Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau Meeting

Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Commerce Building Board Attendance (P) Amish Zaver, Comfort Inn, Chair (P) Kyle Allison, Andy Alligators, Past Chair (P) James Howard, Baked Bear, Vice Chair (P) Scott Kovalick, Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, Treasurer (P) Caitlin Fornier, OU Athletics Community Relations (A) Steve Gillis, Norman Youth Soccer Association (P) Angelia Green, The Chickasaw Nation (P) Helen Green, OU Public Affairs (P) Lee Hall, City Council (A) Jerry M. Hatter, Balfour of Norman (P) Mandy Haws, Sooner Bowling (P) Brenda Hall, City of Norman (A) Wes Moody, Norman Public Schools (P) Scott Martin, Chamber of Commerce (P) Amy Million, Norman Arts Council (A) Emily Chancellor, Hal Smith RG (A) Amber Beutler, NCED Hotel and Conference Center (A) Lawrence McKinney, Norman Economic Development Coalition (P) Carol Dillingham Call to order Zaver calls meeting to order at 11:35 am. Minutes There was no quorum at the November meeting so October meeting minutes could not be approved at that time, but A. Green provided the motion to approve them at today’s meeting; seconded provided by H. Green. (There were also no minutes to report from November due to a lack of quorum.) Finance report Kovalik, Board Treasurer, provided an overview of the October, November and December (2021) Financials. Of note: a) PPP loans have been forgiven b) Consumer advertising and marketing expenses in October reflected a major increase due to ramped up efforts to combat the effects/fallout caused by Covid-19 c) Total assets as of December 31, 2021 equaled $681,112.73 d) Good cash position overall Dillingham provided the motion to approve the October-December financials; Haws seconded. All approved. FY 2023 Budget Schemm provided an overview and comparison of the FYE 2021, 2022 and upcoming 2023 budgets. Anthony Francisco, City Treasurer, estimates that room tax collections at FYE 2022 will approximate $1.75 million (which is similar to FYE 2018 & 2019 and approximately 1/3 above expected revenue). Schemm predicts that the budget for FY 2022 should be similar to FY 2021, but encouraged board members to think about and discuss any potential changes. Allison inquired about the reserve fund and if/who else (besides the CVB) might be able to access those funds. Green asked about the potential to include Datafy (an industry software application) within the budget since the idea had been discussed at previous meetings. Schemm, however, explained that VisitNorman will likely not pursue/install Datafy at all as he has determined that there is a more cost-effective (free) option called “Buxton” that he hopes to use instead. Datafy Schemm reiterated the fact that Datafy is expensive and that Buxton provides a more affordable option for the time-being. Sports Commission The Embassy Suites is unable to join the commission at this time and we are still awaiting a signature from the NCED Conference Center & Hotel for their approval. If neither of these signatures is obtained, then VisitNorman will resort to an alternative plan to ensure the creation of this commission. Sales Report 947 Brown reported that there has been a total of 17 leads sent YTD for a total of 3,947 potential room nights. The number of groups services continues to increase as well (of note, OKiCON, which took place at the Embassy Suites over NYE weekend). Communications Report There were many efforts made to help welcome (and promote) Coach Venables to Norman last month. Brickman also noted outreach to local, rural communities to encourage shopping and travel to Norman throughout the holiday season. Meanwhile, website and social media analytics are seeing major increases compared to this same time last year. Digital Media Smith explained that throughout December, Instagram had a reach of 9,832 while Facebook had 22,271 impressions. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 12:24 pm.