HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-02-03 CSE Minutes J
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MINUTES:
Town of Vail: Commission on Special Events Meeting
Vail Town Council Chambers
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 @ 9:00 a.m
Members present: Bobby Bank
Jenn Bruno
Dave Chapin
Meggen Kirkham
Rayla Kundolf
Robert McKown
Heather Trub
TOV Staff Present: Sybill Navas, CSE Coordinator
Kelli McDonald, Economic Development Dept. Manager
Corey Swisher, Executive Assistant to the Town Manager
Kristen Bertuglia, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Bill Carlson,
Others Present: Laurie Asmussen, Eagle Valley Events
Chad Young, Vail Recreation District (VRD)
Jeanmarie Angarolla, Dawn Ristow and Donna Yoder: Skating
Club of Vail
Richard tenBraak and Joyce Gedelman- Viers, Vail Chamber and
Business Association (VCBA)
Joe Blair, Fall Creek Branding
Ilene Rapkin and Greg Hittleman, I Openers/Vail Restaurant
Month
Katie Richardson, Vail Resorts Marketing
James Deighan and Missy Johnson, Highline Sports and
Entertainment
Susie Tjossem, Colorado Ski Museum
Angela Mueller, Vail Farmers' Market
CSE Chairman Dave Chapin called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Administrative Items:
Motion to approve the Minutes of the meeting of January 6, 2010, as presented.
M /S /P: McKown, Bank, Unanimous
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 1 of 6
m
Coordinator Report:
• CSE Members reviewed the financial report and the status of contracts. No issues were
raised.
• Navas reported that she and Kelli had met with Rhonda Jackson and Shawntelle Perkins
of the Colorado Soul Festival. They stated that they were very close to determining a
host hotel, and that the final decision was dependant on whether the Solaris site might
be available to them as a concert venue. She reported that they have a contract for the
Gerald Ford Amphitheater for Friday and Saturday, August 20 -21, with a tentative hold
on it for Sunday, and that they are still considering a Sunday Gospel component on the
22 in the Solaris Plaza in conjunction with the Farmers' Market. Finally, Navas stated
that they have decided to rename the event, but have not disclosed the new title pending
the finalizing of the trademark, and that they should have an update on the signing of a
title sponsor for the festival by March 1.
• Navas reported that the Vail Rotary Club has decided to hold their annual Duck Race
event as originally scheduled, Sunday, September 5. Members requested that a letter be
sent to the Liquor Board recommending that the Duck Race and Gourmet on Gore be
required to operate their events under a single Special Event Liquor License so that the
guest experience will be as seamless as possible.
e Navas updated the board on the ongoing discussions with the Farmers' Market regarding
their venue on Sunday, July 4. She stated that the town is committed to work with the
producers of the market to insure that the event can be held on that date and that the
parade route will not be impacted. It is unlikely that the Solaris Plaza will be available, as
their projected TCO date is July 2. The ski company has offered the use of Mountain
Plaza to the market. The market is also exploring options along East Meadow Drive,
east of La Tour. The Meadow Drive Partnership Board of Directors will make a decision
on whether they prefer to have a smaller market on the eastern end of Meadow Drive, or
whether they will move all or part of the event to Mountain Plaza.
. Navas informed the CSE that she had met with Town Attorney Matt Mire, Peter
Knobel and his representatives to discuss the use agreement for the Solaris
Plaza, which is expected to become available after July 4. She will be keeping a
list of event producers who would like to book the plaza later in the summer.
Another meeting will be scheduled in March to determine how the plaza will be
booked and permitted for special events.
Vail Olympic Village /AKA Vancouver "Vail Style ":
This discussion was moved forward in the agenda in consideration of a previous engagement
for Tjossem. Navas explained that this item was on the agenda because the Special Event
Permit had been filed by Highline Sports, under contract with Vail Resorts, but that the original
funding allocation was made to the Colorado Ski Museum. Since the CSE's funding application
requires that the Special Event Permit be submitted by the same entity that was awarded the
funding allocation, the CSE is being asked to re -affirm their allocation of $5000 for this event.
Susie Tjossem, representing the Colorado Ski Museum and James Deighan, representing
Highline Sports and Entertainment explained the evolution of this event from the proposal that
was submitted by the Ski Museum and approved for CSE funding in October. Tjossem
explained that because of the limited funding from the CSE, they had partnered with Vail
Resorts to showcase the Olympic events that feature our local athletes. The event will consist of
3 separate big screen events in Vail Square at Arrabelle on the evenings when the television
coverage will include the women's Downhill, Super G and slalom events. The Ski Museum will
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 2 of 6
have a "museum within a museum" featuring former Olympians, special displays and daily
television coverage from Vancouver for the length of the games. Tjossem explained that the
intent is to bring people into town to share in celebrating the Olympic events. Kundolf expressed
that she felt the event was originally intended to promote the Colorado Ski Museum and
"Colorado's own," as opposed to Vail Resorts. Navas commented that the town's Event Review
Committee had requested that the event recognize all of Vail's Olympic athletes, not just
Lindsey Vonn. The CSE agreed by consensus that the new event format was acceptable, and
that the contract with the ski museum should move forward as originally awarded.
Restaurant Month Update: I Openers representatives Ilene Rapkin and Greg Hittleman
thanked the CSE for their support and informed them that they had planned this trip to Vail to
gather feedback on their concept and that the restaurant community had been enthusiastically
supportive. They announced that they have hired Meggen Kirkham to be their local contact and
that they expect to hire a local marketing director as well. They suggested that they are
considering changing the name of the event to "Vail in Autumn," in order to include the retail
community, and that it would embrace a broader concept which is designed to appeal to Front
Range families, locals, couples and singles. Bank expressed concern that they are "trying to be
everything to everyone," and asked, "What are the events... show us how this is not just a
marketing program." Rapkin responded that the plan is still evolving and described the tentative
layout of the month:
• Week 1: "From Market to Table" in conjunction with the Vail Farmer's Market and
"Little Foodies in the Kitchen," which is a program to educate children about nutrition using
local restaurants as the venues for seminars and activities.
• Week 2: Romance Weekend: Spa, dinner Vail and outdoor activity packages including a
possible "dessert trek."
• Week 3: Varied events focused on activities
• Week 4: Partnership with a major wine region is being finalized and will include trade
events, seminars, winemaker dinners, events such as tastings within retail spaces, etc.
Bruno remarked, "Vail in Autumn, what is that ?" and commented that it would be better to focus
on food and restaurants. Kundolf added that 90% of visitors to Vail in the fall are couples and
singles, and not necessarily "kid- friendly." She added that, like Bank, it is important to see the
"event," not just the marketing of restaurants.
Hittleman, who has moved part-time to Denver to facilitate marketing the event on the Front
Range, said that he has been working with several of the bigger school districts in Denver to
develop programs that they will bring people to Vail. He stated they will be at a point to focus
more on the specifics at the next presentation. The board then emphasized that the event
should primarily be activity based.
MTRIP Report: Kelli McDonald explained the new format which includes identifying the dates
on which special events were held juxtaposed with occupancy rates. The information shows a
clear relationship with major events and spikes in hotel occupancy rates. CSE members
expressed their thanks and commented that it was valuable information.
Green Events Requirements: Town of Vail Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, Kristen
Bertuglia, presented the revised "Green Events" permitting requirements, which had been
recommended in 2009, and are now part of the requirements for a Special Event Permit. She
explained that the revisions committee included Greg Schwartz from Highline Sports, Joyce
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 3 of 6
Gedelman -Viers from the VCBA and Amy Oberley from the Taste of Vail, as well as Navas and
McDonald. She also introduced the "Celebrate Green!" program which will publicly recognize
events that take extra efforts to operate in an environmentally conscientious manner. CSE
members complimented the group on their efforts.
Final Event Recaps and Review of Proposed Revisions to the 2010 Winter Holiday Event
Applications:
Snow Daze: James Deighan, representing Highline Sports and Entertainment, distributed an
overview of the 2009 event and remarked on highlights that included the Snuggie Pub Crawl
where over 1200 snuggies were distributed in 10 minutes, the Dummy Gelunde Competition
"under the lights" which created an exciting ambience and cited the Yukon Cornelius concert as
one of the best performances to ever take place in Vail. He added that their partnership with the
Reverb Eco Village at Eagle's Nest and the strong support of Anheuser Busch and Vail Resorts
makes it possible to provide "A List" entertainment for free, highlighting the concept of "giving
back" to the community and visitors. The report shows event specific attendance of 25,000, and
incremental spending estimated at over $8M, resulting in a 6.2 to 1 return on investment to the
Town of Vail.
Holiday Skating Show: Jeanmarie Angarolla, Dawn Ristow and Dawn Hiller of the Skating
Club of Vail described this year's event as the most successful ever, providing affordable family
entertainment for the community. She stated that they per the CSE's request, they had
increased their marketing and that it seemed to have paid off. Kundolf suggested that they
should be more aggressive about getting sponsorships.
Ristow, noting that the arena had been built with a gift from a "figure skating family," expressed
concern that they had lost half their dates this year (those allocated by the Town Council) and
that they are worried that events will displace skating. Navas explained that this was done in
order to accommodate the participatory sports recruitment program. Ristow added that the
arena management should require that events be dismantled the same night as they end to free
up skating for the following day. CSE members commented that this was a matter to be taken
up with the VRD.
Hiller closed by thanking the CSE for their grant and stated that without that contribution they
would have lost money.
Holidays in Vail: Laurie Asmussen, representing Eagle Valley Events, distributed a complete
review of the event, including a summary of data gathered from surveys taken by an
independent firm at each of the three event's components, which included the Thanksgiving
weekend tree lightings and parade of lights, the holiday markets and the First Night Celebration.
Stating that she would like to produce only what she can control, Asmussen presented a revised
proposal for the 2010 Holidays in Vail event, which does not include the holiday markets that
had not worked as well as was hoped. She added that the three major components would be
better served by being marketed individually, rather than under an umbrella effort. CSE
members remarked that the cards which listed all of the activities and events of the holiday
season, were very helpful and should be available earlier. They encouraged Laurie commit to
an earlier deadline for the submittal of information from other organizations who wish to be
included. The board also suggested the option of alternating the parade route annually, so that it
does not always end in LionsHead.
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 4 of 6
VCBA Events and Activities: Rich tenBraak and Joyce Gedelman -Viers distributed event
recaps for each of the three holiday events produced by the VCBA, all of which included revised
funding requests for 2010. They emphasized that these were ambient events that had no
marketing dollars available, but were designed to enhance the guest experience and draw in
locals and down - valley folks.
• Savor the Season: CSE members expressed their frustration that there was no report of
how many people took advantage of the program, and that the VCBA should be tracking
dining participants, not the number of restaurants participating. tenBraak explained that
there was no way to measure the direct impact, because most of the restaurants were
hooked into other promotions as well. Kirkham commented that, from her conversations with
the restaurant community regarding Vail Restaurant Month, they are "sick of the discounts"
and suggested that the program should be a "value- added, experiential" offering designed to
complement festive nights with shopping, gift wrapping etc.
• Santa and Friends: Referring to the recap presented to the CSE at the January meeting,
tenBraak reiterated the success of the workshops and the appeal to a "great mix of guests
and locals."
• Gift Wrapping: tenBraak commented that this was not compatible with the Santa and
Friends Workshops, as originally thought, primarily because the parents needed to be with
their children at the Santa events. He suggested reconfiguring the program by tying it to the
Vail Village and LionsHead retail areas and moving it closer to Christmas as an
enhancement to a night of special shopping and dining opportunities. CSE members were
again frustrated at the lack of information regarding the numbers of people that took
advantage of the program.
Discussion: Develop a strategy for implementing a third party event survey requirement for
2011 so that the CSE will have information that will result in wrap -up reports with a consistent
ROI model for apples to apples comparison of events. CSE members agreed to defer this
discussion to a future meeting due to time constraints. Navas and McDonald will work to get an
estimate of the cost of various alternatives.
New Business:
Navas reminded the members of the joint meeting with the VLMDAC on Thursday, March 18
from 8:30 — 9:30 a.m.
CSE members suggested that Will Patterson, whose information was included in the packets,
apply to the CSE as part of the 2011 event funding allocation process.
Navas will work with the town's IT Department to develop a more convenient means of
distributing meeting information electronically. All presenters will be held to a submittal deadline
of noon on the Thursday prior to the meeting.
Motion to adjourn at 11:55 a.m.
M /S /P: Kirkham, Trub, Unanimous
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 5 of 6
Minutes taken by Corey Swisher, Executive Ass' tant to the Town Manager
Edited and submitted by Sybill Navas, CSE Co dinator
February 3, 2010
Approved by Date:
Dave Cha ' , CSE Chairman
Next CSE Meeting: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 @ 9:00 a.m.
CSE Minutes: February 3, 2010 Page 6 of 6