Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council — May 30, 2013 — reading text

Tourist Development Council 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 Regular Meeting http://www.okaloosafl.com ~ Agenda ~ Thursday, June 27, 2013 2:00 PM Emerald Coast Convention Center Council Members & Staff Dale E. Peterson Chairman - Owner, Dale E. Peterson Vacations Thomas Rice Vice Chairman - Owner, Magnolia Grill Restaurant Daniel Empson Owner, Harry T's Lighthouse Restaurant Thom Gossom Owner, Best Gurl, Inc. - Mktg & Comm. Firm Joe Guidry Manager, Ramada Plaza Beach & RV Resorts Kelly Windes Commissioner District 5 Tuffy Dixon City of Destin Representative Charles H. "Bull" H. Rigdon City of FWB Representative Daniel O'Byrne Director Lynn Hoshihara TDD Attorney Greg Stewart TDD Attorney Pledge of Allegiance (Dale Peterson - Chairman) I. Consider Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale Peterson - Chairman) A. Tourist Development Council - Regular Meeting - May 30, 2013 2:00 PM II. Consider proposed updates to the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Plan presented in the form of an Ordinance pursuant to Section 125.0104 Florida Statutes (Dan O'Byrne/Lynn Hoshihara) A. Summary of Changes to Ordinance B. Chart of Proposed Revenue Allocations C. Ordinance No. 13 III. Consider Proposed 2013/2014 Tourist Development Department Budget pursuant to Section D.200 BUDGET ADOPTION of the TDD Operations & Procedures Manual (Dan O'Byrne, Nancy Hussong and Bill Leaman) A. Budget Adoption B. Bed Tax by Fiscal Year Tourist Development Council Page 1 Printed 6/26/2013 Regular Meeting Minutes June 27, 2013 C. Marketing Plan Budget D. Budget Recommendations E. Fund 104/460 IV. Update on vacant TDC lodging industry seat (Lynn Hoshihara) V. Destination Advertising Update (Peter Mayer Advertising) A. Shoulder Season Advertising Campaign recap and results, and Summer Season Campaign Update a. TDC Marketing Presentation VI. Schedule July TDC Meeting (Dan O'Byrne) A. Thursday July 25, 2013, 2:00 p.m. Emerald Coast Convention Center VII. New Business (Kelly Windes) A. Beach Safety and Accessibility Issues VIII. Public Comment (Dale Peterson - Chairman) A. General (3 minutes each) IX. Adjourn Tourist Development Council Page 2 Printed 6/26/2013  1.A Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department 1540 Miracle Strip Parkway Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548 Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of May 30, 2013 3:00 PM (Consider Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale Regular Meeting http://www.okaloosafl.com ~ Minutes ~ Thursday, May 30, 2013 2:00 PM Emerald Coast Convention Center I. Welcome & Pledge of Allegiance (Daniel O’Byrne) Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Departed Dale E. Peterson Chairman Present Thomas Rice Vice-Chairman Present - - Michael Bass Resigned - - Daniel Empson Present - - Thom Gossom Absent - - Joe Guidry Present - - Tuffy Dixon Destin Councilman Absent - - Charles Rigdon FWB Councilman Present - - Kelly Windes Commissioner District 5 Present - - Daniel O'Byrne Director Present - - Lynn Hoshihara & Present - - TDD Attorney(s) Greg Stewart I. Pledge of Allegiance & Welcome (Dale Peterson) Mr. Peterson brought the meeting to order at 2:00pm with the Pledge of Allegiance and welcomed everyone to the meeting. II. Consider Okaloosa County Tourism Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale Peterson) Motion to Approve April 25, 2013 Meeting Minutes RESULT: MOTION APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Rice SECONDER: Empson AYES: Peterson, Guidry, Windes, Rigdon III. Initial Presentation of Proposed 2013-2014 Strategic Marketing Plan Including Budgetary Background and Framework (Peter A. Mayer Advertising Agency/Dan O’Byrne) Ms. Michelle Clarke, of the Peter A. Mayer Advertising Agency, began by sharing a slide illustrating the January through December hotel occupancy numbers. She also shared the 2% collection rates, since March, which mirror the previous year’s numbers. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 1 Printed 5/31/2013 Packet Pg. 3  1.A Regular Meeting Minutes May 30, 2013 Ms. Clarke spoke about information pulled from online and social media showing Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of May 30, 2013 3:00 PM (Consider Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale keywords associated with the Emerald Coast, called a Conversation Cloud. The conversation clouds were all very positive including words such as; beautiful, love, fun, and weekend. She went on to identify specific objectives for their marketing plan and keyed in on leveraging awareness of the Emerald Coast brand. The company plans to focus on year round messaging, including; shoulder seasons, special events, and festivals, along with sponsorships and social media. Shoulder season campaigns include; Spring and Fall, A Very Emerald Christmas, and a Snowbird Campaign. The company’s research shows the Emerald Coast’s target audience is 25-64, with a household income of $50K annually. The media market reach is within a 13-hour-drive range and direct flight markets. The company would like to conduct an economic impact study, the last one was conducted in 2009, and a visitor profile. They plan to launch Instagram initiatives to communicate the Emerald Coast message soon. They will reintroduce the YouTube channel to utilize video to support A Very Emerald Christmas, as well as using Pinterest and other social media avenues. Ms. Katherine LeBlanc, also with the Peter A. Mayer Advertising Agency, spoke about earned versus owned media coverage and how the company plans on using each to benefit tourism, event attendance, and special events. Commissioner Windes questioned what the contingency plan would be in the case of a disaster, whether natural or otherwise, with the money being allocated as it currently is. Mr. O’Byrne answered the committee needed to formally address this issue in more depth; however, there are reserves that can be used for such instances. IV. Consider 1st Penny Capital Project Funding for Remainder of 2013 (Dan O’Byrne) Mr. O’Byrne discussed the proposed Marketing Plan, Budget and Financials, the Five Pennies and how ordinances affected them. He continued on to introduce Jim Trifilio, TDD Coastal Management Coordinator. Mr. Trifilio spoke about projects that enhance local communities and tourism opportunities, to include the Western Destin Restoration project. The restoration provides recreational and structural protection and costs about $8M. He also mentioned the Dune Planting Project on Okaloosa Island. Mr. Guidry questioned how the county project was paid for. Mr. Trifilio answered it is a 50/50 state and bed tax venture. The project is funded by bed tax dollars and then refunded by the state. Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department Page 2 Printed 5/31/2013 Packet Pg. 4  1.A Regular Meeting Minutes May 30, 2013 Next, Mr. O’Byrne introduced Mr. Bill Leaman, the Convention Center General Manager. Mr. O’Byrne explained Mr. Leaman is responsible for the convention center Minutes Acceptance: Minutes of May 30, 2013 3:00 PM (Consider Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council Meeting Minutes (Dale which generates between $900K to $1M a year in revenue. He is responsible for the 3rd and 4th pennies. Mr. Leaman spoke about potential expansion of the convention center in the future. Some of these expansions include an outdoor event area, a performance pavilion and porticos on the east and south sides of the building. The projects are estimated to cost $1M from the 4th penny. Mr. Leaman also explained the