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Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau <br /> Advisory Board Meeting <br /> Hyatt Place at Southern Village <br /> May 21, 2025 <br /> 8:00—9:30 AM <br /> Board Members Present: Craig Lloyd, Wendy Smith, Matt Hughes, Karen DeHart—Chair, Sally Greene, <br /> Heidi Werner Dawson, David Putnam, DR Bryan—Vice Chair, Creston Woods, Randee Haven-O'Donnell, <br /> Ben Marklin, Meredith Saybe, Jon Hartman-Brown, Allison Reid <br /> Not Present: Paris Miller-Foushee, Lisa Kaylie <br /> Staff Attendance: Laurie Paolicelli, Marlene Barbera, Hannah Hemphill, Katie Murray—OC Arts <br /> Commission <br /> Guests: Ivy Taylor—UNC Director of Local Relations, Carter Hubbard—Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, <br /> Mary Jane Nirdlinger—Town of Chapel Hill Interim Manager <br /> Call to Order <br /> Karen DeHart called the meeting to order 8:09 AM. <br /> Round Table Introductions <br /> Approval of Minutes <br /> Karen DeHart requested a motion to approve the minutes from the April 16, 2025 board meeting. Matt Hughes <br /> made a motion to approve the minutes for both meetings and Sally Greene seconded the motion. With all <br /> members in favor, the minutes were approved as submitted. <br /> Visitors Bureau Updates <br /> 1. Places and Spaces Meeting Videos <br /> o The Visitors Bureau has updated the meeting spaces videos. Marlene Barbera showed the <br /> Graduate Chapel Hill and Friday Conference Center videos. <br /> 2. Update on MexTour2025 <br /> o Overview: <br /> ■ This year's major event: Mexican Nationals League vs. Turkey on June 10. <br /> ■ First non-European international event hosted. <br /> ■ Venue capacity: 55,000 seats; currently 17,000 tickets sold. <br /> ■ The Mexican National team will be taking over the Siena <br /> ■ The Turkish National team will be at the Weston due to dietary needs <br /> o Marketing and Community Engagement <br /> ■ Marketing budget: Approximately$100,000 spent on English and Spanish promotions. <br /> ■ Collaborations with Latino community stakeholders and downtown businesses. <br /> • Challenges identified: <br /> • Latino community hesitant due to fears around public gatherings. <br /> • Many Latino staff members at local restaurants reluctant to attend despite <br /> cultural ties to the team. <br /> ■ Hired PR consultant Pablo Vega to engage Catholic and Latino communities. <br />