Jan 08, 2026 Visit Boerne Advisory Board

[00:00:02]

[1. CALL TO ORDER – 4:00 PM]

IT'S LIKE THE VOICE OF GOD THERE.

BOOMING OUT.

YEAH.

IT'S LIKE OLD TESTAMENT STUFF.

SO, NOTE THAT WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT.

AND, UH, LARRY, IF YOU WOULD JUST CONFIRM THAT ANY AND ALL APPROPRIATE NOTICES WERE POSTED.

THEY WERE ALRIGHT.

VERY GOOD.

WELL, WITH THAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ANYTHING FOR US PRIOR TO, UH, I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO MEET SOME OF Y'ALL MATTER.

ABBY WELLBORN.

STAND UP.

ABBY.

ABBY IS A JUNIOR AT TEXAS A AND M STUDYING COMMUNICATIONS.

SHE WAS OUR INTERN, UH, THIS PAST SUMMER AND IS VISITING AND WORKING WITH US DURING CHRISTMAS BREAK.

AND IF KIDNAPPING WASN'T AGAINST THE LAW, WE, WE PROBABLY VERY GOOD.

GOTTA GO BACK TO COLLEGE.

YOU SEE, SHE'S SMART, BRIGHT YOUNG LADY AND SHE'S BEEN, SHE'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN AND A BIG ERRITORY.

SAD THAT SHE'S LEAVING ON SUNDAY.

WELL, ABBY, COME TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.

YEAH.

COMMUNICATION.

YEAH.

WELL, UH, LIKE MARY LARRY MENTIONED, I'M A JUNIOR AT TEXAS A AND M AND I'M STUDYING COMMUNICATIONS MINORING IN SPANISH, JUST KIND OF GETTING A FEEL OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WANNA DO IN THE REAL WORLD, SOME.

SO, UH, WORKING ALONGSIDE WITH THIS TEAM HAS BEEN GREAT EXPERIENCE.

THEY'RE ALL WONDERFUL.

THEY'RE JUST AMAZING AND I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH.

AND, UM, YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MY LITTLE FIELD.

OKAY.

WHERE'D YOU GROW UP? I, UH, GREW UP IN HERE AT BURN.

OH, OKAY.

VERY GOOD.

EVEN BETTER.

FATHER.

TELL WHERE YOUR FATHER, UH, MY FATHER IS KEVIN WELLBORN.

HE'S THE MANAGER AT, UH, JOSHUA CREEK RANCH.

SO, OKAY, PERFECT.

NICE PLACE.

YEAH.

DID YOU GO TO BERNIE HIGH OR CHAMPION? I WENT TO CHAMPION.

CHAMPION, YEAH.

YEAH.

SO THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, WE WILL OPEN IT UP FOR CITIZENS COMMENT, PUBLIC COMMENT, THERE BEING NONE.

WE WILL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT , AND WE WILL MOVE ON INTO OUR AGENDA.

UH, YOU'RE GONNA LET ME SAY THIS.

YOU'RE GONNA SEE SOME CHANGES IN THE PRESENTATION THAT WE'RE DOING.

SOME OF THE, THIS, UH, IS WE SHOULD WHAT? MINUTES? MINUTES.

YES SIR.

OH, I'M SORRY.

THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

THAT'S ALRIGHT.

YOU'RE GOOD.

WE'RE GOOD.

WE, I WOULD, WE

[3.a. Approve Minutes from Quarterly Meeting of October 9, 2025]

IF YOU'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THOSE.

IF, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, OR DELETIONS TO BE OFFERED? NO.

IF THERE BEING NONE, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED AS SUCH? ALRIGHT, SECOND.

SECOND.

MOTION TO SECOND IT.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

ALL RIGHT, NOW LARRY,

[4.a. Fair Market Share Reports - Hill Country Competitive Set]

WE ALL GOOD, MAN.

AS I MENTIONED, UH, JUST RECENTLY WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEFT THE BOARD.

THEN WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH TOMMY AND GUY THAT CAME OVER TO THE OFFICE AND LOOKED AT EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AND HOW WE PRESENT IT.

AND, UH, CAME UP WITH SOME, UH, NEW CHARTS AND GRAPHS AND THINGS THAT, UH, TORI HAS FOUND.

THEY'RE A LOT EASIER TO READ AND I THINK A LOT MORE INFORMATION.

SO SOME THINGS WILL CHANGE AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THOSE WHEN WE GET TO THAT PART.

BUT THIS IS THE, UH, THE REGULAR ONE.

THIS IS A COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS FOR THE HILL COUNTRY AND, UH, HILL COUNTRY PERFORMANCE.

AND YOU CAN SEE BERNIE, OUR FAIR MARKET SHARES 5.85 OVER THIS PERIOD.

WE DID 6.4 AND DERRICK DIDN'T MAKE IT.

FREDERICK SPUR FAIRLY MADE IT, CURVILLE, UH, MADE IT.

AND THIS, THIS AREA HAD, UH, THE SUMMER DURING THE FLOODING.

THAT'S WHY THEY REALLY, UH, PEAKED UP.

AND NEW BROILS, UH, DID NOT MAKE IT, AND SAN MARCUS DID NOT MAKE IT.

SO, UH, WE DID PRETTY GOOD.

AND OUR AVERAGE RATE, ROSS AND I WERE JUST TALKING AVERAGE RATE.

UH, OUR AVERAGE RATE OF 1 42 WAS, WAS GOOD.

AND, YOU KNOW, AS I TELL PEOPLE, I THINK WE CAN MOVE THAT UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT, IT ALL CAME OUT VERY, VERY NICE.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS SO FAR? FAIR MARKET SHARE, HILL COUNTRY PERFORMANCE, UH, COMPETITIVE SET ANALYSIS, QUARTER 3 25 TO 24.

JUST LOOKING AT LAST YEAR COMPARED TO THE, THE NUMBERS THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU AND WE DID VERY WELL LAST YEAR AND WE'RE, AGAIN, WE'RE STILL DOING WELL THIS YEAR, SO WE'RE, WE'RE HOLDING OUR OWN.

WE'RE GENERALLY TWO OR THREE OUT OF THE MIX, SO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE PLEASED WITH THAT.

AND THEN, UH, WE, TORI PUTS THIS TOGETHER, JUST GIVES YOU, UH, A QUICK SHOT AT HOW WE'RE DOING IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS.

25 7 POINT, UH, 21.2, AVERAGE RATE 1 21, WHICH IS UP AND AND DEMAND FOR HOTEL ROOMS UP, UP 36,000 OVER 32.

AND REVENUE WAS UP.

SO WE HAD A, WE HAD A GOOD YEAR LAST YEAR.

WE MISSED THINGS JUST BY A LITTLE BIT.

THE ECONOMY WAS A LITTLE BIT ROUGH, BUT WE CAME OUT ALL RIGHT AND THIS YEAR ROSS AND I WERE JUST TALKING, DECEMBER WAS VERY GOOD AND JANUARY'S DOING VERY GOOD SO FAR.

[4.b. Smith Travel Research Overview]

AND I WILL SAY THAT WHERE THE YELLOW IS FOR THIS YEAR, THOSE NUMBERS WERE NOT INCLU.

WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE NUMBERS HERE.

UH, SO IT MIGHT LOOK A LITTLE BIT DOWN, BUT IT DID GO BACK UP.

SO IT JUST GIVES YOU A QUICK SHOT AT, UH, OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR.

UH, SMITH ROUTE RESEARCH, JANUARY THROUGH 27TH OF 25.

[00:05:02]

AGAIN, AT THE BOTTOM DOESN'T INCLUDE THE KENDALL AND THE WILLIAM AND SHORT TERM RENTALS.

WE GET THOSE NUMBERS FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE AT A LATER TIME.

DATA

[4.c. Datafy Traffic Summaries]

AND WE LOVE YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS.

UH, THAT'S HOW WE JUST GET BETTER AT WHAT WE DO.

SO IT'S A TORY BE SHOW.

OH, LORDY .

UM, SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING AND CHATTING WITH US ABOUT THAT.

THAT WAS, UM, GREAT GUIDANCE FOR THE CONVERSATIONS.

MANY A CONVERSATION ACTUALLY THAT FOLLOWED, UM, WITH THE DATA FI TEAM IN REGARDS TO THESE, UM, REPORTS.

SO THE FIRST COUPLE OF SLIDES THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE CITYWIDE VISITATION AND TRAFFIC.

UM, WE NORMALLY TALK HOTELS AS WELL AS WHOLE COUNTRY MILE TRAFFIC, BUT I THINK THIS GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT COMPARISON WISE TO THOSE SMALL NICHE THINGS TO THE BIG PICTURE IN THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

SO THIS, UM, NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES IS GONNA BE VISITATION WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF BERNIE, UM, OF PEOPLE WHO CAME DURING THE THIRD QUARTER JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 2025 FROM 50 PLUS MILES AWAY.

UM, SO I WAS ABLE TO FIND A CHART THAT SHOWED THE FULL YEAR'S WORTH AND A COMPARISON OF 23, 24 AND 25, UM, TRAFFIC TO THE CITY.

UH, I WILL NOTE THAT THE VISITOR DAYS AND THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY THAT YOU'RE SEEING AT THE TOP HERE, THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO Q3 OF 25.

AND THE COMPARISON DATA IN GREEN IS COMPARED TO 2024.

UM, I'M GOING TO ANTICIPATE THE QUESTION OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH 2020 THREE'S SPIKE RIGHT THERE.

AND WE WENT ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND AND I HAVE, UM, SOME DATA COMING FROM DATA FI UTILIZING HEAT MAPS IN HOPES THAT WE CAN EXPLAIN THAT BECAUSE WE DID DIG DIGGING INTO, YOU KNOW, EVENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND NOTHING ON OUR SIDE MAKES THAT MAKE SENSE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.

UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE OVERALL, UH, THE YELLOW IS 25.

UM, AND ONCE WE GOT PAST JULY, THAT IS SHOWING UP TRAFFIC ACROSS ALL OF TOWN.

UM, THIS IS A CHART THAT I'M PROBABLY NOT GONNA INCLUDE IN THE FUTURE, BUT I WANTED TO SHOW Y'ALL THAT WE ARE PRETTY SOLID AND CONSISTENT IN THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC, PEOPLE THAT ARE CONSIDERED A LOCAL VERSUS A VISITOR, UM, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

UM, YEAR OVER YEAR, THERE'S LITERALLY NO CHANGE .

SO WE ARE CONSISTENT WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, THE KINDS OF TRAFFIC THAT'S HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE BERNIE AREA.

UM, SO HOTELS ARE NEXT.

PARDON ME, I WANNA MAKE SURE IF I'M GONNA NEED TO WRITE ANYTHING DOWN, I'M ON THE RIGHT PAGE.

UH, SO THESE ARE HOTEL REPORTS COMING UP.

THESE ARE REPORTS 50 PLUS MILES TRAFFIC WITHIN HOTELS IN BURNEY.

UM, AND WE HAVE REMOVED ONE DAY TRIPS, SO WE ARE GOING TO EXCLUDE THOSE SO THAT WE ARE BETTER ISOLATING OVERNIGHT STAYS IN BERNIE HOTELS SPECIFICALLY.

'CAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO THE HOTELS, THAT'S REALLY THE DATA THAT WE'RE MOST INTERESTED IN.

SO THERE IS THAT CHART.

AGAIN, SAME TYPE OF CHART AS WE SAW ON THE BERNIE DAS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.

UM, THE LITTLE RED DOT THAT'S POINTING OUT, THAT'S 4TH OF JULY.

SO THIS IS PRETTY MUCH IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WE WERE LIVING AND EXPECTING BASED UPON FLOOD TRAFFIC, UM, FIRST RESPONDERS AND EVERYTHING INTO OUR HOTELS.

SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE WAS A BIG SPIKE.

UM, AND HERE IN A LITTLE BIT WE'RE GONNA GET A SIMILAR CHART FOR THE HILL COUNTRY MILE.

AND THERE'S SOME OTHER INTERESTING TRENDS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT HERE.

UM, THIS BLACK BOX DOES REPRESENT THE QUARTER THAT WE'RE REFERRING TO Q3 OF 25 OR Q3 PERIOD.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISONS Q3, 24, 25, UH, 23, 24, 25.

UM, UM, THIS RIGHT HERE IS OUR, UM, OUR LENGTH OF STAY BY DESIGNATED MARKETING AREA.

SO THAT'S THE, THE HOUSTON AREA AS A WHOLE, THE DALLAS AREA AS A WHOLE, AUSTIN

[00:10:01]

WE FALL IN THAT SAN ANTONIO, DMA.

SO SMALLER COMMUNITIES AROUND THE LARGE, UM, METROPOLITAN AREAS.

SO, UM, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS OUR TOP LENGTH OF STAY IS GONNA GO TOWARDS THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH AREA.

THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING A, STAYING A LITTLE BIT LONGER WHILE THEY'RE HERE.

UM, THERE WAS SOMETHING KIND OF INTERESTING IN NOTEWORTHY THAT PHOENIX SHOWED UP IN THIS REPORT AS BEING A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN DALLAS.

UM, IT COULD VERY EASILY HAVE BEEN THAT WE HAD, YOU KNOW, A LARGE EVENT LIKE A WEDDING OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE THAT SAW SOME, SOME PHOENIX VISITS.

BUT YOU'LL NOTICE THE REST OF THOSE FOR THE MOST PART ARE ALL TEXAS DESTINATIONS.

UH, AND IT DOES MAKE SENSE THAT DALLAS WOULD TAKE THE LONGEST 'CAUSE THEY'RE THE FURTHEST AWAY.

UM, SO PEOPLE WOULD BE INCLINED TO STAY LONGER.

AND OF COURSE, TOP SHARES OF VISITOR DAYS, NO SHOCK THERE.

HOUSTON .

ALRIGHTY, NEXT UP.

HILL COUNTRY MALL REPORTS.

THIS PARTICULAR REPORT SET WILL INCLUDE LOCALS AS WELL AS SINGLE DAY VISITS BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, PARTAKING IN THE OFFERINGS OF THE HILL COUNTRY MILE, THEY'RE NOT LIMITED TO OUR OUT OF TOWN GUESTS AND EXCLUSIVELY OVERNIGHT GUESTS AS WELL.

UM, SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE, YOU'LL SEE JULY OF 25, THERE'S THAT DIP.

UM, I WOULD ASSUME THAT WHEN ALL OF THE TRAUMA OF THE FLOODING AND KERRVILLES GOING ON, WE WEREN'T REALLY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME OUT AND ABOUT, UM, RECREATING OURSELVES.

WE WERE ALL KIND OF IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND AND MOURNING.

SO THIS DOES MAKE SENSE.

UM, AND THAT FUNKY LITTLE 2023 PEAK, I'M VERY MUCH SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DATA THAT WE CAN, CAN GET FROM THEM ABOUT THAT.

UM, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S INTERESTING TO ME, TORY, WAS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON IN SAN ANTONIO AT THAT TIMEFRAME? SOME BIG SOMETHING OR OTHER WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE GOT SOME BLEED OVER? I THINK I WAS LOOKING AT IT, THINKING ABOUT THAT.

I MEANT TO CALL THE POLICE CHIEF.

WE HAD, WE HAD, UH, UH, SOME THINGS GOING ON WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TRAINING FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AND I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN OVER THAT PERIOD, I HEAR.

OKAY.

BUT WE HAD A LOT OF HAMPTON AND SEVERAL, BUT THERE WERE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE HERE WHO TRAINED.

IT WAS ALL TRAINED.

AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE, I FORGOT WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING IT WAS, BUT I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE OVER THAT TIME AND IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE.

SO WE'LL FIND IT.

OKAY.

WE, WE CAN CONTINUE DIGGING.

UM, SO, AND THIS IS ANOTHER ONE THAT, THAT I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE SHOWING, BUT I WANTED TO SHOW IT FOR THIS PARTICULAR OCCASION SO THAT YOU COULD SEE THE CONSISTENCY.

THERE REALLY IS NOT A LOT OF CHANGE YEAR OVER YEAR WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE PERCENTAGES OF VISITOR DAYS TO THE HILL COUNTRY MILE.

THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC THAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS FOOTPRINT, BUT YOU ARE SEEING A LOT OF THESE ARE GOING TO BE OUR, OUR CLOSER AREAS OUTSIDE OF, WELL, OF COURSE BERNIE, BUT ALSO THE SAN ANTONIO, THE HEIM, THE COMFORT PERCENTAGE WISE TO THE HILL COUNTRY MILE.

THESE LOCAL DEMOGRAPHICS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE FREQUENTING HERE.

AND KEEP IN MIND THIS DOES INCLUDE EMPLOYEES.

UM, SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.

UM, BUT THIS NEXT ONE IS SOMETHING THAT IS DIFFERENT.

'CAUSE I WAS LIKE, GUYS, I GOTTA SHOW 'EM SOMETHING, SOMETHING INTERESTING, SOMETHING NEW THAT SHOWS US SOMETHING THAT COULD BE OF VALUE FOR THE HILL COUNTRY MILE.

AND THERE ARE SOME NEW THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE LAUNCHING WITHIN THE DATA FI PLATFORM BETWEEN NOW AND OUR NEXT MEETING.

SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THOSE ARE AND, AND WHAT WE CAN PRESENT THAT MIGHT SHOW US SOME, SOME NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THIS DATA.

UM, SO I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS COULD LOOK A LITTLE CONFUSING WITH A LOT OF NUMBERS ON IT.

UM, BUT YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE SATURDAY AT NOON TIME SLOT RIGHT THERE IS REPRESENTED BY A HUNDRED PERCENT.

UM, ALL OF THE OTHER TIMES ARE, UM, ARE SHOWN IN COMPARISON TO THAT PEAK TIME OF NOON ON SATURDAY.

SO I'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN RED ALL OF THE OTHER TIME WINDOWS THAT ARE 60% ARE HIGHER.

UM, AND THESE ARE REPRESENTING DAYS AND HOURS WITH THE HIGHEST AVERAGE NUMBER OF DEVICES IN USE, UH, DURING THE Q3 2025 WINDOW.

SO THIS IS HELPFUL TO KNOW.

AND I WOULD SAY ANYONE WHO'S GOT A BUSINESS ON THE HILL COUNTRY MILE CAN PROBABLY ATTEST TO SOME OF THESE TIME WINDOWS BEING YOUR, YOUR PEAK TIMES OF TRAFFIC.

MM-HMM .

UM, WHAT I FOUND TO BE KIND OF INTERESTING WAS THE, THE MONDAY AND TUESDAY WINDOWS COMPARED TO THE WEDNESDAY

[00:15:01]

UM, THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A LITTLE MORE GOING ON ACCORDING TO DEVICE USAGE IN THOSE PARTICULAR DAYS AND TIMES.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO, TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN THAT FOOTPRINT.

NICE.

ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS BEFORE WE MOVE TOWARDS ADVERTISING? OH.

WANTS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT? YEAH, NO, THAT'S GOOD.

OKAY.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

YES, MA'AM.

ARE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES AWARE OF THESE NUMBERS? DO THEY HAVE TO COME TO YOU TO FIND THEM? IF THEY ASK ME, I WILL SHARE THEM.

OKAY.

BUT I DON'T PUBLISH THEM WILLY-NILLY OUT INTO THE BLUE.

BUT JUST LIKE WHEN YOU CAME IN, SAT AT MY OFFICE AND WE PULLED ALL THESE REPORTS BASED ON EVENTS, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT FOR, FOR ANYONE THAT'S GOT QUESTIONS.

OKAY.

UM, AND I AM DOING SOME, SOME WORK WITHIN THE DATA FI PLATFORM TO, TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN HOW WE CAN NICHE OUT DATA.

HISTORICALLY, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PULL SPECIFIC BUSINESSES WITHIN THE HILL COUNTRY MILE.

I WAS LIMITED TO JUST THAT FOOTPRINT.

I'M HOPING THAT WITH SOME OF THIS DATA THAT I AM SHARING WITH THEM, WE'RE GONNA NICHE OUT GEOLOCATION A LITTLE BIT MORE.

SO THIS MAY BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE HELPFUL FOR CERTAIN SOMEBODIES ON THE HILL COUNTRY MILE THAT ARE SITTING IN THIS ROOM, OR ANYONE THAT, THAT HAS QUESTIONS AND WANTS TO CHAT WITH ME, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION ONCE I GET THE DUCKS IN A ROW.

.

UM, SO

[5.a. Current/Recent Advertising]

SO IF THAT KINDA GIVES YOU A LITTLE PARAMETER.

THIS IS EVERYTHING WE JUST LOOKED AT.

THAT'S Q3 2025 AND COMPARISON.

THIS IS BASICALLY EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE SINCE WE WERE ALL TOGETHER LAST.

SO HERE IS A SAMPLE, UM, OF AN AD THAT WE RAN IN TEXAS HIGHWAYS IN SEPTEMBER.

UM, TECH, UH, FOOD AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE.

WE WERE IN THE FALL ISSUE.

THERE WAS PRINT AND DIGITAL, UM, FOR THE MAGAZINE.

YOU HAD DIGITAL ACCESS, BUT THERE WAS ALSO WEBSITE CONTENT, WHICH WE'RE GONNA SEE HERE IN A SECOND.

UM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAMPAIGN, UM, SAMPLES OF SOME, SOME CHRISTMAS ADVERTISING ON TOUR TEXAS AND TEXAS HIGHWAYS.

UM, ALSO WE HAD SOME, SOME EMAIL CAMPAIGNS PROMOTING DICKENS INTO TEXAS AS WELL.

SOMETHING THAT WE ARE SHIFTING.

SEARCH ADVERTISING IS STARTING TO BECOME A LITTLE LESS FRUITFUL, UM, DUE TO AI SEARCH RESPONSE BEING PRESENTED ABOVE PAID ADVERTISING, UM, SEARCH CAMPAIGNS.

SO WE, UM, HAD A CONVERSATION WITH OUR A JR MEDIA TEAM, UM, AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY VERY PROACTIVE IN SAYING, I THINK WE OUGHT TO MAYBE CONSIDER GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK, UH, AS A SIMILAR PRODUCT, BUT WE CAN GET MORE IMPRESSIONS FOR A LOWER COST AS WELL AS A HIGHER VARIETY, UM, OF OPTIMIZED VISUALS THAT, UM, ARE, ARE REALLY GOING TO BE LONGER LASTING AND STRONGER, UM, AS FAR AS BRANDING GOES FOR OUR DESTINATION MARKETING EFFORTS.

UM, SO ON THAT LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THE THREE HORIZONTAL BOXES.

THAT IS WHAT SEARCH ADVERTISING LOOKS LIKE.

YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN IT ON YOUR PHONE OR ON YOUR DESKTOP, UM, TO THE RIGHT.

THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE TYPE OF THE GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK, UH, ADVERTISING AS WELL.

AND SO YOU'LL SEE THE AVERAGE COST PER CLICK BETWEEN THE TWO.

UM, COST PER CLICK IS 79 CENTS FOR SEARCH.

UM, WE'VE ALWAYS DONE WELL WITH OUR SEARCH ADVERTISING.

WE'RE ALWAYS UNDER BENCHMARK.

NOTABLY, UM, HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, COST WE'RE, WE'RE BEING EXPOSED TO MORE EYES, UH, WITH THE GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK AND, AND WE'RE ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT UNDER BENCHMARK.

UM, SO IT'S JUST MORE COST EFFECTIVE.

IS THERE ANY MORE, IS THERE ANY PREDICTABILITY ON HOW THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE AI SEARCH THAT'S STILL GONNA SHOW UP ABOVE IT? UM, SO WHEN YOU PUT IN AND YOU'RE TYPING AND LOOKING FOR INFORMATION LIKE IN GOOGLE AND AI POPS THAT UP, THEY ARE OFTENTIMES PULLING FROM OUR WEBSITE AND RESOURCES THAT WE GENERATE IN THOSE AR SEARCHES.

SO OUR CONTENT IS SHOWING UP ORGANICALLY WITHIN THE, THE AI REALM.

UM, SO WE'RE GETTING THAT BENEFIT FOR FREE BECAUSE WE PUT VERY NOTABLE, UM,

[00:20:01]

SO THOSE RESOURCES DO SHOW UP IN THE AI SEARCH.

UH, AND WHO DOESN'T LOVE FREE VISIBILITY IN THAT REALM? UM, SO DID THAT ANSWER THE QUESTION? YEAH, I JUST WANT TO, I WAS CURIOUS THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THAT AT THE OUTSET THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF DRAWING YOU OFF INITIALLY TO MAKE THE CHANGES.

UM, WE WERE STARTING TO SEE A DECLINE, UH, NOT A, AN AN AMOUNT THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY CONCERNING, BUT WE DID RUN SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR A BIT SEARCH AND GOOGLE DISPLAY JUST TO SEE WHAT THE COMPARISON WOULD BE.

UM, AND IN THE END WE DECIDED LET'S, LET'S, LET'S DO A YEAR OF GOOGLE DISPLAY OVER SEARCH AND, AND WE'RE GONNA EVALUATE AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND SEE, UM, HOW IT IS.

BUT SO FAR IT'S OUTPERFORMING, UM, THE SEARCH.

SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN A GOOD SWITCH AND CHEAPER.

YEAH, I, I JUST DID A SEARCH FOR LUNCH PLACES IN BURNEY AND AI ANSWERED MM-HMM .

WITH DODGING DUCK THE CREEK, AND THEN IT LISTED THE SITES THAT IT PULLED THAT INFORMATION FROM.

MM-HMM .

VISIT, BERNIE IS ONE OF THEM.

SO THERE YOU GO.

ADDITION.

YEAH.

THANK YOU FOR THAT PERFECT EXAMPLE, PAULA .

LOVE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

ALRIGHTY, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? AWESOME.

ALRIGHTY.

SO SOME ADDITIONAL DIGITAL ADVERTISING.

UM, THESE ARE NATIVE TEXAN CAMPAIGNS.

WE RAN ONE IN THE FALL AS WELL AS IN THE WINTER MONTHS.

UM, I HAVE TEED THESE UP SEASONALLY.

UM, I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE SUMMER AND SPRING CAMPAIGNS THAT WE RAN IN THE PREVIOUS MEETING.

UM, THEY'RE, THESE PIECES LIVE ON, THESE ARE TOUR TEXAS, BY THE WAY.

UM, THEY LIVE ON THE TOUR TEXAS WEBSITE AND THEY ARE PROMOTED WITHIN THE TOUR TEXAS UMBRELLA OF MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES, UH, INCLUDING THEIR NEWSLETTER AND THEIR SOCIAL, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, BANNER ADS WITHIN THE WEBSITE.

SO THEY'RE DRIVING TRAFFIC TO THIS, UH, TIMELY CONTENT.

UM, AND THEN WE, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THESE, UM, IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS, BUT THE CAMPAIGNS WERE NOT COMPLETE AT THE TIME, UH, OR THE CAMPAIGNS HAD COMPLETED.

HOWEVER, THE, THE REAL THING THAT WE WERE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ON IS ACTUALLY HOW MANY PEOPLE COME INTO MARKET FOLLOWING SEEING THESE CAMPAIGNS.

SO WE HAD TO LET A LITTLE BIT OF TIME PASS FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE CAMPAIGN IN ORDER TO REALLY SEE WHAT THAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE.

UM, SO THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE ADS THAT WAS RUN AS A PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN.

UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, THE COST PER VISITOR DAY, WE ACTUALLY CAN SEE WHAT THAT IS.

UM, BASED UPON WHO CAME INTO MARKET, THE COST PER VISITOR DAY WAS A DOLLAR 46.

UM, AND THE ESTIMATED RETURN ON AD SPEND WAS $55 AND 89 CENTS FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE SPENT ON THE CAMPAIGN.

UM, SO FOR AN ESTIMATED CAMPAIGN IMPACT OF TRAFFIC INTO TOWN, INCLUDING INCREMENTAL SALES AND DOLLARS SPENT ON HOTEL STAYS, UH, WAS $279,382.

AND ON THAT RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE WHICH COMMUNITIES THESE PEOPLE WERE COMING FROM AFTER BEING SERVED UP THE AD.

THIS IS BASED ON HOW MANY MONTHS DATA.

UM, SO IT STARTED IN MARCH WAS WHEN THE FIRST CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED, SO MARCH AND APRIL.

AND THEN WE TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF A HIATUS.

UM, SO THEN WE'VE GOT MAY AND JUNE, AND THEN ONCE THE CAMPAIGN STOPPED RUNNING, ACTUALLY ONCE THEY START, IF ANYBODY COMES INTO TOWN, LIKE SAY SOMEONE WAS SERVED THAT AD ON, UM, MARCH THE FIRST AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S GO.

AND THEY SHOWED UP IN MARKET ON MARCH THE SECOND.

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE COUNT OF DATA THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

MM-HMM .

UM, SO IT'S VERY COOL TO GET THIS DATA.

UM, IT'S A LITTLE MORE COSTLY TO DO, BUT THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, IS REALLY GOOD TO HAVE IN OUR BACK POCKET.

UM, SO ADDITIONAL DIGITAL, WE TALKED ABOUT FOOD AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE,

[00:25:01]

UM, AND THEN THE, THE AD THAT WAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH IT AS WELL, OR AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE ADS, THERE WAS A WHOLE COLLECTION.

UM, BUT THEY DON'T ALL FIT NICELY ON THESE SLIDES.

SO, UM, SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAS CHANGED SINCE WE, UM, LAST WERE TOGETHER.

UM, I DID A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH, UM, TO SEE WHAT OPTIONS WERE OUT THERE BEYOND, UH, GLOBAL NEWS WIRE OR GLOBE NEWSWIRE, WHICH IS THE MEDIA WIRE DISTRIBUTION COMPONENT OF MELTWATER.

UM, WE'VE, I'VE SHOWN Y'ALL EXAMPLES OF THOSE IN THE PAST.

UM, WE HAVE PIVOTED TO A NEW COMPANY, UM, THAT UTILIZES A PRODUCT CALLED NEWSWORTHY AI.

UM, IT IS MORE TEXAS FOCUSED AS OPPOSED TO NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION, WHICH OUR DATA SHOWS US TEXAS IS OUR PEOPLE.

UM, SO WE MAY AS WELL PUT OUR DOLLARS TOWARDS WHO WE'RE BEAUTIFUL TO.

UM, ALSO, YOU CAN'T BEAT THE COST DIFFERENCE PER MEDIA WIRE WE WERE SPENDING, UM, WHEN YOU BREAK IT OUT ABOUT $571.

UH, THESE ARE 166.

SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A NO BRAINER WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COST.

UM, ALSO THE REPORTING METRICS, UM, I LIKE THESE OTHER METRICS BETTER.

I PREVIOUSLY, WE WERE REPORTING ON POTENTIAL REACH WAS KIND OF, THAT'S A BIG NUMBER.

UM, AND WE CAN'T GUARANTEE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE EYES LITERALLY SAW THIS CONTENT.

UM, RIGHT NOW WE WILL BE REPORTING MOVING FORWARD ON PICKUP TOTAL ENGAGEMENT AND COST PER CLICK.

UM, AND I CAN SAY IN OUR DEMO THAT WE DID WITH, UM, OUR INTRODUCTORY RELEASE THAT WE UTILIZED, UM, WE WERE LOOKING AT METRICS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

I WENT AND I PHYSICALLY LOOKED AT THE PIECE OUT ON THE INTERNET IN THE WILD AND CAME BACK TO MY REPORT AND IT TICKED UP ONE.

SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE TRUE DATA POINTS.

UM, ALSO IN ADDITION TO THE RELEASES BEING SENT, UM, TO JUST TRADITIONAL ONLINE MEDIA OUTLETS, ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE SEEING BELOW ARE OTHER PLACES THAT THIS RELEASE IS BEING PLACED OUT ON.

UM, AND I WILL SAY THAT THE PODCAST CONTENT THAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THAT RIGHT HAND SIDE, THAT ISN'T SHOWING UP IN THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE ON THE NEXT SLIDE, JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A LITTLE TRACKER WIDGET THAT CAN BE PUT ON THOSE.

UM, AND THE YOUTUBE SHORTS, UH, I SAW AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE.

AND THAT IS UTILIZING AI TO TAKE THE RELEASE AND TURN IT INTO VIDEO WITH A GUY THAT LOOKS VERY REALISTIC.

UM, AND IS IS BASICALLY READING IT SO THAT THE, THE CONTENT THAT YOU WOULD BE READING IS BEING PRESENTED IN VIDEO FORMAT UTILIZING AI, WHICH IS WILD.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE USING THESE FOR GOOD .

BUT, SO HERE ARE THE EXAMPLES OF THE FIRST THREE THAT WE DID.

UM, WE SENT ONE TO PROMOTE THE ROD RUN DICKENS AND ALSO CHRISTMAS THINGS POST DICKENS.

OUR GOAL IS TO DO ONE OF THESE PER MONTH, UM, FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT RATHER THAN POTENTIAL REACH, WE DID HAVE ABOUT 115 MEDIA OUTLETS PICK UP EACH ONE OF THESE.

AND THE COST PER CLICKS WITHIN THESE PIECES ARE 10% OR 10 CENTS 17 CENTS.

SO THE COST IS, IS DEFINITELY MORE EFFECTIVE.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT BEFORE I GO OVER? UM, SO, AND WE DID SORT OF TEASE THIS ONE AS WELL LAST GO AROUND.

UM, WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EXECUTION OF THIS TRAVEL TEXAS INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN.

UM, WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET IN ON THIS PROJECT.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD.

UM, BUT WE'VE GOT SOME FRIENDS ON THE INSIDE AT THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF TOURISM.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO BE A PART OF THE SIX WEEK CAMPAIGN THAT YIELDED, UM, JUST OVER 23 MILLION COLLECTIVE IMPRESSIONS FROM ALL OF THE CONTENT THAT WAS UTILIZED.

UM, TRAVEL TEXAS CAME OUT, UH, OVER KIND OF, I THINK IT WAS OVER EASTER WEEKEND ACTUALLY, WITH A TEAM OF CONTENT CREATORS FROM, UH, ON THE ROAD AGAIN TRAVELS.

UH, I BELIEVE THEY WERE FROM IRELAND ACTUALLY.

UM, AND THEY COLLECTED A TON OF PHOTO AND VIDEO MATERIALS THAT WERE UTILIZED IN THIS DIGITAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, UH, THROUGHOUT EUROPE.

UM, YOU WILL SEE SAMPLES OF SOME OF THE DIGITAL ADS THAT ARE ON THE BOTTOM.

UH, THEY

[00:30:01]

UM, BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN IN THIS SLIDE.

UM, BUT, AND HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF PLACES WHERE, UM, THE CONTENT WAS A WAS ALSO PUBLISHED ON ONLINE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SUN AND THE SUNDAY TIMES.

UM, YOU KNOW, TOP GEAR, BBC, UH, THESE ARE JUST DIFFERENT, UH, MEDIA OUTLETS THROUGHOUT THE, THE EUROPEAN MARKET.

[5.b. Influencer Advertising]

[5.c. Official Boerne Visitor Guide]

AND I'M SHOCKED THAT WE HAVEN'T PUT THE CINNAMON ROLL ON THE COVER OF THE VISITOR GUIDE BEFORE NOW GUIDE.

JUST TO BE HONEST, I'M SHOCKED YOU HAD TO DRESS THE ROLL TO DO IT .

SHE, UH, SHE ACTUALLY ADDED THAT STRAP.

SHE LOOKED COMPLETELY TOPLESS IN THE PICTURE ORIGINALLY , AND SHE'S LIKE, AND I ASKED HER, CAN WE USE THIS PHOTO? SHE'S LIKE, YES, BUT CAN I PUT SOME CLOTHES ON MYSELF, PLEASE, .

I'M LIKE, OKAY, FINE.

UH, BUT MAYA WAS HER NAME.

SHE'S WITH TEXAS EATS FIRST AND HER HUSBAND IS ACTUALLY FROM BERNIE.

AND WHEN I ASKED HER IF WE COULD USE THE PHOTO, SHE'S LIKE, ABSOLUTELY.

AND I WANT TO GIVE COPIES OF THE VISITOR GUIDE TO MY HUSBAND FOR CHRISTMAS.

SO WE ACTUALLY WAITED A COUPLE EXTRA DAYS TO ANNOUNCE THE VISITOR GUIDE BEING OUT SO THAT WE COULD GET PAST CHRISTMAS SO SHE COULD GIFT IT TO HIM.

'CAUSE HE TOOK THE PICTURE.

SO THEY WERE VERY EXCITED.

BUT, SO WE HAVE PRINTED 15,000 COPIES OF THIS.

THIS IS THE 21ST EDITION.

UM, AND IT IS, HAS ALREADY BEEN DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT BERNIE HOTELS AND ATTRACTIONS AND THE 12 TEXT TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTERS, AS WELL AS OTHER DESTINATIONS VISITOR CENTERS ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND THE STATE.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WHILE YOU GOT ME? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE THAT.

THANK YOU TORY WORK AND, AND THE, AND THE INFORMATION.

YEP.

YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.

THE ADDITIONAL REFERENCES YOU PUT ON THERE ARE VERY WELL DONE.

GREAT JOB.

UH, JUST

[6.a. Tourism Industry Update]

WE HAVE, UH, T-A-C-V-V TEXAS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION VISITORS BUREAUS.

WE CHANGED OUR NAMES THIS PAST SUMMER.

WE'RE NOW DESTINATIONS TEXAS, WE'RE COMING TO BURNING ON, UH, THIS AT THE END OF THE, OF THE MONTH, 28TH THROUGH 30TH.

HOST HOTEL WILL BE, UH, THE BEVY.

UH, WE WERE HERE IN 2020 AND, UH, WE KNEW THEY REALLY WANTED TO COME BACK AND WE WORKED THAT OUT.

THEY'RE EXCITED TO COME BACK.

AND THE NUMBERS OF ATTENDEES IS, IS VERY, VERY GOOD.

THE WINTER CONFERENCE IS SMALLER THAN ANNUAL, AND RIGHT NOW 140 PEOPLE HAVE REGISTERED TO COME TO TOWN.

AND WE'RE UTILIZING, UH, A COUPLE OF FACILITIES OF TOWN, ONE RESTAURANT AND, UH, ANOTHER, UH, MICRO BREWERY AND, UH, FOR THE, UH, RECEPTION, LOCALLY RECEPTION, AND ALSO THE, UH, UH, BOARD DINNER.

AND, UH, EVERYBODY'S JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE COMING.

UH, WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE WINTER CONFERENCE IS THERE'S THREE TRACKS THAT YOU SIGN UP YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR AND YOU STAY WITH THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE FOR TWO DAYS.

THERE'S A LEADERSHIP TRACK, A MARKETING TRACK, AND A SALES TRACK.

SO WHICHEVER ONE YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, YOU, YOU, YOU TAKE THAT AND YOU STAY THERE FOR TWO DAYS.

THE LEADERSHIP TRACK, I UNDERSTAND IS ALREADY FULL AND, UH, THE MARKETING WILL AND THE SALES WILL, WILL DO.

OKAY, UH, UH, I'M DOING, UH, THREE SESSIONS FOR THE LEADERSHIP TRACK.

I'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO THREE DIFFERENT ONES, UH, IN ONE DAY.

AND ONE OF THEM I'M DOING WITH OUR CITY MANAGER, BEN THATCHER.

UH, WE WANTED TO HAVE A, UH, A SESSION WHERE D OS FROM ACROSS THE STATE COULD ASK A CITY MANAGER, WHAT DO YOU WANNA SEE FROM A CVB? HOW SHOULD THEY REPORT TO YOU? WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU INTERESTED IN? A LOT OF FOLKS JUST HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH, YOU KNOW, A CITY COUNCIL OR THEIR BOARD OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

WHAT'S TO SEE.

AND, UH, WE ARE FINDING OUT WE, WE PUSH EACH OTHER AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.

AND BECAUSE IT, IT, IT, IT GETS US TO SHARE SEARCH FOR NEW THINGS, BUT WE WORK AT A REALLY HIGH LEVEL.

I MEAN, THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN GET AND WHAT WE CAN DO PRETTY QUICKLY.

AND, UH, WE GET A LOT OF CALLS FROM A LOT OF CITIES.

I GOT A CALL FROM UVALDE, TEXAS, A NEW DIRECTOR.

SHE'S COMING TO SEE ME FOR TWO DAYS TO FIND OUT WHAT WE DO, HOW WE DO IT, AND WHY WE DO IT.

AND SO WE'VE DONE THAT WITH 21 CITIES NOW.

AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE LEARNED STUFF FROM THEM AS WELL.

UH, THE TEXAS TRAVEL ALLIANCE UNITY DINNERS GONNA BE IN APRIL NEXT YEAR.

UH, I'M TRYING TO GET THOSE TWO TO GO TO THAT AND, AND BE THERE IN THE HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION.

TORI IS ON THE BOARD NOW, THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY TRAIL.

UH, YOUR CHAIRMAN, AREN'T YOU? YEAH, CHAIRWOMAN AND THE TEXAS LOCAL LODGE ASSOCIATION FALL MEETING ON THAT BOARD.

UH, WE'LL, WE'LL DO THAT IN NOVEMBER NEXT.

[6.b. Groups/Collaboration Update]

THESE ARE SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT WE'RE GROUP BUSINESS.

WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF GREAT INQUIRIES

[00:35:02]

I THINK MONEY'S LOOSENING UP AND PEOPLE ARE BOOKING MORE.

WE HAVE THE WINTER CONFERENCE THAT I TALKED ABOUT.

HILL CONCEPT COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS IS HAVING A CONFERENCE.

UH, INTERNATIONAL RIDE TRAINING IS COMING.

UH, THAT IS, UH, GONNA BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD, UH, USING TAPI SPRINGS ON HOTELS IN THE CITY.

GO AHEAD.

UH, TEXAS AUTO RIDERS, THIS IS A GREAT GROUP.

WE HAD VOLKSWAGEN COME LAST YEAR AND, UH, WE HAVE ANOTHER AUTO GROUP COMING.

THEY'LL BE STAYING AT THE BELLEVUE HOTEL.

THEY'LL BE USING OUR PARKING LOT FOR THEIR CARS.

THERE'LL BE, UH, CAR, UH, MOTOR TREND CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE MANUFACTURERS WILL BE THERE.

AND, UH, IT'S A REALLY A, A GREAT TWO OR THREE DAYS.

WE HAVE 30 LADIES FROM, UH, LIQUID GARDEN CLUB COMING TO SHOP FOR A FEW DAYS.

WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM NEXT, UH, SAN ANTONIO, UH, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CONFERENCE IN EARLY DECEMBER.

UH, PHILIP PFEIFFER AND, AND THE GRAHAM FAMILIES ARE HAVING A REUNION.

AND THE NATIONAL NONPROFIT SENIOR GROUP, UH, IS GONNA BE MEETING HERE.

SO WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF GROUP, UH, INQUIRIES AND, UH, VAL HANDLES THOSE AND SENDS THOSE OUT TO A LOT OF HOTELS.

BUT, UH, WE PRIMARILY WORK WITH THE TWO HOTELS THAT ARE UP HERE RIGHT NOW, THE BEVY AND THE HAMPTON.

AND THEY GET A LOT OF THEM.

OKAY.

IN APRIL, IT'S COMING UP AND THAT'S HOT TAX TIME.

IT'S YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR.

THAT'S WHERE YOU EARN YOUR PAY.

THAT'S, UH, THAT'S A LOT OF FUN.

WE HAVE, UH, JEANETTE IS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HOT TAX.

SHE'S, SHE TOOK THAT ON MANY YEARS AGO AND HAS BECOME VERY, VERY GOOD AT IT AND TEACHES OTHER CITIES HOW TO DO THIS.

AND WE AGAIN, MET WITH TOMMY AND AND GUY AND WE, WE THREW SOMETHING OUT AND WE'LL GO WITH THAT IN A MINUTE.

BUT, UH, WE, WE WANNA JUST SHOW YOU WHAT THESE GROUPS THAT WE GAVE MONEY TO DID, ACTUALLY DID IN ROOM PICKUP AND REVENUE.

AND JEANETTE WILL JUST GIVE YOU A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THAT.

AND THEN AFTER THAT, I'LL, I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.

SO THIS IS JUST A REMINDER, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE HOT TAX, AND I THINK EVERYBODY HERE HAS BEEN THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITH US, EXCEPT TODD.

UM, THIS WILL BE YOUR FIRST YEAR AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL DO SOME TRAINING WITH YOU PRIOR TO THAT MEETING IN APRIL.

AS YOU KNOW, IN APRIL, WE TYPICALLY DO NOT DO A QUARTERLY UPDATE LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT'S DEVOTED TO THIS HOT TAX PROCESS.

AND IT, WE USUALLY GET THREE GROUPS, THREE TO FIVE GROUPS EVERY YEAR THAT COME BEFORE THE BOARD AND ASK FOR SOME FUNDING.

THIS IS A REMINDER THAT IN 2025, THESE AWARDS WERE GIVEN IN APRIL OF 2024.

AND THIS IS WHAT WAS GIVEN TO THESE THREE GROUPS.

THERE WAS ONE MORE GROUP, UH, THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD THAT WAS AWARDED 5,000.

THEY OPTED NOT TO COME BACK IN 2025, SO THEY DID NOT GET THAT MONEY.

UM, SO I'VE GOT A SLIDE FOR EACH OF THESE JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU, AND THIS IS SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN REVIEW WHAT THEY DID THIS YEAR WITH THE MONEY THAT THEY WERE AWARDED.

UM, AND THESE NUMBERS ARE WHAT THEY TELL ME THEY DID ON THEIR POST REPORT.

SO TO BE FAIR WITH EVERYBODY, IT IS HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY ROOMS YOU PICKED UP FROM AN EVENT IF THE HOTEL DOESN'T TRACK IT.

SO FOR YEARS WE HAVE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO GET THE HOTELS TO HELP THEM TRACK THEIR ROOMS AND FOR THEM TO TRACK THEIR ROOMS AS WELL.

UM, SO THE

[7.a. Texas Corvette Association Annual Open Car Show]

IT WAS A THREE DAY EVENT.

THEY WERE GIVEN 10,000 IN HOT GRANT AWARD.

UM, THEY SAID IT WAS THREE DAYS, 7,000 SPECTATORS.

AND THEY PICKED UP 390 HOTEL ROOMS. UM, IT WAS A $200 AVERAGE RATE IS WHAT THEY PUT ON THEIR REPORT, WHICH EQUATES TO 97,500 AND, AND A, UH, TOTAL REVENUE AND 6,800 AND HOT FUNDS.

SO THEY GOT 10,000.

THEY SAID THEY BROUGHT BACK 6,800.

UM, WE ALSO, THE STAR REPORT IS, UH, YOU SEE THAT LIKE YOUR THIRD SLIDE, WHICH TALKS ABOUT SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH.

WE GET THOSE REPORTS EVERY WEEK.

SO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SMITH TRAVEL SAYS BERNIE DID AS A WHOLE AVERAGE RATE OCCUPANCY.

UM, WHAT ELSE? THE, UH, ROOMS DEMAND DEMAND AND WE GET THIS REAL TROUBLE RESEARCH.

THEY GET THEIR INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM THE HOTEL COMPANIES, TOYS, HOTELS, MARRIOTT HOTELS, HILTON HOTELS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.

IT'S NOT THE INDIVIDUAL HOTELS AND, AND THE HOTELS GET THAT INFORMATION AS WELL.

I ALSO STARTED INCLUDING THINGS LIKE, WELL, WHAT WAS THE WEATHER LIKE? WAS IT A GOOD, YOU KNOW, WAS IT A GREAT DAY FOR A CAR SHOW OR DID IT RAIN? 'CAUSE THAT OBVIOUSLY IMPACTS YOUR OCCUPANCY ON THE WEATHER.

UM, WHAT ELSE WAS HAPPENING THAT WEEKEND? LA PETITE FRENCH MARKET WAS HAPPENING.

ST.

JOHN'S HAD, WHILE GAME DINNER FIESTA WAS GOING ON IN SAN ANTONIO.

DID THESE AFFECT OUR OCCUPANCIES IN TOWN? PROBABLY NOT A LOT.

SO THIS LAST ONE IS WHAT THE STAR SAID.

SO FOR THAT, THOSE TWO DAYS AND, AND THE, AND THE STAR REPORT IS SPLIT UP EVERY SINGLE DAY.

SO WE KNOW HOW EVERY SINGLE DAY DID, UM, IN A GIVEN WEEK OR MONTH.

[00:40:01]

SO THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE.

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY GAVE US IN THE REPORT, THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE.

[7.b. Tour de Boerne, Inc.]

UH, IT'S A ONE DAY EVENT, 1,350 RIDERS, GUEST AND VOLUNTEERS.

UM, THEY SAID THEY PICKED UP 178 ROOMS WITH AN AVERAGE RATE OF $155, UH, 27,005 IN TOTAL HOTEL REVENUE AND 1,931 IN HOT FUNDS.

SO THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT.

YEAH, THAT'S A BIT.

SO 8,000 THIS.

YEAH, WE NEED TO TALK TO HIM AGAIN BECAUSE IT IS NOT MY PLACE TO FIX OR CHANGE THEIR POST REPORTS.

SO WHAT VAL DID FOR THIS, FOR THIS GROUP WAS SHE WENT TO ALL OF THE MAJOR HOTELS AND SHE LEFT A SIGN IN SHEET AND EXPLAINED TO THE DESK CLERK, PLEASE GET YOUR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP IF THEY'RE HERE FOR THE TOUR TO BERNIE, MAKE A MARK, PUT A NOTE, SOMETHING.

SO, UM, THE GROUP USED THOSE REPORTS SPECIFICALLY THAT WE HAD GIVEN OUT TO THE HOTELS TO COME UP WITH THESE NUMBERS.

HOWEVER, WHEN THEY PULLED THEIR OWN RIDER, ARE YOU, THEIR APPLICATION INCLUDES ARE YOU STAYING IN TOWN? ARE YOU STAYING OVERNIGHT? ARE YOU STAYING AT A HOTEL? THE NUMBERS WERE A LOT HIGHER.

SO IN THEIR DEFENSE THEY PROBABLY BROUGHT IN MORE LIKE $5,000 IN HOT TAX.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE STAR REPORTS SAID, THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE REALLY GOING ON IN TOWN.

IT WAS ALMOST 80% OCCUPANCY FOR OUR MAJOR HOTELS AT $150 AVERAGE RATE.

SO I DO THINK THAT THAT NUMBER IS NOT ACCURATE.

I KNOW THEY DIDN'T BRING IN $10,000 WORTH OF HOT TAX, BUT THEY PROBABLY BROUGHT IN MORE LIKE 5,000.

SO, OKAY.

UM,

[7.c. Hill Country Mile Rod Run]

THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, THEIR EVENT WAS ABOUT A THREE DAY EVENT.

THREE NIGHTS, 8,500 SPECTATORS.

AGAIN, I TAKE THE NUMBERS FROM THE POST REPORT THAT THEY SUBMIT.

SO SHE CAME UP WITH, UH, 1,768 HOTEL ROOMS AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF TWO 50 TO 2 25.

I KNOW THAT THEY USED SOME SHORT TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES.

UM, SO THEY DID THE MATH ACCORDING TO THE FORM AND SAID THEY BROUGHT IN 30,000 IN HOT FUNDS.

UM, AGAIN, GREAT WEATHER.

UH, THERE WERE NO OTHER EVENTS GOING ON.

AND THE STAR REPORT SAID THAT YES, WE WERE ABOUT 90% OCCUPIED AT $168 RATE.

SO THAT RATE IS IS WAY OFF THE AVERAGE RATE'S WAY OFF.

HAVE YOU DONE AN ADJUSTED NUMBER BASED OFF OF 170? I'M SORRY? HAVE YOU DONE AN ADJUSTED NUMBER BASED OFF OF THE A DR OF ONE 70? NO, NOW I HAVE NOT.

ABOUT A THIRD LAST, YEAH, I 20,000 BECAUSE THE OTHER PROBLEM IS 1,768 HOTEL ROOMS. WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY HOTEL ROOMS. 500, WE HAVE 500.

IF EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS BOOKED FOR THREE DAYS, THAT'S 1500.

WOW.

SO I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THERE, THERE ARE PROBABLY COUNTING ROOMS THAT WERE POSSIBLY PICKED UP OUTSIDE OF THE BERNIE AREA, LEON SCREEN OR ANOTHER AREA.

AND WHEN I, WHEN I LOOKED AT HER FORMS, I THINK SHE DOUBLE DIPPED ON ONE OF THEM WHERE SHE COUNTED PEOPLE THAT STAYED FOR THREE DAYS, BUT SHE'D ALREADY COUNTING THEM AS HAVING HAD STAY TWO DAYS.

SO I NEED TO WORK WITH THEM ON THEIR FORMS, BUT AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT, IT IS, IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR ME TO CHANGE THEIR FORMS. SO WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH THEM ON, LET'S TRY TO GET THESE FORMS A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCURATE.