The October 23 meeting of the City Advertising and Promotion Commission opened with a presentation by Destination Strategy Director Taylor Goessmann, representing roughly 20 individuals from Madden Media working on the Eureka Springs account. Goessmann said that compared to 2022 and 2023 to 2024 there has been a 17 percent increase in tourism for the state of Arkansas amounting to ten billion dollars in tax revenue.
Madden’s 2024 strategy is to work on audience by targeting families, couples, wedding groups, motorcyclists, outdoor adventure travelers, and those interested in entertainment, culture, and the arts.
Geographically, Madden has been advertising mainly in St. Louis, Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, Shreveport, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Joplin, Springfield, and Houston.
In January, the Eureka Springs CAPC hired Madden, and July was their first video shoot. Madden is undertaking a new shoot this month to capture fall splendor for future ads.
Goessmann displayed pie charts, which can be viewed on the YouTube video of the meeting, breaking down how the agency has been impacting tourism to the area. A second chart showed how Madden has been spending the marketing money from the CAPC.
Eureka Springs has appeared in Southern Living, The Knot (a wedding planning website) and more, and was also featured last week on NBC’s Today in a clip about towns with Halloween attractions and events like the Zombie Crawl.
Madden purchased and posted a billboard in Kansas City next to Arrowhead Stadium that advertises Eureka Springs, and they have billboards along the Bentonville corridor to encourage visitors into longer stays. The website is seeing a 20 percent increase in engagement and volume of visitors, Goessmann said. PR efforts brought in $1.4 million in “earned” media, advertising not paid from the budget, such as freelance features about Eureka Springs.
Commissioner David Avanzino suggested that Madden post the video and print ads on the website, and commissioner Kolin Paulk added that Madden Media has access to Voyage, a powerful data tool that can show who is interested in Eureka Springs, who is clicking on what sites, and what markets are the best to target. Paulk said this was one of many benefits of working with Madden Media.
Indecision on reserves
Tourism Director Mike Maloney presented the financial report through September, as Financial Director Ty Reed was ill. Total income for September was $197,497 and the year-to-date total was $1,408,508. Although in line with some CAPC projections, it is “still lagging a bit behind,” Maloney said.
Commissioners discussed the CAPC reserve and whether to spend any of it and if so, on what. Commissioner Robert Schmid said he believes they have an obligation to at least spend some of the reserve on items for the city, like an event planner, but that he understood everyone’s arguments that there should be some money always kept in reserve.
Chair Steve Holifield said he had requested that Reed look into what amount other CAPCs have held in reserve so that they could figure out what would be a good amount to save. As Reed wasn’t at the meeting, Maloney again advised CAPC members come up with a “wish list” of positions, projects, events, and plans they would like to spend money on. Schmid asked that the issue be put on the 2025 agenda.
Neighborhood watch
Maloney said that several recent events had good turnouts, and that work is being done to target four demographics in particular: weddings, mountain bikers, group travel, and nightlife. In answer to a question from Schmid he said they were still waiting to hear back from VRBO. Schmid said the city knows there are people running illegal short-term rentals, and they should be reported. He said he’s not asking people to “rat out their neighbors” but that it was wrong to allow people to run businesses without paying or having done the paperwork to get a license.
Funding requests approved
The commission then heard two funding requests for $5000, one from Crewe of Krazo for Mardi Gras and one from Eureka Sky Entertainment for a Rockin’ Eureka Elvis and Friends Festival that will feature Elvis tribute performers, a parade, a wine tasting, and more. Both were granted the full amount.
Bonuses and a full time finance director
Commissioner Heather Wilson made a presentation for giving a bonus to CAPC staff, showing that staff is underpaid compared to other cities. She asked that 43/50ths of one percent of the slightly more than $2,000,000 budget be allocated for this purpose. She said she checked with the Arkansas Attorney General and the Department of Labor, and the CAPC is within its rights to grant these bonuses. She also said she would like to discuss putting aside funds to pay bonuses yearly based on performance, however, for this meeting, Wilson wanted a vote on the bonuses for 2024 which would be $17,250 from the budget. Schmid wanted to table the issue because he wanted time to examine the numbers and think about it, but two commissioners made a motion to approve, and all voted in favor except Schmid.
Finally, Maloney asked that the commission make the Financial Director position full-time given all the work Ty Reed has done and the growing responsibilities he is given. Maloney said Reed would oversee tax collection and identifying and keeping track of who had paid and who had not, in addition to recording and presenting the financials every month. Commissioners voted to make Reed full-time financial director with a pay of $35 an hour.
There will be a workshop on Nov. 14 and a regular meeting on the 21st.