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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-12 - Minutes• ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING September 12, 2011 Commissioners Present: Bob Davis, Bill Lyle, Lioneld Jordan, Hannah Mills, Maudie Schmitt, and Justin Tennant. Commissioners Absent: Brandon Karn Staff Present: Marilyn Heifner, Sandra Bennett, Shelly Walters CALL TO ORDER Lioneld Jordan called the regular monthly meeting of the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission to order on September 12, 2011, at the Fayetteville Town Center at 2:00 p.m. MINUTES Moved by Jordan, second by Tennant to approve the minutes of the August meeting. Motion carried. FINANCIAL REPORT HMR Revenue - Collections for the month of August were $289,839, a 5.03% • increase. Year to date increase is 4.67%, with a total of $1,483.777. Financials- Keith Glass reviewed financials and explained to commissioners where numbers come from on the statements of revenue and expenses. Update from the City Attorney - Kit Williams said prosecutor collected $343.18 in August to being year-to-date overdue HMR collected to $29,136.34. Two of the 16 cases were closed with full payment of the overdue HMR taxes. CLINTON HOUSE MUSEUM The Clinton House Museum had 457 visitors in August. President Clinton's birthday celebration brought in 303 people and garnered national media coverage. The Traveling exhibit from the Old State House is currently on display at the Museum. Heritage Group Tours brought in 30 visitors. CONVENTION VISITORS BUREAU The Visitors Center had a 171% increase in August for $9650.33 in sales. This is a record month of revenue and can be contributed to students coming back to Fayetteville as well as being the only physical location to buy BBB shirts prior to the event. We had an 11.73% increase in visitors to 1457 for the month. We mailed out 834 Visitor Guides in August. We had a large number of definite bookings in August. Julie is getting in her busiest time of year. Three tours in October are staying overnight. She is doing a great job of rebooking 0 • groups she has had in the past but a number of bookings this month are coming to the area for the first time. AAO opened a sports complex and already has a number events booked for 2012. Mario is working on a number of leads to utilize the facility for basketball and volleyball as well as other sports. We also had a few small meetings pop up for the fall and the first quarter of 2012. Facebook 16,133 fans. Twitter 879 TOWN CENTER The Town Center has reached 59% of their yearly goal. Sump pump in the garage was replaced and plaza trench drains and mounting tracks were cleaned and replaced. Eighteen events were completed in August compared to 7 last year. Collections were up 56% for a total of $28,248.18. ADVERTISING AGENCY Mike Sells reported the experiencefayetteville.com website traffic is up 27% ytd and HMR tax collections are outpacing the state in their increase. The new Fayetteville sign is up at the airport. AY Magazine had a special Fayetteville section in their September magazine. Planning for 2012 will begin shortly. OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS AMP Proposal Present from the Walton Arts Center were Peter Lane, Terri Trotter, Brian Crowne, Jody Beznoska, and Barb Putnam. They asked for $500,000 to create a permanent structure for the AMP with concessions restrooms, artists' quarters, 1800 covered seats with VIP seating and donor seating, and a Stage House (a permanent stage house with 60 x 40 stage, light and sound capacity, dressing rooms and showers). They estimate the economic impact at $44,000 for AMP patrons. This is a 3.7 million dollar project with one million committed from a donor, a million dollar construction loan, a million in fundraising and WAC cash reserves, and $500,000 from the A & P Commission. Davis thanked them for bringing it to the A & P Commission. He felt like the patrons would spend money at the mall, purchase food, and put heads in beds. He said it was one of the few projects where he could see a return. Tennant said the smaller Town Center concerts had brought people from the region and felt that this was a "no brainer" for HMR to come back tenfold. He said it shows a commitment to Fayetteville from the Walton Arts Center. And this is a chance to be committed to the arts and to them. • Davis asked how far along they were in getting the project going. Lane said they were about 85% into the contractual stage. Negotiations with contractors have indicated that they can all get it done by April. They have done test bores and this project is a lot of site work. They are working with the planning commission. Brian Crowne said Fayetteville is a perfect routing spot between Kansas City and Dallas and it will be easier to attract artists to the area. Davis moved to support the AMP project with a $500,000 contribution (Y2 in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the balance in the first quarter of 2012), second by Tennant. Motion carried. Tennant said this would change the entertainment game in Fayetteville. Lyle said Fayetteville would be a hub as a tour stop. Lane thanked the Commission on behalf of the WAC board and staff. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Marilyn Heifner • Executive Director 0