board of directors meeting minutes · • keynote – sheryl connelly, manager of global consumer...

Randolph County Tourism Development Authority | Meeting Minutes

April 24, 2019 | PG. 1

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

April 24, 2019

I. Call to Order – David Caughron, Chairman of the Board

The Randolph County Tourism Development Authority (Authority) Board of Directors meeting

was called to order by David Caughron, Chair, at 2 PM on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in the

Commissioners Meeting Room of the 1909 Randolph County Courthouse, 145 Worth Street,

Asheboro, North Carolina.

II. Roll Call of Board Members – Amber M. Skeen, Clerk to the Board

Board members: David Caughron, Chair; Rebecca Petty Moffitt*, Vice-Chair; Leslie Brown*,

Barbara Gallimore, Luke Hollingsworth, Ross Holt, Shawn Patel, and Diane Villa

Absent: Marianne Rowe

Staff members: Tammy O’Kelley, Executive Director; Amber Scarlett, Tourism Manager; Amber

Renee Skeen, Clerk to the Board; Will Massie, Finance Officer

Guests: Larry Penkava, Courier-Tribune; Kenny Kidd, Randolph County Commissioner

* = Board Members arrived at the meeting as noted in minutes.

III. Request to Approve Board of Director’s Meeting Minutes from March 20, 2019 –

David Caughron

A motion to approve the March 20, 2019 Authority Board of Directors Meeting minutes was made

by Luke Hollingsworth and seconded by Shawn Patel; and the motion was unanimously approved.

IV. Destinations International CEO Summit Update – Tammy O’Kelley, Executive

Director

*Board Members arrived at the meeting


April 24, 2019 | PG. 2

O’Kelley attended the Destinations International CEO Summit that was held in Asheville on April

15 through 18, 2019 along with 250 DMO CEOs/Executive Directors/Presidents from across the

U.S. and abroad. Sessions she attended were:

• Keynote – Sheryl Connelly, Manager of Global Consumer Trends & Futuring, Ford Motor Company

Social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends that will impact destination

marketing short- and long-term

• The Asheville Story – Stephanie Pace Brown, CEO, Explore Asheville

• Becoming a Community Shared Value – Jack Jackson, Chief Advocacy Officer, DI

Through the use of audits, FOIA requests, public hearings and other methods of DMO’s are being

labeled wasteful, poor fiduciaries of public money, bad community investments, and examples of

corporate welfare. To break the regular attack cycle, we must be able to answer four basic questions

in a way that can lead a destination organization to become a shared community value that everyone

in a destination can support and embrace.

• The Connected City of the Future – Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus OH

Having a vision of the connected city of the future and how it’s tied to a dynamic and inclusive

growth strategy through out every neighborhood in your destination.

• Cultivating Change: Biltmore Time-Tested Strategies for Your Destination – Ann Ashley, Vice

President, Talent & Organizational Development, The Biltmore Company

Change, whether significant or small-scale, is rarely easy, but your DMO can persevere and find

success through Biltmore’s time-tested approach to not just enduring change, but leading it by

o Understanding of the psychology behind change

o Discovering applicable stories of Biltmore best practices in change management

o Learning practical tactics to create change momentum in your destination

• Update from US Travel Association – Erik Hanson, VP of Government Relations

Overview of the U.S. travel industry’s performance and impact on our economy, jobs and trade

deficit, as well as discuss U.S. Travel’s key advocacy priorities and outcomes.

• Emerging Destinations Issues - Paul Ouimet, President & CEO, NEXTFactor Enterprises;

Managing Director, DestinationNext

The top issues that are impacting the industry and opportunities they present:

o Homelessness

o Sustainability

o Responsible Tourism

• Global Outlook – Derek Price, North America Director, Expedia Media Group Solutions

Creative and innovative digital media campaigns for partners on the network of leading travel

brands

• Continuing Education

o Workforce Development

o Disruptors: Friend or Foe?

o Finance & Funding

• Diversity & Inclusion – Elliott Ferguson, President & CEO, Destination DC; Chair, USTA

• Managing Enterprise Risk in DMOs – George Morvis, President & CEO, Financial Shares

Corporation

DMOs must increasingly understand and oversee the risks faced across their operations. Risks

related to strategic threats, operational issues, governance, legal/regulatory compliance and

reporting obligations must be proactively managed. By strategically addressing such risks, through


April 24, 2019 | PG. 3

an organized framework encompassing risk identification, assessment and mitigation, destination

organizations can reduce the probability and impact of financial and reputational loss from adverse

events, preserving their ability to achieve their core missions of creating economic and social

opportunity for key stakeholders.

• How to Defend Your Salaries & Other Optics of Being a Steward of Public Dollars – Andreas

Weissenborn, Senior Director of Research & Advocacy, DI

Working in the public sector requires being transparent with your position in the community. Often

in our industry we have seen our salary and wages placed in spotlight without proper context for

all that we do. Learn to better understand the optics and understanding of being a steward of public

money by developing properly benchmarks for your positions and going the next step to be seen as

an investment towards the community you serve.

• Are You a High Risk for Raids on Your Public Funding? – John Lambeth, President & CEO, Civitas

What makes certain destinations more likely to find their funding under attack? Knowing whether

you fall into that group is essential to being able to position yourself to respond. How should you

be educating stakeholders on the importance of your funding?

• How to Fight Back When You Are a Target of a Travel Boycott: The Weaponization of Travel -

Andreas Weissenborn, Senior Director of Research & Advocacy, DI

Travel boycotts in the U.S. have risen in popularity and are regularly making headlines today.

Travel was once a question of where to go, when to go, and how much to spend. Now, disputes over

immigration, marriage equality, and gender identity have made travel much more of a political act.

How to use the DI weaponization of travel toolkit for DMOs.

V. HNCVB & I-73/74 Visitor Centers Staffing Update – Tammy O’Kelley

As a follow-up to the April 2019 meeting, O’Kelley reported the Authority has hired two new Part-

Time Travel Information Counselors, Gary Moser and Doyle Craven, for the Visitor Centers to fill

the hours gap left by the departure of Michael Gonzalez and the promotion of Jerry Hayes to Lead

Travel Information Counselor. Additionally, a Part-Time Floating Travel Information Counselor,

Cathy Ratley, has been hired to fill in for another employee who will be going out on medical leave

for six to eight weeks this summer. Ratley will float as needed for the Visitor Centers and will

cover the front desk at the HNCVB on Fridays.

VI. Mackenzie Hammer Summer Internship Announcement – Tammy O’Kelley

O’Kelley announced that Asheboro native, Mackenzie Hammer, will begin a Summer Internship

with the HNCVB starting on May 15th. Currently, Hammer is a student at the University of North

Carolina at Charlotte studying Organizational Management where she is recognized on the Dean’s

List. Hammer is a distinguished graduate of Asheboro High School in 2016 where she was ranked

in the top 15 percent of her class with a GPA of 4.5. She has worked in the hospitality industry for

Fresh.Local.Good Food Group and currently assists her family with the website and social media

for Guardian Self Storage. She will begin a budgeted, paid internship with the TDA on May 15th

concluding on July 26th working weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Hammer is the

daughter of Jay & Allison Hammer of Asheboro.


April 24, 2019 | PG. 4

VII. Budget & Finance and Personnel Committee Updates – Tammy O’Kelley

O’Kelley reported that the Budget & Finance Committee met on Wednesday, March 27th to discuss

recommendations for the HNCVB & VCs Budget Allocations for 2019-20. The I-73/74 Visitor

Centers budget will remain the same as the previous year, set at $185,716 as appropriated by the

state to NCDOT. The HNCVB budget allocation will be set at $1.1 million based on

recommendations from the Executive Director and Finance Officer.

VIII. Finance Reporting – Will Massie, Finance Officer

• Finance Report for Month-Ending March 31, 2019

Massie reviewed the year-to-date report on the revenues and expenditures, and analysis of

net collections of occupancy tax for month-ending March 31, 2019, For the fiscal year,

collections are 20% ahead of budget.

• Request to Approve Budget Amendment #2019_08

A motion to approve Budget Amendment #2019_08 as presented was made by Ross Holt

and seconded by Luke Hollingsworth, and the motion was unanimously approved.

IX. Hotel Data Reporting – Amber Scarlett, Tourism Manager

• Hotel Data Report for Months-Ending February 28th

For month-ending February 28, 2019, occupancy increased by seven percent; ADR had no

change; and RevPAR increased by seven percent as compared to the month ending

February 28, 2018.

• Hotel Date Report for March 31, 2019

For month-ending March 31, 2019, occupancy increased by 12 percent; ADR increased

by two percent; and RevPAR increased by 14 percent as compared to the month ending

March 31, 2018.

• Hotel Data Report for the First Quarter-Ending March 31, 2019

For the first quarter ending March 31, 2019, occupancy increased by 10.2 percent, ADR

increased by 1.64 percent, RevPAR increased by 11.68 percent, Room Demand increased

by 16 percent, and Revenues increased by 3.3 percent.

X. I-73/74 Visitor Centers Data Reporting – Tammy O’Kelley

• Attendance Data Comparison Report & Guest Registrants Report for Month-

Ending March 31, 2019

o 4,471 total visitors came into the centers

o 1,380 total visitors signed the guest registry

o 22-weekend visitor inquiries were handled by phone

• VC Data Reports for First Quarter-Ending March 31, 2019

O’Kelley stated that the First Quarter-Ending March 31, 2019 had 8,879 total visitors

coming into the centers, a three percent increase from 2018.


April 24, 2019 | PG. 5

• Presentation of Final Bi-Annual I-73/74 Visitor Centers Post-Visit Survey Result


April 24, 2019 | PG. 6


April 24, 2019 | PG. 7


April 24, 2019 | PG. 8


April 24, 2019 | PG. 9


April 24, 2019 | PG. 10

XI. Public Relations Reporting – Tammy O’Kelley

• Woman’s Day Magazine – Small-Town Samaritans Article Dustie Gregson of The

Table Farmhouse Bakery

O’Kelley distributed a copy of the May 2019 Women’s Day Magazine

• Public Relations Report for Month-Ending March 31, 2019

As follows:


April 24, 2019 | PG. 11


April 24, 2019 | PG. 12


April 24, 2019 | PG. 13


April 24, 2019 | PG. 14

XII. Announcement of May 22nd Meeting Location– David Caughron

Caughron reported that the next TDA meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, May 22nd, will be held

at the Randleman Civic Center at Commerce Park in Randleman. This building was renovated as

an event space after the Randleman Public Library moved in 2015 to the building that formerly

housed the Richard Petty Museum on West Academy Street. Since then, the City of Randleman

has hosted meetings, weddings, banquets, classes, family reunions, health fairs, and many other

community and private events. The Civic Center is located in Commerce Square Park in the center

of downtown Randleman. The views from the center are fantastic - water features, a bandstand,


April 24, 2019 | PG. 15

farmers market, and beautiful mural by hometown artist Susan Harrell featuring the Deep River –

which this organization was a sponsor of and if you haven’t already, you should walk over and see

it.

Our May meeting will be a preview of the 2019-20 TDA Budget and Marketing Plan & Program

of Work and is one of the most important meetings we hold each year. If you haven’t already,

please put this date and meeting location on your calendars and make every effort to attend.

XIII. Request to Adjourn – David Caughron

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Luke Hollingsworth and seconded by Ross Holt,

and the motion was unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 PM.

NORTH CAROLINA

RANDOLPH COUNTY

_________________________________________

David Caughron, Chairman of the Board

_________________________________________

Amber M. Skeen, Clerk to the Board

board of directors meeting minutes · • keynote – sheryl connelly, manager of global consumer...

Documents