MINUTES MOORESVILLE TRAVEL AND TOURISM AUTHORITY THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014 9:00 AM CHARLES MACK CITIZEN CENTER, MOORESVILLE, NC Present: Ron Johnson, Mitch Abraham, Nick Kothadia, Amit Govindji, Commissioner Mac Herring, Leah Mitcham, Courtney Wolfrom Guests: Kim Sellers, Kim Pecora, Joe Cooke, Tonya Thompson, Cathy Carpenter, Dr. Chris Floyd, Vicky Gunther, Christine Patterson, Tony Bassat, Drew Caudle, Beth Compton, Nick Carrington, Gayle McConnell, Renee Hall, Commissioner Lisa Qualls, Commissioner Thurman Houston Mr. Johnson called the meeting to order at 9:05 AM. A quorum was present. 1. Approval of Minutes: Mr. Johnson called for approval of the minutes from the February meeting. Mitch Abraham made a motion that the minutes be approved. Nick Kothadia seconded the motion. The motion passed and the Minutes were approved. 2. Commissioner Qualls Commissioner Qualls stated the Mooresville Travel and Tourism Authority was formed in 1999. The Town Board s goal over the past year was to review all the Committees and look for accountability and sustainability. In 2013 gross receipts for the CVB were approximately $800,000.00. The Town Board s concern was do the hotels have enough representation on the CVB Board. One of Judy Randall s recommendations was to appoint people with solid tourism background to the CVB Board. The other change was to increase the occupancy tax and have the money go to the Town to utilize for capital funds. Commissioner Qualls stated she would like to get feedback from the hotels anonymously and asked them to fill out on a slip of paper and return to her. Commissioner Herring stated the increase in occupancy tax would assist with projects. Tony Bassat with the Days Inn asked why increase the occupancy tax and give to the Town. Raising the occupancy tax will penalize tourists coming to Mooresville. Commissioner Herring stated the Town Board was looking for ways to maximize heads in beds but the resolution is dead.
Dr. Chris Floyd, owner of the Hampton Inn, stated he had not heard a clear statement of what changes the Town Board was proposing. Commissioner Herring stated the Town Board wanted to raise the occupancy tax 1% and give to the Town, add two people and ex-officio to the CVB Board and increase the administration fee. The ex-officio position would be for Ron Johnson when he retires. Dr. Chris Floyd stated the market is not like it was in 2006 and 2007 and the increase would mean hotel guests would be charged more. Commissioner Herring stated the CVB could make recommendations on how to utilize the 1% tax. Tonya Thompson with the Fairfield Inn asked if there were specific projects. Commissioner Herring stated the 1% would allow the Town to do projects like signage, turf soccer fields or lights for fields. Nick Kothadia, owner of the Days Inn, inquired if the language in the Resolution had been changed to state how the funds would be utilized. He stated he is a Board member and found out about the proposed changes to the Resolution during the snow storm and two business days prior to the scheduled Town Board meeting. Dr. Chris Floyd stated the hotels are the reason there is an occupancy tax and they would like a say in how it is spent instead of giving it to a government entity to waste. He stated he was not in favor of a 1% increase in occupancy tax. Nick Kothadia stated the CVB does have a capital fund. Mac Herring stated the reason for the changes to the Board is for more diversity. Representation is currently budget hotel properties located at Exit 36. Amit Govindji, owner of the Super 8, stated he was offended by the reference that the hotel representation is budget. He stated his family owns other flags like Hampton Inn and the Super 8 is a top notch hotel and his average daily rate (ADR) is one of the highest across the state. Nick Kothadia, owner of the Days Inn, stated the CVB Board has always been open to any hotel. He stated if there was a problem the hotels would have brought it to the attention of the CVB Board. Amit Govindji stated if Mooresville was a budget town that would affect his bottom line, but Mooresville is not a budget town. Ron Johnson stated the hotels needed to state their opinion on the slip of paper and give to Commissioner Qualls.
Mitch Abraham stated he has served on the CVB Board for several years and believes the Board has done a great job. Mitch Abraham stated the CVB Board of five members manages a budget of $800,000 and the Town Board manages a budget of $48 million with just six commissioners. Commissioner Herring stated the Resolution was dead. Ron Johnson stated the meeting needed to move forward to the next item on the agenda. 3. Executive Director s Report: Leah reported the CVB assisted 143 individual & leisure travelers with Mooresville hotel & visitor information, distributed 2205 visitor guides and provided visitor services for 3 sports events and 1 meeting. Leah reported she is meeting with the local wedding venues to see how the CVB can better promote them and assist with hotel rooms. One hotel has reported approximately 1500 room nights in 2013 from weddings. Leah reported the host hotels for Powerade State Games are Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Wingate and Sleep Inn. Leah reported the host hotels for USSSA baseball are Hilton Garden Inn, Wingate, Fairfield Inn, Candlewood Suites, Sleep Inn and Holiday Inn Express. The first tournament is March 8-9. Leah reported the host hotels for FCCA tournaments are Candlewood Suites, Wingate and Fairfield Inn. Leah reported the FLW Walmart BFL tournament had 286 participants February 22. Leah reported the KPAC Cup brought in 397 gymnasts to Talbert February 22-23. Leah reported she attended the Chamber Board meeting on February 26. Leah reported GoPro Motorplex has chosen the TownePlace Suites and Hampton Inn as host hotels for their events. The Enduro Race held on February 15 had 20 teams. Leah reported the NC AAU Bi-Annual Board of Managers meeting will be held on June 8 at the Hampton Inn and Wingate Inn. Leah reported the Race City Grapplers wrestling tournament last weekend had approximately 40 wrestlers, five were first time wrestlers. The Clinic Friday night was led by Santonio Thompson, a 2010 graduate of Mooresville Senior High School, the 2014 4A (135 lb) State Champion and 5 th in 2013 US Nationals in Greco-Roman (145 lb). Leah reported the presentation to the NC Call Center in Raleigh will be March 13 at 11:00 AM. Leah reported she is entering data into Simpleview and should be completed by the end of March. 4. Marketing Report: Courtney reported she attended the education sessions at the Governor s
Conference in Charlotte. The sessions included marketing, current travel habits of various markets, and best practices from national and Southeastern media outlets. Courtney reported the billboards at Exit 45 in Troutman and Exit 79 in Yadkin Valley have been updated with the Need for Speed campaign. The Exit 45 billboard includes the NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame and Memory Lane Museum. The Exit 79 billboard includes GoPro Motorplex and The Pit Indoor Kart Track. Courtney reported the CVB has implemented new digital and print advertising campaigns with Convention South and Association Executives of NC based upon the Randall Travel Marketing report. This campaign focuses on small meetings, market strengths and additional presence in the annual special Charlotte region issue of Convention South. Courtney reported the CVB has a six month digital and print advertising campaign plus a webpage with Sports Destination Magazine which will highlight the sports facilities and ability to host major sporting events. Courtney reported the next target advertising market will be weddings. Courtney reported the visitor guide is online in both a.pdf and new reader friendly flip style version. There were more than 80 downloads in February in addition to visitor inquiries serviced. Courtney reported Facebook likes in February increased by 12%; 482% (by 2,598 people) since July 1. Twitter followers in February increased by 39%, 1,000% (by 480 people) from the beginning of fiscal year. Courtney reported the Powerpoint presentation for the NC Call Center is in the process of being updated for the presentation on March 13. 5. Police Department Report: Captain Joe Cooke reported Walmart had a bomb threat and a couple of businesses reported armed robberies. 6. Financial Statement: Mr. Johnson reported the financials for July-February were $653,120.11 for revenue, $87,893.22 for personnel, $64,028.05 for operations, and $199,473.46 for advertising and promotions. 7. Chairman of the Board s Report: Mr. Johnson reported the CVB has been working with the Recreation Department for several years and the tournaments are picking up. Talbert Recreation Center is in need
of scoreboards. The CVB would like to purchase two wall scoreboards and one portable scoreboard and donate them to the Town. Nick Kothadia made a motion to purchase the two wall scoreboards and one portable scoreboard and donate to the Town of Mooresville. Amit Govindji seconded the motion. Ron Johnson asked for any discussion. The motion passed unanimously. The hotels agreed with the proposal. Mitch Abraham stated the scoreboards had options which could be added in the future. Mr. Johnson stated Mike Rink with Twister s Shag Club contacted him about the Fall Cyclone for 2014. Mr. Johnson asked the hotels if the room nights had increased from last year. Tonya Thompson with the Fairfield Inn stated they were sold out. Cathy Carpenter with the Hampton Inn stated they were sold out. She stated attendance in the past had been low, but 2013 saw an increase. The event has consistently been held in Mooresville for years. Tonya Thompson asked if sponsorship was paid prior to the event. Ron Johnson stated yes. The sponsorship covers the transportation. Mr. Johnson stated Judy Randall s presentation recommended the CVB office move to the interstate. Temporary and permanent office space has been located at Langtree. The permanent office will be in a new building that faces I-77. Mitch Abraham discussed the upfit of the new temporary office and permanent office at Langtree. Mr. Johnson stated the CVB will be on the DOT signs and the billboard at Exit 31 will be changed to direct people off the interstate for visitor information. This will allow the CVB more opportunity to direct people to the attractions, downtown, the lake, etc. Beth Compton with the Springhill Suites stated the CVB would be much more visible. Mitch Abraham stated the CVB will still have a presence in downtown. Courtney stated the CVB was researching kiosks. Amit Govindji stated you can never do enough marketing.
Mr. Johnson asked the Board to entertain a motion to execute the Letter of Intent from Langtree. Mac Herring made the motion that the CVB execute the Letter of Intent from Langtree. Nick Kothadia seconded the motion. Mr. Johnson asked for discussion. Mitch Abraham stated there may be room for negotiations, but the rate is very good. There was discussion regarding timeline of Letter of Intent and visibility of other locations. Mac Herring amended the prior motion to include Ron Johnson as Chairman has the authority in using his best judgment to negotiate and execute the Letter of Intent. Nick Kothadia seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Johnson asked Leah to pursue options for a presence in downtown. 8. Mr. Johnson called for any old business. Tonya Thompson inquired about the conditions of the soccer fields. Leah stated the fields were in good shape. Mr. Johnson stated the Town had included money in the budget to do maintenance on the soccer fields. 9. Mr. Johnson called for any new business. The meeting adjourned at 10:25 AM. Respectfully submitted, Leah Mitcham Executive Director