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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRestaurant Association BID Minutes 03/26/2014 Page 1 of 3 Minutes of the Newport Beach Restaurant Association Business Improvement District Annual Meeting March 26, 2014 Hyatt Newport Hotel, Garden Room III 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER President Jim Walker called the meeting to order at 4:29 PM. II. WELOCME AND INTRODUCTIONS President Walker welcomed the attendees and invited the attendees to introduce themselves. III. ROLL CALL Directors Present: Jim Walker The Bungalow Restaurant Thomas Giulioni Newport Dunes, Back Bay Bistro Cindy O’Shea Back Bay Tavern / Whole Foods Market John Robinson Amelia’s Joe Campbell Ruby’s Diner Ronald Schwartz Muldoon’s Irish Pub Quorum Achieved. Directors Absent: Sheri Drewry, Nichole Hay, Eldy Galietta, Sam Tila, Ali Zadeh City Representatives: None BID Administrator/Marketing Consultant: Bob Quaid, BID Administrator Willdan Financial Services Polly Peak, BID Marketing Consultant Newport Beach & Company Page 2 of 3 Public Attendees: Gary Sherwin Newport Beach & Company Mark Rudyk Newport Beach & Company Vicki Higgins Newport Beach & Company Jim Mosher Newport Beach Resident Gina Geisbauer The Winery Restaurant Alexandra Robinson Park Avenue Café Brian Mohr Food For Thought PR IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS None V. CURRENT BUSINESS A. President’s Report - Jim Walker, President President Walker made opening remarks regarding the purpose of the BID, announced current year changes including the appointment of Willdan Financial Services as the new BID Administrator and Newport Beach & Company (NB&Co.) as the new BID Marketing Consultant, and gave a general overview of the BID’s goals moving into FY 2014-15. B. BID Administrative & Financial Report - Bob Quaid, BID Administrator Mr. Quaid reviewed the summary of the BID financial highlights for FY 2013-14 that were included in the agenda package. There was no discussion by the Board or public comments. C. BID Marketing Report - Polly Peak, BID Marketing Consultant Ms. Peak reported on the following marketing accomplishments in FY 2013-14 and strategies for FY 2014-15. • Redesign of the NBRA membership brochure to be more informative. This information is posted on the BID website • Recap of the Dining Guide distributions throughout the County • The 877 number is now answered by the NB&Co. concierge • Recap of 2014 Restaurant Week participation, statistics and marketing efforts by McFarlane Promotions, the marketing firm contracted by the BID for the event • Monthly restaurant promotions and blogs regarding NBRA member activities • Planned PR campaign in June inviting LA food media to Newport Beach • BID website is now newportbeachdining.com • Social media channels now integrated to DineNewportBeach. Facebook page has over 3,000 likes, 1,100 followers on Twitter, 355 on Instagram and 100 followers on Pinterest Ms. Peak proceeded to recap the FY 2014-15 priority initiatives listed in the NBRA Strategic Business Plan for 2013/14-2015/16. Ms. Peak addressed branding the Newport Beach dining experience as Dine Newport Beach, the building up of the brand and showcasing Newport Beach dining. Under development is a new BID website called DineNewportBeach.com that should be completed by the beginning of FY 2014-15. The aspects of the new website were Page 3 of 3 presented. Mr. Sherwin added that the new website would serve to centralize the reservation process and provide improved metrics for members to view reservations made through the website adding value to their BID membership. Ms. Peak discussed upcoming public relations campaigns that will promote the NBRA BID at about the time the FY 2014-15 annual assessments are mailed to members. The Newport Beach dining guide, which is very costly to produce and distribute, will be replaced with a dining insert within the magazine Dining Out that is distributed to all Orange County hotels providing a larger distribution at a lower price. Another dining insert advantage is that it can be updated regularly as the NBRA membership changes. Ms. Peak discussed a restaurant event that would be fully self-funded through participation fees, in-kind contributions and sponsorships as the goal for FY 2014-15, whether this is another Restaurant Week or some other restaurant related event. The BID will also partner with other restaurant events in the City to promote the NBRA. Ms. Peak announced that NB&Co. recently took over the City’s government broadcasting station Newport Beach TV (NBTV). There is a plan to feature a new restaurant show that can be repurposed for broadcasting videos in local hotels. Mr. Sherman stated that the restaurant shows would be launched in summer 2014 once a celebrity host is identified and programming determined. There was no discussion by the Board or public comments. D. Board of Director Nominees - Bob Quaid, BID Administrator Mr. Quaid announced the list of nominees for FY 2014-15 who had submitted applications and were determined to be eligible by the City. At the regular Board meeting held on March 26, 2014, the current NBRA Board of Directors approved the recommendation of these nominees to the City Council for appointment to the Board. The nine nominees include directors Walker, Giulioni, Campbell, O’Shea, Schwartz and Drewry and three new BID members including Alexandra Robinson with Park Avenue Cafe, Daniel Miller with Village Inn, and Stephen Joyce with the Newport Beach Tennis Club. There was no discussion by the Board or public comments. VI. NBRA BID ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON- DISCUSSION ITEMS) None VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 PM.