At the Sept. 12 City Advertising and Promotion Commission meeting, Finance Director Rick Bright said Executive Director Mike Maloney was finishing negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce for a new contract for mailing the Visitor Guide to those who request it. Bright said they will continue to contract with a printing company in Springfield to mail the Guides because it is cheaper and easier than doing the mailing in-house.
Bright said the Chamber prints about 75,000 Guides, and the printer houses them. Leads go through the Chamber to the printer who fulfills the requests. The CAPC pays 12 cents per guide.
He said they mailed about 36,000 Guides last year, and his strategy has been to work with the printing company to respond every Monday to the previous week’s requests and send as many as possible by bulk mail, which means a minimum of 200 pieces. If there were fewer than 200 requests in a week, Bright said he uses names from his database of those who requested a Guide last year. In August, he mailed 863 pieces. He said the CAPC budget limits what it will spend on postage each year, and any costs beyond that amount would be the responsibility of the Chamber.
Remaining bundles of Guides are distributed throughout the state by various means. Arkansas Parks and Tourism sends them to all the Visitor Information Centers, and they are available locally at transit centers, the Historical Museum, and the Chamber office. Bright said some Bed & Breakfast owners keep them on hand for guests, and Northwest Arkansas Regional and Branson airports always have them.
The CAPC also mails response pieces for weddings, group travel and motorcycle tourism.
Chair Susan Harman wondered if they could spend less on the Guides in the next budget and still promote the town effectively. She did not want to lose any opportunity for advertising, and insisted everyone who requested a Guide should get one.
Bright will report back at the next meeting.
People in town
Bright reported the Destination Downtown Main Street regional conference held in Eureka Springs Sept. 9-12 was positive. The conference was sponsored by Mississippi Main Street Association, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, Main Street Arkansas and Main Street Eureka Springs. Bright said two busloads of attendees arrived making up some of the 300 or more who participated.
He heard glowing reviews of the town from the group which included professionals in the field of commercial district revitalization from three states. “It was good for Eureka,” Bright said.
Director’s report
Maloney was not at the meeting, but submitted a written report in which he said he had been working diligently to correct errors about Eureka Springs on the new Arkansas.com website. He put the mistakes in the “launched too early” category. His complaints have been met with immediate support and backend access to make changes. He said some folks have questioned how involved the CAPC has been in correcting the errors, and responded, “The CAPC began the alarm on the first day Arkansas.com was online and has worked daily since that time attempting to correct all the items concerning Eureka Springs.
“Finally, on this subject, every business in Eureka Springs that appears on Arkansas.com should take stock of their own listings and push the State to correct any errors.”
- Maloney announced he had ordered a new 20-ft. Christmas tree for Basin Park and hundreds of LED lights and decorations. Some of the lights will adorn the Auditorium, and he’s checking on putting some around the courthouse. There will be a tree-lighting ceremony and other related activities. The Parks Department will begin putting up decorations in early November.
Other items
- Bright reported the year-to-date collections through the end of July are 4.2 percent above collections for the same period last year. For the month of July, cabins and cottages was the only category that performed better than last year’s collections.
- Commissioner Bob Thomas said there will be a Robert’s Rules of Order workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 6-7:30 p.m., at the Auditorium. Presenter will be Dr. Stacey McCollough of the University of Arkansas, director of Public Policy Center and assistant director for Community and Economic Development. Elected officials and commissioners are invited.
- Commissioners discussed strategies for communicating directly with collectors to make sure everyone knows how to work with the commission and what the commission has done lately. Harman said it would be to the advantage of the collectors to know what the CAPC does. She suggested they begin in 2019 with some kind of outreach.
Next workshop will be Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 4 p.m., and next regular meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m.