Sept. 19, 2016 Minutes

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

Sept. 19, 2016 Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 5:15pm by President Paul Lewellen. Members present: Dena; Lisa; Kristine; Gloria; Paul; Joe; Linda; Kenna; Debbie; Ken; Katy.

The agenda was approved.

The August minutes were approved with a motion to approve made by Lisa, Kenna seconded.

Treasurer’s report: Total assets $32,433. There is an outstanding bill for the port-a-potty rentals of $800. HHMC has collected $450. HHMC will pay the amount that was agreed upon. The MO Life magazine still has to be paid of $4000, one business has not paid there share as of yet. Paul and Joe both agreed that the entire amount needs to be paid as soon as possible. Steampunk cleared approx.. $1400 after all expenses were paid. Paid stated we sold right around $1000 in product.

HCVB- Gail not in attendance, no report given.

Membership R&R: Possible new members: Karlocks and the Haunted House on Hill St.; The Crux and Peddlr’s. The committee has not met for awhile but will meet before the annual meeting.

Beautification: Dena presented the future kiosk plans. She met with Jeff and he discussed his ideas. It will have 10 panels, with lights, posters will be made by Iva’s Printing. Joe recommended a policy be written to prevent any problems. This will be a partnership with Jeff and HDC.  Dena suggested that mums be replaced in the flower pots and bulbs around trees. New pots might be considered for next year.

Events: A lengthy discussion was held about the hiring of anassistant to help with some of the clerical work for HHMC.  Katy stated that HHMC’s events have grown so much, all the business owners are busy with their own businesses and this presents a time management and work flow issue. We are struggling to get enough volunteer support for events. Burn out is a real concern especially for the event committee members. The event committee has thought long and hard and has assembled a list of responsibilities and a job description. It was stated that this could very well be a 9 month position because we aren’t that heavy with summer events. Lisa restated that this would not be an executive position, but a paid position and this person would keep a data list up to date, send emails /correspondence, etc and possibly even take over the minutes at the meetings. Once again, the importance of a strategic planning session was discussed to determine where we are headed over the next 3-5 years.  And after seeing the expansion of Twain on Main, is it possible to pursue corporate sponsors – all this ties into getting some help! Joe stated that we are not set up as an employer so then the hired person would be working as a contractor. Joe will get with the committee to help rewrite the position as a contract and include it in the budget with the cost of the position.

All budgets will be due by the end of September. The annual meeting will be Oct. 18th at Ole Planters, cash bar and light refreshments will be served. We will vote on the change of the fiscal year.

New business: Octoberfest will be Oct. 1st on Bird St. HHMC will man the beer wagon, but no volunteers will be needed. We need a $25 license, tips will go to Paul’s employee who is working the wagon.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted

Gloria Burns,

Secretary, HHMC

August 16, 2016

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

August 16, 2016 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by President Paul Lewellen at 5:15PM. Members present: Dena; Kristine; Mary; Terry; Ken; Kenna; Mike; Gloria; Joe; Steve; Debbie.

The agenda was approved.

The July minutes were approved, Motion made by Mary and seconded by Dena.

The treasurer’s report was passed to members. Total assets in checking and savings is $31,640.25 It was noted that there are still some outstanding bills to be paid including the portapotties; domain name; and some advertising.  There are a couple of outstanding bills for the MO Life magazine. A bill for TOM has not been cashed yet. Mike reported that in all there is approx. $500 in bills that need to be paid. Our yearly dues will be due on Jan. Our change of the fiscal year to Jan. through Dec. will be voted on at the annual meeting in October. Dena mentioned that some businesses might have difficulty paying in January, Mike will send out invoices in November and members can pay any time before January. Kristine made the motion to pass an amendment changing the fiscal year to January 1st to December 31st and to extend the year from October 1st to December 31st, 2017. Kenna seconded. All approved. The membership R&R committee will meet to discuss pro-rating the dues.

HCVB – Gail not in attendance.

A bill was sent to us from the electric company for electric that was used on Main and Bird. The bill is for July 6th to July 31st. Mike will follow up with Sheila.

Events : nothing to report at this time

Membership: New possible members: Karlocks; The Crossing; Bobby Boland; Beauty Bar

Beautification: 10 goals for 2016 were set and most of them have been accopmplished. The committee met with Jeff and it went very well. A concern for the watering of the flower pots was discussed because not all of them are getting watered regularly. Mike suggested that the pots be set on blocks. Joe asked that garbage cans be placed on Broadway. All members should contract their councilman to show support on the riverfront plans.

Steampunk: HHMC will be selling beer during the event at Kiwanis Park on Saturday and Sunday and Saturday evening during the concert. A sign up sheet will be emailed to members asking for your help.

Joe reported that we will be meeting with the University Extension Office soon to discuss strategy and planning.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns, Secretary, HHMC

July 2016 Minutes

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

July 2016 Minutes

The meeting was called to order on July 19, 2016 at 5:15pm by President Paul Lewellen. Members present: Gail; Kenna; Mary Jae; Kristine; Dena; Lisa; Paul; Gloria; Debbie; Joe; Wesley; Joe; Pat.

The agenda was approved.

There were no minutes to approve from the May meeting – notes were lost. Gloria apologizes! A quarterly meeting was held in June at the Mark Twain Cave complex.

The treasurer’s report was distributed. Mike is recovering from back surgery and not in attendance. We have a balance of $31,600, but in actuality, it’s closer to $25,000. Several bills are still outstanding including the rental of Scottie’s Potties for BAM. A couple of ads that were purchased for the magazine have not been paid as well.

HCVB: Gail reported that there a man from St. Joe is interested in providing carriage rides for Christmas and possible throughout the year. Trip Advisor has awarded 20 Hannibal businesses with Certificate of Awards. The large riverboats are starting to make their arrivals. The hotels have been booked 5-6 weeks, Gail attributes this to the new website. A lot of positive feedback has been heard from tourists, boaters, visitors and visitors are staying 2-3 days because there is so much to do. The 2017 Visitors Guide is in the works. Joe commented how wonderful it is to see the improvements happening on Broadway.

Committees:

Membership R & R: Nothing to report. Potential new members are North St. Station; Karlock’s Car Museum and the Haunted House.

Events: The events committee met last week. Lisa wants to move forward with the assistant to help with next year’s planning. TOM- discussion to keep the festival the same, maybe even to scale back a little and eliminate some of the vendors who offer questionable merchandise. Victorian Christmas – a new power board at lighthouse, now is the time to start thinking of Christmas. Coming up – 150th birthday of Molly Brown- should there be some kind of event next July? 2 more events to consider offering are Bat Fest and Witch’s Night Out. This is huge in some markets. Lisa said additional volunteers are needed to plan events. This is another reason to get paid staff. Joe brought up the fact that we need a strategic plan in place for the next 3-5 years. The question was asked how to get members involved. A discussion followed on inviting the Strategy group back and review what was discussed the last time and work on new planning. Pat and Lisa will meet Aug. 10th for strategy planning. Pat suggested that we meet with the chamber, HCVB, Economic Development, etc.. Joe, Pat, Wesley, Paul and Mackenzie will meet.

Beautification: Things have slowed down last 2 months. Group is looking into getting banners and no parking signs to place on Main St during events. The looking good awards are being given to Aswin Patel for Mississippi Marketplace; The Crossing; Rialto; Y Men’s Pavilion; Bobby Boland. The kiosk is still in the works. The poop stations are all in place. The new lights will be installed as we want on Broadway.

Upcoming events: Rendezvous at Cave Hollow – we will sell beer if we get a $500 guarantee, Golden Eagle will be approached. Dena made the motion, Joe seconded, all approved.

Steampunk is Labor Day weekend. Another beer vendor is needed – Lisa asked HHMC if we’d like to take it on. Volunteers are needed to help sell tickets. Contact Lisa if you are available. Lisa thanked HCVB for the additional revenue to promote the events. Lisa reported she has seen a tremendous increase in likes and shares on facebook.

In light of the recent tragic shootings Hannibal is hosting a Community Unity Week. This week is dedicated to bringing police/ community together and promote diversity, understanding, etc.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns, Secretary

April 19, 2016

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

April 19, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 5:15pm by President Paul Lewellen.

The agenda was approved.

The minutes from the March meeting were approved.

Jessie Dryden was introduced. She is representing a new business, Hannibal Underground Walking Tour. The tours will be given on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These days were chosen because these are the slowest days of the week and the tours might encourage visitors to stay longer. Sponsorships for a map are requested. Jessie also shared plans for a coloring book. Jessie was asked to attend our next meeting to keep us current with the plans.

Treasurer’s Report: Checking account has a balance of $26,952. Savings account has a balance of $5009. Michael has copies of the report available for anyone interested in seeing it. Kristine will submit a budget for Christmas 2016. The future clerical position was discussed. The hope is to have someone hired by the by late summer to start working on 2017 events and Christmas 2016. Dena reviewed the process of getting the position filled. First, the expense of the position will be added to all event budgets. Then it will be approved, added to the administration budget. Lisa Marks will discuss it at the Wednesday morning Events Committee. A complete job description will be written up. This position will be paid as an independent contractor and by the event.

Committee Reports:

HCVB: Gail reported Hannibal had visitors from 70 countries. The new website has had over a 38% increase in traffic of unique visitors during February and March. A new French-American riverboat has expressed an interest in coming to the Mississippi in 2018. All 2017 dates are set for the Queen of the Mississippi. Tuesday night, April 26 the Rolls Royce /Bentlytour will be here during the day.

Membership R&R: Mary reported that the committee met and brainstormed names and businesses for possible memberships. Potential new members include Green With Envy; Beauty Bar; new owners of Christian Ambiance; the Hannibal Jaycees; American Décor; F&M. A new 3 ring binder handbook is being assembled for new members as well as current members.

Events: GGG is this weekend, April 22-24. Volunteers are needed to fill the 400 bags at Finn’s. Also volunteers to man the tables especially for Saturday to sell tickets to the pub crawl, t-shirts and bags. Items are still being collected for the gift basket. Approximately 300 bags have already been sold. It is anticipated that the bags will all be sold. The website will also have the sheet of coupons. It was decided that no more last minute entries can be allowed. Everything is ready to roll. Lisa congratulated the committee members for their hard work. Twain on Main will meet on Thursday morning.

Beautification: Thanks to everyone who helped pot plants. Still need to move some pots around. Everyone needs to take care of the flower pots. This was a big investment for HHMC. There will be riverfront progress meeting the 1st week of May. Everyone will be encouraged to attend.

Relay For Life: Joe will be meeting with the Relay – store members are encouraged to decorate their windows the weekend of the relay in purple in support of it.

BAM: The group appears before City Council for approval tonight. HHMC will be responsible for welcome signs and a bike corral. T-shirts will probably be provided for volunteers, to help with questions, cleaning up, etc. We do not have to provide food vendors. It will be encouraged that the bikers visit our local restaurants. A street sale will be held to encourage the bikers to explore downtown. Open container will also be on the city agenda. Bill will send to Paul the email about volunteer duties and times.

Other Business: Steampunk: Lisa reported that the Steampunk is getting bigger and better. The guide needs to be done in May. She requested that your ad copy be turned in early. 2 bands from Texas will be performing. Facebook promoting has been hugely beneficial. Fantastic numbers already. There will be 3500 printed program and it will also be available as a PDF on the website. Lisa asked that we keep the momentum going – participate in everything possible!

Linda asked about the political stand HHMC made. Joe reported that the bill was passed in the Senate, and would move to the house- at that point it will be decided if it is to advance. Joe wanted feedback from HHMC. He got 16 positive responses and 1 negative.

Paul reported a new stage will be constructed for Music Underthe Stars which will cost approximately $1200. He asked that donations be made to help cover the cost. Lowes donated the lumber.

There being no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns, Secretary

March 22, 2016

Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

Monthly Minutes – March 22, 2016

The meeting was called to order by President Paul Lewellen at 5:15pm. The agenda for tonight’s meeting was approved with motions made by Lisa Marks and Joe Anderson. The minutes from the February meeting were approved with motions made by Linda Studer and Lisa Marks. No treasurer’s report was given.

Committee Reports

HCVB: Gail reported it is spring break, mobile usage is up and the HCVB will be sending out the forms for the coupon booklet soon.

Membership R&R: Pat requested that more direction be given to our new members – maybe an orientation booklet that contains information on the mission of HHMC, meeting times, our events /fundraisers, deadlines for these events, etc .  It was suggested that we should spell out the benefits of becoming a member. Mike O’Cheltree has a copy of a booklet that was put together several years ago. It was agreed that the membership committee would be increased in size. Pat Yapp and Kenna Bogue have agreed to help on this committee. HHMC stickers on merchants doors was discussed also – these were given out to new members in the past. The committee will meet before the next meeting.

Events: Lisa reported that the Twain on Main website is up and running. Kenna reported that GGG has already brought in over $3900 in registrations, t-shirts and bags. $1000 has been received through the mail. One concern is that a woman mailed in a form for 6 entries, but with no confirmation process in place for entries received through the mail, it is difficult to track. Next year all purchases will be made online. The Chocolate Extravaganza went well, $1937 is the net amount from the event. However, several ads were redeemed instead of the passports, so this might bring the net amount down to $1900. After a short discussion most of the merchants are ok with not getting reimbursed for the passport amount. Facebook boosts for GGG are going well. Katy Welch has met with Gail and advertising will be purchased on Pandora and a banner ad in Missouri Life. Lisa complimented HCVB – her haunted tours have been full already this early in the season. Twain on Main: evening entertainment and schedule will be included in marketing Twain on Main. Signs will be printed with schedules. The festival hours are extended for Sunday. Lisa thinks we should partner up with the Parks and Rec department for Bat Fest 2017. We all need to be proactive in recruiting new members for volunteer help. Gail reported that HCVB is working on “Haunts and Treats” for October.  Paul will talk to Andy and Mary Lynn about partnering with HHMC and doing something “batty”.

Beautification: Dena reported that flower pots have been purchased, these pots are the same size as the ones we already have. They were purchased at a good price of $22 each at a savings of $8 each. There will be four pots per side of the street per block. After some discussion, it was decided to include purchasing pots for Broadway, up to Central Park. A motion was made by Pat to purchase 24 additional pots for Broadway up to Central Park, Joe seconded, motion carried. We will need dirt, gravel and flowers still and a tentative planting date is set for April 9th. Volunteers will be needed. Mike O’Cheltree will talk to HNB about a donation for the plants, they have done this in the past. The committee will also ask permission to use the HNB parking lot for the gravel. Katy suggested we hire someone to plant the pots. Suggestions of service/ youth groups were tossed around including Junior Achievement; KIDS in Motion; and the Key Club. Kenna asked if we could handle the flowers like we do the Christmas lights. A discussion followed about keeping the pots watered. It was decided to ask for Block Captains to make sure the pots are watered regularly.

B.A.M. Kenna and Paul attended the meeting. Several city departments attended also including Parks and Rec; Martin Meyer and some other bike enthusiasts. BAM is asking HHMC to provide fencing, port-a-potties, outside food vendors and welcome signs. Everything is being held down by the brewery, Hill Street to North Street and Golden Eagle will have beer at the Y Men’s Pavilion. The bikers are going to ride their bikes to the end of Broadway and dip their bike wheels in the Mississippi River, then head back to the festival area and party. If open consumption is approved, we’ll have to fence off the entire historic district. The parking lot next to the antique store will be blocked off for emergency parking and for the bicycles. Open consumption is a concern. It was suggested that barricades be used instead of fencing. Eric cannot help get vendors. Much discussion pertaining to closing Main Street and the impact on the merchants as well as bringing in outside vendors. Lisa motioned that we form a sub-committee to work with Bill. Another suggestion was to offer “sidewalk sales” to encourage the bicyclists to come down Main St. Kenna and Kristine have volunteered to help out.

Relay for Life: Joe has agreed to be in touch with Katherine from the Cancer Society.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns, Secretary

Feb. 16, 2016 Minutes

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

Feb. 16, 2016 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by president, Paul Lewellen at 5:15pm.

Members present: Debbie Hurt, Kristine Russell, Michael Gaines, Gail Bryant, Katy Welch, Linda Studer, Kristy Trevathan, Gloria Burns, Joe Anderson and Paul Lewellen.

The agenda was approved as presented.

Treasurers Report: Michael O’Cheltree, Treasurer was not in attendance, no official treasurers report was given. Joe Anderson explained the addition of a clerical position will be made in the budget, especially now for the GGG weekend.

Committee Reports

HCVB: Gail thanked all who were able to attend the tourism meeting. She will provide a copy of the presentation to HHMC, city council, etc. Joe will work with the council to move this forward. It is nice to see the revitalization of Broadway and ties into what has happened on Main Street /downtown. The pros and cons of the Open Late promotion were discussed. Many see the value, but limited manpower and business is a big obstacle. Gail will be attending the Working Women Survival conference and HHMC will be included in this next year.

Membership R&R: April Azotea has joined. HNB and Hannibal Arts Council renewed their membership.

Events: Lisa reported that the Chocolate Extravaganza passports are completed and look great. The square is ready to go for passports to be purchased online. Our festivals are growing. Facebook boosts resulted in 20,000 shares. The advertising dollars sold paid for the passport book. Good job! Passports will be available for sale only at the Museum the day of the Extravaganza.

GGG: The website is up and running. The square can be used for the tote bag which is full of good, quality merchandise. A pub crawl is being planned as well as Steppin’ Back playing at Finn’s. Friday night there is live music at several locations. Sunday brunch will be held at the Mark Twain Dinette. List of all the activities is on facebook. All merchants are requested to get their forms turned in as soon as possible.

Twain on Main: Eric has done a great job with the vendors again this year. The website is being worked on. This website is more for the vendors but a consumer site is being developed as well. Rack cards are almost done. 4 different cards with the 4 events rotated will be distributed. Eric has 188 spaces availableof which many are already booked.

Lisa gave an update on the Farm to Table on Main Street event- we will support it, but not spear head the event. The plan is to block off Main St., the Farmers Market group is considering taking it on, but moving it to Central Park.

Lisa is concerned that the public does not have a grasp of what HHMC is all about. Branding is important to the group and the merchants. Because of her affiliation with the Hannibal Magazine she feels a story in the magazine would be beneficial. Also, a website for HHMC would be an added bonus.

Beautification: The committee has not met since the meeting with the city.

B.A.M.: Paul and Joe have not heard much recently about the current state of planning. A discussion followed about getting vendors on Main St. and if this would fall under Bill Martin’s responsibility. Paul will contact Bill and possibly Eric could help Bill with the food and other vendors. The route is still not 100% finalized. Lisa suggested that we reach out to Bill and find out what he needs from us.

MO LIFE: Joe sent out advertising packages to the merchants. HCVB is supporting the BAM as well as HHMC and Cool Bykes. We have a commitment of 2 pages. 2 pages of editorial will also be included.

Pat Yapp mentioned she felt that some of the small shops were not fairly represented in the HCVB Visitors Guide. Gail spoke on behalf of HCVB and explained the protocol and how all the businesses were on the new website. 150,000 copies are printed. Huge cost to print and distribute. An idea of selling advertising was suggested on the HCVB site to supplement cost.

Other Business: Loafers will have a show May 7th.

HHMC will host quarterly meeting next month (March). Time and date to be announced. Refreshments will be served. Paul motioned that $1000 yearly be approved for special meetings. Joe seconded and all approved.

No other business to discuss. Meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted

Gloria Burns, Secretary

January 26, 2016

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council Minutes

January 26, 2016 

President Paul Lewellen called the meeting to order at 5:15pm.

Members present: Paul Lewellen, Joe Anderson, Gloria Burns, Margaret Fessenden, Kristine Russell, Lisa Marks, Katy Welch, Kenna Bogue.

The approval of the agenda was approved with the addition of speaking about a quarterly meeting. Mary J motioned the addition to be added, Katy W seconded the motion. Motion carried

The minutes from the December meeting were approved. Margaret made the motion to approve, Joe seconded.

Treasurers’ Report: HHMC has a balance of $1,465 in the checking account.

Committee Reports:

HVCB – Gail not present, not report given

Membership R & R: Reviewed the membership committee: Mary Short, Mike O’Cheltree and Gloria Burns. A current membership list will be emailed to members.

Events Committee: Lisa reported that the Friday retreat was very productive. A review of Living Windows – many people commented on the Live Nativity. We need to promote this more next year or consider moving it so more people can see it. Kristine reported that the committee will start working on next Christmas soon and hope to have all the planning done well in advance and would like it wrapped up by Memorial Day.

Chocolate Extravaganza: Committee reported that the Chocolate Experience will not be happening now. Kenna is working on the passport book. $1000 has come in from selling advertising in the book.

Great Girlfriend Getaway: Participation forms are done. Katy will email them out to all the merchants. She has a form for non-members as well. The committee is on track – 400  ShoppersSurvival Tote are ordered. There will be a pub crawl, $1.50 will be reimbursed to the bars. Steppin’ Back will be performing at Finn’s on Saturday evening. Other businesses are encouraged to hold events. Mark Twain Dinette is holding a brunch on Sunday. An Arty Party is another idea.

Twain on Main: Not discussed as much due to time factor. A meeting will be scheduled. Lisa commented that volunteer retention is very important. Always a lot of work, not enough bodies to get it done.

At this point, due to the size of the events and their growth, Lisa requested a paid position to help out with the emailing, phone calls, paperwork, etc. Things are falling through the cracks and this could be prevented with someone who could stay on top of the clerical /and other important details. Lisa proposed $500 /month for 5 months to help with the 4 festivals. Joe recommended that this salary be built into the budges as “clerical” fees. Joe stated that we do not have a membership budget or an operating budget. It is suggested that Twain on Main amend their budget, along with GGG and Christmas.

Lisa reported that she has experienced electronic issues and has lost 3 months of data. It’s not a good idea for 1 person to have all data on their hard drive. Joe suggested icloud and proposed a backup that is accessible to more than 1 person. The fee should be included in the administrative budget. All members are on board to continue in their roles for another year.

Beautification committee: the committee met with city council members, the police chief, Mary Lynn from Parks and Rec Dept. Everyone was very positive with all things discussed. There are 10 items on the list. One item that is moving forward is buying stations for dog waste that would have bags, etc. for easy disposal of waste. The police chief encouraged the committee that the public needs to be better educated in regard to this concern and that the merchants should police ourselves. Brian Chaplin is instrumental in getting things accomplished but might require a nudge occasionally. He is open to changes and making improvements, but changes are occurring in the department and he has asked us to be patient.

BAM: This will be a big weekend for Hannibal and for HHMC. Everything is moving forward. The route has been finalized. We should expect 1500-2000 people. The event is sponsored by MO Life and the magazine has given a great advertising rate to advertise the event. 40,000 pieces of a separate pull out will beprinted. The price for a full page will be $1900 if we group together. Joe thinks we should make a big splash of 4 to 6 pages and push Hannibal as a “destination” place. Joe has volunteered to co-ordinate the advertising and divide the pages up. Ads will be available in ½, 1/3 and 1/6 sizes. The magazine also has an online presence. Joe asked $200 from HHMC for a banner across the top and bottom to promote Hannibal and the yearly events. The information will be out this week because the deadline is mid-Feb. The magazine will be on the street the first of May. Joe officially made the motion that HHMC pay $200 to subsidize advertising in MO Life. Katy seconded. Motion carried. 

Other Business: The Perry Sesquicentennial is in August. They have asked us if they could use our electrical boards. In return we will ask if we can use their antique carousel for Twain on Main and Steampunk.

The Quarterly meeting will be held in March. Same time. Members are asked to bring a guest. Refreshments will be served. It was also discussed to host a chamber business after hours, possibly in April to share and discuss BAM.

Lisa stated that she is disappointed in the HCVB Visitors Guide. There are no antique stores in the guide due to the cost of the ad. If you do not purchase an ad, you are not included on the HCVB website. This does not fairly represent Hannibal. Joe recommended a special committee be formed to look into this and determine how HHMC can work more effectively with HCVB. Tamara, Joe and Lisa all agreed to be on this committee.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted

Gloria Burns, Secretary, HHMC

Dec. 15, 2015

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council Meeting Minutes

Dec. 15, 2015

The meeting was called to order by President Paul Lewellen at 5:15PM.

Executive Board members present: Joe Anderson; Gloria Burns; Margaret Fessenden; Lisa Marks; Kenna Bogue; Kristine Russell; Dena Ellis; Paul Lewellen and Mike O’Cheltree.

An item was added to the agenda under Other Business – covering Material Distribution of minutes and other information from the previous meeting.

The minutes were approved with the change made in the Presidents name… from John to Paul (sorry Paul)

Treasurer’s Report: $15,579 in Checking Account; $5007 in Savings Account. Mike reported that the Pay Pal account for passports / t-shirts, etc. will be ready to be used soon. A discussion followed about how the checks are being handled for Twain on Main. Checks are mailed directly to Eric, he in turn deposits them to the HHMC account. Also, any funds that are coming in thru the square are deposited directly into the HHMC account. Another discussion on dues and how the follow up on payment of dues is done. At this point, Mike sends an invoice, and we allow membership to happen at any time of the year. We would like all dues to be paid prior to the annual meeting. This would allow members to be part of the Christmas lights, advertising, etc. Steps will be written, Gloria will serve on the Membership R&R committee along with Mary who has done a wonderful job of recruiting and retaining members. Paul will talk to Mary about the next steps for the Membership R&R committee. Questions about the expenses on the Profit and Loss report were discussed. The Beautification committee bought garland for $224 and Patriot Painting has charged $1362.50 which was paid in November for the work done on the lights. 1000 lights were replaced and /or hung. A great job done by Patriot, more work to be done in 2016. New snowmen were purchased. Mike reported that his reports are generated on the 30th of the month. We do not have a comparison report from last year to this year. Victorian Christmas budget has not been turned in. The Beautification committee is still working on their budget. On the P&L report, the dues are listed as general revenue.

Committee Reports:

HCVB: Megan Rapp commended HHMC on the fantastic Living Windows weekend and parade. The weather was wonderful which contributed to making all the events amazing! HCVB has received a matching grant. Their new website will be up and running by the end of the year which will include a calendar of events and over 158 pages to populate. Lodging was up for 2015 with tourists from 29 countries and a 134% increase on information requests. Megan asked that an email or text be made for any new events. A series of seminars for small businesses on social media will be happening sometime in the next several months.  Send topic requests to her. The HCVB will be providing the shuttle for BAM.

Membership R&R: Mary not in attendance. It was discussed during the Treasurer’s Report to appoint at least one person to this existing committee. Gloria volunteered. Mike will help also.

Events: Lisa Marks reported that the Living Windows was wonderful! A lot of people on the streets. The committee did a fantastic job. Lisa thanked all members who helped- the event was successful because of the organization and follow through of the committee members. Each committee has a sub chair.

The other events are moving forward and committees are working hard. Eric has a domain name in his name mainly for the vendors. This site is not in the theme of the HHMC websites / artwork, etc. twainonmain.com expired. New domain names were purchased including twainonmainfestival.com for $280. The committee would like to move the vendors to Eric’s site with the twainonmainfestival.com linked together.Similar issues with GGG. HHMC bought other domain names including GreatGirlfriendGetaway.com.

Victorian Christmas is going well. Dollars are good, lots of people on the streets. Horse and buggy rides are breaking even at this point. $120 up, the $400 carriage will be here on Saturday.

Event Retreat: Jan. 20 will be an Events committee retreat at the Dubach Inn. The members will begin to hash out and review the events for the new year.

Beautification: Meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Dec. 16th. A meeting is in the planning stage with the city on Jan. 11th. The city has been very open and positive up to this point. A budget for city planting, flowers, etc. will be proposed.

Chocolate Extravaganza: Dena reported that the committee was late getting going – but plans are going strong. A new event is in the planning stages, the Chocolate Experience where businesses and or individuals will showcase their chocolate specialities at the Mark Twain Brewery. 2 passports or $10 will be the admission. 2 cash prizes will be awarded. This will be a fundraiser for HHMC. Also, a booklet with paid advertising will be sold. The payback amount will be $3 instead of $2.50, which will make the retail value of the gift at $6. The website for the event is chocolateextravaganzahannibal.com

BAM: This will be a huge event. Bill Martin is spearheading it. He has met with the police dept., city hall, HCVB, etc. The big concern is volunteers – a lot of help will be needed to make this event successful. MO Life a co-owner of the event and is offering a special rate on advertising. A center pull out spread will be featured about BAM. Golden Eagle has paid for 2 pages, as well as HCVB. 20,000 copies will be printed. Joe reported that the same rate will be extended throughout the year. We need to make Hannibal a destination place. A big push is being made for editorial copy. Joe will find out deadlines and let everyone know.

The Alleyways: Joe asked the city to make the alleyways one way alleys all the time. The city is in favor of this change. All the merchants will receive a hand delivered letter. Ken asked about how the transportation companies will handle the one way traffic. Joe assured Ken that allowances will be made.

Other Business: Material Distribution:

There was a discussion regarding getting the minutes, budgets, agenda, etc. to members in a timely manner. The minutes need to be sent to the board members within 1st week. Non-board members need to have the agenda and minutes as well. Paul is to be reminded about sending an invite. Mike motioned that (Charter) Gloria be made a regular member. Kristine seconded. All in favor.

Lisa and the events committee asked about getting permanent storage for props, banners, plywood, etc. Greg owns several storage areas, calls will be made about rates, sizes, etc.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns, Secretary, HHMC

November 2015 Minutes

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

November 2015 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by President John Lewellen.

Members and board members present: Lou Barta; Debbie Hurt; Sarah and Frank North; Joe Anderson; Mary Short; Lisa Marks; Katy Welch; Paul Lewellen; Kenna Bogue; Mike O’Cheltree; Joe Noonan and Katy Welch. Board members not present: Dena Ellis; Linda Studer; Margaret Fessenden.

Lisa Marks and Kenna Bogue made the motions to approve the presented agenda for the meeting. Katy and Lisa motioned to approve the minutes from the October meeting.

Treasurers Report: Treasurer Mike O’Cheltree reported the balance of the combined checking and savings accounts is $24,173.53 of which $5000 is in savings.

At the executive board meeting it was discussed to invest some of the funds and earn some interest. This matter will be addressed with Jim Milan at HNB.

A discussion followed about members who are not current and an accurate membership count is necessary. Mary Short, Mike O’Cheltree and Gloria Burns will get together and check all paid dues against current list and get letters or phone calls to members who have not paid their 2016 dues. A drop dead date will be utilized in the future and members will be encouraged to pay by the annual meeting date. Lou suggested that if members aren’t current, those members shouldn’t participate in the Christmas lights and other promotions throughout the year. Another matter of the non-profit agencies came up – and if the dues have always been traded out.

Committee Reports:

HCVB – no report given

Membership R & R – Mary reported on new members: Quality Inn; Esthetics Studio; Bits and Pieces; and Indigo Pony. Other potential new members: HNB, Beauty Bar; Richard Gary and the Crossing.

Events: Lisa reported on the Victorian Christmas. All members are asked to go to the website and check for accuracy. There is an astounding amount of events listed. Mary Griffith, KHQA, Hannibal Magazine have all promoted the events. Katy at Java Jive has additional posters and rack cards. Members are asked to encourage children of all ages to partake in the Babes and Toyland parade on Dec. 12th. This is a new event that took place in the old days. Children and their dolls, strollers, wagons, etc. will parade down Main Street. This event will hopefully grow each year. Events will be posted on facebook and we should all share to help spread the word.

Chocolate Extravaganza: Kenna reported that there will be a new passport design along with advertising in the passport. The committee has just begun to meet on a weekly basis and has a lot of work to get done! Watch for emails from the committee!

Beautification: Dena not in attendance. Kristine reported that the Hannibal Courier-Post published a nice picture and caption about the Looking Good Awards and the businesses receiving them were very honored. The committee has lots of things in the planning stages including a list of areas that need to be cleaned. Other items of concern are flowers and weeds; dog waste; the lighthouse; and welcome signs. The Christmas committee has been joined with the Beautification committee. New lights will be hung on new businesses with the help of Patriot Painting. This year we are doing a “band-aid” fix but as we move into the new year, the lights will be repaired, replaced or restrung a block at a time. HHMC will provide the wire, merchants buy their lights. There is not enough time to fix all the lights this Christmas. The Park Dept. will string the tree lights and put out the snowmen. A motion was made by Joe to include a policy stating that “members are entitled to the installation of the wiring for the lights, but the business owners will pay for lights. Pat seconded. Motion carried.

B-A-M: BAM is June 18th. Golden Eagle has agreed to pay $5000 to sponsor the event. We’ll need to provide a shuttle service from the camp site, B&Bs, hotels, etc.  to the downtown area/ stage. The bike riders could stay at the Cave but other areas were discussed including the south Main area. We will need to get city approval to get the streets blocked off. The committee will also bring up open container approval for this event and the wrist band concept will be used. This event could be a big fundraiser for HHMC and Eric will get ahold of vendors that have been at Twain on Main. Motion was made to form a committee to help Bill. Motion carried and was accepted. The motion to sign the contract with BAM was made by Mike, Lisa seconded.

Other Business: Joe Noonan opened a discussion about the alleys being blocked by vehicles during events. He has talked to the city and the city has agreed to turn them into 1 way  alleys. They will go in opposite directions for the traffic flow. The traffic will not be monitored closely during the non-festival time but will be watched during the festivals and events. Brian Chaplin and Zerbonia were in agreement that this will be a good thing. Paul and Lisa made the motion to endorse the alleys being turned into 1 ways.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 15th. Same time and place.

Respectfully submitted,

Gloria Burns

Secretary

October 2015 Minutes

 Historic Hannibal Marketing Council

October 2015 Minutes

The meeting was called to order by President Paul Lewellen at 5:15pm. The Sept. 2015 minutes were approved. The meeting agenda was approved with no changes. Members present were: Margaret Fessenden; Debbie Hurt; Lou Barta; Wesley Yargus; Lisa Marks; Gail Bryant; Katy Welch; Martha Adrian; Kenna Bogue; Dena Ellis; Mike O’Cheltree; Pat Yapp; Kristy Trevathon; Joe Noonan; Linda Studer; Paul Lewellen; Gloria Burns and Joe Anderson. No guests were present.

Treasurer’s Report:Mike O’Cheltree reported that our total assets are $25,822 with $19,166 in the checking account and $5007 in the savings account. Income reported was dues. A reminder notice was emailed out and a few still need to be delivered by mail or in person. A current list of members and email addresses will be sent to members.

Committee Reports

Visitors Center: Gail, Hannibal Convention and Visitors Bureau reported that the 39th annual Folklife Festival was awesome. Hotels were booked and not just for the weekend, but the week as well; streets were packed; vendors were busy and at the end of the festival, Sunday afternoon, the streets and sidewalks were cleaned! Pat Yapp suggested that the vendors could stay open a little longer on Saturday. We’ll have one more riverboat in town, Thur., Oct. 22nd, the last one of the season. The launches are set for 2016 with the first one on July 17. Gail reported that we will see a new riverboat next summer. 2016 will have more advertisers in the Visitors Guide. A soft launch of the new website will be announced soon. A social media workshop will be available to the merchants in conjunction with the new website. Watch for more details. The BAM is moving forward; further documentation is needed which is slowing things down. There are 4 other events happening the same weekend of the BAM, which should keep the bike riders and others in town. A 2016 calendar of events will be compiled and will be sent to Gloria who will then email to all current HHMC members. Kristy mentioned that 2016 will be the 40th year for the FolklifeFestival and she asked Gail if this could be included in publications calendars; event lists, etc. A lot of exciting things are happening – including the MO Preservation and the visits from the Japanese and Italian Writers.

Membership R & R: Mary not in attendance. No report was given.

Riverfront Committee: No formal report, Paul mentioned that a first glance of the new plans are amazing. It will be done in 3 phases and is an affordable plan of action.

Events Steering Committee: Lisa reported on the progress of the Victorian Christmas – an email went out to merchants with information regarding what is being planned. Flyers have been delivered. Events in the works are the Jaycee parade, Living Windows, lots of music from area churches; schools; organizations as well as having costumed people strolling the streets. Lisa encouraged all businesses to get their forms filled out as quickly as possible in order for more details to be on the website. Events will happen every weekend before Christmas starting with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28th, which is also Mark Twain’s 180th birthday celebration. A new event will be a “Babes in Toyland” parade on Dec. 12 at 3pm featuring decorated dolls and doll buggy’s; wagons, etc. The rack cards are done and a 2nd printing of the posters is in the works.  A lengthy discussion about promoting events from businesses/ organizations who are not HHMC members was held – should HHMC promote these events. A motion was made by Lisa to include The Crossing and Richard Gary in the promotional material to help promote downtown, but no print or TV advertising for this year only. Kristy seconded, motion carried. It will be considered to include vendors in on Victorian Christmas in 2016. Mike reminded members that HHMC began to bring visitors downtown for the holidays. It was suggested that the Christmas lights be moved to the Beautification committee. Dena will address this during her committee report.

Downtown Beautification: Dena reported that the committee has met and outlined several areas of problems. Ideas will be presented to the city, but first to the councilmen. Lisa motioned that the Christmas lights be moved to this committee, Mike seconded, all approved. Mike reported that the new budget for the lights has been approved already. Dena also discussed that the summer planting should be under this committee as well. The new budget will include flowers and planting.

By-Laws: Joe Anderson spoke on behalf of the by-laws committee stating that a little over 2 years ago conflicts arose and the meetings were not working and it was decided that changes needed to be made – Research was done by looking at similar organizations and reviewing their by-laws and practices, language, headings, etc. The main change to the HHMC by-laws is to change it to a representative organization by electing a board of directors. Tonight will be a discussion about the suggested changes and a vote for the change will be made at the annual meeting. Several members thanked the committee for their hard work. Discussion ensued about the wording of holding 4 meetings during the year. One of the items of concern is themembers awareness of what is going on; communication and enthusiasm. Gail interjected that attendance is usually better when meetings are held quarterly and that many people will make more of an effort to attend. Katy responded that the wording of the number of meetings can be revised. Another topic discussed was the new governing board of directors – several members fear that all the decisions will be made by the board and not by the members and also the board’s only meeting 4 times a year. Lisa suggested that alcohol be served… “Probably attendance would be better!!” After discussion regarding the associate member and voting and membership rights it was decided to delete line 2 under Article 3 which is “the right to stand for election to the board of directors”. Linda would like to continue to see a monthly meeting and the coming together of the business owners. The by-laws will be changed to at “least” 4 times /year and the months will be eliminated. Kenna brought up the matter of the board’s meeting quarterly. Lou asked about how the committees get formed. Joe explained that this is the executive board’s responsibility. A special meeting could be called for any events or items that require a speedy decision. Joe reminded members again the purpose of the quarterly meetings is to be informative. Kenna asked if the board meetings should coincide the four regular membership meetings. Lisa reminded members that we can always make amendments, call a special meeting and not to get too hung up on the language. Open board meetings discussion Pat shared that most non-profit boards have open board meetings. Joe shared that the executive board is mainly there to approve or disapproves the spending and the work is moved to the committee level.

New Business: Annual Meeting, November 3rd, place to be determined – an email will be sent. Food will be served. Primary business will be the by-laws. A nominating committee was formed, with Kenna the chair and Katy and Pat also members. A slate of nominees will be presented of 12 directors – including the 4 members of the executive board.