October 2022 Board Meeting Minutes and Recording

The audio recording of the October 2022 Board Meeting can be accessed here:

October 2022 Board Meeting.mp3

October 2022 Board Meeting Presentation

Please find the meeting minutes below:
Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
Board of Directors Meeting
October 24, 2022 – 2:00 p.m.
Chimm Thai & Southeast Asian Restaurant

PRESENT: Russ Cronberg, Elizabeth Cromwell, Mariane Doyle, Chris Engel, George Hodson, Roger Johnson, Susan Krischel, Jay Pun, Danny Shea, Juandiego Wade

ABSENT: Walter Burton, Pam Higgins, Angelic Jenkins, Bea LaPisto-Kirtley, Gabe Silver

ALSO ATTENDING: Lauren Bohdan, Courtney Cacatian, Matt Harmon (Harmony Wine), Steven Clenney (Zartico).

1. CALL TO ORDER

Due to Chair and Vice Chair absence, the board made a motion to proceed and voted Chris Engel acting Chair for the meeting.

Chris Engel called the meeting to order at 2:08 PM.

a.  Industry Presentation: Executive Director Courtney Cacatian introduced Matt Harmon of Harmony Wine and invited him to speak on his venture, past experiences, and the local wine industry.

b.  Roll Call: Chris Engel invited Lauren Bohdan to perform the roll call.

c.  Consent Agenda: Chris Engel asked for input on the consent agenda. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda, and the consent agenda was approved.

d.  Zartico Presentation on Winery Impact: Courtney introduced Steven Clenney of Zartico to present research data collected in the area as well as the overall progression of the current project and visitor tracking.

e.  Director’s Report: Courtney presented the Director’s Report and gave an overview of some highlights, including the opening of the Clarion Pointe Hotel, breaking ground on the new UVA Conference Center with a visitor component, a successful outdoor recreation application, and being named one of USAE News’ Leading Ladies of the Tourism Industry.

f.  Hotel Performance and ADARA Data: Courtney presented a few charts indicating hotel performance and the ADARA Site Impact data. Performance remains strong as compared to other localities around the state of Virginia.

g.  Marketing and PR Update: Courtney presented graphs on website visitation trends, noted the launch of a TikTok social media channel and “30 Wineries in 30 Days” campaign in conjunction with the celebration of Virginia Wine Month in October, new content creation efforts, and advertising in publications such as Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Virginia Living.

h.  Sales Efforts: Courtney gave an update on the CACVB’s sales efforts. Teresa has hosted two site visits, met with seven community partners, attended the Student & Youth Travel Association Annual Conference, and completed and received certification for the Tourism Pro Academy SYTA course. Teresa has also received nine RFP’s and secured three.

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 Soul of C’ville, Festival of the Wheel, Loop de’Ville, UVA Alumni Tailgate vs ODU and Richmond, and the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival. MVC presence on homepage was increased and the Visitor and Community Relations Manager submitted Travel Unity’s comprehensive DEI plan for certification of the Diversity Travel Professional. Also onboarded new Travel Specialist in Teri Burgan.

j.  Public Comment: Courtney invited Matt Lawless to make a public comment. Matt Lawless thanked the CACVB for the inclusion of Scottsville on the discussion for the Drive 2.0 Outdoor Recreation grant. Also noted scrutiny of the TikTok social media channel and the spyware included with it. Requests the CACVB focus on other social media channels such as Instagram and Facebook. Submitted document to be entered into the record. The document can be seen at link below.

Document from Federal Communications Commission regarding TikTok.

k. Board Announcement: Juandiego Wade spoke on recent shootings in Charlottesville and the considerations the city council is taking into labor shortages among the Charlottesville police force.


Chris Engel adjourned the meeting at 3:44 PM.