December 2021 Board Meeting Minutes and Recording
December 20, 2021
Parts 1 and 2 of the December 2021 Board Meeting can be downloaded for viewing here:
Please find the minutes below:
Board of Directors Meeting
December 20, 2021 – 2:00 p.m.
Zoom
PRESENT:
Elizabeth Cromwell, Chris Engel, Chris Eure, Heather Hill, Pam Higgins, Ann Mallek, Ashley Marshall, Gary Sandling, Gabe Silver, Nikuyah Walker
ABSENT:
George Hodson, Roger Johnson, Jennifer Mayo, Diantha McKeel, Jeff Richardson,
ALSO ATTENDING: Anthony Bessette, Courtney Cacatian, Jay Pun
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Roger Johnson called the meeting to order at 2:02 PM.
a. Virtual Meeting Preamble and Roll Call: Chairman Roger Johnson invited Anthony Bessette to read the Virtual Meeting Preamble and perform the roll call.
b. Industry Presentation: Executive Director Courtney Cacatian introduced Jay Pun from Chimm and invited him to present. Jay presented about the restaurant industry in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area and changes the industry faced due to COVID. Jay took questions afterwards.
c. Consent Agenda: Roger asked for input on the consent agenda. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda, and the consent agenda was approved.
d. Director’s Report: Roger turned it over to Courtney to present the Director’s Report. Courtney presented the Director’s Report, which included a) Q4 Highlights; b) Hotel Performance and ADARA Data; c) Sales Efforts; d) Visitor and Community Relations Update.
e. Q4 Highlights: Courtney gave an overview of some highlights, including hosting a Tourism For All webinar, collaborating with the City and County for Virginia Tourism ARPA funding, attending UVA Conference Center meetings, meeting with Discover Black Cville, participating in the Chamber of Commerce’s Hospitality Roundtable, and meeting with the Shenandoah National Park Trust.
f. Hotel Performance and ADARA Data: Courtney presented a few charts indicating hotel performance and the ADARA Site Impact data.
g. Sales Efforts: Courtney gave an update on the CACVB’s sales efforts. Teresa has distributed 10 RFPs to industry partners, attended conferences, hosted first sales familiarization tour for military reunion planners. She is also planning to exhibit at American Bus Association and Southeast Tourism Society. The CACVB has also hosted Virginia Tourism meetings over the fall.
h. Visitor and Community Relations Update: Courtney announced that Cassie Ivey was hired as the new Visitor and Community Relations Manager. The Visitor Services team has attended many events this fall, including the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival and the UVA football tailgate at Alumni Hall. A new mobile visitor center site was added at CHO.
i. Marketing and PR Update: Courtney invited Brantley Ussery to give the marketing and PR update. Brantley gave an update on the work the team has been doing on the website and walked through the website. Brantley also updated the Board on the Monticello Wine Trail digital passport, the winter digital advertising campaign, and search engine marketing efforts. For PR, the CACVB has hosted influencers, radio and TV correspondents, travel writers, freelance writers, and our first international media familiarization tour in almost 2 years. Brantley took questions from the Board.
j. Public Comment: Roger invited attendees to use the chat function to sign up to make public comment. There were no sign ups.
k. Closed Session: Roger read the closed meeting motion. The motion was passed and the Board went into closed session at 3:08 PM. The Board returned at 3:19 PM. Roger read the closed meeting certification motion. The motion was made and Anthony Bessette took a roll call to certify the closed session. The closed meeting was certified and a motion was made and passed to increase Executive Director Courtney Cacatian’s salary to be consistent with the City’s and County’s raises.
l. Board Announcements: There were no Board announcements.
Chairman Roger Johnson adjourned the meeting at 3:23 PM.