HomeMy WebLinkAboutVLMDAC December FINALVail Local Marketing District Advisory Council
The Antlers Lodge
Thursday, December 15, 2011
8:30-11:30am
VLMDAC Members Present: Laurie Mullen (West Vail Liquor Mart); Susie Tjossem (Vail Town Council);
Skip Thurnauer; Pete Hayda, Vice Chair (Rock Resorts); John Dawsey, Treasurer (CME); Jamie Gunion
(Vail Recreation District); Mia Vlaar (East West Resorts); Beth Slifer, Chair (Slifer Designs)
Absent: Adam Sutner (Vail Resorts)
Also Present: Jeff Brausch (Highline); Kristin Yantis (MYPR); Chris Romer (Vail Valley Partnership) Kristina
Johnson (Vail Valley Partnership); Jill Lammers (Vail Valley Partnership); Meggen Kirkham (SITE
Marketing); Amy Parliament (RTP); Sybill Navas (Commission on Special Events); Jenn Bruno
(Commission on Special Events); Kelli McDonald (TOV); Meredith Richards (Bravo!); Michael Holton
(VVMC); Alby Segal (Vail Symposium); Kristen Texler (Cascade); Suzanne Silverthorne (TOV); Joyce
Gettleman (CSE); Robin Litt (Vail Jazz Foundation); Mike Kloser; James Diegan (Highline); Brian Smith
(Booyah!); Jeff Andrews
Via Phone: Greg Hiltleman (I-Openers)
The meeting was called to order at 8:40.
I. November Financials – Kelli McDonald
a. This was discussed later in the meeting. See Section V.
II. Approval of Minutes from the November 17 VLMDAC meeting:
a. Motion to approve minutes/Laurie. Seconded/Skip. Passed unanimously.
III. Marketing Plans Mojo Man & Vail Restaurant Month
a. An explanation of Mojo Man with Jeff Brausch/Highline- Plans, goals, objectives.
i. We hope to build massive awareness of this event and emphasize the fact it is
taking place in Vail.
ii. This event will reinforce this idea- In the summer; Vail is the place to be.
iii. The marketing campaign will be kicking off in the New Year and will continue
until Memorial Day.
iv. We want Mojo Man to be seen as the ultimate obstacle adventure race.
v. The marketing budget is $75,000. We will be implementing a number of online
and offline tactics with those dollars- 60% social digital, 30% traditional media,
10% non traditional.
vi. Discussion:
1. Pete- Are three of these types of events too much for this area?
2. Jeff- We don’t think so because there is such a high demand for these
types of events. Mojo Man will really be the marquis event in this area.
3. John- Can you talk a little bit about what makes this different than
Tough Mudder?
4. Jeff- There is more value for the racer. The entrance fee is priced slightly
lower. There will be more amenities and activities for the participant
and spectator, more ancillary events that will make it a better event
overall.
5. Pete- Could we talk about the demographics for this event, from a
marketing standpoint, how do you attract guys like me, to drive lodging
revenue?
6. Jeff- We are very focused on attracting young urban professionals.
7. Pete- You have $100,000 coming from the TOV, how do you attract the
40+ crowds? I will be interested to see how you do that.
8. Laurie- What about Mojo Man works, where Tough Mudder did not
work in Vail?
9. Kelli- Different time of year and working closely with Vail Mountain.
10. Mike Kloser- The important thing from the Forest Service perspective is
a low impact on roads and trails. Mojo Man will try to utilize obstacles,
like the snow pack, in order to make it a fun course. Vail has a fantastic
course, albeit it is a little less taxing with less elevation than Beaver
Creek. The crowds at Beaver Creek were incredible. A race like this is an
amazing draw. Vail and the Forest Service are very concerned and detail
oriented on the impact of the race to the mountain.
11. Mia- It would be great to see what you are going to do to market to our
demographic, to echo what Pete said.
12. Chris- Two restaurants had their best days in history during Tough
Mudder in Beaver Creek.
13. Jeff- It will turn on the town.
IV. Vail Restaurant Month with Greg/I Openers on the phone- See 2012 Marketing Plan.
a. First off, we want to thank all on the VLMDAC board.
b. We have created a marketing plan to drive maximum impact in restaurants and lodging
with many new marketing initiatives this year.
1. We are working with all event partners to leverage their consumer
database and group sales outreach. This gives us an array of access into
various outlets. Social media has been very successful for us.
2. For promotion and advertising, we will use large street banners,
calendar event listings, weekly calendar events, etc.
3. We are working with all restaurant partners, local charities, the TOV
newsletter and the VVP.
4. The website will be enhanced for more informational value and to make
it more user friendly. We are always making new improvements, such
as a dedicated section listing all TOV restaurants and it will have the
capability to run digital ads on the homepage.
5. Our PR campaign will focus on stories about the TOV during the
beautiful fall season.
6. We are working with top sponsors this year to collaborate in markets in
Dallas, Chicago and Seattle to drive awareness of VRM.
a. Skip- How do you anticipate collaborating in these markets?
b. Greg- Our top sponsors have marketing platforms in these
areas. We can pick and choose to promote in these cities. It is
mutually beneficial for both of us.
7. We are presenting the marketing plan today. We will give a more
detailed schedule, as we get closer to the event.
a. Susie- It seems to me this event comes in and flies in under the
radar. Does it have a large impact on lodging? Does it need to
be paired with any other event, an ideas festival for example?
b. Beth- Some members of the lodging community are embracing
this event. But, I think the messaging really needs some work.
We need a succinct message of what Vail Restaurant Month
really is about.
c. Susie- Do you pair VRM with something else?
d. John- They have tied it into the Farmer’s Market.
e. Greg- We can get back to you with a more detailed message.
8. The Front Range is our number one target for marketing.
9. With regards to branding and messaging, each week has a theme. The
themes are not about restaurants, per se.
a. The theme of the first week is Market to Table. VRM partners
with the Farmer’s Market to host the last market on Sunday.
This past year there were 8,000 people for this.
b. The second week is Health, Wellness and Outdoors. VRM
partners with the Vail Recreation District for different events.
c. The theme of the third week is Family. This is a targeted
message to Front Range families that fall is wonderful time to
come to Vail with your family.
d. The theme of the fourth week is Romance. For this week, the
strategy is to focus on a theme that keeps in mind the
importance of weather safety. It promotes romantic dining, spa
experiences and overnight lodging.
e. Kelli- One of the challenges for VRM is that it is a four-week long
event. We need elements that are noteworthy to spike
attendance.
f. Pete- VRM does not have enough lodging partners. Ultimately,
this is all about room nights. How do we get more of the lodges
involved and excited about VRM? What is the tracking
mechanism in place? Are we truly being successful with Heads
in Beds? This is my concern. I think you have to make VRM
friendlier to the lodges. How do we get more lodges involved in
this?
g. Greg- VRM agrees 100%. Working with the lodging community
is critical. We want to embrace this and increase collaboration.
h. Laurie- Would it be possible to get the VRM summary they
presented to CSE?
i. Beth- Pete to meet with I-Openers. Greg to follow up with Mia
about social media.
V. November Financials – Kelli McDonald. See Packet.
a. December revenue is 18% of all lodging for the year. Sent out a note recommending
funding allocation for I Openers in 2012. Partner invoices due December 15.
b. Motion to approve financials/Mia. Seconded/Jamie. Passed unanimously.
VI. Brand Research Results Discussion- Meggen Kirkham/SITE. See power point.
a. Ideally we wanted the survey to start immediately after Labor Day. Unfortunately, we
could not do this because of required approvals, etc.
b. Brand Health- In the summer there is more competition.
c. Activity Profile- This is not specific to Vail, but asks what is your destination of choice?
1. Vail visitors were higher than Aspen in regards to golf.
2. Those consumers without kids participated much more frequently in a
culinary experience.
3. Skip- It seems there is an opportunity to amplify the hiking portion.
4. John- How many people come on their vacation specifically for hiking?
5. Susie- It is important to let people know about the best-kept secrets,
where the trail heads are, etc.
6. Mia- Rafting is also important.
d. Unaided Brand Awareness- Our year-round marketing is really doing well as reflected in
unaided brand awareness.
e. Total Brand Awareness- Vail ranks high in Colorado. When you go to out of region, Vail is
in the top three.
f. Brand Health/Funnel- See Power Point.
i. Ads and messaging need to work harder to drive home more direct reasons to
purchase.
ii. Conversion in summer is higher than conversion in winter.
iii. Out of region- Vail is similar to Tahoe with conversion and consideration
numbers.
1. Susie- We need to play on the strengths of Vail.
g. Drivers of Destination Choice- See Power Point.
h. Attribute Ratings – Between Vail and Aspen resorts.
i. Vail ranked higher with events, due to marketing efforts.
ii. When it comes to shopping, we have a higher percentage engaged than Aspen.
1. Susie- Aspen has a system in place that makes the wilderness very
accessible. If we want to start competing against these benchmarks, we
need to make it easier for visitors to enjoy the outdoors.
2. Beth- We need to put some more time and money into hiking and we
need to go beyond Vail Mountain proper.
3. Kelli- How can we make it easy for a guest to make it to the trailheads?
4. Beth- Buses need to be utilized.
5. Susie- We need to advertise that these buses drop you off near a
trailhead.
6. Kelli- We are not positioning Vail as a luxury destination, whereas Aspen
is marketing this way.
7. Meggen- Can we bring another large, iconic summer concert to Vail?
8. Beth- We are working on it. Vail does great marketing itself as the
perfect place for a family, in comparison to Aspen.
9. Kelli- In reference to the graph, we have work to do anywhere its yellow
and red.
10. Beth- One of the recommendations is for the TOV to more adequately
accommodate hiking.
i. Vail Brand Positioning/Summer- What does Vail stand for? Key points for year round
messaging. See Power Point.
i. Three pillars to the Vail Brand- Outdoor sports/fitness/recreation, Good
living/Vitality/Joy of Life, Performing Arts/Culture
ii. Susie- Can you bring this Brand Diagram and Brand Research to the town
council?
iii. Beth- I think the emotional circle is a little weak and confusing. Can we come
back to this at a later time?
iv. Mia- The only thing that is missing for me is the “embracing of life, of
everything.” I agree there could be a little more work done on the emotional
circle.
v. Kelli- Our challenge will be making health and wellness relevant.
vi. Beth- If you participate in all the offerings of Vail, your emotional quotient will
go up. We still need to work on this messaging.
vii. Laurie- This is so much broader than our pillars have been before. We need to
set up a certain amount of time to discuss these pillars in more detail.
viii. Kelli- Let’s make this a longer discussion item in January. This is something that
we want your input on. This is not the final version but rather the first draft.
ix. Pete- This should be a separate meeting. This is important.
x. Beth- Let’s have an additional meeting in January to discuss this- a three-hour,
late afternoon meeting, and go through this again.
j. Meggen will send out a summary of the research.
k. Friday the 13th- 2pm -5pm retreat? This will be open to the public. It will be a working
session to continue on this topic.
VII. PR Update – Kristin Yantis/MYPR
a. There is an upcoming trip to New York scheduled for January 9th to 11th. See Power
Point.
i. There will be a small jazz reception on Wednesday night. We will be focusing
more on one to one interactions with the media.
ii. There are three nice PR stories set up for next summer. See Power Point.
VIII. Iconic Event Marketing – Beth
a. We are 80% sure we are going to have a music event around the 21st of September. This
gives us the opportunity to have an event in June as well. A couple of entities will try to
come up with an event for June.
b. Kelli- The USA Pro Cycling Challenge has elected not to host a stage in Vail this year.
There will be a mountain top finish in Beaver Creek. The Time Trial will be in Denver on
the last day of the race. The Vail Valley Foundation and TOV are very disappointed.
i. $100,000 that was allocated for this event needs to be reallocated by the VLMD.
ii. Beth- We need to use this wisely.
iii. Kelli- We can get with the partners and come to you in January.
iv. Laurie- I’d like to put this seed in everyone’s head- do we want to fund the
collateral or online side of hiking, biking, shopping, etc. with this money?
v. Beth- This discussion is for January Friday the 13th, which will be a brainstorming
session.
c. National Association of Music Manufacturers- This is a concert series and community
driven event.
i. Chris - This group would be utilizing conference rooms, lodging rooms, and be
giving concerts.
ii. Pete- It’s a Front Range dream and it’s during restaurant month. The
amphitheater needs to be ready.
iii. Kelli – It is likely that construction will begin on the Ford Amphitheater prior to
this event. We will need to offer creative solutions for the event venues.
IX. Lionshead Welcome Center Update- Suzanne Silverthorne/TOV
a. We feel we have identified the need for a master vision for guest services.
b. It’s more than just a welcome center. The center creates an opportunity for us in terms
of guest services.
c. We think with this center there is a greater opportunity to almost become the concierge
of Vail.
d. We recognize there is an evolution to this. We need your help with this evolution.
e. There will be a lot of experimentation to start. We’ll reevaluate in the spring.
f. Looking at a kiosk type of system for the old location on Frontage Road.
g. Oversight is needed. The messaging in the center needs to be integrated with Vail
Mountain.
h. Maybe we should take a tour of the center prior to the January 13th meeting? We can
start at the center at 1:00 p.m. and then go to the meeting at 2:00 p.m.
X. TOV Infrastructure Discussion- Beth
a. Signage needs to give landmarks to make it easier for guests to locate places. We are
careful not to use signage that would offend anyone, but it does not really help our
guests.
b. Infrastructure investments would help reduce cost of events. Annual meeting with
event producers in February.
i. Beth- What we really need is an entertainment center with a roof and heat. We
need to explore this more.
c. Mexico offices – This is a very high priority for Vail Resorts. Do we need to fund this?
Does the TOV fund this? Probably best to let Vail Resorts take the lead.
d. Sound system- There are town wide systems in some resorts that you plug into, is this
something the TOV wants to undertake?
i. John- The power piece is the real priority with this.
ii. Beth- That is a public works issue. We need to have a motion to take back to the
council about whatever is done on the athletic fields. What are our preferred
requirements? We all have a vision for it to be improved, but we need specifics.
e. Parking Booths- In a few years, there is a plan to completely revamp the parking
structures.
i. Beth- There should be an interim, temporary fix until then.
XI. Other Business- Mexican wholesaler meeting
a. Jamie- We have found that Mexican families want packaged programs and to have
everything planned for them.
b. We should create our own themes, such as a culture package, culinary package, or
outdoor adventure package.
c. Mexican families want to send their teens here for two weeks.
d. Meggen- How do we tackle this opportunity?
e. Pete- My recommendation is to head up to Canada and see how they are doing.
Whistler is doing this.
f. It is important to provide the full package.
i. Beth- Some property at Vail needs to provide this.
ii. Jeff Andrews - For Mexican families, safety is very important. The beauty of Vail
is the public transportation and everything is in walking distance. Parents can
send their kids out in the community and know they will be safe.
iii. Pete- We are talking about a very structured camp product. The question is,
who owns it?
iv. Jeff- It doesn’t have to be that involved. We can continue that safety message.
v. Laurie- We have been deliberate at trying to get Mexican guests here in general.
We don’t necessarily need to get this specific.
vi. Pete- Down the road this could possibly be a part of Vail Resorts vision model.
vii. Laurie- Our job is to promote Vail, not to produce the product.
XII. A reminder of the VLMDAC open positions and to those applying for the positions.
a. Kelli- There are eight applicants for four positions. Kelli will send the names of applicants
if you are interested. She will send approximate time for interviews
XIII. Adjournment. Motion to accept adjournment. Motioned/Pete. Seconded/Jamie. Passed
unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 11:30.
XIV. Upcoming meetings:
a. January 13, 1:00 – 5:00 PM, Lionshead Welcome Center/Arrabelle – Chamonix Room
b. January 18, 8:30 – 11:00 AM, The Antlers Lodge