05-04-16 Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Minutes
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Vanessa Nordahl, Dan Moderie, Dawn Hendrickson, Nautam Patel, Lisa Brown
Board Members Absent: Laurie Otto
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Dawn Jackson, Joe Unterreiner, Vonnie Day
Visitors: Tom Lewis, Scott Rieke, Julia Garvey, Mora McCarthy, Nick Moschetti
Meeting was called to order by Vanessa Nordahl, Board Chair, at 3:02 PM.
1. Hear from the Public— none
2. Amy Robinson with the Montana Wilderness Association gave a presentation about the organization's
hiking resources.
3. Nick Moschetti with Montana Department of Labor about the resources available to recruit staff during
the tight summer labor market.
4. TBID Safety Awareness information sharing — email alerts have become less frequent due to a drop in
activity. Car rental companies are experiencing similar challenges.
5. Board Action
a. Approve minutes from the April 6, 2016 meeting:
Action: Motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve the minutes. Motion seconded by
Janet Clark. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. TBID financial statements for March, 2016:
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by
Dan Moderie. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
6. Board Discussion
a. Event updates -
Spartan Race — 7,200 racers projected plus 2,000 spectators per day. World Champion racers will be
among the 3,000 Beast participants. NBC Sports will be filming The Sprint on Sunday. They're
calling the Montana race The Big Sky Sprint and placing it first in the series of five races they're
covering. VIP parking passes are available to TBID board members. It's important for properties to
complete the post event report sent out by the CVB so impact of the race can be evaluated.
Dragon Boat — Lakeside food vendors were offered the opportunity to apply early and have the
vendor fee waived. One Lakeside vendor submitted an application. The road closure permit is being
circulated to county departments. Flathead Community Foundation will not be the title sponsor for
2016. A new title sponsor is being sought. Kalispell Regional Medical Center has agreed to a $5,000
sponsorship. Other potential sponsors are being contacted.
Sports events — state softball, girl's fast pitch and soccer tournaments are taking place in May and
June.
b. Governor's Conference on Tourism — attendance was 500+, surpassing all previous attendance
records. Lunches at Red Lion went well in spite of fluctuating numbers. The welcome reception at
the Hilton Garden Inn was a success. The Sunday tours, bus transportation and entertainment were
well -received.
c. Group, M& C updates — Xanterra is providing a free Red Bus Tour to the TBID sales staff on May 26.
15 seats are available. Contact Dawn Jackson to reserve a seat. Travelodge has rooms available for
the Spartan Race. Dawn reviewed how leads are distributed to TBID properties. Group sales
meetings are open to everyone, including properties that don't have sales managers.
d. Marketing updates —The CVG will host three travel writers in May: one specialist in outdoor
adventure, one in budget travel and a social media influencer in collaboration with Glacier Country.
Kalispell City Council is reviewing issues associated with short-term rentals and considering 15
related zoning changes. Summer volunteers are needed for the VIC which will be open Saturdays
and Sundays starting June 18. The TBID marketing plan was approved by the Kalispell Chamber. It's
on the City Council agenda in the next couple weeks and will be present at the TAC meeting in June.
The theme of the May 17t" Chamber luncheon is on tourism. Jeff Mow and Kara Grau with ITRR will
present. The summer GNP staff will be briefed on resources and activities gateway communities
offer. The Kalispell Visitor Guide and other CVB info will be displayed at the West Glacier Visitor
Center. The Wayfinding Project is moving forward. Poles have been delivered and signs are in the
works. Vehicle directional signs should be up by September. The next phase of the project will be
gateway signage and kiosks. That will require additional grants and funding.
Meeting adjourned at 4:45 pm.
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, Please Contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808