07-05-17 Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
July 5, 2017
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Minutes
Board Members Present: Zac Ford, Dawn Hendrickson, Janet Clark, Lisa Brown, Dan Moderie, Shawn Campbell
Board Members Absent: Laurie Bradford -Otto
Guests: Marti Kurth, Glacier Symphony & Chorale
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Dawn Jackson, Vonnie Day, Joe Unterreiner
Meeting was called to order by Dawn Hendrickson at 3:07 PM.
1. Hear from the Public — Marti Kurth shared information about the GSC Summer Pops Concert at Rebecca
Farm, July 7 — 8. Festival Amadeus takes place August 8 — 13. GSC would like to explore ways to cross -
promote with TBID hotels.
2. Board Action Items
a. Approve minutes from the June 7, 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 May, 2017:
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by
Lisa Brown. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
3. Board Discussion
a. Glacier Half Marathon recap — Vacation Races did an excellent job managing the event. The Blackfeet
Tribe provided a welcome ceremony and camping at the Browning fairgrounds went better than
expected. TBID used a new Discover Kalispell branded tent at the racer expo to hand out guides, maps
and answer questions. Vacation Races is considering moving the race to the west side of GNP next year.
They're also looking at bringing their trail series to the Kalispell area. A possible location could be Foys to
Blacktail trails.
b. Event Updates:
Indoor Soccer — save -the -date cards are being distributed. Rob will meet this month with Flathead Soccer
Club, Flathead Rapids and MSC to determine how the various local organizations are going to support the
event. Registration will open 9/1/17.
Dragon Boat Festival — first Dragon Boat committee meeting was held June 29. KRH has returned as Title
Sponsor, Toyota will be Venue Sponsor, Glacier Bank is the Medal Sponsor and Fun Beverage is again a
Gold Sponsor. Montana Lottery is looking at a Gold Sponsorship. More Dragon Boat lodging packages
are needed. Eleven of the 31 teams registered are from out of the area. No Canadian teams are
registered at this point. Canadian contacts say they are not participating primarily due to the exchange
rate and prolonged economic downturn, but a few have mentioned the travel ban. Four individual
paddlers from Seattle and Vermont have registered. Vera Smith and Jennifer Young are helping build
Breast Cancer Survivor and Cancer Support Community participation by reaching out to other groups
around the state. A new BCS team from Missoula is planning to register. Statewide BCS and CSC teams
are being recruited. New entertainment at this year's festival includes a Saturday afternoon concert with
Gladys Friday band, a paddle board boxing tournament, beer games (for example, giant corn hole) and
craft beer tasting.
Spartan Race — 7,507 racers, 3,717 did The Beast, 3,790 participated in The Sprint. TBID properties have
reported just over 1,000 room nights, approximately 100 more than last year (not all properties have
reported). Those who stayed in Kalispell spent an average of 1.99 nights. 78% of those surveyed say they
will return next year. When asked what they would change about the event, those surveyed mentioned
the cost and the weather. Positive feedback was received on the atmosphere of the event, the people,
the free IPA and commented that "Montana wants us here." The Spartan Race brought in $3,940,532 to
the local economy.
Feedback on room nights generated by events is critical in determining ROI for promotions and event
grants. Data is being collected on the Firecracker Tournament. It appears that the Glacier Half Marathon
brought in at least a few room nights.
c. Event Grant status update: according to FVHS, the contract with roomroster.com was effective for one
year only. FVHS is soliciting TBID properties individually for sponsorships.
d. Marketing Updates: FAMS - in June, CVB hosted a family of four with Adventure Cycling for a bicycle -
focused press trip around Kalispell and Glacier Park. A photographer accompanied the group and
provided images for our photo library. Editorial will be used on Adventure Cycling, a nation-wide blog
for bicycling enthusiasts. CVB also hosted Heather Brown, a writer for Points North, an upscale
adventure publication based in Atlanta, GA. Heather and a colleague spent two days in Kalispell before
participating in the Glacier Half Marathon. STIR Report showed year over year occupancy in May down
4.6%. Kalispell Economy Class was up 9.5% and Mid/Upper Class was-10.8%. Social Media stats in May
showed Facebook with 32,672 likes, Instagram with 5,027 followers and Twitter with 38,400
impressions. The Dragon Boat social media campaign March 21— April 30 36, gathered 36,743
impressions and resulted in 23 completed applications for the Rocky Mountain championship. 72 Hours
in the Flathead and Face of the Flathead are two of the new slider stories that have been added to
discoverkalispell.com. They can be linked to and shared on social media and were designed as part of
the drive market and San Francisco direct flight social media campaigns. Recent press includes a NW
Travel Magazine featuring the Dragon Boat Festival, Arts in the Park, Summer Pops, The Event at
Rebecca Farm and the NW Montana Fair in "Local Flair and Flavor: Summer Events in Kalispell."
Kalispell and Moose's, Desoto Grill, Kalispell Grand and Hilton Garden Inn were featured in NW Travel
Magazine's article on a Cascades -to -Glacier Road Trip. The best way to get up-to-date info on GNP is on
the park's Twitter feed. Kalispell tear -off maps and Oh! Ranger Glacier Park guides are available in the
Visitor Information Center. The VIC is operating on our summer schedule: Monday — Friday, Sam to
5pm, Saturday, 10am to 4pm, Sunday, 10am to 3pm. Later in July, the VIC will be giving away Clif Bars
provided free through a partnership with American Park Network.
e. Group, M&C Updates:
Dawn is coordinating plans for the International Roundup Conference in April, 2018. Hosting the event
in Kalispell provides a significant opportunity to showcase our area to international tour operators who
focus on Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. Committee members so far include
Marlee Iverson of MOTBD and Debbie Picard of Glacier Country. Help will be needed to
plan events and welcome activities. Sponsor opportunities will be offered at the local, state and
national levels. Dawn sent out leads in June on a wedding and the Flathead Celtic Festival. CVB has
joined DMAI which provides access to a database of 40,000 meeting planners. Discover Kalispell
Meeting & Convention Linked In page now has 73 followers. The goal is to double that number in the
coming year. Dawn is sending a request toTBID members each week for updates on room availability.
The information is forwarded to the West Glacier Visitor Center where it's shared with visitors looking
for lodging. An email invitation to a Fall 2017 Kalispell Meeting Planner Fam was sent to 11,000 names.
Dawn is vetting the 23 people who have applied. The Kalispell Fam takes place the last week of
September, the week after a Glacier Country Fam in which we're also participating. Congratulations to
Dawn Hendrickson who was selected as one of the outstanding young leaders honored in the "Twenty
under Forty" program.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:15 PM
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, please contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808