July 2022 Board Meeting Minutes and Recording
July 14, 2022
The audio recording of the July 2022 Board Meeting can be accessed here:
July 2022 Board Meeting Presentation
Please find the meeting minutes below:
Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
Board of Directors Meeting
July 11, 2022 – 2:00 p.m.
The Draftsman, The Madison Room
PRESENT: Russ Cronberg, Chris Engel, Pam Higgins, Roger Johnson, Susan Krischel, Jay Pun, Gabe Silver, Juandiego Wade
ABSENT: Walter Burton, Elizabeth Cromwell, George Hodson, Angelic Jenkins, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Gary Sandling
ALSO ATTENDING: Lauren Bohdan, Courtney Cacatian, Scott Balyo, Gregg Shapiro, Sidney Abramson
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Gabe Silver called the meeting to order at 2:05 PM.
a. Roll Call: Chairman Gabe Silver invited Lauren Bohdan to perform the roll call.
b. Industry Presentation: Executive Director Courtney Cacatian introduced Scott Balyo with Capital Region USA and invited him to present. Scott spoke about international travel trends, its impact on Charlottesville and Albemarle, and Capital Region USA Offers travelers. Scott took questions from the Board.
c. Consent Agenda: Gabe 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: Courtney presented the Director’s Report, which included a) Highlights; b) Hotel Performance and ADARA Data; c) Marketing and Public Relations Update; d) Sales Efforts; e) Visitor and Community Relations Update.
e. Highlights: Courtney gave an overview of some highlights, including reception of ARPA funding from county, Zartico onboarding, Feature in Travel Unity Publication, CHO Presentation, APIDA celebration and Black Cville Juneteenth Posters, Sales missions to Germany and France, Promotion of Chris Ridder, and Competitive salary study with County.
f. Hotel Performance and ADARA Data: Courtney presented a few charts indicating hotel performance and the ADARA Site Impact data, which included air travel data. Also presented preliminary Zartico data and percentage of Visitor Vs. Resident attendance of predetermined Points of Interest.
g. Marketing and PR Update: Courtney presented graphs on website visitation trends, updated the Board on staffing and interns, and showed published articles that resulted from hosting media. Noted recent media visits as well as updated future media visits for Fall including ESPN.
h. Sales Efforts: Courtney gave an update on the CACVB’s sales efforts. Teresa attended VSAE Conference in Loudon County, VA, Hosted 2 site visits, Assisted with 4 group dining recommendations and bookings, Sent out 2 hotel RFPs and Met with several local hotel partners and toured properties.
i. Visitor and Community Relations Update: Courtney presented visitation metrics from the Mobile Visitor Centers and visitor request metrics. The Visitor Services team has attended multiple events including the Charlottesville Half Marathon Packet Pick-up, Charlottesville Criterium and Bike Festival, and the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival. Visitor and Community Relations Manager attended multiple trainings and talks and will participate in Travel Unity’s Certified Diversity Travel Professional.
j. Tempest Presentation: Courtney invited Gregg Shapiro of Tempest and Sidney Abramson of Destination Signals to speak on the development of the new Visit Charlottesville website and the advertising that is present. A discussion on ways to make advertisements equitable was had.
k. Public Comment: Courtney invited Matt Lawless to make a public comment. Matt Lawless made a comment regarding the support that Scottsville has received from the CACVB and the Board.
l. Motion on Public Comment: Gabe asked for input on the motion to amend the Bylaws to allow and limit public comment. A vote was taken to approve the motion, and the motion to amend the Bylaws to allow and limit public comment was approved by a vote of 8 to 0.
Chairman Gabe Silver adjourned the meeting at 3:57 PM.