06-07-17 Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
June 7, 2017
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Minutes
Board Members Present: Zac Ford, Dawn Hendrickson, Shawn Campbell, Janet Clark, Lisa Brown, Laurie Otto -Bradford
Board Members Absent: Dan Moderie
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Dawn Jackson, Vonnie Day, Joe Unterreiner
Meeting was called to order by Dawn Hendrickson at 3:05 PM.
1. Hear from the Public— no public comments
2. KCVB Event Grant applications:
Flathead Valley Hockey Association — Craft Brewers Cup Hockey Tournament and Beer Festival, December
1— 2, 2017
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve $2,500 cash and value of $1,000 assistance in in -kind
promotion with stipulations that a 3rd day of games is added as FVHA has proposed and a link to the
Discover Kalispell lodging page is provided to event attendees and is the only lodging link provided.
Discussion: FVHA proposes the addition of a third day of games which will allow for more teams but will
also bring added costs: $2,500 for jerseys and $1,000 for refs. Enhanced marketing of the event is also
planned and will target Missoula, Bozeman, Helena and Great Falls. Rob recommended surveying
participants to collect data on where they're staying and how much they're spending. FVHA is raising
$150,000 to install a concrete base for the ice at Woodland Ice Rink. Board recommended that FVHA
look into a MOTBD tourism facility grant. Board discussed that TBID properties get room nights through
the winter from FVHA jamborees. Board approved unanimously.
Event at Rebecca Farm -
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve a $500 sponsorship. Motion seconded by Shawn
Campbell. Discussion: sponsorship allows us to have a host destination table and distribute information.
Board approved unanimously.
Flathead Celtic Festival, September 16, 2016 -
Action: Motion made by Janet Clark to approve a grant of $1,000. Motion seconded by Shawn Campbell.
Discussion: event organizers are adding activities and growing the event each year. Board approved
unanimously.
3. Board Action Items
a. Approve minutes from the May 3, 2017 meeting:
Action: Motion was made by Zac Ford to approve the minutes. Motion seconded by Shawn
Campbell. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. TBID financial statements for April, 2017:
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by
Lisa Brown. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
c. FY19 budget adjustment due to increased health insurance costs:
Action: Motion was made by Lisa Brown to transfer $11,500 from surplus Pond Hockey Classic funds
in the CVB private funds account to cover the increased cost of staff health insurance. Motion
seconded by Janet Clark. Discussion: the budget is approved at the April board meeting each year,
however health insurance rate information is not available until June. A 13% increase was built into
the budget, but the actual increase in rates was 26% over last year. Monies will be transferred
during FY18. Board approved unanimously.
4. Board Discussion
a. Spartan recap — 7,507 racers were registered. 77% were from 100+ miles away. The Beast drew
3,317 racers and The Sprint attracted 3,790. Rain on Sunday prompted some racer no-shows and a drop
in the number of spectators which caused beer sales to be down. Spartan, Inc. continues to be
committed to the event and has scheduled May 5 — 6 as the dates for 2018. CVB created Spartan
Guinness World Record Burpee Event to draw people into downtown and add an incentive to stay in
Kalispell. All ages lined up at the entrances to Depot Park to help break the Guinness record. 757 was
the final count which was enough to establish the new record. Participants were given a free beer token
to redeem over the weekend at Moose's, Brannigan's or the Kalispell Brewing Co. Downtown businesses
reported increased traffic before and after the burpee event.
b. Event Updates:
Indoor Soccer — save -the -date cards have been printed and placed on windshields at tournaments
around the state including the Three Blind Refs Tournament in Kalispell. Clubs are responding with
interest. A committee meeting is planned for June. Rob will be working with Flathead Soccer Club,
Flathead Rapids and MSC. The website splash page is up. URL is www.montana.soccer . The website can
be used as a vehicle for communications for all local teams and will be useful in driving lodging business
for tournaments. Registration will open 9/1/17.
Glacier Half Marathon — organizers have found the permitting process challenging and have been
required by the tribe to move the event campground to the fairgrounds in Browning. GHM is hiring a
tribal workforce for the event. Participation is projected at 2,500 runners coming from 49 states and 5
countries. For 52%, it will be the first visit to GNP. Kalispell CVB will have a table at the Friday expo.
GHM is looking at holding the event in West Glacier next year. CVB is hosting a travel writer from Points
North Atlanta who will participate in the run after spending two days in Kalispell.
Dragon Boat Festival — save -the -date cards are being distributed. 28 teams are registered. Only one
Canadian team has committed so far. Past Canadian teams are being contacted to see if they plan to
attend. Six Rocky Mountain Championship Teams have registered: one from British Columbia,
Washington, California, Montana and two from Nevada. New festival activities for paddlers and
spectators are being planned including paddle board boxing.
c. Group, M&C Updates:
Dawn requests that everyone follow the Discover Kalispell Meetings & Convention Linked In page. M&C
news has an email list of 920. The enewsletter follows a consistent format: a group activity suggestion, a
featured conference property (must accommodate a minimum of 100), a link to an insight on an industry
publication and an invitation and sign-up to the FAM trip in September. Four RFP's were distributed in
May: Vancouver group, Ex. Forum for City Managers, Dow Agri -Sciences and the National Invasive
Species Council. Dawn send leads from International Roundup plus the tradeshow report and
information about attendees and leads. Hosting IRU in Kalispell next year is a great opportunity to put
Kalispell top -of -mind. Host hotel will be Red Lion with the banquet at Hilton Garden Inn. Let Dawn know
which receptors you're working with. Dawn is coordinating with tour operators to identify shoulder
season opportunities. RMI sponsorship opportunities are available. CVB encourages everyone to let us
know about visiting groups so we can provide welcome bags - 185 were distributed last month.
d. Marketing Updates:
TBID collections for 3rd Quarter show a 1% decrease year over year. Records indicate a 20% increase in
30 day exemptions over last year. STIR reports a decrease in April occupancy of 8%. The Governor's
Conference on Tourism took place in April 2016 which may account for some of the shift in occupancy for
the month. Comp set shows an average OCC of -2.78% for April. CVB will continue to focus events on
Kalispell and provide incentives to stay in town, for example the Spartan Guinness Burpee Event in Depot
Park and the free Dragon Bus transportation to the race venue for teams staying in Kalispell hotels.
Eagle Transit is providing a GNP shuttle this summer. The schedule is on the Eagle Transit website.
Spring / Summer Media Plan — CVB is launching a social media campaign focused on the Spokane drive -
market. Three summer events are featured: Bigfork White Water Festival, Bigfork Summer Theater and
the Event at Rebecca Farm. Clicks are directed to a unique landing page for each event on the Discover
Kalispell website that directs viewers to lodging packages and directory. Another segment of the
campaign is centered on the San Francisco market to continue to build brand awareness following up the
winter campaign and promote the summer season direct flight. Media placements are targeting outdoor
enthusiasts in include a sponsored story in SFChronicle.com, SFGate.com and local CBS affiliate
CBSSF.com in addition to ads on Facebook and Instagram.
Diane will present the CVB marketing plan at the Tourism Advisory Council meeting in Havre June 12 —
13. The group is planning discussion on why non-resident visitor spending has decreased. TBID board
discussion suggested visitors are preparing their own meals rather than eat in restaurants,
Canadians are coming less frequently and spending less when they get here. New residents may be doing
30 day rentals on hotels when they first arrive because long term rentals are difficult to find.
MOTBD requested input on questions tourism organizations would like surveyors to ask Montana
residents when they are interviewed.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, please contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808