Elko Convention & Visitors Authority. Marketing Committee Meeting Elko Convention Center Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Minutes

Transcription

1 Elko Convention & Visitors Authority Marketing Committee Meeting Elko Convention Center Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Minutes 1. Meeting called to order by Marketing Committee Chairman, Matt McCarty. Chairman Matt McCarty called the meeting to order at 8:03 am. Introductions were made around the table. 2. Roll call of Marketing Committee members- Non-action Item Committee Members Present: Ginna Reyes, El Aero Services, Inc. Lynn Rubel, Ruby Mountain Symphony Catherine Wines, Northeastern Nevada Museum Tara Josephson, Elko Daily Free Press Lizz Todd, Elko Daily Free Press Pam Borda, ECEDA Gary Koy, California Trail Center James Wiley, City of Elko Parks and Recreation Rhonda Zuraff, Newmont Committee Members Absent: Ex-Officio: ECVA Staff: Tony Buzzetti, Elko County Fair Board Diana Elwess, NNRDA Amy Mills, Western Folklife Center Shannon Brorby, DBA Jennifer Sprout, Elko Area Chamber of Commerce John Carpenter, Cimmaron West Perry White, Elko Daily Free Press Troy Edler, KENV TV Shannon Brorby, DBA Bill Vincent, Red Lion Inn and Casino Bonnie Ford, Gold Dust West Heather Tresner, Hilton Garden Inn Laura Gallegos, GBC Matt McCarty Don Newman, Executive Director Juli Nelson, Marketing Coordinator Tom Lester, Convention/Tourism Jen Stotts, ECVA Events Coordinator Cindi Canaday, Administrative Assistant

2 Visitors: Todd Valline, Ruby Mtn Film Festival Danny Alexander, Ruby Mtn Hot Air, Inc Troy Wouters, Elko Velo Cycling Team 3. Public Comment Period- Non-Action Item Pursuant to N.R.S , 2 (c) (3) this time is devoted to comments by the general public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified to be an action item. There was no public comment. 4. Approval of the December 12, 2012 Marketing Committee Minutes - Action-Item (public comment) There was no public comment. Ms. Ginna Reyes made a motion to approve the December 12, 2012 minutes. Ms. Rhonda Zuraff seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 5. Review of the 2013 Marketing Committee members as approved by the ECVA Board 1/22/13 non Action Item Mr. Matt McCarty invited those in attendance to review the 2013 member list and make any corrections known to ECVA administration staff. He indicated a change for the substitute for Jennifer Sprout from John Friedas to Laurie Sojak. There was no further discussion. 6. Presentation, discussion and possible approval of a request for marketing support funds from Ruby Mountain Hot Air Inc. in the amount of $ Action Item (public comment) Mr. Danny Alexander reviewed the schedule for the 2013 Ruby Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival on September He indicated approximately 40 balloon participants will make 2013 the largest hot air festival Elko has had to date. He said the sponsorship drive is getting a good response and the $ ECVA funds would be used for much needed advertisement outside Elko for the event. Mr. Don Newman added that this request is actually covered in the ECVA budget every year and Elko benefits greatly from the festival. He invited Mr. Tom Lester to share how direct advertising is done by ECVA at the Reno Balloon Festival and other FAM activities for this Elko event. Mr. Tom Lester said he was awarded the HOOK Convention in 2013 which will bring tour operators to Elko to ride in the balloons this year during the festival as well as tour Elko and be exposed to what Elko has to offer. He said since he attended the convention he has booked two other tour groups; one will come in June and another in October. He said it is important to get these tours into Elko because they have not been to Elko in the past and they will possibly market tours to Elko. He concluded his comments by saying that the Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival does a lot for Elko and it is an attraction that is really starting to catch on.

3 Ms. Pam Borda made a motion to approve the request of marketing support funds for Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival, Inc in the amount of $3, to be approved. Ms. Ginna Reyes seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 7. Presentation, discussion and possible approval of a request for marketing support from the Elko Velo Club in the amount of $ Action Item (public comment) Mr. Troy Wouters introduced himself and said he moved to Elko from Hawaii where he coordinated 30 cycling races, participated in over 200 cycling races through the years and he is a near pro level cycle racer. He said when he moved here and joined the local cycling club he wanted people to have the opportunity to experience what he did when he rode his bike through Lamoille Canyon so he decided to help them coordinate a race each year on the second Saturday in August called the Lamoille Canyon Hill Climb. He said Elko businesses have been generous sponsors of the event for two years now with great support from Rick, at T-Rix Bike Shop. Mr. Wouters asked if it would be possible for ECVA to include the Elko Velo Club in the Explore Elko pictorials on the I-80 billboard and other ECVA advertising media highlighting Elko. He said the race should be included along with the other events Elko is well known for because cycling is a million dollar business and Elko could benefit. Mr. Wouters explained his vision to make the race a 3 day race next year so people will stay longer in the Elko area which would be excellent for businesses. He said the $ would be used to generate advertisement publicity for the race and equipment for the race. Mr. Don Newman asked Mr. Wouters to keep ECVA aware of how the funds are being used. Mr. Wouters said he anticipated the first year most of the funds will be spent on postage and printing of posters. He played a video of the 2012 race for all present. Mr. Don Newman said this is the first time the club has asked for support and ECVA in the past has entertained the idea of working with local biking enthusiasts. He agreed with Mr. Wouters the annual race would be likely to attract a lot of participation from cyclists across the nation. Mr. Wouters said a larger cash prize is being considered to attract more teams to sign up for the race. He also said he is working with the BLM to secure closure of the roads for two hours during the event for safety. Other members of the committee commented that in areas they have lived cycling races were very popular. Mr. Tom Lester encouraged Mr. Wouters to get him HD video to put on the ECVA website to promote the club. Mr. Newman encouraged Mr. Wouters contact Ruby Mountain Relay to see if they would like to coordinate with the cycling race. Ms. Pam Borda made a motion to approve the request for $ marketing support funds for the Elko Velo Club. Ms. Rhonda Zuraff seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 8. Report on the ECVA Activities and Room Tax Revenue; Don Newman- Non-action Item Mr. Don Newman reported on the Room Tax Revenue for July - November. He reported room rates and room revenue are leveling off and are in an even holding trend but not all

4 and all really slowing down. He reported the Poetry Gathering ticket sales were up by 12%. 9. Status Report of Convention/ Tourism Activities; Tom Lester- Non-Action Item Mr. Tom Lester reported on ECVA Convention/Tourism activities and his travel schedule. Outdoor RV expo and other periodicals passed around to those present. He said at the LA Times Consumer show he handed out 1200 brochures and all of the handouts he had brought. He reported postcards to 300 convention prospects were mailed but because of a problem with the postal service code they were not delivered and will be sent out again. He reported the Hook Convention is coming to Elko in September and will have tour operators and 40 suppliers with booths in a mini trade show setting. Mr. Lester passed around to all in attendance for viewing the collection of periodicals with the latest Elko highlights. Mr. Don Newman recapped the Cowboy Poetry FAM tour because Mr. Lester was out of town on ECVA business at the time of the event. Mr. Newman was said it was a great success with 6 different media publications present. He said the tour was very impressed and there is already media coverage of Elko as a result of the tour. He indicated he expected more coverage in the future related to this Italian FAM tour. He encouraged all present to go to the Folklife Center and see the exhibit while it is still up this month. Mr. Lester reported he attended National Tour Association and the G0-West Summit and he had over 60 appointments between the two shows. Mr. Newman congratulated Mr. Lester s fine work in conducting 60 face to face sit down appointments with tour companies to sell Elko as a destination. Mr. Lester said he mentions to tour operators and owners the Mustang Monument as a destination point. Mr. Lester presented the Elko visitor guide and discussed briefly the adventure map and suggested itinerary tours as new features added this year. Mr. Lester said he is the chairman for the Cowboy Country Territory which includes the Gerlach area now which promotes Burning Man, West Wendover, Jarbridge and that area. Mr. Lester said he is working on a singles adventures map with all the attractions in the Elko area. He reported there is coverage of the area and events on the Cowboy Territory website and Facebook which is affiliated with the Nevada Commission on Tourism. He said he renewed ECVA s listing with HSMAI (Hospitality Sales $ Marketing Association International) Online Buyers Guide for He reported the stats from last year of 44,004 views and impressions click thru s of 697. Mr. Lester said there is some concern about finding space for conventions because at this time most event space in Elko is booked into the future. He said he does send interested parties to other hotels to see if there is space available there. He said the Nevada Press Association is finally going to meet in Elko for the convention as well as a FAM tour from International PowWow out of Las Vegas. He reported ECVA will be a sponsor with the TAP Convention for 2014 which will bring a tour to Elko. Mr. Newman added ECVA is tracking business that is turned away because of lack of space. He said this is the reason for exploring meeting space expansion of ECVA in the future. He reported all local facilities such as Red Lion, Stockmans, the Basque House, and GBC College are full for meeting space. He indicated there is a problem with the mining expo being landlocked and not having needed exhibit space. Mr. Gary Koy asked about the accommodation for room availability at the hotels in Elko

5 when events are held. Mr. Newman said during some events it is a problem and participants end up as far away as Winnemucca. 10. Status Report on the Marketing Activities; Juli Nelson- Non-Action Item Ms. Juli Nelson passed around printed materials to show what ECVA is actively engaged in with advertising. She said the area map is being revised and reprinted but info from BLM and Forest Service is forthcoming and the 4 Elko area campsites will be included in the new printing. She explained the ECVA website is getting revamped for a newer look. She said ECVA is busy right now promoting rodeos because it is the season. Ms. Juli Nelson encouraged the members of the committee to bring her information, pictures, and videos so ECVA can promote Elko events on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media used by ECVA to get the word out. She asked the members to review her written report for an updated review of ECVA marketing efforts and campaigns. Mr. Don Newman added that the Will James Society has been in Elko for the past 3 years and even though they are going to Reno this year they have chosen Elko as a headquarters and the society will rotate every two years to meet in Elko. Mr. Newman said this will help spotlight Elko as the society travels to different venues each year. 11. Status Report of the ECVA Events, Ms. Jen Stotts - Non-action Item Ms. Jennifer Stotts said the Mining Expo registration is well underway. The contracts with invoices were sent out in January. She said there are already 131 returning exhibitors who have responded and paid and sent a completed contract. She said 417 returned last year and it is expected this year will exceed that number. Ms. Stotts indicated many exhibitors have expressed a desire to have larger spaces to exhibit which is not possible due to limited space. She said hotel accommodations are also a problem because there is no space left in town and some exhibitors are planning on staying an hour and a half away in Winnemucca. She reported the Golf Tournament which brings in more people on the Monday and Tuesday of Mining Expo week is at full capacity and she is exploring options for expansion. Ms. Stotts talked about the upcoming Safety Olympiad 3 day competition between mining companies from several states which awards the winners and gives them bragging rights. She said this will be advertised on MSHA website, the Nevada Mining Association website, ECVA s website and facebook. On June 28 th Ms. Stott said Abracadabra will be performing an Abba tribute in the ECVA theater. Mr. Newman mentioned Gary and his wife, Sandy, at one time lived in Elko and played at the Red Lion. 12. Discussion of new ideas, referrals or suggestions from Committee members- Non- Action Item Mr. Matt McCarty invited those in attendance to comment at this time.

6 Mr. Gary Koy from the California Trails Center (CTC) said the grand opening was June 2, 2012 and prior to the opening ECVA partnered with CTC to have brochures printed and put up some billboards along the I-80 hwy. He reported the CTC has been awarded a Federal Global Initiative Fund grant which will pay for Mr. Tom Lester, Ms. Jan Peterson, and a representative from the Elko Delegation of International Pow-wow. He said CTC also received a $25, grant from Nevada Commission on Tourism to run ads for 2014 in Nevada Magazine and for billboard ads. He said currently CTC is running ads in True West Magazine and CTC requested their ad be near ECVA s ad for a packaged look. He said a video is being made and CTC will get Ms. Julie Nelson updated photos and the new video to post on the ECVA website. Ms. Lynn Rubel, Ruby Mountain Symphony said April 13 th is the date for a concert performance entitled Music of the American West. She said the local high school string orchestra will perform with the symphony for a few specialty cowboy songs and Shoshone dancers will perform some dance numbers. Ms. Rubel asked those in attendance to give her some ideas for publicity and funding. Mr. Don Newman said he will talk with the Western Folklife Center so they can let their members know of the event because he thinks interest would be high. Ms. Catherine Wines, Northeastern Nevada Museum said the outside banners which were supposed to be hung two years ago are being made. She reported a life member recently passed away and left a collection of another western artist which will be added to the Will James collection in the next couple of months and the museum will rename the area as a Western Art Exhibit instead of exclusively Will James. Ms. Wines said the mining exhibit is being prepared to be moved downstairs by summer. Ms. Ginna Reyes, El Aero Services, Inc. reported on the Sky Fair event to be held Sept 7, She said the Chamber is still busy organizing this as a new leadership program for She anticipates distribution of promotional materials in March at the The Nevada Airport Association event with hopes of developing interest for new pilot participation as well as unique and original aircraft. She also said she will have a booth at the Carson City open house in June because it had such high attendance (6000) last year. Ms. Reyes indicated she will have a major update for the members in the meeting next month. James Wiley, City of Elko Parks and Recreation said a four season guide will be published, printed and locally distributed as well as posted on Facebook. He said the City of Elko approved building a sports complex in Elko which will help elevate compaction issues of field space for games and help draw sport participants to Elko. He said many participants travel outside of the area to play games because Elko does not have room on the fields. Mr. Don Newman asked if there was an opportunity for Elko to host the state or district baseball or soccer tournaments. Mr. Wiley said baseball rotates around the state, but he does not know about soccer possibilities. Tara Josephson, Elko Daily Free Press reported Nancy Street is the new mining ad director at Elko Daily News. She said they have just launched some new services which help with website and social dashboard creation.

7 Rhonda Zuraff from Newmont said permitting efforts continue for existing and long-term projects in the mining sector for Newmont. She reported Long Canyon has progressed nicely with support from city councils in Wendover and West Wendover voting in for support for a water agreement allowing the project to move forward. Mr. Don Newman mentioned ECVA has been working with Jolene in Wells who has a ranch that can possibly be converted into a small convention center / meeting area which would be a good place for trainings, meetings, and hiring fairs for the mine employees and the potential oil exploration employees. Mr. Matt McCarty reported the hotels are doing well although occasionally there are some problems with lack of accommodation space for events which need large number of rooms for participants. He said in the last few days he has had to turn away events wanting to schedule 130 rooms. Mr. McCarty said Red Lion, High Desert, or perhaps Gold County could only accommodate rooms each if they were empty. He talked about tours coming to Elko and wanting to schedule rooms and having a problem if there is not enough room space available. He said Cowboy Poetry did not fill up all the hotels in town this year but the Mine Expo has already met full capacity citywide except for a few lower priced rooms. He indicated this is true up to five months out citywide with hotels 90% booked. Mr. McCarty said the 2013 Government Affairs meeting was well attended and he thanked ECVA for hosting. He said the 2013 Legislative Session is ongoing and he encouraged any agency or organization with concerns to contact him. He said the Government Affairs will be meeting weekly. 13. Public Comment Period- Non-Action Item Mr. Todd Valline, Ruby Mtn Film Festival said he would like to be on the agenda for the next meeting. He mentioned submissions of photos and videos for the 3 rd annual RMFF will be announced soon with the theme A Day in the Life of a Northeastern Nevada Miner. Mr. Danny Alexander, Ruby Mtn Hot Air (RMHA), Inc mentioned the many organizations the RMHA supports Chili Feed (POW), Sky Fair, Relay for Life, and other balloon festivals across Nevada. He said there are five balloons and pilots in the association with 34 members, 20 of which are local memberships. 14. Adjourn Chairman Matt McCarty announced that the next marketing meeting will be held on April 10, He adjourned the meeting at 9:09 am.