RECAP: Tourism Business Improvement District, April 25, 2024
RECAP: Tourism Business Improvement District, April 25, 2024
Applications open for Board position, 17 events receive grant and sponsorship funding
This article has been updated to clarify that there were four voting TBID members present.
The public brought snacks after experiencing February’s three-hour Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) marathon (reported here) only to discover that a revised grant review process and refocused Chair resulted in a brisk 57-minute meeting. The TBID is responsible for marketing the City with a focus on accommodations — we’ll cover the highlights. It meets on the third Thursday of the month at 3:30 pm in Council chambers at City Hall. Meetings are still not live streamed or recorded, but several details are available in the meeting agenda.
BUSINESS: MARKETING UPDATES
Marketing Director Breanne Dusastre kicked off the update by recapping the grants and sponsorships handed out at the prior meeting and promoting upcoming TBID sponsored and funded events. The previously funded grants and sponsorships are covered here.
Discussing recruitment initiatives, Dusastre reminded the public that applications are due May 9 to fill the Board position vacated by Patricia Knight. Email a letter of interest and a resume to City Clerk Cindy Villescas at cvillescas@29palms.org if you are interested in serving on the TBID. You must run a short-term vacation rental, hotel, or other accommodation to apply.
At the February 29 meeting Dusastre received criticism that an ad for social media assistance had not been widely circulated and had resulted in just one application. A social media subcommittee consisting of TBID member Ashton Ramsey and Chair Rakesh Mehta was formed and the approach revised. The TBID is now assigning social media projects to volunteers with the potential of pro bono work evolving into paid contracted work. As a result, the number and variety of social media posts have increased from an inconsistent feed of one to two per month to one a week.
Additionally, a new initiative to recruit volunteers to assist with the Visitor’s Center is yielding results. Interim City Manager Larry Bowden indicated that he was interested in volunteering his time once he steps down.
Dusastre announced that The Desert Trail has relocated its office to the Visitor Center. She also discussed increased engagement at the Visitor Center and on the Visit 29 website.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Discover Inland Empire Global Co-Op
Lacking any non-agenda public comments, the Board next heard a presentation from Freddy Bi, President and CEO of Discover Inland Empire, which promotes tourism in the desert, mountain, and wine regions. Bi was requesting a buy-in of $3,000 a month for six months to feature Twentynine Palms in its marketing. The City and its accommodations are not currently mentioned in the Discover Inland Empire“Roadtrip” brochure. A video on their Inland Empire Travel Academy features Big Bear Lake, a current member, and has been distributed on a few YouTube channels including Visit California, where over six years it has garnered 137,000 views.
Bi discussed a $33 million initiative by Visit California, which he described as “a Southern California global co-op for promoting the alternative playground. And so through all this network, we will be leveraging the state resources, the county and the regional branding as well.” Of Morongo Basin locations on the Visit California site, Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown are featured, and other locales are not currently mentioned. Three primary initiatives were presented:
•inclusion in a digital newsletter with 225,000 subscribers
•promotion in a partnership with Amerilink, a global business to business distributer of hotel accommodations with offices in Los Angeles, Beijing, and Shanghai, China. The City would be included in the Global Roadshow in Mexico, Central America, and Asia/China, “an interactive educational platform designed to engage and motivate key travel agents and tour operators to develop and sell 29 Palms TBID hotels and tour packages.”
•“highlighting this ultimate playground to the global consumers” by spotlighting Twentynine Palms when Joshua Tree National Park is covered.
Not included in the $18,000 membership fee are creative, production, print, and installation costs.
The TBID voted 4-0 to join the Discover Inland Empire initiative.
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Visit 29 Palms Sponsorship and Event Grants
Having learned lessons from the chaotic funding process in the first round of grants, a subcommittee consisting of Chair Mehta, Board member Heidi Grunt, and Marketing Director Dusastre made a list of recommendations for funding before this meeting. Instead of individual presentations, grantees were asked to attend the meeting should the TBID members have questions regarding their applications. Details on each grant application were included in the agenda packet. Sponsorship details were not included.
Grant applications for up to $20,000 in funding that the subcommittee scored 80% or higher were recommended for full funding. Additionally, two applications that received more than 70% were on the funding list with reduced funding, and one applicant with a score of 68.5% was recommended because their ask was “only $5,000” per Mehta. Sponsorship applications for amounts of $3,000 or less are submitted for a TBID vote but do not go through a scoring process.
The Board had questions for the Desert Ship Overland Festival and the Sky to Sand series (which received funding in the prior round). Would they still be able to produce their events with reduced funding? Reed Stevens of the Desert Ship Overland Festival assured them it was not an issue, “To be totally honest with you, I'm not too concerned about having reduced budget because this is an event that will need to be built year over year….It takes typically about three years to establish an event like this.” A representative from the Sky to Sand festival did not attend the meeting.
In public comment, Susan Peplow expressed concern about the large number of events up for approval:
My concern is are we going to be giving these events the attention they deserve? Unless we have somebody to manage these events?…I don't think she [Marketing Director Breanne Dusastre] can take on another 20 events as a coordinator.
Mary Jane Binge spoke to the need for strong advertising and promotion, and Eric Menendez asked about budget amounts for City facility rentals when nonprofits may receive complimentary use from the City. Seth Zaharias of the Rock Rumble Royale Bouldering Competition pointed out that the talent for the Joshua Tree Music Festival stays at accommodations in Twentynine Palms and also expressed “If you wish people to spend money in the downtown district, I think providing them safe transportation between there and the hotel district should be high on your guys's radar.”
In discussion Board members Grunt and Ramsey supported Peplow’s suggestion of a coordinator. Dusastre felt the work could be covered by a part-time employee who was returning to work for 20 hours a week in May.
With regard to marketing the events, Mehta appeared to place that responsibility on the grantees without acknowledging the task of promoting the slate of events through TBID’s own outreach and social media. “They have their own marketing plan, and their own individual that's going to be doing promotion for that event.” He mentioned marketing events on the billboard at Palm Springs Airport.
Mehta proposed excluding funding for Sand to Sky due to the potential grantee not being available to answer questions as required. Ramsey countered that he supported the event, which was funded in the previous round and is organized by choreographer Ryan Heffington. However, a motion to fund 17 of the 18 events was put forward by Mehta and seconded by Board member Maria Madrid—the motion carried 4-0. See the screenshot at the top of this topic for a list of events under consideration or review the applications.
In additional public comment, Susan Peplow bemoaned the lack of information on sponsorships — unlike the grants, the applications were not included in the agenda packet making public comment difficult.1
The full slate of sponsorships was approved 4-0.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
All five Board members spoke to their excitement over the promise of the funded events with Chair Mehta mentioning the potential of a large ticketed event coming in 2025 that’s “going to put Twentynine Palms on the map.” The event coordinator will be speaking at an upcoming meeting.
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMENTS
Marketing Director Dusastre praised outgoing Interim City Manager Larry Bowden, who had attended the TBID meetings:
Thank you, Larry Bowden for being here for the last six months. This is your last meeting with us as the City Manager. It's been a pleasure to work with you. Thank you for all of your support. And if you didn't get our joke earlier, he's going to volunteer at our City Visitor Center in the future so you’ll see him around.
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Editor’s note — this is a potential Brown act violation if the applications were made available to the full Board but not to the public.
The list of grants awarded is highlighted at https://visit29.org/blog/post/event-sponsorship-funding-for-2024/. For out-of-area followers of the Desert Trumpet or locals who have inbound friends and family, these events make for a wonderful time to visit.
As a reminder, guests staying at our local hotels and vacation rentals support events like these. When you, your friends, or family members need accommodations, please book your stay in the City limits of Twentynine Palms. (Not Desert Heights, Wonder Valley, Joshua Tree....)