March 2023 Board Meeting Minutes and Recording

The audio recording and director's presentation of the March 2023 Board Meeting can be accessed here:

March 2023 Board Meeting Recording.mp3

March 2023 Board Meeting Presentation

Please find the meeting minutes below:
Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
Board of Directors Meeting
March 6, 2023 – 2:00 p.m.
The Omni Charlottesville Hotel

PRESENT: Cecil Banks, Andrea Copeland, Russ Cronberg, Mariane Doyle, Chris Engel, Roger Johnson, Susan Krischel, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Jay Pun, Gabe Silver, Danny Shea, Juandiego Wade, John Wharton

ABSENT: Angelic Jenkins

ALSO ATTENDING: Lauren Bohdan, Courtney Cacatian, Cassie Ivey, Roy Van Dorn, Diantha McKeel

1. CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Gabe Silver called the meeting to order at 2:06 PM.

a.   Roll Call: Gabe Silver invited Lauren Bohdan to perform the roll call.

b.   Member Introduction and Election of Officers: The board started with introductions as well as the Election of Officers. Gabe Silver was nominated as board chair, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley was nominated as vice chair. None were opposed. Officers were elected.

c.  Resolution to Establish Meeting Schedule: The future board meeting schedule was proposed as the 4th Monday of every even month, with the exception of December being the 3rd Monday. All were in favor of adopting the resolution, Gabe Silver certified the resolution. Roger made a motion to establish Robert Rules of Order for CACVB Board Meetings. All were in favor.

d.  Consent Agenda: Gabe Silver asked for input on the consent agenda. A motion was made to approve the December meeting minutes. The minutes were approved. A motion to authorize Courtney to enter the administrative building lease on behalf of the CACVB. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda, and the consent agenda was approved.

e.  Presentation of 2024 FY Budget: Courtney presented the coming fiscal year budget. Contribution from the City of Charlottesville: $1,354, 258, the contribution from Albemarle County: $2,358,875, Misc: $40,000 (Revenue from ads on Visit Charlottesville.org website). 30% of the first 5% of Transient Occupancy Tax makes up contributions to CACVB budget. Susan proposed a discussion for the adjustment of contribution as the last change was 2004. Russ contributed to this conversation. Further discussion ensued with a plan to speak with both the City Manager and County Executive Director to determine how to approach this procedurally. A plan to organize board members to gather research on contributions to DMO budgets was suggested. Courtney reviewed expenditures and also proposed the hiring of a Digital Marketing Manager early. Susan requested that when future budgets were presented, the prior year's budget was also included. Russ also noted so that we know how to measure our success. Courtney explained ARPA funding and how it was reflected in past year’s budget. Roger gave further clarification. Mariane noted the importance of more focus on continuing education and training. Roger noted his support of continuing with Zartico. Courtney spoke on non-local travel being a large part of the spend for Education and Training. A motion was made to approve the budget. Roger motioned a pre-amendment to come back and discuss the details of the $919,000 Marketing line item. The budget was approved by the board.

e.  Director’s Report: Courtney presented the Director’s Report and gave an overview of some highlights including HSMAI Adrian Award for Discover Black Cville, Charlottesville Economic Development Planning, Outdoor Recreation Stakeholder Meetings, development of CACVB emergency plan, and involvement in the Charlottesville Business Exchange.

f.  Hotel Performance: Courtney presented a few charts indicating hotel performance through January of 2023, with past performance dating back to 2018. Performance remains strong as compared to other localities around the state of Virginia. The CACVB is currently looking to the spring and summer to continue high visitation through these busy months.

g.  Zartico Key Insights: Key insights of Zartico data were presented on Monticello visitation, visitor trends during UVA football home game weekends, as well as origin markets. The highest shares of visitors compared to residents were found on the Downtown Mall, Shops at Stonefield, and Barracks Road Shopping Center. Raleigh-Durham, NC designated market area had the highest visitor spending in the retail category. Visitors represented 24% of total retail spending in 2022.

h.  Marketing and PR Update: Highlights of the Marketing and PR efforts included continued robust winter advertising in regional and national outlets, media planning and buying for summer 2023 advertising, continued work on the new CACVB visitor guide, new and refreshed blog content, and continued media collaborations/pitching efforts. Winter advertising campaigns were highlighted by spots in Travel & Leisure, Virginia Living, and Food & Wine. Visit Charlottesville.org website visitation trends follow the advertising schedule. Recent and upcoming media visits were highlighted, as well as recent article titles and content included.

i.  Sales Efforts: Courtney gave an update on the CACVB’s sales efforts. Teresa has hosted 2 site visits, attended a number of events including the American Bus Association conference, VSAE December Luncheon, and the Chamber’s Defense Affairs Committee Meeting, visited with local partners alongside Cassie Ivey, the Visitor and Community Relations manager, and spoke about the MVC’s and other offerings, received and distributed 6 RFP’s.

j.  Visitor and Community Relations Update: Courtney welcomed Cassie Ivey to present on visitation metrics from the Mobile Visitor Centers and visitor request metrics. Noted the drop in October and November visitation, which was likely due to the cancellation of 11 shifts during this period from inclement weather or employee illness, compared to only 2 shift cancellations in 2021. Individual location metrics were also presented of the multiple MVC sites. Special events attendance shows a good balance of events in the city and the county, as well as covering a diverse realm of subject matter. During the 2022 year, over 100,000 individual brochures have been distributed. An update on Visitor Services OKR’s and the current standing was presented.

k.   Public Comments: Roy from City Select spoke on the recent destination additions at CHO Airport and making sure that CHO remains as a 1-stop hub for international travelers. The stop in Philadelphia achieves this. Also encouraged the partnership with new destinations from CHO or Orlando and how to create a mutually beneficial relationship with the connection to the new locality through CHO.

l.   Board Announcements: Bea noted that the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has voted to turn Free Bridge Road near Darden Towe Park into a pedestrian and cycling promenade. The promenade will parallel the Rivanna River and could be utilized for many applications including arts and markets. Susan spoke on having the MVC’s at other events throughout the state. Board and Courtney also discussed the benefits and drawbacks of brick-and-mortar visitor centers. John wanted to mention the federal incentives for electric vehicles, and the importance to advertising the electric vehicle infrastructure available in the Charlottesville area. Susan noted that she is starting to investigate the idea of bringing back the Cville Arts Council. More to come. Gabe recognized Courtney and her team for the incredible effort and awards received as a DMO in 2022.

Chairman Gabe Silver adjourned the meeting at 4:22 PM.