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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKitchener BIA - 2017-04-26DowNTo� Kitchener BIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Minutes 8:30 am -10:30 am April 26, 2017 City of Kitchener 200 King Street W Conestoga Room Present: Darryl Moore, Erika Holenski, Paul Walman, Domini Baldasaro, Ryan Lloyd -Craig, Shirley Madill, Phong Tran, Councillor Frank Etherington, Councillor Sarah Marsh, Linda Jutzi, Guest: Matthew Betik, KPMG; Breanna Crossman, Bethany Hawkins Regrets: Stewart Barclay, Meghan Hawkins, Chelsea Cybalski, James Mitchell, Cory Bluhm. The meeting began at 8:30, with Darryl Moore as Chair. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS Moved by Paul Walman, seconded by Erica Holenski "That the Board approve the April 26, 2017 meeting agenda." No conflict of interest was declared by any Member of the Board at this time. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Phong Tran, seconded by Erica Holenski "That the Board approve the March 22, 2017 minutes." Carried Unanimously Carried Unanimously 2016 Q4 Financial Report Due to timing of both the Board meeting and KPMG audit, presentation of this report is slightly adjusted to be in line with previous quarters. Linda indicated that the audit was completed on time, however KPMG was unable to attend the March meeting and as a result presented in April. An update on the first quarter of 2017 will be provided at the May meeting. Moved by Phong Tran, seconded by Domini Baldasaro "That the Board approve the Q4 financials as presented." Carried Unanimously Board Report Questions — Canada Day, Summer Lights, Patio Program Linda opened with discussion and questions regarding the patio program, offered through the BIA in partnership with the City of Kitchener. She reminded the Board that each location must reapply each year to continue in the program. Patios for 2017 will be set up once annual cleaning and maintenance by this city has been completed. She highlighted changes for Duke St. food block from previous years, and advised that BIA staff continue to work with Legal services at the City of Kitchener to proceed with patios for 2017. This program may not be available for Duke St. in 2018. Funding of additional patios is temporarily on hold until confirmation is received for current patios. The Board discussed costs and process relating to the patio program, as well as how it could be structured in future years. Ryan Lloyd -Craig joined the meeting (8:49 a.m.) The Canada Day band has not yet been announced. BIA staff have connected with vendors for the event and they are aware of the additional costs for electrical, however are not interested in using the huts for this event. Information has been provided in report regarding costing for options discussed. Jeff Young has provided criteria for anyone interested in sponsorship of the licensed tent in Carl Zehr Square. The Board requested this information be shared with restaurant and event membership via Constant Contact. Summer Lights Festival draws a wide range of people to the downtown. The organizer is well connected with the arts community, however has had some difficulty with the management of the event. In past years, the city has helped with organizing the event. Funding from the City of Kitchener has been slightly decreased, and Linda is working diligently with the organizer as the BIA recognizes the festival's value for the downtown. Sarah Marsh joined the meeting (8:58 a.m.) The committee went in camera at 9:00. The committee came out of camera at 9:04. Note: The process of a motion for going in and out of camera was accidentally bypassed in this instance as we were interrupted when Matt Betik first entered the room. He left the room for the in -camera session and returned following the session. Matt joined the meeting 9:05. Moved by Sarah Marsh, seconded by Darryl Moore "That the Board authorizes Linda to approve tier 2 funding, after review by marketing committee, for Summer Lights Festival" Carried Unanimously Finally, the ShapeDTK event is taking place at the Kitchener Public Library this evening. It's been well marketed, and a good turnout is anticipated. The BIA is suggesting a membership celebration event on May 17th KPMG Audit Matthew provided an overview of the annual audited financial statements of the KDBIA. He provided clarification on the auditor's responsibility with details about differences that may be found throughout the audit and how information is recorded and reported on. Berry Vrbanovic joined the meeting (9:19 a.m.) Moved by Paul Walman, seconded by Phong Tran "That the Board approve the 2016 Audited Financial Statements of the KDBIA as presented by KPMG." Carried Unanimously Committee Update The Marketing subcommittee will be setting an additional meeting date in the near future. The Governance subcommittee has met a number of times, and indicated that Andrew has been a valuable resource. Information will be shared for review two weeks prior to the May meeting, and included on the agenda for discussion and approval at the May meeting. Breanna Crossman and Bethany Hawkins joined the meeting (9:22 a.m.) Sarah Marsh left the meeting (9:23 a.m.) Marketing Constant Contact Breanna has reviewed past member communications for effectiveness. There are currently approximately 2000 email contacts who receive communication from the BIA on various events and marketing campaigns for the downtown. A newsletter is opened monthly by approximately 330 contacts, and can be sent at more frequent intervals where deemed appropriate. Breanna reviewed the open and click through rates, indicating they are both in a good range and above the average. She provided clarification on bounce and click rate, advising that receivers are reading information as they are clicking through on various links. Sarah Marsh joined the meeting (9:27 a.m.) She indicated that Constant Contact is effective for sharing information and tracking who has seen/received information. Other software options have been considered; however are not feasible due to cost and offerings in comparison to Constant Contact. Beth shared copies of the Brand Strategy with the Board. With lingering negative views of downtown, the BIA is focused on changing the impression of the downtown through creating a strategy that connects with people visually and shifts emotions about how people are feeling about the downtown. She highlighted the marketing campaigns that took place in 2016, which focused on sharing stories behind the businesses, including 'Own it' Magazine, which received much positive feedback. Information on campaigns will be maintained moving forward, and is available to the board at any time. The Board encouraged this information be shared with membership as well as added to the website with links for anyone visiting. Other Business Nothing at this time. In -Camera Moved by Sarah Marsh, seconded by Phong Tran "That the Board enter in -camera session" Moved by Paul Walman, seconded by Phong Tran "That the Board leave in -camera session" ADJOURNMENT Moved by Sarah Marsh, seconded by Erika Holenski "That the meeting adjourn." (10:47 a.m.) Carried Unanimously Carried Unanimously Carried Unanimously