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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-16 - Minutes -Fayetteville A&P Commission Meeting, March 16th, 2026 Meeting Details • Meeting held March 16, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the Fayetteville Town Center. • Present: Chair Elvis Moya; Commissioners Hamilton, Stafford, Sanderson, Hunt. Kinney, Wiederkehr • Absent: None • Staff Present: CEO Ryan Hauck. I. Call to Order • Chair Moya called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. II. Administration • Additions or changes to agenda: • Chair Moya proposes to add a financial policies approval authority item and Commissioner Stafford made the motion to add this to the agenda at the end of the existing policies items with Commissioner Kinney seconded this and it was approved unanimously. • Commissioner Hamilton proposed to add an item related to financial policies, To allow the City of Fayetteville to have an opportunity to audit our P&L every year. After discussion, Commissioner Stafford made the motion which was seconded by Commissioner Sanderson and it passed unanimously to add this item after Chair Moya’s. • Motion to approve February 16, 2026 minutes made by Commissioner Stafford; seconded by Commissioner Hamilton and approved unanimously. • Vote. Engagement Letter with Forvis, LLP for 2025 audit services. CEO Hauck presented this item with discussion stating that we use the same auditor as the City of Fayetteville as our information rolls up into the city’s audit. The cost of the audit, $33,250, was discussed with remarks that certain qualifications were necessary for a city audit and this audit firm certainly met those. Commissioner Wiederkehr made a motion to authorize the CEO to execute the engagement letter with Commissioner Hunt seconding it and it was approved unanimously. III. Reports A. Team Introductions • Team introductions included: Chris Lankford (EF, Director of Brand Strategy), Tina Archer (EF, VP of Sales) and A.C. Day, (FTC Marketing Manger and Contract Content Creator for EF) B. CEO Report – Ryan Hauck • CEO Hauck stated that 13 staff and Chair Moya attended the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Little Rock. This was a professional development tool for all with 3 of attendees serving or leading a panel discussion and VP Julie Pennington being honored with a Henry Award nomination for Hospitality. Next year’s Governor’s Conference will be in Rogers, allowing for many staff and hopefully commissioners to attend. • CEO Hauck discussed the E-Bikes purchased in November with input from former VP of Finance Jennifer Walker o Support tourism efforts by showcasing outdoor recreation and attracting event partners o Improve accessibility for individuals with limited mobility o Useful for site visits and mapping event routes (e.g., Fayetteville Traverse) o Serve as an operational tool for staff; purchased locally o Commissioners can use them with training from CEO Hauck o Expected lifespan: up to a decade o Classified as a capital asset (~$17K total for 2 E-bikes and helmets) o Covered under insurance in case of staff injury or asset loss or damage • Our 2025 Impact Report has been released with copies given to each Commissioner. It was designed all in house by Chris Lankford, Director of Brand Strategy. • Marketing and Communications: VERB, our Agency of Record, launched the 2026 paid strategy with February ads generating over 1 million impressions and 54K website clicks. AM Group secured 42 press mentions generating an Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) of $3.7 million. • Visitors Center saw 472 visitors in February with $1,305 in sales and 2 completed Ale Trail passports. Commissioner Wiederkehr proposed the idea of doing a Coffee House Trail. It was mentioned that DFC just completed a Coffee House promotion and perhaps we partner with them on expanding that. • Destination Services o Julie had a busy, successful month; conducted 36 one-on-one interviews for Bank Select event o Working with NWA Equality on pre-FAM efforts for NWA Pride o Leading CTA (Certified Tourism Ambassadors) rollout this spring (Little Rock is the only other AR CVB with this program) • Sales o Tina is leading our America250 committee with a launch plan, website, and event branding to be completed by end of March. Our role is to coordinate partner efforts o Tina is also leading a Make Music Day (June 21 – Summer Solstice) for Fayetteville o Business Development – he shared both prospective and confirmed leads (see packet for list) o He highlighted SCAR conference (training to identify and prevent human trafficking) • FTC o 19 events hosted since last report, including Mayor’s State of the City which received numerous compliments o February revenue was $65,052 o 26 additional events secured for 2026 • Additional Updates o New HMR partners opening and closures shared along with upcoming events o Quarterly business license report from City shared (includes opening dates) C. Finance Report • CEO Hauck shared the HMR slide and then noted the financials are inaccurate due to updated figures from the City of Fayetteville and will be shared later. Chair Moya confirmed with Director Hunt that no capital purchases were made during this period. D. Marketing and Communications Quarterly Report • VP of Marketing and Communications Brannon Pack presented to the commission. • Brand Campaign & Strategy • New creative brand campaign launching Summer 2026 with website refresh • Community input shaped campaign; strong focus on University of Arkansas (1 of 5 pillars) • Exploring NIL partnerships with U of A athletes • Revamping MICE strategy to strengthen Town Center positioning • Paid Media • Over 1M impressions in Feb; low cost-per-click (~$0.33) • Fall Razorback campaigns aimed at encouraging overnight stays • Events & Opportunities • Highlighted major U of A events (e.g., Post Malone/Jelly Roll concert) as opportunities for local businesses • Organic Social • Strong performance on Facebook and Instagram • TikTok launching in April; Pinterest relaunch planned • Increased engagement tied to better alignment, new assets, and new AOR • Communications & PR • New EF newsletter format; goal to grow subscriptions and better target audiences • Partnered with AM Group for PR support • 67 media mentions; 2.9B reach; May press trip planned (Chefs in the Garden) • Digital Strategy & Insights • Enhancing SEO and GEO (AI-driven search visibility) through blog restructuring • Partnering with Zartico for visitor insights (demo planned next month) • Additional • Request to share presentation slides with commissioners IV. New Business A. Discussion and Vote. Commissioner applicants, Commissioner Mike Wiederkehr • Wiederkehr shared a recap of the two Tourism and Hospitality applicant interviews conducted to replace Commissioner Sanderson who is stepping down after 9 years. • He shared about Megan Tyree first, she is the District Manager for Penguin Eds and has been for several years. • He then shared information from Alex Jerde, Director of Operations, with KHG Hotels who previously served on the A&P Commission several years ago. • The interview selection committee made the recommendation to the commission to select Alex Jerde with KHG Hotels due to his understanding of the role and the industry and CVB. • Discussion ensued including some commissioners (Hunt, Sanderson) stating they’d like the new commissioner to be from the restaurant industry as the Commissioner leaving is from the restaurant industry and that is a large portion of the HMR revenue. Commissioner Hamilton also pointed out that we may want to consider the gender makeup of the commission which would change with this position. Commissioner Stafford also leaned towards the candidate with restaurant experience. • Commissioner Hamilton asked CEO Hauck for his perspective, and he stated that we had two great candidates and that the reason CEO Hauck would consider Alex Jerde over Megan Tyree is that KHG is a great partner and the largest hotel partner in NWA. • It was noted by several that we had two qualified candidates for the position. • Commissioner Wiederkehr reframed the recommendation from the interview selection committee to state that they would like to nominate Megan Tyree for the open commissioner position. • Before the vote was taken, more discussion and input was solicited and it was noted that many commissioners wanted to replace a restaurant position with another restaurant position. • Chair Moya called for a motion and Commissioner Kinney moved to nominate Megan Tyree for our open commission seat and this was seconded by Commissioner Hunt. A roll call vote was taken which was unanimously in favor of Megan Tyree. B. Discussion and Vote: Policy Revisions • Employee Recognition & Appreciation (Handbook + Financial Policies) CEO Hauck presented new policies, including IRS considerations. Motion by Commissioner Hunt, second by Commissioner Stafford—approved unanimously. • LWOP Policy Update Adds language to include caring for family (medical, birth, adoption, foster). Motion by Commissioner Hunt, second by Commissioner Kinney—approved unanimously. • Parental Leave Update Adds reference to LWOP policy. Motion by Commissioner Hunt, second by Commissioner Hamilton—approved unanimously. • Company Credit Card Policy (Chair Moya) Updates include guidance on alcohol and gift cards. Clarified Chair reviews CEO expenses monthly. Motion by Commissioner Hunt, second by Commissioner Stafford—approved unanimously. • Financial Policy: Approval Authority (Chair Moya) Lowers CEO approval limit from $20K to $15K; contracts over $15K require Commission approval regardless of payment schedule. Motion by Commissioner Stafford, second by Commissioner Hunt—approved unanimously. • Proposed Audit Policy (Commissioner Hamilton) Suggests allowing City of Fayetteville to audit finances (as a gesture). Discussion held; no formal motion. Commissioner Hamilton will send Chair Moya, CEO Hauck a revised version to be presented at next meeting. V. Good of the Order/ Adjournment, Chair Moya and CEO Hauck • Thank you to outgoing commissioner, Chrissy Sanderson. • Commissioner Sanderson has served 9 years and we recognize her for this service at her last meeting. She was presented with a certificate and an Experience Fayetteville shirt and received appreciation from all of the attending. • With no further business, Chair Moya called for a motion to adjourn and Commissioner Hamilton made a motion with Commissioner Stafford seconding. The meeting was adjourned at 4:09 pm. Minutes provided by Amy Stockton, Experienced Fayetteville