ACVB Board Retreat

Madonna Retreat Center

June 2006

Summary

Facilitator: Egret Communications, Bob Harvey

Report to ACVB by Egret Communications

Introduction

Board Chair Rebecca Plutino asked Director Council Chairs to provide a brief summary of their activities during the past year. Their reports can be found at the end of this report.

Dale’s Key Thoughts

Dale Lockett, CEO of ACVB, challenged the board to think about the implications of two key factors facing ACVB.

ACVB Needs to Get Credit for its Accomplishments

Dale pointed out that CABQ currently (and contractually) puts most of its emphasis on how well ACVB does with landing conventions for the convention center. He noted that leisure travel has a greater impact on the Albuquerque hospitality industry and the local economy, but that ACVB gets little recognition for the steady record-breaking growth it has helped the destination achieve. He made the point that Albuquerque could have its best ever numbers, but that the current tracking system would look disproportionately at convention results, and ACVB might be penalized for performance. He asked the board to consider the implications and work to change the city’s contract measurement system.

Convention Center Business Won’t Grow Significantly without Major Investment

Dale made a strong case for the position that the current improvements at the Albuquerque Convention Center are not enough to stimulate a sustainable round of convention activity. He pointed out that even though the center will perform well for groups, that its viability will continue to deteriorate in comparison to competing destinations making substantial infrastructure improvements. This, combined with the challenges in room block will continue to create marketing challenges for Albuquerque. Dale talked about other developments that would function symbiotically with the convention center, including the proposed events center. He called on the board to decide what convention-related future they want for Albuquerque and to act to bring that future into reality.

Bob’s Key Thoughts

Hospitality Industry Needs to Have Fun

Egret feels that the hospitality industry caters to patrons who are often spending leisure dollars and looking to enjoy themselves. The people providing services and experiences for those travelers need to really enjoy what they are doing – and let the visitors feel they are enjoying it. Albuquerque is a very welcoming city and it will be important to keep that feeling at all levels of the hospitality industry.

A retreat is about pulling back from the world – and an annual retreat needs to leave a board refreshed, full of energy, believing in the future, and ready to work as a team to get there.

The combination of fun and substance designed into the 2006 ACVB board retreat was (in Egret’s view) a good strategy for heading into a new year full of challenges, including the implementation of Albuquerque’s new Destination Master Plan.

DMP Review

Egret lauds the destination of Albuquerque for working hard to produce a serious Destination Master Plan (DMP) designed to produce real results. There were options along the way when the board could have chosen the production of a “lite” plan, but there was consistent communication that Albuquerque wanted to tackle the big issues and develop a plan that would take work and produce results. Albuquerque now has that plan and ACVB is named as the organization to lead the implementation.

The object of the DMP is not to foster more meetings. Rather, the plan is designed to align a lot of things going on anyway (and work that is already being done) so that there is

motion toward commonly acknowledged goals;
a compounding of symbiotic efforts;
a faster path toward more visitors, better rates, and more profits; and
improvement of Albuquerque’s visitor experiences and satisfaction.

ACVB did a great job during the master planning process. The organization

took on the big issues
showed a high degree concurrence on vision
had an enormous level of common ground on key issues
has been extremely positive regarding potential of the destination
has been willing to face most of the big challenges, and
will get together to work on issues that are tough for it.

During the retreat, ACVB’s board and staff did not shy away from the tasks ahead in implementing the plan. No one said, “I know it’s in the plan but can we just pretend we did that?” Rather, the board divided into Director’s Councils and each group built a plan for moving forward the actions they were charged with proctoring.

Egret’s Assessment of the Current Situation

Egret sees the destination of Albuquerque as on the “cusp of greatness” (a phrase Tom Morton used in the DMP rollout video). Egret feels that Albuquerque has a $1.75 billion dollar economy that is just begging to double itself.

Why do we think this? Here are the key reasons:

Albuquerque is an undervalued and under-patronized destination. It should cost more to visit Albuquerque than it does. And there should be more people coming. That’s about to change.
Albuquerque’s draw is based on “real natural and cultural” attributes rather than “built attractions”. Trends show demand continues to increase for “real experiences”, cerebral vacations, and legitimate cultural encounters.
Albuquerque has a huge number of unique attributes and experiences to draw visitors and provide real experiences.
Albuquerque’s culture is very friendly toward visitors.
The Albuquerque hospitality industry is united in its willingness to take the steps to improve its future.
Albuquerque has a Destination Master Plan and has clearly indicated that this plan will be implemented.

Taken together, these reasons put Albuquerque’s destination potential ahead of most destinations in the United States.

What is Success?

This was a fun topic to speak about at the retreat. There were good things already on the table:

Old Town is now open in the evening (and will continue to improve)
Alcohol service outside (as in patios or outside dining) in Old Town passed City Council the week of the retreat
Various community leaders are lauding the plan and attributing progress to the plan
Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau and Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce have taken concrete steps to develop a strong partnership of mutuality.

At the same time, the plan has 38 action items – enough to choke anyone trying to figure out how to measure the year’s success.

Egret suggested the following as key important ways to see whether year one of DMP implementation is successful (to be measured mid spring next year):

Is Albuquerque working as a destination to address problems and seize opportunities?
Are Albuquerque’s patrons finding themselves in a welcoming destination that assists them in achieving their Albuquerque-related travel objectives?
Look at (and expect growth in) visitor counts at cultural and heritage attractions.
Look at Old Town at night. How full is it? How much of it is open?
Is ACVB leading the destination?

All of the 38 action items will not be completed in the first year. However, the following eight key items need to show significant progress in this first year:

The destination needs to establish a base line of data so the board can benchmark the current situation and measure progress.
Establish the brand and begin propagating the brand image to target patrons.
Decide where the destination wants to go regarding the convention center and prepare the steps that need be taken.
Make significant progress on front line training related to product.
Make significant progress toward “owning ballooning”.
Ramp up cultural and heritage product development and marketing.
Think and act like a destination.
Resolve issues with the city – form a strong partnership.

Measuring Success

Typically destinations have more primary data than Albuquerque is collecting. That data helps destinations understand

Who is coming, by season
How much each visitor is spending, crossed by purpose of travel and origin
What destination attributes are key to the decision to visit Albuquerque

Given the current selection of measures, Egret suggests the following measurable outcomes be expected. Those should be reviewed for the year. In future years, when there is a better understanding of other quantifiable data Albuquerque may want to set targets for these measures.

Lodgers Tax Collection (should increase)(reflects both quantity and rate)
ADR (should increase)
Occupancy (should increase)
Center and Off-Center Meetings (should increase)

Obstacles to Success

Egret was asked to outline some of the potential obstacles to success for the implementation of the DMP. Those include:

Implementing the plan is a daunting task that will take a great deal of work and commitment.
Each board member (and indeed every leader in the destination) has existing business commitments that must also be met.
It appears that there may be more challenges to the relationship between ACVB and CABQ. ACVB needs to take the lead in developing a “Culture of Conversation” at all levels – city staff as well as elected officials.
There will be hiccups and stumbles as the implementation goes forward. It would be easy to focus on little failures and miss big successes.

Board and Staff Roles

It was important to remind those attending the retreat regarding the key differences in both day-to-day activities and DMP implementation for board and staff. Those role differences will be important to keep in mind every day, all year, every year.

The way ACVB is set up, it is the board’s responsibility to chart the course. In most cases, it’s the staff’s responsibility to devise and execute actions to achieve the goals set by the board.

The board needs to give the staff room to maneuver and do its job. At the same time the board needs to see the staff making progress on courses the board lays out.

Additionally, there are some “actions” in the plan that specifically need board action.

Moving to Action

The work session conducted at the retreat marked a critical step in moving from building a plan to implementing the plan.

The challenge for the day was for each council to devise a working plan for the year that would move each of its assigned “actions” forward toward accomplishment.

It is important, in the execution of the plan, to keep ACVB in the leadership role in implementing the plan. It is also important to broaden and strengthen the destination partnership.

Directors Councils

Much of the retreat focused on having four Directors Councils retire to separate meetings to develop plans, strategies, and timetables for implementing the actions assigned to each.

The four councils that met at the retreat are:

DMP Outreach
Leisure Marketing and Branding
Conventions and Meetings
Communications and Alliances

The Board Development Council did not meet at the retreat. Members of this council attended one of the other 4 groups to focus on DMP strategies.

Egret asked the councils to

Review DMP Action assignments
Think about what additional players need be added to each council to achieve objectives
Refine action timelines
Pick real dates for DMP actions
Set council meeting calendars
Develop a scope of work for accomplishing each action
Some actions may require a point person
May want to liaise with other councils on key actions
Use the retreat planning process to build teams
Develop reports
A quick report at the end of the day
A written report to attach to this document

Suggestions from Board

One topic that came up several times, in several ways, through the course of the day regards the implementation of the DMP. Some board members feel that there may be the need for a staff reorganization to facilitate implementation. Some specifically suggested a new position be created to spearhead DMP implementation.

A related suggestion was made concerning the potential of creating a Senior Staff level position related to culture and heritage travel. It was noted that key competitors have such a position and that it is important to both track impacts and opportunities.

Wrap Up

Each council made a very positive and well thought out presentation at the end of the retreat. Perhaps the hardest challenge of the day was to keep the discussions on planning the implementation rather than beginning the implementation!

Egret’s challenge to the destination of Albuquerque

In the 2006-2007 year is to:

Think like a Destination!

Act like a Destination!

Reap the Rewards of Being a Destination!

Attachments:

Recap of last year’s Director’s Council activities
FY07 Director’s Council Members
Council Assignments (DMP Actions)
DMP Outreach Council Report
Leisure Market and Branding Council Report
Conventions and Meetings Council Report
Communications and Alliances Council Report

ACVB –Board Development Council

2005/2006 Year-End Wrap-Up and Carryover to 2006/2007

Board Member Performance Contracts-2006/2007
Ensure that such contracts are reviewed and completed with all Board Members on an annual basis to confirm their commitment to and active participation in the organization.

Refinement of Board Development Tools
Refined annual organizational timeline to ensure New Board member nominations occurred on schedule and to allow time to cultivate the best possible candidates (carryover to 2006/2007)
Candidate Questions for Nominating Committee reworked to ensure appropriateness for anticipated high level slate of candidates (Review in 2006/2007)
Reworked Interview Evaluation Matrix to better compare nominees during the interview process (Review in 2006/2007)
Updated Board Member Notebooks (Review in 2006/2007)
Determined what materials should be updated annually and what should be periodically updated so that manuals are useful resources
Ensure off-cycle new Board members receive books timely (within 30 days) versus waiting for annual retreat (2006/2007)
Reevaluation and retooling of mentor program
Surveyed new mentees to better understand success of process.
Streamlined process with reference to director council rotations.
Mentors should have a champion to ensure they are actively participating in the program and engaging proactively with new Board member mentees. Board Development Council will take on this role.
Ensure off-cycle new Board members are assigned a mentor within their first 30 days versus waiting for annual retreat

Board Member Nominations
Re-administer Board Member Self Assessment Tool to determine 2006/2007 Board needs (skills, diversity, industry discipline, DMP assistance) (2006/2007)
Compiled comprehensive slate of qualified potential candidates from list of participants in the DMP process in an effort to strengthen the board politically and strategically
Actively recruited qualified list of potential candidates to be considered for nomination or to be considered on the “short list” to fill vacancies if presented during the year.
Encouraged follow up with non-selected candidates to join a director’s council and work on DMP. Such candidates may be considered for future nominations.

Destination Master Plan
Worked with staff to develop comprehensive list of names to be included in DMA interview process. Communication with Strategic Alliances to ensure no duplication of efforts.
Worked with staff to develop introductory letter to send to potential participants.

ACVB –Communications and Alliances

2005/2006 Year-End Wrap-Up and Carryover to 2006/2007

Strategic Initiative of this Council;

To promote better grassroots communications and expectations by creating and maintaining working relationships with stakeholders, media, and government officials.

Members; Mark Gundlach, Marie Coleman, Scott Appleman, Adrian Perez, Steve Hyatt, Michael Williams and Elise Rogers

This council’s goal was to develop an open two-way dialog and educate our key city officials as to the ACVB’s history, mission and to discuss the DMP. We began by developing key questions and bullet points of information re the bureau and Lodgers Tax for the Councilors and city staff as well as welcoming all new and incumbent councilors with baskets/packets of fun tidbits and info about the bureau.

We felt first and foremost, we needed to connect and reconnect so that we were not caught off guard in any way for any issues that may arise due to them “not knowing about the ACVB”

Meetings were held with all councilors with the exceptions of Heinrich, Winter and Mayer. We felt confident in the support of Winter and Mayer, but had difficulty getting with Councilor Heinrich. The good news is that he knows how hard we tried.

Several of our council with the help of Dale, Debi and Elise met with councilors individually to determine their thoughts about Tourism and gather their input.

Overall, we felt our goal was met, however, we learned we can never take for granted those key relationships and it is our responsibility to keep our city leaders educated as to the progress and challenges the ACVB encounters.

Input was positive and we learned quite a bit about each Councilor and their concerns and thoughts on Tourism as a whole.

We will be revisiting our mission and enhancing it to go forward in this new and exciting time for the ACVB!

ACVB –Strategic Development Council

2005/2006 Year-End Wrap-Up and Carryover to 2006/2007

Members: Sally Adams, Pam Bazant-Jung, Tim Dowling, Bill Focke, Charlie Gray, Terry Harris, Karl Holme, Debi Owen, Sally Lane, Dale Lockett, Tom Morton, Conny Nichols, Rebecca Plutino, Elise Rogers, Joni Thompson.

The Council’s goal this year was the oversight of the creation of a Destination Master Plan (DMP). Our accomplishments are summarized below:

The Council recommended to the Board that an outside company be hired to assist the Board with the creation of the plan. Staff came back to the Council and Board with a recommendation to hire Egret Communications.
Egret Communication was hired and began working with the Board and our regional partners in September of 2005.
The goal to unveil the plan at our annual meeting was agreed to by all parties.
The “destination of Albuquerque” was defined to include elected city officials, city staff, hospitality industry, marketing organizations, cultural heritage sector, and the broader economic development community, as well as the media and citizens of Albuquerque.
Egret Communications staff made several visits to the city and took input from representatives of all partners in the destination. A website was also available for partner interaction.
We conducted a partner inclusive DMP retreat on Feb 3, 2006. The vision, goals and strategies for success of the plan were solidified at this meeting. It was also determined that the plan would be ready to unveil in March.
The destination’s strengths were identified as those of culture and heritage, climate and landscape, and hot air ballooning.
On March 17, 2006 the Destination Master Plan was presented to the community at large at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
The Board, Staff and partners have agreed that this is a plan to be executed and not sit on the shelf.
The Council drafted a matching of the 38 actionable items in the plan to the new Directors’ Councils at the May meeting. This matching will be used at the Board retreat on June 23 as a starting off place for Council directives.
Bob Harvey, from Egret Communications, was the guest speaker at the ACVB annual luncheon. He reinforced the importance of putting the plan into action.
The Strategic Development Council will not exist in the 2006-2007 year, but will roll over into the newly created DMP Outreach and Oversight Council.

ACVB –Sales Directors Council

2005/2006 Year-End Wrap-Up and Carryover to 2006/2007