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Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau <br /> Board of Directors Meeting at Carolina Inn <br /> November 15, 2023 <br /> Board Members Present: Mark Bell—Chair, Karen DeHart, Karen Stegman, Spring Council, Damon Seils, <br /> Grace Holtkamp, Jon Hartman-Brown, Tanya Moore, Sharon Hill, Beverly Payne, Heidi Werner Dawson, <br /> Rebecca Mormino <br /> Not Present: Shannan Campbell, Earl McKee <br /> Staff Attendance: Laurie Paolicelli, Hannah Hemphill, Marlene Barbera, Tina Fuller, Susan Rice <br /> Guests: Jon Parker, Jessica Herrschaft, Wendy Smith, Sam Vadgama <br /> Call to Order <br /> Mark Bell, Chair called the meeting to order at 8:09 AM. <br /> Introductions <br /> • Heidi Werner Dawson welcomed the board to the Carolina Inn, which is gearing up for the 100 <br /> anniversary with their Centennial lager, collaboration with coffee roaster, and a 100 year anniversary <br /> schedule now available on the website. The Holiday Market will be on December 3rd, 7th, and 14th <br /> Approval of Minutes <br /> Mark Bell requested a motion to approve the October 18, 2023 minutes. Sharon Hill made a motion to <br /> approve the minutes and Beverley Payne seconded the motion. With all members in favor, the minutes were <br /> approved as submitted. <br /> Executive Director's Report <br /> • The Visitors Bureau has been focusing on media, outreach, and service with new curiosity and leisure <br /> campaigns. <br /> • Our click through rate (CTR) is higher, with Raleigh-Durham being the strongest performing DMA <br /> with Charlotte also driving new business. <br /> • "Find a New Rhythm" campaign performing the best, demonstrating the need to focus on the soul of <br /> the area. <br /> • Dynamic events and restaurant and visit have high CTR on Visit Chapel Hill website. <br /> • Audience tends to be females 55-64, followed by users 25-34-year-old who has a higher CTR than 35- <br /> 44-year-olds. <br /> • Our mainstream platforms are performing well, except for YouTube. We hired a YouTube specialist <br /> (CirclePark, LLC)to develop content and create a more cohesive channel. They are working on 6 <br /> videos by the end of the month. <br /> • Survey launching today, please take the survey—MGY NEXTFactor to benchmark tourism industry in <br /> Orange County to include all towns. <br /> • Overall, tourism business is doing well with Carolina Inn having record breaking months and the <br /> Carrboro Hampton Inn is doing well, although the labor shortage continues to hurt the hospitality <br />