City of Edwardsville Tourism Advisory Committee met Sept. 14.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
1. Roll Call:
Present
Janet Haroian
Charlene Blair
Karl Krachenberg
Kathryn Biarkis
Lisa Bohannon
Rich Walker
Craig Becker
Dillon Borri
Absent:
Sara Berkbigler
Kimberli Goodner
Amanda Eckert
Others:
Cathy Hensley
Elizabeth Grant
I. Roll Call The TAC welcomed new member Dillon Borri
II. Public Comment- none
III. Approval of Minutes -
a. August 10, 2023 minutes approved. Lisa will add Craig Becker as present to the minutes.
IV. Administrative
a. Tourism Advisory Plan.
James spoke with Bill Geist of DMO Proz about the proposed tourism plan. James asked if Bill would revise the proposal to stay within the $30,000 budget. Bill indicated that he could do this. James is awaiting the revised proposal from Bill.
b. Community Calendar. Penny Weaver at the Intelligencer continues to work on the community calendar. She assures us that there is no requirement to be a subscriber to post an event. Currently, paying for posting an event is an option, not a requirement even though there is a "pay" button. Penny is working to make that clearer on the site. There is also not a way to filter Edwardsville specific events, since their readership includes other markets such as Wood River, Alton and Jacksonville.
c. City Marketing. Rich presented the QR code on "Find your Fun" yard signs. The QR code currently shows the 16 entities in phase one. If a NFP meets the criteria and wants to be included, Great Rivers and Routes can be contacted. Criteria for inclusion is a physical location and a functioning web site. The TAC discussed promoting the QR code to engage people. Methods of marketing include social media, distribution to businesses, stickers and window clings. The parks department will help determine where the yard signs will be placed in the parks. Rich will get pricing for stickers and window clings. Rich will also send the R code to the TAC members.
d. Campus to Community Committee- The "Walk and Wheels" has been cancelled.
Per Kathyrn, the HPC presented a rendering of a mural for the wall of the Goshen meat market building to ACS. The mural was created by an MFA student at SIUE. It colorfully depicts the sun, a barn door, and a cougar. The building owner is willing to allow the painting on his building. The City Council will vote next Tuesday and if approved the painting could start by Thursday. Maintenance (graffiti repair, etc.) will be done by SIUE and the building owner. The mural will support the chancellor's goal of a bigger university presence downtown. The mural location is ideal for Instagram photos.
e. Public Survey- Waiting for DMO revised proposal.
f. Guidelines for tourism funding. Hotel/motel tax update. The 3% funding will no longer be placed in specific allocations. This will allow more flexibility in matching spending where it is needed. Special Parks, Marketing, and Community Redevelopment (to include greenspace) will share the 3% as needs dictate.
g. Review and Apply for Tourism Grants- James is preparing to apply for the next round of funding.
h. Annual Report- No new developments
V. Old Business
Route 66 will be added as a standing line item. Kathryn and Craig will provide updates about Route 66 festivities as plans for the spring 2024 events develop.
VI. New Business none
VII. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 0854.
https://www.cityofedwardsville.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_09142023-3120
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