Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board

Minutes of Regular Meeting

Wednesday, August 02, 2023 at 1:00 P.m. - 3:30 P.m.

437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes

Members Present:

• Chair Pat Foster, 
• Vice Chair Eric Clark, 
• Treasurer John Morris, 
• Secretary John Mendel, 
• Board Member Bill Sauser, 
• and Board Member Jess Karell 

Members Absent:

• Board Member Darlene Magner 

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1.

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Chair Pat Foster called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 437 Old Mammoth Road. 

2.

BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

Treasurer John Morris reported that he had participated in several outdoor activities recently and said that he had attended the Town Council's housing workshop last week. Mr. Morris voiced his concern about the outdated (2017) housing needs study that was presented and said that he would like to see a more current study. He said that he felt that some people who listed their homes as short-term-rentals may be interested in converting to long-term rentals if there were incentives, and said that he would give public comment tonight at the Town Council meeting. He reported that the Kids Fishing Festival was a success and thanked the Town for their efforts with it..

Secretary John Mendel also voiced concern over the outdated housing study. Mr. Mendel said that he took hi two granddaughters to the Kids Fishing Festival and had a great time with the educational aspects of the event in addition to the actual fishing.

Vice Chair Eric Clark said that he had attended the housing workshop and that it was a great forum to allow feedback from the community and that there was a good turnout with a diverse group of people. Mr. Clark said that he appreciated the effort by the Town Council and Town staff, and that there was more work to do, including focusing on the missing middle and possibly building townhomes for families. He reported that he had attended a recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) meeting in Inyo County and provided a summary of what happened during the meeting, and spoke about future plans for local flights. He said that representatives from the FAA reiterated their commitment to regional air service in the Eastern Sierra and said that they may assist with additional grant funding for a bigger terminal at the Bishop Airport.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

3.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Public Comments may be sent via email to the Town of Mammoth Lakes Assistant Clerk before or during the meeting at or may be made via Zoom or in person during the meeting in Suite Z. All comments will be limited to a speaking time of three minutes.

Town of Mammoth Lakes Town Manager Dan Holler provided additional information regarding yesterday's FAA meeting, including a potential change to the Mammoth Yosemite Airport's classification. Mr. Holler said that tonight's Town Council meeting would include staff recommendations for amendments to the Town's Fiscal Year 23/24 Budget related to the allocated Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Revenue, and discussed some of the Town's upcoming projects, and where then funding for them would come from.

There was discussion between Mr. Holler, Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

4.

CONSENT AGENDA

• Moved by Secretary John Mendel
  Seconded by Board Member Jess Karell

  Approve the Consent Agenda.

  For (6)	Board Member Bill Sauser, Treasurer John Morris, Vice Chair Eric Clark, Chair Pat Foster, Secretary John Mendel, and Board Member Jess Karell
  Absent (1)	Board Member Darlene Magner

  Carried (6 to 0)

4.1

Approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of July 10, 2023.

5.

POLICY MATTERS

5.1

MLT Bylaws Review - Board to assign three-member ad hoc committee to review the current MLT Bylaws

Executive Director John Urdi requested that three Board Members volunteer to serve on the Ad Hoc Bylaws Review Committee

Chair Pat Foster, Secretary John Mendel and Board Member Bill Sauser volunteered to be on the Committee.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

5.2

Winter 2022-23 Advertising Effectiveness Report - Report on ad effectiveness and return on investment for the winter 2022-23 campaign

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the Winter 2022-23 Ad Effectiveness Reports.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

5.3

MLT Executive Director Annual Review and Contract

Assign three board members to an ad hoc committee to complete the Executive Director's annual performance review due at the September Board meeting.  Review will also be done in conjunction with the contract renewal process.

Chair Pat Foster requested that three members of the Board volunteer to serve on the Executive Directors Annual Performance Review Ad Hoc Committee.

Vice Chair Eric Clark, Secretary John Mendel, and Chair Pat Foster volunteered to serve on the Committee.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

5.4

Financial Reports

Receive an update regarding the financial health of the Mammoth Lakes Tourism and the results of the previous month for Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) and current account balances. 

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the Financial Reports.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

6.

DEPARTMENT UPDATES

A brief recap of past, current, and future efforts of each department.

6.1

International Sales

Receive an update on international efforts from Director of Sales and International Marketing Michael Vanderhurst. 

Director of Sales and International Marketing Michael Vanderhurst gave an update on international sales activities. Mr. Vanderhurst reported that Media Familiarization (Fam) visits that had taken place over the winter were generating articles about Mammoth Lakes now. He reported that there would be Fam visits in the fall with media representatives from India, France, and Germany with a focus on next summer and autumn, and Trade fam visits from Australia, Italy, Germany and India. He said that MLT would start going on sales missions with Alterra, Visit California, and Brand USA, later this month.

There was discussion between Mr. Vanderhurst and members of the Board.

6.2

Communications

Receive an update on communications activities from Public Relations Coordinator  Lauren MacLeod. 

Public Relations Coordinator Lauren MacLeod gave an update on communications activities. Ms. MacLeod reported that contributors from Travel + Leisure and Los Angeles (LA) Parent who would be visiting Mammoth to focus on fall visitation, and spoke about recent domestic media visits that had taken place and led to media placements. She said that the Today Show had featured the Sierra Nevada Resort as a last minute travel option. She gave an update on the Crib, said that a representative from Clean Up the Lake would be here in two weeks to begin content creation and fundraising efforts for the clean up planned at Lake George mid-September, and said that the Fall Newsletter would start up this month.

Executive Director John Urdi announced that Director of Content, Communications and Public Relations Lara Kaylor had her baby boy, and everyone was healthy!

6.3

Local Marketing

Receive an update regarding local marketing efforts from Marketing Manager Emily Bryant. 

Marketing Manager Emily Bryant gave an update on recent local marketing activities. Ms. Bryant said that the new website would launch on September 1st, and reported that tomorrow would be the first training session with the lodging partners on the new occupancy reporting system. She announced several events that would take place now through September.

There was discussion between Ms. Bryant, Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

6.4

Digital Marketing

Receive an update regarding digital marketing efforts and social media from Digital Marketing Manager Samantha Lindberg.

Digital Marketing Manager Samantha Lindbergh gave an update on digital marketing efforts and social media activity.

Executive Director John Urdi announced that MLT's new Director of Marketing Sarah Winters would start on August 16th, and said that she would work remotely for the most part, but would be in person in Mammoth the first week of each month.

There was discussion between staff and members of the Board.  

7.

OTHER STANDING UPDATES

7.1

Mammoth Resorts Update - Eric Clark

Brief update on Mammoth Mountain news, activity, and operations.

Board Member Eric Clark gave an update on Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA) news, activities and operations. Mr. Clark announced that Sunday would be the last day of the ski season, the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation's (MMCF) Mammoth Wine Weekend would be held from August 17th through the 19th, and the Mammoth Gran Fondo would take place on September 9th. He reported that the Mammoth Motocross entries were above last year's even though the event had been pushed back, and provided an update on the Mountain's current projects and repairs.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

7.2

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Update - Jess Karell

Brief update on Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce news, activity, and operations.

Board Member Jess Karell gave an update on the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce news, activities and operations. Ms. Karell announced that Executive Director Ken Brengle would retire in June 2024 and that Assistant Director Brianna Goico would transition to the position of Executive Director in January 2024, and announced that Marcie Castro had accepted the position as Administrative Assistant for the Chamber. She reported that membership was growing, the Gala was only a few months out, and more employee training for Chamber Members would take place in September.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

7.3

Town Council Update - Bill Sauser 

Brief update on Town Council news, activity, and operations.

Board Member Bill Sauser gave an update on Town Council news, activities and operations. Mr. Sauser said that he was pleased with the attendance at the recent housing workshop and said that the event was a success, and that he would like to see what affect the Parcel would have on our housing issues. He said that he and Councilmember Amanda Rice had been interviewing executive search firms to assist with recruitment of a new Town Manager, announced that Community and Economic Development Director Sandra Moberly would leave the Town to assume the position of County Administrative Officer for Mono County, and said that he hoped her new position would help solidify the relationship between the Town and County. He said there was a Town Council meeting this evening and spoke about some of the items that would be on tonight's agenda.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

8.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting will be adjourned to the next regular meeting scheduled to be held on DATE

The meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m. to the next regular meeting scheduled to be held on September 6th.