Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board

Minutes of Regular Meeting

Wednesday, July 06, 2022 at 1:00 P.m. - 3:00 P.m.

437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes

Members Present:

• Chair Jeremy Goico, 
• Vice Chair Pat Foster, 
• Treasurer John Morris, 
• Board Member Eric Clark, 
• Board Member Larry Crabb, 
• Board Member Deb Radcliff, 
• Board Member Bill Sauser, 
• and Board Member Darlene Magner

Members Absent:

• Secretary John Mendel

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1.

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

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

2.

BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

Chair Jeremy Goico reported that the 4th of July Parade was a success, and thanked the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce (MLCC) for their efforts putting it together, and MLT staff for their participation. Chair Goico said that he had seen many positive posts about the parade on Facebook and reported that there were over fifty floats this year. He spoke about the amount of time that it took to plan the event and the improvements that had been made to this year's parade, including livestreaming it for those who could not attend in person. Chair Goico thanked Sierra Event Management for the timely clean up, Jesse Steele at Eastern Sierra Now for filming and live streaming the parade, Chop at Adventure Sports Outpost (ASO) for providing the internet and WIFI hook up, and staff from the Town of Mammoth Lakes for their support. 

Board Member Deb Radcliff thanked the Mammoth Film Festival for sponsoring the parade and said she loved the camaraderie of those that participated in it. Ms. Radcliffe reported that business was slow at The Village on Friday, but had been very busy the rest of the holiday weekend.

Board Member Eric Clark reported that the fireworks at The Village were a success, and that there had been a great vibe there. Mr. Clark said that the Top of Mountain event at Mammoth Mountain Saturday went very well, and said there were a lot of people, but it did not feel overcrowded.

Board Member Bill Sauser said that the 4th of July weekend at Crowley Lake was great, although Friday and Saturday were less attended than usual, and that the fireworks were spectacular. Mr. Sauser spoke about the fact that some summers in Mammoth, you can snow ski, waterski, golf and fish all in the same day.

Board Member Darlene Magner said that she was excited to see the growth of the 4th of July parade over the years, and was proud of our community.

Board Member Larry Crabb reported that business was up from last year over the 4th of July weekend, and said that the parade was amazing.

Vice Chair Pat Foster said that 4th of July weekend was great, and that the Airport had also been busier on Saturday and Sunday than it was on Friday.  Mr. Foster reported that Executives from Advanced Airlines came up with their families for the parade, and said they had discussed ways to get more aggressive with pricing while they were here. He thanked the Chamber, the Town, and the Mammoth Lakes Police Department (MLPD) for their efforts and support with the parade. Mr. Foster said that the Mammoth Motocross was a fun event and spoke about the number of visitors that it brought to Town, in addition to the talent scouts that attended to watch riders and look for some to potentially sponsor, and thanked all involved in the event. He said that it was one of the biggest motocross events of the year and that when he was younger he got sponsored after being seen at Mammoth Motocross. He said that Pink and Cary Hart, and Jeremy McGrath show up to the event every year.

Treasurer John Morris said that he had attended several events in Town over the holiday weekend. Mr. Morris reported that the 4th of July weekend was soft for most lodging companies, but that made for a good flow since it was not overcrowded and people had a great time. He reported that the Snowcreek Golf Course opened on July 1st and that it would open at 8 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday.  He said that most lodging companies were forecasting a downtrend in business, and said that MLT may want to add back marketing intended to drive people back to Mammoth in addition to the continued messaging about responsible recreation. Mr. Morris reported that the Employee Compensation Committee would meet again to address concerns of MLT's staff and apologized to them for some confusion over what had been discussed at the last meeting. He said that he would like an item added to a future meeting agenda to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Board Members.

Chair Jeremy Goico reported that nominations and appointments for the Executive Committee would take place at the August meeting.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

3.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

MLCC Assistant Director Brianna Goico thanked MLT for providing responsible waste zones for the 4th of July parade and reported that they worked well. Ms. Goico thanked MLT for sponsoring the livestream of the parade, and reported that several people had logged in to watch it.

4.

CONSENT AGENDA

• Moved by Board Member Bill Sauser
  Seconded by Board Member Deb Radcliff

  Approve the Consent Agenda.

  For (8)	Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Treasurer John Morris, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Deb Radcliff, Board Member Bill Sauser, and Board Member Darlene Magner
  Absent (1)	Secretary John Mendel

  Carried (8 to 0)

4.1

Approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 1, 2022.

5.

POLICY MATTERS

5.1

Fiscal Year 2021-22 Marketing Recap - Recap of Fiscal Year 2021-22 marketing efforts

This item was tabled until the August meeting.

5.2

BIH Air Service Research Result Winter 2021-22 - Brief recap of research findings from 2021-22 air service surveys

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the Winter 2021/22 Air Service Research Results PowerPoint presentation.

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

5.3

TBID Renewal Update - Brief update by Ad hoc TBID Steering Committee on 2023 TBID renewal and timeline. Board discussion and vote to move forward with Ad hoc Committee recommendations

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the (TBID) Steering Committee Revised Recommendations report.

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

• Moved by Treasurer John Morris
  Seconded by Board Member Eric Clark

  Approve the Ad hoc TBID Steering Committee revised recommendations for the 2023 TBID renewal as presented with a ten year term beginning July 1, 2023, and the stated recommended rate structure to begin on July 1, 2023 as well.

  For (7)	Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Treasurer John Morris, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Darlene Magner
  Against (1)	Board Member Bill Sauser
  Absent (1)	Secretary John Mendel

  Carried (7 to 1)

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

6.1

International Sales

This report was tabled until the August meeting.

6.2

Communications

Director of Content, Communications and Public Relations Lara Kaylor gave an update on recent communications activities. Ms. Kaylor reported that there were seven public relations visits planned over the next seven weeks and six more under review. She reported that MLT had increased its "come visit Mammoth" marketing in addition to continued responsible recreation and stewardship messaging. She said that MLT had been working with the Town about pieces regarding the Town's housing program, and provided an update on last week's Community Coffee. Ms. Kaylor said that the July Community Coffee event would feature a presentation from the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA) to discuss the Main Lodge Redevelopment project. She also said that she had been working on an event blog post, and reported that the Crib had been full and that there was currently an Olympic runner from Belgium staying there.

There was discussion between Ms. Kaylor and members of the Board.

6.3

Marketing

This report was tabled until the August meeting.

6.4

Special Events and Content

Senior Manager of Marketing and Events Dakota Snider gave an update on recent special events and social media activity. Mr. Snider reported that the 4th of July parade was a success, and said that he showed up at almost every event in Town over the weekend. He announced that the GiddyUp Country Western Music event would take place Friday and Saturday in The Village and said that he had been working on trying to make sure all event info was easy for visitors to find. He reported that the Camp Host Program had been successful and said that the summer events brochures and posters were out.

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

6.5

Local Marketing

Marketing Assistant Emily Bryant gave an update on recent local marketing activities. Ms. Bryant reported that she had been working on stewardship posters for bus stops, and branded bike bells which would be given to the Trail Ambassadors to hand out to visitors. She spoke about reporting deadlines for occupancy numbers and said that the occupancy report did not include second homeowner stays or non-established rental properties, and said that the 4th of July occupancy numbers were average. 

There was discussion between Ms. Bryant and members of the Board.

6.6

Social Media

Digital Marketing Coordinator Patrick Griley gave an update on social media marketing efforts and activity. Mr. Griley reported that he enjoyed shooting the Mammoth Motocross event and spoke about the recent staff hike and the plentiful wildflowers in our region. He said that the 4th of July weekend was a success, and reported that family focused content would come out within the next few weeks, as well as responsible recreation and inclusivity in marketing.

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

7.

OTHER STANDING UPDATES

7.1

Mammoth Resorts Update - Eric Clark

Board Member Eric Clark gave an update on Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA) news, activities, and operations. Mr. Clark announced that there would be celebrity chefs coming to Campo Mammoth in the fall and said that an official announcement with additional details would be made at a later date. He said that all of the summer activities at the Mountain were up and running, announced that the first of two June Top of The Mountain events was scheduled for this Saturday from 3 p.m.-7 p.m., and said that there would be events in The Village every weekend going forward. He reported that he would meet with Sierra Lodge Staff this afternoon and said that the purchase of the Lodges would close on July 14th, and it would be converted into employee housing with beds for approximately seventy-two MMSA employees.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

7.2

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Update - Jeremy Goico 

Chair Jeremy Goico reported that the float winner from the 4th of July parade would be announced by end of the week, and said that there would be a ribbon cutting on July 14th at 4:00 p.m. at Dos Alas CubaRican Café & Lounge.

SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR:

MLCC Executive Director Ken Brengle thanked MLT, and MLCC Assistant Director Brianna Goico and Workforce Housing and Content Coordinator Emily Peters, for their efforts with the parade and said that he felt it was the best parade since he had been in Mammoth. Mr. Brengle announced that Brianna Goico had been promoted to the position of Assistant Director of the Chamber. He said that the June planning session had focused on workforce housing options and solutions, website redesign, and the increase in social media. He said that Ms. Peters would be leaving the Chamber but would provide contract work for them and said that her replacement would start on August 8th. He said that MMSA Vice President of Mountain Development Tom Hodges would be at the August Power Lunch to discuss the capital projects that the Mountain was currenlty working on.

7.3

Town Council Update - Bill Sauser 

Board Member Bill Sauser gave an update on Town Council news, activities, and operations. Mr. Sauser congratulated and thanked MMSA for the purchase of the Sierra Lodge. He gave an update on the Community Recreation Center (CRC), gave a shout out to the Parks and Recreation Department for the success of the disc golf course and said that he had heard a lot of positive comments about it. He said that there would be a Town Council meeting tonight which would include a discussion about working with the Mammoth Lakes Foundation (MLF) to keep theater up and running and consider a childcare center, and an item with regard to working with Mammoth Unified School District (MUSD) to consider conversion of the old ice rink into tennis and pickleball courts. 

There was discussion among members of the Board.

8.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m. to the next regular meeting scheduled to be held on August 3, 2022.