Drivers heading north on U.S. Highway 65 in Harrison won’t have to wonder anymore what’s happening in Eureka Springs.
At its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 24 at The Auditorium, the City Advertising and Promotion Commission heard details of new rotating digital advertising on billboards at a stoplight across the street from the Harrison Walmart on U.S. 65.
Katelyn Jerrell, the new CAPC marketing support specialist, showed commissioners three rotating advertisements that appear on the billboards throughout the day.
“We’ve designed and uploaded three digital ads on the billboard,” Jerrell said. “This is at the Walmart stoplight as you’re headed to Eureka and this gets a lot of traffic.
“There’s about 9,490,000 vehicles per year and about 26,000 vehicles daily that stop there and drive through there. Our ads are going to be shown about 540 times per day, which is about 22 times per hour.”
The billboard ads rotate between graphics on the upcoming Blues Party, a Dave Mason concert at The Aud and a general ad showing various famous points in Eureka Springs.
The billboard ads cost the CAPC $350 a month, Jerrell said.
“What I liked about this is that it’s right across the street from Walmart and people headed north toward the Branson community are going to have to stop or pass by our sign,” CAPC director Scott Bardin said. “Those people are going to be thinking: ‘Wow, I didn’t know Dave Mason was playing. We need to turn left.’
“This gives us a presence on that major highway. I’ve always heard from the Harrison area that they didn’t know what was going on in Eureka. This will cover a lot right there at a reasonable cost.”
Jerrell’s report to commissioners on city promotion done locally by CAPC staff also included a new “hidden gem” series that is being introduced on social media consisting of five- to 30-second videos showing “the many hidden gems of Eureka.”
“I remember being 18 and visiting a spot and was like: ‘Wow, I never knew this was here in Eureka and I was born and raised here,’ ” Jerrell said. “I want to share on our socials and bring people to all these hidden gems that aren’t as highlighted when you think of Eureka Springs.”
Other local promotions include social media highlights of local businesses. A new interactive phone application is also in the works, Jerrell said.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Despite being 11 percent short of the budgeted amount for lodging tax revenue, the CAPC still came in 2 percent over budget overall for April 2023, Bardin told commissioners.
Tax collections for April totaled $163,943, $3,943 more than the $160,000 budgeted. Of that, $93,084 was from food and beverage ($80,000 budgeted) and $70,859 from lodging, which was $9,141 short of the $80,000 that was predicted.
Bardin reported that from January to April of 2023, the CAPC has collected $569,431.
“Our budget from January through April would be $510,000, so we have an increase of $59,431, or 12 percent,” he said.
Comparing April 2023 to the same month in 2022, food and beverage saw a 19 percent increase while lodging saw a 9 percent decrease, Bardin reported.
“I did notice that on our Airbnb collections, they’re down about 15 percent from what they were the month before,” he said. “But starting with the May collections, the past trend has been for us to start experiencing the tourism grows that we have here in Eureka.
“We’re still ahead of our budget. I don’t know if it’s a big economic issue nationally or regionally, but we’re still strong overall at this point in time compared to last year. But, it is being monitored.”
Autumn Slane, a former commissioner and current member of the city council, spoke during public comments and urged the CAPC to put a focus on helping struggling business owners.
“I’m really looking for a full year of tourism,” said Slane, who along with her husband owns four restaurants and bars in the city. “I’m suggesting we push Paradise to start looking at next year. I feel like it can never be too soon. If you start thinking about it now, you’ll be ready.
“This year we’ve seen major dips nine to 14 percent in our businesses. We’re actually seeing considerably less people January through April, meaning we’re fighting inflation, and maybe our guests are fighting it as well. So, I’d like to see some of that addressed at this table. This could be a direct reflection of our advertising dollars being concentrated over the summer and fall months.”
Bardin told commissioners that he is actively preparing information so that the CAPC can put out a request for advertising agency bids for 2024 in the near future.
“I hope to have this before the commission within the next, let’s say, three or four weeks so we can starting planning ahead for 2024 rather than waiting until November to do it,” he said. “We need to be working on that right now.”
MOST VISITORS FROM KC Kansas City has overtaken Springfield as the top location Eureka Springs has received visitors from, according to Michael Kosowicz of Paradise Advertising.
“It also had the highest percentage of overnight stays,” he said. “Kansas City is a top target for Paradise media this year.”
Kosowicz reported to commissioners via Zoom that Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa and the Dallas/Fort Worth areas continue to send the most out-of-state travelers to Eureka Springs while the Fort Smith, Little Rock and Jonesboro areas have the most visitors from inside the state.
‘GREAT ENERGY’
Local business owner Lacey Moffett, also with the Heart of Eureka organization, told commissioners she is excited about recent positive vibes around the city.
“I just wanted to applaud everyone here for the strides we’re making,” she said. “I’ve seen just in the last month or two just so much more involvement from the CAPC and different things that we’re really excited about.
“Scott is coming to our Heart of Eureka meetings just to hear what the merchants are saying when he doesn’t have to. And, he also goes to our chamber meeting. All of us are working together and we’ve been needing that for a long time. … It’s just a great energy.”
HIRING PRACTICES
Commissioner David Avanzino told commissioners that he thinks its important that qualified applicants to staff positions be notified their applications have been received and also be notified when they are no longer being considered.
“Whatever reason, we need to send out letters to these people because I’ve had numerous people come up to me telling me that they have not received notification at all regarding their application or resume for a position they applied for,” Avanzino said. “To me, that’s not good practice. Whether we want to hire them or not, they still deserve a reason and an answer.”
Avanzino later clarified that he was primarily referring to applications dropped off or mailed to either the CAPC office or to Jerry King, the city’s HR director, and not ones that are submitted via websites such as Indeed.
“Why are they coming to you and you’re not referring them to me as director of tourism is my question,” Bardin responded. “That’s not best practice for a commissioner, and I don’t think it’s good. I think it sends a negative vibe that the commission is playing politics.
“I just don’t think it’s right and I wouldn’t run a business like that.”
Avanzino said he felt an acknowledgement that a resume or application was received is important.
“What I’m asking is that you send a letter that says ‘we received your application and we will let you know our final decision on whatever day,’ ” he said.
“I’ll do that,” Bardin responded.
Avanzino said he couldn’t explain why individuals come to him when addressing such issues.
“Unfortunately, we are all in a political position, whether we like it or not,” he said. “And we need to have those best practices in place. I can’t answer why they come to me, but they do.”
FUNDING REQUESTS
The CAPC approved three funding request for fall events.
The annual Jeep Jam, which will be held Sept. 14-17, will receive $5,000 from the CAPC and annual Eureka Springs Historical Museum events Witches Escape ($3,250) and Voices from Eureka’s Silent City ($4,525) also were approved.
