HomeMy WebLinkAbout02. VLMDAC Minutes, April 16 2020Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Meeting held via Zoom
VLMDAC member attendees:
Erick Cannava (Manor Vail), Amy Moser Harrison (Four Seasons), Esmarie Faessler (Sonnenalp), Laurie Mullen (West Vail Liquor Mart), Jenn Bruno (Vail Town Council), Skip Thurnauer, Beth
Slifer (Slifer Designs), Jana Morgan (Sweet Basil)
Additional attendees:
Sarah Berkheimer (Cactus), Christopher Mathews (Vail Daily), John Plack (Vail Resorts), Matthew Parrish (Antlers), Gabe Shalley (Vail Resorts), Jennifer Viditz-Ward (Vail Resorts), Patricia
McNamara (Sonnenalp), Sylvia Rivera, Johannes Faessler (Sonnenalp), Alison Wadey (Vail Chamber & Business Association), Corinne Baud (MYPR), Kristin Yantis (MYPR), Sandra Perrig-Holst
(Vail Valley Partnership), Kim Brussow (Vail Valley Partnership), Meggen Kirkham (SITE Marketing), Pat Peeples (Peeples Ink), Paul Abling (Walking Mountains Science Center), Sarah Franke
(Vail Valley Foundation), Ariel Rosemberg, Mike Lee (Cactus), Ainslie Fortune (Cactus), Liana Moore (Antlers), Kathleen Halloran (Town of Vail), Mia Vlaar (Town of Vail), Chris Romer
(Vail Valley Partnership), Jeremy Gross (Town of Vail), Phil Metz (Vail Resorts)
Call to order:
Meeting called to order at 8:37am
Monthly Financial Report (5 minutes), Carlie Smith
Carlie Smith provided update on YTD financials – down 12% from last year and down 8% from budget. Expenses equal 10% of budget.
Financial recommendation from Town based on re-forecasted revenues; 28.6% decrease from 2019 and 26% from budget. Partners are expected to cut expenses by 10-13% and the remainder will
be from fund balance (which maintains 25% threshold).
Approval of February 27, 2020 Minutes (5 minutes), Board
Motion to approve by Morgan/second by Bruno/unanimous
Vail Brand Update (5 minutes), Phil Metz
Yann Benjamin has left Vail Resorts; Phil is interim contact.
Metz provided brief update on brand and trademarks, currently in legal review. Current status is town might not be able to utilize Vail Resorts trademarks due to setting precedents for
non-VR entities. Discussion ensued; possibility exists to revisit in the future. VR messaging is going to be focused on winter 2020-21 when the time is right based on public health
directions and other factors.
COVID-19 Plans & Recommendations (90 minutes), Cactus/All Partners
Introduction: partners have been meeting weekly to prepare pivot plan and monitor marketplace.
Fortune provided a situation overview of national trends & public health directives along with industry sentiment and factors related to travel; planning objectives on strategic shifts
that allow for nimble adjustments as needed; travel situation & messages;
Lee outlined details regarding national travel and impacts on Colorado (air travel, trends from travel research firms, travel sentiment, impacts on travel & retail spending, etc). See
slides for details. Drive markets are likely to be increasingly important in the short-term.
Update on Mexico from Viditz-Ward: travel agent/wholesalers remain interested in summer due to proximity (rescheduled from Semana Santa to July), many travel packages being built for
September (possibility to build Mexico appreciation week?), other regional areas (Guadalajara) have indicated significant impact to the brand. Discussion: does Vail Resorts have a public
relations plan? Town needs to coordinate any messaging with Vail Resorts. Expressed desire for a unified voice that has empathy and staying in their consideration set into the future.
Vail Resorts is aligned with this concept.
Update on Mexico from Sylvia: negative feedback in Mexico due to national response but looking forward to outdoor recreation. Need to reinforce that Vail is welcoming when things turn
around. Sylvia to send summary. Discussion: needs to be coordinated with Vail Resorts.
Lee discussed expected travel trends and forecast for return; see slides for details. Focus expected to be drive market, similar to post 9/11 rebound related to air travel. Front Range
will need to be the focus.
Recommendation: recovery market travel study. Goal: understand travel mindset of core audiences. Discussion: how to maximize efforts; protect brand; hit with right message at right time;
need to understand sentiment to equip business with relevant information. Reevaluation & reallocation of budget to shift to this effort and discussion on tactics and methodology.
Introduction to bridge marketing campaign (see slides for details) with featured message for front range with goal to be versatile and flexible.
Option 1: Find what you’ve been missing
Berkhei walked group through various creative executions of this option including: find freedom, find inspiration, find adrenaline rush, etc. Digital, print, out of home, social, etc.
Aligns with “Find What Moves You” campaign in the future
Option 2: Find your space
Berkhei walked group through various creative executions of this option including: find your space to wander, find your space to unplug, etc.
Supporting ideas explored (see slides for details) including ringing of the bells, surprise & delight performances, illuminate the village, ribbon cuttings, virtual Vail
Plan and recommendations – how to differentiate from other mountain communities
Discussion: showcase restaurants & outdoor dining, focus on feeling of freedom, being together and being outside, photography is important; flexibility in application and messaging is
important.
Consensus from VLMDAC members is that option 1 is preferred, with a desire to ensure we are differentiating Vail from other destinations. Photography is important.
Next steps: finalize placements and timing
Discussion shifted to planning phases; see slides for details. Tentative timing and tactics:
Phase one (current): April-June
Information and support for community. Focus on owned and earned media with limited paid support. Possibility to engage Vail Daily. Media is looking for good news stories; MYPR is collecting
and distributing to media and stories are hyper-local – working closely with local partners.
Phase two (interim): June-October
Front range, drive markets, key destination markets. Broaden front range market to include CO Springs & Fort Collins. Focus on “travel intenders” – seeking deals and OTA opportunities
through Adara tools.
Phase three (future/back to normal): 2021
Finalizing campaign details originally planned for 2020 to now roll out in 2021
Partners continue to meet on a regular basis; Cactus to refine approach and creative.
Actions taken:
Motion on budget reduction of 10% by Thurnauer/second Morgan/unanimous approval
Motion on preference for option 1 (and incorporate aspects of option 2 to ensure positive positioning) by Mullen/second Thurnauer/unanimous approval
Additional discussion on supporting ideas from earlier in meeting. Vlaar updated group on bell-ringing program followed by discussion and clarify of the effort and business participation.
Group discussed intent of the activation ideas (performances, illumination, etc). Also discussed need to promote DisoverVail.com website to local community.
Events Update (15 minutes), Mia Vlaar
Sarah Franke shared event update from Vail Valley Foundation; industry cluster task forces have been crated throughout community to focus on needs. These groups include lodging/restaurant/retail,
education & youth services, nonprofit & human services, etc.
CSE Meetings Update (5 minutes), Laurie Mullen/Skip Thurnauer
Discovervail.com lists GoPro with new dates. While comfortable that we’re being proactive in rescheduling events, there are still some voids with Dance and Bravo; the economic impact
from Bravo is $20M for the summer and events are being careful not to cancel until they
absolutely have to. Events are waiting to make any announcements predicated on health orders. Like the idea of Vail Village/Lionshead doing small musical performances from balconies.
Discussion: Are there funds that aren’t going to upcoming groups that can be funneled toward ambient entertainment? Approach of town is to work with event producers for those events
on calendar and postpone/rebook instead of cancel and translate talent investment into future concerts. Farmers Market will be done online for first several markets. Every event is
being looked at individually. The opportunity could exist to put money into other events that will bring people back to town.
Other Business
n/a
Adjournment: 11:35am