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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-08 Tourism PacketCITY OF I 'ISSOURI Upstream from ordinary. TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING RIVERSIDE CITY HALL 2950 NW VIVION ROAD RIVERSIDE, MISSOURI 64150 TENTATIVE AGENDA APRIL 8 2013 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to order 2. Roll call 3. FY 2012 -2013 Tourism Fund Budget 4. Discussion: Updating the Grant Process for 2013 -2014 5. Adjournment A� 4 U Meredith Hauck Director of Community Relations ATTEST: C' ,l Posted 03/14/2013 at 11:00 a.m. TOURISM COMMISSION RIVERSIDE, MISSOURI, Monday, February 11, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. on February 11, 2013, the Tourism Commission for the City of Riverside, Missouri, met in the Board of Aldermen Conference Room at City Hall, 2950 NW Vivion Road, Riverside, Missouri. Answering roll call was Jason Rule, Deana Winter, and Jerry Pietsch. Meredith Hauck, Director of Administration, was also present and served as recorder. Alderman Aaron Thatcher and Dirk van der Linde were absent. 2013 Riverfest Mayor Kathy Rose, Holly Phillips and Sarah Wagner made a presentation to the Tourism Commission on their plans for the 2013 Riverside Riverfest. The presentation covered the required cost of putting on the event and presented an option for expanding the entertainment on Friday night and bringing in a bigger name act on Saturday. The budget for the event with expanded entertainment was $149,400. The Committee requested funding in the amount of $100,000 from the Tourism Commission. During the Commission's evaluation of the funding request, the following questions came up: - What is the theme and the identity of the event? Rule commented that he felt the event was trying to be everything to everyone and lost focus. - Do the changes make it a premier tourism draw? The Commission discussed that attendance has been steadily declining over the past five years and they didn't feel like the proposed changes addressed what was fundamentally broken about the event. The Commission was also not satisfied that the only change to the event was the expanded night entertainment. They felt they had tasked the Riverfest Committee with bringing back a full schedule that would draw a significant number of people to the community and that was not addressed at all during the proposal. - Is the caliber of event presented worth a $100,000 investment? The Commission felt that the event in its current state lacks the professional polish and planning that an event of that size needs. Based on the concerns discussed, the Commission discussed only funding Riverfest at the amount available in its Other Events Line Item - $49,350. Commissioner Rule stated that he felt that the Riverfest Committee would need to make tough choices about how they spent their money this year and that bigger entertainment was still possible at this funding level, but the Committee would need to decide what their priority was — entertainment or the smaller, less impactful events that went on during the day. Commissioner Winter stated that she felt it was her responsibility to act as a good steward of the Tourism Fund and based on the current proposal, she was not comfortable funding more than $49,350 amount. Commissioner Winter made a motion to approve $49,350 in funding for the 2013 Riverside Riverfest. Commissioner Rule seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passes. The Commissioners also discussed the option of allowing the committee to present a revised proposal at the March meeting for an additional $50,000. The conditions for that proposal would be: - Fill the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule with events and activities that draw a significant crowd and present a tentative schedule to the Commission. - Hire a professional event planner to coordinate the event - Hire a professional firm or individual to establish an overall brand or marketing strategy for the event. Commissioner Winter made a motion to allow the Riverfest Committee to make a revised proposal with the outlined conditions at the March Meeting. Commissioner Pietsch seconded the motion. Commissioner Winter voted in favor, Commissioner Rule was opposed, and Commissioner Pietsch abstained. Motion failed. The Commissioners agreed that they are willing to fund the 2014 event at the $100,000 level if the same conditions outlined above are met. They asked Hauck to communicate this decision to the Riverfest Committee and inform them that the proposal for 2014 Riverfest would be due in Fall 2013. Motion to approve The Commission reviewed the 2013 Midwest All Truck Nationals 2013 grant funding for the 2013 application. The 2013 request increased $900 from $10,400 in 2012 to Midwest All Truck $11,300 in 2013. After reviewing the application, the projected revenues Nationals and expenditures before the Tourism grant equal each other. Commissioner Rule pointed out that since all additional revenues from this event are donated, the grant was essentially funding the organization's donation to charity. The Tourism Commission did agree that this was a worthy event, but all Commissioners agreed that were not interested in funding an $11,300 charity donation. Commissioner Winter made a motion to approve $5,000 in funding for the 2013 Midwest All Truck Nationals. Commissioner Pietsch seconded the motion. All voted in favor. Motion passes. New Tourism Grant Hauck presented a draft RFP for Tourism Enhancement Projects and Process reviewed it with the Commission. This will be a topic for discussion at the April meeting. March Meeting The Commission discussed the March meeting date and agreed to cancel the meeting. The next Tourism Commission meeting will be on April 8. Adjournment —8:35 p.m. Commission was adjourned. FY 2012 -2013 Tourism Fund Fund Overview Percent Reserve Fund $100,000 Fund Balance $249,186 2012/2013 Budget $180,000 Approved Projects Percent Budget Committed (Over)/Under City Marketing 20% $36,000 $3,500 $32,500 City Events 35% $63,000 $10,000 $53,000 Other Events 45% $81,000 $74,700 $6,300 Total 100% $180,000 $88,200 $91,800 Approved Projects Project Marketing City Other 2013 Riverside Riverfest $49,350 2013 Highland Games $17,500 2013 Midwest All Truck Nationals $5,000 2012 Boss Cross Sponsorship $1,450 2013 Northland Ethnic Fest $1,400 2013 Team Shakespeare 1 $10,000 Trails Map $3,500 1 Total 1 $3,5001 $10,0001 $74,700 Italicized = not approved Updated 03/14/2013 2950 NW Vivion Road Riverside, Missouri 64150 AGENDA DATE: 2013 -04 -08 TO: Tourism Commission FROM: Meredith Hauck, Director of Administration RE: RFP for Tourism Enhancement Projects Attached is the draft of the Tourism Enhancement Project Request for Proposal. We will discuss this document during the April Tourism Commission meeting. Some items I need additional guidance from the Commission on are: • Is there a minimum amount that can be requested through this process? • Should there be different processes for project funding (events in Riverside) vs. marketing funding (Riverside as general sponsor of an event)? • Does marketing funding need specific Commission approval for each sponsorship or can the Commission establish an overall budget and staff approve requests within that budget? • What information does the Commission want from the applicant to help make a decision? • What percentage of fund should be dedicated to each funding pool? • How does is project funding provided — reimbursement or in a lump sum? Proposed Timeline • April 8 Tourism Commission Meeting— Feedback /changes from Tourism Commission • May 13 Tourism Commission Meeting— Tourism Commission adoption of final document • May 21 Board of Aldermen Meeting— Board of Aldermen adoption of final document REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: TOURISM ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS DRAFT The City of Riverside, Missouri is soliciting requests for proposals to sponsor projects that will expand and enhance the tourism industry within the City in 2014. Project Description: Activities and expenditures which will be considered eligible for sponsorship include, but are not limited to, advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming tourists; developing strategies to expand tourism; operation tourism promotion agencies; and special events and festivals designed to attract tourists. The expected outcome of such promotion and enhancement of tourism is to: - Increase: • the number of first -time visitors to Riverside • the number of return trips of current visitors • the length of visitor stays - Increase economic activity within the City of Riverside - Expand the public's awareness of Riverside's unique history, events, activities, and amenities. Proposal Information: Each application is to develop and outline one project that meets these requirements and provides a tourism benefit to the City of Riverside (as outlined above) in 2014. The specific amount of the applicant's proposal is open, to be defined by the applicant. As a recommendation, the applicant may wish to define alternate levels of funding, indicating as their first priority maximum amount desired, and, as a second priority, the minimum acceptable amount. Some definition of the differences in the level of services /benefit provided to the City to be provided under the two priorities should be included. The establishment of alternate funding levels will allow the City some latitude in approving projects reviewed without the necessity of rejecting one or more projects due to a potential lack of funds. RFP Schedule: The following is the anticipated RFP schedule. Specific dates may be adjusted to meet unexpected circumstances. RFP Released September 3, 2013 RFP Due October 30, 2013 at 12 p.m. Tourism Commission Review By November Award Notices Mailed By December 2, 2013 Project to be Completed by December 31, 2014 Funds not expended by December 31, 2014 will be forfeited. Selection Process: Each application will be reviewed based upon several criteria: effectiveness of proposed project in meeting the expected outcomes, past performance, benefit to the City, need, and funding requirements. The City may request that applicants make an oral presentation in order to fully understand the proposed project. The Tourism Commission will make the final decision based on majority vote. Other Information: ::Insert Legal Language:: Proposal Submittal: Deliver one (1) copy of the completed proposal document and any additional attachments by October 30, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. to: Meredith Hauck, Director of Administration City of Riverside, Missouri 2950 NW Vivion Road Riverside, MO 64150 Proposal received after the deadline, even if mailed earlier, will not be accepted. Project Name Organization Dates (if event) Will there be an admission charge for this project? Is this a new or continuing project? Do you expect this project to be annual, requiring regular and continued funding? Location (if event) O No O Yes If so, how much? O New O Continuing O No O Yes Contact Name Email Address Phone (home and cell) Address + City /State /Zip Funding Request Can you operate this project with reduced funding? O No O Yes (Please list priorities below) Priority 1— Full Funding Amount Requested Priority 2 — Partial Funding (no less than) Riverside Tourism Enhancement Project RFP- DRAFT 1 1. Project Narrative a. Provide a brief project overview. b. Address how the project addresses the Tourism Commission goals. Please be as specific as possible. c. Describe your organization or business. Include a general description of the mission of the organization, how the project relates to that mission and how the organization is poised to successfully implement the project. d. Who is the target audience for your project? How will you inform them of the project? Estimate the number of individuals you will reach. 2. Project Evaluation Provide a description of the evaluation procedures used throughout the project to quantitatively measure the success of the project. Suggested measures include: attendance count, zip codes of attendees, details of advertising plan including placement details and number of impressions, and any other measures routinely used by your organization to measure success. 3. Funding Request Provide a detailed proposal to the City addressing both the requested amount and the benefits to the City for funding at that level. If requesting both full- funding and partial- funding, please describe the differences in the level of service /City benefit provided at each funding level. 4. If not - for - profit, include a list of all officers and board members and 501 incorporation papers or a copy of the annual report filed with the Secretary of State. 5. If for - profit, include a statement detailing why this project differs from normal businesses activities and should be considered a tourism program. Applications will be reviewed by the Tourism Commission and evaluated on items such as: • Supports goals of the Tourism Commission — Increase the number of first -time visitors to Riverside, the number of return trips of current visitors, and /or the length of visitor stays — Expand the visiting public's awareness of Riverside's unique history, events, activities and amenities — Generate significant research -based return -on- investment for Riverside's residents and businesses • Potential for positive return on investment • Completeness and thoroughness of application, including budget portion In addition, applications will be considered in relation to the other projects that have received funding in that fiscal year in order to promote a diverse offering. Riverside Tourism Enhancement Project RFP- DRAFT