At a July 18 special meeting, the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission voted to hire the Johanson Group, a management consulting firm in Fayetteville, to perform an internal audit of CAPC operations. At the Sept. 28 workshop, Blair Johanson gave staff, commissioners and interested parties his findings.
His first suggestion was for the vision statement to be fine-tuned. It says in part, “The prepared food, beverages and lodging business will see a noticeable increase in the number of visitors and residents that are frequenting their establishments.” Johanson suggested the statement needs to specify what success looks like. “It needs an endpoint,” he said, “a way to measure the effectiveness of the organization.”
He recommended commissioners “hold a few focused working sessions per year with CAPC staff to address opportunities and concerns raised by the commissioners.” This should lead to a balancing of views regarding how to spend money, and greater transparency and tracking of established benchmarks.
Johanson also stressed an increased partnership with tourism stakeholders. Staff should identify who benefits from tourism and pinpoint common interests. Finding entities willing to have a presence in the promotions’ effort might generate additional sponsorships for events.
He encouraged the CAPC to increase community visibility because locals need to know what the commission is doing, and said the organization should continue to stay up-to-date with marketing strategies, but continue to look for ways to make sure the community sees the positive effects of marketing. An effective tool would be for new commissioners “to be trained and equipped for effective commission service through a comprehensive and informative on-boarding experience.”
Setting objectives
Another recommendation was to establish yearly goals for each staff member, and for Executive Director Mike Maloney to perform annual performance evaluations based on goals and job descriptions. Johanson also urged commissioners to evaluate Maloney once a year.
Johanson pointed out tax revenue collections have increased every year beginning in 2012 because of effective marketing strategies. He noted, however, performances and shows at the Auditorium have not always shown a return on investment, and suggested staff and commissioners learn how to more effectively vet shows. Spending intentional time together as a commission and establishing goals for events, according to Johanson, would create a better understanding of what to look for.
Heads in beds and on the phone
Johanson also pointed out not all segments of the community – hotels and Bed & Breakfasts, in particular – have experienced the same amount of overall growth, so he called on staff and commissioners to develop “a more comprehensive plan of action to increase demands and reasons for overnight lodging.” One idea was to pursue the small meetings market and find ways to get folks here early and keep them afterward.
He commented that Millennials enjoy watching cooking shows, so an opportunity would be to entice them here to learn from local chefs on a Thursday or Friday, and keep them overnight so they could attend a cooking event the following evening.
He also noted cell phones are ubiquitous. He had just passed by two construction workers on their breaks and both of them were looking at their phones. He implored the CAPC not to miss an opportunity to market Eureka Springs on mobile devices.
He enjoined staff and commissioners to work with other commissions and local entities “for increasing the effectiveness of social media efforts.” One idea in particular he specified was an effective comprehensive calendar of events in the city.
Johanson encouraged the CAPC to learn from and work with other similar organizations such as the Fayetteville A&P. He stated, “There’s too much competition not to continue exploring new ways to get folks here.”
Festivals need tending
Regarding events and festivals, Johanson encouraged commissioners to take inventory of what they are doing and either improve or drop them. He observed there are promoters who continue to produce barely marketable events, and “they need permission to stop. Evaluate the festivals another year, try improving them or take them off the list.” Colleges are a good source for potential volunteers because sometimes students need volunteer hours to earn credits, and finding event sponsors means the financial outcome is not so dependent on ticket sales.
Overall, Johanson urged the CAPC to establish goals and chart a plan to get there.