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BCC Minutes 01/20/2009 W (w/TDC) January 20,2009 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS/TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL WORKSHOP Naples, Florida, January 20,2009 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Board of County Commissioners and the Tourist Development Council in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 AM in a WORKSHOP SESSION in Building "F" of the Government Complex, Naples, Florida with the following members present: Chairman: Donna Fiala Frank Halas Tom Henning Fred Coyle James Coletta (absent) Tourist Development Council Members Murray H. Hendel Susan Becker Clark Hill Rick Medwedeff Ed (Ski) Olesky John Sorey, III Rob Popoff ALSO PRESENT: Jack Wert, Tourism Director Jim Mudd, County Manager JeffKlatzkow, County Attorney Sue Filson, BCC Executive Manager 1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS & COLLIER COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL JOINT WORKSHOP COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009 9A.M. Notice is hereby given that the Collier County Board of County Commissioners and the Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) will meet Tuesday, January 20 at 9 a.m. in the Board of County Commissioners Chambers, located on the third floor of the W. Harmon Turner Building, Building F, Collier County Government Center, 3301 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples. The meeting is open to the public. 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 3301 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples, FL 34112, (239) 252-8380; assisted listening devices for the hearing impaired are available in the Board of County Commissioners Office. For more information, call Director Jack Wert in the Tourism Department at 252-2384. January 20, 2009 I. Call to Order - Chairman Fiala Chairman Fiala called the meeting to order at 9:00AM. II. Pledge of Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance was recited. III. Changes and Approval of Agenda None Jack Wert, Tourism Director noted the Research Data Information and Public Relations Tracking Reports had been added to the original packet. IV. Annual Highlights of 2008 - Jack Wert 1. Review of 2008 Statistics and Staff Reports Jack Wert, Tourism Director, provided a Slide Show on the document "Annual Tourism Workshop, Collier County Board of Commissioners and Tourist Development Council, January 20, 2009." He provided an overview of slides 1-3 and noted the following for 2008: . Revenues and visitor numbers increased slightly in 2008 over the prevIOUS year. . Driver and feeder markets increased in numbers. . The international market numbers increased significantly. . The size of Group Meetings decreased. . Leisure travelers are now prone to utilizing "last minute" bookings. . Historic repeats of annual visits and "Traditional Florida Vacation" numbers are declining due to increased competition from other markets. . The competition created by the opening of Cuba will cause a significant impact on Florida, especially in the initial years. . The increased focus on international travel helps to offset these declining numbers. Debi DeBenedetto, Sales & Marketing Manager presented slides 4 - 8 and highlighted the following: . The 2008 Annual Sales Report indicating the RRP's (Request for Proposals) numbers were similar to the numbers for 2007 (180 sent out, 33, Booked). . The Department attended 26 Trade shows which provide leads for the RFP's. . Promotional Events included Wedding Promotions, the Summer Values in Paradise Program (VIP). Jack Wert presented slides 9-11 for "Sports Marketing" 2 January 20,2009 . 18 Sports Events were held with a mix of sporting events as well as the Beach Volleyball Event and the Lake Avalon Power Boat race event. . The number of Hotel partners grew from 16-21 . Total rooms blocked grew substantially with 2,100 booked. . There was $2.1M of direct economic impact. . The Hotel industry provides a rebate back to the Program based on rooms booked to enabling the Program to become more self sufficient. . Other than promotions, Tourist Development Council funds are not utilized to fund the Program. JoNell Modys, Public Relations & Communications Manager continued the presentation (slides 12-18) and highlighted the following: . Reviewed the Public Relations Tracking Report. . 105 journalists were actively supported in the market (assisted in planning their visit). . Major initiatives include Regular Destination releases, Travel Media e-news and Industry e-news. . 5 FAM's (Familiarization Trips) were conducted. . The FAM's lead to numerous publicity opportunities both domestically and internationally. Maggie McCarty, Film Commissioner presented slides 19-24 highlighting the following: . All images have been converted to a "web base image library" for use by professionals. . The ROI was $2 for every $1 spent for the year. . 43 projects were completed including commercials, documentaries films, etc. which provide exposure for the region. . The Department continues to address strategies for Legislative initiatives for the industry. Gary McAlpin provided a handout "Significant Projects and Studies Performed in FY 2008" and highlighted the following: . 50 percent of the TDC revenue is dedicated to Beach Park Facilities and Inlet Management. . 30 percent of those funds are dedicated to Beach Park Facilities. · Reviewed Fund 193 for the on-going and completed projects and studies related to Beach Park Facilities for 2008. . Reviewed Fund 195 for the Beach and Beach Maintenance projects. Discussion ensued on the increased costs associated with Regulatory Compliance of Permits. 3 January 20,2009 Gary McAlpin noted the Department continues to address the issue by bundling Contracts for work (if feasible), to help reduce overall costs. It was noted the Coastal Advisory Committee has recommended the Board of County Commissioners review the current Purchasing Policy for Contracts of this nature. Jim Mudd, County Manager noted Staff has been directed to review the fees in this area to ensure they are "reasonable." Jack Wert presented slides 26-29, Website Marketing from Miles Media Group and highlighted the following: . The website analysis indicates increases in this avenue for marketing. Ginny Demas, presented slides 30-34 on Fulfillment Services and highlighted the following: . Website inquiries increased in 2008. . The leading International Inquiry markets are USA, UK, Canada, Germany, England and France. . The leading US inquiries are from Florida, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Michigan. 2. Marketing and Research Highlights a. Paradise Advertising - Cedar Hames Fran Vaccaro, Dave DiMaggio and Cedar Hames of Paradise Advertising presented the slide presentation "BCC/TDC Joint Workshop, 2008 Advertising and Marketing Highlights" dated January 20,2009. The following was highlighted: . New initiatives include the Meeting Planner Guide, Updates of websites www.ParadiseCoast.com, www.ShootinParadise.com and www.CollierMusuems.com as well as creation of international web sites. · Visitors to the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) website increased dramatically in 2008. . Tour Operators in UK and Germany continue to be targeted. Emergency funds were used to increase exposure to the market in late summer and early fall of2008. . Full time representatives are now employed in these markets which have provided a major increase in visibility for the CVB market. Break: 10:30AM Re-convene: 1 0:45AM b. Research Highlights - Walter Klages Jack Wert introduced Kathileen Devlin as a new intern with the Department. 4 January 20,2009 Walter Klages of Research Data Services, Inc. presented the "Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau December 2008 Visitor Profile" and "Collier County Tourism Research, Annual 2008" reports dated January 20,2009 via a slide presentation. The following was highlighted: . The 3rd and 4th quarter of 2008 experienced contractions in the market due to the overall economic conditions nationally and internationally. . Occupancy statistics have been negatively affected by the presence of the condominium owners entering the short term rental market. . The figures do not include "in-home visitors" or "day trippers". . Corporate meetings have been heavily affected by the economic downturn. . There are strong increases in market visitation from individuals in the European market (even in the 4th quarter) with Indications the European Market strength continuing in 2009. . Europeans book vacations differently than US visitors, utilizing print materials and travel agents as opposed to the internet purchases. . US shopping opportunities continue to strongly attract European visitors (even 2 night stays for the purposes of shopping) 3. International Marketing Program a. Marketing Highlights - Cedar Hames Cedar Hames and Dave DiMaggio presented the document "2008 International Marketing Highlights (Economic Emergency Plan), prepared by Paradise Advertising dated January 20,2009 via a slide presentation.. The following was highlighted: . A focus on Arts and Culture will be expanded in the markets. . Coop partnerships continue. . "E-blasts" continue. . Focus of Marketing will continue on value packages. . Use of internet videos will be expanded. . A new Visitor Guide will target the German market. b. Promotions Negotiated - Cedar Hames Previously addressed. c. Program Results - Jack Wert Previously addressed. V. New Business Mr. Popoffleft at 11:30 AM 5 January 20,2009 1. Preview of 2009 J ack Wert provided an overview of the document "Preview of 2009" which included Economic forecasts and Tourist Tax History and Projections. Recent research data from the Hotel industry indicates revenues will decrease. Revenue projections for Tourist Tax Collections in 2009 have been reduced from $14.5M to $14.3M +/- or a decrease of2-3%. Mr. Medwedeff stated, based on his input from Hotel operators within the industry, the revenue forecasts are on the "way high side" with the numbers decreasing in serious magnitudes over the recent months. Mr. Sorey noted the Coastal Advisory Committee is reviewing budgets on a quarterly basis and the timing of projects is being adjusted accordingly. Jack Wert noted up to $800,000 of emergency funds are available and some advertising is now being held in reserves to see how the state of the economy progresses. He acknowledged the Department is cognitive to the decline in business and attempting to take the necessary steps to address the changing market. a. Strategic Plan Highlights - Cedar Hames Cedar Hames and Dave DiMaggio presented the document "BCC/TDC Joint Workshop, 2009 Preview", prepared by Paradise Advertising dated January 20, 2009 via a slide presentation. b. Economic Outlook - Jack Wert Previously discussed. c. 2009 Winter Campaign - Jack Wert/Cedar Hames Jack Wert proposed a Strategy to shift some ofthe marketing funds from the Summer 2009 Campaign to the Winter 2009 Campaign to combat the downturn in the economy in attempt to capture the critical "in season business." In support of this, he submitted the document "Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades 2009 Budget Shift Media Recommendation" dated January 9,2009. Cedar Hames provided a brief overview of the Strategy via "BCC/TDC Joint Workshop 2009 Winter Campaign" prepared by Paradise Advertising dated January 20, 2009. It was noted the Strategy is in motion and should be implemented immediately. Jack Wert noted with consensus by the BCC (January 20, 2009 TDC/BCC Workshop), and review by the Tourist Development Council (TDC) on January 26,2009, it would be appropriate to expedite the implementation of the Strategy Speaker Michelle Klinowski Vice President, Naples Chamber of Commerce noted the businesses in the area are extremely concerned with the outlook for the 2009 seasonal 6 January 20,2009 business. They are encouraged by the increase of International visitors who actually arrive in the area and subsequently book lodging. The Chamber actively provides referrals in the booking of the rooms. They support the CVB and their marketing strategies. Commissioner Coyle and the remaining Commissioners agreed, the shift in marketing strategy proposed (Summer 2009 funds to Winter 2009 funds) should be executed through the proper channels (TDC and BCC approvals). Jack Wert stated it will be placed on the TDC agenda for approval and scheduled for the next available BCC meeting. VI. Question and Answer Period None VII. BCC/TDC Discussion None VIII. Next TDC Meeting Date/Location January 26, 2009, 9:00 AM, TDC Monthly Meeting, BCC Chambers There being no further business for the good ofthe County, the Workshop was concluded by order of the chair at 11:59 A.M. COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ~) / /; !'??f~.;kttkA- Commissi ner Donna Fiala, Chairman .\\' ,:.';' ATTEST:, . .' . .' . DWIGHT E. BROcK'(:LEIU( ~~ .t...., OIl. . . These minutes approved by the Board/Committee on ~~ i 1 D) 2tv~ as presented .........--- or as amended 7