January 14, 2009
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF THE DOWNTOWN PORT PERRY BIA
JANUARY 27, 2009
PROXY
During the Special Board Meeting held December 9, 2008, BIA Directors passed several resolutions to be forwarded to the general membership for ratification at the Annual General Meeting. Please consider the following resolutions prior to the meeting. If you require more information, please contact the BIA office or any Director. If you cannot attend the AGM on January 27, 2009, please complete the following proxy and either:
a) Ask a member to vote on your behalf at the meeting
b) Drop off your form to the BIA office prior 3pm on Jan 26th to the vote
c) Email or fax your form to the BIA office before 3 pm on January 26th
Fax :905-985-7698
RESOLUTION NO: 08-57
Moved by: Lynn Hodgson
Seconded by: Stewart Bennett
THAT the minutes from the 2007 Annual General Meeting be approved.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
RESOLUTION NO: 08-58
Moved by: Lana Crosbie
Seconded by: Lynn Hodgson
THAT the Auditors’ report for 2007 be accepted.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
RESOLUTION NO: 08-59
Moved by: Julie Brock
Seconded by: Birgitta MacLeod
THAT the 2009 budget be accepted as presented.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
Nominations
The following slate of members and directors was nominated by Julie Brock:
President – Stewart Bennett
Vice President – Terri Venner
Treasurer – Michelle Belair
Secretary – Birgitta MacLeod
Directors – Lana Crosbie, Christy Stone-Currie; Susan Clearwater; Amanda Jackson; Julie Brock; Bill Minors.
RESOLUTION NO: 08-60
Moved by: Terri Venner
Seconded by: Lynn Hodgson
THAT the nominations be closed.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
RESOLUTION NO: 08-61
Moved by: Stewart Bennett
Seconded by: Julie Brock
THAT the BIA Board plan to install outdoor speakers and play music in the downtown shopping area.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
RESOLUTION NO: 08-62
Moved by: Julie Brock
Seconded by: Stewart Bennett
THAT the BIA Board plan close Queen Street to vehicular traffic on Sundays in July and/or August to bring in shows and special events.
Carried
[ ] in favour [ ] not in favour
In addition, the following resolution is proposed:
RESOLUTION NO: 08-63
Moved by: Stewart Bennett
Seconded by: Lynn Hodgson
THAT the By-law # 1 - 08 sec 2.26 be revised to show that the required quorum for the Annual General Meeting is 12 members (reduced from 15 members).
Thank you,
Birgitta MacLeod,
Secretary, Port Perry BIA
MINUTES OF THE
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
OF THE DOWNTOWN PORT PERRY BIA
HELD TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9 2008 AT 6:00 P.M.
IN THE FRONT PORCH
PRESENT:
Chair, Mr. Stewart Bennett Julie Brock
Birgitta MacLeod Lana Crosbie
Susan Clearwater Tracey Strong
Lynn Hodgson Bobbi Drew
Bill Minors Bonnie Thomson
Terri Venner Michelle Belair
Betty Penny Amanda Jackson
ALSO PRESENT: General Manager - Kenna Kozak
Marcia Woods – Taalwood Media
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm.
2. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST
No member made a disclosure of pecuniary interest in any of the
following matters
3. PRESIDENT’S REMARKS: Stewart Bennett
Due to the stormy weather and busy season, meeting attendance is down. In the new year the BIA is planning to introduce educational seminars, possibly in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, to help members with topics such as advertising, marketing and new technology. The Township has some exciting plans for downtown revitalization. It is still frustrating to see apathy and lack of participation by many members in BIA events, cooperative advertising initiatives and inconsistent hours. This is going to be a tough year and members have to work together and be prepared. Again, members cannot count on the BIA to take care of all their advertising.
Stewart extended thanks to all the Board members and in particular to Kenna Kozak for her excellent work.
4. 2008 MEDIA PLAN: Marcia Woods
Advertising is slightly under-budget this year. The BIA has been able to save by re-using creative from previous years and taking advantage of co-op ads. There was some uncertainty around Gates Open/Fall Harvest but there’s opportunity to improve this event in the future. There is also a huge opportunity to use new technology such as email, YouTube and Facebook to make advertising dollars go further. Viral technologies such as this are the way of the future. The BIA maintains an email contact list that members can use, grouped into three sectors: media, contest entries and regular subscribers. The list totals 2500 to 3000 names. From the website, Taalwood has noticed more interest in the merchant pages, so members should make sure their pages are up to date. People are mainly looking for event info, member info and restaurant info. Generally speaking, people come to Port Perry, then find individual stores, so cooperative advertising is very important.
Individual participation in events is also critical to success, and fresh ideas are needed from new participants. The dates for 2009 have already been set so members can start planning now.
Taalwood’s contract has no expired however they will still do the website updates and special projects for the BIA.
5. ADVERTISING REPORT: Lana Crosbie
AGM REPORT
A quick review of the 2008 events:
Diva’s Night: This event is held in April every year and continues to be a great success! Each store offers specials throughout the night and the streets are filled with women of all ages. The music is also well received by all ages. If you watch the crowd you will see extra movements in their walk. I believe in 2009 the plan is to add live music, replacing the DJ. Everyone seemed to enjoy the live music on the streets during the Fall Festival.
Next Diva Night: Friday, April 24, 2009 mark the date and plan your advertising. (Changing to a Friday versus a Thursday to help build in overnight stays for a full girls weekend experience.)
Midnight Madness: This event is held on the last Thursday in June. Each year we get more and more attendance. A flyer detailing the specials was handed out throughout the evening with a map showing the participating merchants. Having specials and draws announced throughout the evening encouraged the shoppers to stay downtown for most of the evening. Everyone was seen carrying a Gerbera daisy from Luke’s. My understanding is it was a successful night for many.
Next Moonlight Madness: Thursday, June 25, 2009-mark the date and plan your advertising.
Movie Night: 3rd annual movie night. Feature film was Hairspray. It was great to see people dressed up as their favorite character. We had a fairly good turn out; we certainly can improve the attendance. This event is held for the local people thanking them for their support. We were able to secure a few sponsors for this event, which helped offset the cost. If you have any suggestions for this event or any other event please come out to a meeting and bring your suggestions.
Next 4th Annual Movie Night: August 20th, 2009
Fall Festival: 1st annual Fall Festival was held Oct 4th & 5th and was scheduled to run coherant with the Gates Open which was sponsored by Durham Tourism. (Doors Open and Fibre Fantasy were also running that weekend.) When this event was initiated the BIA was approached by Deborah Tiffin who was hired by the Township to co-ordinate this event. The BIA was asked to provide some financial assistance as well as a team of volunteers to brain storm to come up with ideas to fill the streets and to help out through the weekend. The brainstorming team got together and came up with over 30 ideas/suggestions. Unfortunately, Deborah Tiffin left the project shortly after the ideas were presented leaving a short time for the BIA to come-up with various activities/events with a limited budget. We offered Posterized family portraits, silent auction, scavenger hunt (grand prize was a weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge), live jazz bands on the street, scarecrow building workshop (Thanks Meta4!), and pumpkin carving (Thanks YMCA!). Also, thank you to Janeen for helping to co-coordinating the Farmer’s Market, Northwood Zoo and many, many more. Overall it was a great weekend; it all came together after several meetings. A suggestion for next year from many people was to make it a one day event filled with lots of activities. As with any event there are lots of ways to improve the next one. If you would like to work on this committee please contact the BIA as planning will start early in 2009.
Next Harvest Glow: September 6th, 2009 – mark the date and plan your advertising.
Christmas Crawl: This was the 4th annual Candlelight Walk/Tree lighting ceremony, which was expanded to a four day event this year with the theme “Christmas Crawl 2008” We were looking to plan 4 days of holiday hoopla. Thursday Night started out with Twilight on Queen, the theme was to experience an elegant holiday shopping experience, all stores were asked to dress in black and white and offer specials etc. in their stores. Thank you to everyone who took part.
Friday night was the Candlelight Walk. It was a cold night however we had an excellent turnout for the walk. Another tree in Palmer Park was sponsored by Pizza Pizza, Spademan Tree Farm donated the Christmas tree at the Post Office and PPPrint & Digital Services sponsored the lights, and of course the tree at the Grenadier is always a hit, thanks Dave. We had three local choirs, Santa and his reindeer to lead the walkers down Queen St. singing holiday favorites.
Saturday and Sunday our merchants continued to offer a unique blend of “Holiday Fusion” ideas and inspiration on holiday dining, decorating and dressing. Also on Saturday Mom’s and Dad’s could drop their kids off at the United Church to create a Christmas card and decorate a Gingerbread cookie with the staff from the YMCA. Santa also made an appearance and the kids could have their picture taken with Santa. This was our first year for the 4 day event and I am sure it will get better and better each year. As with any event, it is only successful if you get the participation from all merchants! Share any ideas you may have for next year. On another note: If you would like to sponsor a tree for next year please contact the BIA, we would like to light up the downtown.
The BIA put all new lights and GIF (power boxes) on the all buildings this year, converting to LED, this was a huge expense however the results are terrific thanks to Terry Attersley from Above Reach Solutions for the installation, and to Susan Clearwater for coordinating the purchases of the lights. The downtown looks fabulous! Thank you also to all the merchants who do such a fabulous job with their Christmas windows. The BIA area looks amazing and makes for a wonderful Christmas shopping experience for everyone!
2009 Date: Friday, November 20, 2009 mark the date and plan your advertising
CHEX T.V.:
This year the BIA board members decided to run two Day Trippin’ segments with CHEX TV Peterborough which reaches a regional market of over 800,000 and a National Market of over 2,658,000. We ran a segment for the months of July, August & Sept. and Nov, Dec, and Jan. If you would like to view these segments please contact the Visitor’s Centre and they would be more than happy to email you a copy. The investment for 3 months with the vignette airing 24 times per month was $1,800.00. I believe this was a good investment for the BIA.
Durham Region Tourism Visitor’s Guide:
The BIA and the Township of Scugog will be partnering on an ad in this publication. By participating in this publication the exposure is in all eight area municipalities, in CTM racks in the GTA as well as locations throughout the 401 corridor from Ottawa to Windsor, trade shows such as the Outdoor Adventure Show and the Toronto Sportsman Show and a wide cross-section of Durham’s top festivals, events and fairs throughout the year. We believe this too is a good investment.
Media Planning:
For the year 2009 the BIA Board of Directors has decided not to renew our contract with Taalwood Media. We wish to thank Marcia and the staff of Taalwood for all of the support and great ideas in the past and we will continue to maintain our website with them as well as request assistance with special projects. Most of the advertising campaigns for our events have been set and the board feels at this time that Kenna along with a part-time person can assist the board with the 2009 advertising campaigns. We will however, throughout the year tender out a contract for 2010.
Proposed 2009 Dates Committee Chair
Ladies Night Friday, April 24, 2009 to be announced
Midnight Madness Thursday, June 25, 2009 to be announced
Movie Night Thursday, August 20, 2009 to be announced
Fall Festival Saturday, September 26, 2009 to be announced
Candlelight Walk Friday, November 20, 2009 to be announced
Mark your calendar and plan your marketing strategies in advance!
The 2008 media marketing was done through the following mediums:
Radio Print
KX 96 FM Port Perry Star
Scugog Standard
Curious Country Shopper
Focus on Scugog
Toronto Star (focusing on the certain regions)
Durham Regions Visitor’s Guide
The Pink Pages Directory (NEW)
SNAP – Oshawa & Whitby
T.V.
Compton Channel 18
CHEX T.V. Peterborough (NEW)
Please share your thoughts and ideas on any of our advertising efforts as well as our events; we welcome you to attend the BIA meetings which are held on the second Tuesday of every month. We would also like to encourage BIA members to review their individual advertising efforts and ensure you promote your business, the BIA cannot be your only source of advertising.
We must all work together to spread the word that Port Perry is definitely a destination to visit, we have much to offer! Advertise your specialty and why your store is unique! We all have the same goal to be successful in our business, bring people into our beautiful town and encourage the local people to shop local. We need to train our staff to give them an experience they will never forget each and every time. I wish everyone a very successful and prosperous 2009!
Come out in 2009 and help the BIA, we could use fresh minds with fresh and new ideas.
Lana Crosbie
6. AREA DEVELOPMENT
Dana Smith was overseeing these projects in the past and a new person has not been named. The Township downtown revitalization will be key this year. This year our biggest project was new LED lights. Next year we are hoping to get new banners.
7. TREASURER’S REPORT: Michelle Belair
Final figures for 2008 are not in yet; a small surplus is projected. Members need to come to meetings to help determine how to spend any surplus. The 2009 budget will remain the same as 2008.
8. NEW BUSINESS:
Several ideas for 2009 were presented, including having music broadcast on the street. Some stores still have outdoor speakers in place and wireless technology would make this easier. Perhaps Compton Cable could be of assistance. Another proposal was presented to close Queen Street on Sundays in the summer to have a pedestrian mall. Each weekend could have a different theme, e.g. antique cars, buskers, art shows, etc. We need to start planning now. The section closed could vary depending on the event.
9. 2008 BIA AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR PRESENTATION:
Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Lana Crosbie of PP Print. Lana contributes many, many hours to the BIA, in particular with advertising and special events, from the planning to participation. The BIA would not be the same without Lana.
10. Annual General Meeting:
The Annual General Meeting shall be held on Tuesday, January 27 at 6 pm. A proxy shall be sent out prior to the meeting so that the members may vote to ratify the following items.
RESOLUTION NO: 08-57
Moved by: Lynn Hodgson
Seconded by: Stewart Bennett
THAT the minutes from the 2007 Annual General Meeting be approved.
Carried
RESOLUTION NO: 08-58
Moved by: Lana Crosbie
Seconded by: Lynn Hodgson
THAT the Auditors’ report for 2007 be accepted.
Carried
RESOLUTION NO: 08-59
Moved by: Julie Brock
Seconded by: Birgitta MacLeod
THAT the 2009 budget be accepted as presented.
Carried
Nominations
The following slate of members and directors was nominated by Julie Brock:
President – Stewart Bennett
Vice President – Terri Venner
Treasurer – Michelle Belair
Secretary – Birgitta MacLeod
Directors – Lana Crosbie, Christy Stone-Currie; Susan Clearwater; Amanda Jackson; Julie Brock; Bill Minors.
RESOLUTION NO: 08-60
Moved by: Terri Venner
Seconded by: Lynn Hodgson
THAT the nominations be closed.
Carried
RESOLUTION NO: 08-61
Moved by: Stewart Bennett
Seconded by: Julie Brock
THAT the BIA Board plan to install outdoor speakers and play music in the downtown shopping area.
Carried
RESOLUTION NO: 08-62
Moved by: Julie Brock
Seconded by: Stewart Bennett
THAT the BIA Board plan close Queen Street to vehicular traffic on Sundays in July and/or August to bring in shows and special events.
Carried
10. ADJOURNMENT
