HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-04-28 - Minutes -Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission
Meeting Minutes - April 28, 2025
Fayetteville Town Center – 2:00 p.m.
Present: Chair Elvis Moya, Katherine Kinney, Elliot Hunt, Sterling Hamilton, Mike
Wiederkehr
Absent: Chrissy Sanderson, Sarah Bunch
Staff: Jennifer Walker
I. Call to Order
Chair Moya called the meeting to order at 2:00 pm
II. Old Business
• A motion to approve the March 24th and April 14th minutes was made by
Commissioner Wiederkehr and seconded by Commissioner Hamilton.
• Motion carried by roll call vote.
III. New Business
A. CEO Report. Jennifer Walker. An executive overview of the previous month.
• New Commissioners: Welcomed Elliot Hunt (Tourism) and Sterling Hamilton
(At-Large).
• CEO Offer: Offer extended to Ryan Hauck (Cody, WY); contract negotiations in
progress. Planned start date: July 21.
• Professional Development: Will attend the Congress of New Urbanism
conference in June (trip funded by Walton Family Foundation); Fayetteville will
co-host this conference in 2026.
• Visitor Services:
o Updated Downtown maps now available in the Visitors Center.
• Marketing & Events:
o New campaign “Our Fayetteville is Your New Favoriteville” was a finalist
for Best Partnership Marketing (eTourism Etsy Awards).
o Fayetteville Restaurant Week: July 20–26.
• Sales:
o Banana Ball event coming in August.
o Submitted letter of intent for Banana Ball World Tour 2026.
o Many more items listed in your packet
• Destination Services:
o Tourism Week: May 4–10.
o Onyx Coffee is coming to the downtown square.
• Recent & Upcoming Events:
o Sunday on the Square held yesterday with strong attendance and positive
response to new public restrooms.
o DFC annual meeting held last week; well attended.
o Strawberry Festival: May 17–18.
• FTC:
o hosted 33 events in March.
Finally, the Quarterly Art Court stakeholder meeting held; planning underway for
extended operations with funding agreement forthcoming.
B. Financial Report. Jennifer Walker, Interim CEO and VP of Finance
Financial Report
• Financial statements included in board packets.
• March targets:
o Revenue: 22% (target: 25%)
o Expenses: 26% (target: 25%)
o Variance due to front-loaded expenses (e.g., TheatreSquared, event
funding).
• March collections (Feb. activity) were down, likely impacted by February weather
events.
• YTD Operating Expenditures: $1.6 million
• YTD HMR Collections: 1.7% below seasonally adjusted budget.
• Balance Sheet:
o Cash & investments: $4.6 million
o Unearned revenue: $273K (for future Town Center events)
C. Marketing Report. Sarah King, VP of Marketing and Communications
Sarah King shared some of the creative from our agency of record, Outright. She also
stated that we would have a more robust report presented by Outright in May.
D. Vote. CEO Employment Agreement. Chair Elvis Moya & Interim CEO Jennifer
Walker
Chair Moya asked if there was a motion to enter executive session to discuss the CEO
employment agreement.
• The motion was made by Commissioner Hunt and seconded by Commission
Hamilton and was approved via roll call vote
• Executive session ended at 2:29 PM.
• A motion to authorize Chair Moya or Interim CEO Walker to execute an
employment agreement with Ryan Hauck was made by Commissioner
Wiederkehr, seconded by Commissioner Hunt and was approved unanimously.
• Chair Moya thanked Winner Partners; Tina Winner thanked the commission.
E. Discussion. Event Funding. Commissioner Sterling Hamilton.
Commissioner Hamilton highlighted the need for sustainable funding for large events in
Fayetteville, referencing the article “As NWA booms, where is Fayetteville?” He
proposed incorporating a profit margin (e.g., 20%) into event budgets to support
producers, suggesting A&P could offer margin protection (up to 30–40%) to incentivize
and retain local talent.
Commissioners discussed process logistics, including calendar coordination
(Commissioner Wiederkehr), integration with the current community incentive grant
structure (CEO Walker), and identifying medium-sized events to scale (Commissioners
Kinney, Moya). Events such as Strawberry Festival, Falltoberfest, and Pride Festival
were mentioned as potential models.
Next steps: Staff will draft a program framework based on current grant processes and
return to the commission for input within the next few months. Transparency and
financial accountability were emphasized throughout.
F. Discussion. Facilities Strategy. Commissioner Sterling Hamilton Memo included.
Facilities Overview & Strategic Discussion
Commissioner Hamilton requested an overview of A&P-managed facilities. Walker
noted:
• EF Offices & Visitors Center: Owned by A&P; in good condition except for a
roof that will need replacement.
• Walker Stone House (WSH): Historic, costly to maintain (~$70K/year); currently
leased to Folk School at negligible rent. Lease evaluation is needed soon.
• Town Center: Managed by A&P, owned by the City; second 20-year lease
underway. Maintenance responsibilities between A&P and City need clarification.
Facility runs an annual deficit of $300K–$400K plus capital expenses.
Commissioner Hamilton asked commissioners to consider long-term goals—profitability
vs. community value—especially regarding the Town Center.
Commissioner Wiederkehr reflected on the original intent of the Town Center, noting it
was likely community-focused, not profit-driven. Walker affirmed that WSH use has
been appropriate for financial investment and Commissioner Hamilton agreed with that.
She shared that FTC programming has prioritized community impact over financial
return.
The discussion ended with Hamilton stating that if finances were needed, one of the
avenues to pursue was pulling equity out of the real estate we’ve recently renovated,
i.e. 21 S. Block Avenue.
Chair Moya told Hamilton that commissioners could bring forth agenda items and
Commissioner Hamilton said he planned on bringing a voting issue to the commission
soon for the event funding idea. Chair Moya asked if we could bring forth an updated
list of EF funded events and CEO Walker said we could do that.
IV. Adjourn
Commissioner Wiederkehr made a motion to adjourn which was seconded by
Commissioner Hunt and the meeting ended at 3:21 pm.
After the meeting ended, several commissioners toured the newly renovated
Experience Fayetteville office space.
Minutes submitted by Amy Stockton, Director of Operations