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HomeMy WebLinkAboutADMIN-24-00 . ,- ~ THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON REPORT Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee File# Res. #(p(Jff - '17/-60- FILE By-law #_ Date: October 2, 2000 Report #: ADMIN-24-00 Subject: MARKETING, TOURISM & COMMUNICATIONS ANNUAL STATUS REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report #ADMIN-24-00 be received for information. 1.0 BACKGROUND: 1.1 Last year (1999) was the first time that the Marketing, Tourism & Communications submitted an Annual Status Report informing Members of Council and the public the activities, to date, of the staff of this Office. 1.2 The Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office provides services, with the exception of tourism, to the Departments that comprise the municipal organization. Approximately 65% of the services provided are provided in-house with the balance being provided to external partners such as the Tourism Partnership organizations. . The following information provides a summary of the activities of the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office (MTC) since fall 1999. It does not follow the usual format of municipal reports due to the nature of the information being presented. 2.0 ACTIVITIES & PROJECTS: 2.1 BACKYARD FESTIVAL As reported in a previous report to Council, the Backyard Festival was the first, municipally sponsored fireworks display in the past 10 years. It was held at Ontario Power Generation - Darlington on the sports fields. The organizing Committee, made up of tourism and business partners, have started meeting again to start planning the 2001 edition. For 2001, we are investigating alternative site(s) to facilitate on-site parking and reduce the requirement to provide buses to and from 1201 , ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 2 the site. Although it may have been already reported, in Report ADMIN-22-00, we initiated a new kind of community sponsorship program. Instead of asking business partners to participate in large sponsorship programs, we sent correspondence asking each business in the community to consider a "Community Hero" sponsorship investment of $125.00. This program plus the sponsorship of Ontario Power Generation - Darlington resulted in a total investment of just over $ 12,500.00, which was reinvested into the Backyard Festival program. A special advertisement, as per Council direction, thanking all of our partners - Community Heroes and volunteers - was published in both the Canadian Statesman and the Orono Weekly Times the week of September 18, 2000. 2.2 APPLE BLOSSOM AWARDS This is a second year program for the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office. The program began the week following the Victoria Day long-weekend and continued until Friday July 14, 2000 (nomination submission deadline). There were a total of 94 nominations received, which translated in approximately 250 sites being evaluated by the volunteer judges. The staff of the MTC Office would like to publicly thank Luba Samochin (Bowmanville Horticultural Society), Verna Robinson (Bowmanville Horticultural Society), Doreen Lowry (Orono Horticultural Society), and Vicky Lesnick (Newcastle Horticultural Society). These exceptional people gave 2 days to the Apple Blossom Awards program in order to evaluate each and every nominee. The Awards Presentation took place in Council Chambers on September 13, 2000. Approximately 130 people attended this presentation to receive their award. The properties receiving the most points were: David Bryant (Residential), Northcutt- Elliott Funeral Home (Business); and, the residents of Windsor Valley Place, Courtice (Street). All nominees received a Certificate of Appreciation plus a special Apple Blossom Award lapel pin. The Street winners have their street name engraved onto a new plaque that will be on display in their community. Those on the Honourable Mention and the 3 winners were given an Apple Blossom Awards plaque in addition to their certificate and lapel pin. 1202 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 3 From the discussions following the presentations, it appears that all those who participated are beginning to plan their 2001 garden for the next Apple Blossom Awards program. 2.3 MUNICIPAL PUBLICATIONS The MTC Office is responsible for coordinating the production of all Municipality of Clarington publications. Within this are annual publications - Clarington Visitors Guide (1/year), Clarington Community Guide (2fyear) and the Clarington Today newsletter (2/year). At the time of this report, MTC staff are working on the 2001 Clarington Visitors Guide and the December issue of the Clarington Today newsletter. The process for the Spring/Summer 2001 Community Guide will start mid-October. New publication projects to be ready 2001 include Employee Orientation Manual, Municipal Directory, Community Profile (update). A draft production schedule for all (known) municipal publications is available at the MTC Office for reference and information. 2.4 MUNICIPAL WEBSITE The Municipality's web site (www.municipality.c1arington.on.ca) continues to experience significant growth in "online visitations." As of December 31, 1999, the web site welcomed 405,253 visitors (an average of 1,110 visits/day). Once in the site, we are able to track where the visitor goes while they're here (i.e. which pages are viewed). This traffic pattern provides us with some idea of the type of information that is being sought. As of September 23,2000 there have been 369,827 visitors to the official municipal web site. If site traffic remains at the same rate from now until December 31, 2000, it is projected that there will be just over 493,000 recorded visits (representing approximately 1,351 visitors/day). From the collected statistics, the top 12 areas visited (in descending order) include: . Alphabetical Index - links within the site and to external community organizations . Careers - Municipality of Clarington employment opportunities (new in 2000) . Department Index - listing of all municipal departments, their functions and emaillinks (for direct communication) . Community Profile - information regarding the growth and development of the community (excerpted from the 1996 Community Profile print publication that presents StatsCan data) 1203 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 4 . Recreation - descriptions, fees and schedules for municipally operated facilities . Tourism - excerpts from the current Clarington Visitors Guide with linkages to the web sites (if available) of our Tourism Partners . Clarington Facts & Figures - statistical information about Clarington based on information from the Planning & Development Department and StatsCan . Community Event Listings . CouncillGPA Agendas . Purchasing - description of function and an online Vendors Application . Members of Council - Profiles of Members . Tax Information - information relative to property taxes and new codes Please note that the visitation statistics for the "front cover" (i.e. opening page) of the Municipal web site are not included since all visitors start here. During the 2000 budget process, MTC budgeted for a re-design of the web site. This was partially because there is new technology available to make the site more user friendly and because the site had not been creatively update since going active in September of 1996. The renovations continue to proceed with an anticipated site re-Iaunching before the end of this year. 2.5 SPECIAL PROJECTS As stated in one of the opening paragraphs of this report, the majority of clients of the MTC Office are within the municipal organization itself. To this end, this is an outline of the projects completed or at some stage of completion at this time. . Bowmanville - A Social & Architectural History This heritage publication was authored by Ms Diana Grandfield and was published, through written agreement, in cooperation with the Planning Department. The University of Toronto Press, a recognized leader in the printing of historically significant books, printed this book. To facilitate the marketing of this publication for the Christmas retail cycle, a special book launch was hosted at the Bowmanville Museum on Thursday September 7, 2000. The author, Diana Grandfield, was present to sign copies of the book. The Planning & Development Department are facilitating the distribution of the books. The book is on display in the MTC display case in the lobby of the Municipal Administrative Centre and can be purchased from the Planning Department. The 1204 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 5 Planning Department is looking after all other distribution and point-of-sale locations. . Official Plan & (new) Zoning By-law Covers Working with the Director of Planning & Development to design these covers that are consistent with the professional and progressive image the Municipality has established within the business & development communities (target market). Draft concept designs have been created and are currently being fine-tuned. Expected completion is later this fall. . Purchasing Information Brochure Working with the Purchasing Manager, the MTC Office coordinated the redesign and production of a purchasing specific information brochure - "How to Sell Products and Services to the Municipality of Clarington." This brochure had its initial distribution at the Municipality's first-ever Supplier Information Night held September 7 at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. . Clarington Public Library - Annual Report The Clarington Public Library created its first published Annual Report. To facilitate the printing process, the MTC Office translated the Report from IBM format to Mac/Quark format, which is the standard, used in the print industry. The Report was presented to the Library Board and will be available at the 4 branches of the Clarington Public Library. 2.6 DISPLAYS & EXHIBITS One of the many ways that the MTC Office promotes the Municipality of Clarington is through participation is display and exhibition opportunities. While a significant number are done in conjunction with the Region of Durham Economic Development and Tourism Office, there are a number of opportunities locally. . Mosport at Nathan Phillips Square (July 31, 2000) In partnership with Mosport International Raceway and the "Race Against Drugs" team, the MTC Office went to Toronto, Nathan Phillips Square, to help promote the race programs at Mosport and, of course, the many tourism opportunities that are available in Clarington. A special edition frisbee featuring the three partners, was distributed as was approximate 1,000 copies of the Clarington 2000 Visitors Guide. This was an unexpected, but welcome, opportunity to work with Marketing Team at Mosport to promote the advantages of this community. 1205 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 6 . Orono Fair (September 8-10) This is an annual display opportunity for the Municipality of Clarington. This year the Municipality's booth was designed to be in line with the Fair's theme of "Agriculture 2000". To this end, local farm market operators were invited to participate through the donation of product to be used within the Municipality's space. John McNeill (Empire Herb Garden) volunteered to design the booth to facilitate our "best foot forward" and to enable the Municipality to meld with the theme of the fair. The responses received. to date. have all been positive. . Ontario Power Generation - Darlington Open House On Sunday September 10, 2000 the Municipality of Clarington participated in a second unexpected, but welcome, display opportunity. The theme of the Open House was Past, Present & Future. The Bowmanville Museum displayed the past and the Clarington Board of Trade displayed the potential future of this Municipality. The MTC Office was responsible to display the present life in Clarington. In the booth, were displays of all the activities that could be done while visiting and/or living in this community. A putting green was included in the booth set-up to increase traffic to the booth (and those of our partners). People of all ages took turns trying to putt a hole in one. Each got three tries and if they were successful (it was not as easy as it sounds), they received a glass Clarington mug to commemorate their effort. By driving traffic to the booth area in this way, we were able to speak to a large number of people about the quality of life in Clarington. According to the Darlington Public Affairs staff, more than 2,000 people participated in this day-long event. 2.7 TOURISM OFFICE The Tourism Office is open to the public year-round. The hours of operation vary from 6 days/week from May 1 to Labour Day Monday to 3 dayslweek from Labour Day to April 30. To determine the hours of operation, staff at the Tourism Office maintain annual statistics record person visits to the facility - walk-in and telephone contacts. In 1999, just over 4,000 individuals requested and received information and assistance from the staff of this facility. Projections for 2000 indicate that this number will either hold steady or increase slightly. 1206 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 7 In 2000, a new promotional opportunity was presented to promote Clarington tourism across the Province of Ontario. Eye on Tourism is a touch-screen kiosk that provides information on-line about opportunities in Clarington and beyond. If you go to the Tourism Office in North Bay, you will be able to access their Eye on Tourism kiosk and be able to receive information about Clarington tourism. At this time, the staff of the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office (and many of our Tourism Partners) are monitoring the usage of this kiosk to determine its value as a promotional tool. 2.8 TOURISM ORIENTED DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE (TODS) Early in 1999, the MTC Office initiated the process of acquiring, designing and installing promotional billboard signage along the Highway 401 (both East and West) and Highway 115/35 (South). This was in response to the Province's announcement that a new company, Canadian TODS, had been awarded the exclusive contract to provide signage on all Provincial highways (i.e. all 400 series roads plus the 115/35). The process was not without its own roadblocks and impediments and took significantly longer to complete than originally anticipated. There were a number of minor issues to resolve (Clarington was one of the first municipalities to request an "Area Profile" sign) but the first significant issue was the requirement to have someone from the Municipality to sign a "surety clause" which would guarantee full payment to TODS if the Municipality were to "go out of business." After much discussion with our Provincial representative (John O'Toole, MPP - Durham East), it was finally agreed, by the Province and Canadian TODS, that the Municipality could proceed with the production of the 3 requested signs without further action on this issue There were other problems encountered involving the tremendous scope of the territory covered by the designated TODS sales representative. As a result, communications with this individual were inconsistent and difficult to follow up. Also, there was more than one contractor involved in creating the signs - one sold the signs (TO OS), one created the signs (Owl Lite Signs) and another (Guild Electric) installed the signs. Inconsistent communications with the designated 1207 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 8 representatives resulted in significant time delays. The signs were to be installed prior to the Backyard Festival & Fireworks Display (May 22, 2000) but were actually installed just before the Canada Day long weekend. Since the installation of the signs, the MTC Office has received many compliments and comments regarding the signs. The one located just north of Orono, on southbound Highway #115, has created some of the more interesting comments. In an effort to prevent the reoccurrence of the problems experienced by the Municipality of Clarington, our concerns have been forwarded to Mr. O'Toole, the Provincial Member of Parliament for this area, as they (the Province) were in the process of reviewing the signed agreement with the Canadian TODS organization. 2.9 SOUVENIRS The MTC Office purchases and makes available a variety of products that are used to promote the Municipality of Clarington. For the most part, the term souvenirs refers to hats, sweatshirts, golf/t-shirts, briefcases, mugs and pens that are purchase, generally, for resale to staff and the public. One aspect of the program which has grown over the years is the request for and provision of Clarington "stuff" for non-revenue generating purposes - in other words, promotional release. This includes items given to local organizations/associations to assist in their fund raising efforts and/or as door prizes at conferences, conventions and seminars. They have also been presented as thank you gifts to guest speakers and visiting dignitaries. The rationale of this program is quite simple. Every time someone wears and/or uses a Clarington product they are actively promoting the Municipality of Clarington - priceless advertising. In many ways, as in private industry, promotional items are a cost of doing business and are one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies. Departments requesting these items are required to provide an account to which the item's replacement cost is charged. 2.10 ADVERTISING Mid-way through 2000, the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office became responsible for creating, coordinating and administrating the Municipality's corporate advertising presence in the local print media. The goal is to provide a 12Q8 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 9 consistent presence for the Municipality of Clarington within the local publications of The Canadian Statesman and The Orono Weekly Times. As with every new program there are glitches in the process and these are being addressed on an ongoing basis. This has been a year of tremendous learning. Staff continue to work towards the establishment of material deadlines that will enable the publishing of information on a bi-weekly basis in the two resident publications. Most of the learning is focused on identifying and understanding the individual advertising needs of each Municipal Department. In addition to the new corporate advertising program, some new advertising venues were explored this year. The radio promotion with CFRB 1010 AM (Toronto), which ran from the end of March to the end of May, was a useful and beneficial experience. The on-air promotions included the Municipality of Clarington (Backyard Festival) in addition to spots that were resold to our tourism partners such as Archibald Orchards, Mosport International Raceway and Ontario Power Generation - Darlington. A side benefit of this promotion was the provision of the $ 3,000 Signature Vacation Tour voucher that became a significant part of the Clarington Backyard Festival1. The bottom line of Clarington's on-air presence was a noticeable increase in telephone and in-person inquiries about this community. 2.11 OTHER SERVICES Staff of the MTC Office provides a variety of services to "clients" both inside and external to the municipal corporation. These services range from the downloading of photographic images onto CD-Rom to design assistance for in-house publications and/or brochures. Staff work with a variety of local and regional committees such as the Tourist Association of Durham Region (TADR), Big Brother's & Sister's of Clarington Recruitment Committee, Durham Region Economic Liaison Team; and, the Durham Region Economic Development Advisory Committee. We also work with local groups and organizations as a sponsor for specific events that promote Clarington and increase visitor activity in this community. To date, 1209 ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 10 sponsorship has not been simply the issuing a cheque. Sponsorship is based on the provision of in-kind service wherever possible - e.g. providing promotional assistance and specific services (such as printing or creative). In this past year, the Municipality of Clarington has been a sponsor/partner of: . The Animal's Gift (Bowmanville Zoo); . The Apple Blossom Fruit Wine & Food Festival (Archibald Estate Winery & Big Brothers of Clarington); . The 5th Annual Rubber Duck Derby (Scouts Canada & the Bowmanville Lions Club); . the 3rd Annual Bowmanville Memorial Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament; and, . The Groundwater Festival (CLOCA) 3.0 COMMENTS: 3.1 The mandate of the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office is to promote all that is positive about the Municipality of Clarington. The goal of this report has been to provide Members of Council with an outline of the work and activities that goes in to achieving the identified mandate. Marketing the Municipality of Clarington requires the cooperation and participation of Members of Council, Municipal Departments and the entire community. In addition to the activities already mentioned, the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office handles from 75 to over 100 contact inquiries (walk-in, telephone and email) each week. The inquiries range from getting information about community events to helping student complete school projects on Clarington to assisting individuals interesting in starting their own business. We also work closely with the Clarington Board of Trade on a variety of community events and business attraction/retention issues. One last activity that deserves mention is that of assisting film production companies scout possible locations within the Municipality. Although 1999 was somewhat quiet regarding filming, in 2000 we have assisted more than 6 production companies, ranging from commercial shoots to feature length films, scout locations and make the necessary arrangements to ensure the I Throughout the month of May the public was encouraged to completE> a baliot at one of the participating tourism events identified in the promotional poster. At the Fireworks Display on Victoria Day, Mayor Hamre drew the name of the Vacation winner - Kathy Wheeler of Bowmanville. . 1210 , ADMIN-24-00 PAGE 11 shoot can take place without problems arising. With regard to filming, the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office works closely with the Traffic Coordinator of the Public Works Department to ensure all municipal paperwork requirements are completed. 3.2 It is hoped that Report ADMIN-24-00 provides Members of Council with an insight into the day-to-day operation of the Marketing, Tourism & Communications Office. Respectfully submitted, Reviewed by, c) NtJY-~ Franklin Wu, Chief Administrative Officer JJC:sa 1211