hernando county memorandum tourist development council … · 10/26/2016 · the hernando county...

Hernando County Tourist Development

Council Members

Therese White Motel 6

Spring Hill/Weeki Wachee Chairperson

James Adkins Hernando County Board of County Commissioners

Betty Erhard City of Brooksville

John Athanason City of Weeki Wachee

Achilles Thomas Monster Transmission

Nature Coast.TV 1st Vice Chair

Fran Baird Hernando Beach Suites & Condos

2nd Vice Chair

Virginia Bensen Member

Mary Kirkonnell Peace Tree Trading

Member

Sherry Pedonesi Chinsegut Hill Retreat

____________________

Tammy J. Heon Manager, Tourism

Development Nature’s Place to Play

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT:

DATE:

MEMORANDUM

Honorable Chairman and Members of the Hernando County Tourist Development Council

Tammy J. Heon, Manger, Tourism Development

TDC Meeting

October 25, 2016

Attached are your agenda and back up materials for the TDC Meeting scheduled for 2:30pm on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. This meeting will be held at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport.

If you have not already done so, please confirm your attendance at this time; via phone to 352-540-6232 or email to [email protected]

Thank you,

Tammy J. Heon Manager, Tourism Development

Hernando County Tourist Development Council Meeting October 26, 2016 2:30pm – 4:30 pm

Location: Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport

Meeting called by: Tammy J. Heon Manager, Tourism Development

Mission Statement The Hernando County Tourist Development Council will identify, create, support and enhance activities, consistent with community assets that increase visitation and provide local economic impact.

2:30-3:00 Call to Order Approval of Minutes – September 28, 2016 regular meetings Finance Report – Tammy Heon Tourism Manager’s Report – Tammy Heon

3:00-3:45 Old Business • Updated Media Plan• Arrivalist Program

3:45-4:00 New Business

4:00-4:15 Council Member Reports Therese White, Chairperson James Adkins, Board of County Commissioners Betty Erhard, City of Brooksville John Athanason, City of Weeki Wachee Fran Baird Virginia Benson Achilles Thomas Mary Kirkonnell Sherry Pedonesi

4:15-4:30 Public Comment

4:30 Adjournment of Business Meeting

TDC Meeting 9/28/16 Page 1

HERNANDO COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

“The Hernando County Tourist Development Council will identify, create, support and enhance activities,

consistent with community assets that increase visitation and provide local economic impact.”

September 28, 2016 – MINUTES OF MEETING

The Hernando County Tourist Development Council conducted their meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at 2:30pm. The meeting was held in the conference room at the Brooksville – Tampa Bay Regional Airport, 15800 Flight Path Drive, Brooksville. The meeting had been advertised and the public was invited to attend. The following is an attendance record and summary of discussions that took place at the meeting. MEMBERS PRESENT: STAFF: James Adkins Tammy Heon, Tourism Development Manager Fran Baird Shannon Werner, Visitor Center Assistant Sherry Pedonesi Achilles Thomas Therese White EXCUSED: John Athanason, Virginia Bensen, Betty Erhard, Mary F. Kirkconnell GUESTS: Dennis J. Gordan, Tampa Bay Softball; Adam Thomas, Discover Crystal River CALL TO ORDER: TDC Chair, Therese White, called the meeting to order at 2:30pm on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. MINUTES of the August 24 meeting: A copy of the minutes of the August 24, 2016, meeting was included in the meeting package. MOTION: A motion was made by Fran Baird to approve the minutes of the August 24, 2016 TDC meeting. Motion seconded by Achilles Thomas. Motion passed unanimously, 5-0. FINANCE REPORT – Tammy Heon: A copy of the Tourist Development Tax Revenue Report as of September 6, 2016, was given to each TDC member prior to the meeting. Tammy reported current tourism taxes collected as follows: July Tourist Development Tax (August 2016 Collections) totaled $73,785.93, reflecting an increase of 26.5% from the date FY 14-15: $58,342.80. Year-To-Date Revenues totaled $795,284.19, an increase of 15.5% from the date FY 14-15: $688,258.93. Tammy Heon stated that $800,000 had been budgeted for total revenues FY 15-16. Tammy Heon reported that Year-To-Date Expenditures totaled $882,863.06 and Outstanding Encumbrances totaled $33,993.95, leaving an available balance of $358,302.99. The balance includes $108,057 in reserves which would be replenished in the following fiscal year, Tammy stated. TOURISM MANAGER’S REPORT: Tammy Heon Florida Governor’s Conference: Tammy Heon reported that the conference had a large focus on mobile and digital

marketing. Tammy stated that she was evaluating new Visit Florida co-op programs for the upcoming fiscal year.

Florida Outdoor Writers Association Conference: Tammy Heon reported she was not able to attend the conference due to illness. Kim Poppke attended the conference, Tammy stated; Kim handled the destination showcase and presented the bid for hosting the 2018 FOWA conference. Daytona is the other destination which made a bid for the conference. A decision will be made at the next FOWA board meeting. Discussion: Therese White asked what month the conference would be held. Tammy stated that the conference is typically held in late August or early September. Sherry Pedonesi asked why there were only two destinations


bidding on the conference. Tammy stated that Florida’s Adventure Coast was invited to bid. Adam Thomas stated that he believed the conference invites only two bids per year to avoid repeat destinations.

FADMO: Tammy Heon reported that she attended the FADMO annual meeting the previous week; she now holds the position of treasurer for the FADMO board. The conference included a session from the Vacation Rental Manager Association, and Airbnb also attended the meeting, Tammy stated. FADMO was continuing its push for legislation which would require private home rentals to list their license number in all advertising. Discussion: Fran Baird asked if there was any discussion at the meeting about inspections of rental homes. Tammy Heon stated that there was discussion of basic safety mechanisms that would be required for properties under professional management.

Brooksville Main Street: Tammy Heon stated that the Brooksville Main Street Program would begin its inaugural event on October 8, the first day of Founder’s Week. The first day would include a historic fashion show; other Founder’s Day activities were planned for that day and throughout the week.

Grant Funding Training: Tammy Heon reported that grant funding training would be held on the morning of October 21. Tammy stated that one half of the training would be for grant funding recipients; the second session would focus on social media and would be open to any interested party. Therese White asked where the training would take place; Tammy stated that it was scheduled at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport.

TDC Meeting Date: Tammy Heon stated that there was a challenge for some TDC members of having both the Chamber Breakfast and the TDC Meeting on the same day. She asked the TDC if they would prefer to change the meeting date to the second or third Wednesday of the month. Sherry Pedonesi stated that she would prefer the third Wednesday. A consensus was reached; the TDC will meet on the third Wednesday for normally scheduled TDC meetings effective October 2016.

Fishing with Ronnie: Tammy Heon stated that Ronnie Green (A Fishing Story) had filmed with two mermaids and John Athanason in order to capture scallop diving during the season. Tammy played a sneak preview of the TV spot for the TDC. Fran Baird asked when the video shoot would be complete. Tammy Heon stated that filming would continue on the week of the 24th to finish the rest of the episode and both commercials.

ACTIVITY REPORTS: Activity reports for I-75, Weeki Wachee visitor centers were included in the meeting package prior to the meeting. I-75 VISITOR CENTER – AUGUST 2016: The visitor center had 95 guests in August 2016. The top origin states were as follows: FL, TX, and OH. Top origin countries: Venezuela. Conversions in August: 56 people for overnight visits and 50 for day visits. ‘Sign’ and ‘Drive by’ were the leading ways people found the visitor center. Top interests were ‘Trails’ and ‘Local Map’ in August 2016. WEEKI WACHEE VISITOR CENTER - AUGUST 2016: The visitor center had 802 guests in August 2016. The top origin states were as follows: FL, TX and VA. Top origin countries: England, UK and Germany. Conversions in August: 114 people for overnight visits and 118 for day visits. ‘Friends’ and ‘Internet’ were the leading ways people found the attraction/visitor center. Top interests were the ‘Adventure Coast Map’ and ‘Weeki Wachee Information’ in August 2016. OLD BUSINESS: Final Budget: The Approved 2017 Revenue Expenditure Budget for FY 2017 was given to each TDC member at the meeting. Tammy Heon reported that the total Expenditure Budget had increased by $140,000. Tammy stated that the items highlighted in yellow in the Expenditure report were amounts that had changed since the TDC previously approved the budget. ‘Personnel – Salaries & Benefits’ increased due to an increase in health insurance, Tammy Heon stated, and the amount still included the new administrative assistant to be hired. ‘Contracted Services – Marketing’ increased and would


include the new wrap for the county vehicle, Tammy stated. ‘Rental/Lease - Equipment’ decreased by about $50,000, Tammy stated; the Blueberry Festival would receive a grant from Tourism Development but there were no extra costs in this category for road closures. ‘Promotional Activities – Special Projects’ increased by $17,000 and would include funds for Chinsegut Hill, the Main Street Program and the Cycling Classic, Tammy stated. The Balance Cash forward increased by almost $58,000 which would be used to replenish the reserves, Tammy stated. The $28,000 cost for a county vehicle was no longer included in the budget; Tammy stated that the cost would be a paid over multiple years rather than a total sum amount. NEW BUSINESS: Arrivalist Program: Information on the Arrivalist Program was given to each TDC member at the meeting. Tammy Heon stated that she, Therese White and Sherry Pedonesi had seen a demo of the program at the Florida Governor’s Conference. Tammy stated that the program collects data by using tracking pixels on the website and all digital ads; while a person is on a tablet or phone the pixel can track ads, website content, social media click-through, and the device being used. After viewing content on a phone or tablet, the program tracks when the viewer appears in the destination, Tammy stated. Data from the program would tell the Tourism Bureau what content or ads are leading to conversions, what the average booking window is for visitors and other valuable data, Tammy stated.

Tammy stated that available funds for FY 2016 would roll over at the mid-year adjustment; this would cover the cost of the Arrivalist Program without using marketing funds for FY 2017. Tammy reported that for $40,000, the Tourism Bureau were receive 50% of the arrival data and up to 50 million impressions for one year. A 10% discount is available for a two year license. Discussion: Achilles Thomas stated that the Arrivalist Program was a great concept, and asked why there was no option for 100% of the data. Tammy Heon reported from the demo that the total amount of data would be impossible to compile, and the samplings provided give the actual information needed. Achilles asked if the TDC had any paid media; Tammy stated that current paid media FY 2017 would include a TripAdvisor campaign, Facebook ads, an Atlanta Magazine email blast, a sponsorship on AuthenticFlorida.com and Madden Media’s Visit Florida Reflections campaign which includes two email blasts and a banner ad. Tammy stated that magazines for Adventure Outdoor, Undiscovered Florida and Visit Florida each included digital elements. Achilles Thomas stated that the cost would be better if rates were based on the amount of traffic a website received.

The TDC agreed to table the decision on the Arrivalist Program. Tammy stated that she would schedule an online demo for the October TDC meeting. Media Plan 2016-2017: The Media Plan FY 2016-2017 was given to each TDC member. Discussion: Therese White asked if Gold Marketing would be replaced. Tammy Heon stated that yes; she would rather hire multiple firms than have a firm that we are totally dependent on. She will be working with Purchasing for an RFI (Request for Information) or an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) to explore options. Tammy Heon stated that a digital firm and a creative firm could be an option, and the right digital firm may be able to handle print buys as well.

Referring to the Media Plan, Sherry Pedonesi asked if the $3,150 in red for ‘Adventure Outdoor’ magazine was a negative amount. Tammy Heon stated that it was red because it was not yet approved.

Therese White stated that amount for TreeUmph! billboards seemed expensive; Tammy stated that it included two co-op billboards with TreeUmph! Fran Baird asked if TreeUmph! was still scheduled to open in fall; Tammy stated that the opening was pushed back to February 2017. Fran asked if the Tourism Bureau would co-op with the Blueberry Festival for billboards this year. Tammy stated yes; the agreement included one co-op boards on I-75 and a second on US-41 heading into Brooksville.

Therese White asked what the status was on the reef project; Tammy stated that they are waiting on BP funds, and a plan is in place for Joe Weatherby from Reef Builders International to start the project. Therese White asked if the Kayak Trail would be advertised once finished. Tammy stated yes, although future campaigns were not ready to be included in the media plan. TDC Member Reports: Fran Baird reported that the Hernando Beach had the first draft of its vision plan for the community.


Sherry Pedonesi reported that Chinsegut Hill Retreat was booked for every weekend through March 2017. Sherry stated that Chinsegut Hill would be starting a bi-monthly radio program with two historical characters, and its volunteer would be involved in Founders Week during the Fashion Show. Achilles Thomas asked Sherry is the radio station they are using is 102.9; Sherry stated yes. Achilles stated that he had recently discovered the station, which is the only local radio station with music. Public Comment: Adam Thomas of Discover Crystal River thanked the TDC and invited them to attend Discover Crystal River’s TDC meetings. Adam reported that they have had success with the international market by attending the trade show ITB with Visit Florida; Adam encouraged the TDC to consider attending the tradeshow in their future marketing plans, stating that both destinations have a very sellable product when marketed together.

Dennis J. Gordan stated that Tampa Bay Softball was working to bring a Volleyball tournament to Weeki Wachee. Dennis stated that he would like to start a Scallop Festival in Hernando County and has received recommendations from Hernando Parks and Recreation to host it at Linda Pedersen Park. Tammy Heon encouraged Dennis to apply for a TDC grant when the event planners are ready to move forward. With no additional reports or business to be conducted, the meeting was adjourned at 4:45pm. Prepared by Shannon Werner

I-75 Visitor Information Center SEPTEMBER 2016

Total

SEPTEMBER In-state Out of State Total

5353 129 55 184

Age Group 1 - 17 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65+

SEPTEMBER 11 0 2 4 4 12 10

Month FL KY PA SC

SEPTEMBER 21 10 2 2

Month

SEPTEMBER BULGARIA ENGLAND

4 2

Referral:

Hotel / Local

Business

Referral:

Family /

Friends

None Listed Web-Online Sign - I-75 or

Drive by

FL Map Event

Related

Travel: AAA / CAA

4 2 21 0 48 100 5 2

Month Intent to

Return for

Future Visit

Captured:

Lunch

Captured:

Day Visit

Captured:

Dinner

Captured Overnight

SEPTEMBER 30 22 6 3 4

I-75 VIC I-75 Hotels Steve Diez

Total101 (plus 50

outside)

Bike Trails

50; Map

pads 300

(3x100)

Bike Trails

1 Case = 540

Month ATV Riding

& Rental

Airboat Rides Croom

Motorcycle AreaBayport River

Safari

Beach - Pine

Island

Biking /

Bike Rentals

Birding

SEPTEMBER 3 0 1 8 18 4 0

MonthBoating -

Boat RampsBoyett's

Brooksville Info

& Walking TourCampimg Canoeing

Chins Consv

CtrChins Hill Retreat

SEPTEMBER 5 10 20 4 0 3 5

Month Dining Directions Farms / U-Pick Fishing Geocaching Golf Hiking

SEPTEMBER 9 34 13 18 0 0 1

Month Horse Trails

& RidingHotel/Motel Kayaking Manatees Maps - FL Maps - Local

Historical Museum - Train

Depot

SEPTEMBER 1 13 11 1 26 33 15

Month Homosassa

Area

New

Resident

Paddle-

boardingParks

Peace Tree

Trading

Remington

OutpostSWFTMUD Preserves

SEPTEMBER 1 18 6 12 4 2 0

MonthScalloping Shopping Snorkeling Trails Walking Tour

WW State

ParkTraveling - Saw the

Sign

SEPTEMBER 2 16 7 10 0 23 80

Captured Hotel or

Campground

H- 4 / C- 0

0

Top Origin States

Top Origin Countries

How They Found Us

Conversions

Demographics

Visitors

Walk ins Phone Calls

101

FY 10/1/15 to current

RT 10/15/2016 F:\TDC\Staff Reports\WWSSP VIC Reports\Fiscal Year 2015-2016\WWVic September Board Report 2016

Weeki Wachee Springs Visitor Information Center

Month Visitors Residents TotalSeptember 466 37 503 Visitor Resident Total

17,266 Total: 22 3 15 18

Month 1 - 17 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65+

September 42 4 25 24 28 31 35

Month FL SC TN ME NY-TX (tie)

September 161 6 5 4 3

Month Czech Republic UK China France

September 6 5 4 3

Month Live Oak, FL Spring Hill, FLThe Villages,

FL Tampa, FL Brooksville, FL

September 34 20 17 11 10

(Blank) Internet Family Friends Sign TV Drive by

44 30 20 18 10 9 8

US 19 I-75 Blank / Unsure HWY 50Suncoast / Veterans US-41

60 56 49 26 12 9

Month

Intent to Return for Future Visit

Captured Lunch Captured: Dinner Walk in Resident Captured: Day Visit

September 92 9 52 37 99

MonthAdventure Coast

Map Just Looking Things to Do Kayak Weeki Wachee Information Pine Island Restaurants

September 173 101 87 65 55 49 46

FL Map Homosassa State Parks Directions Coloring Items Weeki Wachee Beaches

38 32 32 31 30 28 27

Brooksville Tarpon Springs County Parks Camping Biking Chinsegut Retreat Crystal River

26 23 21 21 19 17 17

New Resident Upick Love WW Vic Swim/View Manatees FL Parks History Weeki

Wachee Withlacoochee

17 16 14 14 12 12 12

AL-AZ-GA-MS (tie)

2

St. Pete, FL-Candler, FL (tie)

8

Interests & Comments

Hotel or Campground

Hotel: 27 Campground: 5

September 2016Visitors

Fiscal Year Total: October 2015 to current

Age Group

Phone Calls

Top Origin States

Out of Park Pass

Demographics

Top Origin Countries

How did they find us?

Route traveled to get here

Conversions

Top Origin Cities

RT 10/10/2016 F:\TDC\Staff Reports\Leads Report\New format 2015-2016 Lead Sept-Source Report

Oct-15 Nov 2015 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16TOTALS10,025

184735

Oct-15 Nov 2015 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 TOTALS246 145 132 147 348 250 294 185 206 250 168 287 2,658

Oct-15 Nov 2015 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 TOTALS0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6



0 0 131 603 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 734


0 0 0 0 0 24 31 14 78 36 77 13 273

Oct-15 Nov 2015 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 TOTALS0 0 0 77 150 6 0 0 0 0 233


Oct-15 Nov 2015 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16 Jul-16 Aug-16 Sep-16 TOTALS0 0 0 0 0 145,207 173612 208,307 215,272 173,515 915,913





US LEADSCANADIAN LEADS

CLICKS

FLORIDA SPORT FISHING MAGAZINE

GEORGIA OUTDOOR MAGAZINE

0

AAA LIVING NORTH

*SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE-CLICK-THRUS

0

ATLANTA MAGAZINE

ADVENTURE OUTDOORS MAGAZINE

SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE

0

HI TORQUE PUBLICATIONS-CROOM ATV PARK

0

2015-2016 FISCAL YEAR LEAD SOURCE REPORT

STS-ESCAPE TO THE SOUTHEAST MAGAZINE

WORTH IT - UNDISCOVERED FLORIDA

VISIT FLORIDA - REFLECTIONS FALL INSERT - US LEADS

SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE*

2015-2016 FISCAL YEAR

MILES MEDIA: 2015-2016 VISIT FLORIDA MAGAZINE

0

0

0

VISIT FLORIDA - REFLECTIONS FALL INSERT - CANADA LEADS

FISCAL YEAR LEADS

Florida’s Adventure Coast September 2016 sports marketing update

Races:

1. Croom Races-www.tamparaces.com-Croom Park-Withlacoochee State Park-Brooksvillea) Saturday, January 7, 2017 Croom Zoom 100M/100K/50K/25K

Croom Park-Withlacoochee State Park-Brooksvilleb) March 2017-Long Play Race-5M to Ultra

Croom Park-Withlacoochee State Park-Brooksvillec) April 2017-Croom 50M/50K/16M Fools Trail Run

Croom Park-Withlacoochee State Park-Brooksville

2. Run for New Beginnings 5K Run/Walka) Saturday October 15, 2016, Downtown Brooksville, 5K Run/Walk 7:00am and 1 Mile Color Fun Run 8:45am.

3. My Destination Trainera) Sunday, January 1, 2017-Spring Hill Marathon Mania 10K to benefit Ainsley’s Angels and www.marinefamilies.org

Anderson Snow Park-Suncoast Trail. This race is a Boston Marathon Qualifier, the organization applied for TDCgrant funding. They are projecting 500 registrations with 30% being out of state with targeted advertising inPanhandle, North and South East Florida. The host will target runners from previous race databases and allrunning clubs in the United States via RRCA (Road Runners Club of America, www.rrca.org.) Tourism will providearea information and discount hotel rates.

4. Color Vibe 5KSaturday, November 5, 2016-Color Vibe 5K Anderson Snow Park, Suncoast Parkway, will benefit a local charity. Jog, walk, skip, or dance through our course to get C-R-A-Z-Y colorful. Participants will look like a rainbow from head to toe!

Bicycling:

2017 Brooksville Cycling Classic Tentative Dates: Saturday April 8-9, 2017

3rd Annual Brooksville Library 5K Saturday March 11, 2017 starting at 8:00am, in downtown Brooksville.

Disc Dog: Central Florida Disc Dogs

Tournaments will be held in Zephyrhills starting October 29, 2016

No information to date on upcoming Baseball, Softball, and Bowling tournaments, will provide when information is available.

http://www.marinefamilies.org/

http://www.rrca.org/

Website Analytics Summary – Oct. 2016 (9/23 – 10/23)

OVERVIEW Traffic & Pageviews

Sessions Users Pageviews Pages/Session/Duration %New Sessions 3,397 2,839 6,992 2.06 1:28 78.86%

GEOGRAPHY Top States

Top Cities

Acquisition Top Traffic Sources

Social Media Traffic

Top Referrers

Behavior

New vs Returning

Top Pages Visited Page Title

Landing Page

Exit Page

Content Drilldown

Demographics

Interests

Technology

Oct. 2016 Email Report

Trumba Calendar – October 2016

hernando county memorandum tourist development council … · 10/26/2016 · the hernando county...

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