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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 Convention and Vistors Bureau a ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS fr -" �lititacs of January 14, 2003 •1 ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU Held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Elgin IL PRESENT: Paula Amenta, Pat Arnold, Sherry Brewer(Ex-Officio), Bill Folk (Ex-Officio), Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Later, Don MacBean, Norma Miess, Leo Nelson, Sean Stegall, Lynea Strassman, Peggie Stromberg, Rolf Tweeten and Stuart Wasilowski. ABSENT: Jane Cordes GUESTS: Fred Fischer, Crowne Plaza Hotel — Elvin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Jan Kohler. Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath, Jon Ridier and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: 1. Listing of dates for 2003 Monthly Board Meetings. 2. Slice of America Campaign Folder 3. Revised proposed re-wording of Purchase of Service Agreement 4. EACVB Nomination Ballot President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:07 am. Introductions were made by all present. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Wasilowski. Nelson seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS / NEW BUSINESS: Elgin Area Chamber Appointments: Nelson brought forward Scott Lager and Lynea Strassman as Chamber appointments to the EACVB Board for 2003. A motion to accept these appointments was made by Nelson. Seconded by Stegall_ Motion carried. EACVB Board of Directors Nomination: Nominating Committee brought Rolf Tweeten to till a board appointed vacancy for 2003 A motion to accept the nomination was made by Laube. Wasilowski seconded. Laube opened nominations to the floor. At this time, Stromberg made a motion to nominate Jane Cordes Seconded by Folk. Motion carried. 77 Riverside Drive Elgin,Illinois 60120 t 'e(ephone(g47)695-7540 FAX(847)695-7668 Page Iwo- /:.IC'f B Board ofl);recrorc _tIinntes of:hammy 14, 20(03 The nominations from the floor were closed and the board was directed to vote per paper ballot. Following the collection of the written ballots. Laube proceeded to tally up the ballots. Laube presented the outcome of the ballot vote namin Roif Tweeten as the newest member to the Board of Directors. Stromberg voiced a concern if there would be a conflict of interest with a Board Member holding a position on two area CVB Boards. Nelson questioned if the EACVB Bylaws addressed this issue. Laube indicated there was no problem with this issue in our bylaws. Wasilowski suggested that the Executive Committee review the EACVB Bylaws for any possible conflict and report concerns, if any, to the Executive Board. Closed Session: Laube motioned to enter a closed session to discuss the Interim Executive Director Compensation and the Search Committee findings. Stegall seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to enter closed session. Vote was taken, Yes— 13, No — 0. Motion carried. Closed session commenced. Laube motioned to re-enter open session. MacBean seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to re-enter open session. Vote was taken, Yes— 13, No — 0. Motion carried. A motion was made to ratify the recommendation from closed session. MacBean seconded. Motion carried. Search Committee Appointment: A motion to appoint Wasilowski to the Search Committee was made by Laube. Stromberg, seconded. Motion carried. Stromberg then motioned to allocate $4,000 for the Search Committee expenses. Wasilowski seconded. Motion carried. Stromberg will work with Ridler to allocate the funding set aside for the Search Committee. Stegall asked if the appointment of Wasilowski replaces Cordes. The Board confirmed that it would. Policy & Procedure: Nelson motioned to approve the addition of a written Computer, E-Mail, Phone, Fax and Internet Usage Policy to the Employee Handbook. Stegall seconded. Motion carried. Laube motioned to approve the addition of a written Petty Cash procedure to the Employee Handbook. Seconded by MacBean. Motion carried. Laube motioned to approve the EACVB 2003 Holiday Schedule. Stromberg seconded. Motion carried. PSA Agreement ■vith the City of Elgin: Stromberg motioned to approve proposed re- wording of PSA agreement as worded by the Executive Committee. Wasilowski seconded. Discussion followed on reason for suggested changes. Changes would allow the Bureau greater flexibility with the funding provided in the PSA agreement to establish and leverage additional funding from the other villages and cities we represent. Stegall suggested to attach a "where as" statement to the PSA agreement explaining the function and reasons why the EACVB proposes the changes in wording. Laube brought the motion to a vote. Motion carried. r —Colaamed Page Three Page 7lirec--b.:1071 Ijcnu'j of l)llt'cinl:s iiilillie3 )17(11111(11:(- i 2(i(I3 101 : Retirement Plan: Ridler o r):an:ed the recent ch ang es that needed to take puce with the EACVB plan in January. 2003. Ridler, McGrath and Schultz need to receive an adjustment from each of their anniversary dates. The manner of adjustments was recommended by the EACVB CPA, Nancy Guthrie. Stromberg motioned to approve recommended changes. MacBean seconded. Motion carried Hotel/Motel Tax: Following several points of discussion, Laube motioned to allow Ridler to move forward with pursuing funding of 1.75% - 2.75% hotel/motel tax from the Village of West Dundee and work with the City of Elgin requesting an increase of 1% from the City of Elgin Hotel/Motel tax. Wasilowski seconded. Motion carried. Elgin Area Travel Market Conversion Study 2002: Ridler stated that he would be going over the report that was included in the Board of Directors Board packet in detail at the February Board Meeting. He suggested that the Board of Directors look over the report and if they have any questions, they should contact him. He did share that we are very pleased with the results we have seen to date from this study. CVB REPORTS: Executive Committee: Laube shared that the Executive Committee has accomplished much and addressed many issues this past month as is apparent by the old business/new business issues just discussed and reviewed. Search Committee: Stegall shared that the advertisements for the Executive Director position are posted with the IACVB, Chicago Tribune Career Builder and the Daily Herald. The closing date for submitting resumes will be February 24, 2003. All resumes should be submitted directly to Stegall. He also shared that he will be submitting advertising expenses to Schultz to process payment. REPORTS: City of Elgin: Wasilowski shared that the open City Manager position should be filled very soon. Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce: Nelson shared that their annual Chamber Dinner will be February 18" at Villa Olivia. Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce: Laube shared that the General Membership meeting will be January 22nd and the Chamber Dinner Dance Auction will be February 15th BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: None r NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 at 8:00 a.m. Location to be confirmed. —Continued Page Four— . ' . Page Four-LAC:7j ii; f y;,,i11:iivciorA .Ilimiles 4.1entumy 14, 2003 ellik ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn. MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:23 a.m. Respectfully submitted, -17.' Jori S. Ridler, Interim Executive Director --- ,,.- C.-- --- nes r r ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of February 1 i, 2003 ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU Held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Elgin IL PRESENT: Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean, Norma Miess, Sean Stegall, Lynea Strassman, Peggie Stromberg, Rolf Tweeten and Stuart Wasilowski. ABSENT: Paula Amenta, Pat Arnold and Leo Nelson. GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn — Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Jan Kohler, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath, Jon Ridler and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: 1. EACVB Destination Partnership Program Agreement President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:07 am. Introductions were made by all present. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Stromberg. Wasilowski seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS/NEW BUSINESS: EACVB Partnership Program: Ridler reviewed his newly developed EACVB Destination Partnership Program Agreement with the Board. He shared several points of his research and his progress to date with this program. Ridler is planning on mailing a package to all our Blue Level partners and following up with an appointment with a village President or Administrator. Tweeten suggested that a letter go to all our partners, IE: restaurants, shopping, attractions, etc. to bring the programs to everyone's attention at one time. Laube pointed out that the program brings the whole destination to a level playing ground and this point should be emphasized when discussing the program with our villages. Laube also agreed with Tweeten's suvgestion to send a letter out to all venues as an announcement tool. Ridler will aggressively move forward introducing each village to this new Partnership Program opportunity and will give the Board a full report on his progress at the March Board Meeting. 77 Riverside Drive Elgin, Illinois 60120 Telephone(847) 695-7540 FAX(847) 695-7668 Page Two-El o f 13Board of Directors {linrues ofFehraary 11, 2003 Slice of America Campaign: Ridler revisited the Slice of America Campaign Folder that was shared at the January Board Meeting. He made a request to the Board to have a support vote to accept the new Slice of America Ad Campaign in order to move forward with the Spring/Summer Campaign with the new logo. Following a brief discussion a motion to approve the new logo and ad campaign was made by MacBean. Lager seconded. Motion carried. DISCUSSION ITEMS: Elgin Area Travel Market Conversion Study 2002: Ridler reviewed highlights of Study with Board. He is planning presenting this report to the City Council at the February 26, 2003 meeting. A Magical Experience— ls' Annual EACVB Gala: Ridler introduced the 1st Annual EACVB Stakeholders Dinner invitation to the Board Members. He requested that the Board Members keep the evening of April 4th open for attending the Gala. In addition to a personal invitation to the Gala, each Board Member was asked to hand out additional invitations (6) to business associates, partners, officials, decision maker government contacts, potential advertisers, etc. He recommended that the invitations be extended to people that would benefit from attending an event such as this and would benefit the EACVB by them attending. Ridler emphasized that the Stakeholders Dinner should be a great opportunity for image development for the EACVB and a wonderful networking opportunity. CVB REPORTS: CVB Staff: McGrath shared that Meijer signed contract was received yesterday. Meijer will be sponsoring the Calendar of Events again for the Ventures Spring/Summer 2003 COE issue. Ridler added that the Meijer sponsorship on the COE for the fall/winter and the upcoming spring/summer issue has brought in $13,000.00 of new funding which the EACVB did not previously bring in. Executive Committee: The Slice of America Campaign and The Destination Partnership Programs were discussed. Search Committee: Laube reported that the Search Committee would like to enter a closed session to discuss the Search Committee report and findings to date. MacBean motioned to enter a closed session. Kaser seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to enter closed session. Vote was taken, Yes - 10, No — 0. Motion carried. Closed session commenced. Laube asked for motion to re-enter open session. MacBean motioned. Strassman seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to re-enter open session. Vote was taken, Yes— 10, No — 0. Motion carried. REPORTS: City of Elgin: Stegall shared that the EACVB PSA agreement is on the February 12, 2003 City Council agenda. He also shared that the new City Manager will be starting effective March 10, 2003. He then shared that a report will be released in March stating how successful the Centre opening has been and how well the new solid waste & recycling collection program is going. --Continued Page Three-- ' - M Page three-LiC1 1313oard al Directors ilintnes of Fe brunry 11, 2003 ea' Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce: None Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce: Laube shared the new Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce newsletter with their new logo and branding. Their image has increased a great deal with these changes. They are very pleased with the direction the Chamber is going and the growth it is experiencing. She also stated that if anyone wanted to be on the newsletter mailing list, they should let her know and she will make sure they are added to the mailing list. Laube then reminded everyone that their Chamber's Annual Gala is Saturday, February 15h1. Tickets are available for $65.00 a ticket. She encouraged anyone interested in attending to do so. They are looking forward to very enjoyable evening. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS: Stromberg shared that the Elgin Public Museum has scheduled Cultural Communications Africa during Black History month on February 16`x'. They have scheduled a special speaker to talk about the African culture through stories, music and crafts. It starts at 12 noon. They also will have percussion drummers performing during this time. Strassman shared that the Hampton has a new website which they are very please with. She also shared that other venues in the area could hook up with the site. The address is www.hamptoninnelgin.com and you can take a virtual tour. She encouraged everyone to visit the new website. JVliess shared that the DNA Spring/Summer events are evolving. Participation in downtown events are increasing and several events are growing, such as Arts Infusion and r Talisman. Miess shared that it is the intention of the DNA to make the downtown area a vital entertainment center for the Elgin area. She also shared that the 4th of July Parade is growing each year and this year it will include the Jessie White Tumblers & Miss Illinois. DNA is working on sponsorship packages and will be distributing them. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 at Prairie Rock Brewing Company, 8:00 AM. ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, Wasilowski seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, 1 1 i i /,1c ` • ' Q'k ■ .Jon$.Ridlei; Interim Executive Director nes • * Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau 4Ehee * ELGIN AREA CONVENTION of America AND VISITORS BUREAU Northern Fox River 4g Vallee of Illinois x BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of March 11, 2003 Held at Prairie Rock Brewing Co., Elgin IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Arnold, Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean, Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg and Stuart Wasilowski. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Karri Klemmer, Towne Place Suites— West Dundee, IL. Rita Robbins, Days Inn— Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Jan Kohler, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath, Jon Ridler and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: 1. EACVB Marketing Grant Proposal 2. EACVB Proposed new Health Insurance Plan change President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:08 am. Introductions were made by all present. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Wasilowski. MacBean seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS/NEW BUSINESS: A. Consideration to increase 2003 Budget: I. Marketing Presentation: McGrath shared the new print media publications. She reviewed the various publications the EACVB has chosen to commit advertising contracts with through the IBOT Marketing Promotional Partnership Grant. 2. Financial Presentation: Ridler reviewed the Marketing Partnership Grant Proposal report handout. Following a brief discussion, motion to increase budget by $30,000 to match grant for marketing campaign was made by Stromberg. Seconded by MacBean. Motion carried. —Continued Page Two ILLINOLS 77 Riverside Drive,Elgin, Illinois 60120 tel:847.695.7540 tollfree: 1.800.217.5362 fax:847.695.7668 www.enjoyelgin.com —Continued Page Two-- Page Two-E'IC I B Board of Directors _Vitiates of.11arch 11, 2003 B. Consideration of a check signing policy: Stromberg shared that at the last Executive Committee meeting, it was discussed that there is not always two people available to sign checks. There are times when a check has to be drawn immediately, such as a freight pickup or delivery, bulk mailing or another type of emergency. The Executive Committee discussed and recommended that when checks are signed every two weeks, that a couple of extra checks be signed for occasions of emergency. If a check is used, Stromberg, as Treasurer, would be immediately faxed the amount and what it was for. She also recommended that the limit would be no more than $500.00 for each of these two checks. There would never be more that two of these checks on hand. Wasilowski suggested that this procedure also be added to the EACVB Operations & Procedures Manual. Stromberg motioned to approve new check signing policy. MacBean seconded. Motion carried. C. Health Insurance Plan Change: Ridler reviewed information sheet handed out earlier. The bureau's health plan is due for renewal on April 1S`. With the suggested increase in the prescription drug co-pay plan coverage, the renewal premiums will increase 8%. By increasing the prescription drug co-pay plan by $5.00, the Bureau will realize an $800.00 annual saving and the employee will only realize an increase of $5.00 per prescription. Wasilowski and Stegall had several questions which Ridler discussed. Stegall motioned to approve. Seconded by Wasilowski. Motion carried. DISCUSSION ITEMS: None CVB REPORTS: CVB Staff: Ridler shared that he and McGrath attended the Governors Conference in Springfield. He shared that Kathy Ritter, Deputy Director, IBOT, stated that the CVB's budgets had not been cut 10% by the Governor like other agencies had been cut. Ritter assured the CVB's that their main funding, the LTCB Grant and the Marketing Partnership Grant had not been cut. One Grant funding that had been cut was the TAP Program (Tourism Attraction Program) that allows grants for new business projects to bring in overnights stays. She had protected the Bureaus main source of funding as much as she can at this point. If he comes back and says that there is another round of cuts that need to be made, we are not sure of where our funding is going to be. Basically it was good and bad news, it has not been cut yet, but, yes it could be cut, so be ready for it. The second item of interest is hotel signage on the interstate. IBOT has developed a pilot plan with the Illinois Department of Transportation for signage, when it comes to attractions. They are going to be placing signs on the interstate, not the Tollway. IBOT will not be working with the Illinois Tollway Authority at this time. The pilot they are going forward with will display the blue signs for attractions. The intent is to get the traveler off the interstate and to the attractions. This will create better signage and direction possibilities for our tourism partners. There will be 24 signs throughout the state and unfortunately, we probably will not be part of the pilot program. The regional tourism offices will lead up the distribution of the current pilot. ---Contiued Page Three— Page Three-E ICI B Board of Directors .Minutes of_llarch 11, 2003 However, we are hoping that within the next year, the "bugs" will be out of the program. After a year it should be on a full state scale program and the Illinois Tollway Authority will be part of the program. We then should have no problems with getting signage on Randall, Rts 31 and 25 for our hotels, attractions and restaurants. Ridler also shared that he had a discussion with the Chicago Southland CVB Director and he is getting very close to getting them to accept blue signs for hotels on the tollway as a pilot program in his area. Therefore, Ridler will try to work with that Director to see if we can extend it up to our area within the next year. Bottom line, there is movement in this signage area but we need to continue to have patience. Stromberg asked if we won any trophies this year at conference, Ridler shared that unfortunately not this year, but we will continue to submit our entries. McGrath reminded the board of our upcoming Gala and reminded them to get in their response cards and encouraged them to invite other potential partners for the EACVB. Executive Committee: Laube reported that the Executive Committee will be working on the bylaws and the policy procedures of the Bureau and they are looking at these as long term projects. Search Committee: Stegall shared that packets were given to each of the Search Committee members to review and they are planning to meet in a few weeks. REPORTS: City of Elgin: Stegall shared that the new City Manager, David Dorgan officially started in his new position on the 101x'. He is looking forward to the new opportunities that Mr. Dorgan will bring to Elgin. Wasilowski shared that the city is planning on bringing back the Soapbox Derby this year. They are looking at the same weekend as the Fox Trot. A Soapbox Committee will be formed and more into will follow. Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce: None Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce: Laube shared that their Chamber's Annual Gala was a great success and the Open Forum for the District 300 Referendum they conducted was very successful and they had a wonderful turnout of about 90 people. They were very pleased with the turnout and the Forum. Their annual Gold Outing will be Friday, June 13`x' at Villa Olivia and they will again have the football raffle booklets this year BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS: None Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that Algonquin will continue their restructuring of downtown Algonquin this year and that the Village will be having monthly meetings. She reminded everyone that we should not forget the businesses that are around the restructuring. She also shared that Algonquin and LITH will be having a Business Expo next year. Continued Page Four— Page Four-E IC 1 B Board of Directors f .Vinutes of March II, 2003 PUBLIC COMMENTS: Rita Robbins shared that the Days Inn was recently reviewed and they received a rating increase. They received an addition star. All agreed this was wonderful news. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 8, 2003 at Prairie Rock Brewing Company, 8:00 AM. ADJOURN: Wasilowski motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:43 a.m. Respectfully submitted, .JoiS)Ridler, Interim Executive Director • nes - ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of April 8, 2003 Held at Prairie Rock Brewing Co., Elgin IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Paula Amenta, Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean,Norma Miess, Lynea Strassman, Peggie Stromberg and Rolf Tweeten. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Jan Kohler, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath, Jon Ridler and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: None President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:10 am. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: Lisa Holmquist, Marketing Manager—Spring Hill Mall, West Dundee, IL CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by MacBean. Strassman seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Brewer suggested that a member of the staff from the EACVB attend the monthly MCEDC meetings. They conduct a monthly tourism meeting each month at the Holiday Inn in Algonquin. Ridler agreed but stated unfortunately, we have not been receiving monthly invitations to these meetings. He is aware that they are interested in developing their own CVB in McHenry County. However, he also added that it takes approximately three years to develop and receive approval for a new CVB. He will contact Karen Patel, Executive Director of the MCEDC to request that we be added to their monthly invitation list. Miess inquired if anyone was planning on taking part in the Business Expo Symposium that is coming up in May at the Grand Victoria Casino. Several Board Members stated that they heard some good things about the Expo and it was a good networking opportunity. However, currently no one was planning on participating in the Expo. Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors a Minutes of April 8, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: rik • Promotional Partnership Grant Seminar: Ridler reminded the Board that the EACVB Promotional Partnership Grant Seminar was coming up this Thursday, April 10th. 25 Organizations have registered to participate and more than 40 people will be in attendance. Anyone who had received a grant in the past 3 years received an invitation and a Press Release was recently mailed. • Tollway Signage Program: Ridler updated the Board on his recent findings after doing additional research regarding the Tollway Blue Signs. He is working with a Bunny Anderson and will keep the Board informed of his progress. • April 4th Gala Update: Ridler thanked the EACVB Staff for all their work in helping to make this first Gala a success. He additionally gave McGrath special kudos for her expertise in coordinating these types of events. • Venture's: New Ventures are being distributed starting immediately. CVB REPORTS: • Interim Executive Director & CVB Staff-No additional information to add to written reports. • Executive Committee—None • Search Committee—Laube reported that she had received word from Stegall that April 16 will be the first meeting of the committee to review the candidates. All resumes have been scored and a pool of candidates has been compiled. Per Laube, Stegall will probably give a report at the next Executive Board Meeting at the May meeting. Process should be moving along rapidly from April 16 until the end of the month. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube shared that the BAH at Clearwater went well. Laube feels that they will be getting more and more involved with Dundee and the CVB. She is pleased with their enthusiasm. The Chamber is also looking forward to their Professional Administrative Assistant Day Lunch on the 23rd at the Anvil Club for Chamber members. The Chamber will also be hosting 2 BAH, one at Floyd's on May 1st and one on the 22nd in Hoffman Estates in May; Annual Golf Outing will be June 13 at Villa Olivia Country Club. Bo Kaser will be running the Golf Outing this year and their Football Raffle will take place again. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—None • City of Elgin -None • Board Member Comments: Amenta shared that with the changes in her work responsibilities, and other commitments, she is unable to devote the amount of time and attention to the EACVB and being a member of its Board. Therefore, she felt it best to turn in a letter of resignation from her Board position. With regret, the Board accepted her resignation but looks forward to working with her in other capacities in the coming years. Stromberg shared that she received notification from the Grand Victoria that the Museum will be a recipient of a$10,000 Grant again this year. Also, they are bringing in a new temporary exhibit starting May 1St and it is by an artist who specializes in birds and it is quite beautiful. Continued Page Three Page Three-EACVB Board of Directors - Minutes of April 8, 2003 Strassman shared that their new Sales Manager, Corrine On has started. Also, she is very pleased to let everyone know that they had an inspection review and they have been given an OUTSTANDING rating. All agreed this was wonderful news. Miess shared that April Arts Infusion—Arts for All will be taking place. April 25 and 26 will be the Spring Art Walk in downtown Elgin. The month of May will bring Preservation Week in Elgin the week of May3-11. Downtown has many activities scheduled for that week. The week will be ending with the Mayor's Awards for Preservation being held in the Heritage Ballroom at The Centre of Elgin. She also shared that the Mexican Civic Society will be hosting Cinco de Mayo again this year. Many new projects are underway in Downtown Elgin and the Memorial Day weekend festivities will be great. She also shared that the Brewfest at Prairie Rock will be taking place in June. A Neighborfest will be in June and the first African American Festival will be on June 14. Miess was very enthusiastic about all the activity that will be taking place in Downtown Elgin in the next few months. The Downtown Neighborhood Association is growing and developing more and more each year. MacBean shared that the Fox River Trolley Museum will be opening for the season on Mother's Day, May 11. Lager shared that the Brewfest will be Fathers Day Weekend. 15 different Brewery's will take part of the fest and they are looking forward to a large turnout. Last year they had approximately 10,000 people. • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that Algonquin's Annual Garage Sale will take place on the 16th and 17`h. She also shared that Algonquin is looking at bringing back the Hill Climbs. Hill Climbs were very popular in the past. They are looking at having an Antique Car Hill Climb Festival in 2006. It takes along time to prepare for this and they are starting on the preparations this year. Faga briefly addressed the Board regarding keeping us informed of all the events that are and will be taking place. She reminded them that in order to be on the Calendar of Events, she has to be told. Also, she will update our website PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday,May 13, 2003 - 8:00 AM. Location to be announced. ADJOURN: Amenta motioned to adjourn, Miess seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon S. Ridler, Interim Executive Director ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of May 13, 2003 Held at The Centre of Elgin, Elgin IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Arnold, Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean,Norma Miess, Leo Nelson, Sean Stegall, Lynea Strassman and Peggie Stromberg. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Jan Kohler, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath, Jon Ridler and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Slice of American Marketing folder. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:10 am. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: Chuck Kolner, Director of Membership—Anvil Club, East Dundee, IL CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Strassman. Kaser seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Brewer shared that she will be unable to attend the May 21st monthly MCEDC meeting. She wanted to emphasize her feelings that someone from the EACVB should be in attendance at these monthly MCEDC tourism meetings. Ridler stated that he had contacted Karen Patel, Executive Director of the MCEDC and asked to be added to the monthly invitation list. He also informed Patel that he will be attending the meeting on the 20. Brewer then asked for an update regarding the Gaming issues currently being considered by the State of Illinois. Stegall shared that he has been attending almost weekly meetings in Springfield. He gave a brief review of several of the pending items, but, at this time there is not final decision on any of the issues. r Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of May 13, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: • Tourism Month: Hannibal briefly discussed the monthly"theme" and presented everyone with a"Tourism is#1"candy bar and a booklet that she crafted on the history of casino. Lager commented on what a great job Hannibal does each month on each "theme"project. Her efforts are noticed and appreciated. Ridler then shared that she does a great job on all of the EACVB displays at the riverboat and City Hall. Press releases and letters have gone out to our partners. The Staff will be delivering geranium plants to all our lodging facilities for Tourism Month. Also, along with the geranium plant for the hotel, each front desk staff member will receive a Slice of America lapel pin to wear and each GM will be given our new Marketing folder. • Administrative Office Relocation: Ridler shared the possibility of the Chamber and the EACVB moving into the Parks and Rec. current location (31 S. Grove) and sharing space and expenses. The Chamber will be moving this June when their lease expires. The EACVB's lease is up in June 2004. CVB REPORTS: • Interim Executive Director & CVB Staff—Ridler shared that he is continuing to work with his contact for the Tollway signage project. He stated that it appears to be on the "fast track" and we should be hearing something soon. He will keep the board informed. Faga also took this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and friendship during this very difficult time. • Executive Committee—None • Search Committee: Option to enter closed session: MacBean motioned to enter a closed session to discuss the Search Committee findings. Stromberg seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to enter closed session. Vote was taken, Yes— 10,No—0. Motioned carried. Stromberg motioned to re-enter open session. Miess seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was take to re-enter open session. Vote was taken, Yes— 10,No—0. Motioned carried. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube shared their new Northern Kane County Chamber member directory. She also reminded all that their Annual Golf Outing will be June 13 at Villa Olivia Country Club. The Chamber will also be hosting a BAH at the Anvil Club on June 19 • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—Nelson stated that the Chamber is currently very busy getting ready for their move to 31 S. Grove. • City of Elgin -None • Board Member Comments: Stromberg shared that their new Bird and Art Exhibit is currently take place and the artist will be teaching a class. Also, June 7th will be their annual Bubblefest from noon to 3:00 pm. r Continued Page Three Page Three-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of May 13, 2003 rik Strassman shared that their hotel is overbooked for the Nike tournament that Ridler and Kohler worked on bringing to Elgin. She stated that the Nike gentlemen made many promises when discussing the tournament and to date everything his stated is happening. This is great for the area. Miess was very enthusiastic about all the festivals that will be taking place in Downtown Elgin in the next few months. They are hoping that the 4th of July Parade will be bigger than ever and that everyone would be able to participate in the parade. They will be advertising on cable, radio and newspaper. A few of the festival coming will be: Neighborfest, Brewfest, African American Festival, Four Bridges and the Carbo Load Dinner hosted by Prairie Rock. MacBean shared that the Fox River Trolley Museum opened on Mother's Day, even with the poor weather. He also wanted to share that within a half hour of the run of the last train, the high winds blew a tree over the tracks and tore down some power wires. At the time of this meeting, the tree has been removed and MacBean was on his way to help repair the wires. Lager shared that the 8th Annual Brewfest will be June 13 and 14. He stated he attended the Disney Seminar at ECC and was extremely impressed with it. He stated it was a great seminar and time well spent. Arnold shared that the Milk Pail Flea Market was very successful and that they served 1400 people for dinner on Mothers Day. They are very busy and the Murder Mysteries continue to be successful. Kaser shared that they will be hosting Distinctions 1st Annual Wine Fest on June 20 & 21. They are very excited about this weekend fest and stated that they would like to have a CVB table at the fest. They will also have wine seminars and one activity will be children's grape r"` stomping. Fun for all ages. Ex-Officio Comments: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 - 8:00 AM. The Anvil Club, East Dundee. ADJOURN: Stegall motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon S. Ridler, Interim Executive Director nes r ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of June 10, 2003 Held at The Anvil Club, Dundee, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean, Lynea Strassman, Peggie Stromberg and Rolf Tweeten. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath and Nancy Schultz. elk BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Illinois Now Magazine and Illinois Travel Magazine. • President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:48 am. Laube immediately suggested going into closed session. MacBean moved to enter a closed session. Tweeten seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to enter closed session. Vote was taken, Yes—7,No—0. Motioned carried. A motion to re-enter to open session was unable to be made due to the fact that Tweeten and Lager both had 10:00am appointments. Therefore, there was not a quorum. PRESENTATION: None CONSENT AGENDA: None OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes ofJune 10, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Diane Ramsey—Ramsey shared that Auditor, Nancy Guthrie came in to review the financials and everything appears to be current and accurate. Ramsey also shared that she has contacted the State and following up on the Grant information and requirements. She will work with the State to make sure all requirements are met. • Executive Committee— None REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—None • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—None • City of Elgin -None • Board Member Comments: Stromberg asked Schultz to make copies of the financial reports and send them to all the board members with a cover note. • Ex-Officio Comments: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 8, 2003 - 8:00 AM. Elgin City Hall. ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, Strassman seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:59 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Ann Laube, President nes felk ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of July 8, 2003 Held at Elgin City Hall, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean,Norma Miess, Leo Nelson, Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg and Rolf Tweeten. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Several copies of magazine advertisements, a newspaper article, Fall/Winter Venture Budget, a new Golf Brochure and new EACVB Meetings business reply post card. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:08 am. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: None CLOSED SESSION: Stromberg moved to enter a closed session. MacBean seconded. Upon motion, a roll call was taken to enter closed session. Vote was taken, Yes—9,No—0. Motioned carried. Laube called the meeting back into open session at 9:20 am. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the May Consent Agenda was made by MacBean, Kaser seconded. Motion carried. A motion to approve the June Consent Agenda was made by MacBean, Kaser seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None r Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of July 8, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Diane Ramsey—Ramsey shared that she is currently working on the budget and will keep the Board informed and will answer any questions any of the board members have. • CVB Staff—McGrath briefly discussed the new Meeting and Golf brochures recently produced by the CVB. She also shared the various magazine layouts and stories that have been recently produced. She also distributed the final budget for the Spring/Summer Ventures. Faga also shared that the staff is very supportive and working very hard together and keeping things moving forward. Faga stated that she will be working on the Quarterly LTCB report with Diane Ramsey this coming week. • Executive Committee— None REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube stated that the Golf outing went well and they will be starting their annual Football Raffle soon. They also are working on their 2004 Marketing Plan. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—Nelson reported that their move has been completed and they are "settling in" in their new location. Nelson also reminded everyone that the Wheelman Bike Ride will be taking placing this coming weekend, • City of Elgin -None • Board Member Comments: MacBean shared that the Trolley Museum celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Electric Railway service in Elgin and South Elgin on May 31St. Free rides were given to any Elgin and South Elgin residents. They had 163 residents take advantage of the free ride offer. Lager shared that the Prairie Rock Beer Garden has officially opened their new Beer Garden (with a grill!)behind Prairie Rock and it has live entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. It seats about 150 people. Tweeten asked how Father's Day went and Lager stated they had a very successful day. Kaser shared that the Winefest was a huge success and far exceeded their expectations. They had 1,960 attend the festival for both nights. They are already planning for next year. Miess shared that the 4th of July Parade was very successful and that approximately 12,000 people came to the parade. The Four Bridges Bike Race and the Carbo Dinner at Prairie Rock was also successful. DNA is currently working on a proposal for the State Conference of Main Street Communities to be held here in Elgin. They are submitting a proposal and hoping that Elgin would be awarded the Conference. She will keep us informed. She also complimented the EACVB Staff for their assistance and support. Tweeten shared that the Van Galder Bus to O'Hare started in June. It has been a little slow here in Elgin but they expect it to grow. Most business is coming from McHenry County. It costs $25.00 per round trip. Parking is $2.00 a day at the Country Inn and Suites. Nelson asked how many parking spaces were available for the bus service and Tweeten stated they have about 75. • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that the Algonquin Founders Days will be July 26 & 27. The theme this year will be Algonquin goes Hollywood. Continued Page Three Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of July 8, 2003 PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 8:00 AM. Elgin City Hall. ADJOURN: MacBean motioned to adjourn, Miess seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:36 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Barb Faga, Interim Executive Director nes ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of August 12, 2003 Held at Elgin City Hall, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean,Norma Miess, Leo Nelson, Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg and Paula Wyatt. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, and Jayne McGrath. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Copy of Interstate 88-Dekalb Oasis Premium Display where our Ventures is displayed. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:05 am. Introductions were made by all present. Stegall introduced new city appointee to the EACVB Board, Paula Wyatt. PRESENTATION: Guest Speaker, Patrick Snyder from Visit Illinois. Discussed various tourism items and emphasized the importance of tourism in CVB service area. He suggested that in the current economy we focus on the traveler 180 miles or less from our service area. CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the July Consent Agenda was made by MacBean, Stromberg seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Budget Proposal, 2004 - Proposed budget shared with Board. Discussion followed for various clarifications and questions. Proposed budget will be shared with new Executive Director, Kim Bless when she visits on the 18th Continued Page Two • Page Two-EA CVB Board of Directors Minutes of August 12, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Diane Ramsey—Ramsey shared that she is planning on working closely with Kim Bless, Barb Faga and Jayne McGrath in finalizing the 2004 Budget. Ramsey also gave big kudos to the CVB Staff for holding this Bureau together during the past year or so, especially the past few months. She emphasized the fact that the staff has given 2 and 3 times the effort to keep the bureau moving forward and not missing a beat. • CVB Staff—Faga requested that Nelson contact Randall Roberts from the Grand Victoria and set up a meeting for Stegall, Faga, Hannibal and Nelson to get together with Roberts to discuss the closing of the Visitor Information Center at the Casino. • Executive Committee— None REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube stated that they will be starting their annual Football Raffle. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—Nelson shared that the Illinois Chamber President will be coming in September. He also shared that their 5 year economic development plan will be ending next year. The next 5 year plan starts in 2005. Also, the Enhancing Elgin Program will be offering 24x36 posters for sale at $5.00 each. • City of Elgin —Stegall shared the new Elgin Sesquicentennial Logo. rbk • Board Member Comments: MacBean shared that the South Elgin Riverfest will be taking place this coming weekend. They are anticipating a similar turnout to last year and hoping the profits will increase, due to rates being raised. The success of the Riverfest will depend on the weather as usual. Miess shared that Elgin has been chosen to host the Mainstreet Program Meeting this coming October. The dates will be October 8-9, 2003. This is a wonderful opportunity for Elgin to show off our wonderful city and heritage. There will be tours available, round table discussions with Mayors, reception on Thursday evening,just to mention a few highlights. DNA will be working on a Sponsorship Program. Additional information will be coming soon. . • Ex-Officio Comments: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, September 09 - 8:00 AM. Days Inn—Elgin, IL. ADJOURN: MacBean motioned to adjourn,Kaser seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 a.m. Respectfully submitted, rik Barb Faga, Interim Executive Director nes of America „alit Noa:'!;0 Aiois �al(cy of Illinoi.* Elgin Area Convention **and Visitors Bureau ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of September 9, 2003 Held at Elgin Days Inn, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Arnold, Robert Gilliam, Annie Kaser, Ann Laube, Scott Lager, Don MacBean, Norma Miess, Leo Nelson, Sean Stegall and Paula Wyatt. EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn—Elgin, IL. STAFF: Kim Bless, Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath and Nancy Schultz. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Financial Monthly Reports, Illinois Now Fall Magazine, Copies of New Executive Director press releases and copies of articles from Illinois and Travel America Magazines. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:14 am. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: None CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the August Consent Agenda was made by MacBean, Gilliam seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: Approval of Budget 2004 - following several comments from newly appointed Executive Director, Bless and a few discussions, a motion to approve the 2004 was made by MacBean, Nelson seconded. Motion carried. Following approval of proposed budget Scott Lager had a few questions on the production of the semi annual Venture's Visitors Guide. A brief discussion followed. NEW BUSINESS: None r . , —Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of September 9, 2003 DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Kimberly Bless—In addition to her report, she thanked everyone for their support and thanked the staff for their hard work in putting together the press conference. She is looking forward to meeting many people in the communities. She shared her enthusiasm with working with Norma Miess on the Main Street Conference coming to Elgin. She briefly reviewed her report and shared where she will be spending most of her time the next month or so. She is anxious to define the EACVB's role in the communities and our vision and mission and the importance of bringing people to overnight stays in our communities. • Jayne McGrath -McGrath briefly reviewed the handouts that were shared with the board members. She also shared the new Tom Lynch Watercolor Project and the completed Tom Lynch painting. This will be one of two paintings he will complete. He will complete the second one on site in various places in the city where people can watch him paint. Unveiling and presentation event is targeted for November 18, 2003 at The Centre. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube stated that their program year has kicked off. Joint expo with Elgin on October 4 at Dundee Middle School from 10-4. Any businesses that would like to participate are welcome. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—Nelson shared that September is a busy month. They will be having a half day retreat at Judson College to kick off the new 5 year Development Program on October 1. September 24th, the city manager, mayor and Mike Shirley from the college will be facilities a downtown restaurant roundtable at the downtown ECC campus. Another restaurant roundtable will be taking place on September 26th at the main ECC campus. • City of Elgin—Stegall stated that this is City Budget time and things are busy. The City is looking at how the Riverboat decrease in revenue will affect the City. They know there will be some impact,but, they are not sure how much of an impact it will be. They also are continuing to work on the anniversary celebration and at some point; they will reach out to the CVB for assistance. • Board Member Comments: MacBean reminded everyone that the Fall Caboose Days will be the first two weekends in October and the last two weekends Pumpkin Trolley Days will take place. Lager shared information on the upcoming Elgin Street Fair that will be taking place on October 11. Miess shared information on the upcoming Main Street Program Convention that will be coming to Elgin on October 7-9, 2003. Plans are being made and the opening is scheduled for Walton Island. The schedule is very full but they are looking forward to a very successful conference. They are anticipating 200-250 hotel rooms being booked. More details will be coming shortly. Cedar House has created a beautiful brochure of a guide to downtown Elgin that is very nice. Also the Art Deco Society of Chicago will tour the art deco buildings in downtown. They want to tour the Tower Building and Salvation Army to mention a few. 35-50 visitors will be coming with the Society. They also will host a Trick or Treat Walk on Halloween in the downtown area. Continued Page Three Page Three-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of September 9, 2003 • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that Algonquin will be holding two business fairs in the upcoming months. One is scheduled for November 1, 2003 and another in January, 2004. One additional comment from Kimberly Bless was shared. Kim Bless addressed the issue of sending the Board packets via email each month. There were no objections or concerns shared, therefore, effective with the October Board minutes, they will be sent to each Board Member via their EMAIL address. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, October 14 - 8:00 AM. Days Inn—Elgin, IL. ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted, leeist &de:L. Kimberly A Bless, Executive Director nes r tjf ** alee*.„ of:meriea �onhern xt I River a `` Valtey of Illinois 7k Elgin Area Convention **and Visitors Bureau ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of October 14, 2003 Held at Elgin Days Inn, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Robert Gilliam, Scott Lager, Ann Laube, Don MacBean and Lynea Strassman. Chris Manheim for Leo Nelson. ABSENT: Pat Arnold, Annie Kaser, Norma Miess, Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg, Rolf Tweeten and Paula Wyatt EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: None. STAFF: Kim Bless, Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, and Jayne McGrath. BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Copy of 2004 EACVB Working Budget, 2002 Travel Statistics and EACVB Press Release, Ventures Fall/Winter Budget Report, Newspaper article and Lynch Sponsorship Program Details. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:25 am. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: None CONSENT AGENDA: Due to not having a quorum, a motion could not be given for the September Consent Agenda or September Financials. FINANCIALS: Bless reviewed the Budget and how the revenues have been re-appropriated to different accounts to satisfy the requirements of the State Grant. OLD BUSINESS: Bless shared that she has met with the Village of Algonquin and was happy to report the meeting went well. She feels confident that the Bureaus representation of the Village has been re-enforced and communication will continue. The Village was receptive to her presentation/comments. Further discussions will occur during the coming months. Bless also met with Diana Miller, General Manager of Spring Hill Mall. Diana was also receptive to working more closely with the Bureau in the future and help with a meeting with the Village of West Dundee. Bless will meet with West Dundee this afternoon. Continued Page Two i � * Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of October 14, 2003 NEW BUSINESS: Bless shared that she will be attending a Sports Marketing Expo in New Orleans in November. She is developing a Sports Directory which will include an inventory of our major sports facilities. DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Jayne McGrath -McGrath reviewed the handouts that were shared with the board members. She reviewed the handout on the Sponsorship for the Lynch Project. She shared the food sponsors she has lined up for the November 18th event, as well as, $13,500 in sponsorship money. The sponsorship money will cover all costs for the event and the CVB will actually make money now. Her comments on the 2002 Travel Statistics showed that Kane County was the 5th most traveled county in the state of Illinois. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube stated that their Annual Chamber Dinner will be October 23rd at the Marriott in Hoffman Estates. She also reminded all in attendance of the Business after Hours on October 16th,joint event with Elgin and South Elgin Chambers, and October 21, 2003, and the reception for the new Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—None • City of Elgin—None • Board Member Comments: Lager shared that the Business after Hours that Prairie Rock hosted was a success. • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that she also was pleased with how the meeting went with Kim Bless and Algonquin. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None ANNOUNCEMENT: Bless reminded the Board with the holidays coming up, the days the CVB office will be closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, November 11th- 8:00 AM. Country Inn& Suites—Elgin, IL. ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:25 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ist A• Kimberly A Bless, Executive Director • - *lee**. of _41 aL irordmc n o f I Fox kivcr• 4allcy llinois 7k Elgin Area Convention '*and Visitors Bureau ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of November 11, 2003 Held at Country Inn& Suites, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Arnold, Annie Kaser, Scott Lager, Ann Laube, Don MacBean, Leo Nelson, Lynea Strassman. Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg, Rolf Tweeten and Paula Wyatt ABSENT: Robert Gilliam,Norma Miess, EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Rita Robbins, Days Inn, Elgin, IL. STAFF: Kim Bless, Barb Faga, Pat Hannibal, Jayne McGrath and Nancy Schultz. rik BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Business Ledger tab on Elgin, Courier story on Tourism and the Courier Lynch ad. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:05 am. Laube thanked Rolf Tweeten for hosting the Board Meeting. Introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: None CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the September Consent Agenda was made by Stromberg,Nelson seconded. Motion carried. A motion to approve the October Consent Agenda was made by Nelson, Stegall seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: Bless was very please to announce that we have received verbal confirmation from the Village of Hampshire that they will be contributing their Hotel/Motel tax to the Bureau. Bless has a meeting with the Super 8 General Manager coming up and will immediately be meeting with the treasurer of the Village of Hampshire to discuss the reporting process. Bless shared that she has been out meeting with the surrounding communities. Initially she is concentrating on those towns that would have Hotel/Motel tax available. She has met with West Dundee officials twice. Both meetings have been very positive. Bless has received support from both their economic development person and the Mayor and both support Bless in making a presentation to their city council in December. Bless is very encouraged with the progress she has made and the support she has been receiving, including some very positive comments. There has been no verbal commitment as of yet, but, she is hopeful this will be coming in the near future. They are very interested in ways that they can support the EACVB and acknowledge the support the EACVB has given them. Continued Page Two Page Two-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of November 11, 2003 Bless has also had meetings with South Elgin, Lake in the Hills, East Dundee and Algonquin. She anticipates that Algonquin will be a little bit more challenging. They appear to be having a slight problem with the vision of tourism and how it affects their town on a daily basis. Bless is working with Brewer to find ways of talking with the various partners in these towns and ways in which they may help in getting the tourism message across to their village officials. Part of this plan is for Bless to meeting with the various Chambers. She will be meeting with the Algonquin/LITH Chamber later in the week. Bless will speak with the Northern Kane County Chamber in December. Her message will be the role of the EACVB and the dollar impact of what we initiate and the effect tourism brings to our service area. Bless will concentrate on keeping out name out in the communities and in the newspaper whenever possible. The role and impact a CVB has on an area. Bless shared that she has a Sales Manager ad in the Tribune and on Monster.com. She is in the process of reviewing the resumes she has received to date. She will keep the board posted on outcome. Strassman stated that she also has a name to give Bless for a possible candidate. Bless shared that Nancy Guthrie has put together a preliminary audit. Bless will be meeting with Stromberg and review what Guthrie has completed. After their review, they will present it at the Executive Board Meeting and then Guthrie will make a presentation at the December Board Meeting. Bless shared that she just returned from attending the Sports Teams Marketing Expo in New Orleans. She had developed a Sports Directory which includes an inventory of all our major sports facilities. There were 44 potential Tournaments that she met with. Bless feels that the area has much to offer for these sports tournaments and the EACVB will continue to concentrate on the sport market. She feels the Expo was very beneficial and worthwhile attending and she stated she received some very good solid leads from attending this Expo. She was very pleased and felt her time was well spent. Brief discussion followed with the various property managers expressing their interest in off season tournaments and their desire to build off season sporting events. NEW BUSINESS: None DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Kim Bless—Bless updated the Board on the progress she has made to date rewriting the Employee Manual and the staffs new Job Descriptions. She is pleased with her progress and will share completed projects with the Board shortly. She also shared that she has been appointed Illinois Sports Liason. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce—Laube stated that businesses in East and West Dundee have suffered severely with the IDOT project going on. Rostenkowski and Munson have been with the city officials and IDOT. • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce—Nelson shared that they will be hosting a Business Round Table luncheon this coming Friday,November 21st. He also shared that Bank One will be expanding with its recent buy out of Zurich. 700-900 people will be moving to the Bank One Randall Road facility. Continued Page Three— Page Three-EACVB Board of Directors Minutes of November 11, 2003 • City of Elgin—Stegall shared that the budget process is being wrapped up. One of the many reductions in budget will be the elimination of the 4 Bridges Bike Race this coming summer. It just was not cost justified and therefore,has been cancelled as an annual event. Stegall also shared that the City of Elgin is working with the State of Illinois planning to develop an industrial park by Rt. 20 and 31. • Board Member Comments: Tweeten shared that the Country Inn and Suites will be adding on and expanding the hotel. They are starting on this project in the very near future. Stromberg shared that"Touching on Traditions"will be opening the Saturday after Thanksgiving. There will be 62 displays this year. • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that the 1St. Fall Harvest was successful and fund for all attending. Also, Santa will be arriving in Algonquin on December 6th and the tree lighting will also take place then. She also encouraged everyone to support the downtown business in Algonquin. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None ANNOUNCEMENT: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, December 9th - 8:00 AM. Country Inn & Suites—Elgin, IL. ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted, lel Os Ls... Kimberly A Bless, Executive Director nes • 'Y - .*Slice** 0of Alnerlca Elgin Area Convention *and Visitors Bureau ELGIN AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Minutes of December 9, 2003 Held at Country Inn & Suites, Elgin, IL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Robert Gilliam, Annie Kaser, Scott Lager, Ann Laube, Don MacBean, Norma Miess, Leo Nelson,. Sean Stegall, Peggie Stromberg, Rolf Tweeten and Paula Wyatt ABSENT: Pat Arnold, Lynea Strassman EX-OFFICIOS: Sherry Brewer GUESTS: Karri Klemmer, Towne Place Suites, Marriott 4 STAFF: Kim Bless, Ben Benson, Barb Faga, Jayne McGrath and Nancy Schultz BOARD PACKET MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: Several newspaper articles on our Lynch Unveiling, Sports Tournaments and Tourism Graphs. President Laube called the meeting to order at 8:06 am. Laube thanked Rolf Tweeten for hosting the Board Meeting again this month. At this time, Kim Bless introduced the CVB's' newest team member, Ben Benson, Sales Manager. Following a brief background history from Benson, the remaining introductions were made by all present. PRESENTATION: None CONSENT AGENDA: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by MacBean, Stromberg seconded. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS: Bless shared that she has a preliminary presentation in West Dundee this coming Friday. She will do a run through with Jeanine Smith and Joe Cavallero prior to the City Council in January. Currently Spring Hill Mall, Emmetts, Marriott, Ann, Northern Kane County Chamber, and possibly The Mansion and have offered to assist Bless with her presentation in January. Bless has asked them to participate and do a short presentation talking about the role of the CVB and how important it is to their efforts and why it would be important for the village to consider putting funds towards our efforts. Bless then shared that she had heard from Hampshire yesterday and she shared information from the City of Elgin regarding the form that they complete for the hotel motel tax. They want to adopt the new process, but, it has to be approved first through their village council which takes a little while. Continued Page Two-- p t Page Two-EACI B Board of Directors Minutes of December 9, 2003 Bless also told them that they now would have an opportunity to have a person on our CVB Board and they are considering who they would like to be part of the Board. She is very pleased with her relationships she is developing in Hampshire and expects to hear back from them within the next few weeks. Bless also is continuing her meetings with the remaining villages she has not had the opportunity to meet with as of yet. She has a meeting with Sleepy Hollow tomorrow morning and she has only a few more to schedule to complete her objective to meet with all villages. She is very pleased with being able to meet with the villages and offer the bureau's services. Tweeten asked Bless for more information on the village's percentage of tax the bureau was seeking. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed upon that it is the hope that all cities and villages would give the equal share. However, we are in the very early stages of moving this request forward and we will need to take one step at a time as we continue to break new ground in this area. Bless concluded that she was pleased with the progress to date and appreciates the support she is receiving from Jeanine Smith and the Mayor from West Dundee. It is a priority of Bless to get these villages to commit financially and develop solid partnerships. Bless then added that she is also working with Algonquin with Sherry Brewer's assistance. Some inroads have been made and more education and work is needed. It is her number one priority. Lager mentioned that the new Life Style Center in Algonquin will be a huge hit on Spring Hill Mall. These types of shopping complexes are very successful and a very good source of revenue for a city/village. Bless attended the groundbreaking and they are looking at an October 19` opening. Bless stated that they are getting $500 - $600 per square foot in other Life Style Centers. Stegall stated the village of Algonquin will probably see a million dollars in sales tax revenue. This is a plus for approaching Algonquin, if the CVB markets their area, they should funnel some of that money back to the CVB for support. A brief discussion followed. Bless shared that the CVB Audit has been completed by Nancy Guthrie and Stromberg has looked at the final report. Unfortunately, Guthrie is out of town and therefore, could not attend our board meeting this month. Guthrie will make the audit presentation at our January Board Meeting. Bless continued her report by giving a Sports Market Update. She shared that she was very pleased with filling the Sales Manager position with Benson and she is confident that he will be aggressively pursuing the Sports market. Bless has passed on some great leads she received at the team conference in October. Also, the Courier had an article in the paper, that Jayne distributed today, covering the importance of tournaments in our area. Bless received several calls from various sports contacts who are interested in bringing some regional, national and state tournaments into our area. Therefore, Benson will be meeting with those people to see how could help facilitate bringing these tournaments into the area. They are events that could take place at our Sport Complex and The Centre. We are anxious to bring more business to the Sports Complex and The Centre and we are working closely with them. She is confident Benson's efforts will produce events for our area. Continued Page Three- • ; Page Three-E.ACVB Board of Directors Minutes of December 9, 2003 NEW BUSINESS: • Nomination Committee - Laube shared that the committee has not had the opportunity to meet. The CVB Board will be losing Pat Arnold effective with her term ending December 2003. This vacancy will be filled in January. The Nomination Committee of Lager, Laube, Kaser, Stegall and Strassman will be meeting shortly. • By-Laws - Laube reported that the Executive Committee has started to review the current by-laws. Discussions have been very pertinent as to how the organization currently functions vs. how it used to function and how the by-laws were written so that the by-laws are reflective of the current organization and how it runs. Once the Executive Committee completes the process the revised By-Laws will be brought before the Board. It is a very educational process. DISCUSSION ITEMS: CVB REPORTS: • Kim Bless—Bless has completed rewriting the new Job Descriptions for the staff that she has passed on to the Executive Committee which is the Personnel Committee, for their input. Along with the Job Descriptions, Bless also included a revised Personnel Manual that has not been updated since 1996. As soon as Bless receives the final okay on the Job Descriptions, she will meet individually with each staff member to discuss. She also shared that the new Super 8 in Hampshire will be having an Open House soon and J.J. the General Manager is very nice and easy to work with. She looks forward to developing this partnership. • Staff: McGrath mentioned that she had hoped everyone had received our new E- Newsletter and was pleased when everyone confirmed that they had and complimented McGrath on her work. Bless shared that we received some very positive feedback on the Newsletter and look forward to the Newsletter becoming an important communication tool. Schultz shared that the 100"'Lynch print was sold and that minutes later, another person came in looking for one. The CVB has started a waiting list for any additional orders we may receive. A short discussion followed regarding the "advertising" of the prints and several options were shared. We will keep the Board informed on the future sales. There are a limited number of prints that will be sold and that is 300. REPORTS: • Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce— Laube shared that the Christmas festivities for the Northern Kane County Chamber, including their breakfast with Santa at Spring Hill Mall and working with the Dundee Township Visitors Center along with the Jaycee's had a very successful Dickens in Dundee weekend. The weather was beautiful and the turnout was good. They had a parade, ice sculpting and living windows in the shops. A good old fashion family weekend that went very well. Going forward, they are elk working on their Dinner Dance and Auction that will be held on 2/14/04 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites. They are planning on putting together several hotel packages for the event also. --Continued Page Four • l Page Four-E.ACI B Board of Directors Minutes of December 9, 2003 • Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce —Nelson shared that they will be getting their 2004 budget put together and their Annual Dinner will be February 24th and Bob Love will be the guest speaker. Bob Love is former star of the Chicago Bulls during the 1970's. Also several Business after Hours are coming up. • City of Elgin — Stegall shared that there has been a lot of development activity lately and he was pleased to share that boundary agreements with Gilberts, Burlington and Hampshire have been agreed upon. The plans for Festival Park are moving forward and the sales trailer for the Town Houses/Condo will be opening in January. 2004 Goals are being worked on the next couple months. • Board Member Comments: Kaser shared Distinctions & Prairie Rock will be partnering for a New Year's Eve Wine Tasting Dinner Dance. Stromberg shared that Woodstock will be imposing a Hotel/Motel Tax effective January. Also, the Christmas Boutique will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. this year in an effort to accommodate people that may have missed the opportunity to shop on the weekend. They are interested in seeing the response they receive with the evening hours this year. Lager shared that Prairie Rock hosted a Janus Theatre presentation recently and he stated it was great and recommended it to the Board. He also confirmed that Schaumburg will be building a Convention Center by I90 and Meacham, near the Schaumburg Prairie Rock. Lager then initiated a brief discussion on the last gambling license in Illinois and the possible effects on the area. Laube shared that the Illinois Chambers will be taking on the Gambling initiative as one of their issues. They feel it should be a more competitive tax structure for the Chicagoland gaming market because they are losing much of the gambling market to Indiana. Stegall mentioned that there is also talk about building a water park along the 190 corridor. This is in the talking stages and the location is not known. Miess shared that DNA is planning their calendar of activities for 2004 and the anniversary celebration. Lager will be leading the committee for the February 28, 2004 event. Much activity will be taking place in downtown Elgin next year. Miess shared the two new brochures they had developed and asked if anyone would like a supply. She had a supply with her and she would be happy to distribute. Several attendees asked for materials. She is looking forward to a very exciting and fun year. • Ex-Officio Comments: Brewer shared that their Holiday festivities was successful and she attended the annual planning meeting for the Algonquin Chamber and is pleased to see they seem to have more enthusiasm than ever. She attended the McHenry County Tourism meeting and shared that their major concern is funding. Bless will continue to pursue and work closely with Brewer with keeping in the loop of the McHenry County Tourism group. —Continued Page Five-- Page Five-Ez1Ci B Board of Directors Minutes of December 9, 2003 PUBLIC COMMENTS: None ANNOUNCEMENT: None NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 - 8:00 AM. Towne Place Suites by Marriott, West Dundee, IL ADJOURN: Laube motioned to adjourn, MacBean seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:54 a.m. Respectfully submitted, itt Kimberly A Bless, Executive Director nes r