SHUSWAP TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

Note: The following minutes are subject to correction when endorsed by the Committee at its next meeting.

Meeting #:
Date:	Thursday, September 07, 2017
Time:	1:00 P.m. - 4:00 P.m.
Location:	CSRD Boardroom 555 Harbourfront Drive NE, Salmon Arm

Committee Members Present

• D. Lepsoe (Chair)
• R. Martin
• T. Rysz
• K. Flynn
• L. Morgan
• S. Hofstetter
• P. McIntyre-Paul
• J. Ziercke
• Karen Brown
• A. Maki

Committee Members Absent

• G. Bushell
• P. Demenok
• R. Talbot
• M. Lane

Staff Present

• Stephanie Goodey
• R. Cyr
• L. Fitt
• C. Massey

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1.

Call to Order

The Chair called the meeting to order at 1:05 PM.

1.1

Guest in Attendance

Tyler Bartley - "Bounce the Shu"

Jennifer Sham - Planner, CSRD

Ryan Nitchie - Team Leader, Community Services CSRD

Carmen Massey - REACH Marketing

 

1.2

Approval of Agenda

With the removal of:

2.2. Presentation – Ministry of Transportation  

2.3. Presentation – David Gonella – Roots and Blues 2017

 

• Motion
  Moved By L. Morgan
  Seconded By K. Flynn

  THAT: the agenda of the September 7, 2017 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting be approved.

CARRIED

1.3

Adoption of Minutes

• Motion
  Moved By L. Morgan
  Seconded By R. Martin

  THAT: the minutes of the May 4, 2017 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

2.

Presentations

2.1

Presentation – Tyler Bartley – “Bounce the Shu” – 1:00 PM

Tyler Bartley presented to the Committee "Bounce the Shu" Inflatable Water Park Attraction.
“Bounce the Shu” is an Inflatable waterpark geared towards visitors aged five and up. This water park would be the first inflatable waterpark in the Shuswap. They are currently looking at placing waterparks in Sicamous and Sunnybrae.
“Bounce the Shu” is looking for long term lease agreements to use space on the public beaches at both locations for the ticket booth and water park.
The inflatable water parks are custom made for each location and are made to fit the natural landscapes where they are placed. The capacity of the proposed parks would be 180 people. The proposed operation times would typically be June to mid-September.
T. Bartley gave an overview of the "Bounce the Shu" business plan, including safety precautions, environmental responsibilities and pricing structures.
The Committee took the opportunity to ask T. Bartley questions regarding the water park and the operations.
Ryan Nitchie, Team Leader, Community Services, CSRD spoke in regards to this proposal. R. Nitchie supports the project based on the fact that it would be a good fit for the Sunnybrae CSRD beach park. However, R. Nitchie stated that there is a challenge with the park as the CSRD does not have a policy regarding commercial activity within CSRD Parks. Concerns also need to be addressed in regards to safety issues for the water park and protecting the Sunnybrae beach swimming areas to ensure that there is still enough room for swimming in the park.
R. Nitchie stated that if this proposal was to go through they would most likely begin with a short term lease and seek a long term lease once there has been an opportunity to see how the business operates and visitation.

L. Fitt joined the meeting at 1:14 PM.

• Motion
  Moved By K. Flynn
  Seconded By L. Morgan

  THAT: The Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee supports the development in principle of the "Bounce the Shu" Inflatable waterpark which will be located in the CSRD Sunnybrae Park

   

CARRIED

3.

Discussion Items

3.1

Village of Chase Tourism Representative

  

The Chase Chamber of Commerce has hired a new Manager, Ali Maki, the Village of Chase Council has since passed the following resolution:

• Motion
  Moved By R. Martin
  Seconded By L. Morgan

  THAT:

  "That Brenda Murray, former manager of the Chase and District Chamber of Commerce be removed at the Village's Tourism Representative to the Shuswap Tourism Committee; and,

  That the manager of the Chase and District Chamber of Commerce be appointed as the Village's Tourism Representative for the Shuswap Tourism Committee."  

CARRIED

3.2

Marketing Update – Carmen Massey

Carmen Massey of REACH Marketing presented the committee with an update of the current Shuswap Tourism Marketing initiatives. Reach Marketing is assisting Shuswap Tourism on a variety of projects including:
• 2018 Vacation Guide preparation
• Partnership with Salmon Arm Silverbacks Hockey Club
• Media: The Hive, Jamie Savage, Roots and Blues
• Shuswap Partnerships - working with various industries partners on working together to promote their industry in the region. Including wineries, golf course and marinas
• Shuswap Tourism is supporting the Snowmobile industry by providing a sponsorship for attendance at the Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Vernon Snowmobile shows.
For the complete list of marketing efforts please see the document attached to these minutes.

3.3

Tourism Matters Video – Review

 On June 1st and 2nd, Shuswap Tourism participated in the BC Tourism Matters campaign initiated by TIABC. Shuswap Tourism visited Chase, North Shuswap and Enderby to interview tourism operators. During these interviews local political leadership were connected with local tourism operators. Sydney Barron, Communications Web Assistant at the CSRD recorded interviews with the businesses and put together a short video that was shown at the meeting. The video clips help tell the story about the importance of tourism to our local businesses and communities.

3.4

Shuswap Tourism Marketing Strategy

The Shuswap Tourism Marketing Strategy is now complete. However the implementation strategy is still being worked on and will be completed next week when the consultant from Destination Think meets with R. Cyr.
On September 12th, 2017 William Bakker of Destination Think will present to stakeholders, the new marketing strategy at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort.

3.5

Spring Networking Event – May 24, 2017

On May 24, 2017 Shuswap Tourism hosted their annual Spring Networking Event at the Quaaout Lodge Resort.  There was a presentation by William Bakker of Destination Think "Taking advantage of modern marketing methods".  Overall the event had great attendance from a variety of tourism industry partners.
D. Lepsoe suggested that during these networking events each community be give five minutes to give a brief recap of the events and activities taking place in their region of the Shuswap.

3.6

Explore BC Meeting with TOTA and DBC – Richmond

Shuswap Tourism was invited to attend the Explore BC Meetings with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and Destination BC. R. Cyr attend the event that took place on June 15-16th at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.
Selected Destination Marketing Organizations were invited to present their new travel trade experiences to various media sources. The event included meetings with about 100 travel trade media. Shuswap Tourism focused on promoting three experiences in the Shuswap. They were Authentic Cultural Experiences at Quaaout Lodge, Bucktail Adventures Fishing Tours and Noble Adventures. This is a new format of promotion that was well received and will most likely happen again

T. Rysz left the meeting at 2:59 PM.

3.7

Destination Development Meeting – DBC

R. Cyr attended the Destination BC Destination Development workshop in Vernon on May 10th, 2017. Destination British Columbia is working with the province's tourism regions and the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training on a newly created Destination Development program that brings experienced facilitators to work with various stakeholders to develop a long-term strategic direction for destination development for Destination BC. The Shuswap region is part of the sub-region Shuswap/North Okanagan.
R. Cyr felt the program has potential to be a good opportunity for Shuswap Tourism. However, R. Cyr stated that she was not sure if there has been enough collaboration and partnerships between Shuswap Tourism and the North Okanagan to present a strong example of partnership opportunities for this strategy.

3.8

Shuswap Tourism On Site - Summer 2017

Shuswap Tourism was on site at numerous local events over the summer to help promote tourism throughout the region. Events attended include:
• Local music’s nights in each community
• Roots and Blues
• Caravan Farm Theatre
• R.J. Haney Heritage Dinner Theatre
• Salty Dog Weekend of Events
• Enderby Arts Festival
• Evacuee Picnic at Canoe Beach

3.9

TIABC Board Update

R. Cyr gave a brief update on the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) Board Meetings. TIABC has sent a letter to the new Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture welcoming her to her new position and giving her an overview of the mandate for TIABC.

3.10

Tourism Kamloops Brand Launch – “Boldly Unscripted”

R. Cyr attended the Tourism Kamloops Brand Launch – “Boldly Unscripted” in May. The brand launch took place at the Tranquille laundry facility in Kamloops and was a fun and unique experience. R. Cyr also shared with the Committee the news marketing materials that go along with the new Kamloops brand.

3.11

Aboriginal Day Celebrations – Quaaout Lodge – June 21, 2017

Shuswap Tourism attended the Aboriginal Day Celebrations at Quaaout Lodge on June 21, 2017. It was a great day with many activities including Drumming, Storytelling, Archery, canoe tours, arts and crafts and a bird of prey exhibit.
Shuswap Tourism was presented with a canoe paddle as a gift for their support with the Cottonwood Canoe Project.
J. Ziercke of the Quaaout Lodge Resort also spoke to this, he stated that it was a proud day for the lodge and that it was a great community experience for all attendees.

3.12

Turtle Valley Bison Ranch Fest - June 24, 2017

On June 24th, 2017 the Turtle Valley Bison Ranch hosted The Turtle Valley Bison Ranch Fest. The all day festival included farm tours, live music, local beer and wine and local chefs cooking with the bison and other local food. The event was a great success and will likely become an annual event. Shuswap Tourism assisted with the promotion of this event.
The Turtle Valley Bison Ranch are also doing very well with their bison meat delivery business in Vancouver and throughout the Shuswap.  
They will also be hosting a media dinner event on September 15th, 2017 that Shuswap Tourism will be attending.
The Turtle Valley Bison Ranch will be developing many new opportunities for visitors to this region to have an “on farm” experience with the bison over the next year.

3.13

MRDT Meetings – SAEDS/City of Salmon Arm

Lana Fitt of Salmon Arm Economic Development Society (SAEDS) gave an update on the Salmon Arm Municipal and Regional District Tax Program (MRDT). As of June 1, 2017 the MRDT is been being collected by accommodation operators in the City of Salmon Arm.
An MRDT Committee has been formed by SAEDS, comprised of stakeholders who will directly oversee the implementation of the MRDT program in Salmon Arm. The committee has been established with 5 voting members and 6 non-voting members.
The next steps are to establish a work plan for 2018, finalize a budget and begin implementation of the work plan.
A portion of the funding will go directly to tourism partners, Shuswap Tourism and Shuswap Trail Alliance to be used directly in their marketing efforts. A small amount of the funding will to go towards event grants. The MRDT Committee has established a policy to approve which events are approved for funding.
The MRDT Committee have established a job description for a Community Event Coordinator. The job is currently posted and the plan is to have the positon filled shortly.

L. Fitt left the meeting at 2:58 PM.

K. Flynn left the meeting at 2:57 PM.

3.14

Adams River Salmon Society Board Meetings – Salute to the Sockeye

Preparations are already being made for the 2018 Salute to the Sockeye festival. At this time there are no confirmed details. R. Cyr will share with the Committee the festival information once it becomes official.

R. Martin left the meeting at 3:45 PM.

3.15

Seymour Arm Music Festival – Summer 2018

The Community Association in Seymour Arm would like to resurrect a live music event in their community. This event will be similar to the Routes and Blues in community concerts that took place a few years ago. The goal is to connect with the houseboat companies and the Shuswap Trail Alliance and to build an event around live music, hiking and house boating. The event will most likely be a Music Festival with a series of events to take place over a few weeks. R. Cyr has been working with the Community Association to build the event and will assist them going forward.

3.16

Sponsorship request form – Approval from the committee

Deferred to the next Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting.

3.17

Community Roundtable

Joy de Vos – Electoral Area ‘D’ has seen a lot of road usage for cycling and motor touring over the summer.
Ali Maki – The Chase Cornstock Festival that took place in August was unfortunately not as successful as past years. There may be a potential date change for this event in 2018. The Music on the lake was a huge hit over the summer and will continue in the summer of 2018.
Karen Brown - CSRD gave the South Shuswap Chamber of Commerce funding to build six more Tourism Kiosks. K. Brown has met with Quaaout Lodge and discussed the possibility of having a kiosk on their grounds. The Balmoral Store has been sold will be updating the area with a new gas station. The Arts Council for the South Shuswap for the South Shuswap will be holding a Dinner Dance Fundraiser Gala at Rustic Wedding, Saturday, September 16, 2017.
Jesse Ziercke - Destination BC has been at the Quaaout Lodge filming with Frank Antoine and the Authentic Cultural Experiences. The lodge has been working with TOTA regarding Indigenous Tourism and will be hosting a BC FAM Tours on October 17, 2017. The tour will include a canoe trip to Roderick Haig Brown Provincial Park during the Sockeye Salmon Run.
Sebastian Hofstetter – The Prestige Resort had a great summer, even with Air Quality Advisories there was no decline in overnight stays.
Phil McIntyre-Paul – The Shuswap Trail Alliance has a long list of ongoing projects in every area. Unfortunately because of the smoke and air quality issues this summer they were only able to complete 60 percent of their project. This fall they will continue work on these trails. The CSRD has approved funding for Shuswap Trail Alliance for the Trails Matters Plan in the South Shuswap.
Robyn Cyr – Richard Toperczer, the Regional Manager Economic Development, South Okanagan & Boundary Region, has had a brief discussion about Indigenous Tourism in the Shuswap region. He has invited Shuswap Tourism to be a part of a round table discussion about Indigenous Tourism in this region

C. Massey left the meeting at 4:12 PM.

L. Morgan left the meeting at 3:54 PM.

4.

Next Meeting

December 7th 2017 at 1:00 PM, Columbia Shuswap Regional District Boardroom

5.

Adjournment

• Motion
  Moved By K. Brown
  Seconded By J. Ziercke

  THAT: the September 7, 2017 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting be adjourned.

CARRIED