movement during the budget process. The timing
is one that, for full transparency, is wise for us to do so and put it on
record because we will be considering the applications in March and
May, but that is actually a month or two before the budget process.
So it's just a checks and balance to make sure that there's
endorsement and encouragement of that being the direction.
As I mentioned, there is a little over a million dollars in
unallocated grants that, over the years, through whether there was not
an adequate amount of applications or what have you, one million
dollars exists. So this was a great opportunity, we believe, to
provide some incentive in the county to show the encouragement of
this collaborative thinking.
COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: One thing I'd like to point
out, Commissioners, is that we did try to streamline the grant process
so that it was easier for people to apply because, like Paul said, we
had a million sitting in the reserves, so to speak, and it helped in
getting more people to apply. So we're kind of -- we want people to
use the money, you know, obviously.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: If not, it will find a place to
get spent.
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COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: And then, secondly, this
might be another -- a program that we might do next year as well
depending on --
MR. BEIRNES: That is absolutely the intent. Commissioner
Taylor, myself, and anybody who has sat around the table, I keep
saying it, but it is really heartwarming to hear the energy and the
enthusiasm and the long-term vision of this.
COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: Yeah.
MR. BEIRNES: So, yes, the purpose of this is to certainly set it
up for success, and, you know, we will then evaluate going forward
whether we need to provide further incentives.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Is there a motion? Oh, question?
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Just one other comment. I was
really pleased when we looked through 7A to see that we're
still -- thank you, Troy -- going to be giving priority to events and
grants impacting the May through November season. I think that's
really, really important, and I also feel like -- maybe I'm too close.
I've got to get my social distance from Mr. Hill.
I think the other thing that's really great about the timing
impacting Fiscal Year '23 and looking at moving forward, as Nancy
said, is while visitor projections are exceptional for 2022 -- and Paul
knows what I'm going to say because we've talked about it a lot -- but
I do feel like that Florida fatigue is coming as travelers have been,
perhaps, dissuaded from cruises, Hawaii, Caribbean, and Latin
American. As we become more comfortable, they are going to be
tempted to go back to those choices, and I think truly unique events
like this that become the part of the fabric of a destination are what
give us a new story to tell once that paradise without a passport, wide
open space, social distancing built-in narrative needs a refresh. So I
think the timing is exceptional.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: So is there a motion to approve?
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COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: I'll make a motion to approve
the budget amendment and also make a finding that this expenditure
will promote tourism.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Second.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: There's a motion and second. Any
other discussion?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: All in favor, say aye.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Aye.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER KEARNS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BROCK: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: (No verbal response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any opposed?
(No response.)
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Let me make a point of
discussion here. And this -- I mean, this is advertised as a joint
meeting, but I want to ask my senior management -- I don't want to
be voting on these things that are typically part of a normal TDC
meeting. I want to be here. I want to participate. I want to edify.
I want to learn. But I don't feel qualified to be voting right now, and
I would like for -- to ensure that these items are going to follow the
normal process and come back to the Board --
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Right.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: -- as is all of the
recommendations of our TDC.
MR. ISACKSON: This isn't the last time you'll see it.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Okay. I just want -- I just
want -- Commissioner Taylor and I have been going back and forth
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on this while you folks weren't looking, and I just wanted to make
sure that it was clear that we are participating in your meeting, but
this is your meeting. We're just here -- well, Commissioner
LoCastro's here for looks.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I actually understood what
was happening here.
Paul, proceed.
MR. ISACKSON: My guess is that Paul will have them on the
next agenda or one to follow.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Good, good, good. I just
wanted a point of clarification so that if anybody noticed we
weren't -- the Commission was not voting, that it was -- that was the
process.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Yeah. We all get it. We'll
talk to you after this.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: At least that's how it was in
my brain, so I just wanted to make sure.
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful.
We'll move to 7C. And at this point I'm going to call up
Andrew Miller from Coastal Zone on his item.
MR. ANDREW MILLER: Thank you, Paul.
Good morning. For the record, Andy Miller with Collier
Coastal Zone Management.
This is such a low-dollar item that I assumed that it was going to
go on consent, but it's actually a very feel-good item. If you read the
considerations, it's fairly clear and concise.
What happened was after Hurricane Irma we had some serious
issues with Collier Creek filling up with sand and debris, and so we
did an emergency dredge at that time. Following the dredge, we
went to FEMA and asked for reimbursement, and I think the amount
was somewhere around $630,000 in reimbursement. And this was
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obviously before my tenure in Coastal Zone, so a lot of the work
happened before I got here.
FEMA denied our original request, and we appealed with some
additional information. And a long time passed in between the time
that we had appealed and the time that they finally granted our
appeal, which was back in, I think, August, September of '21.
And we had a nice conference call with FEMA at that time.
And as it turns out, the reason that they had declined our original
request for reimbursement was basically a disagreement on the
methods used to calculate the amount of sand that was dredged after
the emergency.
And so what we have here now is basically a work order with
APTIM Engineering, who did the original calculations, to refine their
calculations for $4,993 and, in turn, FEMA is potentially going to be
able to grant a request -- maybe not to the tune of $630,000, but for a
significant amount maybe close to that. And the better news is this
$4,993 is eligible for reimbursement as well, so the county's out zero.
So the recommendation is to approve the work order with
APTIM Environmental and Infrastructure, LLC, to provide
professional engineering services for calculation of debris removal
from Collier Creek due to Hurricane Irma under Contract
18-7432-CZ for time and materials not to exceed $4,933 from Fund
195 and, make a finding that this item promotes tourism.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Questions? Is there a motion?
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: Move to approve.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Yes.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: There's a motion, I believe, by Mr.
Grifoni.
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: Correct.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Is there a second?
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Second.
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TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: There's a motion and a second.
All in favor, say aye.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Aye.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER KEARNS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BROCK: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: (No verbal response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any opposed?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you.
MR. MILLER: Okay. Mr. Chairman -- I have been
alerted -- we're a little off of our regular system here today. I do
believe we have Kathleen van Bergen online and wanted to make a
comment on one of these items. I'm going to ask our Zoom person
to prompt her to unmute yourself. Ms. van Bergen, are you with us?
This may take a moment. Like I said, we're a little bit different
than our normal procedures here this morning.
MS. van BERGEN: Hi. Thank you, Paul. Can you hear me?
MR. MILLER: Yes, ma'am.
MS. van BERGEN: Okay. I apologize. I had written in the
chat. I realize that we have now gone back on the agenda.
But I was participating this morning because I'd like to speak in
support and appreciation for what has already been passed in Items
7A and B.
I specifically wanted to thank not only yourself, but
Commissioner Taylor, Donna McGinnis for the leadership that has
been exhibited over the last few months. This feels like the
culmination of not a replacement in the international investment for
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arts and culture driving tourism, but an additional effort that I do
believe will drive not only people to come to our towns for beaches
and all of the shopping and retail and golf and sports, but also for arts
and culture.
We do have some chilly and sometimes rainy days where
museums attendance skyrockets, and I'd like to make sure that people
are here to enjoy the cultural activities that we invest in regularly.
I also wanted to share that although Artis Naples and Baker
Museum specifically were not on that list with our project, many of
you know that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were quite the couple.
We do have two Diego Rivera works in our permanent collection.
One will be spreading great vibes in -- on loan in Scandinavia about
our cultural community here, but the other one we will happily have
on display in a Mexican modernism exhibition that will be up for the
entire duration of this festival period.
And my final point is I just want to express appreciation for the
TDC and the funding. It really has enabled us to bring terrific
high-profile, internationally-based exhibitions to our community, and
this would not only balance that but showcase all of the wonderful
partnerships and organizations we have growing here and working
together to drive tourism.
I apologize I couldn't get anyone's attention earlier, but I did feel
strongly to speak on behalf of both of these motions which have
obviously passed. Thank you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: May I say one thing? When
we talk about kismet -- he said it a couple of times -- in the midst of
this planning last fall, someone sent me a New York Times article, and
a portrait of Frida Kahlo sold in New York for $34.5 million. This is
a renowned, world accepted artist who has sparked interest
everywhere. It's very, very exciting that Donna McGinnis and the
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Botanical Garden are bringing her to Naples.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: All right.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you. And I couldn't have said it better
myself.
And back by popular demand, we have another item, 7D.
Melissa's going to hit on this for Parks and Recreation.
MS. HENNIG: Hello again. Melissa Hennig, region -- Region
1 manager for Parks and Recreation.
This is asking for the Tourist Development Council to
recommend approval of a beach park facilities grant for Clam Pass
Park for $55,000 and to make the finding that the expenditure
promotes tourism. This is for two additional full showers. Right
now there's two foot showers and two full showers, and people, when
it's busy, still have to wait, so add two more full showers, and also a
recommendation by our Facilities Management Division to install a
ladder -- maintenance ladder and platform for the cafe which would
make it easier and safer to maintain the roof, the hood, and the
HVAC system there. Any questions?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any questions?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Is there a motion?
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: I move to accept the
recommendation for the final improvements -- maybe not final -- for
the additional improvements to the Clam Pass Park. It was closed
for quite a while a summer ago when those improvements were first
made. Will it have to be closed for these?
MS. HENNIG: No.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: No. They're just additions?
MS. HENNIG: Correct.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Thank you. Because, of
course, it promotes tourism.
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COUNCILMEMBER HILL: I'll second.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Motion and second. All in favor,
say aye.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Aye.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER KEARNS: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER BROCK: Aye.
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: (No verbal response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any opposed?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: And I guess I should remember to
look at Troy and see if there's any public speakers for anything.
MR. MILLER: Not for this, sir. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Troy, what's in the chat? It
seems like there's five or six people. I can't see that number. But
are there things in the chat that we should be opening or no?
MR. MILLER: No. We're monitoring that off-line, sir.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay, gotcha.
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful.
And as we move forward, there is no old business under Item 8,
and we make a transition to Section 9, which is our marketing partner
reports. This is actually -- while it sounds pretty innocuous, it's
actually a pretty exciting part of our presentation. Historically, we
take this opportunity to pause, take a look at what we have
accomplished -- and I say "accomplished," really what has happened
since our last TDC meeting. Ironically, our last in-face TDC
meeting was in November. It seems like the world has changed, and
it changes about every 30 days around here.
We had -- we had updated everybody on the TDC documents in
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December, nonetheless, so that you could sit fireside and bring
yourself up to speed. And now we have the opportunity to look over
our shoulder for a couple things. One, it was the end of the -- the
calendar year, and there was a lot that has happened in this, well, 60
days since we've been in this -- these chambers.
When we were here in November, we were pretty excited. You
know, we were moving full steam. We saw meetings coming back
and optimism. The holidays were on the horizon. And then one
news report uses the word "omicron" that we had to figure out how to
pronounce suddenly. Now we wake up in the middle of the night
proclaiming the word.
I will say, as much as tourism and our effort is very much like
playing dodgeball with wrenches, we have been able to bob and
weave and be very, very nimble through the process.
Very fortunate in this recent -- omicron certainly caught
everybody's attention and had a bit of a ripple effect coming out of
the holidays. Companies not really knowing what to expect. Was
this more severe? Not severe? Quite often I look immediately to
Mr. Hill and Ms. Clark -- or Cox, rather, for that sentiment, we live
this on a daily basis in the booking side of things.
Fortunately, I will say, a little off record, that while we have
seen an uptick of cancellations, what we are seeing is actually not the
fear of omicron causing the cancellations as we, ourselves, had fear
of but rather more, I'll call it, symptomatic challenges. For instance,
meetings very soon, in the next week, two weeks, that are on the
books are being canceled because the CEO has experienced
symptoms, so causing a bit of a hiccup in ability to execute, or 10 or
15 people in a small meeting or board meeting have symptoms, not
making it allowable for travel.
So they are very close in. That is not ideal for the -- for the
hotel industry.
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Fortunately, the other side is that the pent-up demand, desire,
and intent to travel is definitely there. That is -- it is a wonderful
thing. As we know, November 8th the international market started
the flights traveling, and we have seen an uptick over and over. It
will take a progressive amount of time before all of those planes are
in the air and all those bookings start actually coming through. But
we see it also as an opportunity because we see it extending our
traditional season, not just all compressed, but, rather, we do have an
elevated desire to visit, and so we can now spread that out over some
of our shoulder seasons.
I will say -- and probably, you know, I could go on, if you will,
of some of the sentiment and the desire of the destination, but it's
things like on Friday receiving the following excites me the most:
When TripAdvisor just announced the 2022 Travelers Choice award,
the best of the best, Naples came in at No. 9 best of the best on
trending destinations in the U.S. These are individuals that
are -- you know, they're searching. They're looking. They're being
inspired. And this is what -- this is that temperature gauge that we
want to have out there. Number one was the islands of Hawaii.
Frankly, we should be one. But, nonetheless, that's how it plays out.
Pretty exciting to see these sentiments coming along.
I will also say what I will present in a minute here is really a bit
of a spoiler alert for the section as we go through where we will
follow going through research that we experienced during December.
Our advertising lookback. What we do every year is we
collaboratively look at 2021 or the year of the past and try to put a
bow around what happened. It was a phenomenal year on numbers.
A phenomenal year on other things as well that we wish we don't
have to revisit, but I will say, collaboratively, the county, the TDC,
the BCC, our agencies, and our community in general have actually
really, really rallied together.
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So the following is a bit of a lookback, but it is also a spoiler
alert of some of the numbers that you are going to hear in the
following. So enjoy the next two minutes.
(A video was played as follows:)
Despite the pandemic, tonight Collier County's Convention and
Visitors Bureau since last year was a record-breaking year for
tourism.
Arabesque of Naples took the paradise pledge.
The Naples Depot Museum took the paradise.
Twenty-one Spices took the paradise pledge.
We took the paradise pledge.
It's time to start planning the next in-person meeting. Consider
Naples, Marco Island, and the Everglades.
Since 2001, the Tiburon Golf Course in Naples today, yet again,
hosted some of golf's greatest.
If you're just joining us now, the (unintelligible) morning show,
we are live from the JW Marriott in Marco Island, which is beautiful.
(The video concluded.)
MR. BEIRNES: So what got us through 2021 is exactly what
we will continue to be fixated on going forward, which will allow us
to carry forward. We have learned the strength of being nimble,
adjusting, trusting in research, really keeping our ear to the ground.
And so we are -- we are in it, and we are looking forward to 2022.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: And I'll just make an observation
that while it was a record-breaking year, 2021, the record that it broke
was the standing record that was a record that we'd never reached. I
mean, it was obviously a record, but it was a level of tourism, of
room rates and occupancies that we've never had before. And in the
middle -- under perfect conditions.
And so I'd like to commend the staff and the job that
everybody's done in making that happen in the middle of some very,
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very difficult times and uncertain times. Great job.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you. And as you said, it was a
complete collaborative effort.
As we move forward and -- you know, both of our committees
received the presentation in September and October respectively of
our 2022 marketing plan, what you will remember and recall, there
was a lot of strategy. There was a lot of focus, a lot of points on the
horizon that we were really doubling down and elevating ourselves.
And you're going to see that over the course of not only what you're
going to hear in the next few minutes, but also in 7C where we talk
about our midyear strategic focus and how we've continued to elevate
that.
One of the things is really important, and Chair Solis, you hit on
it, which is 2019 was a record-breaking year. The sheer
mathematics, though -- and you look at whether it is our tax
collection -- it is an easy math, if you will. Average daily rate times
the amount of those that actually put heads in beds. We are not
seeing exponential growth in hotel rooms. No towers of 6-, 7-,
8,000 rooms on the horizon. The average daily rate has never been
higher. And, honestly, when I say that it's in all caps with an
exclamation. It is astronomically high.
So what our goal is is to make sure that we maintain that level of
tax collection, so it becomes a behind-the-scenes initiative that every
one of our agencies and our staff is committed to, which is what we
called our value proposition. And the value proposition was
prominently displayed within our marketing plan, and it is
really -- and I'll paraphrase -- that it is really after that audience, that
ideal audience that is willing and able to pay that elevated average
daily rate because our brand is a very unique one. It is unlike
anything else. And so we have to really double down and be fixated
on that -- that clientele. And it is in our messaging, it is in our
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advertising, that elevated experience, and that will really carry us
through, and it certainly has already, as you will see.
So as I turn things over at this point, research -- as you started
seeing these scroll, I believe it was one of the first ones when it
comes to success. Research -- strategy, but research is really a key
part of that.
Downs and St. Germain is our new research team that came in in
the summer and, technically, you saw them for the first time, I guess,
October or November, I guess it was, in a presentation.
Joseph St. Germain, one of the leads, is here to really showcase
what we have encountered over the last month but also going
forward.
Joseph, I'll let you take it away.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: Thank you very much. And I appreciate
your time today.
Again, my name's Joseph St. Germain. I'm the president of
Downs and St. Germain Research.
There's a lot of data in here, so I'm not going to walk through
every single data piece, but I do want to tell you the story of tourism
in Collier County in December. When we talk -- when Paul was
talking resident sediment, there was a moment where I thought we'd
start to see a huge dip due to omicron, and we just never saw it. And
it really is an extension of what we said last time we were here.
People in general have gotten to the point where they understand the
risk of tourism, and they're generally going to power through it. Not
everyone, but -- because we have seen some cancellations and things
of that nature.
And one of the things, anecdotally, that we're starting to see, it's
less worry about things like, you know, catching the virus which, of
course, is a concern, but it's also like, am I going to be at the airport
for two days because the pilots aren't going to be there? It's
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become -- so that shift we're starting to see continue. There's still
concerns, but it's not always virus, virus, virus day in, day out. So
that's just something I wanted to mention.
And, again, I'll bounce through some of these, but, I mean, the
story of the numbers for December are exceptional. As Paul
mentioned, if you look at the average daily rate for December 2021,
375 -- over $375 is a remarkable number. And if you look in the
rightmost columns, the percentage changes from 2019, which we've
established was already a record year, and 2020. There's only pluses
with the one exception of you had slightly less visitors compared to
2019, and that's because they stayed longer. So you had more room
nights. They're here more days. There are just not as many of them
because they stayed a little bit longer.
As we look at where people are coming from, it's remarkable
to -- it's great to see the return of international, particularly Canada,
but you're starting to see -- you know, as Paul had just mentioned,
they marketed to your Florida visitor, but we're starting to see that
percentage of the Florida visitor go down. It's not just Florida kind
of coming down here. We're starting to see not only international
but across the nation people coming to the destination.
Now, this, for us, we double-checked the data twice because we
saw in November and then in December what I'm looking at is the
percentage of hoteliers and vacation rentals that we talked to who
said the percentage of the reservations for the next three months
looking ahead was down was zero percent, and that was the same last
month, and that is -- we don't see zeros and a hundred very often in
our industry. We just don't. So not only is this good news for
December, it's good news looking forward at least three months.
The yearend metrics, you just saw some of them, so I won't
spend a lot of time in the year metrics, but a lot of record numbers as
you saw in the video. And let me touch base just on a few things
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about your visitor. One of the things that we added as of October
was just kind of getting to better understand the trip planning cycle.
Your median visitor planned their trip 49 days before they came to
the destination, so that is, again, longer than we saw during some of
the pandemic where a lot was spontaneous travel, but -- even though
we weren't here a couple years ago, but just from what we've seen,
it's probably not as long as it used to be.
Another thing I wanted to point out was the return of business
being a reason to come. As we looked at the STR report in terms of
group occupancy, Naples was ahead of the whole comp set, so -- and
we're seeing it here when we talk. There's a percentage who are
coming here for business in some way, shape, or form.
As a data nerd, apologies, but as -- I saw the parks presentation
where the graph for beach visitation goes like this (indicating), and
then you saw every single other thing from the video; visitors,
economic impact, ADR. The graph goes like this. It continues to
be the same thing, and that, largely, is the number-one reason people
come is the beach. They do a lot of other things. That's not the
only part of the tourism experience, but it's not shocking to see those
graphs showing very similar patterns along the way.
One thing we mentioned last time we were here, we expected
with international visitation getting more people flying in from Fort
Lauderdale, Miami. Sure enough, we saw that.
RSW, not that RSW is slowing down in terms of the number of
people, it's just the percentage of your visitor because some of them
are coming over there and then meandering over.
With your advertising itself, I did want to note at how
many -- maybe, you know, December could be an anomaly. But of
the people who noticed advertising, 72 percent recalled the social
media. So that is one -- I mean, it's -- social media and digital is
always an important place to see things, but that's one thing than
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popped out to us.
We're starting to see more families. And I'm kind of putting
some of these points together, but to Board Member Cox's point, the
good news is you've had all this pent-up demand and some revenge
travel, and when you start to see how much travel spend per party as
compared to previous years, it's up significantly. It's going to be
interesting moving forward. We saw a lot of families, particularly
kind of folks, you know, my age and younger maybe visit here for the
first time because they canceled an international trip or they didn't
want to take that trip to Disney and a variety of other places, and a lot
of them came to Southwest Florida, not just Naples, but a lot of them
came here. So that is something -- you know, you're going to
replace some of that with international, but that is going to be a
challenge moving forward.
And, again, I did want to point out the length of stay. Up from
four in -- 4 nights to 5.4 nights this year. That's just remarkable.
And that's why it's like you have almost the same number of visitors
but all of these spending metrics and things of that nature are along
those lines.
Here's what they do the most. You know, again, the beach
continues to be number one, but the restaurants are a very important
part of the experience. And, again, pent-up demand. Some people
are calling it revenge travel. People saved a lot of money while they
weren't traveling for a little minute, and they are not shy about
spending it, if you look at that graph at that spend per travel party.
Now, granted, part of it is they stayed longer, so they spent more
money, but also part of it is they just have more money to spend in
general.
And then, finally, for your visitor, Paul noted the value. We
added a question about the value of your trip. And to have a value
on a 10-point scale of almost 9 when the average daily rate was $375
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and you're dealing with workforce issues in general is tremendous.
It's one thing to find the group who are willing to pay those rates, but
to actually say you still have to make sure you meet their value
proposition which, overall, you are.
Now, that is something, admittedly, as a high-end destination,
it's hard to get value up to a 10. You know, people -- that's just one
of those things. But given all -- you know, the whole tourism
ecosystem, that is a good number to see.
Then, finally, just a couple of the numbers. This is the
workforce. We are really starting to see workforce trying to catch up
to 2019, but that struggle is still real. And the one thing that I will
say and we noted -- because we don't just work here in Florida. We
work in some other areas as well -- satisfaction in a state like Maine
that's much more restrictive was down a lot because they're having
even more issues with hiring and things of that nature. So while it's
hard, it definitely could be worse.
And then, finally, as I mentioned, RSW traffic continues to be
up. The percentage who flew into RSW is down just because they're
using other airports as well, so you just have a lot more people flying.
And then just -- here's a breakout of how many units you have in the
area, according to FDBPR.
So that's shuttling through a whole month and then kind of
touching on some over stuff, but I just want to kind of -- that -- with
these we try not to go through everything, but we want to kind of pull
out the things that made sense to us to help us understand the story of
December, but I would like to open up to questions before I pass it
back to Paul.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Ms. Cox.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Thank you so much.
I wanted to thank you for your work separating out the west
from other. As we move forward, I think that's going to be really
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key for us to be able to look at the impact of some of our new direct
West Coast lift. I know I had occasion last week to interact with two
different travelers. One who had flown here directly from San
Francisco and another from LA, and who would have thought such a
thing would have been possible into RSW pre-pandemic. I thought
that was really exciting.
I would love -- and I can't remember if I asked this before. But
is there a way on the segmentation where we're in Northeast and
Midwest -- on those slides we still just have the comparables to 2020.
Can we add '19 there as well? Because I think it would be great to
your point about new visitors and certainly helping
direct -- obviously, our advertising's been particularly digital -- as we
look at, in the graph reference of '19, '20, '21, how close are we
coming back to our same geographic propensities versus new visitors.
But great work. Thank you.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: Yes. And we will do that. Thank you
very much.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Awesome.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: I thought the -- excuse me. I
thought the employment trends were interesting, and I think we have
to keep in mind, too, that the full employment is -- has been reached,
and yet there's still a shortfall. So actually the industry's propensity
to put more people to work exists, and we're all -- we're all searching
for good team members.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Yes, we are.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any questions from the
commissioners? Yeah, Commissioner.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I have a few.
Joe, I don't know if they're particularly for you, but your
presentation, one thing that didn't match the video, or at least
double-check, Paul, is your average daily room rate, on your video
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it's in the 200-and-somethings, in his it's in the 325s, but -- there
might be different parameters that are being used, but just
double-check that. Those numbers didn't jive. The other numbers
did, 2020 and -- 2020 and 2019 or whatever the two years. They
were exactly the same, but the latest year wasn't for whatever reason.
It's not so much for you-all, but I'll just go through my
questions, and then I won't have anything else.
Andy from Coastal Zone and Melissa, I mean, I think this bears
worth -- it bears worth repeating even though Commissioner
McDaniel and I said it again, but let's make sure with the increased
number of visitors that we have to our beaches, we are increasing
visibility with our workers, with our staffs that are out there, whether
it's garbage cans, beach raking or whatnot, that we have an increased
attention to detail, that we're not just sort of working harder and
whatnot.
And if those that are actually out there on the warehouse floor,
i.e., the beaches have some ideas to increase frequency, visibility,
more garbage cans on those things, that they know that they're
empowered to pass that back up to us, you know. I mean, it's
frustrating sometimes when visitors take pictures of overflowing
garbage cans, and not just at the holidays, and then we run out there
and we just empty them. But when the garbage can was, like, half
full, we have to be smart enough to realize, wow, this thing's going to
overflow when we empty it in four days.
So, you know, to really -- we're bragging about how beautiful
everything is here, but it's those little things that really make us -- you
know, take us from great to phenomenal. And it's really the teams
that you-all supervise that are out there, you know, on the front lines
every day seeing that. So don't be shy.
And like Commissioner McDaniel said, we spend money hand
over fist for all kinds of things. Increasing the contract or the people
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or, you know, what have you, I don't look at that as an expense. I
look at that as an investment. These folks won't come back to our
beaches if they go, yeah, it was really fun, and the water was great,
but the place was trashed and, you know, picking up the garbage cans
once a week or whatever it is wasn't enough.
So you are really the key in keeping the beautification of what
we're all bragging about here. So make sure the folks at the lowest
common denominator -- and I don't say that sarcastically. But the
folks that are really doing the work know that they're empowered to
tell us, hey, we need to come out more frequently or we need more
equipment what have you. That's very, very important, I think.
And then, Paul, before you start bragging about us being No. 9,
we were 7 before you. No, I'm just kidding. We weren't. We
weren't. I was just throwing that out.
I really think we're really lucky to have -- when you first came
to the podium and we heard about your resumè and your background
and we saw your energy and whatnot, we're really very fortunate, you
know, to have you here. So, you know, keep it up and, you know,
let's keep, you know, moving forward. But thank you, sir.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: And, Commissioner, I just wanted
to -- for that ADR, the ADR in the report is for December only.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: The one from the video is for the entire
year.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Okay.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: So you're exactly right. I just wanted to
clarify since I --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Maybe you need an asterisk
or something there, because the three-something that you were
saying, that's not the average, like you said. But in December, I'm
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surprised it's not more, but -- okay. Got it. Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: May I?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Yes, Ms. Becker.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Since I deal daily with the
tourists in the Third Street, the historic area, I'm always interested in
their reasons for being here and what's drawn them. I noticed in one
of your charts there was an increase in visitors from the west, the
western part of the United States, and I've noticed the same thing.
It's amazing. We didn't used to see anybody from California or the
state of Washington, but now we are, and they're not only visitors.
They're also new residents. So we have to deal with that.
A couple of years ago the advertising agency found that in their
surveys of people that coming for restaurants and dining had
surpassed the reason for coming for beaches. In your reports I
noticed in one that the restaurants were about sixth or seventh
down -- way down the list until you got to the last one, and then
restaurants and dining came second.
So I suppose all those reasons exist, and it just depends on
where you're doing the surveying and when. If it's close to
dinnertime, it's different. But I do find that an interesting part of the
research is people's reasons for coming, because we have to satisfy
those reasons.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: Yeah. And to your point, the
percentage of people who come for dining, restaurants, et cetera, is
greater in this county than we see it in other destinations, and that's
why I want to separate the reason they came versus what they did.
No one disputes that restaurants are a huge part of the tourism
ecosystem, particularly here, but the percentage who come, when
they say, hey, why did you come, the beach is going to win more
often than not.
And so you bring up a good point. Like I said, we work with
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10 other destinations in Florida. We usually don't see dining that
high as the reason for visiting. It -- to your point with activities, it is
always near the top of what they did while they were here.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: And people have been seeking
outdoor activities for the past couple of years.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: Yes --
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Yeah.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: -- so I think we're going to see
interest in restaurants grow even more as we move forward.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: That's good for our economic
part a lot, more so than the beaches in terms of economics. Thank
you.
Thank you for your research, and thank you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Commissioner Taylor.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yeah. Thank you. Thank
you.
I'd like to give just a very quick data summary for the FBU, the
youth sports at the Paradise Coast. They came in December. And
we all got this, but it's fascinating. It's what they did. Eighty-one
percent went to restaurants, and they looked at 32 different
restaurants, and also 52 percent was beach and fishing, scuba diving.
Those were the top activities of that group. And we're talking about
5,000 people that came in one week.
So it speaks volumes of when you're going to survey them and
what they do and everything. And that's not at all casting any kind
of cast -- shade on what you've done. But it's fascinating to see that
even youth sports brings people here to the beaches, and it's a
wonderful, wonderful group of people that come.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: Definitely.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Commissioner McDaniel?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: No, no.
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TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Any other questions?
(No response.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you very much.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: All right. Thank you very much.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Thanks, Joe.
And just a couple add-ons to that. And, Susan, you are spot on,
which is one of our day-to-day challenges, because what we find
people are looking for in August changes radically by the time they
hit September, by December, and that is actually -- it's that
ever-changing keep your thumb on the pulse of what's going on, and
it keeps us up at night and keeps us excited as well.
Just to kind of hit on that as well. Also, you will see some -- if
you're really focusing on destinations, there's interesting little
nuances bobbing around. I think some of you may remember back
in 2021, we were watching what we thought was possibly a little
anomaly where the Midwest and Chicago all of a sudden come up.
And we said, well, let's keep an eye on that because either it's because
New York's shut down and they're not traveling, and you have to at
least follow the numbers but not jump to conclusion. But what we're
seeing is there is a continued surge in the Midwest and Chicago, and
you're going to see some of that -- those initiatives coming up.
And then, finally, we showcased RSW. And I will -- I'd be
remiss not to say that the collaborative strategic effort between RSW,
ourselves being the CVB, Lee County CVB, and even companies
such as Arthrex, as a great example, contribute. You might not
know the bigger scheme, but because of their need to bring doctors
into the destination allowed us to have some conversations with some
of the airlines' incremental nonstop service from San Francisco, LA,
are bringing not only those business travelers in, but also leisure
travelers. United -- or sorry, Alaska Airlines from Seattle and then
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really excited that, what, about 60 days from today we have new
service from Eurowings, which is part of Lufthansa, direct weekly
from Frankfurt, which will really give a great jump-start to -- well, a
catapult to our German visitation, and I will say that if you go on
RSW's website, the list of those that are already servicing our
destination, adding new service, new destinations just keeps getting
larger and larger. The one check box that, in my presentations and
speeches outside of these chambers, I celebrate is that RSW's now
No. 31 in the busiest airports in the U.S. One notch above Chicago
Midway. Two notches above Washington Dulles.
So, you know what, it's nice to have a little bit of the swagger.
I believe that is because they have found that this is a destination with
wide open spaces and what they're looking for, and it's pretty
exciting.
So I'm going to turn the mic over to Paradise Advertising as
Joseph tees us up for the research. The research drives the strategy,
the strategy drives the creative, and it's a full cohesive step dance,
and I'll turn it over.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Paul, just --
MR. BEIRNES: Yes.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: -- what's a little different today is
that we have a court reporter, and we usually take -- we should take a
court reporter break after an hour and a half. And so my question is,
do you want to -- should we do that now instead of breaking in the
middle of the marketing report so there's some continuity or --
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I like that idea.
MR. BEIRNES: That actually does make sense.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Yeah, let's do that.
MR. BEIRNES: Let's do that. Ten-minute break?
Fifteen-minute break?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Ten.
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MR. BEIRNES: Ten-minute break. So at 10:33 we will be
back in here and resume. Thank you. I appreciate that.
(A brief recess was had from 10:23 a.m. to 10:34 a.m.)
MR. BEIRNES: All right. I see 10:34. Thank you very
much for everyone being prompt. And we are going to resume
where we left off.
At this point, we will turn things over to Paradise Advertising
that will, first off, look at the report for December. And just as a
reminder, a little bit of our forward-looking strategy and
communication we're going to hit on in the -- latter portion in 7C.
But at this point, I will turn it over to Amber.
MS. DELISSER: Good morning. Amber Delisser with
Paradise Advertising.
Today I'm going to take you through a deck to show you some
of our new creative, and Cyndy's also going to be joining me to do a
fall campaign recap with some of our media results.
At the last meeting, I showed you some of our new content that
was captured for LGBTQ, fishing, and golf. I had also made
mention that we had a upcoming destination shoot in the works.
As far as the new assets, the destination shoot is a wonderful
overview of those wide open spaces, which will be integrated into all
of our upcoming campaigns as well as social media assets. Wide
open spaces is definitely something that will inspire travelers to visit
the destination, and it's also really important to consider compression
in cities. You know, they don't have the ability to have these wide
open spaces, which is really a unique attribute to our destination that
has the potential for attracting visitors all throughout the year.
As far as the saying goes, content is king, so I'm excited to show
you today some of the new assets that we captured, and we're going
to kick it off with our sisle (phonetic) video.
(A video was played.)
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MS. DELISSER: So that was a sound playing of some of the
really iconic locations that we have in town: The Naples Pier, Fifth
Avenue, Clam Pass, you know, the beach, also some angles of the
sports plex that I'm sure none of you have seen, as well as the
Botanical Garden.
If you haven't had a chance to check out the Sea of Change
works, I definitely recommend it. It's a really amazing piece, and it
will be up, actually, for the next two years. So you have some time.
You don't have to race down there just yet.
Now I'm going to showcase just a sampling of some of the aerial
photography that we captured, so -- oops. There we go. So this is
Clam Pass, again, showing those wide open spaces. We are
integrating this into upcoming campaigns. This is actually part of
one of the full-page ads for Discovered Florida. So definitely you
can see, you know, the kayakers out there, very artistic angles just
really showcasing what you can do in the destination and kind of, you
know, get out of that compression.
Our famous 30 miles of white sand beaches, beautiful jewel-tone
waters and blue skies. This is an aerial shot of the Naples Pier,
definitely one of our iconic landmarks. Projected over a million
people actually visit the pier every year, which is a whopping number
of attendees. This is one of those prime things to do in Naples, to
get out there with your loved one, your family, watch the -- you
know, the sunset and maybe even be lucky enough to catch that green
flash.
This is one of the Rikki Tiki huts at the JW Marriott, and this
was a beautiful sunset photo. You can see the crescent moon, and I
actually do believe that is Venus up there as well, so...
Another beautiful aerial shot. This is all shot with some drones.
We actually utilized an 8-foot drone on the last shoot, so we really
captured some amazing content. We're really excited about having
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the capability to use this throughout the year.
This is a little bit of a different shot. You can see, you know,
kind of like that meeting space there outside on the beach, which is
nice, hybrid meetings, open spaces. Our famous Fifth Avenue
known for its shopping and dining.
And then, you know, everybody says it always starts with a visit.
I think that was actually Jack Wert that coined that phrase. But
some people come here for the visit, and they're lucky enough to
move right into the beach mansions.
Boardwalk on your way to the beach, again, just showcasing,
you know, stepping into nature, getting out of the hustle and bustle
and just really enjoying nature and the great outdoors.
This is a shot of the Brazilian garden at the Botanical Garden.
This is actually a beautiful mosaic. And the artist that did this, it's
the only one, actually, in the entire United States. So it's also a
really interesting feature that they have there.
This was part of fishing content. We've got some of the best
fishing that Florida is known for. So that's just a beautiful scenic,
you know, wandering through the rivers. The boat's there by itself.
Ten Thousand Islands.
And these are some additional photos of the sports plex that
were taken, again -- please know that this is just a sampling. There's
a lot more photos that we have in our arsenal, and we've actually also
shared all of these photos with our new friends at the sports plex.
This is one of the fields. Another view; you can see all of the
seats.
And Cyndy, she's going to join me up here for the fall campaign
recap.
MS. MURRIETA: Get this off. Lower this.
I'm Cyndy Murrieta, the VP of media for Paradise Advertising.
The last time I was here, I spoke to you about what we were
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going to be doing in the fall campaign. This is just a very brief recap
of what we did in the fall campaign.
So the fall campaign kicked off in the middle of November
running the 15th through the middle of December. We wanted to
stop it just before Christmas and all the noise of Christmas. It ran in
these out-of-state markets. I was very happy to see Downs/St.
Germain's -- all that extra visitation from those out-of-state markets.
This is when we really started to message to this. This was our first
campaign of the new fiscal year. And in all of those markets that
you see there, Chicago, New York, Boston, Detroit, Philly,
Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Charlotte, and then all of the in-state
markets that we generally message to.
Our target audience is age 25 to 64 with that high household
income, as Paul mentioned. We really zero in on the 175K-plus
household income, and that age range basically encompasses
millennials, Gen Xs, and boomers.
And the media tactics that we employed, which I took the TDC
through in probably more detail than they wanted last time I was
here, digital banners; video, a lot of video; native; email marketing;
connected TV meaning streaming, television commercials on
streaming; mobile campaigns on your phone; digital radio like
Pandora; and billboards coming down from, like, Atlanta all the way
down I-75.
And those are just some of our partners you see there: Expedia,
Adara, Kayak, TripAdvisor, NPR, and Pandora. And I believe that
as we go through this, Amber's going to be able to show us some of
the beautiful creative that was done as part of this campaign.
MS. DELISSER: So some of you have seen this before. This
is our "make up for everything" video. This came after the -- you
know, when this is over, the messaging is still very relevant, and only
paradise will do.
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(A video was played as follows:)
It's time to make up for everything you've been missing, the
laughs and the splashes, the excitement and the adventure, the
incredible meals prepared by chefs who can't wait to cook for you
again, and the unforgettable moments you'll have enjoying it. So
when you're ready to travel and want a getaway that's part reset
button, part reward, and all wide open spaces, remember, only
paradise will do. Naples, Marco Island, and the Everglades.
Florida's Paradise Coast.
(The video concluded.)
MS. DELISSER: The next video that we have is "Florida at its
finest," and it was done for Q1 Media. The purpose behind this
video was actually for conquest targeting. So the tactic was to target
people that were actively searching for areas in Florida in this case.
(A video was played.)
If you could spend your days searching the gulf for the soft,
white sand beaches you've dreamed about, you could travel all over
Florida looking for the incredible accommodations and restaurants
you crave. You could even go off the grid trying to find the outdoor
adventures you've always wanted to experience, or you could simply
visit Naples, Marco Island, and the Everglades where all that and
more awaits you in new a single destination. When you want the
very finest Florida has to offer, only paradise will do. Florida's
Paradise Coast.
(The video concluded.)
MS. DELISSER: So that video's a little bit more fun and a little
bit more cheeky, if you will, kind of, you know, playful.
MS. MURRIETA: And in just five weeks of the fall campaign,
which was how long that was, from middle November through right
before Christmas, we had more than 1.5 million completed views of
these videos. So 1.5 million completely watched the videos, and in a
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short five-week period, that's really good.
Amber did allude to that second video, and that was, as she
mentioned, conquest targeting, which is a very important part of our
strategy, that competitive targeting, because we know that people are,
like, looking at a lot of different options for vacations now. And that
video actually did very well because people -- we wanted to put that
in front of people when they were considering other places. Maybe
they were looking at Sarasota, or they were looking at Amelia Island
or one of your competitors, we showed them that video, and that
video worked extremely well. So that's what she was referring to
with the conquest targeting.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: You were actually jumping
on the search engines when people were hitting our theoretical
competitors and then pumping them with that advertisement?
MS. MURRIETA: Search engines, other kind of advertising.
If they were on TripAdvisor and they were doing searches for
something else, we're like, hey, how about us, or -- across all of our
advertising. That Q1 Media was a vendor that actually -- I think
Commissioner Solis got a little creeped out when I explained it last
time.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: More than once.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: It's totally creepy, just so you
know.
MS. MURRIETA: That one was actually -- we could tell by
their devices if they had visited in the last two years one of the
competitive destinations. So we knew they had actually -- they were
in one of our target markets, and they had been to, you know, one of
the places that we consider our competitors, then we serve them our
commercial. So that's why that competitive slant and that
commercial where it says, "you could look for," so that's why that
was such a smart strategic planning on the part of creative
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department.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Commissioner Taylor has a
question.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Let's talk -- can't we talk
about -- now, this is just for the fall campaign, correct?
MS. MURRIETA: Yeah. We actually have quite a bit more.
Do you want to talk about the video?
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yeah, let's do that, because I
want to talk about age ranges and things like that. Thank you.
MS. DELISSER: Okay. I guess the moral of that is somebody
is always watching.
So this is just a sampling of the fall creative banner sets. We
have a lot of different ones that were showcased different. We've
got boomers, millennials. This happens to be our eco sample. For a
journey you'll never forget, only paradise will do.
This is our family. For a beach vacation they'll never forget,
only paradise will do. Millennials. For experiences that last a
lifetime, only paradise will do.
This is kind of just to show you some different variations, so,
you know, please bear with us. This is a mobile, for cargo. So
what's really nice about this -- well, a lot of people, as you know, are
constantly on their phones. Their screen time is really up. And this
video comes in and does a really nice overview and then branches out
into the different areas of the destination. So we have arts and
culture, unforgettable eco adventures, you know, the beautiful white
sand beaches and, as well, you can't forget about our award-winning
dining.
So when you actually go into this, it opens up, and there's videos
behind each one of these. So no matter what somebody's interested
in, they can go in and kind of plug and play, if you will.
This is an example of a homepage takeover, so we took over the
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entire -- you know, big website, the beautiful iconic shot of, you
know, Marco Island, beautiful drone photography, people imagining
themselves --
MS. MURRIETA: That was actually on kayak, right?
MS. DELISSER: Yeah, and being really inspired to travel and
enjoy those wide open spaces.
This was the campaign that we had that started near Atlanta and
was the I-75 billboards. I did show these to you the last time. This
is kind of just a refresh, a revisit. Looking for paradise? You're
getting warm.
And then Cyndy's going to talk about the results.
MS. MURRIETA: So for the digital banners, in only five
weeks, again, we ran more than 33 million impressions in our 13 fall
target markets. And then the click-through rate -- and that's the
percentage that we look at as our metric -- who saw the ads and
clicked through to the Paradise Coast website was .18 percent.
That's more than twice the industry benchmark. The industry
benchmark is .08 percent.
And then, interestingly, the top-performing banner
created -- because we run a lot of different ones, as Amber showed
you, culinary, families, couples, millennials, et cetera, the
top-performing banner creative were LGBTQ female, LGBTQ male,
and couples.
I am going to go on insights, so maybe if we have questions
about the fall campaign, this would be a good time to --
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Not so much. An overall
where we're headed. It's more where --
MS. MURRIETA: Okay. Should I keep going, then?
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes, please. Thank you.
MS. MURRIETA: So this addition to the digital campaign
results, we have in place some trusted and some new and very
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exciting digital intelligence partners that we're going to be leveraging
as we're moving ahead that are going to give us really important
insights for your efforts.
Expedia, one of those that we have been using for some time,
again, just from the five-week campaign for the people that saw your
ads in this fall campaign, it generated 2.9 million in total gross
bookings. That was a thousand room nights, 5,800 flight tickets, and
that was a 29 -- I mean, a 96 ROAS, return on ad spend.
Now, a lot of this is getting cut off on here, so I'm going to have
to kind of do this by memory. Adara impact is our new -- a new
thing that we have in this year, and we're really excited about some of
the things that they can show us such as monthly bookings, planning
and booking windows, the top origin markets, and the top-performing
media partners, because what they're going to be looking at is
everybody who is exposed to the advertising.
So in just five weeks, the campaign -- this is not inclusive of the
Expedia. The campaign generated $358,809 in hotel revenue and
353 thousand -- I mean, 353- hotel bookings, and over 29,000 hotel
searches.
Nothing's happening. There we go. Maybe you're going to
have to drive.
And then the book-to-arrival time for those who were exposed to
the ads. So the time between when they booked and when they were
actually in the destination was 23-and-a-half days hotel stay, so they
booked and then they made it here. It's a little over three
weeks -- and 26 for flights.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Is that normal?
MS. MURRIETA: I mean, we don't have a lot of --
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Data.
MS. MURRIETA: -- intelligence yet from them, so this was
our very first report from them, so we're going to kind of keep
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looking at that.
COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: No. Excuse me. Didn't you
say 49 days?
MS. MURRIETA: Yeah.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: But our question's on the trip when they
started planning the trip, and I believe this is when they booked their
booking to arrival.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: You've just got to watch the
timelines, because he was doing for the month of December, and
they're doing for a five-week campaign in comparison.
MS. MURRIETA: And the other -- very, very astute. Like,
you are paying attention to the numbers. But the other intricacy
there is, this is the people that were exposed to the ads, and I don't
think -- yours are not specifically people exposed to ads. So it's a
smaller subset.
COUNCILMEMEBER KERNS: Thank you.
MS. MURRIETA: And then, you know, we target a few
different -- as I had mentioned, we target couples, we target families,
and, of course, individuals. So when we look at the largest
percentage of travelers who made it to the destination who were
exposed to the ads were couples at 54 percent, and they also stayed
the longest. They stayed six nights, and they had the highest ADR at
$465.
So that's very interesting. That shows us that couples in the fall
is a great target for us.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Can I ask a quick question. On
that -- going back to that prior issue, the difference between the 49
days and the 23 days, is that -- do you think that's going to be an
indicator that we can keep an eye on for purposes of seeing the
effectiveness of the ads? Because if somebody that's just trying to
book a trip ends up booking after 49 days when they start looking, I
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think that was the metric, as opposed to 23 days after they've seen the
ad specifically for the destination, I mean, that cuts that time frame in
half, the ad has. Is that an assumption that we can make or --
MS. MURRIETA: Yeah, I think it certainly could be and
something that we want to keep watching, yes.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: On that point, what's your
cutoff time frame? When do you stop looking at somebody that's
pinged one of our ads?
MS. MURRIETA: Well, remember that we pulled this research
at the beginning of January.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I understand.
MS. MURRIETA: So that would have been --
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: When do you stop looking,
though?
MS. MURRIETA: Well, generally then, that 30-day window
past, and that was the 30-day window past when the campaign had
ended.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Maybe to that -- if I
understood you correctly, maybe to that point we track them -- it's
possible we track them a little bit longer because that could feed into
the overall statistics of what we're seeing with people that are visiting
that are actually touching your ads, our ads, and coming back into
your dataset.
MS. MURRIETA: Yes, absolutely. And this impact
dashboard does that all year, so it's not -- I gave you -- I'm giving you
a report for the fall campaign specifically, but this impact dashboard
gives us that all year long. So we're able to go in there every single
day and look at what that "book to" arrival time period is. This
report is specifically on people who were exposed to the ad during
the fall campaign. So this is like a snapshot in time.
I love that you guys are paying that close attention.
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And then these are, again, from people that were exposed to the
ads. The list on the left are the hotel stays, the list on the right are
the flights, and these are the top 10 origin markets. So as would
make sense, the ones on the left are going to have the Florida markets
in there, and the ones on the right for flights are not. And you see
Tampa, Orlando, and West Palm on the hotel stays. You don't see
any Florida on the flights, obviously. But New York and Chicago,
right up there on both.
And all the usual suspects. Like when you're looking at flights,
New York; Chicago; Newark is actually a part of the New York
market; Boston; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Detroit; Charlotte; Los
Angeles is an outlier there; and then Minneapolis. Those are all the
markets that we targeted with the exception of Los Angeles.
So, you know, it's really interesting that we keep seeing that
really strong performance from the markets that we know they're
coming from. That's a strong Northeast representation, but it is also
Chicago and Detroit and Minneapolis is really still -- that Midwest
loves this area.
Thank you. Were there any questions on that last? Okay.
(No response.)
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Oh, go ahead, ma'am.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Mine is little. You don't
mention streets, but since you mentioned Fifth Avenue, I wondered
why you didn't mention where Naples began, which is Third Street.
MS. DELISSER: Well, we actually do have photography of
Third Street as well, and we do have additional opportunities
throughout the year to capture more content, and Third Street is going
to be on there. When we came out, there were actually a lot of
holiday decorations up, so the photos that would have been captured
weren't evergreen, so that's why it's on the "to capture" list. So don't
worry, we will certainly have that represented as well.
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COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: I look forward to seeing that.
Okay. Thank you.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I've got a couple comments.
First of all, I think the media is very impressive, very polished, you
know, and obviously the number of hits speak for itself.
This isn't really a critique but more of an observation. I
imagined this at a previous meeting. I mean, it's great to see that
29-year-old girl in the hat saying, you know, you're getting warmer,
but the demographic in my district and across, you know, all of
Collier County isn't 29-year-olds. And so I'm not saying to take that
picture out, but I didn't see very many, like, retirees. And, you
know, a lot of the people that spend $400 a night for a room are
people that are coming down from Wisconsin that have already, sort
of, made it in the world. Not everybody, but -- so I wouldn't take
anything out, but I really -- I actually counted. I only saw one
picture of an elderly couple, and it was all kids and, you know,
good-looking models and whatnot and everything.
So I just say that as more of just a suggestion. You know, don't
forget the successful retirees. Those are the ones that are coming
from Miami and Chicago and whatnot and spending thousands and
thousands of dollars and then eventually moving here. That lady in
the hat isn't. So it doesn't mean we can take her out, but, you know,
just to mention it.
And then, Paul, I just wanted to ask you, has the contractor for
the new sports complex reached out to you? Have you-all had a
sitdown and, you know, you'll continue to stay plugged in with them?
I liked seeing pictures of the complex, because, I mean, we spent a lot
of money on it. We're trying to really make it successful. We're
trying to show that a lot of other communities don't have that.
So I really like the shots in there. I just wanted to make sure
that they were talking to you and you're talking to them and they
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know that, you know, you're a big dog on our staff and, you know,
they better keep you on speed dial and make sure that you're working
together.
MR. BEIRNES: We have had a lot of meetings. It's really
exciting, and we're thrilled by the enthusiasm, the professionalism.
They're so buttoned up. We're even asking questions as they pop up
of, hey, wait a minute, are you optimizing the SEO of your new
website? I mean, it was that kind of dialogue and just regular
cadence.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Let me ask you this, and not
to necessarily put you on the spot but, you know, this meeting is to,
you know, accelerate and move things forward. What's your
assessment of the new contractor? You know, we went back and
forth. We had a lot of people come here. We burned a lot of brain
cells on bringing someone in here and whatnot. So in your
conversations, you know, with them -- and be honest. You know,
more to follow or, hey, initial conversations were very valuable.
They seem like they have their act together. Because you have a
very thick resumé and have done this, you know, once or twice. So
what can you tell us?
MR. BEIRNES: The latter part, spot on. I mean honestly
from our very first -- we had kind of a roundtable. I'm trying to
remember when that was. It was actually -- well, was it December,
mid December? It seems a little earlier when were literally -- it was
the switchover week, if you will. What they were coming to the
table saying, this is -- this is our staff. Here's where they are
positioned. They are not only based -- they are not based here, but
they are actually based with a national overview really gave warmth
to my heart because it allows them to be out there as a, really, depth
of a sales team, if you will, but really sharp individuals, smart
thinking, and I love the way that the organization is set, almost like
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an agency set.
So you've got some bench strength, and you've local strength as
well. But we all know that we're bringing people from out of the
market, you need to have that bench strength and the salesmanship.
But spot on, really encouraged by them. The only challenge we
all have when it comes to sports is when you are looking at bringing
Jimmy and the youth soccer team, you know, Mom and Dad -- I'm a
swim dad when -- back in the days and, boy, if it was in a location
where it was a 700 or $400 room rate, it's challenging; whereas, we
all know that the youth sports is more looking for that 89, 129, you're
in, you're out, you're there just simply for the event. It does provide
a bit of a compression.
So you can't exactly fix that overnight. It's just an awareness.
And I've had conversations with our team of that cadence. And,
ironically, that's also why looking for sporting ventures that are a
little more affluent and upscale, for instance, a little later on this
month, some collegiate lacrosse games. You know, there's kind of a
little different juxtaposition, and they're on that, though. Thank you
for asking.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Thank you, sir.
MR. BEIRNES: Yep.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Anyone else?
MS. MURRIETA: I believe Commissioner Taylor had a
question.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I had one. Do you want to
be first? Go ahead.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Well, no. It's really just to see
where we're headed with age because, again, I was surprised at the
25-year-old, understanding that, you know, the future is here, right?
Things move. But what's our target? What are we trying to do?
Where -- what's the overview of what Paradise, under your
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leadership, is doing?
MS. MURRIETA: Well, Kristen Murphy, who leads account
strategy, and I have been spending a lot of time on that, and we've
been looking at a lot of traveler sentiment and a lot of research, and
really what we're seeing in research now is that -- and to your point,
by no means was what Amber showed a comprehensive list of all the
creative. There is a lot of creative with -- I don't want to call them
seniors because I'm one of them but, you know, people with -- that
are clearly mature. And we look at that as a separate. It actually is
not one of the top-performing things in click-through usually, but it's
always running. We would never -- we would never walk away
from that demographic.
But what we are finding -- and I don't have those stats here now
because it will likely be a part of spring/summer. But millennials are
willing to spend more money on their trips. They are wanting to
have that -- I don't know if you've seen the Expedia, the newest
Expedia travel trends of the GOAT travel, greatest of all trips. They
are wanting to spend more money. They are wanting to
make -- they're prioritizing their budget, and travel is a bigger part of
it.
I don't remember the amount of money, and I'm not going to put
Kristen on the spot. But it was a really large amount of money that
they're wanting to spend in 2022 on travel. It was larger than what
boomers are wanting to spend.
Now, keeping in mind, we are still -- whether we're targeting
millennials or whether we're targeting boomers, we are still only
talking to people that are 175K plus. So if you're talking about a
millennial couple -- first of all, millennials are 40. They just turned
40. They're 25 to 40 right now. We're not targeting Gen Z. Those
are the younger folks.
But they are -- you know, if you've got, like, a two-income
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couple and they're both making, you know, $90,000 a year,
that's -- you know, they're both upwardly mobile.
And the other thing about millennials, we started moving
towards including them a couple years ago was we want -- we know
that they might have come here with their parents years ago. They
loved it. They wanted to come back. They now have the
wherewithal to do that with their young families. We want to
constantly have that pipeline of bringing in younger people that are
going to fall in love with the destination and come every single year.
So, you know, every destination knows they have to continue to
keep that young part of their demo very robust because that's what's
going to go feed the future tourism. So that's really why we've
continued to include it.
MS. DELISSER: I just wanted to add -- yeah, which is a fair
point, right?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Can you identify yourself?
MS. KARASEK: Oh, yeah, sorry. Barbara Karasek, CEO at
Paradise Advertising. My apologies.
So Cyndy's, you know, role is on the paid advertising side,
which has a whole content strategy against all of the markets and
demographics and target audiences, right? So it's building that
future traveler, right, the millennials and the next generation over
time, but also we do -- we do have campaigns that target what we call
the active boomers. And I think maybe in the future we can do a
better job of representing those.
What we also find in great alignment which, what you heard
today from the parks and the beaches, is making sure that the active
boomers, and maybe it's multi-generational travel, which historically
has not been a huge focus of our campaigns, if you will, but is. So
you have a content strategy with your paid. We also have a content
strategy against organic or social media as well, which is not paid.
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That's organic pushes out, and then we also have our owned and
controlled channel, so it's on the website, and then also what is an
earned media, which is on the public relations side.
What was interesting today was to hear about the upgrades that
are going on to make sure that while we have the wonderful
Mobi-mats, right, at the beach that are all fantastic, and that gets a lot
of play and exposure and wonderful satisfaction for the visitors and
the residents, but making sure that we're getting the funding so that
they can get down the ramps that are ADA compliant. So it's putting
those -- then putting that connected dots together.
What's interesting is is we've worked really hard this fiscal year
of planning our budget, and content is king. It's expensive to
produce the content. It's expensive to buy the ads. But I think Paul
and our team has done a great job to say, what do we have in the can
from a content is great. What you don't see and what we don't talk
about so much as what's on the list of the wish list, right? We have
more wish list content.
So we did two or three shoots last year in the fall during the
pandemic. We've done multiple shoots because we have no choice
but to continue our business for you in curating that content, and it
continually changes. We will -- we have two more shoots, I believe,
Rudy? Paul? Yeah, at least one this year with boomers, LGBTQ,
more content for sports, constantly refreshing what we see at the
sports complex because, geographically, as you saw with the drone,
lovely, but one of the fields is a little brown, right? So we want to
go back up in the sky and get it when it's really, really green because
in November it wasn't so green. And I get that, right? And you can
only do so much with postproduction, making things, you know,
greener, right, on your computer screens, which we all know that
happens at times.
But to your point about, you know, the active boomers, we have
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to make sure that our content and the ad campaigns are congruent
with what you're experiencing in the destination, and having Downs
and St. Germain as our great research partner also lends another layer
of who's visiting.
What you'll also hear, I wanted to mention, too, Rudy's going to
take you through, while Cyndy's campaign kind of the campaign
stops, and the tracking stops with that particular partner, we're
working with a new partner who's a data technology platform that
tracks anyone at any time who has been exposed to an ad at their
home, on any of their devices, laptop, desktop, or mobile device,
iPad. I know it's creepy.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Again, scary.
MS. KARASEK: It is, but it's the way of the world, right?
You get served retail ads because you sometimes talk about it.
Google Home listens to you, and Alexa; they all listen.
But Rudy will walk you through how this data technology
platform tracks anyone at any time that's been exposed and then
appears in destination, how long they stay, where they go, and then,
p.s., the next time that they return.
So all of these things are really important, you know, for us to
track. And I think that's one thing that's really important is, yes, we
pay attention to the destination and the service offerings that we have
that continue to evolve. We will never take our eye off the
number-one thing that's the most important, and that is your
consumer, the who, the who and why they want to come. How
much they spend, that -- we already know, you know, who we're
targeting and those types of demographics, but the better you know
your customer, the better you can address them and bring them here
to this destination. And, you know, we have to protect 2022 and
2023. Our sights are set to make sure that the success that happened
in 2021 we hold them and learn from them so that '22, '23, and 2024
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are protected financially for economic impact through visitation.
That was a lot. I apologize for rambling.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Commissioner Taylor, and
then I still have a comment.
MS. KARASEK: Please.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: So, Barbara, that -- what you
just said is fascinating. We have to know the consumer. But do
you know our community? Do you understand the values in our
community? Because if anything 2020 did, that infamous Memorial
Day weekend when our beaches were open and we -- and beachgoers
descended upon us, we found out really quickly that's not what we
want, really quickly.
MS. KARASEK: Understood.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: And we actually closed the
beaches. We found out 4th of July when you have bumper to
bumper people sitting on the beach, some with tents, dogs, glass,
that's not what we want. And I was there. I mean, I'm not making
this up. I was there.
So is it -- is it finding out what the consumer wants? And I'm
putting you on the spot, but maybe we could -- it's very difficult but
what -- where are we going as a community? What do we want to
attract? You know, income is one thing, but values are another.
And I don't mean that in a very narrow way, but we've always been a
community that -- quality of life. We've always had quiet -- there
was always entertainment, lovely restaurants to eat, fantastic art. I
think those values need to be integrated into what you market.
And so I guess I'm, again, putting you on the spot. Do you go
to the consumer and say, oh, yeah, you know, maybe they're from a
major urban area, and they're used to going to discotheques five times
a day. Is that -- is that -- what do you do with that consumer?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Send them to Vegas.
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MS. KARASEK: Yeah. Consumer segmentation is a really
important, if not, the most important thing that we do. Bear in mind,
residents are also consumers, and I think that's a really important
piece that I'd like to take back to Paul and make sure that we're
understanding what we call a sustainable tourism. You know, do
we -- over-tourism can be a thing, which is what we don't want, to
your point.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes.
MS. KARASEK: Whether it's peak periods or not, it's never
pleasant, right, when it's that -- that crowded to force beach closures
or other things.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No. The beach closure was
because of COVID.
MS. KARASEK: Oh, COVID. I see what you mean.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: But --
MS. KARASEK: Fourth of July.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Fourth of July it wasn't closed,
but when those people left our beach 4th of July this year, they
trampled our sea oats. It was -- and the garbage was overflowing.
MS. KARASEK: That's right.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: It was not what we need to do.
MS. KARASEK: That's right. You know, it's interesting. I
don't know the last time -- you know, right now we -- perhaps it's an
opportunity, not putting Paul on the spot either, of a multiyear -- you
know, a tourism plan, a three- to five-year plan. What does that look
like? Getting stakeholder input about what does the community
desire for tourism as a destination. It's a very fair point because it
can -- those types of community summits, if you will, with that direct
feedback, can also help shape and navigate funding or growth of your
infrastructure, funding and growth of our efforts because it's -- you
know, it's just called sustainable tourism. Making sure that it's not
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over-tourism or under-tourism but that it's -- I always say
"congruent." Congruent with what the community desires to
become of itself, right?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I have a thought for you --
MS. KARASEK: Yes.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: -- and that's to continue
doing what you're doing. Follow the data, allow the data to share
with you how and where and when and what you, in fact, do with
regard to your marketing. There are anomalies all over the place.
There are perceptions with regard to who we're advertising to and
not. The data shows that our tactics, for lack of a better term, are
proving well. It's -- our room rates are up, our visits are up, our
revenue's up all the way across the board. Allow the data to
continue to drive the bus. Again, with additions. Everybody's
entitled to an opinion, of course. But stay on task with regard to
that.
I certainly don't at all question your capacity to know our
consumer. The scary tactics that are going on as to who's watching
and seeing what's, in fact, transpiring is the path to stay on. So that's
from me to you.
Now, I have, I think, a question for Ms. Amanda, not to take
away from your CEO-ness.
MS. KARASEK: That's Amber.
MS. DELISSER: I'll answer your question, too.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Oh, forgive me, Amber.
MS. DELISSER: No worries.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I heard Amanda.
MS. DELISSER: That's fine.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: In the open spaces
advertising -- and I realize we were just looking at a clip in time -- do
you have any communication with the CREW? I'm on the board of
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trustees.
MS. DELISSER: With the CREW?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: The CREW, yeah. The
Corkscrew Regional Eco Watershed trustees, an enormous amount of
walkabouts and open spaces. So if you don't --
MS. DELISSER: Well, I do know that when we do a
destination shoot such as that one, we're heavily involved with
Maggie from the film commission as well as the different parks and
recreations because to bring in drone photography, you have to get a
special series of permits for the drones to come in. You also have to
have a minimal crew, amount of people that are able to come
because, obviously, you know, we don't want to step on anything or
ruin anything. So they're very strict in that regard.
So I wasn't quite sure if that was what your question was --
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: No.
MS. DELISSER: -- or were you saying there's people that you
would like to introduce us to?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Yes.
MS. DELISSER: And we'd love to meet them.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Okay. That was -- that was
exactly where I was going. I mean, there is a whole open-space
theater out there that you're -- I think you're beginning to touch on,
and it's involved with philanthropic organizations, environmental
organizations, the Audubon Society, so on and so forth, walkabouts
for people to -- especially with the advent of outdoor recreation
becoming such a popular item these days. I would love to join you
up to be able to reach out to them.
MS. DELISSER: Sure.
MR. BEIRNES: That would be great.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: That's all I had, sir.
MR. BEIRNES: Well, thank you. We've got a --
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COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Before we leave this, I mean, is
there any consensus perhaps to have a community conversation with
Paradise and the TDC in terms of three to five years and the target
markets and things like that?
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: We have -- we have a marketing
plan that's a five-year plan.
MR. BEIRNES: We're about to update our 3- and five-year
plan.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: I mean, we review these every
year.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: No, no, we do. It's actually
going out into the community and talking with community leadership
about the City of Marco Island, the City of Naples. They'll have a
lot to say about being overrun with tourism, let me tell you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Well, I mean, I think -- I mean, this
is just -- this is what the TDC does. That's why it's made up of
representatives from Marco Island, the City of Naples, the hotelier
community, the restaurant -- I mean, I think that's the process.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: You think it's redundant if we
do it?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Yes.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: I think that's this process. I mean,
in the meetings I've attended over the last two years, those issues
come up, I mean, frequently. I mean, who we are trying to attract to
come here is at the heart of all of the data and analysis and strategies
that come out of the TDC, I think. You know, how that is managed
and who comes as a result of it, I mean, we're -- anyway, I think -- I
think that this process is intended to do what you're suggesting.
That's the process.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Okay.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: That's why it's made up of who it's
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made up of.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Okay. Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful. I'm inclined to look at the clock.
I know we have a lot to cover, so as we proceed, what I don't want to
do is I don't want to -- I don't want to shortchange some really key
things in the back end, but there's still some ground that we want to
cover as I segue over to PR. Michelle Kelly, are you on the line?
MS. KELLY: I am, Paul, thank you. Can you hear me okay?
MR. BEIRNES: Wonderful. Take it away. And I can steer
on this end. I'll go to your first slide, or maybe I can't from here.
There we go.
MS. KELLY: Wonderful. Thank you.
So good morning to everyone. I am coming to you from New
York City where it's 20 degrees, and there were flurries on my way
into work today, so I certainly wish I was there with you in person.
Quickly, a lot of comments that you've just recently made, I look
forward to also chiming in on in our next presentation. But just to
recap for you some highlights from the month of December on the
PR front, and this is the earned media arm in which Barbara was
speaking to early.
In the month of December, we generated nearly nine million
media impressions across a couple beautiful features and the media
value in which represented nearly $20,000 of ad equivalency. It's
actually increased from that number, because I just saw another piece
of coverage.
The AFAR piece that you see here is part of a large feature on
where to go in 2022, where the Ten Thousand Islands were featured
online, and is currently in the January/February double issue which
reaches an additional 275,000 readers with an average age of 48 years
old, so right in our core demographic and actually a household
income exceeding 350,000. So certainly addressing that luxury
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demographic that we're looking for and highlighting some of
our -- you know, our hidden gems, our wide open spaces. This piece
is really reflective of all the work that the marketing team's been
putting in.
So that ran online starting in December, in print
January/February, and coupling that coverage was also this beautiful
AAA world feature on top family-friendly resorts. We worked with
them to include the JW Marriott Marco Island. And within that, you
know, this was obviously to capture a great audience of road trippers
which are super crucial to our strategy this year. We know the
flights and the airport access is key to the destination but, inevitably,
so many people are traveling by car this year. This is a great way to
saturate more than seven million readers.
Major pitch points for -- and just to point out, those pieces of
coverage really generated from work that we were doing in
September and October to yield those pieces in December. So,
therefore, we're starting to look ahead. We, from a short lead
standpoint, pitched out our holiday offerings throughout the month,
and for the last month and upcoming couple months, we'll be focused
on fishing, being outdoors, coupling that with our other sporting
activities, as well as from a national and key regional kind of
Northeast into those target markets we've talked about, saturating
them with our winter getaways pitching, highlighting the warm
weather, the beaches, the dining, the entertainment, everything to be
experienced outdoors when those of us stuck in the city cannot.
A couple things that we continued to work on throughout the
month was sourcing our partners for information on what's
upcoming, what's new in '22. That release was distributed in early
January and has already generated some nice buzz and some
upcoming stories that you'll see in the future meetings.
And we also had a couple great New York Times leads.
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Pickleball being very trendy from a sporting standpoint and a great
opportunity for us also looking ahead to the championship we see
that pitching out the angle of pickleball is going to be important for
us.
Wellness. A couple leads that we've seen in the wellness space
also speak to the destination and something that we can own.
Hot Tips is our agency's proprietary request of seeking out that
information from our local partners. So we've done this not only for
what's new for '22. We did it for holiday coverage. Looking ahead,
we've also been doing Black History Month, Women's History
Month, and International Women's Day, and really starting to think
about spring break travel and summer family travel, both in state and
in our emerging flight markets and direct flight markets.
Another key component to our efforts coupled with that of
Sandra and Paul and the PR team is really -- the whole CVB team,
rather, is continuing to engage our partners. And we had a
35 percent open rate on our December newsletter, which went out
ahead of the holidays, and that was our highest open rate for the year.
So I think the content we've continued to share with our partners.
Merchandising to them the efforts of everyone involved is proving to
be working.
Since this deck was created, these first two pieces of coverage
have come to fruition. Jacksonville Magazine, again, taking an
approach for targeting our regional market and in-state media. They
received our "what's new" pitch and were able to include the stick
work exhibit at the Botanical Garden in their December print issue,
about a quarter-page feature there, reaching 23,000 in the
Jacksonville market.
We've got some nice upcoming coverage resulting from recent
media visits, and you can see here a list of writers that we have either
secured or are working with to bring to the destination as availability
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and our partner support allows.
And that is a quick snapshot for us so that we can keep on track
and look -- be forward looking. So I thank you for your time and
welcome any questions you may have on our efforts.
MR. BEIRNES: Great.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Troy, if you want to pull up Part 2. I will say
that, for the efficiency of time, I'm really kind of going to -- if you
pull that up, Troy, I'll advance accordingly. Put it in presentation
mode. Here we go. And I will drive it over here once it allows me
to. There we go.
Tourist tax collection. Spoiler alert, we already hit on it, right?
We saw the numbers. What we do every year for the -- every
month, rather, for the TDC is we share, you know, lots of slices and
dices so that we see these are -- these have occurred in November,
collected in December, for January. So a little bit of a hindsight
look, but you just see some of the numbers. And we've talked it
through and through.
You know, 2021, their collections were 1.5 mill. We collected,
during that month, 2.9 million. So, you know, we're talking an extra
1.3 million that particular month. It is very robust. We certainly do
not -- you know, any parable you want or whatever, you know, count
our chickens before they hatch. We all know. We've been through
it. We need to have our nest egg and wind in our sails. We do see
that continuing, but anything can change, and we're maundering all of
the research.
But we look at this as far as where it's coming from, how it's
coming, how we're proposing to spend that accordingly through the
distribution of the TDT. But the beauty of any of this is redline good
in this particular case. You don't always want to see redlines in
graphs, but you see our progression already is actually very strong as
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we go into -- into the year. And, again, lots of slices and dices of
where and the category.
So I'm going to briefly introduce the folks from Miles. They do
not have an opportunity to present all that often. We're going to amp
it up in 2022; absolutely not because they are to be minimized at all.
They do a tremendous amount; everything surrounding our website.
So, really quickly, what they've done is -- they've got a lot of
pages here, but they're going to hit on the dashboard to be able to
showcase how close we watch the metrics on these.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: She got up and down two
different times when you were introducing her.
MS. BARTALOS: Good morning, everyone. Melissa
Bartalos here with Miles Partnership.
MS. BALANDRA: And I'm Enriqueta Balandra here with
Miles Partnership.
MS. BARTALOS: And we also have a colleague joining us
online, Erin Fossum, who is the interactive producer on our team, and
so she may be chiming in or fielding questions at some point today.
But we will dive in.
And we're going to look at a couple different things today, but
starting with our website performance. I don't believe that we have
shared this view with this group before. It is our live view or of our
dashboard, which the team can access at any point.
I want to steer your attention to that chart along the bottom
there, which is a bird's-eye view of website traffic over the past
couple of years, 2021 being that sort of teal-colored line along the
top. So you can see December on the top right, that top right point
there with 176,000-plus visits. That was our December. And that
was our second highest month of the year in terms of traffic and our
strongest December on record. So very significant. We beat out
2020 by 39 percent.
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And then when we look at the year of 2021 as a whole, we were
up 25 percent over 2020. That's a little just a sneak peek from our
annual report, which is a separate report that is forthcoming. But
just wanted to point out that for the year we did see over 1.6 million
visits. So that was quite record breaking there.
Going back to our December report here, just calling your
attention to this pie chart. The two major players driving our
website traffic, that blue slice, is our organic traffic. That's organic
search. So think Google searches there. And then that
coral-colored slice, that 27 percent, is our paid advertising, so that's
the part that Paradise Advertising team is driving there.
Deep dive into sources, but just calling out Google; by far
number one on that top chart. The second chart looks at referring
websites. So a lot coming from social there. Facebook number
one. But also FBUNC.com. This came a little earlier with our
national championship event, so good to see that there, bringing
almost 2,000 sessions for December.
And then a look by day in that top chart you see the peak
happening before mid month and then sort of tapering off but no big
drops to speak of.
Major metro city markets up at the top. Local market, number
one, followed by Miami and Tampa. New York is up there, too, in
the top five. Looking at our top states, Florida by far number one
followed by some other northeast states, also some Midwest in the
mix there with Illinois.
Here, just looking at this top section, I think, is the most
important here. Looking at U.S. domestic versus our international
traffic here, of course, the U.S. domestic traffic is much greater by
volume, but both saw solid gains. Over there on the right you see
the percentage change.
U.S. traffic up 38 percent over the previous December, and
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international traffic up 56 percent. So we heard Paul say earlier that
that is coming back online with flights resuming, so that is an
excellent sign there.
Here with our deal and event interactions, looking at deals and
events, deals being on the left there, resort deals seeing good traction.
Christmas events were also popular. You'll see the events on the
right. A lot of holiday stuff going on, but the top event was actually
the Live Fest concert.
And then these are some of our signals of intent to travel.
Calling out a couple things here. Visitor guide orders and the digital
guide component, both of those up well over 50 percent year over
year. Hotel listing views, one that we track very, very closely, up
50 percent year over year, and eNewsletter sign-ups up over
100 percent. I apologize that it's quite small to see there. But the
eNewsletter sign-ups is significant because it's a good sign that
people are wanting to stay in touch with what's going on here in the
destination.
The only one to take a dip year over year, and it's just a slight
1 percent, is that deals page views, and we heard in the data why that
is -- or in the research portion that was presented.
So looking at some of our mediums, I think the interesting thing
here is that coral-colored slice which represents our paid advertising.
You see that really growing year over year in that top bucket. Back
in, you know, 2020 it was only 18 percent. It's grown up -- or, you
know, increased up to 27 percent. So that is a sign, reflection of our
peak season, you know, going into the winter season but also,
perhaps, a bit more stability in the COVID -- the pandemic landscape
compared to last December.
And then, finally, here for this section of the dashboard, an
international section look at our three different international sections
of the site. Portuguese section targeting Brazil, visits up over
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10 percent; German section visits up 85 percent; and Spanish section
visits up over 700 percent. So huge gains from our
Spanish-speaking market. So those are just some big gains and
bright spots as we head into 2022.
And then looking at our content personalization. So this is a
technology that we use to serve custom content and messaging to
specific markets. So an example of this might be if we're talking
local market, we want to highlight on our home page some of the
events and festivals going on versus somebody from the Northeast or
Midwest we would talk weather and sunny beaches.
So going into some of our numbers here, we track 12 different
geo markets, and we look at the click-through rate, or CTR, to
understand the engagement. In December, most markets were at or
above the industry benchmark of 1 percent. The top performers
were Northeast, Midwest, and UK. So a pattern there with our
cold-weather markets. But the general U.S. domestic market was
also strong. That's the market that's excluding all of these specific
markets you see listed out.
We also have some other fly-ins and sort of like pop-up
elements that we use to promote guide orders and email sign-ups
through this personalization platform, and those performed very well
at or our above benchmark in December.
And then I apologize for the formatting here. We have noted
with the team already that we need to adjust to the ratio that this is
being served at. But you see a lot of green numbers, a lot of
increases. For people who saw the penalized content, it was
double-digit gains and engagement. They're staying longer on the
site. They're viewing more pages of the website. They're bouncing
at a lower rate versus people who are not only seeing it but actually
clicking and engaging with that content. They're seeing those
triple-digit gains that you see up almost 200 percent pages per visit.
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Time on site up almost 300 percent. So really big numbers there in
terms of our engagement.
The takeaway, as I've covered as we went through -- so I'm not
going to spend any time there -- but I just want to make the point that
we're seeing some strong performance here, especially with our fly
markets. We'll be revisiting and reworking our campaigns over the
next few weeks as we head into spring and, of course, with
international coming back, that's going to be a focus as well.
All right. Any questions?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Just one quick. Maybe this
is just an oversimplification. I'm assuming you're feeding all of this
data to our advertisers and everybody's talking.
MS. BARTALOS: Excellent question and, yes, that's
absolutely right. So not only do we share that with the CVB team,
but Paradise team is all too familiar with our reports. We have
regular meetings where we are all on the same page about what's
going on, what can we optimize or tweak, what's working well. So,
yes, definitely.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Outstanding. Far too often
we find that people get in their silo and stay there. And we just want
to make sure. Thank you.
MS. BARTALOS: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: In fact, Commissioner McDaniel, you warm
my heart, because one of the things that I have said was we all need
to play in the sandbox. We need to share that robust data. And,
boy, I am so proud of our agencies and the conversations on an
hourly basis that go on. It gets -- it's really exciting.
I'm going to segue over. Amanda Townsend. Is Amanda still
here? Oh, there she is, in the back, as we segue to the county
museums.
MS. TOWNSEND: Good morning. Amanda Townsend, your
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museum director. I come here monthly and let the TDC know how
the -- how museum visitation is going and how our customers are
feeling about the service we provide and what have you.
So -- except I am not -- oh, here we are. Now I'm on the museums
report.
So we didn't see -- we didn't see the TDC in November so -- or,
I'm sorry, in December, so we didn't report to them on our November
numbers. But, you know, visitation year over year looking really,
really good. We had the great fortune and pleasure of hosting the
Farm-City Barbecue at Robert's Ranch this year, which made their
visitation numbers look really excellent for the month of November,
and we appreciated that and, you know, hope that we can continue to
work with Farm-City Inc. and host that event at the Ranch again. It's
very well-suited for that important community event.
And then in December, numbers also looking very good year
over year. At the Naples Depot Museum we were the happy
beneficiaries of visitation associated with the Uptown Art Festival,
and we stayed open -- or we opened the doors on Sunday that
weekend, as we did the past Sunday, actually, because there was
another art show.
And the Depot Museum is enjoying a very nice relationship with
the Naples Design District and excited to see the things that the city
is working on down there and excited to be a partner in those as much
as we can.
Year-to-date visitation, we're getting better. We're getting
better all the time but, boy, this slide still makes me sad when I think
about, you know, standing in front of the TDC in January of 2020
and saying, we're going to get to 100,000 this year. But we're
bringing it back, and I'm very proud of the museum team. We know
that programming drives visitation, and every one of our locations,
every one of our museum managers is doing a great job of hosting
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events that will bring people to the sites.
New one -- you know, we always do our lectures and our special
events and our family program and we've got preschool
programming, et cetera. We've also added movie nights so -- at the
Museum in the Everglades as well as Government Center and
Robert's Ranch. We're having movie nights about once a month.
So continuing to find ways to get the word out and have people come
and visit and enjoy what the museums have to offer.
Again, these slides translated a little oddly to the new format,
but if there were a title on this slide, it would say, we measure where
our visitors come from.
So you can see there about 26 percent of our visitors are local
residents and another 4 percent part-timers and then, you know, just
huge numbers of our folks who come from -- who come from out of
the area to enjoy and learn a little bit about the place they're visiting
by learning its history, and we're happy to share it.
This slide is very consistent, the TDC knows this, that web
search and word of mouth are always the two drivers for our
visitation.
And then these are our bragging slides. Each month we let the
folks know the -- when we take our visitor exit surveys, what the
freeform answers are to whether our services is making people happy
and, you know, consistently I would recommend
informational -- entertaining, educational, informative, so we just like
to brag on ourselves and make sure that we're providing a service that
people like.
And, again, we report on our satisfaction scores. So overall
satisfaction of 4.7 out of 5 and service satisfaction of 4.6.
This is our net promoter score. Would you recommend? And
we're at 79 percent this particular month.
And then I usually run through what's coming up. And very
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excited that in the upcoming high season we've managed to have
somewhat thematic exhibits at all five of our locations. So this
exhibit really was the impetus for it. Courting style, women's tennis
fashion will be at the Marco Island Historical Museum high season.
This was -- it's a very nice traveling exhibit; comes from the Mid
America Arts Alliance. Extremely well put together. We're very
excited about it. I saw a photograph of the crates that arrived a few
days ago, and they were occupying the conference room at the lobby
and I'm not sure where all else at the Marco Island Museum. So
they're installing that now, and it will be on display soon.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: So do we have a Billie Jean
King?
MS. TOWNSEND: I do not know. I do not know. But I do
know that the fashions that will display go all the way from 1880s all
the way through current time. So very excited.
And then, of course, Austin Bell, the curator of collectors for the
Marco Island Historical Society, has supplemented that with items
out of the historical society's collections as well. So very excited
about that.
And then to follow suit, we're going to take a look at the history
of golf down in Naples down at the Depot Museum -- that's on
display now -- as well as opening February 1st we're going to -- I've
become a little bit of an expert in pickleball history in the last few
weeks, and we're really excited to share some really interesting
stories about pickleball and its origins in -- near Seattle, Washington,
as well as how the U.S. Open came to Naples. We're going to do
that at Government Center, and it will be open soon and open through
the U.S. Open.
Taking a look at sports fishing down in Everglades City, we
thought that was apropos, as well as those NFL players that
disproportionately have come out of Immokalee. We're going to
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take a look out at the Ranch, and we're very, very excited about that
as well.
So a little bit of what's happening at the museums. I'll touch on
just a couple of really important events coming up. Of course, the
Everglades City Seafood Festival will be the 11th, 12th, and 13th. A
new organization has taken over sort of organizing that event. It will
be put on by the Florida Stone Crabber's Association this year, which
is pretty exciting, and they definitely have been interested in having a
very strong local bent to the event and also a heritage bent to the
event. So we will have an entire heritage row out in the front of the
Museum of the Everglades and represent everything that Collier
County museums has to offer. We're very proud to do that.
And then, of course, the cattle drive will be, again, in
Immokalee out on March 26th. So coming up fairly soon.
So any questions, let me know.
(No response.)
MS. TOWNSEND: Thanks a bunch.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: *And now as we segue, Troy, if you could pull
up -- I think I notated as 9C, for lack of anything else, we call it the
midyear strategic initiatives.
A couple things -- and I pause, because I look to Chair Solis
who said, I believe it was an October BCC meeting, the day and age
of just running an ad for the CVB and just waiting to see it run is long
gone. I think you've seen a couple hours of the metrics and numbers
and adherence to the return. It's definitely a mathematician's game,
if you will.
So with that said, though, there's a lot of -- a lot of passion
behind the planning. And as I presented in October, the marketing
plan, I will tell you a lot of companies, that is a process. It's
something that they check the box off, and that marketing plan
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becomes the trophy, it goes on the shelf, and you just wait for it till
the following year and say, how did I create that. That's not the case
here. That doesn't hold water.
From day one of when we were printing this we were saying,
let's get it together. We need to deliver. We need to amp up our
game. We need to take it to the next level.
So this next section here -- and I've asked a couple of our
agencies to kind of reconnect. While we were talking about the
December activities, simultaneously we were really amping things up
going forward. And the challenge that I asked the team is -- and I'm
going to paraphrase it because I haven't gotten them written down is,
but basically what are we doing different? Why are we doing it
different? How is it best in class? How are we actioning some of
that data? And, you know, let's make sure, as you mentioned, Chair
McDaniel, you know, how -- are we sharing this within our agencies?
And then, finally -- I just drew a blank -- finally, how -- oh, how are
we -- how is this actually being inspired in answering back to the
marketing plan itself. So one big full circle. And on that, without
further ado, Joseph walking back to the stand.
MR. ST. GERMAIN: It's good to be back. It's been a long
time.
I'll -- you know, so much research is backwards looking,
because we collect data when they're here, and then you tell us about
them, but I actually am excited to get -- to tell you about -- a little bit
about the research plan and what else is to come and some other
things along those lines.
Overall what we're contracted to do, a lot of what you saw today
is from this research plan on the slides are 1, 2, 3. Visitor profiles,
we have people with iPads talking to your visitors as they are here.
The hotel metrics, we reach out to hoteliers to get an idea of
what -- their occupancies and ADRs, et cetera, and then the impact of
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tourism, calculating the number of visitors and economic impact.
That's kind of what you saw today.
In addition, we will be doing some inquiry conversion study,
and then we'll also do some focus groups, and I'll kind of touch on
that as we go.
As Paul mentioned, we started fairly recently. So we've made
some changes to the overall plan. Overall, one of our important
things was finding more locations to conduct surveys. We already
were working in RSW, so we've included in your surveys all the
work that we do in RSW, and then in addition we are reaching out to
hoteliers and attractions, things of that nature, to look at the
opportunities of collecting data with some of their visitors.
Ultimately, for us, this is an ongoing process. There's never
a -- you know, there's always a good design, but we're always -- you
always hope for perfect to achieve excellence is pretty much our goal.
So that's a constant process. We're always going to be looking for
more locations.
We sat down with Paul and the team to look at the
questionnaire. That is something that no matter where we're
working, we always want to kind of keep an eye on that to make sure
you're getting exactly what you need now. Because the questions
you needed five years ago, 10 years ago, they might not be needed
anymore. So we want to do some things. So we've kind of looked
at some of those trip planning, that value question, things of that
nature.
We're also paying much more closer attention to the vacation
rentals. Vacation rentals have become a big thing not just in Naples,
not just in Florida, but everywhere, and it becomes -- become more of
an issue. Not an -- issue's the wrong word. It's just become a new
thing that we have to understand and measure.
And then, finally, one of the things with us, we work with so
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many destinations in the state of Florida, particularly Southwest
Florida; Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier we work with. So one
of the things that we'll try to -- we'll always try to bring out is give
you your data and then kind of give you in a sense of some of the
things that we're seeing throughout -- throughout the state,
throughout the nation, but particularly in the area.
For our new strategic initiatives, we've been reporting, and
previously you'd always been reporting people who stayed and paid
accommodations, and that's what you saw today. But one of the
things that we've added is also talking to people who are staying with
their friends and relatives, and they're day trippers. I mean, one of
the things about understanding the day tripper is the goal at some
point will be convert them to an overnight visitor. Well, if you don't
know anything about them, it's tough to convert them to an overnight
visitor. So that's something that we are continually monitoring.
Like I said, it's a fairly early effort, so there's not a bunch of data
to tell you how they're different at this point, but that's something we
continue to do and something you'll probably hear more as the other
agencies talk and have been alluded to is working with Zartico.
Zartico is an analytics, kind of getting information of people
who -- getting information from those folks who saw your ads or they
have their cell phones so they know they're [sic] came.
I mean, ultimately, as we look at analytics and research, that's
the future of tourism; data collection. We're going to do our piece
always, but also, if you merge those two, it just gives the CVB and
your team better data. Better data, you can make better decisions.
You have a talented team that you work with. If you give them
better data, they can do a better job than they're even doing now, so
that will ultimately be our goal.
How does this support the research, the marketing plan that
you've all seen? One, just the overall data informs the plan, but also,
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you know, when I looked at the marketing plan and saw a lot of
goals, I'm sure you use the research to set those goals, and then you'll
use the research to see if you met those goals, so that's going to be
part of the process.
Paul mentions -- I hear Paul say "nimble" a lot, and that's one
thing that we try to do with our research plan. You know, one of the
things is, if something comes up tomorrow that we need to start
asking our visitor, we'll start -- we can -- we can change our
questionnaire to make sure that happens immediately. We always
want to make sure we're on top of it from that perspective.
And then, as we get more data, we get to break it out by
different segments. We've already talked about the difference
between day trippers and accommodations. We've heard talk about
different ages. As we get -- as you get data, you can break out that.
That is one of those things, as you -- that's the power of the
visitor-tracking data. It isn't necessarily -- it is to show you what
you're seeing, but also when -- in this meeting or in January or in
February, you go, wouldn't it be nice to know if -- how millennials
look at our destination? Well, we have the data. As long as you
continue that process over time, we can start answering those
questions.
And then I think, finally, and it's made -- mentioned a few times,
it's just the collaboration with the CVB but also the different teams.
I mean, I think this works best when there's communication across all
of them. In fact, Kristen from the Paradise team called me the other
day just asking some questions. Do you have this data? And it's
just a nice little back and forth, but that constant process is really
important overall.
Finally, for next steps, the visitor tracking, we continue. All
those other things that you -- that you've seen, we continue. We'll be
working on the conversion study to start to look at the ROU.
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And then, finally, the focus groups. The nice thing with the
focus groups it's nice to do a deep dive now and then. The timing of
that is TBD but, really, you can look at branding, advertising, copy,
creative, whatever you want to do. We try to keep this open-ended.
That way if something comes up today or tomorrow, we can
incorporate that in the focus groups, or we can just kind of talk with
the team and figure out what we need next. I mean, ultimately our
goal is to make sure you're getting what you need. We're not trying
to give a research report that sits on a shelf.
That's our looking-forward overview, but I guess I wanted to see
if anyone had any questions before I turned it over.
(No response.)
MR. ST. GERMAIN: All right.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you, Joseph.
And I think we are -- segue over to Rudy who is -- oh, and,
Kristen, truth, the strategy police right here.
MR. WEBB: Good morning. I didn't know if I was going to
be able to say that or not. But good morning. Made it up before
noon. Rudy Webb with Paradise Advertising. And I've got Kristen
Murphy who's going to join me on our next segment of the
presentation. So we'll jump right in.
As Paul mentioned, last fall, I guess, September, October, we
presented you with this wonderful marketing plan, and we wanted to
dig into some of the key areas that we're going to be moving forward
with and how that applies into what you see, what we just reported on
in our fall campaign, and what you'll be seeing in the spring/summer
campaign.
So around that same time, October of last year, actually, SKIFT,
which is one of the, you know, sort of news sources for travel, one of
the things that we all rely on to get information from, and Amazon,
came out with this report, the 2021 Digital Transformation. And,
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really, it was a guide to what was happening to the travel and tourism
industry and how this digital transformation was affecting tourism
entities given what has happened over the last 18 to 24 months with
the pandemic. And really what it did is, you know, it really said that
we needed to be able to enhance our ability to move quickly and
pivot quickly and make decisions quickly.
It said that we needed to accelerate the digitization of travel
companies and providing information in a clear and concise way.
And it also said that we needed to increase personalization of those
digital marketing efforts.
And what we wanted to do was kind of take that information,
but the good news is we kind of already started that. So back last
summer when we started the planning process for our 2022 strategic
plan, we had already taken a number of steps that were included in
that report. So that's good news, right? We were already practicing
best-in-class strategies.
So three areas that I want to kind of hit on today are the travel
planning cycle and aligning our communication during that cycle,
taking that one step further to the consumer journey. And I'll get
into details on each one of these. But as we're travel -- as we're
planning for travel, how do we communicate? What are the
expectations that we have as we're looking for information on
potentially making a decision? And then we've hit on this a lot
today, but doubling down on intelligence and reporting, and we kind
of want to hit on some of that with you.
So as we look at the travel planning cycle, there's really, like,
four or five -- five or six steps, I would say, in this process. We
know that, you know, first thing, people need to become aware of a
destination or a place to go. They will then engage with that to look
for, you know, information to start to evaluate and plan and compare.
Then they'll actually book the visit and travel to the area. Then
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there's post visit where they can, you know, kind of recap and share
their experiences and advocate for the destination.
So one of the things that we did during this planning session was
to really understand this cycle and how we're going to align all of our
strategies and tactics amongst that.
Took that to Step 2, which is the consumer journey mapping.
So now that we have this cycle, we want to understand their
motivations, their emotional feelings, their obstacles, the expectations
that they have as they're in each stage of this cycle. Then what we
can do is align our communication efforts to make sure that we're
providing them with what they're expecting, what their needs are, and
make sure that we're hitting them with the right message in the right
place at the right time.
So if we go to the next slide, you can see that we've mapped this
out. And that's really hard to read, and I apologize about that. But
we've mapped out each of those feelings, those emotions or those
obstacles or those expectations during the cycle, so we can then apply
our communication effort to make sure that we're in alignment with
that. So we share this amongst the team internally and with all the
agency partners to do just that, to really make sure that we're hitting
them consistently with communication that will resonate with them.
And in the next few minutes you're going to have
Kristen -- she's going to kind of take you through to see how that
applies sort of in real world.
And then the third part that we really doubled down on, again,
was destination intelligence. Over the last two years, there's been an
evolution in what data has become available from a destination
marketing standpoint. Really, essentially, a destination
management.
So we've partnered with a best-in-class data intelligence partner
called Zartico. So so far you've heard about Adara a little bit earlier,
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and you've heard about Zartico. It sounds like we're selling
pharmaceutical things to you, but actually not. These are companies
that provide us with insights and intelligence so we can make better
informed decisions.
So this platform allows us to scrape data and insights from a
number of different resources provided in one platform that we all
have access to and visualize it in a way to where we can make quick
informed decisions not just on where should we go in the future and
how does it apply, but we can look back as well, and we can also
share with you and report back to you the performance of those
efforts.
So that's really good information for us, but it also is really good
information for you all as well, especially from the County
Commission standpoint, because this is looking at the destination as a
whole. And we can start to apply this information about how people
move throughout the county, and what does that mean
infrastructure-wise? What does it mean for sustainable tourism? Is
there compression in a certain area at a certain time that we can
communicate differently during that time to move people away from
that area so they can have a better experience?
So we share this with your team, of course, to make decisions,
we share this with you-all so you understand what's happening, and
then we're going to share this with the community as well on a
regular basis so they can use this information to make informed
decisions about their own business efforts.
So where do we get this information from? Well, we talked
about this wonderful thing that's with us all the time. We take
anonymous data, information and collect that and understand where
people are from, so we understand where their home is, but we can
also understand when they make a trip. So when they come into
Collier County, we can get opinions, say, okay, here's a visitor, and
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we can determine if that visitor is an overnight visitor or a day tripper
and what their home destination is.
So we can understand when they get here, how long they stay,
but also how they maneuver throughout the county. Where are they
spending the most of their time? What points of interest are they
hitting along the way? Really great information.
We then can layer in some demographic and psychographic
information to have a better understanding of what motivates them,
right, so when we target them, we can understand that, hey, this is our
potential target audience.
And then we can layer in credit card information as well so we
can understand where they spend their money on. It's great to
answer a question at a survey, which it gives us some insight, but it's
also -- you know, sometimes, you know, people -- you put your
money where your mouth is, right? Where are they actually
spending their dollars? And we can understand what motivates them
to do that. And it also helps us, where are they spending dollars here
locally so we can determine, okay, that's an area of interest for them.
But this is actionable data. So it's not just something that we
report on and pretty graphics. It's something that we can use moving
forward and, again, to share with everybody.
So other areas that we collect, if there's a sports event out at the
complex, we can understand how the people maneuver and travel
throughout the county when they're here during the actual event. If
there's a wonderful event at the Hilton or the JW, we can understand
how that impacts the local area of restaurants and shops around them.
We can look at the STR report and vacation rentals as well. So
we're blending information and providing it in a tool that's easily
accessible and easy to understand so we can make informed
decisions.
And with that, I'm going to -- I think this will play in the
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background here. This is just some insider view of what the
platform actually looks like. But what we can do is then start to
compare how we did last year, how we did the year before, and use
2019 as an actual benchmark. And you'll see out along the left, one
of the items is No. 6, recovery. So we're monitoring metrics that are
2019 sort of baseline and how we're performing against that type of
data and insight.
And, again, just to make sure -- because 2020 and 2021 were
sort of an anomaly, and we're still trying to understand where we'll
net out. But we're using all of this information, again, to make
informed decisions about how to move forward, how it applies to the
communication strategies and tactics that we're going to implement,
one of which is the spring/summer campaign, which Kristen is going
to take you through how we apply this knowledge in order to make
decisions about moving forward.
So, Kristen, I'll hand it over to you, and you can go from here.
MS. MURPHY: Thank you.
I promise I'm not sick, but I do have a little bit of laryngitis. It
was from screaming over the weekend. It was on a boat. I'm sort of
kidding but not. I'm actually going to take you through Chicago.
Spring/summer we're going to get into next year, but pretty
much -- sorry.
So everything we do -- and I know you've heard this multiple
times today -- is an extension of our marketing plan. The marketing
plan was developed to be a blueprint for everything that we do. The
other thing you've heard multiple times today is insights, data,
analytics. Driving it home. We use that to pretty much lay the
foundation for everything that we do.
So in addition to, like, the various data points that Rudy
mentioned, you know, like Google analytics, Zartico, Adara, we do
collaborate, as Joseph mentioned, very closely with Downs and
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St. Germain to learn more about the consumer journey. And what
we do is we take all of this data and information, and you just start to
layer it on top of each other till you can create a nice picture. You
guys sort of saw that earlier when you questioned, hey, why does
Joseph's data say that the travel planning window is, you know,
40-something days but this platform says the travel window is this
days. So we don't just look at one and go in that direction. We take
it all and layer it together to help drive our strategic efforts.
So the insights are extremely critical to the development of our
custom strategies. And, again, we start with these insights, and we
move through the consumer journey.
We also work with Miles Media very closely when mapping out
the consumer journey as it relates to the website and the landing
pages to ensure that we have consistent messaging, visuals, look,
tone, feel from the ads that we are displaying to the actual journey
into the website, and then Miles takes it from there and moves them
through. So everything needs to be consistent.
What I'm going to show you now is one of the upcoming
campaigns that we are launching. So -- and how we took this
approach and applied it to the planning for Chicago, okay.
So in February, we're launching a market takeover campaign in
Chicago. So why Chicago? I don't know. Why February? Don't
worry, you're not supposed to actually be able to read this screen.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: That's brain surgery stuff,
isn't it?
MS. MURPHY: Totally, totally.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Can I just jump -- because you're
about to start on something that's really important.
MS. MURPHY: Yeah.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: We're at an hour and a half.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: For our court reporter.
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TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: And you-all have been talking
really fast.
MS. MURPHY: I can slow it.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Do you need a quick break, Terri?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Yes.
THE COURT REPORTER: (Nods head.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Yeah, 10 minutes, sorry. And
then we can start fresh. Thank you.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Let's do 11 minutes and be
back at 12:15.
MS. MURPHY: Deal.
(A brief recess was had from 12:03 p.m. to 12:14 p.m.)
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Okay.
MR. MILLER: You have a live mike.
MS. MURPHY: All right. So I'm just going to do a quick
reset, so we're going to talk the Chicago campaign and why and kind
of the reasons behind almost everything we do for it.
So Chicago. Again, I showed you all these beautiful graphics;
not expecting you to actually look at them. But this is supposed to
be a visual representation of just a small, small, small percentages of
the different types of research data and insights that we use to drive
our efforts, and we just look at so many different resources available
to us.
So kind of diving down into Chicago and February. Well,
during the winter in Chicago, the temperatures are often at or below
freezing, especially during that month. The weather could be so
severe that during the winter it is known to take psychological toll on
many people. And the number-one remedy that is
recommended -- multiple sources said this, by the way, is direct sun
exposure, okay.
So this presents an opportunity for us to showcase our
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destination and entice Chicagoans to pretty much ditch their
day-to-day miserable February and get to paradise.
So right now you're just looking at one tactical component of the
entire takeover. This is just one. This is a warming station along --
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Rub it in.
MS. MURPHY: Oh, we're getting there. We're getting there.
So this is just one of 30 different boards that we purchased along
strategically identified train routes. Again, there's multiple train
routes, but we chose the ones that aligned with our target audience.
So everything about this media buy and creative execution is
intentional. So why the warming stations? Well, it all comes back
to knowing your consumer. Chicago is a commuter market. And
during the winter, we know that they flock to these warming stations.
So when the temperatures are below freezing and you've got
heavy snowfall, ice storms, whirling winds and frigid air, many are
looking to escape.
So these ads are intended to inspire beyond the place of
frustration. So make them want to be here. Allow them to mentally
escape and envision themselves at your beach.
Keep in mind, they aren't just seeing the warmth; they're actually
feeling it. So this is tapping into a couple different senses. It's
allowing them to dream but also feel it, too.
And this is just one ad, by the way. This woman on the beach
is just one ad of several executions that will be displayed at the
various warming stations along a couple train routes.
You'll notice here the URL "get to paradise." This is a custom
URL that was purchased, and it directs users to a custom landing
page that we worked on in collaboration with Miles Media to
personalize. So the headline of the ads say, "Wish you were here."
Now, you've heard many times this consumer journey, right, and the
importance of consistency across messaging, visuals, the different
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touch points. So you're seeing an ad that says, "Wish you were
here," and then you get to the website and it says, "We wish you were
here, Chicago." So you've got that consistent messaging.
The custom URL allows for unique trackability and will also be
measuring these key performance indicators along the right-hand
side. These are the key performance indicators that we established
as being key to the success of the year and are included in the
marketing plan.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Forgive me one second.
MS. MURPHY: Yes.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Are you pinging them
straight off that ad that you're running in the warming station, and
when they hit "wish you were here" and they light it up, you're
actually talking to them, "wish you were here, Chicago"?
MS. MURPHY: Well, to be clear, this is a -- this is a statistic
board. They can't actually click on it, but if they were to
gettoparadise, then yes.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I understand that. But it's
telling them to gettoparadise.com.
MS. MURPHY: Yes.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: And when they do that and
they're standing in the warming booth, it actually addresses them
from Chicago?
MS. MURPHY: Yes, yes. And it's actually the same approach
we took for Canada as well, so --
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: It's frightening, but --
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: It's scary.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: And I'll just point out that it's so
cold in Chicago that they have to put a warming station inside of a
warming station.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I think -- I think a good line
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would be, our entire community is a warming station.
MS. MURPHY: We'll add that into the content.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: Come to a permanent
warming station.
MS. MURPHY: So it is critically important, and it is best
practice to have consistent messaging and imagery throughout all
touch points of the consumer journey.
So this is another execution, and here are some other pictures of
the different warming stations that we also took over. Again, there's
30, and this is one of four.
One of the other purchases that we did as part of the Chicago
takeover are weather-triggered boards. So this one's pretty unique.
What you're looking at right now is two different executions. The
one on the left-hand side is a message that's going to be displayed
pretty much when the weather is -- or the temperature is above
30 degrees. And the moment the temperature goes below 30
degrees, a different message pops up, the "wish you were here."
Both of them have the same call to action of gettoparadise.com. So
no matter what, that's where they're going to be directed.
And the temperature at the top of the board will stay consistent
across both executions and, again, to keep consistent imagery, this is
just one of several different executions that are used.
What you're looking at here is a unique piece of our takeover in
Chicago. This is another unique component. And during the month
of February, we're going to have 40 different cars wrapped in
Paradise Coast branding. And those are primarily made up of Ubers
and Lyfts and we're, again, contracting with 40 of them.
What's interesting is that one day in February we're going to
have a swarm. What's a swarm? Good question. So we're going
to have 10 of these cars -- and what you're looking at now is only
five, and that's not your branding. It's just a visual. But you're
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going to have 10. So imagine the visual impact of having 10 of
those cars in a row for one hour driving up and down Magnificent
Mile in Chicago, and it's on a strategically identified day and time to
make sure that, you know, people can see it, and it's not running, like,
at nighttime.
So here are a couple of the executions, a couple of the imagery.
You'll see, again, consistency. Here are a couple more.
And then what you're looking at right here are the bus wraps.
So we have wrapped 30 buses, or will wrap 30 different buses, and
it's going to take up pretty much the entire side of a bus, both sides of
the bus.
Right here you're looking at an ad that we are putting in the
February issue of Chicago Magazine, and this is just one of, again,
additional executions. But what we're doing is we also have a
month-long buy with NBC television broadcast, and then we also
have a month-long radio endorsement campaign. Both of the
stations were chosen based on our target audience and who we're
aligning with. So, again, every aspect of this campaign, every
aspect, from creative to where we're placing the media, was
intentional, and we thought it through at every level to ensure we're
delivering that right message at the right place at the right time to the
right people, and that is the premise for pretty much everything we do
in collaboration with the other agencies as well.
So at the next TDC meeting we'll be taking you through updates
on Toronto where we did the creepy landing page thing with them,
too, and also winter campaign is running as well, and then we're -- as
somebody mentioned, we're in spring/summer planning at the
moment, too.
So that is it. Does anybody have any questions?
(No response.)
MS. MURPHY: Okay. Well, you know how to get ahold of
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us if you do. Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: And we are going to be very respective of
everyone's time. I've talked to the folks from Miles Media as well as
Lou Hammond Group. They have some decks. We will provide
them to you. And, again, not to minimize, we just greatly respect
your time. This is a lot of information here, definitely.
But the intent of this portion was to, again, say, the marketing
plan was not a trophy. The marketing plan was a beacon. Our
agencies are completely coexisting together, challenging each other,
best in class in everything we do.
So I'm going to do a slow close on that and remind everybody,
as they're looking at the agenda, that we normally just acknowledge
that saved and routed are tourism reports for all of our staff and all of
our activities for your review, but I did not want to skip over the
opportunity under 10, which is councilmember discussions. I tried
to encourage people to have the discussion, you know, so far, but if
there is anything above and beyond, please feel free to ask or bring it
up at this point.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: I have a couple questions.
MR. BEIRNES: Sure.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: What's our relationship with
the Naples -- Greater Naples Chamber and the Marco Chamber?
How plugged in are they with your team, your team with them? I
realize, you know, the missions are similar --
MR. BEIRNES: Yeah.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: -- and a little dissimilar, but,
you know --
MR. BEIRNES: Yeah. I mean, obviously, I always say,
everything can always get better. I've been working close with
Michael and the Naples Chamber. In fact, last week I was one of
their keynote presenters at Wake Up Naples. The dialogue is open.
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It was a really good conversation, and I encourage the same, you
know, conversation. You know, sometimes you have to just get out
of your office to be able to have those conversations, but the same
with Marco, definitely.
COMMISSIONER LoCASTRO: And then a more broad
question, and I probably missed it somewhere in all this. What is
our annual budget for this? What will we spend in 2022, ballpark?
Because all this stuff's great. I know it's not cheap, but then I also
know it comes back to us tenfold, so that's not lost on me. But I was
just curious, what kind of -- what's the bill that we -- or that we pay at
the end of the year for all of this inclusive?
MR. BEIRNES: So for the best -- or the easiest one to point is
$5 million of paid media, and that is really what's related to Paradise
Advertising. That is our placement. There is some production
above and beyond that. But if you're really looking for, like, well,
how much of this meat is there, it's about $5 million in paid media.
But, you know, then we have some, you know, increases with Miles
and Lou Hammond Group, a little bit here and there. But it is really
working well together.
What we're doing is we're making sure that exponentially we're
being smarter with everything we do. Everything we buy, let's not
just, oh, we need another data resource. We're -- and as -- on break I
was saying to Chair Solis, saying, as simplified as -- we talked about
Zartico, we met with the company the other day and said, all right, so
rather than just having more data, how can we really quickly drill
down to what we're looking for?
For instance -- and we threw them a softball. We said, if we
had a culinary campaign, how easy is it to know who are those
people? And it was three clicks, truly; click, click, click. People
that visited, let's click on the yellow portion, which is culinary click,
and where do they come from, and it showed -- and right down to the
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city, a center, and it actually said that the inner core of Chicago
residents spent exponentially more than New York. And I thought
New York would have been higher, but it was literally just three
clicks.
So if you said, same thing, we have an eco campaign, who's
coming, who's spending money? Click, click, click, and you don't
have to market to the Northeast. You can say, my gosh, like, we
could go right down into just that city center or maybe this suburb.
So it's that particular. Pretty exciting to be able to do that.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: With your indulgence, I'd
like to ask our TDC council for their comments first and then finish
up with the Board.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you. Ms. Becker.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Okay, fine. Regarding the
arts, the development of the arts, with Penny and others, I go back at
least 10 years when we formed our first arts committee. And so it's
encouraging now to see about the progress and the culmination. Is
this arts position going to be a member of the staff?
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes.
MR. BEIRNES: Yes. In fact, they start, if I recall right, it's,
like, the second week of February is their first -- first day. In
another week they go through the background checks, fingerprints,
and then through the Collier University. So most likely they will be
here at the next TDC for introduction.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Report to you?
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: They?
MR. BEIRNES: Pardon me? They will report to me, yes, as
part of the CVB.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: They, it's more than one
person?
MR. BEIRNES: No, I just tried to get -- neither saying he or
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she because we haven't announced it yet.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: And is it a full-time position?
MR. BEIRNES: It is a full-time position, yes.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Full-time position.
MR. BEIRNES: And a very, very well-established individual
that brings a lot to this role. We're very excited.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Yes. Thank you for that
final culmination.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Not final. The beginning.
MR. BEIRNES: Touché.
COUNCILMEMBER HILL: Paul, thank you for an excellent
presentation. I think I heard the word "collaboration" more today
than I have in years, and it's for real. I think we're just getting so
much done. Everybody's working together. We have a common
goal. And I appreciate your leadership with that. Thank you.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you, sir.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Ma'am.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: I would just also -- thank you so
much to our guests. Maybe we're your guests today, but it was such
a pleasure to have everyone in the room together.
I think, you know, one of the things that hit me multiple times
today -- and we talked about this graphic representation -- as I work
with some of our other properties, I can't tell you how many people
have as a part of their goal this year to get back to a certain
percentage of 2019. So to have already exceeded 2019 and be
looking at setting new records is just such a blessing for the
destination and one I don't take for granted. So thank you to
everyone and all of our partners for the collaboration that gets us
there.
I also agree with -- just as a point of observation -- this is
something we're really noting in this latest variant -- that we are
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seeing many more symptomatic cancellations versus policy and
procedures. As you noted, Paul -- and I think that one of the things
that many of us are working through in the destination, whether it's
air travel, hotel, or attraction, being the height of our busiest season,
this is the time when we normally are most inflexible with advance
deposit and cancellation policies and, yet again, '22 is requiring us to
lead with flexibility. So I think that that's something we're all
working through simultaneously.
And we are very much starting to see in traveler commentary
that -- and I'm going to say not so much concern for my health but the
concern for how this variant is going to impact me in terms of
convenience, right. And that's definitely a transition. So, just a few
notes.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Okay. Anyone else?
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Not a good transition. Not a
good transition.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: No. Well --
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Because, you know, in
May -- May? April, May of '20, thanks to Paradise Advertising, you
know, I got together folks and said, what do you need, and they said,
we need to let people know we're safe, and that's where the Paradise
Pledge came from. Do we need to do something like that again?
COUNCILMEMBER COX: I don't -- you know, it's
interesting. It's a different question depending on the audience. If I
am speaking to a director of risk management for a publicly traded
company who is looking at having a meeting or event, that is
absolutely something that we are still leaning into.
I think that the average consumer -- and someone else said this
beautifully. I can't remember how it was said -- but has developed a
certain level of risk tolerance for stepping outside of their front door
in the morning, not just to travel, but to go to the grocery store and
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participate in everyday life.
So I don't think we need anything new. I think that the Paradise
Pledge still provides this. I would tell you that, again, in certain
audiences, we still refer to it on a daily basis, but I would say it was
originally speaking to the individual traveler.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Yes.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: And I think nowadays it is more
large gatherings of organization or those trying to mitigate risk or
responsibility.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: All right. Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Thank you.
COMMISSIONER TAYLOR: Congratulations again on that.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: Do we have any board
members online that maybe --
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Oh, that's right. Mr. Grifoni, any
comments?
COUNCILMEMBER GRIFONI: I just want to appreciate the
time from the Board of County Commissioners for joining us today.
Always good to hear from you all, and I appreciate your input and
look forward to working with you, Paul, in the future.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Anything else, Commissioners?
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I have one.
COMMISSIONER SAUNDERS: Just a quick comment. I
want to thank everybody for the presentations. This actually has
been one of the most informative sessions I've sat in in quite a long
time. And I really had no idea how in-depth all these pieces were in
terms of getting the message out. I particularly like the creepy part
of it. I think that's very cool.
I will say, as I get into the older generation, I do like the -- when
I travel, I like to go to places where there are young people. I don't
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like to go to places where it's just a lot of old people. So I think
the -- you're advertising to the 40-plus-year folks, and I think that
that's really good. That's the type of destination I think most people
are looking for.
So thank you for all of the hard work, all of the people that made
presentations today.
MR. BEIRNES: Thank you.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: I have a public service
announcement. Our friend Ski tested positive last week for the
omicron, and I texted him that day, on Wednesday, when he tested
positive, and asked how he was doing. And in his absence today, I
said, how you doing today? Because every day's a new day,
especially with him, but he's -- he actually reported he's doing well.
Just -- that's an FYI and a feel-good. He's been my friend forever.
I have a request to our TDC at large. And I know you glossed
over it because it's not sexy, and that's the nuts and bolts and the
semantics of the tourist development tax, how much is collected,
where it's collected, what silo it's, in fact, put in. And we're going to
get to go through these things in our budgetary talks coming up at the
Board level. But I want to hear from you where -- your perceptions
of where we can best, as a Board of County Commissioners, develop
policy to give direction to expend those funds for the greatest benefit.
A couple of our consultants talked about ROI, and I went straight on
point with regard to that.
So that's my request to you. And we didn't go there today,
because it was all pretty and glitty. And it was nice. Don't get me
wrong, it was really, really nice. But from a policy standpoint, I
want to hear from you, our advisory board who are in this stuff up to
here, how we can make adjustments and recommendations from your
advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners on what we
can do -- how we can make your life better and our consultants at the
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same time.
MR. BEIRNES: Very appreciative of that. Thank you.
BCC CHAIRMAN McDANIEL: And, again, I just want to
thank Commissioner Solis for assisting in orchestrating this and your
indulgence for allowing us here.
COUNCILMEMBER BECKER: Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER COX: Thank you.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thanks.
And I'll just add that, yeah, I've been amazed at the
sophistication of all of this and Paul has, I think, taken it to a whole
new level of sophistication and creepiness.
MR. BEIRNES: Not personally.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Not personally, but just, you
know -- but I think you had some big shoes to fill, and you've taken it
up a whole shoe size. So, really, thanks for all you're doing and the
staff as well and all the marketing partners. I mean, some of this is
so high tech it's amazing how integrated the whole thing is to -- as
you were saying, to be able to send somebody that -- in a warming
station in Chicago that we know lives in an area that is interested in
food a food ad, you know, warm soups in Naples are available, is
really -- it's so high tech, and proof's in the pudding, I think, as we've
seen that we've already exceeded the 2019 numbers. So
congratulations.
MR. BEIRNES: Well, thank you. I'm very humbled, and I
appreciate it.
And then last thing before we note that our next meeting is on
February 28. Can you believe we actually said February? I do want
to particularly thank those in the IT team and setting up all of this
detailed protocol-ready room, the County Attorney's Office who
allowed us just to navigate a lot of things on executive summary.
Thank you to the County Manager for dedicating his morning and
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more. So, again, thank you very much.
TDC CHAIRMAN SOLIS: Thank you. We are adjourned.
Thank you.
*******
There being no further business for the good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 12:36 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST
DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
_________________________________
Chairman, Commissioner Andy Solis
These minutes approved by the Board on ______________________,
as presented ______________ or as corrected _____________.
TRANSCRIPT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF FORT MYERS
COURT REPORTING BY TERRI L. LEWIS, RPR, FPR-C,
COURT REPORTER AND NOTARY PUBLIC.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recommendation to approve a Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) Category “A”
Grant Application for Beach Park Facilities for Fiscal Year 2022 in the total amount of $36,970
within TDC Beach Park Facilities Fund (183) and to make the finding that the expenditure
promotes tourism.
OBJECTIVE: To obtain budget authorization of TDC grant funding for a project at County beach park
facilities.
CONSIDERATIONS: The Parks and Recreation Division is requesting additional funding from TDC
Beach Park Facility Fund (183) to support the following project:
PROJECT AMOUNT REQUESTED
Additional Beach Restroom Cleaning Services $36,970
PROJECT DETAILS:
Additional Beach Restroom Cleaning Services: $36,970
Collier County beaches see an enormous amount of visitation during the months of November through
April. As a result of this high level of visitation, it is difficult to keep the beach restrooms clean and
stocked with supplies. Restrooms must be maintained on a regular basis througho ut the day. Currently,
the Collier County janitorial contract calls for one cleaning per day per restroom. This proposed project
will add two (2) additional cleaning services per day to the following beach restrooms until May 1, 2022:
• Bluebill Access
• Vanderbilt Beach - parking garage, new restrooms, and old restrooms
• Barefoot Beach Preserve
• Tigertail Beach Park
• South Marco Beach Parking Lot
Estimated time frame for this project is three (3) months. Project to begin in February 2022 and to be
completed by April 2022.
FISCAL IMPACT: Funding for the subject project is provided in TDC Beach Park Facilities Fund
(183). A new project number will be established for this new project.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT IMPACT: There is no Growth Management impact.
ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION(S): On February 16, 2022, the Collier County Parks and
Recreation Advisory Board (PARAB) recommended approval. The TDC will review this item at its
regularly scheduled meeting on February 28, 2022.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: This item is approved as to form and legality and requires majority vote
for approval. -CMG
RECOMMENDATION: To approve a Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) Category
“A” Grant Application for Beach Park Facilities for Fiscal Year 2022 in the total amount of $36,970
within TDC Beach Park Facilities Fund (183) and to make the finding that the expenditure promotes
tourism.
6.B.1
Packet Pg. 110
02/28/2022
Prepared By: Melissa Hennig, Region 1 Manager, Parks and Recreation Division
ATTACHMENT(S)
1. TDC Grant Application - Beach Park Restrooms (DOCX)
6.B.1
Packet Pg. 111
02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 6.B.1
Doc ID: 21282
Item Summary: Recommendation to approve a Collier County Tourist Development Council
(TDC) Category “A” Grant Application for Beach Park Facilities for Fiscal Year 2022 in the total amount
of $36,970 within TDC Beach Park Facilities Fund (183) and to make the finding that the expenditure
promotes tourism.
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: – Public Services Department
Name: Todd Henry
02/08/2022 2:56 PM
Submitted by:
Title: Department Head – Public Services Department
Name: Tanya Williams
02/08/2022 2:56 PM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Paul Beirnes Tourism Division Completed 02/08/2022 3:00 PM
Operations & Veteran Services Kimberley Grant Additional Reviewer Completed 02/08/2022 4:09 PM
Public Services Department Melissa Hennig Additional Reviewer Completed 02/14/2022 10:45 AM
Public Services Department Tanya Williams Additional Reviewer Completed 02/14/2022 10:54 AM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/14/2022 10:57 AM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/23/2022 9:21 AM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:42 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
6.B.1
Packet Pg. 112
COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
CATEGORY "A" GRANT APPLICATION
Fiscal Year 202 2 Additional Beach Restroom Cleaning Services
1. Name and Address of Project Sponsor Organization:
Collier County Parks and Recreation Division
North Collier Regional Park
15000 Livingston Road
Naples, Florida 34109
2. Contact Person, Title and Phone Number:
Barry Williams, Director
15000 Livingston Road
Naples, FL 34109
Phone: 239-252-4035 FAX: 252-530-6538
Other: 239-280-7035
3. Organization's Chief Official and Title:
Barry Williams, Director
Collier County Parks and Recreation Division
4. Details of Project-Description and Location: This is a new TDC funded project
designed to add needed additional cleaning services to beach restrooms. Beach restroom
visitation increases greatly during season. Currently, the Collier County janitorial
contract calls for one cleaning per day per restroom. This proposed project will add two
(2) additional cleaning services per day to the following beach restrooms until May 1,
2022:
•Bluebill Access
•Vanderbilt Beach – parking garage, new restrooms, and old restrooms
•Barefoot Beach Preserve
•Tigertail Beach Park
•South Marco Beach Parking Lot
5. Estimated project start date: February 2022
6. Estimated project duration: 3 Months
7. Total TDC Tax Funds Requested : $36,970
8. If the full amount requested cannot be awarded, can the program/project be
restructured to accommodate a smaller award? Yes () No (X)
6.B.1.a
Packet Pg. 113 Attachment: TDC Grant Application - Beach Park Restrooms (21282 : TDC Grant for Beach Restroom Cleaning)
P a g e | 2
COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
CATEGORY "A" GRANT APPLICATION
Fiscal Year 2022 Additional Beach Restroom Cleaning Services
PROJECT BUDGET
PROJECT ELEMENT AMOUNT
TDC Funds Requested $36,970
City/Taxing District Share $N/A
State of Florida Share $N/A
Federal Share $N/A
TOTAL $36,970
PROJECT EXPENSES:
2 additional cleanings per day for 3 months:
Bluebill Access $5,320
Vanderbilt Beach parking garage $5,320
Vanderbilt Beach new and old restrooms $5,320
Barefoot Beach Preserve $5,320
Tigertail Beach Park $9,120
South Marco Beach Parking Lot $6,570
TDC Funds requested $36,970
MILESTONES:
Obtain PARAB and TDC approval for TDC Funds February 2022
Obtain BCC approval April 2022
Project completion April 2022
6.B.1.a
Packet Pg. 114 Attachment: TDC Grant Application - Beach Park Restrooms (21282 : TDC Grant for Beach Restroom Cleaning)
02/28/2022
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recommendation to authorize the necessary budget amendment to reallocate funds in relation to
Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass Dredge 2021-2022,” in the
amount of $2,197,180.00 and make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism. (County-Wide
Capital Projects Fund 301 / TDC Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund 195, Project
No. 80288 & 90549).
OBJECTIVE: To reimburse County-Wide Capital Project Fund (301) reserves with TDC Beach
Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund (195).
CONSIDERATIONS: On December 14, 2021, (Agenda item 11C), the Board of County
Commissioners (BCC) awarded Invitation to Bid (ITB) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass
Dredge 2021-2022,” to Waterfront Property Services, LLC d/b/a Gator Dredging, in the amount of
$2,197,180.00. The expedited scheduling of this project required that funding be made available from the
County-Wide Capital Project Fund (301) reserves, with the understanding that once the Tourist
Development Council found that the project promotes tourism, funding would be reimbursed, via a
budget amendment, from TDC Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund (195).
ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS: On December 9, 2021, the Coastal
Advisory Committee approved Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors
Pass Dredge 2021-2022,” to Waterfront Property Services, LLC d/b/a Gator Dredging, in the amount of
$2,197,180.00 and found that the item promotes tourism (7-0 vote). The same ITB No. 21-7935
contract award item will be presented to the Tourist Development Council (TDC) on February
28, 2022, to find that the project promotes tourism.
GROWTH MANAGEMENT IMPACT: There is no impact to the Growth Management Plan related to
this action.
FISCAL IMPACT: A Budget amendment will be required to provide funds from TDC Beach
Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund (195) reserves in the amount of $1,589,538.87 and
$607,641.13 to fund Wiggins Pass (Project 80288) and Doctors Pass (Project 90549) respectively. In
addition, a budget amendment will be required to return funding in the amount of $2,197,180.00 to
County-Wide Capital Project Fund (301) reserves.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: This item is approved as to form and legality and requires majority vote
for approval. - CMG
RECOMMENDATION: To authorize the necessary budget amendment to reallocate funds in relation
to Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass Dredge 2021-2022,” in the
amount of $2,197,180.00 and make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism. (County-Wide
Capital Projects Fund 301 / TDC Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund 195, Project No.
80288 & 90549).
Prepared By: Andrew Miller, P.E., Coastal Zone Management, Capital Project Planni ng, Impact Fees and
Program Management Division
7.A
Packet Pg. 115
02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 7.A
Doc ID: 21300
Item Summary: Recommendation to authorize the necessary budget amendment to reallocate
funds in relation to Invitation to Bid (“ITB”) No. 21-7935, “Wiggins Pass and Doctors Pass Dredge 2021-
2022,” in the amount of $2,197,180.00 and make a finding that this expenditure promotes tourism.
(County-Wide Capital Projects Fund 301 / TDC Beach Renourishment and Pass Maintenance Fund 195,
Project No. 80288 & 90549).
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: – Capital Project Planning, Impact Fees, and Program Management
Name: Farron Bevard
02/09/2022 3:58 PM
Submitted by:
Title: Director – Capital Project Planning, Impact Fees, and Program Management
Name: Matthew McLean
02/09/2022 3:58 PM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Paul Beirnes Tourism Division Completed 02/09/2022 4:10 PM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/09/2022 4:10 PM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/23/2022 9:10 AM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:43 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
7.A
Packet Pg. 116
02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 9.A.1
Item Summary: Marketing Partner Report Part 1
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: Administrative Assistant – Tourism
Name: Jennifer Leslie
02/16/2022 11:40 AM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Paul Beirnes
02/16/2022 11:40 AM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Jennifer Leslie Tourism Division Completed 02/16/2022 11:40 AM
Corporate Business Operations Jennifer Reynolds Stage 1 Review Completed 02/16/2022 11:57 AM
Tourism Kelly Green Stage 1 Review Completed 02/16/2022 12:12 PM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/16/2022 2:59 PM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/22/2022 4:36 PM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:32 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
9.A.1
Packet Pg. 117
Marketing Partner
Re ports
Fe b 2022 TDC
9.A.1.a
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MARKETING PARTNER REPORTS
PA RT I
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RESEARCH REPORT
Re search Data Ser vices, Inc.
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ADVERTISING REPORT
Pa ra dise Advertising &
Marketing , Inc.
9.A.1.a
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FY 22 Marketing Plan Overview
FY22 Winter
Chicago & Canada Creative
9.A.1.a
Packet Pg. 146 Attachment: Part 1 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21428 : Marketing Partner Report Part 1)
Chicago Takeover
January 31st -February 27th
•Weather Triggered Billboards
•Wrapped Uber and Lyft cars
•Bus Wraps
•Warming Stations at CTA train
platforms
•Chicago Magazine
•TV on NBC station in Today Show
and Winter Olympics daytime
•Radio endorsement campaign
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Chicago
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Canada
February 7th -April 3rd
•Facebook
•Paid Search
•TheStar.com (Toronto Star) and their
city paper websites in Ontario
•Newsletters to Travelalerts.ca
subscribers
•The Weather Network app mobile
campaign
•Streaming TV
•4 digital billboards in key areas of
Toronto area
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Thank you
9.A.1.a
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National Public Relations Update
TDC Meeting
Services conducted in
January 2022
9.A.1.a
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Media Highlights
LHG & CVB PR EFFORTS –January 2022
Media Impressions: 315,522
Media Value: $46,937
9.A.1.a
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Media Highlights
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Media Highlights
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Projects/Media Outreach
Ø Press Release: What’s New for 2022
Ø Agency utilized Hot Tip Programming to ask destination partners for specific
information used to draft a release about destination highlights for 2022;
distributed release to national,regional,and in-state media.
Ø Secured interest from the following outlets:
Ø The Boca Raton Observer –Alona Martinez
Ø Forbes –Chadd Scott
Ø Wa shington Post –Paul Abercrombie
Ø Boston Globe –Moira McCarthy
Ø Major Pitch Points
Agency promoted the following topics:
Ø Wa rm Weather Destination
Ø Targeted regional and national media -specifically Northeast,and
Midwest regions
Ø Wellness Offerings on Paradise Coast
Ø Targeted consumer/lifestyle,health and wellness,and travel media
9.A.1.a
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Projects/Media Outreach
Ø VISIT FLORIDA Editorial Lead: January 2022 Topics
Ø Agency developed response for potential inclusion in VISIT FLORIDA's press
releases and on the media site to continue supporting Southwest Florida as
the best travel destination.
Ø LHG submitted information on the following topics:
Ø Florida Distilleries and Breweries: Crafted pitch about the family-and
veteran-owned and operated,Everglades Distillers.
Ø Under The Radar Florida: Crafted pitch highlighting Ten Thousand
Islands.
Ø Southern Living Media Lead: Beach Getaways
Ø Agency collected 2022 editorial calendars to ensure we are proactively
pitching Florida’s Paradise Coast for all relevant opportunities;team
submitted the destination’s beach offerings for potential inclusion.
9.A.1.a
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Partner Communications
Ø Public Relations Presentation for January TDC
Meeting
Ø Created Public Relations Strategic
Communications plan to be presented
at the January 2022 TDC meeting
outlining 2022 earned media strategy.
Ø Partner Training Sessions Survey Questions
Ø Provided feedback on Client created
survey for upcoming Partner Training
seminars.
Ø Partner Newsletter
Ø Assisted in creation of January
Newsletter and deployment to partners
on January 19.
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Packet Pg. 173 Attachment: Part 1 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21428 : Marketing Partner Report Part 1)
Looking Ahead
Ø Upcoming Coverage
Ø INDULGE Magazine –Florida Luxury Guide (March 2022)
Ø Upstate Lake Living –(M arch 2022)
Ø Charlotte Parent –(March 2022)
Ø Media Visits
Ø Travel Writer Brandy Gleason
Ø Travel Blogger Jennifer Brommer
Ø Travel Writer Paul Rubio
Ø Travel Writer Diane Bair
Ø Travel Writer Gwen Pratesi
Ø Freelance Writer Josh Sens
Ø Freelance Writer Rebecca Deurlein
Ø Freelance Journalist Cortney Fries
Ø Freelance Journalist Caroline Eubanks
Ø Influencer Erin Cohen
Ø Projects
Ø February Newsletter
Ø Press Material Updates
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Thank you!
Proud to be your Partner in Paradise!
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Pa ra dise Advertising
Digital & Social Media
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The Winter Campaign launched in mid-January (1/10).We also had LGBTQ,Eco
and Weddings,in market.
OVERALL DISPLAY
In just the 2 weeks the campaign was in-market in January, we served
10,386,526 display impressions and delivered 31,857 clicks,with a CTR of .31%.
We are extremely with this performance, as this was up considerably from
December (which was .19%),and almost 4x our benchmark of .08%.
OVERALL VIDEO
In January,there were 835,758 completed video views.The Video Completion
rate (VCR)continued it's upward trajectory,up again this month to 82.3%.This
is well over our benchmark of 70%and up 6 percentage points from December.
Top performing DISPLAY vendors in the Fall Campaign:
Top performing VIDEO vendors in the Fall Campaign:
•Kargo with an extremely strong .61%.This is our high impoact rich media
mobile campaign.
•Division D with a .49%,our vendor with keyword search targeting and serving
banners to those who subscribe to other travel enewsletters
•HULU with a 99.2%
•Q1 M edia with a 93.6%
TOTAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
10.39M
•46%
Comparison period:19.16M
TOTAL VCR
Last Month (Jan 1 -31)c
82.3%
•8%
Comparison period:76.4%
Benchmarks
CTR:.08%
VCR:70%
TOTAL CTR
Last Month (Jan 1 -31)c
0.31%
•62%
Comparison period:0.19%
TOTAL SPEND
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
$166k
•12%
Comparison period:$188.5k
Digit al M edia Perf orm ance -M et rics K last update Feb 8,2022 at 11:08 PM 3
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Top Banner Creative across all campaigns w as
LGBTQ Male and Eco,w it h a .23%and .22%,
respectively.
Top Banner Creative f or t he Winter Campaign
t hus f ar,however,is M illennials wit h a .17%
Top Video Creative across all Cam paigns as w ell
as t he Wint er Cam paign was t he Competitors
spot that was done for Q1 Media specifically to
reach t hose who have visit ed our com pet it ive
dest inat ions.It delivered a 93.6%VCR.
Digit al M edia Perf orm ance -Creat ive K last update Jun 7,2021 at 06:06 PM 3
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IMPRESSIONS
3.47M
Last Month (Jan 1 -31)c
•158%
Com parison period:1.35M
Jan 4 Jan 25 Jan 28 Ja…
250k
200k
150k
100k
50k
0
Jan 1 Jan 7 Jan 10 Jan 13
•Impressions (QB)
Jan 16 Jan 19 Jan 22
•Previous (Dec 1 -31,2021)
In the month of January, Agency continued running the Evergreen and Weddings
campaign along with boosting Organic content.The United Airlines campaign also
began on 1/5.
Results:
•3.47 million Impressions, a 158% increase from the previous month. This can be
attributed to the inclusion of the United Airlines campaign and also tra c portion of
the Weddings campaign.
•19,834 Clicks,a 67%increase from the previous month.
•The tra c portion to the Evergreen campaign say a 62% increase in CTR, resulting in
a 2.14%CTR.The Weddings tra c portion saw a 0.97%CTR to begin its'ight.
•
CCT 0986 FY21 Evergreen FALL Tra c (23848727755940191)2.14%•62%
CCT 1212 FY22 Weddings Tra c (23849005593760191)0.97%
CCT 1356 FY22 Airlines MMGY Engagement (23849045455960191)0.71%
CCT 1212 FY22 Weddings Engagem ent (23848781313190191)0.43%•27%
CCT 0986 FY22 Evergreen FALL Engagem ent (23848507419150191)0.31%•3%
CCT 0987 FY22 Boosted Posts (23848588663460191)0 12%•428%
CTR (LINK CLICK-THROUGH RATE)BY CAMPAIGN Last Month (Jan 1 -31)c
Campaign Last Month
LINK CLICKS
19,834
Last Month (J an 1 -31)c
•67%
Com parison period:11,901
Jan 4 Jan 7 Jan 10 Jan 13 Jan 16 Jan 19 Jan 22 J an 25 Jan 28 Ja…
0
Jan 1
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
•Clicks (All)•Previous (Dec 1 -31,2021)
Facebook Ads -M et rics K last update Feb 8,2022 at 11:13 PM 3
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Packet Pg. 179 Attachment: Part 1 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21428 : Marketing Partner Report Part 1)
342.3k
POST ENGAGEMENT
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
•6%
Comparison period:322.7k
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
Jan 1 Jan 6 Jan 11 Jan 16 Jan 21 Jan 26 Ja…
•Post Engagement •Previous (Dec 1 -31,2021)
Evergreen
Only Paradise Will Do
Beach
NOTE FROM FEB 7 4:04 PM
Facebook Ads -Creat ive K last update Feb 8,2022 at 11:13 PM 3
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#NAME IMPR.CTR
/ CCT Wedding FY22
1208
15,394
2 Always On FY22 0989
3 CCT LGBTQ FY22 1322 34,920
5.42
84,276 5.16
1.1
CAMPAIGNS OVERVIEW
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
AVG.CPC
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
$0.55
•13%
Comparison period:$0.63
IMPRESSIONS
134.6k
Last Month (Jan 1 -31)c
•1%
Com parison period:135.4k
Jan 4 Jan 7 Jan 10 Jan 13 Jan 16 Jan 19 Jan 22 J an 25 Jan 28 Ja…
0
Jan 1
10,000
7,500
5,000
2,500
•Im p ressions •Previ ous (Dec 1 -31,2021)
5,570
CLICKS
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
•22%
Comparison period:4,578
Ja…
50
Jan 1
100
150
200
250
Jan 7 Jan 13 Jan 19 Jan 25
•Clicks •Previous (Dec 1 -31,2021)
IMPRESSION BY CAMPAIGN
Last M ont h (J an 1 -31)c
Always O…
62.6%
CCT LGBT…
25.9%
CCT Wedding FY22 …
11.4%
134,590
Total
Paid Search -Google K last update Feb 8,2022 at 11:26 PM 3
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02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 9.B.1
Item Summary: Marketing Partner Report Part 2
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: Administrative Assistant – Tourism
Name: Jennifer Leslie
02/17/2022 9:17 AM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Paul Beirnes
02/17/2022 9:17 AM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Jennifer Leslie Tourism Division Completed 02/17/2022 9:18 AM
Corporate Business Operations Jennifer Reynolds Stage 1 Review Completed 02/17/2022 9:44 AM
Tourism Kelly Green Stage 1 Review Completed 02/17/2022 9:46 AM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/17/2022 11:29 AM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/22/2022 4:40 PM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:32 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
9.B.1
Packet Pg. 182
MARKETING PARTNER REPORTS
PART II
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TOURIST TAX COLLECTIONS
Collier County Tax Collector
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ON LINE HOTEL BOOKING SERVICES
Book Direct-JackRabbit Systems
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Collier County Museums
Visitation Reports
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VISITATION
January 2022
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6,258 TOTAL VISITORS IN JANUARY
January 2021 January 2022
Collier Museum at Government Center 453 687
Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch 134 705
Marco Island Historical Museum 1,438 2,369
Museum of the Everglades 1,027 1,098
Naples Depot Museum 455 1,399
TOTAL 3,507 6,258
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Packet Pg. 202 Attachment: Part 2 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21436 : Marketing Partner
Where are you from?
16%
7%
21%
54%
2%
Full-time Collier Resident Part-time Collier Resident
Florida Resident (Not Collier County)US Resident (Not Florida)
International
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Packet Pg. 203 Attachment: Part 2 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21436 : Marketing Partner
How did you hear about us?
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Radio
Newspaper Ad
Chamber of Commerce
Newspaper Article
Magazine Ad
Magazine Article
Social Media
Word of Mouth
Other
Web Search
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Packet Pg. 204 Attachment: Part 2 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21436 : Marketing Partner
Please explain why you would or would not
recommend this museum to others.
Lots to see and read! I liked the funny local stories.Helps anchor the Everglades in something other than air boats
I would highly recommend this museum. Very relaxing and
informative I love history and this visit was truly amazing
A hidden gem. Love history Nice break in mid day excursion.
Would recommend as it offers a fascinating view into the history of
Naples. Lots of historical facts and exhibits
It was amazing to learn so much more about Collier County and it’s
history!!
I would because there is so much to learn around here so I would
share it to other people
I would because of the amazing art Great self tour museum
Lots to learn, hands on for kids Great historical information
Worthwhile historical visit Very interesting and laid out well
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Packet Pg. 205 Attachment: Part 2 MARKETING PARTNER RPT Feb 22 TDC (21436 : Marketing Partner
Customer Satisfaction
Mean Maximum
Please rate your overall experience with this
Museum.4.8 5.0
How satisfied were you with the service you
received?4.8 5.0
How likely are you to recommend this Museum to a
friend or colleague?9.4 10.0
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3% (2)8% (5)89% (54)
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
Detractor Passive Promoter
How likely are you to recommend this Museum to
a friend or colleague?
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Current
Exhibits
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Coming Soon:
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THANK YOU
Questions?
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02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 11.A
Item Summary: Tourism Staff Report
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: Administrative Assistant – Tourism
Name: Jennifer Leslie
02/16/2022 11:31 AM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Paul Beirnes
02/16/2022 11:31 AM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Jennifer Leslie Tourism Division Completed 02/16/2022 11:32 AM
Corporate Business Operations Jennifer Reynolds Stage 1 Review Completed 02/16/2022 11:42 AM
Tourism Kelly Green Stage 1 Review Completed 02/16/2022 12:11 PM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/16/2022 2:58 PM
County Manager's Office Geoffrey Willig Deputy County Manager Completed 02/22/2022 4:35 PM
County Attorney's Office Colleen Greene Attorney Review Completed 02/23/2022 1:37 PM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
11.A
Packet Pg. 217
Paul Beirnes DIRECTOR ACTIVITIES – Jan 1 - 31, 2022
TASK
Jan 2022
Strategic Planning Projects 15
Collateral Development 32
Staff Planning & Development 25
New Projects 10
Current and Upcoming Significant Strategic Initiatives
COVID-19: Continue to closely monitor the sentiment of COVID upon the sentiment of travelers, yet at
the present time all domestic and international travel sentiment for the foreseeable term is upbeat and
positive, presenting tremendous opportunities for a strong Q1.
Staffing Changes: The CVB welcomed John Melleky as the new Manager of Arts & Culture on February
14th. John’s arrival and addition to the team will allow an opportunity to improve on the integration of
Arts and Culture within the destination’s efforts.
Sandra Rios, Manager of Public Relations was recruited by a local hotel as Sr Manager of Marketing.
Sandra’s last day is Feb 28. Recruiting has begun to fill this current role.
Monthly Activities
Trade Shows / Tourism Industry Conferences
• No attendance at trade shows or conferences occurred in January (Paul)
Tourism Industry & Intra-Division Meetings
• Media execution meetings with Lee County CVB, RSW leadership and Eurowings Airline
regarding new service coop
• Attend monthly Florida Restaurant and Lodging board meeting
• Bi-weekly Meeting with Parks & Resorts – upcoming events
• Hosted and orchestrated the first combined TDC / BCC meeting
• Attend planning meeting with German trade representative Diamonde
• Attend planning meeting with UK trade representative Ommac
Staffing / Development
• Met with the Clerk of County Courts to conduct an initial team meeting to ensure continual
communications improvements
• Completed onboarding paperwork for the arrival of the new Arts and Culture Manager
• Administer, review, provide feedback and approve division Controls
• Conduct weekly scheduled one on one meetings with each of 8 staff reports
• Conducted assigned / required Collier University training
• Bi-weekly meetings with Deputy County Manager Amy Patterson
Strategic Implementation
• Provided speech to the Naples Chamber of Commerce “Wake Up Naples” event to promote the
importance of tourism to local community leaders
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 218 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
• Provided speech to the Players Club Community Men’s group event to promote the importance
of tourism to local community leaders
• Provided speech to the Leadership Naples event to promote the importance of tourism to local
community leaders
• Provided speech to the Leadership Naples Alumni group event to promote the importance of
tourism to local community leaders
• Series of meetings and discussions regarding our involvement in an upcoming Imagine Solutions
Event that will elevate the exposure of Naples within the science and business community
• Meet with Zartico data analytics group to ensure appropriate actionable insight is integrated
into their destination points of interest
• Conducted and hosted an Arts and Culture meeting with community leaders regarding Grants
for FY23
• Worked with Continual Improvement team on KPI dashboard development
Marketing / Public Relations/Communications / Sales
• Meetings with Cultural Committee to discuss a Hispanic / Latic Arts and Culture event
• Conducted multiple media interviews with CBS TV & Fox-TV, overall year Season forecast
• Bi- weekly PR agency meeting
• Monthly Paradise Advertising agency meeting
• Strategic guidance on all meeting and leisure email blasts
• Provide team with regular data insight and market intelligence
Collateral development
• Finalized the FY’22 Visitors Guide
• Provided extensive video resources and copy points to the PGA for integration within the
upcoming CHUBB Classic
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 219 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
GROUP MEETING SALES REPORT
Lisa Chamberlain, CMP – Group Sales Manager
Reporting Period: January 1 – 31, 2022
2021 2022
Number of Meeting Planner Contacts
Position Vacant 103 (vs. 84 in Dec / 74 in Nov)
Number of RFP leads sent to hotel partners
Position vacant
Leads slowed down due to
Coronavirus 19
86 leads sent (vs 73 leads sent in Dec;
62 in Nov and 60 in Oct)
51,754 potential room nights (vs 21,437
in Dec; 24,681 in Nov)
$33,833,940 Estimated Economic Impact
(vs 18,859,585.16 in Dec; $35,562,763.05
EEI in Nov)
Number of Groups booked
Position vacant 5 groups booked (vs 3 in Dec; 6 in Nov;
1 in Oct)
Total Room Nights/Econ. Impact for Period
booked
$348,085 direct spending EI; 713 total
room nights booked (vs 441,239 direct
spending EI; 581 total room nights
booked in Dec; $1,409,708 EI; 3000 TRN
in Nov)
Number of RFP Enhancement (RFPE)
Requests
0 0 For January (vs 0 in December
(vs. 3 in November)
Number of RFPE’s to Contract
0 0 For January (vs 0 in December;
1 in November)
Client Site Visits & FAM’S
0 Clients unable to travel
Position vacant
2
-ABDI Associated Beer Distributors of
Illinois w/ Melissa Daniels Amy
Wanless 1/5/22
-Erin Bysiewicz Jackson Laboratory 1/20
Hotel Partner Site Visits 2 1 The Inn on 5th
Number of Shows Attended Position Vacant 1 Visit Florida’s Florida Encounter
Appointment Show held in Tampa
January 24-26th
EVENTS ATTENDED
ASAE CEO SUMMIT Naples Grande Beach Resort We were an official sponsor of the recent ASAE 2022 CEO
Symposium held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort January 9-13, 2022. . We welcomed over 85
Association Executives
Visit Florida’s Florida Encounter Appointment Show held in Tampa January 24-26th
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 220 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
SALES ACTIVITIES
Connecting with and assisting meeting planners who have submitted an ever increasing amount of leads.
RFPs. 86 leads this month vs 73 leads last month Dec (vs 62 in Nov / 60 in Oct / 47 in Sept / 58 in August)
• 1/5: Associated Beer Distributors – Site & Dinner w/ Barb’s clients, Melissa Daniels, Dir of Member
Services and Amy Wanless, Comproller.
• 1/10: Industry Webinar - MPI Community & Connection in a Global Marketplace
• 1/10: Dinner with Midwest Reps: Barbara Quigley, new Dir of Midwest Sales and Maura Zhang
• 1/11: Midwest Reps: Barbara Quigley, new Dir of Midwest Sales and Maura Zhang – office visit to
meet the team and meeting with Paul Beirnes
• 1/13: Attended sponsored event for ASAE CEO Summit at Naples Grande
• 1/19: Call with Julie Swan to discuss ConferenceDirect partnership
• 1/20: Jackson Laboratory Site Visit with Erin Bysiewicz The Inn on Fifth
• 1/21: Met with our UK and Germany Reps in office Anne, Oonagh and Gerry
• 1/24-27: Attended Visit Florida’s Florida Encounter Appointment Show in Tampa Jan 24-26, 2022
• 1/30: Industry Webinar – MPI Community = Leadership as a Tool for Connection
OBSERVATIONS/TRENDS
We kicked off the new year as a proud sponsor of the ASAE CEO Summit, where we welcomed over 75
Association Executives at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. Our Midwest representatives, Maura
Zhang, and new Director of Midwest Sales, Barbara Quigley, visited with many partners while they were
here for an informative destination overview. The CVB team met with over 35 meeting professionals
during Visit Florida’s Florida Encounter Appointment Show held in Tampa January 24-26th. Florida
Encounter was held in conjunction with Florida Huddle for the first time and we had representation at
both events. Industry professionals acknowledged that the recent Omicron variant put a hiccup on
their plans, resulting in some short term cancellations, but shared that they are not deviating from their
plans to move forward with booking future groups. The overall sentiment was there is confidence that
in person meetings are more relevant than ever and will be held in the coming months. This echoes
what the recent Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey revealed. Please see link below.
Recent Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey
Planners Say Omicron Is a Brief Setback to a Strong Year for Meetings | Northstar Meetings Group
The Omicron variant continues to have an impact on our meetings industry. Meeting professionals are eager
to book future conferences, however, due to the Omicron variant, they continue to ‘take their foot off the
gas’ in moving forward just yet. Like a majority of destinations, we saw the trend of short term cancellations
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 221 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
of several short term for January/February 2022. Currently, occupancy and ADR remain strong due to
transient travel in our peak season.
For those that are holding their upcoming meetings, their projected attendance is down. The participant’s
health concerns continue to be their top priority and meeting planners continue to provide safety protocol
information and guidance to attendees in advance, as well as onsite. The recent lack of available tests
required for travel, as well as the uncertainty of airline flight cancellations, is a major concern for our
industry.
Shortcomings due to reduced staffing and space limitations continue to be a challenge and added
operational costs driven by supply-chain shortages are hitting meeting planners with higher prices for
both goods and labor.
We continue to live and work in a limbo of uncertainty and the take-away is that we must all continue to
be patient and vigilant until business dynamics begin to settle down and higher levels of confidence are
restored within corporations.
UPCOMING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
We will be participating, along with 2 clients, in the Chubb Classic’s Women’s Executive Golf Day on
Wednesday afternoon, February 16th.
Paul Beirnes and I have been invited as representatives on the panel of the upcoming South Florida
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) Achievements and Forecast / HSMAI event on March 23rd.
We are planning to attend the Prevue Meetings’ Innovate Summit coming up in early May.
We will continue to evaluate upcoming conference and travel options to be strategic in our focus on target
markets. Ongoing communication with hotel and industry partners to maintain relationships and keep finger
on the pulse of the meetings side of industry and what clients may be sharing regarding future plans.
Continue to work with Paradise Advertising on social media content for LinkedIn posts and highlighting
relevant educational content in my monthly posting. We met to determine strategy and messaging for
monthly Meetings eScapes communications targeting various markets. We will continue to provide easy
accessibility to safety protocols and messaging, with our Paradise Pledge.
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 222 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
ASAE CEO Symposium
We were an official sponsor of the recent ASAE 2022 CEO Symposium held at the Naples Grande Beach
Resort January 9-13, 2022. We welcomed over 85 Association Executives.
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 223 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Visit Florida’s Florida Encounter Appointment Show held in Tampa January 24-26th
Florida Encounter is one of the longest running appointment shows in the state and was held at the
Tampa Convention Center. Corporate, Association and 3rd Party Meeting Professionals were in
attendance. We met with over 35 clients during one-on-one appointments.
For the first time, this year’s event was held in conjunction with Florida Huddle, which Claudia attended
and our UK Reps joined her there. Florida Huddle attracts decision makers from the International Tour
Operator and Leisure market, and was a larger event than Florida Encounter. As a breakfast sponsor for
both events on Tuesday, our destination was showcased and our video played during the joint
breakfast.
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 224 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS
Sandra Rios / Maria Power January 1-31, 2022
Journalists/ Influencer Activity:
Hosted:
Michelle Halpern
Social media influencer, www.livelikeitstheweekend.com
January 10 – 14, 2022
Destination partners included: Inn on Fifth, Naples Botanical Garden, Sails Restaurant, Naples
Princess, Turtle Club Restaurant, Tour Now USA Segway Tours
Beth Landman
Contributing journalist Forbes, NY Times, Eater, Business Insider, New York Post She was in town
January 25 – 27, 2022
PERIOD AT A GLANCE
January 2022
January 2022 January 2022 / 2021
Media Interactions 183 January 2021 – 15
Journalists/Influencers Hosted 4 January 2021 – 0
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 225 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Destination partners included: Edgewater Beach Hotel, Sea Salt, Del Mar Naples, Vine Room and
Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples.
Charles McCool
Freelance writer and travel specialist for McCool Travel.
January 20 – 29, 2022
Alan Hunter, Golf America
Alan is the Producer of Golf America, a nationally syndicated TV show with a weekly viewership
of over 400,000 sports enthusiasts. It is syndicated in over 130 markets on the Bally Sports,
NESN, RSN and MASH networks.
January 5 – 6, 2022
Destination partners included: Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Naples
Activity:
• Uploaded, tagged and labeled 40 new images to Cleanpix library
• Arranged interview with Four Seasons PR agency and Greg Wise for Golf Central Magazine
• Approved and fulfilled the following photo/video asset requests:
o Passport Magazine
o Diamonde Reps
o Florida Beyond
o Kathy Prutos PR
o Black Diamond Co. / UK
o The Day
o SWFL Inc.
o Sunday Independent Newspapers
o Luxury Guide USA
• Vetted the following Influencer Requests:
o Alice & Danny Scott - golf influencers
o Henri Barchat, Audiotravels ( German travel podcast) VISIT FLORIDA Fam request
o Reishonger, Netherland’s travel website
o Sari Colt – Fashion Fantasy Travel & Lifestyle online magazine
o Cynthia Snoot – Dallas based influencer for Katy Trail Weekly
o Brazil Travel News high season visit request
o “Couple of Travelers” influencer request (high-season dates)
o Judy Koatsky – freelance contributor to Condé Nast Traveller, Forbes, T+L, Robb Report
April 11 – 15 visit.
o Brandi Gleason – Travel Awaits
• Confirmed FAM details, confirmations, story ideas and influencer information to the following:
o Katie Thomson, Editor at Minerva Publications, VISIT Florida / OMMAC FAM
o United Airlines influencer, Jyo Shankar , Feb. 20 – 21.
o Jen Brommer, Travel With A Plan, March 20 – 25 FAM.
o Pure Florida for coverage of Napels Boat Show
o Susan B. Barnes, Travlin' Girl, AARP Florida Museums Story
o Dave Daubert, Golf Coast Magazine
o James Hills, “Mantripping” blog
o Vanessa Infanzon, Charlotte Parents and Upstate Lake Living Magazine
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 226 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Regional and International PR Initiatives:
• Prepared media kits, flash drives and uploaded media kits to online site for Florida Huddle
tradeshow.
• Translated “What’s New 2022” release into Spanish and Portuguese for distribution to
respective representatives.
• Submitted articles for inclusion in Collier County’s Residential Newsletter
• Reviewed and updated copy points for International Travel Agent Training module.
Meetings and Group Business:
• Submitted copy points for inclusion in March issue of Convention South magazine.
• Submitted copy points for PreVue magazine inclusion in VISIT Florida Special Section – Meetings
in Florida.
January News & Press Releases:
News Release: “What’s New 2022”: https://www.paradisecoast.com/media-center/news-
releases/paradise-found-whats-new-this-season-along-floridas-paradise-coast
Networking / Events / Professional Education
• Attended Naples Chamber of Commerce “Wake Up Naples” Breakfast Meeting - 1/12
• Completed Collier County University trainings
Website Listings, Events and Deals
• Created new 87 event listings on the website.
• Website data:
o January = 14,170 views on the events page, up from 10,813 views in December
o The events landing page moved from the fourth to the second most viewed page.
o The Major events listings received 4686 views
• Created or updated 10 deals on www.ParadiseCoast.com.
o 2962 unique views from individuals searching deals up from 1686 in December
o Deals page views up 65% compared to 2020, and down 9% compared to 2019 views.
• 20 business listings created, updated, or removed from the website.
Administration & Writings
• Participated in bi-weekly Agency Partner Call (LHG and Paradise Advertising).
• Participated in weekly internal PR team “Coffee Catch Up” Zoom meeting.
• Participated in Miles Media monthly Reporting Meeting.
• Reviewed January consumer e-Scapes copy.
• Prepared January TDC PR Report.
• Drafted press release announcing John Melleky’s new Arts & Culture Manager position with the
CVB. Set for distribution on 2/14
• Drafted and submitted March article for North Naples News –
RSW – An International Airport that Offers Residents a Convenient Gateway to the World
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 227 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
• Drafted and submitted Destinations Florida February article.
• Drafted Q&A for Sports Destination Management Magazine article – February issue
• Updated “Paradise Coast Play Well Golf Guide”, approved for printing and distribution
• Developed talking points for “sustainable tourism” pitches
• Developed survey for Partner Education and Training Modules. Inserted into February issue of
CoastLines.
• Reviewed Collier County Newsletter submission
• Requested ad-mat info for PCSC Air Supply Concert – to promote on SM platforms – reviewed
press release prior to distribution
• Updated 2022 Media Kit and Fact Sheet
• Reviewed and revised content for Group Sales, social media, Specialty Markets, Film
Commission, Leisure Sports and PR articles for CoastLines Newsletter.
Publicity Highlights
It is not uncommon to ring in the new year with ambitious resolutions that focus on health and wellness.
As a trending focus in many publications, even those outside of the health and fitness categories, the PR
team always promotes the healthy activities and attractions that are abundant in Collier County. We are
pleased to share an article that was published in Fort Myers Florida Weekly that includes four “Zen”
locations and activities that visitors and residents can enjoy in Florida’s Paradise Coast.
11.A.a
Packet Pg. 228 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Public Relations
As destination marketers we have toolkits packed with creative ways to entice visitors to our beautiful
beaches and vibrant downtowns. An important aspect of what we do also includes educating residents
about the value of tourism within their communities. They often have little insight into ways the TDT
(Tourist Development Tax) supports community initiatives such as beach renourishment, museums and
recreation in Florida’s Paradise Coast. This article about the ways tourism supports these initiatives can
be read in the January issue of North Naples News.
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The CVB continually researches opportunities to promote our corporate meetings capabilities within the
destination. A round-up of expansion news, group-focused activities and specialized offerings that are
available in Florida’s Paradise Coast was included in the January issue of PreVue Magazine. You can read
the full article here: PreVue/Florida Meetings & Incentives.
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Partner Survey
The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Team is pleased to announce we will be re-introducing our partner
information sessions this year. During the 2021 Partner Marketing Summit, we received feedback
suggesting there was keen interest on the part of our partners to learn more about marketing strategies
and tactics relevant to current business trends.
We created a brief survey containing a list of questions that will help guide the team in the creation of a
schedule and offerings.
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This article in Hotel Interactive includes insights about 2022 culinary trends from Naples Grande Beach
Resort’s Executive Chef, Marcos Seville.
“Starting From Scratch” is one of the lead stories in the current issue:
https://www.hotelinteractive.com/starting-from-scratch/
The feature gives an overview of trends solicited from executive chefs from across the country including
Naples Grande Beach Resort, Naples; Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville; Loews Miami Beach; Virgin
Hotels New Orleans; Davidson Restaurant Group; The Broadmoor in Colorado and Beach Plum Farm,
New Jersey.
Home/Lead Stories/
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Starting From Scratch
Many Hotel Chefs Rethink Menus, Approach To Overcome Challenges Created By Pandemic
By Steve Pike | February 10, 2022
Culinary trends, cooking styles and palates routinely change with the times. However, those changes have
been even more pronounced of late as hospitality industry continues to be hit hard by the pandemic in
everything from supply chain challenges to price increases.
Those issues, and others, are at the fore as resort/hotel chefs and F&B managers look ahead to 2022 and
beyond.
“As we navigate living through a global pandemic, we as chefs have had to rethink how we cook, how we
eat and how we create our offerings moving forward,” said Charly Houegban, executive chef at the Loews
Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. “This is an exciting time, and at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, it’s an opportunity
to introduce new food trends to our guests and within the market.
“We are seeing a focus on healthy eating more and more. This means balancing menus that feature the
classic Southern staples for which our destination is known, with balanced and sustainable cuisine. This
year there will be a much higher demand for cuisine with a wellness twist and ones that combine global
flavors on a plate.”
To help with that sustainability, locally-sourced ingredients prepared in innovative ways have become
popular the past few years. Chef Marcos Seville at Naples Grande Beach Resort in Florida expects that
trend to gain even more popularity.
“Chefs are staying connected with their local markets to learn about new flavors, what is in season, and
how to use these new ingredients,” said Seville. “We are also seeing a lot more fusion cuisines—taking the
best elements of different dishes and creating a new dish. Simple, fresh, and high-quality ingredients are
essential in any kitchen, but being creative with how they are prepared and plated is a must in 2022.”
Given all of the delays and shortages in the supply chain, Alex Harrell, executive chef at Commons Club—
the restaurant, bar, and lounge located inside the new Virgin Hotels New Orleans—commented that chefs
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and cooks are turning to even more in-house production of ingredients instead of outsourcing products
for service.
“Everything from breads and pastas, to condiments, pickles, and ferments,” said Harrell. “I have simplified
and consolidated a lot of the ingredients that I use as a result of shortages. I feel like a lot of chefs will
increase sourcing from local producers as well.
“COVID has definitely affected how and what I choose to put on my menus. The supply is sues are a big
factor in my menu decision making process. I find that I’m cooking more comfort type foods for our
guests. I have reduced the amount of prime cuts that I use and select off cuts instead. I am also turning to
more seafood, vegetable, and grain options across all of my menus.”
Menus that have fewer items, but with a true commitment to them being all “knockout dishes” is a top
priority, according to Todd Stein, corporate executive chef at Davidson Restaurant Group, the food and
beverage operating vertical of Davidson Hospitality Group.
“To me, the goal is to get people to try a number of items, and not necessarily order app, entrée, dessert,”
said Stein. “So, to have things like a few pastas, and some great vegetable dishes that are not sides, al lows
for this. For example, a roasted cauliflower with pepperoni, red chilies and preserved lemon is enough for
two people to share with other dishes, but be placed in the beginning of the menu. This is a great dish
and isn’t bad on cost and can be sold for around $12.”
Rob Marzinsky, executive chef at Beach Plum Farm in Cape May, NJ, said fermented foods, preserving
techniques, and extracting flavor from fermented, dried, and preserved ingredients, each are things most
forward-looking kitchens are trying to capture.
“Chefs are also making use of what is traditionally considered ‘waste.’ Vegetable trimmings, for example,”
said Marzinsky. “Everything we use at Beach Plum Farm, protein-wise, as well as our produce, comes from
the farm. The price of feed and raising livestock obviously affects us as well, so I think we are looking to
use less meat this coming season or use it differently. Instead of an 8 -ounce pork chop, we can use all
sorts of off-cuts, bones and broth to flavor our food, trying to use less ‘meat’ and make use of more of the
whole animal.”
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On the flip side of the beef equation, count David Patterson, executive chef, The Broadmoor in Colorado
Springs, CO, among those who believe “plant-based” are two buzz words for 2022.
“Hotel guests and diners are focused on plant-based meat alternatives, vegan and vegetarian cuisine and
healthy dining now more than ever,” said Patterson. “We meet this request head on with our focus on
procurement. We work closely with farms and cooperatives throughout Colorado, as well as utilizing the
produce we grow at Broadmoor Farms, along with our own honey in the development of our menus at
the resort.”
Sebastian Ratti, executive sous chef at Loews Miami Beach, also is a proponent in the plant-based trend.
“More people are looking for different meat replacement options,” said Ratti. “They want healthy options,
but ones that taste out of this world and mushrooms are answering the call. We will see more plates that
include different types of mushrooms.
“Another trend that we are seeing more of is teaming up with food and beverage brands to create
memorable experiences and also focus on local and small business support. Here at the hotel, we strive to
highlight local artisans and shine a light on these purveyors via our Flavor Miami program and unique
collaborations for our guests.
Despite changing costs and other variables, “we always seek to interact with our guests and provide them
memorable experiences,” said Seville.
“We love to incorporate tableside preparation and have gu ests be able to connect with myself or another
chef. Each dish we place on the menu represents what the restaurant is about. We want each dish to tell a
story and have meaning, so the guests leave feeling as if they went to an event, rather than a dinner,” he
added.
That’s one trend that never goes out of style.
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Naples
Distance from Miami: 127 miles west; 2-hour drive
Sometimes, we east-coast Floridians need to escape to the west coast, and
Naples is a prime place for doing just that. It’s trapped between the
Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico, and from Miami, it’s easily reached via I-
75 or a straight shot on the slightly longer but more scenic Tamiami Trail,
which takes you through the Everglades and Miccosukee Indian Village.
Naples itself appears straight out of a Vineyard Vines catalog, and you can
walk anywhere in this pastel-hued sleepy town. If you’re not tanning or
boogie-boarding at the beach—or, like practically dude here, golfing—spend
your day on Fifth Avenue South for mid-range to high-end shopping, and
stopping in for breakfast or lunch at Jane’s Garden Cafe on 3rd, or late-night
Italian eats at gastropub favorite Bar Tulia. Sunsets in Naples are a must-see,
so end your day by joining the masses heading to Naples Pier for the best
views in town. (Pro tip: If you don’t like Italian, eat early—most restaurants
here stop serving food by 9 pm.)
Where to stay: Unlike the $300 per night hotels stashed in downtown Naples,
the Trianon Old Naples Hotel has rooms that start at just $139 per night on
weekends and is located just a few blocks from all the action on Fifth Avenue.
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Read the full article here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/florida-everglades-and-paradise-coast
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Collier County saw record visitors, tourism revenue in 2021
County made $35 million in hotel taxes last year
Despite the pandemic, Collier County set records for visitors and tourism dollars in 2021
By: Adam Fisher
Posted at 6:41 PM, Jan 12, 2022
and last updated 6:41 PM, Jan 12, 2022
NAPLES, Fla. — The beaches of Naples draw more than a million visitors a year, and that means
big bucks for the county and its residents.
Collier County’s convention and visitors bureau released its final numbers for 2021 on
Wednesday, and they told a record-breaking story.
The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau helped bring a record
number of people to town last year, which also meant a record amount of tax revenue to help
Collier’s residents.
“The tourism marketing with the county government, the CVB, has done an excellent job
targeting and attracting visitors during this time this time,” said Clark Hill, general manager at
Hilton Naples
Hill said the hotel has benefitted from the tourism boom, even while the global pandemic goes
on.
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At a Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday, Paul Beirnes, the new executive director of the
county’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, unveiled record-breaking tourism numbers for 2021.
“The spending, length of stay was longer and higher on both them, a complete win on all
accounts,” Beirnes said. “Our tax collection has now hit record high, never hit that high in the
history.”
Beirnes said the county made more than 35 million dollars from its hotel bed tax last year.
That’s money that goes towards beach renourishment, beach facilities, and local museums,
among other things.
“(Naples is) a rich destination that has arts, culture, amazing restaurants, incredible beaches
and facilities that could never be sustained with the tax base that’s right here in Collier County,”
Beirnes said. “We should be celebrating the return and the amount of people that are on our
roads."
More than 1.5 million visitors came to Collier County in 2021, an all-time high. That led to more
than $2.5 billion in economic impact, another all-time high.
Susan Suarez is CEO of the Naples Holocaust Museum, and she said she is seeing visitors not
just during the winter season, but year round.
“Visitors are definitely returning,” Suarez said. “We had a nice summer this last summer with a
lot families that are doing road trips and coming to Naples.”
Beirnes said he’s still seeing pent up demand for travel from people who were stuck at home
during the pandemic. Because of that, he said he expects another strong year for tourism in
2022.
https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/collier-county-saw-record-visitors-tourism-revenue-in-2021
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Michelle Halpern - Live Like It's the Weekend
Blog Post for Review
19 Awesome Things to do in Southwest Florida (Fort Myers, Sanibel Island & Naples)
Despite being born in Miami, I never had the chance to explore the Gulf of Mexico side of my state
much, so it was an easy 'yes' when I was recently presented the opportunity to experience all the best
things to do in Southwest Florida—specifically the areas of Fort Myers, Sanibel Island and Naples.
Thousands of people flock to the picture perfect white sand beaches of Florida's Southwest coast each
winter to escape the cold and now I totally understand why. The weather is perfect this time of year—
sunny in the 60s and 70s, without the oppressive sweat-inducing humidity that summer brings.
Plus, there's a more chilled out, nature-centric vibe to this side of Florida that's an ideal antidote to the
fast-paced party life that's become synonymous with Miami culture.
What's even more exciting for my fellow Californians is that Southwest Florida International Airport
(RSW) recently announced new non-stop flight options from LAX and SFO, and it's now easier than ever
to do a quick getaway to the Southwest Coast of Florida.
If you're looking to plan your own escape that includes beautiful beaches, stunning coastal scenery and
unique wildlife tucked between the mangrove forests, Southwest Florida is your spot. But beyond the
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idyllic natural setting, don't worry—you still have access here to incredible fine-dining restaurants, high-
end shopping, 5-star hotels and more. I'm here to share about it all.
Keep reading to find out all the best things to do in Southwest Florida on your next trip!
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Why You Should Visit Southwest Florida
● Southwest Florida has on average 271 sunny days per year, so you can bet on the weather being
beautiful during your stay.
● It's known for having some of the best seashell hunting in the world, a unique ecosystem
surrounding the Everglades, and some of the softest white sand beaches in the US. In short...this
part of Florida is a nature-lover's paradise.
● It's now easier than ever to visit Southwest Florida from the West Coast! United just launched
direct flight routes from LAX and SFO to RSW (Southwest Florida International Airport) so that
visitors can travel from coast to coast in under 6 hours.
● If you've visited popular places on the east coast of Florida like Miami or West Palm Beach,
you're in for a totally different vibe in Southwest Florida. Think the epitome of "island time."
Quaint, charming island vibes, silky smooth white sand beaches and calmer waters along the
Gulf of Mexico.
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How to Get to Southwest Florida
If you're looking for the most efficient way to experience Southwest Florida, then you'll want to book a
flight into RSW (Southwest Florida International Airport) located in Fort Myers.
You can already fly non-stop to Fort Myers from US cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and Dallas, but
the Lee County Port Authority recently announced new exciting non-stop routes between Fort Myers
and San Francisco and Los Angeles, making travel to and from the west coast easier than ever.
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The Best Things to do in Southwest Florida
From food and culture, to making the most of the state's natural surroundings, there's quite a variety of
things to do in Southwest Florida. Below, I'm breaking it down between Naples and Sanibel Island where
we focused most of our time during this trip.
Things to do in Naples
Naples, Florida has long been known for attracting an older crowd of snowbirds who flock to the area
for sunshine and golf post-retirement. But I have to say that since I was last in Naples the scene has
been looking a lot younger and there's plenty to do for those of all ages.
We had a ton of fun here doing everything from an electric moped tour, sunset sessions at the beach to
enjoying the local brewery scene.
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Book a Naples Princess Dinner Cruise
For a relaxing and fun night out on the water, a ride aboard the Naples Princess is where you'll get a
different perspective of Naples from the vantage points of Naples Bay, Port Royal and the Gulf of
Mexico. Naples has some of the most high-end real estate in the country and the best way to get a
closer peek into the homes of the uber-rich is via boat.
The Naples Princess has multiple options for cruises, including lunchtime cruises, sightseeing cruises and
sunset excursions as well. We booked the dinner cruise, which served a surf and turf style dinner of
steak and shrimp as we made our way through Naples' calm waters past some of the area's most
expensive real estate out to the Gulf coast.
Stay at the Inn on Fifth
Located in the heart of downtown Naples on 5th ave, the newly renovated Inn on Fifth is a must-stay if
you're seeking the luxurious side of Southwest Florida. While the rooms are beautiful and we had an
epic balcony overlooking 5th Ave, I have to say that what impressed me most was the quality of service.
From the moment we stepped on the property, the hospitality here was some of the best I've
experienced staying at a hotel anywhere in the world—and you better believe I've stayed at my fair
share of hotels. We were also within walking distance to most of the activities we wanted to do in
Naples which was super convenient.
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Pro tip: If you want the ultimate experience, make sure to book a Club Level Suite which comes with its
own exclusive amenities including a private rooftop jacuzzi, evening hors d'oeuvres and a self service
bar.
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See the Sites of Naples via Electric Moped
Out of all the things we did in Naples, this one was definitely the most fun! I was a little skeptical at first
because I'm not even that confident on a regular bike. However, these electric mopeds were way easier
to learn to ride than I expected and once we got the hang of things we were speeding all over town.
Our guide from Trike Tours USA led us via e-moped to some of the most popular spots around town like
the Naples Pier, Port Royal (one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America) and down several of the
most popular shopping strips. Pack comfy close-toed shoes because you're not going to want to miss
this one, promise!
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Visit Tin City
To snag more of your quirky, classic Florida souvenirs and giftables, a stroll through local shopping spot
Tin City is the place to go. Plus, it's located right on the waterfront and has a totally different vibe than
most of the luxury shopping that you'll find on 5th Ave. The building is fun, colorful and rustic—
definitely a quaint pit stop during your visit and fun for photos as well.
If you're in the mood for more high-end shopping instead, pop over to Mercado, Third Street South,
Waterside Shops or 5th Avenue South.
Enjoy a Night of Fine Dining at Sails Restaurant
One of the better restaurants I've eaten at in a while, Sails was definitely pricey but worth every penny
in my opinion. No need to picture some stuffy, fine dining eatery though—here there's a fun social vibe,
featuring live music and great people watching.
We opted to sit at the bar and ordered a selection of dishes to share (the tagliatelle and tomato salad
were my favorites), and then finished off dinner with a divine soufflé that can't be missed. If you want to
eat here, definitely make a reservation ahead of time.
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Have Lunch on the Sand at the Turtle Club
For an awesome daytime dining option, head straight to the Turtle Club in the Vanderbilt Beach Resort,
where you can enjoy al fresco dining literally with your toes in the sand. Afternoon or sunset would be
the best times to go here, but be prepared to wait a bit for a table. If you come here with some friends
for a mid-day hang, the ambiance is perfect and you can walk in, however reservations are
recommended for the evening tables.
Check out the Naples Brewery Scene
The craft beer scene is relatively new in Naples, but that seems to be changing with more breweries
popping up locally over the last five years. I love trying out new craft brews when I travel, so we decided
to check out one spot while we were in town called Riptide Brewing, which was started by three friends
originally brewing beer out of an old office warehouse in Naples. The current location has a great little
back patio for some mid-day relaxation.
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If you're keen on more of a brewery tour of Naples, some other spots worth checking out are Bone
Hook Brewing, Momentum Brewhouse and the Naples Beach Brewery, which is the only microbrewery
in Naples.
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Visit the Naples Botanical Garden
Strolling through the Naples Botanical Garden was one of my favorite activities we experienced while in
Naples. It's not too far outside of downtown, but feels like it's own peaceful oasis, situated on over 170
acres of land. I recommend grabbing a morning coffee at Fogg Cafe inside the garden and strolling
through as soon as it opens to avoid the crowds. Don't miss the Brazilian gardens and any special
exhibits on display.
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Catch Sunset at the Naples Pier
You can't go to Naples without a visit to the Naples Pier, period. Whether at sunrise, sunset or on a
midday stroll, this 1,000 ft pier is a hotspot for surfers, local fisherman and tourists alike. However
touristy it may be, it's that way for a reason.
Sunrises here are calming, with locals coming to stroll the beach as the perfect reset for a new day.
During golden hours, larger crowds flock to the silky white sand beach here for an idyllic setting to catch
a perfect Naples sunset. If you're lucky, you might even catch the elusive Green Flash!
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Lunch at Celebration Park
If you're looking to mix it up from the restaurant scene, head to Celebration Park, an area of Naples
perched on the waterfront that's become a go-to for food truck dining with a sports bar attached. Make
sure to keep updated with their calendar of events as they regularly host fun theme nights, charity
events and holiday gatherings.
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Things to do on Sanibel Island and Captiva Island
Sanibel Island is one of those places that feels a bit cut off from the rest of the world — and in the best
way possible. There's not even a main downtown here...just 12 miles of beaches, loads of bike trails and
a much slower pace of life. It's a little stuck in time, but that's all part of the charm and repeat visitors
here wouldn't have it any other way.
Sanibel is the kind of place where you want to head to bed early each evening so you don't miss a single
gorgeous sunrise. And if you plan it right, you can literally witness it each morning from the sand just
steps away from your hotel bed. Sounds idyllic, right?
Experiencing island life here is one of the best things to do in Southwest Florida and luckily Sanibel is just
a 1 hour drive from Fort Myers. If you're looking for a true reset from the rest of the world, this little
island should definitely be on your Florida bucket list.
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Check in to the Island Inn
There are tons of accommodation options on Sanibel Island, from hotels and small inns to condo rentals,
but Island Inn has been consistently ranked #1 on Sanibel & Captiva Islands and is the oldest hotel on
Sanibel since 1895.
Staying here is true island living. We booked one of the beachfront cottages that literally opened out to
the sand and it took us just seconds each morning to step out from our patio to take in the beautiful
beachfront sunrise. I also have to give major props to their on-site restaurant Traditions on the Beach
which was one of the best meals we had on the island.
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Take a Day Cruise out to Cayo Costa State Park
If Sanibel Island is known for anything, it's the abundance of beautiful seashells that cover the beaches
here. If you're on the hunt for some epic shells to bring home as mementos from your trip, make sure to
head out to Cayo Costa State Park for a day.
You can book a half day or full day excursion with Captiva Cruises who share history and fun facts about
the area as you head out on the water towards Cayo Costa. Once docked, you'll basically feel like you've
been dropped on a deserted island where seashells abound. We even found a handful of perfect sand
dollars here. This is definitely one of the best things to do in Southwest Florida.
Try the Area's Famous Keylime Pie
Did you know that key lime pie is the official pie of the state of Florida? If you dine out anywhere here,
especially in Southwest Florida, you'll pick up on this quickly—it's practically on every menu! Sanibel and
Captiva Islands of course are no exception.
While I didn't have a chance to try every key lime pie on the island, we did enjoy a very, very good one
at Keylime Bistro (I mean, key lime is in the name, so it's gotta be good right)?! This spot is conveniently
located across the street from the Captiva Cruises dock, so we went straight here after departing from
our Cayo Costa cruise excursion.
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If you're truly on the hunt for the best of the best, some other key lime pies of note according to the
internet can be found at Cip's, The Sanibel Grill, Paper Fig and Grandma Dot's.
Take Advantage of 25 Miles of Bike Trails
As someone who has a mild fear of biking, I greatly appreciated Sanibel's commitment to being bike
friendly. The island has been designated a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American
Bicyclists and has over 25 miles of bike trails.
We rented our bikes at our hotel, Island Inn, and then set off for three hours, biking all the way out to
the Lighthouse park and back, getting a great intro to the island (and workout!) in the process.
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Breakfast at the Island Cow
If you're looking for a hearty meal with a plethora of options for everyone in your travel party, look no
further. I don't think I've ever seen a more extensive menu in my entire life. Think heavy hitters like
coconut french toast and hash brown benedict for breakfast to everything from seafood to sliders for
dinner.
We came here for breakfast, but I feel like this would be a really fun spot for daytime drinks or later
dinner as well, as they feature live music and have outdoor games on offer.
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Watch Sunset at Sanibel Lighthouse Beach Park
For sunset on Sanibel, head to the Lighthouse Beach Park on the southern tip of the island, where you
can enjoy a long stretch of sand with the backdrop of the island's historic lighthouse built in 1884. If the
conditions are right, you might also get a show of kite surfers to boot. It costs $5/hour to park here, or
you can bike like we did and park for free.
Book Dinner Reservations at the Mad Hatter
Probably one of the top two meals we had during our entire Southwest Florida trip was at the Mad
Hatter. This fine dining restaurant has incredible service and a fun Alice in Wonderland theme (but don't
worry, it's not overkill). Every single thing we ate here was delicious, from the goat cheese pillows and
roasted garlic plate appetizer to the scallops.
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Packet Pg. 282 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Swing into Spring 2022 at These Southeastern Golf Destinations
By Shane Sharp
Published February 7, 2022
Updated February 9, 2022
There’s more to the Southeast than just college football. That’s right, before the overlapping SEC and ACC regions
perennially produced America’s national champion seemingly every year, they were home to many of the best golf
destinations in the U.S. As we round winter’s corner into the peak spring season, here’s a short -list of golf resorts
across four states to consider visiting as the dogwoods and azaleas begin to bloom.
Florida
Innisbrook Golf Resort – Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is a favorite among PGA TOUR pros, and it’s also one of
the most challenging tracks on the pro circuit. This highly amenitized resort west of Tampa on the Gulf of Mexico
houses four courses along with a variety of rooms, suites and vacation rentals that have been upgraded recently to
offer a comfy extended stay for golf groups of all sizes.
The Copperhead Course
PGA National Resort and Spa – Palm Beach County is a hotbed of golf, and it doesn’t get any hotter than PGA
National Resort and Spa, home of the PGA TOUR’s Honda Classic. Five courses, including the Jack Nicklaus
designed Champ, await golfers willing to test their mettle against this tournament-tested venue. The resort recently
opened “The Staple,” an innovative short course designed by Andy Staple.
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PGA National Resort and Spa
PGA Golf Club – The flagship public property of the PGA of America, PGA Golf Club is a 54-hole golf panacea with
a world-class practice range, short game area and short course. Catch a bite to eat in the Taplow Pub and stay a few
nights in the adjacent Perfect Drive Villas or neighboring Hilton Garden Inn. PGA Golf Club is a pure golf experience
for those who prefer 36 holes a day, a beer and a bed.
Streamsong Resort – One of Florida’s newest golf resorts (10 years young this year) got even newer with the
opening of its Gil Hanse-designed Black Course in 2018. Streamsong’s Red and Blue courses have also quickly
moved atop the national rankings, and the Streamsong Lodge is the perfect place to kick back and relax, post round.
And at the 2022 PGA Show, resort officials revealed that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have been commissioned to a
non-traditional fourth course with holes ranging from 70 to 300 yards.
Paradise Coast – The quaint city of Naples and tropical atoll Marco Island in Southwest Florida – dubbed the
“Paradise Coast” – are home to more golf courses per capita than just about anywhere in the world. Resorts like
Tiburon Golf Club, The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort and The Lely Resort Golf and Country Club offer a
multi-course experience, and there are plenty of standalone options as well. For those who fall in love with the area,
The Club at Olde Cypress beckons with a “life on vacation” lifestyle and the area’s only P.B. Dye design.
The Club at Olde Cypress
Georgia
Reynolds Lake Oconee – Reynolds Lake Oconee is to Georgia as Pinehurst Resort is to North Carolina: a
seemingly endless supply of golf in the form of six highly-ranked layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees
Jones, Bob Cupp and Jim Engh. Nicklaus’ Great Waters headlines the collection, a s it was recently renovated and
restored to its original glory. Lodging ranges from cozy cottages to the luxurious Ritz -Carlton, Lake Oconee.
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The National Course
Sea Island Resort – While Georgia is known as the home of The Masters, the RSM Classic at Sea Island Resort is a
PGA TOUR player and fan favorite. So much so, several pros make their home at this golf haven on Atlantic. The
Seaside Course is a Tom Fazio redesign perched right on the ocean, the Plantation Course was recently renovated
by natives Davis and Mark Love, who also recast the Retreat Course in 2001. Diehard golfers gravitate to The Lodge
with its ocean view and “walk-to” access to the Seaside and Plantation courses. Dinner in the Oak Room is a mu st,
with its rich mahogany veneer and formidable wine, beer and spirts menu, as is a post-round libation in the famed
Men's Locker Room.
The Plantation Course
North Carolina
Grandover Resort – Golfers need only veer off I-85 in Greensboro to access this 36-hole collection designed by
Gary Panks. A full-service onsite hotel offers all the accouterments, from casual and fine dining to a spa and fitness
center. Grandover’s combo of convenience and quality is hard to beat, and for an extended golf swing, the North
Carolina Sandhills is only an hour's drive south.
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The Grandover Resort
Pinehurst Resort – Nine 18-hole courses, including the famed No. 2 U.S., make Pinehurst Resort the largest golf
resort in the U.S. and a must-visit for any serious golfer. In addition to its lineup of regulation tracks, Pinehurst is
home to a nine-hole short course designed by Gil Hanse, The Cradle, and Thistle Dhu, a 75,000 square -foot putting
course. Golfers can choose from three hotels, including the recently renovated Manor Inn, just a short walk to the
new Pinehurst Brewing Co. And renovations are underway at The Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst’s historic crown jewel.
Pinehurst No. 4
Rumbling Bald – Spring in Western North Carolina means mountain golf and Rumbling Bald along scenic Lake Lure
obliges with two 18-hole tracks, Apple Valley and Bald Mountain, designed by W.B. Lewis and Dan Maples. Apple
Valley is this golf retreat’s premier offering, playing to 6,800 yards and featuring new Champion Bermuda greens.
Spacious vacation rentals are available for stay-and-plays, and the lake offers endless off-course activities.
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Apple Valley
South Carolina
Cherokee Valley Course and Club – Upstate South Carolina’s premier golf destination, Cherokee Valley is home to
a P.B. Dye mountain-style layout, on-site cottages and a brand-new casual dining restaurant, Core 450, that has
garnered rave reviews from Greenville area foodies. Get your game ready at one of South Carolina’s most expansive
practice facilities, which is also home to neighboring North Greenville University.
Cherokee Valley
Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort – “Fripp” as South Carolinians refer to it, flies just under the radar of the
national golf cognoscenti, just how Palmetto State golfers like it. Home to two courses, Ocean Point and Ocean
Creek, Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort is situated on the most seaward of South Carolina’s Sea Islands 18 miles
east of historic Beaufort, where novelist Pat Conroy spent his summers. The resort offers seasonal golf packages that
include golf rounds, practice balls and lodging in a Fripp Island vacation rental.
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Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort
Kiawah Island Golf Resort – For golfers who want to play where the pros play this year, Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s
Ocean Course is hosting the 2020 PGA Championship in May. If Pete Dye’s diabolic oceanside layout it too tough to
tackle, four other 18-hole courses adorn this majestic barrier island near Charleston. Catch a good night’s rest a t the
Sanctuary at Kiawah, a AAA Five Diamond hotel.
Myrtle Beach – While it’s not a resort, per se, the Grand Strand one of the world’s most iconic golf destinations.
Accommodation options are limitless, and lineup cards can be filled with vaunted venues like Tidewater Golf Club,
Grande Dunes Resort Course, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Caledonia Golf and Fish Club.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort – Hilton Head is known as “Golf Island,” and the three brawny layouts at
Palmetto Dunes are a big reason for that moniker. The Robert Trent Jones features one of the island’s only
oceanfront holes, and the George Fazio and Arthur Hills courses round out the bill. Golf groups love the popular
“Birdies and Beer Getaway” and the resort’s comfy vacation rentals.
Sea Pines Resort – Settled along Hilton Head Island’s south end, The Sea Pines Resort is home of the PGA
TOUR’s RBC Heritage tournament and famed Harbour Town Golf Links. Two other championship caliber tracks
reside inside the gates, Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III. The Inn and Club at Harbor
Town is just a pitching wedge from the clubhouse and the famed Yacht Basin is a short jaunt away.
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Packet Pg. 288 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Swing into Spring with These Southeastern Golf Destinations
By Shane Sharp| February 8th,
There’s more to the Southeast than just college football. That’s right, before the overlapping SEC and ACC
regions perennially produced America’s national champion seemingly every year, they were home to many
of the best golf destinations in the U.S. As we round winter’s short corner into the peak spring season,
here’s a short-list of golf resorts across four states to consider visiting as the dogwoods and azaleas begin
to bloom.
Florida
Innisbrook Golf Resort – Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course is a favorite among PGA TOUR pros, and it’s
also one of the most challenging tracks on the pro circuit. This highly amenitized resort west of Tampa on
the Gulf of Mexico houses four courses along with a variety of rooms, suites and vacation rentals that have
been upgraded recently to offer a comfy extended stay for golf groups of all sizes.
PGA National Resort and Spa – Palm Beach County is a hotbed of golf, and it doesn’t get any hotter than
PGA National Resort and Spa, home of the PGA TOUR’s Honda Classic. Five courses, including the Jack
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Packet Pg. 289 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Nicklaus designed Champ, await golfers willing to test their mettle against thi s tournament tested venue.
The resort recently opened “The Staple,” an innovative short course designed by Andy Staple.
PGA Golf Club – The flagship public property of the PGA of America, PGA Golf Club is a 54 -hole golf
panacea with a world-class practice range, short game area and short course. Catch a bite to eat in the
Taplow Pub and stay a few nights in the adjacent Perfect Drive Villas or neighboring Hilton Garden Inn.
PGA Golf Club is a pure golf experience for those who prefer 36 holes a day, a beer and a bed.
Streamsong Resort – One of Florida’s newest golf resorts (10 years young this year) got even newer with
the opening of its Gil Hanse-designed Black Course in 2018. Streamsong’s Red and Blue courses have
also quickly moved atop the national rankings, and the Streamsong Lodge is the perfect place to kick back
and relax, post round. And at the 2022 PGA Show, resort officials revealed that Bill Coore and Ben
Crenshaw have been commissioned to a non-traditional fourth course with holes ranging from 70 to 300
yards.
Paradise Coast – The quaint city of Naples and tropical atoll Marco Island in Southwest Florida – dubbed
the “Paradise Coast” – are home to more golf courses per capita than just about anywhere in the world.
Resorts like Tiburon Golf Club, The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort and The Lely Resort Golf and
Country Club offer a multi-course experience, and there are plenty of standalone options as well. For those
who fall in love with the area, The Club at Olde Cypress beckons with a “life on vacation” lifestyle and the
area’s only P.B. Dye design.
Georgia
Reynolds Lake Oconee – Reynolds Lake Oconee is to Georgia as Pinehurst Resort is to North Carolina:
a seemingly endless supply of golf in the form of six highly-ranked layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom
Fazio, Rees Jones, Bob Cupp and Jim Engh. Nicklaus’ Great Waters headlines the collection, as it was
recently renovated and restored to its original glory. Lodging ranges from cozy cottages to the luxurious
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee.
Sea Island Resort – While Georgia is better known as the home of The Masters, the RSM Classic at Sea
Island Resort is a PGA TOUR player favorite. So much so, several pros make their home at this golf haven
on Atlantic. The Seaside Course is a Tom Fazio redesign perched hard on the Atlantic, the Plantation
Course was recently renovated by natives Davis and Mark Love, who also recast the Retreat Course in
2001. Diehard golfers gravitate to The Lodge with its ocean view and “walk -to” access to the Seaside and
Plantation courses. Dinner in the Oak Room is a must, with its rich mahogany veneer and formidable wine,
beer and spirts menu.
North Carolina
Grandover Resort – Golfers need only veer off I-85 in Greensboro to access this 36-hole collection
designed by Gary Panks. A full-service onsite hotel offers all the accoutrements, from casual and fine dining
to a spa and fitness center.Grandover’s combo of convenience and quality is hard to beat, and for an
extended golf swing, the North Carolina Sandhills are only an hour drive south.
Pinehurst Resort – Nine 18-hole courses, including the famed No. 2 U.S., make Pinehurst Resort the
largest golf resort in the U.S. and a must-visit for any serious golfer. In addition to its lineup of regulation
tracks, Pinehurst is home to a nine-hole short course designed by Gil Hanse, The Cradle, and Thistle Dhu,
a 75,000 square-foot putting course. Golfers can choose from three hotels, including the recently renovated
Manor Inn, just a short walk to the new Pinehurst Brewing Co. And renovations are underway at The
Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst’s historic crown jewel.
Rumbling Bald – Spring in Western North Carolina means mountain golf and Rumbling Bald along scenic
Lake Lure obliges with two 18-hole tracks, Apple Valley and Bald Mountain, designed by W.B. Lewis and
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Packet Pg. 290 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Dan Maples. Apple Valley is this golf retreat’s premier offering, playing to 6,800 yards and featuring new
Champion Bermuda greens. Spacious vacation rentals are available for stay-and-plays, and the lake offers
endless off-course activities.
South Carolina
Cherokee Valley Course and Club – Upstate South Carolina’s premier golf destination, Cherokee Valley
is home to a P.B. Dye mountain-style layout, on-site cottages and a brand-new casual dining restaurant,
Core 450, that has garnered rave reviews from Greenville area foodies. Get your game ready at one of
South Carolina’s most expansive practice facilities, which is also home to neighboring North Greenville
University.
Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort – “Fripp” as South Carolinians refer to it, flies just under the radar of
the national golf cognoscenti, just how Palmetto State golfers like it. Home to two courses, Ocean Point
and Ocean Creek, Fripp Island Golf and Beach Resort is situated on the most seaward of South Carolin a’s
Sea Islands 18 miles east of historic Beaufort, where novelist Pat Conroy spent his summers. The resort
offers seasonal golf packages that include golf rounds, practice balls and lodging in a Fripp Island vacation
rental.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort – For golfers who want to play where the pros play this year, Kiawah Island
Golf Resort’s Ocean Course is hosting the 2020 PGA Championship in May. If Pete Dye’s diabolic
oceanside layout it too tough to tackle, four other 18-hole courses adorn this majestic barrier island near
Charleston. Catch a good night’s rest at the Sanctuary at Kiawah, a AAA Five Diamond hotel.
Myrtle Beach – While it’s not a resort, per se, the Grand Strand one of the world’s most iconic golf
destinations. Accommodation options are limitless, and lineup cards can be filled with vaunted venues like
Tidewater Golf Club, Grande Dunes Resort Course, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Caledonia Golf
and Fish Club.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort – Hilton Head is known as “Golf Island,” and the three brawny layouts
at Palmetto Dunes are a big reason for that moniker. The Robert Trent Jones features one of the island’s
only oceanfront holes, and the George Fazio and Arthur Hills courses round out the bill. Golf group s love
the popular “Birdies and Beer Getaway” and the resort’s comfy vacation rentals.
Sea Pines Resort – Settled along Hilton Head Island’s south end, The Sea Pines Resort is home of the
PGA TOUR’s RBC Heritage tournament and famed Harbour Town Golf Links. Two other championship
caliber tracks reside inside the gates, Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III. The
Inn and Club at Harbor Town is just a pitching wedge from the clubhouse and the famed Yacht Basin is a
short jaunt away.
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Packet Pg. 291 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Kayak Through the Mangroves in J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
This national wildlife refuge is home to a massive undeveloped mangrove ecosystem that a wide variety
of birds and wildlife call home. To experience the refuge in the most peaceful way possible, renting
kayaks or taking a kayak tour is ideal.
We opted for a kayak trail tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers who offer a wide selection of guided nature
tours in the area. Our guide was super knowledgeable, but I did feel like the tour was a bit overpacked
and we couldn't hear everything the guide was sharing. If you book with them you might want to inquire
about the least busy days/times to see if you can get into a smaller group. Otherwise, I'd rent private
kayaks to head through the trail at your own pace.
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Packet Pg. 292 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
The Seashell Museum
As far as museums go, I have to say, this one was really cool. I spent many days in my childhood
admiring beautiful seashells without giving much thought to how they were formed, where they came
from, and the abundance of variety in them. Shells are literally nature's artwork and this museum proves
it!
The Shell Museum allows you to get up close and personal with some live sea life (they have a
designated touching station), and includes some really fascinating information about mollusks and their
homes. This is a great activity to bring kids to as well, but every adult would enjoy this just as much.
Did this post inspire you to plan a trip to Southwest Florida? Let me know in the comments below!
***This post was sponsored by the Fort Myers’ Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods, and The Paradise
Coast, but as always, all of my opinions are my own and I would never promote anything I don't
freaking love.***
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Packet Pg. 293 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
JANUARY 2022 DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT – BUZZY FORD
JANUARY 2022
PERIOD AT A GLANCE
2022
2021
Twitter Accounts (3)
Twitter Tweets & DMs Sent: 40
Engagements: 346
Link Clicks: 34
Followers Gained: 44
Impressions: 11,567
Twitter Tweets & DMs Sent: 49
Engagements: 438
Link Clicks: 31
Followers Gained: 30
Impressions: 14,581
Facebook Accounts (5)
Facebook Posts Sent: 78
Engagements: 63,506
Link Clicks: 12,372
New Fans: 301
Impressions: 3,670,701
Facebook Posts Sent: 68
Engagements: 13,191
Link Clicks: 1,110
New Fans: 521
Impressions: 265,034
Instagram Accounts (3)
Instagram Media Sent: 55
Engagements: 1,416
Followers Gained: 104
Instagram Impressions: 1,449,603
Instagram Media Sent: 33
Engagements: 2,863
Followers Gained: 378
Instagram Impressions: 82,110
CrowdRiff 20k interactions and 36k views 12k interactions and 24k views
ThresHold360 52,064 Views / 113,276 Engaged Views 29,110 Views / 1,035 Engaged Views
Notable Tasks
• Update website red tide information.
• Facilitate Ritz Carleton Gingerbread House Instagram Story
• Repair broken website links
• Begin MinuteTraq training.
• Finalize Paradise Coast Sports Complex 360 Tour listing
• Build QR Codes for Meetings Team
• Lead Miles Partnership update meeting
• Attend Bi-Weekly PR Call
• Update the “In the News” section of the website, highlighting various destination
coverage.
• Construct Monthly Partner Newsletter Article
• Assist Paradise Coast Sports Complex Team with Google my Business.
• Upgrade MapTiler account, integrating Google Maps into Paradise Coast
Website.
• Provide Visitors Guide Images
• Advise Miles Partnership on Cloudflare Error
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Packet Pg. 294 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
• Upload and push out various Press Releases.
• Renew Website Domains
• Interact via social media with visiting influencers.
• Landing Page Optimizations
• Participate in Weekly Collier County PIO Meeting.
• Promote National #PlanForVacation Day
• Research CCPA Data Access standards.
• Promote & engage with FBU social media.
• Assist with acquiring various videos and images.
• Update and create various partner website listings.
• Conduct Staff member CrowdRiff training.
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Packet Pg. 295 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
GROUP MEETING SALES REPORT
Synergy-Connect Midwest Reps
January 2022
2021 2022
Number of Meeting Planner Contacts 95 35
Number of RFP leads sent 11 10
Number of Groups booked 1
3
Total Room Nights/Econ. Impact for Period
booked
108 Room Nights
$31,065.12 Room
Revenue
168 Room Nights
$26,843.64 Room
Revenue
Number of RFP Enhancement (RFPE)
Requests
Number of RFP’s to Contract 3
Site Visits & FAMS 1
Number of Shows Attended 4 Virtual 0
RFPs
Event Name Organization Contact State Event Date Total
Room
Nights
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Packet Pg. 296 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
Sertoma Southeastern Region
Meeting
Sertoma/
HelmsBriscoe
Kerry Kerr KS 2/15-
2/19/2023
129
Financial Cryptography and Data
Security Conference ****IMEX
LEAD***
International
Financial
Cryptography
Association
Rafael Hircshfeld Nethe
rlands
2/4-2/10/2024
Flexible
480
Walton Working Group EdChoice/Helmsbrisc
oe
Trish Sowinski IL 4/20/2022-
4/22/2022
60
TD SYNNEX – Integrated
Solutions Beach Champion
Promo
NHS Global Events Alexa Henkin IL 3/24-
3/27/2022
72
IFM Efector Board Meeting IFM Efector Desiree Pierson IL 4/11-
4/13/2022
17
Synova NICU April 2024
Leadership Meeting
Synova/Helmsbrisco
e
Cheryl Faust WI 4/14-
4/20/2022
1,170
2022 ICA Conference – Definite
JW Marriott
ICA/Helmsbriscoe Tanya Baker OH 10/19-
10/23/2022
60
BDO USA Board of Directors
Meeting – Definite Ritz Carlton
Golf Resort
BDO/NHS Global Bryan Ganek IL 12/12-
12/14/2022
43
Associated Beer Distributors of
Illinois – Definite Ritz Carlton Golf
Resort
ABDI/Helmsbriscoe Kim Kossel IL 11/15-
11/19/2022
65
The T The Marketing Alliance 2023
Annual Meeting
The Marketing
Alliance/Prestige
Meetings
Becky
Williams/Robert
Brice
MO 4/15-
4/21/2023
380
MAPA POA Novo Nordisk/Maritz Domenic Zupito NJ 4/33-
4/29/2022
800
AACD Annual Meeting – April
2022
AACD/NHS Global
Events
Brian Ganek IL 4/5-4/13/2025 2491
AstraZeneca Sales Training
Meeting
AstraZeneca/Maritz Ilyssa Swenor MO 4/11-
4/18/2022
997
VIRTUAL EVENTS ATTENDED
● Destination Reps Quarterly Meeting
● Destination Celebration Kick Off Meeting
PROSPECTING and OTHER ACTIVITIES
● Reached out by phone and/or email to all new leads in January
● Reached out by phone and/or email to December’s tentative accounts
● Made prospecting calls from Midwest
● Site inspection for Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois - Booked definite at Ritz
Carlton Golf Resort
● Jan 10 - 12 Familiarization tour in Naples - Maura & Barb
● January 13 Barb attended the ASAE networking event at Naples Grande
LOOKING AHEAD
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Packet Pg. 297 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
● February 16, 2022 MPI-Chicago Area Chapter Knowledge Share – Barbara
Attending
● February 17, 2022 PCMA Greater Midwest Chapter Winter Educational Event –
Barbara Attending
● February 17, 2022 Site’s Annual Business Meeting – Barbara Attending
● March 2nd, 2022 Association Forum’s Women’s Executive Conference – Barbara
Attending pending approval
● March 8, 2022 MPI- Chicago Area Chapter NEXT – Barbara Attending pending
approval
● April 7, 2022 Industry Exchange – MPI Chicago Area Chapter – Barbara Attending
● April 8th, 2022 -Global Meetings Industry Day – Barbara Attending local event
● May 12, 2022 MPI Chicago Area Chapter Spring Education Program – Barbara
Attending
● May 24th , 2022 MPI Chicago Area Chapter Golf Classic – Barbara Attending pending
approval
● June 16, 2022 Chicago Area Chapter Annual Awards Celebration – Barbara
attending pending approval
● June 21, 2022, Association Forum’s – Forum Forward – Barbara attending pending
approval June 23rd, 2022 Association Forum’s Honors Gala – Barbara attending
pending approval
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Packet Pg. 298 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
TRAVEL INDUSTRY & LEISURE MARKET SALES REPORT
Claudia Cianfero – Travel Industry Sales Manager
January 1 – 31, 2022
PERIOD AT A GLANCE
2021 2022
Number of Travel Agent Contacts
0 0
Number of Tour Operator
Contacts
1 80
Number of FAM’s/Site Visits
1 1
Number Trade Shows Attended 0 1
EVENTS RECAP
Florida Huddle
January 24 – 26, 2022
Florida Huddle is the only tour operator tradeshow where only Florida product exhibits (destinations,
hotels, attractions, and parks) and meet one-on-one with tour operators. We had two booths this year
to accommodate our UK and German reps who traveled to see our destination and then to Tampa for FL
Huddle. We had two sets of appointments for a total of 80 between the two booths.
We had two full days of 12 min appointments on 1/25 and 1/26. This was a must do event for any FL
destination this year since the last two years were virtual events. All major players were there. We also
sponsored a breakfast for the joint FL Huddle and Encounter meal on 1/25/22. We had signage and
were able to show our video on the large jumbotron.
TRAVEL AGENT ACADEMY (TAA)
After a year in the making, the Travel Advisor Specialist Program, administered through the Travel Agent
Academy, has been launched. The Florida’s Paradise Coast Specialist Program consists of two chapters
that educate Travel Advisors and Tour Operators about all that Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades
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has to offer. Participants receive a certification upon completion. This program is marketed to the TAA
database and is on our travel trade page where Travel Agents can go and register directly.
LATAM UPDATE
• Continued supervision of the Latam team as it relates to co-op’s, tradeshows, approval of
actions. Editing / reviewing copy. We continue to have monthly zoom meetings.
Upcoming Strategic Initiatives:
AAA/Club Adventures coop with Visit Florida. Florida Takeover webinar is scheduled for Feb 8, 2022.
Followed by 4 Facebook posts during that same week.
Visit Florida Emerging Market Virtual Trainings:
Feb 10, 2022 – Peru
Feb 17, 2022 – Ecuador
ANATO February 22 – 25, 2022 with Visit Florida
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Packet Pg. 300 Attachment: Consolidated Staff Report Feb TDC (21427 : Tourism Staff Report)
MONTH/YEAR: JANUARY 2022 UK & IRELAND OFFICE
HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH:
Florida Huddle, Tampa, 24-26 January 2022
Held at the Tampa Convention Centre, this Visit Florida premiere event showcases all the sunshine
state offers international and domestic tour operators, wholesalers and media can experience.
OMMAC’s Oonagh McCullagh-Boyle and Gerry Boyle attended with the CVB team. Florida’s
Paradise Coast sponsored one of the two breakfasts at the trade show which combined Florida
Encounter – we were able to support the CVB team and network at this event. We held 24
individual appointments plus discussions during the networking events.
Destination Visit, Florida’s Paradise Coast, 20-24 January, 2022
Prior to Huddle we maximised on our time in Florida and included a site visit to Paradise Coast.
This was an opportunity to meet the CVB team for a one-to-one updates on all activity current /
ongoing and future plans. Additional updates specifically with the senior team on how the
destination is performing and future direction. The meetings were both very valuable and
motivational as we move into the lifting of covid restriction for the UK & Ireland market and
anticipated increase of travel. We reengaged with over 18 industry partner and site visits over
the few days in the destination again being able to refresh our knowledge on all the new
developments was extremely beneficial. See below notes under Marketing activity for additional
details.
Below: Huddle’22 - Florida’s Paradise Coast Sponsored Breakfast –
L-R: Gerry Boyle, OMMAC UK & Ireland; Lisa Chamberlain, CVB; Claudia Cianfero, CVB; Anne-
Kathrine Jager, German office and Oonagh McCullagh-Boyle, OMMAC UK & Ireland
UK & IRELAND MARKET UPDATE:
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After a difficult Christmas and holiday period, which saw Omicron cases on the rise and many
forced to isolate over the holidays, the UK entered 2022 with a renewed sense of confidence. On
19th January it was announced that the UK omicron wave had peaked, and as a result England’s
‘plan B’ measures were dropped the following week, with mandatory face coverings in public
places and Covid passports both no longer a requirement. The government also urged the public
to make a return to the office bringing an end to the ‘work from home’ recommendation.
There was also a further easing of travel restrictions on 24th January, which further boosted
public confidence and was one step further to a return to normal for the travel sector. The Prime
Minister confirmed that Covid tests for fully vaccinated travellers in England and Scotland will be
scrapped from 4am on 11 February. Until then, passenger locator forms and lateral flow (or
antigen) tests are required for all travellers arriving in the UK, whatever their vaccination status.
The scrapping of the tests has resulted in one of the biggest boosts to the travel industry in the
last two years, and now means that the UK has one of the most free-flowing borders across
Europe. Furthermore, the change will kick in in time for school half-term, saving around £100 for
the average family.
As of the end of January, 72% of the population are fully vaccinated (two jabs) and 37m have
had their booster. With nine in 10 of those aged 12 or over in the UK having had a single jab and
eight in 10 having had a second, the government has shifted its focus to boosters, which have
been shown to offer significant protection from hospitalisation.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows infection rates and
hospitalisations decreased across England in the week ending 23 January. The infection rate fell
to 4.82%, while hospitalisations of COVID patients decreased to 16.01 per 100,000 people.
Statistics from the ONS January report point towards a positive and strong rebound across retail
and hospitality. Dining increased by 5% in the week to 24 January 2022 to 97% of the level in
the equivalent week of 2020 (source: OpenTable), and in the week to 22 January 2022, overall
retail footfall in the UK increased by 2%, taking it to 80% of the level seen in the equivalent week
of 2019.
In mid-January 2022, 80% of all businesses were fully trading, compared with 77% in early
January 2022, although businesses within the transportation, accommodation and food service
industry reported the lowest percentage of businesses fully trading.
TRADE OVERVIEW
Overall, January has proven to be a positive start to the year with increasing optimism of the
market returning to pre pandemic levels quicker than anticipated. Many travel agents have stated
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that they are hoping for a ‘near normal’ summer with the scrapping of testing and there is a shift
of focus on developing new product to draw more customers in.
The month started off with some uncertainty due to the rise in Omicron cases across the globe
during December. IATA reported that this led to a sharp decrease in airline ticket sales due to
restrictions being reintroduced. The government's response was said to be an over-reaction to
the new variant causing more uncertainty at a time where recovery was predicted.
However, good news followed a slow beginning to the month with the UK government announcing
the removal of pre departure testing for passengers travelling into England from 7th January. The
aviation and travel industry has welcomed this change, as it had claimed they were unnecessary
and hugely damaging to the sector.
This was then followed by a further announcement that Day 2 tests will no longer be needed for
fully vaccinated travellers from February 11th. Travel experts have praised this move stating that
it is necessary to increase the customers confidence and help recovery in the industry.
Unvaccinated travellers will no longer face self-isolation and a day-8 test, though they must still
take a pre-departure test and post-arrival PCR.
Going forward, Expedia has stated that flexibility has ranked top for travellers priorities when
booking a trip. Customers need to feel confident that they can change the plans if another variant
emerges. In this survey 81% of respondents stated that they plan to take a trip in the next 6
months, with a focus on adventure and a higher budget for their trips.
The 2021 annual travel trends report by eDreams ODIGEO, shows that UK users were only 31%
below those of 2019 and increasing by 67% in 2020. Bookings increased mainly for continental
destinations, however, the length of stay for long haul increased by 20%.
The scrapping of testing and announcement that the UK will also remove other regulations such
as masks and covid vaccination passports, has seen some immediate improvements in travel
enquiries and bookings. Not Just Travel reported their best sales day since 2019 on Monday 25th
January, with sales being up 300% on the same day of 2021 and 50% on 2020.
Travel Counsellors also revealed that they had the highest leisure booking week since the start
of the pandemic with sales now at around 90% of 2019 levels. More of a quarter of these bookings
have departure dates in the months February and March and July is the next most popular month
after these.
There is continued focus on making travel more sustainable, Contiki has repositioned its brand to
reflect the sustainable needs of its youthful market. Contiki announced itself to be carbon neutral
and will be using 2022 as a year to invest in carbon removal projects. Flight Centre has echoed
this sentiment by employing a global sustainability officer to shift focus to this going forward as
it becomes increasingly more important to the consumer.
EVENTS
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UPCOMING EVENTS 2022
DATE SPECIAL EVENT LOCATION
1-2 February Brand USA one to one meetings UK & Europe
Virtual
8-10 February Media visit with Visit Florida and editor Katie
Thompson from Minerva Publications
Florida Paradise
Coast
February Visit Florida meeting London
7 March Visit USA meet the media London
MARKETING/SALES/PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES:
We move further into the recovery phase as we emerge from travel restrictions.
Emergence from the pandemic, reopening of the US border and reduced covid testing
as predicted will enable the travel industry to recover strongly around growth of
marketing, PR, advertising/promotion campaigns and spend.
Ongoing Collaborations:
Following up with and maintaining regular outreach to our UK & Ireland trade suppliers.
Below highlights include:
British Airways Holidays – British Airways / Visit Florida co-op marketing
Following successful co-op campaign in December we are aiming to review and possible
participate again in the spring. Working closely with BA Holidays to ensure their product offerings
are fulfilling the needs of the higher end consumer – seeking luxury for their next leisure trip.
Travelplanners / US Airtours
In discussion regarding possible co-op campaign for late February / March launch in co-op with
Visit Florida. We have suggested possibly offering a specialized high-end/ luxury segment within
their overall offerings – targeted to high-net-worth individuals where Florida’s Paradise Coast
could take the lead.
Ocean Holidays
Following positive meeting at Huddle we will follow up on opportunities to drive visitation into
Florida’s Paradise Coast via their sales agents who all work on incentives.
On the Beach
Following successful meeting at Huddle with this high profile OTA offering across the volume
market, with estimated 1.5 million customers on beach holidays per year – we have an
opportunity for the mid ranged properties within our destination set back from the beach.
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Florida Huddle, Tampa, 24-26 January 2022
During this very successful trade show we held 24 individual meetings with major UK &
Scandinavian tour operators. We will follow up over the coming months seeking the most potential
opportunities to drive visitation into Florida’s Paradise Coast. Some key points noted: increased
room rates not only in our destination but all destinations in the Gulf Coast / increased demand
for villas/ operator are able to access bed inventory via all the bed banks – our destination is very
well represented.
Below: During our meetings at the booth – Oonagh, UK & Ireland office hosting meeting with
Kara Widdows, BA Holidays
Destination Visit, Florida’s Paradise Coast, 20-24 January, 2022
As mentioned above within the highlights we were able to maximise our time in Florida pre Huddle
to include a site visit to Paradise Coast. Following the very valuable CVB meetings we further
reached out to over 18 industry partners together with the German office setting up an itinerary
and accommodations during our visit. We gained beneficial knowledge on all the new
development – partners included: Ritz Carlton Golf Resort; Naples Grande Beach Resort; Naples
Princess; Beach Bugz; JW Mariott Marco Island Beach Resort; Everglades Area Tours; True Foods;
Staybridge Suites; Edgewater Beach Hotel; Naples Hilton; LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort;
Celebration Park; Sports Complex; Naples Pier; Hilton Marco Island; Old Marco Island Shopes and
area; Inn on 5th plus 5th Ave and 3rd Street area.
Below: During site inspections:
Below left - LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort L-R: Anne-Kathrine, Germany; Oonagh and Gerry, UK
& Ireland office
Below Right: JW Mariott Marco Island Beach Resort, Oonagh with Jada Shigley and Tracy Tirrell
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Trade and Media Tool Kit for Use:
Ongoing review of our assets to ensure fully updated content - collating and managing an active
toolkit for both media and the travel industry of current and recent assets including Talking Points
and ‘copy ready’ material for websites and social outreach. The ‘Paradise Pledge’ and ‘Only
Paradise will Do’ key messaging is still very relevant as the US border opens.
Co-op Marketing and Paradise Advertising
Ongoing monitoring activity for the coming year - budget to be reviewed on ongoing basis as we
progress from Covid recovery and as opportunities arise.
Updates:
Industry updates forwarded to CVB for forward planning – removal of additional covid testing on
return to UK is main driver of increased bookings – tour operators reporting strong growth in late
January for summer bookings and beyond. This is very positive news for Florida’s Paradise Coast.
Mail House: Maintain distribution of CVB literature for consumer and trade requests - ongoing.
MEDIA OVERVIEW
Trends
The new year saw a wave of inspirational travel round-ups focused on must-visit destinations for
2022 both domestically and internationally. The Guardian published a feature on ‘22 great
holidays for 2022’ and The Sun focused on top wellness breaks for the year ahead, whilst the
Financial Times ran a round-up on ‘hot hotels for 2022’.
With France’s borders still closed to UK travellers for the first half of January, travel sections in
the newspapers continued to keep readers updated with informative news pieces on the
restrictions in place and projected dates for them to be lifted. Skiers who had booked to visit
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France were given alternative European ski deals in the Daily Mail whilst The Sunday Telegraph
shared islands to visit for winter sun. Once France’s borders opened on 17 January, travel sections
were dominated by large destination features, roundups and holiday deals across the broadsheets
and tabloids.
Other prominent themes and news in the travel sections throughout January included flight sales,
cruise ship launches, rail journeys and half term holidays. The latter took the form of round-ups
and late deals in The Daily Telegraph, I Weekend and The Sunday Times.
Media Updates
January saw lots of changes on the journalist front. Laura Jackson, editor of online titles
loveEXPLORING and loveFOOD, announced she was joining The Times and The Sunday Times as
a commissioning editor at the end of the month and The Guardian appointed Nazia Parveen as
its new assistant travel editor.
Freelance journalist, Lydia Bell, accepted a position as features editor at Conde Nast Traveller
and consumer goods magazine, Which?, appointed Laura Sanders as a travel writer. Irish Mirror’s
group editor SEO, Colin Brennan, left the newspaper after eight years to pursue a new role at
Mediahuis, helping to grow the online search traffic of Independent.ie, BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
and SundayWorld.com.
The effects of the pandemic are continuing to be felt at Reach plc with travel editor, Nigel
Thompson, revealing the travel desk is operating on 50% staff with double the pages to fill.
The Sunday Telegraph supplement, Stella, announced it was closing after 17 years in circulation.
Originally introduced to make the newspaper more appealing to women, the publisher said it
made the decision after carrying out extensive research into the current habits of its readers.
Controversially, The Telegraph Saturday Magazine re-launched on 29 January with a bigger
format, including a new food and drink pull-out and regular contributing columns from UK
personalities.
With the omicron variant still prominent throughout the UK, media events continued to take a
backseat in January. TravMedia announced the postponement of its annual new year MediaPlace
networking event with a new date yet to be announced in addition to Visit USA’s annual Meet the
Media event which has been postponed until March.
TravMedia also revealed the finalists in its TravMedia Awards; taking place in April, the ceremony
celebrates the best journalists and influencers in the travel industry.
PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITY:
Individual:
● New attractions, tours and experiences in Florida’s Paradise Coast
Key Messages:
● Meditate with Wolves at Shy Wolf Sanctuary
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● Night Walks and other guided experience at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
● Everglades Seafood Festival
● Four Seasons Beach Club opening
● Reinstated airlift from UK/Ireland, and newcomers Norse (previously Norwegian Airlines)
Multi-destination roundups:
● Bucket-list destinations
● Blue Monday
● Experimental Travel (WaveRunner)
● 2022 Global Cultural Calendar (Crab Claw Harvest)
● Second Cities (Naples)
● Easter Holiday Travel destination inspiration
TravMedia Requests:
● Seen in the City - Hot Hotels
● The Independent - Travel Trending Destinations
● Bella Magazine - Solo holidays
● Country Life - New hotels rond-up
● Muddy Stilettos - Half-term holiday escapes and epic family road-trips
● Woman’s Weekly - Mothers Day mini breaks
● Time Out - New hotel openings
● Culture Trip - What’s new in 2022
● Sunday Mirror - Set jetting
● LoveFOOD - 2022 restaurants
● Reach - World’s Quirkiest bars
Media Visits:
Publication: Minerva Publications
Journalist: Katie Thompson
Dates: 8-10 February 2022
Opportunity: Working closely with Visit Florida, we have the opportunity to take part in state-
wide press trip. Katie will be travelling to Florida with her partner from 31 January – 12 February
2022 and producing a road trip feature (approx. four pages) that will run across all 26 lifestyle
magazines (560,000 AB readers), which include Cheltenham Living, Cotswolds Lifestyle, Henley
& Marlow Life and West Berkshire Life, as well as 20,000 digital subscribers.
Accommodation has been confirmed at the Naples Grande Beach Resort (x2 night supplemented
by Florida’s Paradise Coast) and the PR team has put together an itinerary including a variety of
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activities such as sunset dinner cruise, key attraction visits and a mangrove tunnel kayak tour
showcasing the diversity of the destination and what it has to offer.
As its high season, lots of lovely suggestions for food and drink have also been put forward for
the journalist consideration as restaurants are unable to offer experiences FOC.
Oonagh held discussion with the journalist, Katie prior to her trip explaining the destination is in
high season and under normal circumstance we do not host fams but we very much wanted Katie
to experience the destination and report to her high net worth readership. The journalist fully
understood the circumstances and expressed her thanks for being hosted. We will follow up
accordingly post visit.
Media Meetings, Industry Webinars and Events:
● Edmund Vallance, freelance
● Monicha Tully, Arcadia Magazine
● Katie Thompson, Minerva
● Diana Isaccs, Winerist
Events:
The team also attended a webinar held by TravMedia with travel editor of the Financial Times,
Tom Robbins.
PUBLIC RELATIONS – January 2022 Coverage
MEDIA COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS:
● See attached coverage via Wetransfer
● Highlights below
● Social media highlights below
DATE PUBLICATION MEDIA
TYPE
JOURNALIST HEADLINE REACH EAV ($)
04.01.22 JVS.org.uk Online Lara Balsam Veganuary: 14 of the worlds
best vegan restaurants and
experiences
121,000 3,267
06.01.22 MDHarding Online Michelle
Harding
Swipe right on new faces and
places
2,000 54
08.01.22 The Travel
Daily
Online Clare Payne Veganuary: 14 of the worlds
best vegan restaurants and
experiences
2,000 54
19.01.22 Fused.co.uk Online David O'Coy The worlds cultural festivals
for 2022
237,814 6,420
TOTAL 241,814 $6,528
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January 2022
LATAM
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BRAZIL
TRADE & PR ACTIONS
• 15 Travel agents trained
• 18 Sales Calls to check opportunities to foment Paradise Coast sales in Brazil
• 46 Media Calls
• 5 Press Releases
• Strategies in Progress:
Meeting with Diversa Tour Operator
We had a meeting with Georgia and Mariana to define the project of the coop we will run together, that
should take place between March and May 2022.
Meeting with Trade Tours
We had a meeting with Ricardo Campos to define a breakfast training in March for their agents. We
should have at least two encounters with the travel agents during March and April to maximize the
investment.
Meeting with Flot Tour Operator
We will have two virtual trainings for Flot staff on February and Guilherme Campos asked for more
details so we can build a sales campaign for the second semester.
Meeting with International LGBTQ+ Travel Association
IGLTA Director, Clovis Casemiro, will run a special virtual training about Paradise Coast in February and
we had a meeting to discuss the terms and how can Aviareps help provide insights into the world of
LGBTQ+ travel.
Monthly training with ABBTUR (freelancer travel agents Association)
Since December we started conversations with ABBTUR and his department in São Paulo to do a
monthly web training for freelancers travel agents, that will not only receive information of Paradise
Coast and be part of our mailing but, as well, will participate on an online raffle to receive a Paradise
Coast prize, stimulating brand awareness and to increase the number, month by month.
ARGENTINA
TRADE & PR ACTIONS
o Actions with Trade: 15 sales calls
o Visit to travel Agencies in Mar del Plata
o Coop Campaign results with Turismo City
o Statistics polls in Social Media with Tu Agencia de Viajes
• 2 Virtual media calls with Cinthia Consoli from Ohlala – top lifestyle magazine - and Graciela Cutuli
from Ansa news agency.
• 1 to 1 interview with journalist Adrián Bertini from Ladevi Magazine (covering Florida Huddle) and
Claudia Cianfero from Paradise Coast.
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CHILE
TRADE & PR ACTIONS
• 25 targeted sales calls to promote & develop the PC.
• 12 Successful Contact
• 2 Post Instagram.
• 2 Scheduled Meetings Via Zoom.
• 1 Newsletter to Trade.
COLOMBIA
TRADE ACTIONS
✓ During the month, the team made 10 sales calls including face-to-face and virtual meetings.
✓ Follow-up with 15 agencies with which we expect to define promotion actions to be developed in the
next quarter of the year.
✓ 4 e-flyers sent to AVIAREPS Colombia’s database. Reach: aprox. 2,300 leads.
Strategies/ Projects to be defined:
Opportunities to be defined for the development of sales campaigns for the coming months:
- Rappi Travel
- Viajes Falabella
- UltraGo
- Price Travel
MEXICO
TRADE & PR ACTIONS
• 25 Targeted sales calls to promote and develop the PC.
• 21 Travel Professionals trained during Januaryr
• 3 Media Meetings.
• 80,750 Media Impressions with a total value of $2,800 USD.
• Product development:
– Packages to Naples and Marco Island with Price Travel:
https://www.pricetravel.com/paquetes/resultados?startingFromDateTime=2022-05-
08&returningFromDateTime=2022-05-13&CheckIn=2022-05-08&CheckOut=2022-05-
13&room1.adults=2&rooms=1&adults=2&infants=0&kids=0&agekids=&startingFromAirport=MEX
%2BTLC&returningFromAirport=RSW&tripMode=undefined&tripCabin=undefined&QuoteList=tru
e&QuoteFlight=true&keyWordId=0&keyWordTable=0&URI=rsw-florida-estados-unidos-
aeropuerto-internacional-southwest-florida-
rng&actionType=2&nonStopOnly=undefined&startingPlaceId=55657&returningPlaceId=53974&pa
ge=1
– Packages to Naples and Marco Island with Viajes Palacio through their web page:
https://reserva.viajespalacio.com.mx/paquetes/resultados
• 1 press publication:
Paradise Coast es reconocido como "un sofisticado destino de playa" (pasilloturistico.com)
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• Achieved 285 Facebook followers and 15 Facebook Posts translated to Spanish.
Strategies in Progress:
• VIDALTURISMO Ongoing campaign
• Invertour, focus on Mar. 2022 ad and presenation
• Product & Package Development
• Planning for VisitFlorida Mexico Mission 2022
• Ongoing sales & educational outreach
Monthly report highlights to Finance:
• 3 Media meetings.
• 80,750 Media Impressions with a total value of $2,800 USD.
• 285 Facebook followers and 15 Facebook Posts.
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PERIOD AT A GLANCE 2020 2021
Number of Travel Agent & Tour
Ops Contacts
0 12
Number of FAM’s/Site Visits 2 1
Number of Meeting Planners 4 5
Consumers 0 3333
Number of RFP’s Sent
0
11 leads sent potential 885 room nights, $2,468,106.32
Estimated Economic Impact
Number of RFP’s Definite 0 0
Specialty Markets
Michelle Pirre - Sales Assistant 1/1/2022-1/31/2022
Meetings & Events
January 8-9, 2022 – Attended PA & S. Jersey Bridal Expo. Received 3333 consumer email addresses for our mailing
list, met and spoke with 124 consumers directly for destination weddings and honeymoons distributed 200 visitor
guides.
January 11, 2022 – Meeting with CVB Saff and Maura Zhang and Barbara Quigley, our new Midwest
representative.
January 21, 2022 – Meeting with CVB Staff and Anne Graf our German rep and Oognagh McCoula with our UK
office
January 25, 2022 – Site visit with Joe Affatato with Jet Vacations for offsite wedding venues for his daughter’s
wedding.
Visited Naples Wedding Barns, Knickerbocker Estates, several beach locations for ceremony.
January 27, 2022 – Attended Naples Pride Business Alliance Meeting at the Pride Center. CVB spoke about tourism
numbers as well as traffic on Naples Pride website coming from Paradisecoast.com It was noted traffic coming
direct from Paradise Coast to Naplespride.org produced the longest search times on their website.
LGBTQ
The CVB is preparing to present a webinar to the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association on February 17,
2021. Holiday Inn Downtown 5th Ave, and Rachel Covello with Outcoast-LGBTQ Florida Travel will also be
presenting as our guests.
The CVB is preparing an extensive 4 day Itinerary to host influencer family, 2Traveldads, whose focus is eco -travel.
Chris & Rob Taylor are avid outdoors man who love to paddle and explore the great outdoors with their two boys
in toe.
The itinerary will feature a day in each Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades with various eco tours and
paddling excursions.
Destination Weddings
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The CVB continues to work with Paradise Advertising approving new print and social media ads for Passport
Magazine, Equally Wed and The Knot. We continue to search for new exciting venues for the destination and work
on updates for our website to be used a a tool for anyone trying to create a wedding in paradise.
Trends
Attending the Bridal show in Pennsylvania was a testament to the difference in the thought process of a
destination that has mask mandates in place, and one that d oes not. It truly changes the mindset for travel when
mandates are in place and makes people think twice about travel. In Pennsylvania a destination wedding was
never in the plan. Travel for honeymoons was still desired.
UPCOMING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Specialty Markets has several great Tradeshows and Expos we will be attending coming up:
Travel & Adventure Shows Boston March 3-6, 2022
Canoecopia March 11-13, 2022
Travel & Adventure Shows NYC - LGBTQ Pavilion – March 17-20, 2022
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PARADISE COAST FILM OFFICE | FEBRUARY 2022
JANUARY 2022 2021 2020 Reported Spending New or Repeat Client
Productions 3 4 2 $15K R | 2 N
Working Leads 2 2 4
Meetings Attended 3 5 2
Events/Tradeshows 0 1 0
Media Assisted 0 1 0
Location Scouts 0 1 2
PRODUCTION/ LEAD HIGHLIGHTS:
MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S “WILD KINGDOM”
Since first airing in 1963, “Wild Kingdom” has presented
the importance of conserving the environment and the wildlife
that inhabits it. The series re -booted in 2021, airing each week in its original
time slot on Sundays at 8:00PM o n RFD -TV. The production chose Collier
County as the episode addresses the situation of the Florida panther and efforts
to sustain their population. County staff assisted the crew with filming on the
Nancy Payton Preserve. The program will include some cla ssic clips from the
original show along with this new content with host, Peter Gros.
PARAMOUNT+/CBS EFRAN FILMS -TORONTO Filmed an episode of their
true -crime docu -series in Naples . Through original interviews with law
enforcement, family members and private investigators, news footage and social
media, the production analyzes the evidence and presents new theories in an
attempt to uncover the truth.
NAT GEO|ANIMA FILMS, U.K.: NAT GEO|”WORTH OF WATER” London -
based company is producing a National Geographic -branded documentary
entitled, “Worth of Water.” One section of the project focuses on the plight of
Florida’s manatee population. Although Collier County is not a natural hub for
manatees in the winter like Crystal River, where most of their filming was
done, we do have them in our county, so several local environmentalists were
able to assist with the production’s narrative.
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MEETINGS AND EVENTS:
FILM FLORIDA FRIDAY: ENTERTAINMENT LAW A Zoom seminar featuring
some of the best entertainment attorneys in the State of FL, was hosted by Film
Florida. Topics included: intellectual property rights, contracts, and music
licensing. Participants were all able to ask questions.
FILM FLORIDA MARKETING COMMITTEE The virtual meeting reviewed the
roll -out for the LMGI sizzle reel. Once completed with voice -over, etc. it will
premier on -line with a panel, including State Film Commissioner, Niki Welge. The
film will go to LMGI’s webs ite for 60 days and then a streamlined version will go up
on YouTube. The video will also be available to all film offices for promotions and
marketing. The association’s podcast series is getting great numbers and the final 3
episodes have booked great gu ests including Scott Edwards, Head of Fox
Entertainment Promotions.
AFCI MONTHLY ZOOM MEETING The organization’s guest speaker was Glen
Roberts, from the U.S. Department of Defense Entertainment Media Office.
Working out of the Pentagon in Washington, DC, Roberts and his team are
responsible for projecting and protecting the Department's image in the
entertainment space, including films, TV programs, video games and events. He
serves as the primary point of contact between the DoD and the en tertainment
industry. Roberts described how his office works with both domestic and
international film commissions to facilitate all types of projects. The meeting closed
with an open discussion for members to present questions and comments.
UPCOMING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
A small indie film is scouting the former Hendry Correctional property for a
project that would begin production in September 2022.
In October, there is a documentary from Motion Video Productions that will be
filming in the Fakahatchee State Park Preserve.
FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE:
HB 217: Film, Television and Digital Media Project Rebate Program
26 co - sponsors, last activity: formal reading on 1/11/22, referred to Tourism,
Infrastructure and Energy Sub -Committee with no scheduled hearing
SB 946: Targeted High Wage Production Program within the DEO, under the
supervision of FL Commissioner of Film and Entertainment
15 co -sponsors, last activity: passed favorably through Commerce and Tourism,
referred to Finance and Tax, no schedule hearing
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02/28/2022
COLLIER COUNTY
Collier County Tourist Development Council
Item Number: 13.A
Item Summary: Next Meeting Date - March 28, 2022
Meeting Date: 02/28/2022
Prepared by:
Title: Administrative Assistant – Tourism
Name: Jennifer Leslie
02/02/2022 10:14 AM
Submitted by:
Title: Division Director – Tourism
Name: Paul Beirnes
02/02/2022 10:14 AM
Approved By:
Review:
Tourism Jennifer Leslie Tourism Division Completed 02/02/2022 10:15 AM
Tourism Michael Cox Stage 1 Review Skipped 02/24/2022 8:24 AM
Corporate Business Operations Michael Cox Stage 1 Review Skipped 02/24/2022 8:24 AM
Tourism Paul Beirnes Director Completed 02/02/2022 10:15 AM
County Manager's Office Michael Cox Deputy County Manager Skipped 02/24/2022 8:25 AM
County Attorney's Office Michael Cox Attorney Review Skipped 02/24/2022 8:25 AM
Tourist Development Council Paul Beirnes Meeting Pending 02/28/2022 9:00 AM
13.A
Packet Pg. 319