HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-06-20-TOUR2-minLexington Tourism Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
Room G -15
Members Present Susan Bennett, Mary Jo Bohart, Kerry Brandin, Bebe Fallick, Carla
Fortmann, Dawn McKenna, Lou Sideris
Staff Present Masha Traber, Deb Weiner
Members Absent: Mary Gillespie, Coleen McAdam, Paul O'Shaughnessy, John Patrick,
Jim Shaw
Guests: Richard Canale, Paul Ross
Liberty Ride Operations
Deb Weiner was introduced as the new Assistant Coordinator for the Liberty Ride.
Several advertising opportunities were discussed.
Vote Tourism Marketing Spending Priority
riority
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously voted to use marketing
funding to: (1) set -up constant contact for tourism communication; (2) renew the
bostonusa ad; and (3) attend the AAA Conference.
Long Range Strategy
We began by looking at our current goal which is: To improve the quality of the Lexington
visitor experience for both the visitors and for the Town. A fuller discussion will take place
at a subsequent meeting. Summary attached
Announcements
1. First Shot book is being made available for our tour guides
2. Two items of interest will be discussed at tonight's Selectmen's meeting: Center
streetscape and an update from the 300th anniversary committee
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to adjourn at approximately 6:15
p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dawn McKenna
Documents available for Review
1. Minutes of December 14, 2009
2. Article 8 Appropriation for Tourism Promotion handout
3/24/2009
3. Page 2 of email from Lou Sideris regarding strategic vision
Long -range strategy
Brain- storming
June 2 2011
Vic,ion -
• Think of 3 -4 sentence elevator speech
• Enhance tourist experience
• Economic development
• Cultural resources -why are people coming?
Draft:
The vision of the Tourism Committee of the Town of Lexington is to create
economic development opportunities by building awareness of the many
attractions available to tourists and local residents in our town, byfostering an
environment where the town, attractions, organizations and businesses collaborate
and reinforce the visitor experience; by running tourist attractions and creating
and managing events and festivals; by acting as a point of contact for tourism
information in Lexington. Lexington is known throughout the United States and
internationally as aworld -class tourism destination offering a unique and seamless
visitor experience featuring the best in historical tourism combined with a complete
range of services for tourists and residents alike. By doing so, visitors are
encouraged to Linger in Lexington, thereby generating revenues for the town,
attractions and businesses.
Mkci on -
• Defined by town by -law
Mission -The Tourism Committee is charged with enhancing and promoting
tourism within the Town. The Committee shall work with the Chamber of
Commerce, the Historical Society, the National Heritage Museum, and the
National Park Service to insure a cohesive tourism experience.
Points Made during discussion:
• Economic Development component
• That Businesses, residents and town officials see and believe there is a
positive revenue that comes to you from tourism efforts.
• Where do we fit in economic development within Town Government?
• Should we market Lexington alone or consider "Lexington- Concord ?"
• How does Freedom Way &Scenic By -Way fit in?
• How do we get them to spend time and money here?
a. Benchmarks for assessing
• Why were members selected as part of charge?
• Why do we exist?
• How do we document what is happening?
• Accommodate range of Visitors - Cultural Toruism
• Protect Cultural Resources - stories &places
• If we make economic development explicit we can measure results
• Giving good experience ties to economic development
• Focus on Lexington - working in collaboration with surrounding
communities and Boston
• Pat ourselves on the back - we have made great strides
Components for Integrated Plan
• Antony Sister City
• Battle Green Guides
• Battle Green Master Plan
• Liberty Ride
• Linger in Lexington - overall marketing plan