10-03-18 Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
October 3, 2018
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Minutes
Board Members Present: Dawn Hendrickson, Emily Schroeder, Sean Morris, Janet Clark
Board Members Absent: Shawn Campbell, Dan Moderie, Zac Ford
Staff Present: Joe Unterreiner, Dawn Jackson, Vonnie Day
Guests: Adam Libby, Rich Vasquez
Meeting was called to order by Vice -Chair Dawn Hendrickson at 3:08 PM.
1. Hear from the Public— none
2. KCVB Event Grant Requests -
a. Big Sky 5V5 Dual Championship — Rich Vasquez, representing Kalispell Wrestling Club,
submitted a grant request for $3,600 for a 5V5 tournament at the fairgrounds, November 9 — 11.
Rich said the event will be attractive to wrestlers because the tournament structure allows them a
lot of chances to compete over the weekend. He is hoping to attract 60 teams and projects 100+
room nights. Motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve a $1,500 cash grant toward
venue cost payable to Flathead County Fairgrounds plus an in -kind promotion package up to $500
in value. Motion was seconded by Janet Clark. Discussion: wrestling events typically yield a
strong return in room nights. The event is new to the area. It's scheduled in November before
the wrestling season starts. Rich Vasquez has a lot of regional wrestling contacts so has a good
chance of recruiting teams. Board approved unanimously.
b. Next Generation Bull Riders — Adam Libby with Libby Productions submitted a grant request
for $5,000 for venue and hotel costs for his event, November 30 — December 1. The event will
attract 30 up-and-coming bull riders from across the U.S. who are being groomed for PBR and
PRCA. Adam projects 220 room nights. Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve a cash grant
of $1,000. Motion was seconded by Dawn Hendrickson. Discussion: Adam produced the event
last under the auspices of Elite Professional Bull Riding and received a $5,000 grant from the TBID.
Hilton Garden Inn who served as the host hotel was the only property that reported room nights
from the event. The timing of the event is good and the event was very well -run event last year.
Board approved unanimously.
3. Board Action Items
a. Approval of minutes from September 5, 2018: Motion was made by Emily Schroeder to approve
the minutes. Motion was seconded by Sean Morris. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. Approval of TBID financial statements for August, 2018: Motion was made by Emily Schroeder to
approve the financial statements. Motion was seconded by Sean Morris. Discussion: None. Board
approved unanimously.
4. Board Discussion
a. Event updates:
Dragon Boat Recap-43 teams participated, Bozeman Vikings won the Rocky Mountain
Championship. The schedule had to be moved up Sunday due to wind conditions, but all teams
were able to race. The paddle board boxing tournament, human foosball, live music, African
drumming and other entertainment were well -received. Beer sales were considerably higher
over 2016. 155 volunteers worked 200+ volunteer shifts. Representatives of the Bigfork
Chamber assisted over the weekend to get a feel for event operations. The CVB coordinated
and raised sponsorship for The Dragon Bus which provided event transportation to teams
staying at Kalispell TBID properties. There were 60 riders both days.
b. Marketing updates:
i. Strategic planning update — RF(Xs are being submitted. Selection should be wrapped up by
the end of October.
ii. International Media FAM — due to growing international interest in Montana, MOTBD is
sponsoring FAM for four international travel writers this week. Two are from France, one
from Amsterdam and one from Germany. Missoula, Whitefish and Great Falls CVB's are
collaborating. Tia Troy with Lightning Bug PR is assisting with the tour. Kalispell site visits
include the Conrad Mansion, the Hockaday, Lone Pine State Park and several local
restaurants.
iii. STIR report: occupancy for August was down 10.1%, comp set was also down.
c. Group, M&C Updates:
i. Small Market Meetings recap, September 23 — 25. Dawn had 32 appointments over two days
with meeting planners and has already received three RFP's. The conference attracts
planners who are a good fit for Kalispell. Several expressed interest in future Kalispell FAMS.
Montana had good representation from Billings, Great Falls, Missoula and Glacier Country.
ii. Other updates:
• Meetings Today featured a story about how the KCVB worked with International Roundup
to coordinate logistics and transportation between the Red Lion and the Hilton Garden Inn.
Debbie Picard sent the request to submit the story.
• Waiting for responses from POMA and PNWAR on proposals for conferences.
• Working with Doug Russell, Kari Gabriel and the Montana League of Cities on a proposal for
an October conference in 2020. Kari is on the conference committee and is advocating
extending the conference one day.
• The USS St. Paul Reunion for September, 2020 has been confirmed. Attendance will be
200+.
• The International Bear Association Conference has been confirmed for late September,
2020. Attendance will be 500+.
• Planning is underway for a MWED Conference for spring or fall, 2020.
• Welcome bags were provided to the Montana National Guard and Confluence conferences.
• Dawn hosted a FAM site tour for Leah Horne with Western Arts Federation in Denver.
Meeting adjourned at 4:33pm
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, please contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808