MINUTES OF THE CAROLINA BEACH
MARKETING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 28, 2014
The Carolina Beach Tourism Marketing Committee met during their regularly scheduled meeting on
October 28, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. in the Town Hall, Council Chambers at 1121 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina
Beach, N.C.
The following committee members were present:
James Allen, Chairman
Steve Wright, Vice Chairman
Susan Riggs, Secretary
Miles Bielec
Jeff Hogan
John Layland
Lynn Halterman
The following member was absent: Jessika Medina
The following additional participants were present:
Dan Wilcox, Mayor
Michael Cramer, Town Manager
Hannah Dotson, Town Admin
Shawn Braden, CVB
Ashley Murphy, CVB
I.
II.
III.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman James Allen at 2:35 pm.
A roll call was not done at this time.
The September 23, 2014 meeting minutes were reviewed and approved by a 5 – 0 vote.
IV.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Meeting Schedules & Future Topics
Michael Cramer reminded the committee that there is a Committee Training Session at the
Town Hall on November 5, 2014 at 6:00 pm. This meeting will be taped and will give an
overview of all of the various committees within the Town of Carolina Beach.
There will also be a joint meeting on November 20, 2014 with the Carolina Beach Town Council
and the Marketing Advisory Committee, and the next regularly scheduled MAC meeting will
take place on December 2, 2014.
Future Topics
Michael asked the committee what topics we would like to discuss with Town Council. The
committee came up with five topics for discussion:
1. The committee would like an explanation as to why there is 10% being held back, and
what this amount is going to be used for.
2. The intended use for the current year’s rollover funds.
3. Will any of the ROT dollars be utilized for local off-season marketing?
4. What, if any amount, will be allotted for Boardwalk marketing?
5. Many of the MAC member’s terms of office will be expiring in June 2015. What are the
plans to restaff the committee?
V.
OLD BUSINESS
1. New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority
a. Room Occupancy Tax Collections
Shawn Braden presented the most recent Carolina Beach and New Hanover County ROT
Collections for the month of August 2014:
New Hanover County
Carolina Beach
FY
+13.29%
+15.18%
Cal Yr
+11.19%
+12.53%
August
20.86%
+24.19%
b. Rollover Spending Recommendations
Shawn Braden mentioned that CleanDesign had put together some recommendations as to
how to spend the rollover amount, but that these were just ideas, and encouraged the
committee for their input.
Tom Hickey from CleanDesign was not able to attend the meeting, and explained the
attached presentation via the web. He outlined each different idea presented and
answered any topics requiring clarification.
VI. NON - AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION
1. Comments
Shawn told the committee that the Visitcarolinabeachnc.com website is responsive and that
is a new social moments gallery images now on the site.
Shawn will be attending a meeting in Raleigh on November 3, 2014 to discuss concerns
regarding the inaccessibility of the VisitNC.com website, and the lack of representation for
Carolina Beach.
Michael Cramer introduced Hannah Dotson as the Town’s new Administrative Assistant.
Hannah will be maintaining the Town’s new website.
At this time, the TDA left the committee meeting and the committee members began a
discussion regarding the Rollover ideas that the TDA and CleanDesign had presented earlier
in the meeting. The members discussed each idea and made a determination as to whether
to pursue the idea, or to eliminate it from the list. The committee agreed that four of the
ideas were worth pursuing, and these are: Madden Media, Tripadvisor, YouTube, and
possibly The Weather Channel.
2. Joint Meeting – November 20, 2014
This meeting will be with The Town Council and the MAC Committee
3. Next MAC Meeting – December 2, 2014
The next regularly scheduled MAC meeting will be held on December 2, 2014.
VII. James Allen adjourned today’s meeting at 4:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Riggs
Secretary, MAC