Middletown Forum : Middletown’s visitors bureau

Middletown’s visitors bureau : Per Adkinsâ€™ request and much...

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 18:21:53 +0000

Author: whistlersmom
Subject: 6444
Posted: Mar 19 2017 at 6:21pm

Per Adkins’ request and much to their surprise, Middletown Convention and Visitors Bureau board members have been replaced.    The Butler County Visitor’s Bureau was equally surprised and said they “had a good working relationship over those eight years and was unaware of any issues.” That’s a glaring contrast of opinion (with Adkins) from a larger more experienced and respected agency, to which we contribute $60,000 a year (to our advantage for the sharing of combined advertising and promotion of the region.) Will that $60,000 now go to the general slush fund?

Umm…. COUNCIL, is it not true that you are solely responsible for the appointment of board members? Have you once again let Adkins over step his bounds? When will you begin to think for yourselves? You allow him to tell you how to vote at Council meetings, choose whomever he wants to place on the city’s boards and NOW he may not need YOU and ask for YOUR resignation.   The good works by the former board of MCVB are on Sunday 3/19/2017 Journal-News front page ….. Hot Air Balloon Festival …. Broad Street Bash … Pickleball Tournament. Does this look like an idle board to you???

Perhaps now Adkins has an additional handpicked group over which he will have total CONTROL. His (actually he said city staff) “gracious” acceptance of blame for, what he considered, the unruly actions of the former board must really make them feel better. What did they really do, or not do, to deserve this treatment? Oh yes!!!!….Tension between his precious Downtown Middletown Inc. Perhaps they actually had some independent thoughts and ideas that just didn’t jive with his. Woe be unto those who differ with those who have total CONTROL. Council, are the new board members actual city residents as required by our charter?? Should they be??

Take particular note that the “bed tax” went totally and directly into the general slush fund, all $330,793 of it, where it can be under total CONTROL. Yet only $120,000 was budgeted for MCVB.   Want to bet the city has already spent the balance elsewhere?   Did the former board want to spend some funds on something located somewhere (anywhere) other than downtown? Keep an eye on the sky…..Doug’s Ducks may be on the fly!!!   Is that something I saw splatter on my windshield??

Middletown’s visitors bureau : "Renee Selby of Miss Selbyâ€™s...

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 17:51:31 +0000

Author: VietVet
Subject: 6444
Posted: Mar 19 2017 at 5:51pm

"Renee Selby of Miss Selby’s Soaps on Central Avenue said she hopes the MCVB works to promote downtown, where she opened her business four years ago.

“I think they need to let all of Middletown and outside of Middletown know what downtown has to offer such as entertainment, shopping and restaurants and that it’s a safe, fun place to enjoy,” she said."

Typical narrow focused downtown business owner. Their dam downtown is the only area that needs to be advertised according to Selby. I understand your interest in promoting the downtown as a business owner Selby but the advertising of the entire city takes precedent over your business success.

Same old close knit inner sanctum people chosen here for the most part. Was this selection open to the public? Joe Mulligan surfaces again from a stint on council where he demonstrated the cloned rubber stamping sequence of agreeing to everything the MMF and the gameplan offered while warming a seat. I don't see any value in this individual to do any independent thinking whatsoever. I would imagine, for the most part, we will still have most new members occupying a seat and going along with the plan with little outside the box thinking being done which is a carbon copy of how council operates. We shall see if it is just more of the same or if actual productive activity occurs.

"Among the concerns, according to Adkins, were the tensions between MCVB and Downtown Middletown Inc"

Also read as "don't cross the untouchable Downtown Middletown Inc operation or we will clean house" DMI must be the Sacred Lamb as to city priorities and, apparently, is not to be interfered with.

I like this.....

Adkins:

“I genuinely appreciate their time and effort in trying to execute a poorly defined plan with almost no guidelines,” he said.

So, where was Larry Mulligan, city representative to the group all this time, who could have provided expectations from the city along with the guidelines that were missing? Sounds like "ole Lar" dropped the ball on this one.

Sounds like the same situation the city gets into when they try to get developers to take their downtown properties off their hands and then, attempts to find a developer that will honor the contract. No gameplan and no guidelines.

Middletown’s visitors bureau : Interesting and amazingCredit...

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 13:06:14 +0000

Author: spiderjohn
Subject: 6444
Posted: Mar 19 2017 at 1:06pm

Interesting and amazing

Credit to Mr.A for quickly breaking this up and installing a very credible group of locals to turn this lost ship around, though the new list is "former downtown area" top-heavy and a lot of white bread imo.

Still--how was this allowed to happen, and how many other boards/committees are operating this way?

How did this continue to slip past Council and Admin?

Are they really that asleep at the wheel, or are they a part of the action?

How was this important high $$ board allowed to shrink membership from 12 to 7 and pass issues without Council approval?

Where was the "liason" Mayor while all of this was happening?

So--was the $30,000 corner music action approved and final?

Answers from Admin,Council, past and current MCVB members would be much appreciated.

We seriously need new leadership in the city---at least two Council seats will be up in November

The incumbents should not consider running.

Middletown’s visitors bureau : Middletownâ€™s visitors bureau gets...

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 10:47:21 +0000

Author: Vivian Moon
Subject: 6444
Posted: Mar 19 2017 at 10:47am

Middletown’s visitors bureaugets major overhaul

Ed Richter

Staff Writer

8:00a.m. Sunday, March 19, 2017 Middletown

MIDDLETOWN

TheMiddletown Convention and Visitors Bureau is rebooting after concerns raisedabout its operations led to 11 of its 12 board members being replaced thismonth.

Therefocusing of the official marketing and sales organization for Middletown comes on theheels of a year that saw the city welcome dozens of new businesses and hostsold-out events that stimulated the local economy.

“The biggesttakeaway is that it’s amazing we have 12 people who are very excited andengaged,” said local entrepreneur Ami Vitori, who was selected president whenthe new interim board met last week. “They are super-excited and super-engaged.”

The new board will now get to workrestructuring the visitors bureau, including re-evaluating how to best go aboutits mission to support projects that promote Middletown’s growth, stimulate itseconomy, and encourage businesses to locate here.

“Everything is on thetable so we can get the best use of our resources,” Vitori said. “The biggestchallenge is how to get the best use our funds to the get the best bang for thebuck.”

The MCVB isfinancially supported through the city’s 3 percent lodging tax, commonlyreferred to as a bed tax, that’s collected at the city’s 12 hotels and motels.

The amount ofmoney received varies each year, depending on the occupancy rate at the hotels.

In 2016, Middletown received $330,793 from its bed tax, which wentinto the general fund, according to Jacob Burton, Middletown’s finance director.

According toan April 2016 letter from Adkins to the MCVB board, about $120,000 was budgetedfor MCVB use.

Middletown City Council has appointed11 new members to its 12-member Convention and Visitors Bureau board oftrustees, including Ami Vitori, far left, local entrepreneur and owner of Torchlight Pass, who was selected president. TheMCVB is the official marketing and sales organization for the city of Middletown. STAFF FILEPHOTOS Staff Writer

A complete overhaul of leadership

The requestfor the resignations of the previous board stemmed from concerns raised byAdkins in April 2016 about various operational issues and strategic plans.

Among theconcerns, according to Adkins, were the tensions between MCVB and DowntownMiddletown Inc.; that the MCVB was dedicated to funding, but not implementingor completing projects; the need to add a new capacity to assist the city inits marketing and economic development efforts; non-receipt of a grantapplication for a digital highway sign; non-receipt of a board roster or listof talent needs on the board to recruit new members; and ensuring city staffwas aware of when board meetings were being held.

When hereceived no response from the board, Adkins sent them a letter last monthasking for their resignations by Feb. 28 so a new board could be put in place.

Under theMCVB bylaws, the board was required to have 12 members with seven membersrequired for quorum to conduct business. In 2016, the board decided to reducethe number of board members to seven. Of that past board, there were fivemembers who were active. Four of them — Linda Moorman, Frank Wolz, CandaceHunter and Frances Sack — submitted their resignations.

The fifthmember, board treasurer Megan Repper, has agreed to stay on through March 31 tohelp with the transition.

At its March7 meeting, city council accepted the resignations of the past board andappointed the new board members.

During thatmeeting, Adkins acknowledged the city did not give proper guidance to the MCVBboard.

“We have notgiven appropriate oversight, guidance and expectations to the convention andvisitors bureau and the result is that the board members, while great communityvolunteers, simply lacked the knowledge of city expectations and broadmarketing expertise and the strategic planning needed to market the city in adigital world,” Adkins told council. “That is a reflection on city staff.”

“I genuinelyappreciate their time and effort in trying to execute a poorly defined plan withalmost no guidelines,” he said.

Wolz said hefelt the MCVB had addressed the concerns raised by Adkins.

“We weredisappointed that the change came so abruptly,” he said. “The former boardmembers were very dedicated and intent on helping the city. We would have likedto have continued. We hope they’re (the city) on the right track for the CVBand Middletown.”

Up until2016, the MCVB board subcontracted with the Butler County Visitors Bureau toassist in the marketing of the city to visitors.

Mark Hecquet,executive director of the Butler County Visitors Bureau, said bothorganizations had a good working relationship over those eight years and wasunaware of any issues.

“Middletown(CVB) decided that they wanted to explore and try some things on their own,”Hecquet said of the decision to part ways in early 2016.

He said theBCVB had a $60,000 contract to help the MCVB leverage its dollars to helppromote the city.

While a smallportion of Middletown is in Warren County,Phil Smith, president and CEO of the Warren County Convention and VisitorsBureau, said his organization had never had a relationship with the MiddletownCVB.

“We’ll talkto anyone,” Smith said. “My door is always open.”

The MCVB “ismorphing in a new direction,” said Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan, who hasserved as council’s liaison to the MCVB for the past year.

“This isanother phase and being strategic with money to help attract new events, newresidents, new visitors and new businesses,” he said.

Renee Selbyof Miss Selby’s Soaps on Central Avenue said she hopes the MCVB works topromote downtown, where she opened her business four years ago.

“I think theyneed to let all of Middletown and outside of Middletown know what downtown hasto offer such as entertainment, shopping and restaurants and that it’s a safe,fun place to enjoy,” she said.

Vitori saidthe new board is going to step back and look at the best practices of citiesMiddletown’s size and re-evaluate relationships with the Butler and Warrencounty visitors boards.

“We have anopen canvas and there’s lots we can do,” she said. “I don’t see barriers, butwe just need to get the work done.”

NEW LEADERSHIP AT MIDDLETOWNCVB

MiddletownCity Council has appointed 11 new members to its 12-member Convention andVisitors Bureau board of trustees:

Molly Adams, background in journalism and public relations
Craig Baldwin, director of digital strategy for Rockfish
Mica Glaser, owner of The Windamere event center
Betsy Hanavan, has 17 years of marketing and communications experience working for Pfizer.
Dustin Hurley, local attorney with a knowledge of non-profit boards
John Langhorne, an entrepreneur who sold his business to a private equity company and has moved back to Middletown.
Chelsey Levingston, site manager of public and community relations for Atrium Medical Center
Joe Mulligan, attorney, former member of Middletown City Council and the MCVB board
Rick Pearce, president/CEO of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton
Deanna Shores, former Middletown Board of Education member
Ami Vitori, local entrepreneur, owner of Torchlight Pass and led a branding and strategic communications firm for 10 years

The 12thmember of the board currently is Megan Repper, the previous board’s treasurer.She has agreed to stay on through March 31 to provide continuity to any bills,grants or contracts that need to be executed at the board’s request. Upon herresignation, the MCVB board will fill her seat.

ExecutiveDirector Mark Schutte is only other person associated with the past boardremaining.