I1. TBID ApptCity Clerk's Office
" ' (406) 758-7756 cityclerk@kalis elp l.com
P.O. Box 1997, 201 First Avenue East
_�.._ � L Kalispell, Montana, 59903
MONTAIVA www.kalispell.com
REPORT TO: Doug Russell, City Manager P-
FROM: Aimee Brunckhorst, CMC, City Clerk & Communications Manager
SUBJECT: Appointment to the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
MEETING DATE: November 6, 2017
BACKGROUND: The Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) Board of
Directors is requesting City Council confirmation of their decision to replace board member
Laurie Otto with Emily Schroeder as a large property representative. Emily Schroeder has
replaced Laurie Otto as the Director of Sales at the Hilton Garden Inn. The original term expires
April 30, 2018.
RECOMMENDATION: Mayor Johnson offers a recommendation to confirm the
appointment of Emily Schroeder to the Tourism Business Improvement District followed by a
member of the council making a motion to accept the recommendation and confirm the
appointment.
ATTACHMENTS: Updated TBID Board Roster
Minutes of the October 10, 2017, TBID Minutes
Tourism Business Improvement District
Rnard nffirarc-
Dawn Hendrickson, Chairman of the Board
Zac Ford, Vice -Chair
Janet Clark, Treasurer
Board Member
May 1, 2016 — April 30, 2017
Term Expires
Lisa Brown 04/30/2018
Manager, Red Lion Hotel (large)
Emily Schroeder 04/30/2018
Director of Sales, Hilton Garden Inn (large)
Dan Moderie 04/30/2019
Manager, Super 8 (medium)
Zac Ford 04/30/2020
Manager, Hampton Inn (large)
Dawn Hendrickson 04/30/2020
Director of Sales, Homewood Suites (medium)
Shawn Campbell 04/30/2021
Manager, America's Best Value Inn (small)
Janet Clark 04/30/2021
Owner/Manager, Kalispell Grand (small)
Large (6): Fairbridge Inn & Suites, Red Lion, Hilton Garden Inn, Motel 6, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express
Medium (6): Blue & White Motel, Comfort Inn, Econo Lodge, Homewood Suites, Marriott Springhill Suites,
Super 8, Travelodge
Small (5): America's Best Value Inn, Kalispell Hilltop Inn, Kalispell Grand, Glacier Ridge Suites, Aero Inn
Revised 10-4-17
Board of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
October 4, 2017
3:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Location: Kalispell Chamber of Commerce
Minutes
Board Members Present: Dawn Hendrickson, Lisa Brown, Janet Clark, Dan Moderie, Emily Schroeder
Board Members Absent: Zac Ford, Shawn Campbell
Guests: Rob Brisendine and Scott Rieke
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Dawn Jackson, Vonnie Day
Meeting was called to order by Dawn Hendrickson at 3:20 PM.
1. Hear from the Public— none
2. Event Grant Application presentation —Adam Libby with Libby EPB (Elite Professional Bull riders) Finals
presented information about his event, December 1— 2, 2017.
3. Board Action Items
a. Approve minutes from the September 6, 2017 meeting:
Action: Motion was made by Lisa Brown to approve the minutes. Motion seconded by Dan Moderie.
Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. TBID financial statements for August, 2017:
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve the financial statements. Motion seconded by
Dan Moderie. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
c. Approval of board application — Hilton Garden Inn: Emily Schroeder (DOS, Hilton Garden Inn) to
replace Laurie Otto (former DOS, Hilton Garden Inn).
Action: Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve Emily Schroeder's board application. Motion
seconded by Dan Moderie. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
d. EPB Finals event grant application approval:
Action: Motion was made by Lisa Brown to approve a grant to the EPB Finals for $2,500 cash and
$2,500 toward room rentals, a total value of $5,000.
Discussion: the board agreed that Adam had provided a thorough, professional presentation about
the event. EPB Finals offered a Corporate Sponsorship in exchange for the grant. The Sponsorship
offers promotional opportunities for the Kalispell CVB. Lowering the amount was discussed, however
the board felt that bringing high -profile events to Kalispell generates more events and has value in
addition to room nights. Staff recommended that the $5,000 package be approved based on the
quality of the event, its timing during the quiet first weekend of December, that it is a new event to
Kalispell and strong potential to return in future years.
4. Board Discussion
a. Dragon Boat — several teams arrived in Kalispell for the weekend even though the event had been
cancelled. Some attended the Live in Lakeside event Friday which had been planned as the paddler
welcome party. The Lakeside community transitioned the event into a fire benefit and raised $3,800,
The Flathead DragonFlies took Silver Lining, a new BCS team from Missoula and RMC team, The Dragon
Warriors from Las Vegas, on a paddle Saturday morning. The teams held a memorial for a Silver Lining
team member who had passed away earlier in the week. CVB invited visiting paddlers and local teams to
the Kalispell Brewing Company Saturday afternoon. Members from several teams attended.
Pros and cons of changing the dates of the 2018 festival were discussed. The event has been held the
weekend after Labor Day since it began in 2012. There are two other regional dragon boat festivals the
same weekend: Portland and Penticton. Every year, several teams ask whether we'd consider changing
the date of our festival saying they'd like to attend but are committed to going to Portland or Penticton.
With the exception of Best Western, board members say they're getting few room nights from the event
due to competition from short term rentals. Staff recommended considering two weekends as
alternatives: August 25-26 (preferred) and September 15-16. There were weather/temperature
concerns about the September weekend and concerns that on the August weekend, summer room rates
would still be in effect which might be a deterrent to teams. 2017 teams are anxious to know the event
dates to inform their decision whether to defer their registrations to 2018 or request a refund. Flathead
County staff has not yet confirmed whether Volunteer Park will be available on the August dates. The
board decided to refer the decision about the date to staff. An RFP will be sent to dragon boat promoters
once a date is defined. A request that the promoter include a forecast of dragon boating trends and
popularity will be included.
b. Indoor Soccer —the website, www.montana.soccer, is live. In addition to Nelson, BC and Missoula
teams, a Lethbridge team has committed to coming and there's a lot of chatter about the event in the
soccer community.
Pond Hockey — 31 teams have already registered. The cost of registration was increased by $50 to $650.
CVB would like to have 80— 90 teams this year, however, the number may have to be capped since the
maximum that Woodland Park (the backup location) can accommodate is 75 teams.
c. Marketing Updates —the city has acquired software that scrapes the internet for short-term rentals
located in Kalispell. 53 short-term rentals have been confirmed plus an additional 15 possible properties.
There is a growing national movement to create tax collection systems for short-term rentals. Diane
attended the Tourism Advisory Council meeting in Helena, Oct 1-3. To address budget shortfalls, it is
likely that the legislature will increase bed tax with the additional amount going into the general fund.
Diane attended the DMA Education Summit in Las Vegas in September. Research is now available at
Arrivalist which allows destinations to track a visitor from when they see our ads to when they arrive in
the destination to help determine ROI on marketing and which media and target markets are most
effective. MOTB is working on a co-op to fund purchase of a subscription to the research database. The
state is currently using Visa View which tracks what visitors from certain locations are spending in specific
destinations. According to a Glacier Park International Airport Visitor Report, the top city of origin is
Seattle followed by Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A recent ITRR shows the Flathead Valley is impacted by
direct flights going to Bozeman likely due to travelers visiting both Yellowstone and Glacier. Diane
requested that TBID members provide shopping packages for The Calgary Women's Show she is
attending October 21-22. TBID members are encouraged to review the post campaign report for the
Spring -Summer consumer campaign directed at the San Francisco market as well as eastern WA drive
market. Report is available at www.kalispelichamber.com/tbid .
d. Group, M&C Updates — many RFP's were sent during September, including info for a bid that Flathead
Soccer Club is submitting to Montana Youth Soccer Association for the MT State Cup soccer Tournament
in June, 2018 and the MT Association of Chamber Executives in September 2018. Two of the FAMS that
had been planned for September were cancelled due to unhealthy air conditions caused by wildfire
smoke, however several site visits were completed including one for meeting planners with the Montana
Library Association for a 2022 Conference and a smaller conference in 2018 or 2019. A site visit by
meeting planners for Conference Direct & Northwest Public Power Association has already resulted in a
booked conference. A writer/meeting planner from Meeting News Northwest also made a site visit.
Dawn will participate in IMEX, October 9 —16 in collaboration with reps from Glacier Country, and
destination organizations from Missoula, Whitefish, Bozeman and Great Falls. Twenty appointments with
new meeting planners have already been booked. Diane and Dawn plan to meet with each TBID property
over the 6 weeks. TBID members are encouraged to review the post campaign report for the FY17 M&C
advertising. The report is available at www.kalispelichamber.com/tbid .
Meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, please contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808