TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL There was a meeting of the Indian River County (IRC) Tourist Development Council (TDC) on Wednesday, August 15, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the County Administration Building, 1801 27 th Street, Building A, Vero Beach, Florida. Present were Chairman Peter D. O Bryan, County Commissioner; Mayor Jim Hill, Sebastian Municipal Officer; Tracy Carroll, Vero Beach Municipal Officer; Jennifer Bates, Keith Kite and Scott Dipietro, Owner/Operator Tourist Accommodations Appointee; and George O Malley and Mayor Susan Adams, Interested in Tourist Development Appointees. Absent was Ursula Gunter, Interested in Tourist Development Appointee. Also present were IRC Staff: Mike Zito, Assistant County Administrator; Jason Brown, Office of Management Budget Director; and Terri Collins-Lister, Commissioner Assistant, District 4. Others present: Penny Chandler and Allison McNeal, Indian River Chamber of Commerce; Nicole Holbrook and Beth Mitchell, Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce; Rich Nalbandian, Treasure Coast Sports Commission (TCSC); Rebecca Rickey, Vero Heritage, Inc.; Barbara Hoffman and Donna Lindsay, Cultural Council. Call to Order Chairman Peter D. O Bryan called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. and led the pledge of allegiance. Additions or deletions to the Agenda There was none. Approval of minutes from May 23, 2012 (Action Item) ON MOTION BY Mayor Adams, SECONDED BY Chairman O Bryan, the members voted unanimously (8-0) to approve the May 23, 2012 meeting minutes of as presented. TDC/Approved 1 August 15, 2012
Tourist Tax Revenues Update Mr. Jason Brown, Office of Management and Budget Director, reviewed the information contained in the Tourist Tax Revenue Report dated June 2012, a copy of which is on file in the Commission Office. He reported the Tourist Tax Revenues of $99,000 in June 2012, which decreased half of a percent compared to last June 2011 which was in the amount of $99,500. He stated year-to-date through June 2012; Tourist Tax Revenues were up 13.2 percent from the last year and reminded the members the County s Fiscal Year began on October 1 st. Sebastian River Area Chamber Presentation Ms. Nicole Holbrook, Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce, gave a Sebastian River Area Tourism Update in her PowerPoint Presentation, a copy of which is on file in the Commission Office. Ms. Holbrook also highlighted the following in her presentation: Tracking the success with the Guy Harvey and Fishing Campaign from November 2011 through August 2012, there were 203 visits, 84% were new visitors and 15% were returning visitors. Sebastian River Area Chamber created a Pinterest account to show photos of the area Constant Contact August E-Blast on upcoming and future events Article about Sebastian, Florida in the Sun Sentinel called Sebastian, A water wonderland, Treasure Coast City offers good fishing, kayaking and camping. Guy Harvard Summer Issue Article on visit to Indian River County London Based Production Company wanting to film in the area to reenact the jail break. Onshore/Offshore magazine three month campaign from July 2012 through September 2012. A complimentary full color glossy sportsman publication. 25,000 print copies with a big distribution on the west coast of Florida through boat shows, bait shops, marinas, etc. Focusing on Recreation for the next fiscal year Sebastian River Area Chamber was awarded a grant through Visit Florida in the amount of $2,500 in June 2012. Announced that the City of Fellsmere received a grant through the Scenic ByWay Program in the amount of $316,500 to fund a 1200 square foot visitor center on County Road 512. TDC/Approved 2 August 15, 2012
Tourism Update PowerPoint Presentation by the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce (IRCOC) Ms. Allison McNeal, Tourism Director with IRCOC, gave an Indian River Tourism Update in a PowerPoint Presentation, a copy of which is on file in the Commission Office. Ms. McNeal highlighted the following in her presentation: Notable media coverage such as National Geographic and The Today Show Integrated marketing campaign with Visit Florida with over 1,500 leads, over 3,000 clicks to the website, and over 41,000 vacationers viewed video. Fall 2011 Out-of-State Southeast Region led to over 1,500 leads, almost 3,000 clicks to the website Winter 2012 Out-of-State Campaign led to over 1,500 leads, almost 6,000 clicks to the website, over 21,000 viewed video Spring 2011 In-State Campaign over 1,500 leads over 5,000 clicks to the website, over 16,000 vacationers viewed video FAM Tours Held MLT Vacation FAM Tour, Sports FAM, Triple A FAM, Meeting Planners FAM, The Villages Expo, etc. Designation Weddings only six hotels reported revenue in 2011 from Designation Weddings that accounted for $885,000. Come Discover Love Wedding Guide paid by the advertisers and no County money was used and published by Inside Track Almanac. Attended the Chuck Cook meeting planner show which resulted in seven FAM Tours of the County. Promotions and Expo at The Villages Mobile Application A question was raised regarding the mobile application and how it was distributed to individuals. Ms. McNeal stated the Quick Response (QR) Codes were placed on the Chamber s information, visitor s packets, etc. Councilmember Carroll asked if the Chamber had considered a presence at bridal events taking place in the Northeast or other areas to bring large groups to the County. Ms. McNeal replied she and Ms. Bates, TDC Member and Chair of the Designation Weddings had been discussing the upcoming Fiscal Year what shows they would attend within the state. Ms. Bates stated the wedding market was tricky and unless you gear it toward wedding planners you could go out of state; but felt TDC/Approved 3 August 15, 2012
the return dollar would not be there going out of state. Councilmember Carroll asked if they planned to attend shows for the meeting planners. Ms. McNeal replied the Chamber does host Wedding FAM Tours for Bridal Planners. A discussion followed on Designation Weddings. Presentation by the Treasure Coast Sports Commission (TCSC) Mr. Rich Nalbandian, TCSC, handed out a folder to the members containing Projected Sponsored Sporting Events for October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013, Completed/Projected Sponsored Sporting Events for Indian River County for October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012, Suggested Sponsorship Criteria for TCSC, a sample Economic Impact Report and Articles on the American Amateur Baseball Congress World Series, a folder containing the above documents are on file in the Commission Office. Mr. Nalbandian referred to the Completed/Projected Sponsored Event handout and indicated the TCSC had 19 events closed out. He pointed the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Vero Beach Fall Blast and noted it was a very good example of collaboration. A discussion followed regarding the bid fees, sponsorship dollars and projected economic impact from the USSSA. Mr. Nalbandian replied the State of Florida had a denominator to use for the dollars spent at any event and Visit Florida provided that number. He referred to the sample Economic Impact Report and pointed out that no dollars were given out until the information on the report was verified and completed. Mr. Nalbandian mentioned the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Sandy Koufax World Series of which the TDC gave the TCSC an additional $15,000 for a three year contract. He indicated the event had not gone the way TCSC wanted it to go and plan to get out of the contract with AABC. Mr. Nalbandian referred to the Projected Sponsored Sporting Events for Indian River County and pointed out the numerous events scheduled for the month of October 2012. Update from the Cultural Council of Indian River County Ms. Barbara Hoffman, Chairman, Board of Directors for the Cultural Council, gave an update on activities from the summer 2012. She indicated the Cultural Council was putting together a Birding Festival scheduled for October 26-28, 2012 and was partnering with the Pelican Island Preservation Society, the City of Sebastian and the City of Vero Beach and there was a strong interest from the City TDC/Approved 4 August 15, 2012
of Fellsmere. She expected approximately 100-150 people would be attending the Birding Festival. Ms. Hoffman mentioned the Arts and Cultural Information Guide was in production and would be publishing 20,000 guides. She indicated the guides would be distributed through the Chambers of Commerce, Hotels, Restaurants, Members, Businesses and the Communities. She announced in October 2012, the Art of Networking will be presenting the 2012/2013 Arts and Cultural Information Guide at Costa d Este Beach Resort from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Ms. Hoffman stated the Riverside Theater would close down the boutique as it existed today and was working with the 14 th Avenue Galleries to display art work made in Indian River County. Ms. Hoffman announced a new event, Destination Tango, which would be held every fourth Saturday of the month and was a collaboration with Main Street Vero, Osceola Bistro, Costa D Este Beach Resort, The Art Galleries of 14 th Avenue, Swingsation s 14 th Avenue Dance Studio and the Cultural Council. Ms. Hoffman indicated the Cultural Council had been working on the connoisseur service and it would begin on the first of October 2012, coinciding with the publication of the Arts and Cultural Information Guide. She added the concierge service would be marketed though the Cultural Council s website and a guide to invite visitors to come to the Cultural Council for assistance while they visited to design and layout events to go to, as well as assistance with where to purchase tickets and make recommendations for restaurants and hotels. Ms. Hoffman mentioned Summerfest 2012 Symphony of the Americas concert sponsored by Global American Broadcasting (GAB). She said the GAB network produced live; worldwide via internet, concerts. She indicated at one point, over 20,000 people from around the world was listening to the concert from Vero Beach. Ms. Hoffman concluded the Cultural Council was focusing on the City of Sebastian and had joined the Sebastian Chamber of Commerce and the Sebastian Art Club. She mentioned the Cultural Council was working with the City of Sebastian on a special project that would be announced in the future, as well as the birding festival. TDC/Approved 5 August 15, 2012
Discussion on Ranking and Point System and Dollar Allocation Peter O Bryan Chairman O Bryan reiterated at the May 23, 2012 TDC Meeting there was a lot of discussion on the point system. He briefly reviewed the current point system for new TDC members. He handed out an Alternative Proposal for Tourist Tax Revenue Share, a copy of which is on file in the Commission Office. He said no action on the proposal should be taken, but an aide for discussion. Chairman O Bryan highlighted the following on the Alternative Proposal for Tourist Tax Revenue Share: Change the Chambers allocation to receive up to 65% of the proposed budget or $400,000 which ever was greater, and no presentations were to be made by the Chambers at the TDC budget meeting to allow more time to evaluate the other agencies. Take 10% of the TDC Budget and allocate to small projects limited to $15,000 or less per project. In order to obtain funding, the projects would have to obtain an average score of 75% or higher. Excess funds from the small pool would then be passed into the remaining 25% open category. Mr. O Malley commented on the Alternative Proposal for Tourist Tax Revenue Share and the 25% open category left for the Cultural Council, TCSC and other agencies to compete for a portion of the 25% and placed a lot of pressure on some of the smaller agencies presenting their programs. He also felt the Chambers should present, but significantly limit the time of the presentation. Mr. Kite felt the current point system worked and suggested a combination solution between the current point system and the alternative system that the larger organizations could assist with the special projects arising from time to time. He also felt the Chamber s should present in order for all agencies to see what each other were doing. Mayor Hill felt the biggest problem was the point system in place which was all or nothing. He continued the top ranked agencies received all of the funding requested and there was very little money left over to fund important projects for the community. He believed the purpose of the TDC was to serve the citizens of the community and make sure the funds were spent wisely. Mayor Adams felt the problem with the current point system left very little or no money for smaller projects and felt the TDC needed to setup some pool of TDC/Approved 6 August 15, 2012
funding to help foster the smaller projects. She felt the Chambers needed to present, but not necessarily at the budget meeting. Councilmember Carroll stated at the May TDC Meeting, the members voted 8-1 to recommend that $18,000 be utilized from the Tourist Tax reserves to fully fund the agencies requests and asked if they had been funded. Chairman O Bryan said the Board of County Commissioners did not approve the TDC recommendation to fully fund the agencies. Mr. Brown said the Heritage Center would receive $4,000 in funding and the Historical Society received no funding. He added at the end of September, if there were no storms the County would do a budget amendment and fully fund The Heritage Center and the Historical Society. Councilmember Carroll agreed with the Proposed Alternative and the presentation from the Chambers should be given prior to the TDC Budget meeting. She felt an allocation of 10% of the TDC budget for smaller projects may impact the middle group. Ms. Bates felt the Chambers presentations should be given prior to the TDC Budget meeting and said either way, with the proposed alternative point system an agency could receive the short end of the stick. She liked the idea of not allocating all of the funding in order to be able to fund those special projects. Mr. DiPietro said what it came down to was getting more heads in beds and increasing tourist funds by bringing more events to IRC. He felt it would only be a benefit for all agencies to see each other s presentations. Ms. Rebecca Rickey felt the Heritage Center provided something essential to the Tourism picture on a small scale, but was still worthy and should be considered. A lengthy discussion followed on allocating funding for smaller agencies, special projects, planning projects and the Chamber s presentations. Chairman O Bryan stated he would add the Proposed Alternative Point System to the November TDC meeting agenda for further discussion and if anyone had any comments to forward them to Terri Collins-Lister, Recording Secretary. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m. TDC/Approved 7 August 15, 2012