The City Advertising & Promotion Commission met Jan. 23 with four of seven commissioners in attendance as one was absent and two positions remain vacant. Carol Wright was elected Chair, and James DeVito was present to support the written application for his placement onto the commission. DeVito was a CAPC commissioner previously.
Commissioners said there were no other applications for the position and unanimously approved the appointment of DeVito pending final ratification from the city council. Wright said if one position is filled by DeVito there is still another open for a local business owner from the food or lodging industry. The application for this position may be found at capc.biz/. The applicant is advised to submit the form to the CAPC office at 121 E. Van Buren, Suite 3B, or call (479) 253-7333. This is a volunteer position.
January is all about money – where it is and what to do with it
Finance Director Rick Bright submitted the 2018 annual financial report, showing income of $1,580,804 primarily consisting of tax collections; $741,826 from restaurants, $362,046 from motels, $167,809 from cabins/cottages, $150,423 from hotels, and $60,987 from Bed & Breakfasts. Auditorium income was reported at $28,963.
Primary expenses for media marketing & advertising totaled $547,469, website/graphic/video production totaled $97,948, marketing support totaled $30,541, special events/festival expenses totaled $190,730. Travel expenses totaled $75,416, Auditorium expenses were $183,226 (which includes $40,000 for a technical director and $42,014 for an events coordinator), and salaries/wages totaled $281,725.
According to the financial report, the budget for 2018 was unbalanced with a loss of $23,000, but the actual loss was $1,836. The financial report was approved with little questioning, and the 2019 budget was not discussed and was not yet posted publicly.
Turning to financial assistance for local events, commissioners recognized “it should encourage activities that enhance the city and region’s appeal as a travel destination.” For event expenses such as advertising, brochure design and printing, the commission may approve a guideline maximum award of $5,000 where no single event would be funded for more than three years.
Books in Bloom announced its annual event is Sunday, May 19, and was approved for $2,200. Commissioners also OK’d $5,000 for the Eureka Springs Multisport Festival that was announced by Bruce Dunn of All Sports Productions, Inc. This 3-day event of a triathlon, bike and running races will be held on July 19 – 21. More info on the event at www.allsportsproductions.com
The Annual Christmas Tour of Homes was approved for $5,000 and it was noted that the proceeds from this event go toward repairs of city locations such as the deteriorating Basin Park wall. The 4th of July Parade hosted by U.S. Veterans was approved for $600, and Veteran’s Day events were approved for $1,000. Springtime in the Ozarks got $1,445.
Executive Director Mike Maloney provided a summary from a travel show advertising Eureka Springs in Chicago, and also reported the number of visitors to the Eurekasprings.org site have risen astronomically. Also, social media is monitored regularly and used actively to increase tourism, as is the Eureka Springs App, which is mobile friendly.
Maloney announced a new media production project called EurekaSprings360.com. This web-based program will bring the user a visual look of 50+ local landmarks and points of interest in 360 degrees of HD video.
Commissioners wrote off the following three unpaid receivables with no hope of recovering the loss: $78 from Brydan Suites, $870 from Geraldi’s of the Ozarks, and $2,617 from Mount Victoria.
The annual contract with the Historical Museum was discussed, and in 2019 the museum will receive $600 per month from the CAPC for visitor services.
The next regular CAPC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium.