VISIT DENVER Board of Directors Meeting Minutes – April 20, 2022 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver
STAFF
Richard Scharf Justin Bresler Allison Kohn Matthew Payne
Rachel Benedick Jesse Davis Flavia Light Vicki Aycrigg
Jeff Ruffe MC Genova Jason Lusk
ATTENDEES
John Adams Leon Barnes David Coors Evan Dreyer Lee Gash Maxey Deborah Johnson Todd Munson Sonia Riggs Amanda Sandoval Frank Schultz Ginger White
JJ Ament Jennifer Chang David Corsun Jack Finlaw Barry Hirschfeld Nick LeMasters Cindy Parson Eddie Robinson Dan Scherer Hollie Velasquez-Horvath Sid Wilson
Paul Andrews Jolon Clark Navin Dimond Kourtny Garrett Bruce James Greg Leonard Allen Paty Steve Sander Adam Schlegel Rob Venus Tim Wolfe
ABSENT
Luis Benitez Tony Dunn Brent Fedrizzi Ed Gerrity Christoph Heinrich Amie Mayhew Laurence Rua Al Timothy
Matthew Burkett Joe Ellis Andrew Feinstein Bruce Glazer Walter Isenberg Melanie Mills Janice Sinden Phil Washington
Rob Cohen Greg Feasel Mike Ferrufino Christian Hardigree Deborah Jordy Manny Rodriguez Shane Stickel
GUESTS
Kim Kucera Danielle Glover
Brett Hahnenkamp Jonathan Popiel
Steve Corder Sarah Flischel
CALL TO ORDER
8:23 a.m.
ADJOURNED
9:35 a.m.
MINUTES The VISIT DENVER Board of Directors meeting was called to order at 8:23 a.m. by Chair Jack Finlaw.
A quorum was declared and the February Board Meeting minutes were approved. Committee Reports: Government & Community Affairs (GCA) – Nick LeMasters presented the update for GCA. He announced the Denver City Council adopted redistricting Map D that will be effective for Denver’s April 2023 municipal elections. Map D adds a section of downtown to District 10, which is currently represented by Councilmember Chris Hinds, and also moves neighborhoods like Cherry Creek and Country Club out of the district. Nick provided an update on HB22-1117, Use of Local Lodging Tax Revenue. Governor Polis signed the bill into law on March 31, 2022. The bill expands the allowable uses of revenue from state-collected local marketing districts and county Lodging Tax. The bill allows districts and counties to use the funds for housing and childcare for tourism-related workforce, seasonal workers and other workers in the community. Under the bill, districts may also use the revenue for capital expenditures related to these purposes. For both types of tax, at least 10 percent of the revenue must be used for the existing allowable uses under current law. The expanded uses of each tax are conditional on voter approval. Nick noted, that although the bill does not apply to Denver and other larger cities, it raises concerns. Nominations – Todd Munson reported that the Executive Committee has proposed Andrea Robertson, Managing Director, Western U.S. Division for United Airlines, to take Sharon Pierce’s Board seat. A motion was made to accept Andrea as a new Board member. The motion was seconded and passed. Roadmap & Strategic Partnerships Committee – Greg Leonard reported the committee met in late March when Evan Dreyer, Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Michael Hancock, presented the Mayor’s Downtown Recovery Plan. Evan also highlighted Downtown Denver Partnership’s new “30 Days to Brighter, Safer Streets” initiative, which includes a marketing campaign called “My Denver.” Greg noted the next GCA committee meeting will host representatives from Junior Achievement to determine how VISIT DENVER might partner on workforce development issues. He introduced Kim Kucera with the Center City Collaborative. Guest Presentation: Kim Kucera provided an overview of the Center City Collaborative. In December of 2021, a group of downtown property owners, business owners and residents came together to address the current condition of the Central Business District. The mission of the group is to work collaboratively, and with urgency, to restore downtown Denver’s thriving safe public spaces. A major focus of the collaborative is a broad public education campaign, and the group will support City, State and RTD initiatives that align with the Collaborative’s goals.
Current initiatives include supporting HB1326, Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention; mandatory mental health and drug treatment; and, the City’s increased police presence, access to STAR assistance downtown and Assessment Intake Diversion (AID) programs. The Collaborative is actively fundraising to support their efforts. Special Projects – Bruce James and Rachel Benedick introduced Jonathan Popiel, Project Manager with Hensel Phelps, and Brett Hahnenkamp with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). Guest Presentation: Jonathan provided an update on the Colorado Convention Center (CCC) expansion project, which is scheduled for completion in Q4 of 2023 and is a collaboration between Hensel Phelps, TVS Architecture & Design, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, ME Engineers, Iron Horse, and the City and County of Denver (DOTI). The project scope is $212M and adds over 200,000 SF of vertical expansion on top of the current and fully operational CCC. Jonathan provided a virtual tour of the project and shared details about the multi-function level, including the 80,000 SF convention space, the pre-function space and the 20,000 SF outdoor terrace. Rachel reported the space is booked by groups in 2024, and the sales team has not lost any business due to the construction. She added that VISIT DENVER Is working on new marketing collateral for the CCC to help sell the new spaces. Committee Reports (continued): Convention & Tourism Advisory Committee (CTAC) Tourism & Marketing Updates – Justin Bresler presented the tourism and marketing updates. VISIT DENVER’s regional marketing campaign continues through April, promoting events like Broadway shows; concerts at Red Rocks, Empower Field and Levitt Pavilion; and, reasons to visit on Memorial Day weekend. Justin reported VISIT DENVER’s Online Travel Agency Co-op Program with Expedia continued through March and generated more than 15,000 room nights and $3M in revenue for hotel partners. Justin announced the VISIT DENVER spring/summer marketing campaign will launch next week. He noted that this is the largest campaign of the year, promoting Denver across the country with heavier media investment in the top four U.S. markets: Chicago, Houston, New York and Los Angeles. The campaign creative includes the tag line “All Ways Welcome” and speaks to Denver’s wide variety of activities and overall inclusivity. Flavia Light updated the Board on the results of Denver Restaurant Week, March 11-20. She reported that 197 restaurants participated, which is nearly equal to 2021 numbers. The postevent survey indicated approximately 120,000 special-price meals were served, which equates to an estimated $5.8M in spending at participating restaurants.
Convention Updates – Rachel provided the convention update and reported March leads exceeded numbers from March of 2019 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Ellucian, a corporate citywide meeting, just concluded and was a great event overall, even though it was much smaller than initially planned. Next in town is Alteryx that was originally projecting 9,000 attendees, but now is estimated to be 2,500. VISIT DENVER continues to see smaller meetings in the citywide market, but demand is strong for future meeting business. Rachel and Richard Scharf are working with Outside Inc. on an outdoor industry festival that will take place this fall. Key contacts from Outside Inc. will be in town next week to tour several site options. Currently, the group is focused on Levitt Pavilion for the first year and perhaps the National Western Center as a future option. Denver Sports Commission – Matthew Payne gave an update on recent communications with FIFA to further clarify details for the World Cup 2026 bid, reiterating that $70M remains the estimated budget. He reported fundraising is progressing, albeit slowly, with three key contributors identified thus far: VISIT DENVER contributing $15M, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) investing $5M, and the State of Colorado/Colorado State Legislature being asked for $5M, but not yet confirmed. There is a second tier of potential contributors that includes Colorado Health Foundation, Liberty Global, Western Union Foundation and Mizel Development, but there are no commitments yet. DaVita and VF Corporation have declined to invest. Outreach will also continue with other potential partners including UCHealth Foundation, Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) within the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), IMA Financial Group, Dish Network, Anschutz, Ball Corporation and Arrow Electronics. Matthew introduced the concept of enlisting the advice and support of a professional fundraiser. Several of the top fundraisers met with VISIT DENVER staff and Board members to give feedback about the World Cup fundraising efforts and provide additional insights for the “go” or “no go” decision. Richard and Matthew will also convene a small group to include Bruce James, Todd Munson and Nick LeMasters to review the budget. The Executive Committee has meetings scheduled for the next two Fridays to discuss any new information and make a timely “go” or “no-go” decision. Financial Report: At this time, Jack thanked the ex-officio Board members for their time and excused them from the meeting for a closed session to review the 2021 Audit report. Jeff Ruffe introduced Steve Corder and Sarah Flischel from Kundinger Corder & Montoya, P.C. to present the audit results. Sarah shared details of the unmodified, or “clean,” audit opinion, reviewing consolidated financial statements and any significant changes from the previous year, as well as audit
numbers from 2019 to provide a pre-pandemic context. She highlighted the balance sheet numbers that reflect a healthy rebound in the hospitality industry. At the conclusion of the audit presentation, a motion was made to accept the audit as presented. The motion was seconded and passed. Jeff reported that VISIT DENVER’s 2022 year-to-date financials show Lodger’s Tax revenue is $5.3M through March, $1.3M ahead of budget. Chair’s Report – Jack thanked the Hyatt Centric for hosting the meeting and introduced general manager Colleen Huther to make a few comments about the hotel. Jacked shared his excitement about the progress of the expansion project at the CCC and thanked VISIT DENVER staff and the Board for their years of support, highlighting the initial feasibility study was completed in 2013 and 10 years later we are seeing the results of that vision. Jack thanked Greg and the downtown Denver stakeholders for their commitment to the Center City Collaborative initiatives. Jack congratulated and thanked Jeff and his accounting team for another clean audit. President’s Report – Richard invited MC Genova to announce the upcoming 35th Annual VISIT DENVER Golf Tournament on June 7 at City Park Golf Course, wherein proceeds benefit the VISIT DENVER Foundation. MC also reported the Denver and Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame event in March set a new record for money raised to support the Foundation’s scholarship efforts. Richard reminded the Board about this year’s Annual VISIT DENVER Board Retreat in Vail, August 25-26. He asked Board members for topic ideas for the agenda. Suggestions included economic recovery, re-engaging in social impact, VISIT DENVER’s role in workforce engagement and development, and election cycle and ballot updates. New Business – There was no new business. Adjourn – Jack adjourned the meeting at 9:35 a.m.