06-01-16 Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Minutes
Board Members Present: Janet Clark, Vanessa Nordahl, Dan Moderie, Dawn Hendrickson, Nautam Patel, Lisa Brown,
Laurie Otto -Bradford
Board Members Absent: none
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Dawn Jackson, Vonnie Day
Visitors: Tom Lewis, Scott Rieke, Tracy Johnson, Harry Wilson & Roe Hatten — Hockaday Museum
Meeting was called to order by Vanessa Nordahl, Board Chair, at 3:02 PM.
1. Hear from the Public— none
2. Hockaday Museum — Representatives presented information about the organization and
its Timeless Legacy Exhibition and opening reception for the exhibit August 12.
3. TBID Safety Awareness Updates — sharing of Do Not Rent lists is effective. KPD Officer Corbett confirmed
that properties should notify KPD whenever drugs are found and KPD will properly dispose.
4. Board Action
a. Approve minutes from the May 4, 2016 meeting:
Action: Motion was made by Dan Moderie to approve the minutes. Motion seconded by Janet
Clark. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. TBID financial statements for April, 2016:
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by
Dan Moderie. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
5. Board Discussion
a. Event updates - Spartan Race: a total of 7,418 racers participated, 3,528 in The Beast, 3,890 in The
Sprint. 62% were from out of state, over 6,000 came from more than 200 miles away. 50 states and
4 provinces were represented. More than 900 room nights have been reported with 5 properties
yet to provide numbers. The 2017 race will be held May 6 -7, the first time the Montana won't fall
on Mother's Day weekend. Spartan, Inc. projects increased participation in The Sprint that
weekend, since the event won't be on Mother's Day.
Dragon Boat — 22 teams have registered, 5 fewer than this time last year. Email and social media
campaigns are underway to recruit additional teams.
b. Group, M& C updates —The POMA Conference takes place at the Red Lion, June 15 — 18. Projected
attendance is 167, making it the largest POMA Conference to date. To support the event, the CVB
has created a POMA sticker and other collateral, special auto rates, airline/train information, local
activity provider discounts, story pitches and will provide volunteers for the conference. The POMA
Conference is serving as a model to evaluate services that can be offered to other national
conferences.
In May, CVB collaborated with Montana Office of Tourism, Glacier Country and Whitefish CVB on an
RMI Fam trip that covered Missoula, Kalispell and Whitefish. The group included 7 tour operators
from 7 countries. Also in May, Expedia and Glacier Country brought in a group of international
social media influencers who spent several days in Glacier Park and the Flathead Valley. CVB hosted
one of the influencers from Korea.
Dawn Jackson has been working with several group conferences: Spring Brook Ranch Yak Camp
which took place in May, Clan Donald and SCORE which will meet here in September and the
Montana Dept. of Agriculture whose conference will be here in 2017.
Dan Moderie is now the General Manager at Super 8. Laurie Bradford has promoted to Director of
Sales at Hilton Garden Inn.
c. Marketing updates — Revenue for 3rd Quarter was $100,756, up 9% with the addition of LaQuinta
and Greenwood Inn & Suites. CVB hosted 3 press trips: adventure travel writer, Matt Gibson; social
media influencer, Jae Jin Park; and budget travel blogger, Shereen Rayle. The number of social
media followers continues to increase, trending strongly toward mobile devices. Spring/summer
campaign has been launched using #FoundYourPark which leverages the National Park Service
#FindYourPark campaign. CVB is sponsoring a contest for a trip to Glacier Park for four including
airfare, accommodations and activities. A wide variety of media is being used to promote the
contest and incorporates geo-fencing in target markets and at outdoor activity -focused websites
related to national parks.
Meeting adjourned at 4:25 pm.
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, Please Contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808