Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting

TWENTYNINE PALMS TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 6136 Adobe Road Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 www.29palms.org / www.Visit29.org Thursday, May 11, 2023 REGULAR SESSION AGENDA 3:30 P. M. CALL TO ORDER Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call. CHANGES TO AGENDA PRESENTATIONS BUSINESS 1 Approval of meeting minutes for the March 16, 2023 Tourism Business Improvement 3-6 District meeting. Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District - Regular Meeting with Closed Session - 16 March 2023 - Minutes - Pdf 2 Visit 29 Palms Marketing Updates 7 - 15 Visit 29 Palms TBID Updates for May 11 2023 DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS 3 Discussion & Review of Visit 29 Palms TBID Conversion from the 1989 Parking & 17 - 19 Business Improvement Area Law to the 1994 Property & Business Improvement District Law Visit 29 Palms TBID Conversion Discussion Items 4 Mid-Year Budget & Expenditure Review and Budget Adjustment Discussions 21 - 23 Visit 29 Palms TBID Mid-Year Revenue & Expenditure Review PUBLIC COMMENTS BOARDMEMBER COMMENTS Page 1 of 23 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMENTS FUTURE BOARDMEMBER INITIATED ITEMS FAMS - Events, Retreats, Music, Film ADJOURNMENT It is the intention of the City of Twentynine Palms to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all respects. If you are a person with a disability who requires a disability-related modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please request such modification or accommodation from the City Clerk at (760) 367- 4890 (facsimile). Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting. Please advise us at the time whether you will require accommodations to participate in meetings on a regular basis. Any person affected by any application on this agenda may submit their concerns in writing prior to the meeting or appear in person and be heard in support or opposition to the proposal at the time the matter is considered on the agenda. The staff reports, applications and environmental documents may be viewed at either the office of Community Development or the office of the City Clerk, 6136 Adobe Road, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except legal holidays. The Invocation is given per Policy 10-01, and does not reflect the views of the City but rather is an expression of speech by a private citizen making the presentation. Telephone inquiries may be made at (760) 367-6799. If you challenge any agenda issue in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues that you or someone else raised at the public meeting described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Twentynine Palms at, or prior to, the public meeting. This notice of agenda is hereby certified to have been posted on or before 3:30 p.m., May 8, 2023. Cindy Villescas CMC, City Clerk Time/Date Page 2 of 23  TWENTYNINE PALMS TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 www.29palms.org / www.Visit29.org March 16, 2023 CLOSED SESSION CALL TO ORDER Roll Call. Adjourn to Closed Session. CLOSED SESSION A “Closed” Session of the Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) may be held in accordance with state law which may include, but is not limited to, the following types of items: personnel matters, labor negotiations, security matters, providing instructions to real property negotiators and conference with legal counsel regarding pending litigation. The Closed Session will be held in the City Hall Conference Room located at 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, California. Any public comment on Closed Session items will be taken before the Closed Session. Any required announcements or discussion of Closed Session items or actions following the Closed Session will be made in the City Council Chambers, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, California. 1. Closed Session Pursuant to Government Code Section §54957 - Public Employees Performance Evaluation, Marketing Director. REGULAR SESSION AGENDA CALL TO ORDER Pledge of Allegiance was lead by City Manager, Frank Luckino. Roll Call: The following TBID Advisory Boardmembers were present: Maharaj, Madrid, Knight, and Mehta were present; Boardmember Grunt had an excused absence. CHANGES TO AGENDA TBID Director Dusastre announced that rather than waiting until later in the meeting, Mike Usher on behalf of the Downtown Business Association would provide his update on Pride planning during the presentation section of the meeting. PRESENTATIONS 2. Mike Usher, Downtown Business Association On behalf of the Downtown Business Association, Mike Usher provided the group with an overview of the upcoming Pride 29 event which Visit 29 Palms has contributed $4,000 in event sponsorship to support. Usher Page 1 of 4 Page 3 of 23  Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting March 16, 2023 provided an overview of the three-day event lineup, and details of the live music and performance lineup for main event taking place at Freedom Plaza on Saturday, April 8. BUSINESS Approval of meeting minutes for the January 26, 2023, Tourism Business Improvement District meeting. ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Mehta, seconded by Boardmember Madrid to approve the TBID meeting minutes from the January 26, 2023 meeting. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Maharaj, Madrid, Knight, Mehta NO: None CARRIED. 4. Visit 29 Palms Marketing Updates TBID Director of Marketing Breanne Dusastre provided an overview of ongoing digital marketing efforts, including key performance metrics of Visit29.org, social media campaigns, video development, and advertising campaigns at Ontario International Airport. Dusastre also discussed the upcoming Inland Empire Regional Tourism Summit, and the latest insights and reporting from Destination Analysts and Visit California. Lastly, Dusastre shared October - December Q1 TBID revenue results. PUBLIC COMMENTS 5. Veno Nathraj Oasis Inn & Suites/America's Best Value owner Veno Nathraj shared public comments about Visit 29 Palms obtaining monthly reporting from STR to track hotel performance, as well as agenda item sequencing, with a request for the TBID agendas to include public comments at the end of the meetings in a similar fashion as City Council meetings. DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS Signature Event Sponsorship Proposals ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Mehta, seconded by Boardmember Knight to approve $2,600 in sponsorship for the 2023 Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Madrid, Maharaj, Knight, Mehta NO: None ACTION: A motion was made by Vice Chair Maharaj, seconded by Chair Mehta to approve $2,250 in sponsorship for the 2023 Night Sky Festival. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Madrid, Knight, Mehta, Maharaj NO: None ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Mehta, seconded by Boardmember Knight to approve $2,000 in sponsorship for the 2023 Vacation Races Joshua Tree Half Marathon. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Madrid, Maharaj, Knight, Mehta NO: None Page 2 of 4 Page 4 of 23  Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting March 16, 2023 ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Mehta, seconded by Boardmember Madrid to approve $4,000 in sponsorship for the Joshua Tree National Park Association's 2023 Beneath the Desert Stars Summer Concert Series. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Maharaj, Knight, Madrid, Mehta NO: None CARRIED. Renewal of California Welcome Center Display Campaign ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Maharaj, seconded by Boardmember Knight to approve the TBID's renewal of its California Welcome Center display campaign. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Madrid, Mehta, Knight, Maharaj NO: None CARRIED. Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District conversion to Property and Business Improvement District "94 Act Law" and review of Civitas proposal for phase one of conversion. ACTION: A motion was made by Chair Mehta, seconded by Boardmember Maharaj to approve contact services funding with Civitas to pursue the TBID's conversion to the 1994 Property & Business Improvement District Law of 1994. The above motion was carried by the following: ROLL CALL VOTE YES: Knight, Madrid, Maharaj, Mehta NO: None CARRIED. DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMENTS BOARDMEMBER COMMENTS Chair Mehta addressed the need for additional staffing, and with consensus from the rest of the Boardmembers, directed Dusastre to utilize what would be a surplus in allocated funds for the website agency contract to support the addition of a second part-time Visitor Center Associate. FUTURE BOARDMEMBER INITIATED ITEMS FAMS - Events, Retreats, Music, Film ADJOURNMENT It is the intention of the City of Twentynine Palms to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all respects. If you are a person with a disability who requires a disability-related modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please request such modification or accommodation from the City Clerk at (760) 367-4890 (facsimile). Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting. Please advise us at the time whether you will require accommodations to participate in meetings on a regular basis. Any person affected by any application on this agenda may submit their concerns in writing prior to the meeting or appear in person and be heard in support or opposition to the proposal at the time the matter is considered on the agenda. The staff reports, applications and environmental documents may be viewed at either the office of Community Development or the office of the City Clerk, 6136 Adobe Road, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, except legal holidays. The Invocation is given per Policy 10-01, and does not reflect the views of the City but rather is an expression of speech by a private citizen making the presentation. Telephone inquiries may be Page 3 of 4 Page 5 of 23  Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting March 16, 2023 made at (760) 367-6799. If you challenge any agenda issue in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues that you or someone else raised at the public meeting described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Twentynine Palms at, or prior to, the public meeting. This notice of agenda is hereby certified to have been posted on or before 3:00 p.m., March 13, 2023. Cindy Villescas CMC, City Clerk Time/Date Page 4 of 4 Page 6 of 23  Tourism Business Improvement District Advisory Board Meeting May 11, 2023. Page 7 of 23  5/8/2023 SPONSORED INDUSTRY EVENT Inland Empire Tourism Regional Summit | March 29, 2023 Presented by Discover Inland Empire and with support and representation by Visit California, the sold-out Regional Summit brought together 60 travel industry/meeting buyers, CVB’s, local tribes, and industry leaders to share insights on the state of tourism, share best practices for regional collaboration, and the benefits of international tourism development. Visit 29 Palms earned great industry exposure as Gold Level sponsor of this event, hosting a table at the event’s marketplace and participating as a guest panelist. Page 8 of 23  5/8/2023 SPONSORED INDUSTRY EVENT Inland Empire Tourism Regional Summit | March 29, 2023 Expert Panel: Best Practices in Tourism Lynn Carpenter | Vice President of Marketing, Visit California Nicky Tang | China Marketing & Sales Director, The Walt Disney Company Breanne Dusastre | Director of Marketing, Visit 29 Palms Freddy Bi | President & CEO, Discover Inland Empire Page 9 of 23  5/8/2023 SPONSORED EVENTS: PRIDE 29 April 6-8, 2023 Hosted by the Downtown Business Association and sponsored by Visit 29 Palms and local businesses, the city’s first-ever Pride festival featured a three-day lineup of events that included drag bingo, a comedy show, a family feud night benefiting the Morongo Basin Human Society, and live music and entertainment at Freedom Plaza on Saturday, April 8. Page 10 of 23  5/8/2023 SPONSORED EVENTS: JOSHUA TREE 55 April 29, 2023 A record-breaking 366 riders from across the US and Canada participated in the 6th annual Joshua Tree 55 Bike Ride, and for the first time in the event’s history, cyclists had the opportunity to take one of three routes through Joshua Tree National Park: the Original 55 Route, a Gravel Route, and a Metric Century Route. Visit 29 Palms is a proud sponsor of this event, and each year staffs one of the SAG stops along the course in Joshua Tree National Park to support and cheer on the cyclists. Page 11 of 23  5/8/2023 CITY OF 29 PALMS VISITOR CENTER OPERATIONS Monthly Visitor Tracking % change as compared to previous year Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April YTD 445 341 338 432 409 586 541 3,092 +6.7% +1% +5.6% +48% +10% +24% +40% +19% New Art in Public Places exhibition, “Desert Dreams” features student work by Copper Mountain College art students; on display now through June 25. Page 12 of 23  5/8/2023 VISIT29.ORG Key Performance Metrics % change as compared to previous year A look at year-to-date tracking | October 1, 2022 – May 1, 2023 Total Users Pageviews Pages/Session Bounce Rate Lodging Clicks 61,753 140,596 1.90 69% 4,613 +16% +21% +3% -0.8% +23% Users by Top Acquisition Channels A look at year-to-date tracking | October 1, 2022 – May 1, 2023 Organic Search Paid Search Social Direct Referral 28,038 44% 17,208 27% 7,309 11% 4,966 8% 4,022 6% +8% +16% +16% +16% +16% Paid Search Results A look at year-to-date tracking | October 1, 2022 – May 1, 2023 Impressions Clicks CTR CPC 864,000 21,400 9.18% $0.30 -18% +7% +19% -21% Page 13 of 23  5/8/2023 VISIT29.ORG Website Redesign/Rebuild with Simpleview Discussion & review of 12 step design & development process Target launch for new site is November 2023 Page 14 of 23 8  5/8/2023 JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK TRAFFIC COUNTS Tracking Number of Vehicles Entering By Park Entrance Location % change as compared to previous year https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park/JOTR 29 Palms North Entrance Joshua Tree West Entrance Cottonwood South Entrance 2022 Total: 226,265 +6% 2022 Total: 463,179 -2.3% 2022 Total: 128,205 -2.7% 2023 YTD: 76,858 -3% 2023 YTD: 151,974 +3.5% 2023 YTD: 48,826 +6% • January: 21,878 -6% • January: 46,267 -5% • January: 16,896 +16% • February: 23,314 -6% • February: 43,333 +13% • February: 15,641 +6% • March: 30,749 +3% • March: 62,374 +4% • March: 16,289 -3% Page 15 of 23 Page 16 of 23  Discussion & Action Items May 11, 2023. Page 17 of 23  5/8/2023 VISIT 29 PALMS TBID CONVERSION Converting the Visit 29 Palms TBID from the 1989 Parking & Business Improvement Area Law to the 1994 Property & Business Improvement District Law Project Background • In 2017, Visit 29 Palms adopted a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) funding model, under the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989 (’89 Law). While many districts were once formed under the ’89 Law, by now, most have converted to the more contemporary Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994 (’94 Law). • Visit 29 Palms has enlisted the services of Civitas Advisors to help guide this process and is proposing to modernize the current TBID by converting to a ’94 district. The proposed, modernized TBID will be similar to the existing TBID but offers stakeholders more transparency in oversight and governance in managing the district. Under the ’94 Law, the TBID can also operate for a longer period of time, (up to 10 years after an initial 5-year term) which allows Visit 29 Palms staff to focus on long-term initiatives instead of spending time required to fulfill the administrative tasks required for annual renewal. Page 18 of 23  5/8/2023 VISIT 29 PALMS TBID CONVERSION Converting the Visit 29 Palms TBID from the 1989 Parking & Business Improvement Area Law to the 1994 Property & Business Improvement District Law Discussion & Review Topics: Examples of ‘89 to ‘94 Law Conversions • Overview of Project Timeline • Phase One & Two Project Milestones • Drafted Service Plan • Development of Management District Plan • Open House for Lodging Partners • Civitas Contract Services Budget Page 19 of 23 Page 20 of 23  Discussion & Action Items May 11, 2023. Page 21 of 23  5/8/2023 TBID REVENUE RESULTS Review of Jan-March Q2 Results & FY 22-23 Year-To-Date Q2 TBID Rev Results: $126,084 +15% YOY YTD TBID Rev Results: $126,084 +10% YOY Hotel: $65,979 +11% YOY Hotel: $111,759 -1.6% YOY VHR: $60,105 +20.5% YOY VHR: $105,659 +26% YOY Total Hotel VHR 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 Oct - Dec '21 Jan - March '22 April - June ' 22 July - Sept '22 Oct - Dec ' 22 Jan - March '23 FY 21-21 FY 22-23 Page 22 of 23  5/8/2023 MID-YEAR BUDGET REVIEW Review of Year-To-Date TBID Revenue & Expenditures October 1, 2022 - April 27, 2023 FY 22-23 Budget FY 22-23 YTD Actuals Revenue: $289,500 Revenue: $217,418 = 75% of revenue budget Expenditures: $285,539 Expenditures: $159,902 = 56% of budgeted expenditures Budget Transfers/Adjustments to discuss: • Civitas Contract Services (TBID conversion) • Legal Fees (Web Agency Contract & TBID conversion) • Extension of campaign at Ontario International Airport • Summer billboard campaign on I-10 • New fall events Page 23 of 23