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, March 14, 2019
Time:	1:00 P.m. - 2:00 P.m.
Location:	Splatsin Community Centre 5775 Old Vernon Road, Enderby, BC

Committee Members Present

• P. Demenok, Director, Electoral Area C
• R. Talbot, Director, Electoral Area D
• J. Simpson, Director, Electoral Area F
• D. Cannon, Councillor, City of Salmon Arm
• K. Brown , Arts Council for the South Shuswap
• G. Bushell, The Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club
• M. Lane, Dreamcycle Motorcycle Museum
• A. Maki, Chase & District Chamber of Commerce
• P. McIntyre-Paul, Shuswap Trail Alliance

Committee Members Absent

• R. Martin, Director, Electoral Area E
• T. Rysz, Mayor, District of Sicamous
• D. Lepsoe (Chair), Councillor, Village of Chase
• S. Hofstetter, Prestige Hotels
• J. Ziercke, Quaaout Lodge Resort & Spa/Talking Rock Golf

Staff Present

• R. Cyr, Economic Development Officer
• S. Goodey, Tourism Clerical Assistant

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1.

Call to Order

Robyn Cyr, Economic Development Officer called the meeting to order at 1:05 PM. R. Cyr recognized that the meeting is taking place in the unceded tradition territory of Splatsin.

1.1

Guest(s) in Attendance

The Chair acknowledged the multiple guest at the meeting and asked that the group do a roundtable introduction.  The guests in attendance:

Sheila Devost – Sicamous & District Chamber of Commerce

Margaret McCormick – Authentic Experience Consulting

Peter Rotzetter – Armstrong Spallumacheen Chamber of Commerce

Kaylee Wells – Enderby & District Chamber of Commerce

Tundra Baird – Councillor, City of Enderby

1.2

Appointment of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee

• R. Cyr, EDO called for nominations for the position of Chair of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  -Director Demenok nominated Karen Brown. Karen Brown consented to the nomination.

  -David Gonella nominated Councillor Cannon. Councillor Cannon consented to the nomination.

  After calling three times for nominations, R. Cyr, EDO provided the nominated committee members the opportunity to make presentations to the Committee prior to the election by ballot.

  Moved By Director Demenok
  Seconded By Director Simpson

  THAT: the Economic Development Clerical Assistant be appointed as scrutineer for the counting of ballots associated with the election of Chair and Vice-Chair.

  
  CARRIED

  Ballots were distributed and the vote was conducted.

  Following the counting of the ballots, R. Cyr, EDO declared Karen Brown as Chair of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  R. Cyr, EDO called three times for nominations for the position of Vice-Chair of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  -Karen Brown nominated Councillor Cannon. Councillor Cannon consented to the nomination.

  -Gord Bushell nominated Ali Maki. Ali Maki consented to the nomination.

  After calling three times for nominations,R. Cyr, EDO provided the nominated committee members the opportunity to make presentations to the Committee prior to the election by ballot.

  Ballots were distributed and the vote was conducted.

  Following the counting of the ballots, R. Cyr, EDO declared Councillor Cannon as Vice-Chair of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  
  

1.3

Approval of Agenda

• Moved By Director Demenok
  Seconded By Director Simpson

  THAT: the agenda of the March 14, 2019 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee meeting be approved with the following additions:

  4- Shuswap Tourism Activities Update

              TOTA Market Research Program

  5 - Shuswap Tourism Communities Period of Participation

  
  CARRIED

1.4

Adoption of Minutes

• Moved By A. Maki
  Seconded By Director Talbot

  THAT: the minutes of the December 13, 2018 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee meeting be adopted as circulated.

  
  CARRIED

2.

Presentation – Margaret McCormick- “Content Development for Social Media and the Shuswap Tourism website”

Margaret McCormick of Authentic Experience Consulting presented to the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee on the work that she has been implementing for Shuswap Tourism.

M. McCormick has been working with Shuswap Tourism for the past four months. Her focus has been on developing content for the new Shuswap Tourism website and developing and implementing a social media content plan. M. McCormicks recent work experience is with Destination BC and this experience in the Tourism industry will be an asset to Shuswap Tourism.  M. McCormick is now living in Eagle Bay.

M. McCormick also gave a brief overview of the Shuswap Tourism social media channels and website statistics. Included were examples of top performing posts on Instagram and Facebook. Both of these posts were created with content provided by UGC (user generated content) and showcased how this content from outside sources provide Shuswap Tourism with marketing content that is authentic to this region.

Moving forward with alignment of the ST marketing strategy, the goal is to continue to be efficient with online engagements and encouraging local influencers to share content. This marketing content will support marketing themes and leverage existing assets for implementation of the Shuswap Tourism Marketing Strategy.  The strategy is available to committee members upon request.

The new Shuswap Tourism website is going to ensure that the website is up to date with the most current technology requirements and created a website that is easy to use for our visitors. It will also include a content update and will be formatted to help drive business to our stakeholders. The refreshed Shuswap Tourism branding, which will be incorporated into the website, will also align Shuswap Tourism with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and Destination BC branding.

3.

Shuswap Trail Alliance Update

Phil McIntyre-Paul gave the committee a brief update on the work that the Shuswap Trail Alliance has recently been completing.

The Shuswap Trail Alliance has continued to maintain their website which includes updated mapping. This is being completed with the assistance of the Columbia Shuswap Regional Districts GIS Department.

The Sicamous to Armstrong Rail Trail working group meeting will be taking place on Friday, March 10, 2019. The intent of this meeting will be to start working on preliminary Rail Trail projects. STA is currently awaiting notification regarding two Rural Dividend funding proposals. They have been told that the status of these funding opportunities will be announced by the end of March 2019.

For more details, P. McIntyre-Paul’s report is attached to the HTML version of these minutes.

4.

Shuswap Tourism Activities Update

Report from Robyn Cyr, Manager, Shuswap Tourism.

Agreement with The City of Enderby

The Enderby community Tourism Services agreement is now being held by The City of Enderby.  This agreement has been renewed for 2019. R. Cyr, Manager of Shuswap Tourism, will be doing a presentation to the Enderby business tonight at the Little City Merchants.  Shuswap Tourism also welcomes Ali Maki as the new Enderby Chamber Manager and looks forward to working with her and her team to promote tourism activities in Enderby.  

New Committee Members – Expression of Interest

The following individuals have submitted their Expression of Interest to become members of the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

• Ron Betts – Tree Top Flyers (Chase)
• Shelley Witzky - Adams Lake Band Councillor

• Moved By A. Maki
  Seconded By P. McIntyre-Paul

  THAT: Ron Betts, Owner of Tree Tops Flyers be appointed to the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  
  CARRIED
• Moved By Councillor Cannon
  Seconded By A. Maki

  THAT: Shelley Witzky, Councillor of the Adams Lake Band, be appointed to the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  
  CARRIED

   

   

  Resignation of Sebastian Hofstetter – Prestige Harbourfront  Resort

  Sebastian Hofstetter has left his position at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort and therefore will no longer be on the Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee.

  
  
• Moved By A. Maki
  Seconded By K. Brown

  THAT: The Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee send a letter to S. Hofstetter thanking him for sitting on the committee.

  
  CARRIED

  Conferences Attended

  R. Cyr attended the Impact Sustainability Travel and Tourism Conference in January in Victoria.  The conference focuses on the tourism industry and sustainability of the industry, environmentally, economically, and socially.  

  R. Cyr also attended the BC Tourism Industry Conference in Vancouver February 27- March 1, 2019

  Indigenous Tourism Project update

  The two year Indigenous Tourism project started in September 2018. This project has been funded through the Rural Dividend funding program.  The mandate of the Indigenous Tourism Project is to complete six deliverables, which include the following:

  1. Cultural Sharing Guidelines
  2. Indigenous Artisan Support
  3. Increase Cultural Presence on the Traditional Territory
  4. Assist Entrepreneurs in the Development of their Tourism Based Business
  5. Tourism Industry Training for Interested Community Members
  6. Develop and Deliver Indigenous Tourism Events

  Digital Marketing Campaign update

  Included in the agenda is a brief overview of the performance stats from the winter digital marketing campaign. The focus of this campaign was soft winter activities, including, cross country skiing, snowshoeing.

  For more details, see attachment in the HTML version of these minutes.

  Influencers Visits – re: Winter Campaign

  As part of the winter marketing campaign, Shuswap Tourism hosted two social media influencers, Catherine Roscoe Barr and Field & Forest. These influencers have provided content for the Shuswap Tourism social media channels which are part of the promotion of winter activities in the Shuswap region.

  Shuswap Brand Refresh

  Shuswap Tourism is working with Destination BC  to refresh the existing Shuswap brand. There will be no change in the brand itself, but there will be a shift in color and photography.  The brand refresh will help to integrate the DBC Brand into the Shuswap brand while maintaining the unique Shuswap Tourism branding.  Shuswap Tourism is working with DBC on a pilot project to complete this project.  Kari Medig will also be returning to do a photography shoot and integrate the DBC brand attributes into this photography.

  Shuswap Tourism Website Update

  The website update is currently in progress. The site plan has been developed and the developers are working on migration of the content. The goal is to have the website live by spring 2019.

  Vancouver Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show

  Shuswap Tourism attended the 2019 Vancouver Outdoor Adventure and Travel show, March 2-3, 2019. Noble Adventures, Quaaout Lodge Lodge & Spa also attended the show in partnership with Shuswap Tourism.

  The Calgary Outdoor Adventure and Travel show is taking place March 23 and 24^th. Shuswap Tourism will be attending this show as well with Quaaout Lodge Resort & Spa and Salmon Arm Economic Development.

  TOTA Market Research Program

  Shuswap Tourism has entered into a partnership with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA). The partnership will allow Shuswap Tourism access to Telus Insights. Telus Insights uses advanced technology to obtain data from cellphones. This technology is able to obtain real-world data and share them with multiple organizations.  This report will be available for us to review at the end of March.

  
  

5.

Shuswap Tourism Communities Period of Participation

Director Demenok brought the discussion forward regarding the length of the community partnerships that Shuswap Tourism currently has with Chase, Enderby, and Armstrong. Currently the Marketing Services Agreements are on renewed on an annual basis. Director Demenok would like to see these agreements be for a longer term to ensure there is a sustainable financial commitment for Shuswap Tourism from these communities.

A brief discussion was held regarding these agreements.  R. Cyr, Manager-Shuswap Tourism, spoke about the benefits of working with these communities and how important these  partnerships were in the promotion of Tourism in the Shuswap region. Director Demenok asked that the committee take some time to think about the possibility of increasing the terms for the marketing services agreements.  This discussion will be brought back to the table during budget discussion for 2020.

6.

Community Roundtable

J. Simpson (Director - Electoral Area F)  – The North Shuswap had a very successful first Family Day Winter Festival. They also hosted an Open House last weekend that included multiple community discussion items. This summer they will be hosting a Father’s Day Poker Run, Canada Day Events and Friday Night Live at The Hub.

D. Cannon (Councilor - City of Salmon Arm) – Salmon Arm City Council have approved that a letter of support in principle for the Shuswap Sports Society who are applying to host the 2021 National Junior A Championship - RBC Cup. They have also approved a letter of support in principle to the Salmon Arm Curling Club to host the 2020 Curl BC Men’s and Ladies Provincial Championships.

K. Brown (South Shuswap Chamber) – The South Shuswap Chamber hosted the Small Hall Crawl in February. They will also be hosting a Women’s Retreat at Quaaout Lodge in May 2020. The Tourism Kick Off breakfast will be taking place April 4^th at the Cedar Heights Centre. SuperHost training is now available through the South Shuswap Chamber.

M. Lane (Dreamscycle Motorcycle Museum) - The South Shuswap Chamber will be adding a new kiosk behind Sprokkets Café and one at the Blind Bay Mall. There is now eight kiosks in total throughout the South Shuswap. The Chamber is actively working with the Ministry of Highways with the intention to make changes to the intersection on Highway 1 and Balmoral road to ensure resident safety at this intersection. 

P. McIntyre-Paul (Shuswap Trail Alliance) – The Lewiston Ultra Race will be back in September 2019. The race will start in Salmon Arm and go through to Sicamous.  The Salty Dog Enduro Race will take place May 12^th, 2019 as well as the Salty Street Festival.

G. Bushell (Sled Sicamous) – The Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club hosted a Women’s Ride and Auction this winter. They are also looking into doing an economic impact study that will help them to understand economic impact of the sledding industry in the Shuswap region.

S. Devost (Sicamous Chamber) – Waterway Houseboats and Twin Anchors Houseboats will both be participating in the May Long weekend free concert on the lake this year. The Sicamous Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Music in the Park on Mondays this summer. There are a variety of events taking place this year including, a show and shine, Canada Day events and Culture Days that will take place during the Fungi Festival in September.

P. Rotzetter (Armstrong/Spallumcheen Chamber) – Armstrong will be hosting multiple events this year. Included are the Quilt Trail, Canada Day events, Friday Night Music in the Park.

K. Wells (Enderby)– The Enderby Chamber of Commerce will be participating in the Community Better Challenge this May. Enderby is a large baseball community and will be hosting multiple tournaments including Funtastics. The Chamber will be continuing with their River Ambassador Program this summer.

A. Maki (Enderby Chamber)– Enderby will be hosting multiple music events over the summer. The BC Open Gold Panning Competition will return on May Long weekend. Starlight Drive in opens May 4^th.

7.

Next Meeting

May 9, 2019 at 1:00 PM, location to be determined.

8.

Adjournment

• Moved By
  Seconded By Director Simpson

  THAT: the March 14, 2019 Shuswap Tourism Advisory Committee meeting be adjourned.

  
  CARRIED