Okaloosa County BOCC — August 2, 2016 — TDD Manual 080216 — reading text

well as familiarization tour participant convenience and preference. Purchase of airfare for a familiarization tour participant shall not be considered payment in advance requiring Board approval. Participants for whom airfare is purchased may be required to sign an agreement identifying the terms under which reimbursement to the County will be required in the event the participant cannot attend or reschedule. 12 of 35 TDC 06-23-2016 BCC 08-02-2016  f. The County recognizes that promotional incentives (e.g. overnight stay, tour tickets, airline tickets) are customary within the tourism industry (e.g. familiarization tours, road shows, sweepstakes) for the promotion of the destination. As long as these expenses are in connection with the performance of promotional duties, they are authorized by Florida Statutes. County staff will remain cognizant of the public perception of county funds being used for this purpose and will attempt to receive such items on a complimentary basis from partners prior to purchase with tourist development tax dollars. TDD staff shall adhere to the Human Resources Code of Conduct. 2) The Director is responsible for presenting post-event reports for promotional travel and entertainment-related expenses. Reports may address the following areas as appropriate: a. Purpose of the event b. Attendee information c. Room night information d. Return on investment / Metrics for success (e.g. business booked, media coverage) G. INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS G.100. MEDIA CO-OPS 1) Media co-ops are defined as advertising partnerships between the TDD and industry partners. Offering media co-ops (e.g. print, digital, broadcast) provides an opportunity to work with industry partners to jointly market the destination. 2) Estimated media co-op revenues shall be identified in the Strategic Marketing Plan based on historical participation, along with the methodology for computing the amount per partner. 3) After media has been placed by purchasing, TDD staff is authorized to develop and send media co- op opportunities to all industry partners along with a respond-by date. The number of partners may vary by placement. If demand is greater than the available slots for a particular placement, a lottery system shall be used to determine co-op partners (primary & alternate) for that placement. 4) The media co-op schedule including all responding partners, confirmed partner placements, and amount per partner shall be identified in tourism promotion and marketing reports to the Council and Board. 5) TDD staff shall distribute the media co-op schedule, including deadlines for submission of creative, to partners. In the event a primary partner is unable to provide creative by the deadline, the alternate partner may be contacted. 6) TDD staff shall invoice partners upon receipt of proof of performance, with a copy of the invoice forwarded to the Clerk’s office. G.200. TRADE SHOW CO-OPS 1) Trade show co-ops are defined as trade show partnerships between the TDD and industry partners. Offering trade show co-ops provides an opportunity to work with industry partners to jointly market the destination. 2) Estimated trade show co-op revenues shall be identified in the Strategic Marketing Plan based on historical participation, along with the methodology for computing the amount per partner. 13 of 35 TDC 06-23-2016 BCC 08-02-2016  3) After budget adoption, TDD staff is authorized to develop and send trade show co-op opportunities to all industry partners along with a respond-by date. The number of partners may vary by show. If demand is greater than the available slots for a particular show, a lottery system shall be used to determine co-op partners (primary & alternate) for that show. 4) The trade show co-op schedule including all responding partners, confirmed partner shows, and amount per partner shall be identified in tourism promotion and marketing reports to the Council and Board. 5) TDD staff shall distribute the approved co-op schedule to partners. 6) TDD staff shall invoice partners no less than thirty (30) days prior to the show, with a copy of the invoice forwarded to the Clerk’s office. In the event a primary partner is unable to participate, the alternate partner may be contacted. Refunds may be provided if a partner is unable to attend. H. SOCIAL MARKETING H.100. SOCIAL MARKETING 1) Social marketing is defined as creating web content through social media. The Tourist Development Department is authorized to engage online travel writers (e.g. bloggers) to promote brand awareness and image to specific demographic groups by covering specific topics in their posts written specifically for publication on the County’s leisure website. 2) Determination of whether a particular blogger meets the needs of the County is at the discretion of the Tourist Development Department. The following factors may be considered as appropriate: a. Target audience (e.g. demographics, geography, reach) b. Relevance of usual posts and expertise to Emerald Coast’s current campaign c. Success rate for this blogger (e.g. number of website clicks, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, etc generated from previous posts) 3) Bloggers may be utilized to build the Emerald Coast message and drive traffic to the website on a “pay per blog” basis, including base pay and performance pay. 4) To ensure consistency and continued reader engagement, bloggers may be expected to produce a certain number of words per week or the equivalent of several shorter posts or a few longer articles. The following factors may be considered as appropriate in determining the base price per blog: a. Target audience (e.g. demographics, geography, reach) b. Length and/or frequency of post(s) c. Use of photos and/or video d. Amount of research required e. Whether social promotion is included f. Byline location g. Inclusion of blogger bio and/or link to blogger’s website or social accounts h. Success rate for this blogger (e.g. number of website clicks, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, etc generated from previous posts) 5) To incentivize bloggers to focus on building better content rather than just counting words, performance pay per blog may be provided based on the following metrics as appropriate: 14 of 35 TDC 06-23-2016 BCC 08-02-2016  a. New Comments b. New Subscribers c. Unique Visitors d. Increase in Inbound Links 6) All blogs must include at least one photo. Bloggers shall be responsible for obtaining releases, licenses, permits or other authorization to use photographs, copyrighted materials, artwork or any other property or rights belonging to third persons. Bloggers shall indemnify and hold the County harmless from any and all such claims arising from their blog(s) and provide a conflict of interest form. 7) All blog submissions will be reviewed by the marketing team and determination of whether a particular blog meets the needs of the County is at the discretion of the Tourist Development Department. 8) Approved blogs will be posted on EmeraldCoastFL.com. I. BIDDING FOR SPORTS EVENTS I.100. BIDDING FOR SPORTS EVENTS 1) The sports sector of the recreation industry abounds with events at the regional, national, and international level for which organizations submit bids to demonstrate they can best host the event. Bidding for sports events provides an opportunity to increase visitation during periods of low occupancy. The process of submitting a proposal, application, or bid to host an event is often referred to as the “bid process” and shall not be confused with the bid process outlined in the County’s Purchasing Manual. 2) A monthly report of sports event bid opportunities shall be presented to the Council and Board for approval and authorization to submit. The report may address the following areas as appropriate: a. Summary information (e.g. sport type, dates, venues/facilities) b. Management team (e.g. TDD staff, local club, regional association) c. Financial information (e.g. budget, community support, contingency funds) d. Anticipated return on investment / Metrics for success (e.g. out-of-area visitors, sports industry prestige) 3) The Tourist Development Department is authorized to engage in the bid process for approved sports event bids. Bid applications shall be signed in accordance with County Purchasing Manual approval thresholds. 4) Any contracts or agreements resulting from sports event bids awarded to the County shall be approved in accordance with section E.300 of this Manual. 15 of 35 TDC 06-23-2016 BCC 08-02-2016  SECTION THREE: OPERATIONAL & CAPITAL FUNDING REQUESTS ANNUAL APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 1 J.100. PURPOSE The TDD may provide operational and capital funding support to organizations promoting tourism within the sub-county taxing district, as authorized under Section 125.0104, Florida Statutes, and Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Plan. J.200. AUTHORIZATION The TDD will set aside a portion of the overall annual budget as a budgeted line item to fund operational and capital funding requests approved in accordance with this Manual. J.300. APPLICATION PROCESS 1) The application must be completed in its entirety in order for the funding request to be presented to the Tourist Development Council for consideration. Supplemental information may be provided, but summary information must be provided in each section of this form 2) Applications are due by May 1 to be considered for the upcoming fiscal year budget. If May 1 is a Saturday or Sunday, applications are due the first weekday in May. For example, applications for expenses to be incurred October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016 are due no later than May 1, 2015. 3) The individual signing the Application must be authorized to enter into agreements on behalf of the requesting organization. 4) Applications must include an original signature and may be hand-delivered or mailed to the Tourist Development Department, 1540 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548. Incomplete applications and applications received after 5pm on May 1 may not be considered. A Conflict of Interest form must be submitted with the application. 5) Applications received by May 1 shall be presented to the Tourist Development Council during its May budget meeting to be considered for funding as part of the annual budget process. 6) Upon final adoption of the annual budget by the Board of County Commissioners in mid- September, applications will be executed in accordance with County Purchasing approval authority limits and a purchase order or contract issued. 7) Applicants shall be notified of their funding status in mid to late September. 8) An exception to the May 1