Okaloosa County BOCC — March 18, 2014 — reading text

RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator Packet Pg. 585  BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: March 18, 2014 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Ed Schroeder SUBJECT: Pocket Ranger app advertising DEPARTMENT: Tourist Development Department BCC DISTRICT: STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Request approval for The Emerald Coast to be showcased as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the Florida State Parks at an annual cost of $15,000, payable in advance. BACKGROUND: State Parks nationwide outdraw all professional sports, theme parks, and National Parks combined with 310 million paid visits. The Florida Park Service is partnering with ParksByNature Network™ and PocketRanger.com to provide visitors and Florida state park enthusiasts with a free smartphone app. This interactive guide gives users access to all state parks and trails with detailed information, amenities, facility maps and directions. Users can plan an outdoor trip by searching for a park by GPS location or activity to find nearby locations to enjoy hiking, camping, boating, birding and more. Advanced GPS and GIS mapping technology allows users to track and record trails, mark waypoints and locate friends within the parks. Users can even cache GPS maps in advance to ensure that navigation remains possible in the event of lost mobile reception. The Emerald Coast has an opportunity to be showcased as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the State of Florida at an annual cost of $15,000. The Emerald Coast will be seen on every page of the Florida Official program in rotation, as well over key Static Pages exclusively, as well as the Prime intro Beaches splash page. The annual fee includes the following exposure to highlight The Emerald Coast as the destination of choice in Florida: • Coastal Beaches Florida- Title Full Page intro Sponsor Splash Page Beaches of Florida. • State Parks Region- Coastal Beaches- Prominent Static Banner R1 area Panhandle Sole Title Sponsor- Beaches and State Parks sections. • Escambia County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Gulf Islands National Seashore, and all county beaches; 45 pages/Static Banner. • Santa Rosa County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Navarre Beach Park; 11 Pages/Static Banner. • Okaloosa County Beaches- Prominent Front Static Banner including Gulf Islands National Seashore and all beaches in Okaloosa County; 27 Pages/Static Banner. • Walton County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Miramar Beach; 47 Pages/Static Banner. • Florida State Parks Statewide- Prominent front position rotation banner, all parks statewide- apps Android and Apple and Official State mobile web site. This position is the most visible Packet Pg. 586  banner location seen on the landing page and throughout the apps with the exception of exclusive static banner locations. • Activity Beach Florida State Park Sponsor- Prominent front Static banner -this position is the most visible banner location seen on the State Activity Page when keying in Beaches. • Regional Title Sponsor R1 Panhandle Prominent Front Static Banner -this position is on the map when keying R1 Emerald Coast will represent The Panhandle. • New York State Parks-Prominent front position rotation banner, all parks statewide- apps Android and Apple. This position is the most visible banner location seen on the landing page and throughout the apps with the exception of exclusive static banner locations. The New York exposure is being included as a bonus as New Yorkers are looking for alternatives as a result of Superstorm Sandy’s effects on the New Jersey shore. • 5 Proud Partner Posters for members as Proud Partner Florida State Parks. • Use of Proud Partner Link and logos for website, and printed materials. The In-House Strategic Marketing Plan includes a line item for Last Minutes Deals. To the greatest extent possible, such opportunities will be presented to the TDC for recommendation to the BCC for approval in advance. The TDC Chairman has been briefed on this opportunity and concurs with proceeding with BCC approval. The TDC will be updated on this opportunity at its next meeting on March 27, 2014. The $15K annual fee is due once The Emerald Coast banners are live on the aforementioned pages of the app. When questioned whether the County could pay monthly or quarterly in arrears, the ParksByNature representative advised the exposure is valued at $40K, but is being offered at $15K to get this initial partnership opportunity up and running. Pursuant to Section E.700(2) of the Tourist Development Department Operations and Procedures Manual, no advancement of funds will be issued unless specifically approved by the Board. Pursuant to the State Chief Financial Officer’s Reference Guide for State Expenditures, advance payment may be made if the payment results in savings equal to or greater than the amount earned by investing the funds and paying later or if the payment is essential to the operations of the agency and the goods or services are available only if advance payment is made. OPTIONS: Approve or Disapprove RECOMMENDATION: Approve The Emerald Coast as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the Florida State Parks at an annual cost of $15,000, payable in advance once The Emerald Coast banners are live on the aforementioned pages of the app. RECOMMENDED BY: Packet Pg. 587 APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator Packet Pg. 588 Packet Pg. 589 Packet Pg. 590 Packet Pg. 591 Packet Pg. 592 Welcome to Florida State Parks Page 1 of 2 Mobile App Resources About State Parks & Trails Statewide Brochures Park Brochures Trail Brochures Mobile App State Parks Newsletter Connections Newsletter 75th Anniversary Recreation Lands Links Planning a trip to a state park or trail? Now, smartphone users can download the Florida State Park app for on-the-go information. The Florida Park Service is pleased to partner with ParksByNature Network™ and PocketRanger.com to provide visitors and Florida state park enthusiasts with a FREE smartphone app, available to download today. Packet Pg. 593 http://www.floridastateparks.org/resources/mobileapp.cfm 3/10/2014 Welcome to Florida State Parks Page 2 of 2 This interactive guide gives users access to all state parks and trails with detailed information, amenities, facility maps and directions. Plan that perfect outdoor trip by searching for a park by GPS location or activity to find nearby locations to enjoy hiking, camping, boating, birding and more. Once you're there, advanced GPS and GIS mapping technology allows you to track and record trails, mark waypoints and locate your friends within the parks. You can even cache GPS maps in advance to ensure that navigation remains possible in the event of lost mobile reception. The app provides plenty of other features to maximize outdoor adventure: • Educational info, amenities, maps & directions. • Real-time Calendar of Events. • News, advisories, and weather alerts. • Social networking and photo sharing. • Potentially life-saving Alert feature. • Advanced GPS mapping features. • Record trail distance and time elapsed. • Recall, post or share saved data. • Friend Finder. • Built-in compass. New! The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Coastal Management Program has expanded its Coastal Access Guide into an app for your iPhone or Android phone. Before you leave for the beach you can find public access points by region, or county. Just download the "Official Florida State Parks and Beaches" app and select Florida Coastal Beaches. The app divides Florida's more than 2,000 public access sites into three regions, Panhandle, Gulf, or Atlantic, for ease of use. The app provides a comprehensive list of beach access points in each county along with the amenities each access point offers, including boardwalks, number of parking spaces, restrooms, picnic pavilions or lifeguard attendance. The app provides general information on the Department's coastal management program and NOAA's marine debris program. Data collection for the coastal access guide was funded by NOAA. The Florida State Parks Pocket Ranger® is available now on iTunes, Android Market and PocketRanger.com PocketRanger.com provides a step-by-step tutorial for using the app. Access to an internet or WIFI connection is required when downloading the app. A mobile website is also available. Packet Pg. 594 http://www.floridastateparks.org/resources/mobileapp.cfm 3/10/2014  Presents A New MOBILE Media program Featuring Integrated Mobile Media Platform Packet Pg. 595  PROGRAM INTRODUCTION ParksByNature Network® — Developer of the Pocket Ranger® integrated mobile platform together with FL State Parks, have created a new opportunity for Florida businesses to gain visibility and highlight services. Now, you can make sure visitors know where you are and what you offer - during their pre-trip planning and while in the outdoors. The Opportunity Over 24.9 million total annual visitors. Visitors want easily accessible information about the parks, facilities, and services - this is all available via their personal “smartphones”. You can reach these active families and outdoor enthusiasts either on a state-wide, or individual park basis. Maximize marketing impact by gaining direct access to a huge target specific audience - your customers! • Over 2 million monthly impressions (includes mobile websites and apps). This number should double by the end of summer. FREE DOWNLOAD Packet Pg. 596 E-mail: BethM@ParksByNature.com 2  FLORIDA STATE PARKS APP AND MOBILE WEBSITE New Florida State Parks App and Mobile Website - Provided Free Used for pre-trip planning and continually during trips.