Aug 06, 2025 Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) Meeting

ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BOARD SINCE WE LAST MET STAFF? YES.

CHAIR FITZ GIBBONS HERE, VICE CHAIR JOHNSON.

AND LINDSEY HAMMERSMITH HERE.

[2. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS BY BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF]

GOT A FEW DIFFERENT UPDATES FOR YOU TODAY.

THE FIRST ONE WE HAD SITTING WITH YOU AT THE DEUS IS THE NEW OFFICIAL TRAVEL PLANNER FOR SEDONA, OR WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL ALSO THE SEDONA VISITOR GUIDE.

UM, SO WE, UM, GOT THIS PRINTED IN EARLY JULY, AND WE'RE CONSIDERING IT A DIGITAL FORWARD PUBLICATION.

WE'VE GOT KIND OF A FLIP BOOK VERSION THAT'S ON SCENIC SEDONA RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH.

YOU CAN KIND OF GO PAGE BY PAGE.

WE'VE GOT A PDF AVAILABLE.

WE'VE ALSO DONE A MODEST PRINT RUN.

UM, AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE'VE PROVIDED THE MAJORITY OF THEM TO THE UPTOWN VISITOR CENTER.

I DID DROP SOME OFF THIS WEEK AT THE RED ROCK RANGER DISTRICT VISITOR CENTER, AND THEN WE HAVE, WE'RE IN DISCUSSIONS TO GET THEM UP IN FLAGSTAFF, SO I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO GET A BUNCH OF BOXES UP THERE RIGHT NOW.

BUT THE IDEA IS THAT WE'LL BE DISTRIBUTING THEM IN AT THE DISCOVER FLAGSTAFF VISITOR CENTER, TOO.

UM, SO SUPER PROUD OF THE TEAM.

IT WAS AN IN-HOUSE DESIGN.

JAMES AND OUR TEAM REALLY LED THE GRAPHIC DESIGN OF IT AS WELL AS THE DESIGN OF ALL THE BUSINESS LISTINGS, THE HOTEL GRIDS, THE RESTAURANT GRIDS.

AND THEN, UM, ROB REALLY LED THE EFFORT WITH, WITH THE REST OF THE TEAM ON THE EDITORIAL CONTENT IN THE FRONT.

SO, UM, ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE TEAM CONDUCTING A LOT OF IN-HOUSE WORK, UH, SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM CONDUCTING IN-HOUSE WORK.

UM, THE OTHER, OTHER ONE I'LL JUST KIND OF REFERENCE, UM, WE DID DISTRIBUTE IT IN OUR JULY TOURISM BUSINESS NEWSLETTER.

UM, BUT WE'VE NOW CREATED OUR FIRST AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THIS MOVING FORWARD, UH, CAMPAIGN SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT.

UM, SO I THINK ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT OUR CAMPAIGNS, SO THAT WE REALLY TARGET THE ADS TO THE PEOPLE WE WANT TO SEE THEM.

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THAT IS THAT IT'S HARD FOR EVERYBODY ELSE TO SEE THEM.

UM, SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A, THAT THERE'S A RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO OUR TOURS OF BUSINESSES THAT DESCRIBE WHAT OUR CAMPAIGN IS, WHAT OUR ADS LOOK LIKE, WHAT OUR WHAT OUR STRATEGY TO DISTRIBUTE THOSE IS.

AND IT ALSO PROVIDES TURNKEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESSES, UM, THAT MAY NOT HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA ACUMEN OR CAPACITY TO HAVE READY-MADE POSTS THAT THEY CAN UTILIZE ON THEIR OWN.

AND OBVIOUSLY, SELFISHLY FOR US, IT HELPS US AUGMENT THE CAMPAIGN MESSAGING AND REALLY FORCE, UM, A MORE CONSISTENT PRESENTATION OF SEDONA EXTERNALLY, WHICH WOULD BE, I THINK A WIN FOR THE COMMUNITY.

UM, SO THE FIRST TIME WE DID IT WAS THIS SUMMER.

JUST KNOW THAT THAT'S JUST GONNA BE PART OF THE, THE EVERY TIME WE DO A CAMPAIGN, WE'LL JUST KIND OF UPDATE THE GRAPHICS AND THE LANGUAGE.

SO, UM, NOW THAT WE ARE IN AUGUST, WE'VE OBVIOUSLY FINISHED FISCAL YEAR 25.

WE'RE IN FISCAL YEAR 26 RIGHT NOW.

UM, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK RECAP ON THE FAMILIARIZATION FAM OR, AND, AND PRESS TRIPS THAT WE'VE BEEN EXECUTING AS THE TOURISM PROGRAM.

AGAIN, FAMS ARE TYPICALLY FOR TRAVEL, TRADE, TRAVEL AGENTS, TOUR OPERATORS, GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE DESTINATION, GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SELLING, AND THEN PRESS TRIPS ARE FOR MEDIA, TRAVEL MEDIA TO THEN COME TO THE DESTINATION AND THEN ULTIMATELY RESULT IN, IN A CONTENT STORY THAT'S PUBLISHED.

SO, UH, IN FY 25, JULY TO JUNE, WE ORGANIZED 37 FAM AND PRESS TRIPS, UH, FOR A TOTAL OF 187 DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS.

UM, HIGHLIGHTS JUST FROM THAT INCLUDED.

UM, WE ACTUALLY JUST DID, DID ANOTHER ONE OF THESE YESTERDAY.

SO WE'VE GOT A PARTNERSHIP WITH AAA AND THEN ONE OF THE TOUR OPERATORS THAT SERVICES THE GRAND CANYON, UM, TO BRING AAA TRAVEL AGENTS INTO SEDONA, UM, TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW TO INCLUDE OUR DESTINATION TO THE TOUR PACKAGES.

SO AGAIN, TWO FAMS 52 AGENTS.

THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR OUR TIME TO BE ABLE TO REACH THAT MANY TRAVEL AGENTS.

UM, THE NEXT ONE I'LL CALL OUT, UM, A WOMAN NAMED ALEX CASPAR.

UM, WE ACTUALLY GOT INTRODUCED TO ONE OF HER COLLEAGUES BY EXPERIENCE SCOTTSDALE BACK IN NOVEMBER.

AND ALEX CAME OUT IN JANUARY, RESULTED IN A NICE MSN STORY, BUT THEN WE FOLLOWED UP WITH HER AND GOT A STORY ABOUT THE SIM SEDONA IN MOTION TRANSPORTATION PLAN THAT ALSO WAS MADE, UM, SYNDICATED ARTICLES.

SO A NICE EXAMPLE

[00:05:01]

OF HOSTED A PRESS TRIP, BUT THEN WE'RE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP AND GET KIND OF ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OUT OF KIND OF ONE, ONE INVESTMENT BY THE CITY.

UM, THE TRAVEL CON CONTENT CREATOR TRIP, I'LL ALSO CALL OUT, WE ENDED UP BEING, UM, A SPONSOR OF THE TRAVEL CON EVENT WHEN IT WAS IN TUCSON, UH, LAST MARCH.

AND THEN ENDED UP ORGANIZING A CONTENT CREATION TRIP FOR FIVE CONTENT CREATORS.

UM, OUR FIRST KIND OF DABBLE IN THIS, BUT IT RESULTED IN A LOT OF GOOD SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT AND IT'S SOME OF THAT WE'RE CONTINUED TO EXPLORING.

OKAY, WHAT WOULD BE A WAY TO KIND OF WORK WITH MULTIPLE CONTENT CRITTERS AT ONCE? ONE OFF JUST KIND OF FEELS LESS DESIRABLE AT TIMES, BUT MAKING ONE INVESTMENT THAT GETS MULTIPLE WAS SORT OF WHAT I WOULD SAY.

THE TAKEAWAY FROM THAT WAS, UM, THEN I'M GONNA CALL OUT THE, UM, ARIZONA OFFICE OF TOURISM AND BRAND USA FAM THAT WE WORKED ON WITH TRAVEL, TRAVEL AGENTS FROM THE EUROPEAN MARKET AND, AND ALSO MEXICO.

UM, GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR NATIONAL BRAND, USA PARTNERS AND OUR STATEWIDE ARIZONA OFFICE OF TOURISM PARTNERS, UM, TO THEN BRING THESE TRAVEL AGENTS.

TYPICALLY THIS IS DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE REPS THAT A OT HAS IN THESE COUNTRIES.

SO, AND THOSE ARE ALSO THE REPS THAT, YOU KNOW, I WILL GO AND SPEND TIME WITH WHEN I GO ON MISSIONS, OR I WILL SIT AT APPOINTMENT DESKS WITH WHEN WE GO TO CONFERENCES LIKE IPW.

SO THAT KIND OF SYNCHRONICITY IS, IS IS THERE, BUT WE ARE ABLE TO DO WHAT ARE CALLED KIND OF MEGA FANS.

SO FIVE OR FIVE PEOPLE OR PLUS FROM MEXICO, FRANCE, AUSTRALIA, AND BENELUX, WHICH IS BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, AND LUXEMBOURG IS WHAT IS WHAT THAT REFERS TO.

UM, AND THEN FINALLY THESE TWO HAPPENED IN JUNE.

ALISON ARTHUR AND ALO DEUTSCHLAND, ALISON ARTHUR IS THE OWNER FOUNDER OF DISHING JACKSON HOLE, DISHING PARK CITY.

UM, AND WE'RE GONNA GET A FOUR PAGE SPREAD IN THE WINTER PUBLICATION OF THOSE OF THOSE MAGAZINES.

UH, IT WILL COME OUT JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING ALL ABOUT WHAT THERE IS TO DO IN SEDONA IN OUR FOOD SCENE.

UM, AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ATTRACTING THAT LUXURY MARKET.

UM, THIS IS ONE WAY THAT I WOULD SAY THAT WE'RE STARTING TO MOVE INTO THAT SPACE BECAUSE THOSE ARE LUXURY DESTINATIONS.

AND WE'LL SEE SEDONA HIGHLIGHTED IN AT LEAST A PRINTED MAGAZINE IN, IN, IN THOSE MARKETS.

AND THEN VERY EXCITED FOR THE ALO DEUTSCHLAND OPPORTUNITY.

UM, THIS ESSENTIALLY IS LIKE A GOOD MORNING AMERICA IN GERMANY IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT.

UM, IT'S LIKE THE, LIKE THE MORNING NEWS STATION AND THEY'VE GOT A, LIKE A NINE MINUTE SEGMENT.

THEY DO, I THINK MAYBE IT'S ONCE A MONTH THAT'S LIKE A GERMAN CELEBRITY THAT VISITS THEIR DREAM DESTINATION.

SO WE HAD, MARIE ZUKE WAS IN TOWN, UM, AND THEY GOT A, I SAW THE INITIAL DRAFT.

THEY HAVEN'T FINISHED THE NARRATION, BUT IT'S A REALLY WONDERFULLY PRODUCED NINE MINUTE FILM ABOUT HER TIME IN THE VERDE VALLEY, PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON SEDONA.

UM, THAT'LL BE SHOWING IN THE GERMAN, GERMAN LANGUAGE MARKET, I BELIEVE ON AUGUST 12TH.

SO I'LL BE ABLE TO SEND THIS OUT HERE IN A COUPLE WEEKS.

I WAS ALSO AT IPW LAST JUNE, UH, THAT WAS IN CHICAGO AGAIN.

I JOINED A COHORT OF ARIZONA OFFICE OF TOURISM, UM, STAFF AS WELL AS ARIZONA DESTINATIONS AS WELL AS SUPPLIERS LIKE ROUTE 66 ASSOCIATION WAS THERE, FOR EXAMPLE, AS WELL AS SOME TRAVEL AGENTS, OR SORRY, TOUR OPERATORS.

UM, UH, I ENDED UP WITH 50 PLUS APPOINTMENTS THAT MOSTLY FOCUSED ON THE EUROPEAN MARKETS THAT I, THAT'S WHAT I WAS REALLY FOCUSING ON.

I KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN WHAT, WHAT OUR INVESTMENTS WERE THIS YEAR.

I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO RECONNECT WITH FOLKS THAT I'D MET DURING FAMS AS WELL AS MISSIONS, BUT ALSO TRY TO MEET, MEET SOME NEW FACES AND ALSO REALLY START TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN MARKET.

I'M NOT, I WAS NOT IN DISCUSSIONS WITH ANYBODY TIED TO THIS STUDY ABROAD.

WE'VE KIND OF, IT'S BEEN A BIT OF A QUESTION MARK OVER THAT THIS YEAR.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS I THINK I MENTIONED WHEN I GOT BACK FROM MARCH.

BUT I GUESS JUST RANDOM TAKEAWAYS THAT I HAVE, OR AS I THINK I MENTIONED LAST TIME, WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT A LOT OF THE TRAVEL TO THE US FROM EUROPE IS BOOKED BEFORE LIKE MARCH AND APRIL.

SO A LOT OF THE BOOKS, A LOT OF THE BOOKINGS FOR 2025 WERE ALREADY ON THERE.

UM, SO EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS THAT DECLINE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN KIND OF MARCH, APRIL, MAY, IT WAS A SMALLER PORTION OF KIND OF TOTAL SALES.

UM, WHAT I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM THOSE TRAVEL AGENTS IS THAT O OPTIMISM IS COMING BACK.

UM, BUT WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE IN A GOOD POSITION FROM, YOU KNOW, A CURRENCY STANDPOINT, A GEOPOLITICAL STANDPOINT, AN AND AWARENESS STANDPOINT.

BY THE TIME WE GET TO LIKE NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY, UM, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN THOSE DECISIONS START GETTING MADE AGAIN.

I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY MY BEST, MY BEST SYNOPSIS OF MY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EVENT.

BUT SUPER, SUPER SUCCESSFUL.

AND I WILL JUST CALL OUT THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE FY 25 A OT RURAL CO-OP SELECTIONS.

I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS HERE IN A SECOND FOR FY 26, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND THAT EVENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A OT FOR A $2,500 EXPENSE TO THE CITY OF SEDONA PLUS PLUS MY TRAVEL, UM, WHICH IS MUCH LOWER THAN WE WOULD IF WE WERE TO GET A BOOTH ON OUR OWN, FOR EXAMPLE.

SPEAKING OF THE A O OT ROLE CO-OP.

SO, YEP.

SORRY, QUESTION.

UM, SO SINCE YOU'RE TALKING TO THE EUROPEAN MARKET FOLKS, UM, I KNOW THAT THE STUDY ABROAD SITUATION AT UNIVERSITIES HAS SHIFTED, GIVEN THE GEOPOLITICS WE'RE DOWN 15% AND I'M SURPRISED WE WON'T BE DOWN MORE.

UH, SO JUST LIKE, WHAT WAS THE SCUTTLE BUTT WHERE PEOPLE SAYING PEOPLE ARE EXCITED OR PEOPLE ARE AFRAID, OR LIKE, WHAT WAS, I KNOW YOU SAID IT'S LOOKING UP, BUT LIKE, WHAT WAS YOUR SORT OF CONVERSATION? I GUESS I'M CONVERSATION.

[00:10:01]

MESSAGING VIDEO THAT'S NOW BEING SHOWN ON THE SEDONA TRAILHEAD ROUTES.

NO, NO.

I MEAN, JUST IN HOW IS THAT TRANSLATING TO TOURISM? SO CAN YOU RESTATE YOUR QUESTION? SO, UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON WITH GLOBAL TRAVEL, RIGHT? AND, UH, MY EXPERIENCE, IT, WHAT I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT WITH STUDY ABROAD, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT TOURISM AS WELL AND ARE FEWER PEOPLE COMING? I MEAN, WOULD I COME RIGHT NOW TO THE US? I DON'T KNOW.

YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME SLIDES ON THAT AND A LITTLE BIT.

UM, IT'S, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A, I THINK THE PERCEPTION OF THE IMPACT IS MORE THAN WE'RE SEEING IN THE DATA THAT'S BEEN COMING OUT NATIONALLY IS, I GUESS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT.

CANADA HAS BEEN IMPACTED MM-HMM .

THAT MARKET SUBSTANTIALLY HAS BEEN IMPACTED, BUT WE'RE NOT REALLY SEEING A MASSIVE IMPACT FROM EUROPE.

AGAIN, BECAUSE FOR 2025, MUCH OF THE BOOKINGS HAPPENED BEFORE THE PERCEPTION WAS CHANGING.

UH, THERE, OBVIOUSLY CANCELLATIONS HAPPENED, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA, AND I'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU SORT OF INBOUND TRAVEL FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2025, UM, CANADA'S DOWN, UM, EUROPE IS NOT UP BY ANY MEANS, BUT IT'S NOT SUBSTANTIALLY DOWN.

UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE MONITORING.

AND AGAIN, THE CHALLENGE WILL BE WHAT HAPPENS IN 2026, WILL THOSE DEC WILL, WHEN THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE, WILL THAT CREATE, WILL THAT CREATE AN IMPACT? SO SEDONA AS ESSENTIALLY LIKE NOT MARICOPA COUNTY AND TUCSON IS THE BEST WAY I'VE REALLY LEARNED TO UNDERSTAND THIS.

IT'S ALL RURAL, RURAL ARIZONA DESTINATIONS, UM, ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A $50,000 RURAL CO-OP PROGRAM APPLICATION.

UM, SO, UH, THE WAY THAT THIS WORKS IS THAT, UM, A OT AND THEIR AGENCY OFF MADISON AVENUE WHO ARE FANTASTIC, I WANNA JUST CALL THAT OUT REAL QUICK FOR WHAT THEY DO WITH THIS PROGRAM.

UM, THEY'VE PULLED TOGETHER A LIST OF A HUNDRED PLUS PRE-VETTED, PRE PRICED OUT STRATEGIES WITH DIFFERENT AGENCIES, PUBLICATIONS, LIKE JUST SPEND BASICALLY FOR DS.

UM, AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELECT UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OF EXPENSES.

AND THEN A OT WILL PAY FOR 50.

WE WILL PAY FOR 50.

SO, UM, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I MEANT WHERE I SELECTED, I, WE SELECTED IIPW AS, UM, AN A OT CO-OP SELECTION AND FY 25.

UM, AND THAT MADE IT, SO IT WAS $2,500 FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, SO, UH, WE DID SUBMIT OUR APPLICATION EARLIER THIS MONTH.

UM, JUST SOME RANDOM EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE INCLUDED IN THAT APPLICATION TO COST SHARE WITH A OT ARE MY ATTENDANCE AGAIN AT THE GO WEST SUMMIT.

THAT'LL BE IN MARCH THIS YEAR, I, SORRY, MARCH NEXT YEAR.

AND THEN IPW, WHICH WILL BE IN MAY OF NEXT YEAR.

BUT THERE'S A FEW OTHER TRADE SHOWS IN THERE.

SO OUR TRADE SHOW ATTENDANCE IS BEING COST SHARED BY A OT.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR DATA FI SOFTWARE AND OUR CROWD WITH SOFTWARE, UH, DATA FI IS PART OF OUR ATTRIBUTION MARKETING THAT LAUREN'S GONNA BE REPORTING ON, OR AT LEAST TALKING ABOUT HOW WE REPORT ON LATER TODAY.

UM, AND THEN CROWDRIFF IS WHAT KEEGAN USES FOR, UM, USER GENERATED CONTENT AND SORT OF DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT STORAGE FOR US.

SO NICE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE THOSE COSTS WITH THE STATE OFFICE.

UM, DIGITAL MARKETING, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO START TO EXPERIMENT WITH, UM, PAID SEARCH STRATEGIES OUTSIDE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH DBA.

UM, WE'RE GONNA BE LAUNCHING A NEW MEETING SALES LANDING PAGE AND THEN DOING PAID SEARCH FOR THAT ABOUT PLAN YOUR MEETING IN SEDONA AND JUST KIND OF EXPERIMENTING WITH, WITH SORT OF THOSE TYPES OF PAID SEARCH STRATEGIES.

AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISTRIBUTE OUR CAMPAIGN VIDEOS DURING THE WINTER ON YOUTUBE, WHICH WILL BE KIND OF A NEW THING THAT WE'RE EXPERIMENTING WITH.

SO, UM, AND THEN CUSTOM, CUSTOM PRODUCTS, UH, THERE IS A $10,000 CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE, WHICH MEANS $20,000.

UM, 'CAUSE A OT COVERS THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.

UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A PARTNERSHIP WITH FLAGSTAFF AND PRESCOTT NOW FOR 18 MONTHS ABOUT SORT OF A MOUNTAIN BIKE CONTENT, NORTH MOUNTAIN BIKE, NORTHERN ARIZONA REALLY WORKING MULTI DESTINATION ON THIS.

SO, UM, THIS OPPORTUNITY MAKES US UP, UP AND A POSSIBILITY FOR US THROUGH THAT.

UM, SO, UH, WHAT WE LIKE TO SAY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE A OT CO-OP IS, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE CAN KIND OF DIP OUR TOES IN, EXPERIMENT A LITTLE BIT WITH, GET SOME AGENCY ADVICE ON KIND OF NEW TACTICS THAT WE HAVEN'T EXPLORED BEFORE.

SO WE'RE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THAT LENS.

UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY I THINK I HEARD A FEW OF YOU TALKING ABOUT IT AS, AS YOU ALL WALKED IN, IT'S BEEN RATHER HOT THIS SUMMER, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S HOTTER THAN LAST SUMMER, BUT IT IS JUST KIND OF HOT HERE IN SEDONA OBVIOUSLY.

AND THAT COMES WITH ITS OWN, UM, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES.

UM, BUT WE HAVE TRULY AS A CITY, UM, WE KEEP TRYING TO DO MORE EACH SUMMER TO REALLY BUILD AWARENESS OF HEAT SAFETY.

AND IT'S NOT JUST US, IT'S THE BUSINESSES THAT TALK TO VISITORS AND IT'S MORE IMPORTANTLY THE FOREST SERVICE THAT MANAGES THE PUBLIC LANDS THAT PEOPLE ARE RECREATING ON.

UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THE US FOREST SERVICE TO REALLY RAMP UP HEAT SAFETY MESSAGING.

UM, OUR SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT HAS PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED SIGNS AND PAMPHLETS AT LOCAL TOURISM BUSINESSES.

WE ACTUALLY JUST DID OUR AAA FAM, UM, AT THE COURTYARD AND I, NICE.

I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE PROPERTY AND I SAW, SAW THE BIG KIND OF BILLBOARD SIGNS UP.

UM, ROB AND OUR TEAM ALSO USED THE FOREST SERVICE CREATIVE, UM, THAT THEY'VE BEEN UTILIZING FOR HEAT SAFETY TO BUILD A HEAT SAFETY

[00:15:01]

UM, WE ALSO PURCHASED US FOREST SERVICE SANDWICH BOARDS THAT ARE ALREADY PLACED AT THE TRAILHEADS THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING DROPPED OFF AT OR EVEN DRIVING TO FROM THE, UM, SIT ON THE SHUTTLE.

BUT NOW THEY'RE GONNA BE AT THE PARK AND RIDES.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO KIND OF CONTINUE TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE OF YOU LEAVE THE HOTEL, YOU GET TO THE PARK AND RIDE, YOU SEE IT AGAIN, YOU GET TO THE TRAILHEAD, YOU SEE IT AGAIN, UM, HOPEFULLY TO CHANGE DECISION MAKING.

UM, AND THEN I HAD TO TAKE SOME NOTES, BUT UH, WE DID TEMPORARILY ADJUST THE SERVICE HOURS FOR ROUTE 11 OF THE SEDONA SHUTTLE TRAILHEAD ROUTES AND WE TURNED OFF ROUTE 12 TEMP TEMPORARILY.

THIS HAS ALL BEEN IN EFFECT FROM JULY 31 TO SEPTEMBER ONE FOR ROUTE 11, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT, UM, GOES OUT FROM THE 89 A PARK AND RIDE TO DRY CREEK VISTA AND MESCAL TRAILHEADS, THE FIRST BUS TO TRAILHEADS REMAINS AT 7:00 AM THE LAST BUS TO THE TRAILHEADS WILL BE AT NOON.

THE LAST BUS RETURNS FROM DRY CREEK VISTA AT THREE 10.

AND THE LAST BUS RETURNS FROM MESCAL TRAILHEAD AT THREE 15.

UM, AND A BIG REASON FOR THAT WAS THAT WE HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING JUST SOME, YOU KNOW, HEAT SAFETY ISSUES IN THAT AREA.

UM, INTERESTINGLY, AND LAUREN WAS ABLE TO, I REALLY CALL THIS OUT AND IDENTIFY, WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN THE AFTERNOON ISSUES AT CATHEDRAL ROCK BECAUSE THE SUN'S BEHIND THE ROCK AT THAT POINT.

SO IT IS PROVIDING SOME SHADE.

SO JUST BRINGING YOU INTO SOME OF THE THINKING THAT WENT INTO WHY THOSE CHANGES OCCURRED.

AND UM, AT THE MOMENT WE'LL BE BACK TO REGULAR SCHEDULED SCHEDULES ON SEPTEMBER ONE.

AND THEN WE DID SEND YOU AN EMAIL ABOUT THIS AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS LATER TODAY DURING REGULAR BUSINESS.

BUT JUST WANTED TO KIND OF INCLUDE AN UPDATE THAT ON JULY 28TH, THE CITY, THE SEDONA CITY COUNCIL MET FOR A SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS AN AMENDMENT TO THE DVA CONTRACT.

AGAIN, DVA IS OUR MARKETING AGENCY THAT HELPS US WITH OUR CAMPAIGNS TO ADD $50,000 OF ADDITIONAL PAID ADVERTISING AND UP TO $10,000 OF AGENCY SLASH CREATIVE FEES TO BOLSTER THE REACH OF THE SUMMER 25 CAMPAIGN.

UM, THE AMENDMENT WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY AND WE DO HAVE A SECTION ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS IN DURING REGULAR BUSINESS.

BACK TO YOU, JOHN.

ANYTHING ELSE? ANYBODY GOT? ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO APPROVE? I DID, GO AHEAD.

I DID WANNA SAY, SORRY.

I DIDN'T WANNA SAY THAT.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

THE FIRST PAGE OF THIS AS YOU OPEN IT IS, IS THE SHUTTLE AND GETTING AROUND SEDONA.

I THINK THAT'S, MAYBE THAT'S TYPICAL BUT SUPER SMART.

AND THEN THE THIRD PAGE IS THE HIKING STUFF.

SO IT REALLY KIND OF SHOWS THE EDITORIAL PRIORITIES THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY SHARING, WHICH IS LIKE, THINK ABOUT SEDONA WITHOUT A CAR AND PLEASE PLAN YOUR HIKING RIGHT.

EFFECTIVELY AND NEEDS PEOPLE THAT YEAH, EXACTLY.

OF THE JUNE 4TH, 2025 MEETINGS, MEETING NOTES.

WE NEED APPROVAL

[3.a. Minutes from Wednesday, June 4, 2025 meeting]

DO YOU HAVE ANY CARDS? NO REGULAR

[5.a. Update on spring and summer 2025 tourism industry performance]

BUSINESS STAFF'S UPDATE.

I'LL JUST KEEP TALKING THEN.

UM, SO YEAH, SO WE WANTED TO KIND OF JUST SPEND A LITTLE TIME TALKING ABOUT TOURISM RESEARCH, BUT KIND OF MORE BROADLY BETWEEN MAY TO PRESENT OR AT LEAST MAY TILL THE END OF JULY TO SORT OF BRING YOU INTO SOME OF THE THINKING THAT WE WERE HAVING PRIOR TO THE JULY 28TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

UM, AND THEN HAPPY TO SORT OF PAUSE FOR JUST SOME GROUP DISCUSSION JUST ABOUT WHAT THIS SUMMER HAS FELT LIKE FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT.

UM, JUST WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THE WAY THAT WE CONDUCT AND KIND OF DISTRIBUTE OUR RESEARCH.

AND THEN WE'LL HAND IT OVER TO LAUREN IN THE NEXT SECTION TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE CHANGES TO THE SUMMER CAMPAIGN THAT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF CITY COUNCIL.

SO THEY'RE KIND OF CONNECTED, CONNECTED BUSINESS.

SO, UM, JUST KINDA KICK THINGS OFF HIGH LEVEL.

SO NATIONALLY THE TOURISM INDUSTRY HAS BEEN MOVING INTO A LESS CERTAIN LANDSCAPE.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN A BAD LANDSCAPE, UH, JUST MEANS THAT IT'S JUST LESS CERTAIN IS REALLY WHAT I MEAN BY THAT.

UM, AND JUST AS A RESULT OF THAT, OUR TEAM HAS BEEN CLOSELY MONITORING SEDONA TOURISM INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE.

WE ALWAYS DO, BUT WE'RE SORT OF LOOKING AT IT MORE INTENSELY JUST TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT STARTS TO RAISE, YOU KNOW, RED FLAGS FOR US OR SORT OF GIVES US CAUSE FOR CONCERN, UM, FROM MAY TO JULY.

UM, AND REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS SORT OF LIKE THREE LAYERS OF DATA, IS AT LEAST THE WAY THAT MY BRAIN'S BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT.

WE'VE GOT, UM, NATIONAL INSIGHTS AND I'LL QUICKLY PAUSE AND SAY THAT WE'VE GOT ONE OF OUR VENDORS, UM, STEVE IS HERE, UM, FROM FROM BLUE ROOM RESEARCH.

HE'S BEEN HELPING US WITH A LOT OF OUR RESEARCH PROGRAMMING.

AND AGAIN, A LOT OF OUR NATIONAL INSIGHTS ARE COMING FROM, UM, HIS ENTITY AS WELL AS OUR FRIENDS AT TOURISM ECONOMICS WITH SYMPHONY.

SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THE NATIONAL SIDE OF THINGS.

I MEAN, IS WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SEDONA, IS THAT AN ANOMALY OR ARE WE SORT OF TRENDING, TRENDING WITH WITH NATIONAL? I ALWAYS LIKE TO JOKE.

I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I'M IN A LITTLE SNOW GLOBE HERE AND IT'S NICE TO GET OUTTA THE SNOW GLOBE A LITTLE BIT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD, GOOD BROADER PERSPECTIVE.

UM,

[00:20:01]

THEN WE'VE GOT OUR MONTHLY TOURISM RESEARCH.

THAT'S WHAT I TYPICALLY SHARE WITH YOU WHEN WE, WHEN WE MEET.

UM, I WOULD ALSO SORT OF PUT THE CITY SALES AND BED TAX INTO THIS CATEGORY.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE CITY OF SEDONA STUFF.

AND THEN WE HAVE THIS THING I'M CALLING FOR TODAY, CUSTOM TOURISM RESEARCH.

BUT MAYBE THAT JUST BECOMES PART OF THE MONTHLY TOURISM RESEARCH.

BUT IT'S NEW THINGS LIKE TRAFFIC DATA.

IT'S NEW THINGS LIKE MAYBE, WE'LL I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN REPORTING ON THE WEEKLY LODGING REPORTS 'CAUSE THEY'RE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

'CAUSE THEN WE GET OUR MONTHLY REPORT THAT IS LIKE WHAT'S CONSIDERED THE FINAL.

UM, BUT WE DID START TO REALLY LOOK AT, AND YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THE WEEKLY, THE THE WEEKLY STUFF THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO.

UM, AND THEN WE ALSO CONDUCTED A SURVEY THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT HERE IN A LITTLE BIT.

UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, DOMESTIC TRAVEL UPDATE QUICKLY JUST LOOKING AT TSA SCREENINGS, THIS IS SORT OF OF TSA THROUGHPUT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, YOU KNOW, HAVING A GOOD JANUARY FEBRUARY, WHICH I THINK WE ALL SORT OF FELT.

AND THEN WE HAVE STARTED TO SEE THINGS SOFTEN SLIGHTLY IN MAY AND JUNE, AND THAT'S THROUGH JUNE 15TH.

UM, SO AGAIN, NOTHING'S FLYING OFF A CLIFF, BUT, UM, WE ARE SEEING THINGS START TO SOFTEN A LITTLE BIT.

AND THAT'S IN PHOENIX? UH, THIS IS NATIONALLY? NATIONALLY, YEAH.

YEAH, PHOENIX IS, WHEN I LOOKED AT PHOENIX IT WAS MORE LIKE, UM, THREE AND 4% DOWN.

UM, SO AGAIN, SOFTENING, BUT IT'S, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE TRAVEL IS HALTED BY ANY MEANS.

UH, AND THEN HERE'S THE INTERNATIONAL, UM, INBOUND TRAVEL UPDATES.

SO FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 30, JUST LOOKING AT INTERNATIONAL VISITS TO THE US AGAIN, CANADA HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY IMPACTED.

UM, MEXICO HAS BEEN INCREASING ACTUALLY, WHICH IS SORT OF AN, AN, AN INTERESTING ONE.

THAT'S NOT A KEY, THAT'S NOT A MAJOR MARKET FOR US.

UM, IT IS FOR OTHER PARTS OF ARIZONA THOUGH.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S WHERE YOU SEE WESTERN EUROPE, UM, AGAIN, IT'S DOWN, UM, DOWN 2% IS BASICALLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.

SO, UM, THINGS AREN'T UP EXCEPT FOR MEXICO.

UM, BUT OTHER THAN CANADA, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT'S REALLY BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY DOWN.

AND THEN QUICKLY WITH SHORT-TERM RENTALS, UM, THIS IS COMING FROM AIR DNA, UM, THEY'VE SEEN A GROWTH IN SHORT-TERM RENTAL LISTINGS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN HERE IN SEDONA.

BUT THEN I JUST WANNA CALL OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, DEMAND'S BEEN INCREASING IN SHORT TERM RENTALS, YOU KNOW, 3.1% YEAR OVER YEAR IN JUNE.

UM, JUST THAT IDEA OF OUR MORE TRYING TO LOOK AT ARE MORE TRAVELERS GOING TO SHORT TERM RENTALS VERSUS HOTELS, WHAT'S KIND OF BEEN THE SITUATION THERE? UM, BUT WITH THAT, I'LL KIND OF MOVE INTO THE MONTHLY RESEARCH FOR JUNE AND THEN COME BACK OUT TO SOME OF THE CUSTOM RESEARCH.

UM, SO QUICKLY WITH THE MONTHLY RESEARCH FOR JUNE.

UM, I'LL START WITH THE HOTEL SIDE OF THINGS.

UM, I WILL NOTE THAT JUNE TO MY KNOWLEDGE WAS THE FIRST MONTH THAT THE POCO DIABLO SUPPLY OF ROOMS HAS BEEN BROUGHT OUT OF THE CALCULATION.

SO THIS IS WHY YOU'RE SEEING OCCUPANCY DOWN ESSENTIALLY 4.6%, BUT REVENUE DOWN 9.2%.

UM, THE POCO DIABLO ROOMS CONTRIBUTED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN 5% OF THE TOTAL SUPPLY.

SO RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THAT SUPPLY'S OUT OF THE CALCULATION, OCCUPANCY, GOT AN ARTIFICIAL BOOST IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT.

SO DEMAND CAN STAY THE SAME AND OCCUPANCY WOULD GO UP.

UM, WHAT ARE THEY ACTUALLY DOING? I MEAN, I'VE, I'VE WALKED OVER THERE AND I SEE ALL STAKES ALL OVER THE PLACE.

BUT YEAH, SO, UM, THEY WERE PURCHASED BY AN ENTITY CALLED OUTBOUND.

UM, AND THAT WAS WHAT, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO OR SO? I, I, I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFIC DATE.

UM, I DO KNOW THAT, UM, THEY ARE NOW FORMALLY CLOSED WITH THE PLANS TO REOPEN IN SPRING OF 2026.

AND WE WILL BE ONE OF, WELL THAT WILL BE ONE OF FIVE OUTBOUND HOTELS IN THE US SO IT'S A KIND OF A SMALLER HOTEL BRAND CHAIN.

THAT'S FOCUSED ON SORT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, RECREATIONAL MOUNTAIN TOWN COMMUNITY.

UM, BUT UH, PHYSICALLY WHAT ARE THEY, ARE THEY ADDING A POOL? ARE THEY, YOU KNOW, UM, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, THE CURRENT POOL IS NEAR WHERE THE SPA IS.

IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROPERTY.

UM, THAT POOL WILL BE, THEY WERE GONNA BE, I THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE EXPANDING THE SPA IN THAT AREA.

AND THEN IN THE GREEN KIND OF LAWN SPACE, THEY'RE GONNA BE PUTTING A BIG INFINITY POOL.

SO THEY'RE MOVING THE POOL INTO THAT LAWN SPACE, BUT IT, THEY'LL STILL HAVE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL LAWN SPACE.

SO SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME AGAIN ON THE OCCUPANCY WITH THEM IN AND OUT NOW.

SO OCCUPANCY LOOKS BETTER THAN IT IS REALLY IS HAD POCO DIABLO STILL HAD ROOMS IN THE SUPPLY.

GOTCHA.

UM, AND THAT'S WHY TYPICALLY WHEN YOU SEE A DR RELATIVE, LET'S SAY A D R'S FLAT, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY TO SAY IT, IT'S, IT'S ONE, IT'S 1% UP.

UM, BUT BECAUSE OCCUPANCY IS AT ESSENTIALLY, I'M JUST GOING ROUND NUMBERS FIVE VERSUS 10, THAT DIFFERENCE IS BECAUSE THE SUPPLY IS LESS THIS MONTH.

SO IT'S WORSE THAN WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT THERE.

YES.

AND WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN? UM, IT WOULD'VE BEEN CLOSER TO WHAT WE SEE IN THE REVENUE DOWNS.

THAT SAME LEVEL OF DECREASE IN THE SHORT TERM RENTAL MARKET.

AND YET REALLY INTERESTING THAT OUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL DATA IS NOT SHOWING THAT.

SO HOTELIERS SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION.

AND THAT'S KIND OF THE NEXT THING I'LL GET TO IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DID, WE HAVE SEEN THE DECREASES IN THE HOTEL MARKET IN JUNE, BUT WE'RE NOT SEEING

[00:25:01]

UM, VRBO IS THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF BUSINESS, I GUESS FOR LACK OF SMALLEST AMOUNT OF, YOU KNOW, NUMBERS WE'RE GONNA SEE THERE.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO SEE VRBO KIND OF BE THE, THE LEADER HERE, AT LEAST WITH THE DATA THAT WE HAVE.

I WILL ALWAYS STRESS THAT, UM, THE SCRAPED DATA FOR THE SECOND ROW AND THE THIRD ROW IS PUBLICLY PULLED FROM A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE LISTINGS ON AIRBNB AND VRBO.

IF IT'S OWNER OCCUPIED OR BLACKED OUT BY THE OWNER WHILE ALSO LISTED AS ACTIVE, IT WILL GENERATE IT AS A REVENUE BOOKING.

UM, THERE COULD BE SOME DOUBLE COUNTING BETWEEN THESE TWO, BUT, UM, WE DON'T HAVE A BETTER WAY TO REPORT ON THIS.

IF ANYTHING, WE'RE OVERREPORTING WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE SHORT TERM RENTAL MARKET.

UM, BUT THAT'S INTERESTING.

SORRY.

SO IF THEY BLACK OUT, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY BOOKED, BUT IF THEY BLACK IT OUT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT.

IF IT'S, IF IT'S ACTIVE AND NOT AVAILABLE TO BOOK, IT IS CONSIDERED OKAY.

A REVENUE GENERATED.

SO THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE CAVEAT THERE.

UM, AGAIN, THE CAVEAT WITH THIS, WITH THE HOTEL DATA IS THAT ONLY 70% OF THE ROOMS ARE IN THAT STUDY AREA.

SO THERE'S JUST, EVERYTHING'S GOT CAVEATS TO IT.

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.

YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S AGAIN WHY WE WAIT FOR CITY CELLS AND BED TAX TO REALLY STATE IT.

BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO CAVEATS TO THAT TOO, RIGHT.

SO .

TRUE.

UM, AND AGAIN, I THINK ANOTHER WAY LOOK AT IT TOO IS YOU'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT TRENDS, LIKE TRENDS EACH MONTH BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL ROWS IS ANOTHER WAY TO KIND OF LOOK AT IT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THAT SORT OF LIKE LONGITUDAL VANTAGE POINT? UM, AND HERE WE HAVE SEDONA PLUS PLUS VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK PLUS HOTEL MOTEL.

I THINK AGAIN, JUST WHAT I'LL CALL OUT IS THAT WE'RE SEEING, SEEING JUST A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF YEAR OVER YEAR PERFORMANCE BETWEEN THESE TWO MARKETS.

I THINK WHEN I WAS PRESENTING THIS LAST FALL, WE SAW A DIFFERENT TREND WHERE SEDONA WAS ALWAYS KIND OF UP YEAR OVER YEAR.

VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK WAS ALWAYS KIND OF DOWN YEAR OVER YEAR.

I THINK THE THING I'LL JUST CALL OUT IS A DR BETWEEN THESE TWO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, AT LEAST IN MAY, A DR WAS 4 0 2 AND SEDONA AND TWO 20 IN VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK.

THERE'S REALLY A DIFFERENT HOTEL MARKET BETWEEN THOSE TWO.

BUT IT'S JUST NICE TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK SEEMS TO BE DOING BETTER YEAR OVER YEAR THAN SEDONA RIGHT NOW.

WE SAW WAS THAT REVENUES WERE DOWN AT THE HOTELS, UM, BUT THEY WERE UP AT THE SHORT TERM RENTALS DUE TO ADRS ACTUALLY BEING KIND OF THE REASON WHY WITHIN THE SHORT TERM RENTALS THEY'VE BEEN CHARGING MORE.

UM, HERE'S YOUR FOUR MONTH OUTLOOK.

AGAIN, THERE'S CAVEATS WITH THIS TOO, LINDSAY.

UM, THIS IS A SMALLER SAMPLE SIZE.

UM, BUT THIS IS JUST A WAY TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THE BOOKINGS LOOKING IN THE FUTURE.

UM, I WILL SAY JUST DIRECTLY TO THE GROUP COMMITTED THERE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT, UM, POCO DIABLO IS NOT REPORTING OR WAS NOT REPORTING INTO THIS STUDY AREA.

SO WHEN THEY HAD TO CANCEL THEIR GROUP CONTRACTS 'CAUSE THEY CLOSED, ONE WOULD ASSUME THOSE GOT TAKEN UP BY OTHER SEDONA PROPERTIES THAT WOULD BE REPORTING.

THAT WOULD BE MY BEST GUESS FOR WHY WE SEE SOME OF THE HIGH NUMBERS IN KIND OF JULY AND AUGUST, UM, FOR KINDA GROUP COMMITTED.

AND THEN HERE'S VISITOR SPENDING.

UM, AGAIN, WE'RE PRETTY FLAT JUNE, 2025 AT LEAST IN THIS, IN THIS DATA SET.

UM, JUST TO KINDA SHOW YOU WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON THAT ONE.

UM, THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME WE SHOW THIS SPECIFIC TYPE OF CREDIT CARD DATA.

WE ARE GONNA BE INGESTING VISA CREDIT CARD DATA WITH SYMPHONY AS PER THEIR RECOMMENDATION STARTING SEPTEMBER OR FOR THE SEPTEMBER REPORT.

I GUESS THE BEST WAY TO PUT THAT.

COOL.

AND I JUST WANT TO KIND OF SHARE WITH YOU, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I I KEPT SAYING WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS MORE, MORE CLOSELY AS WE GO INTO SOME OF OUR, SOME OF OUR NEED TIMES, RIGHT? I, I'M NOT LOOKING AT THIS AS CLOSELY DURING OUR HIGH TIMES 'CAUSE WE'RE MORE FOCUSED ON OUR EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF IT.

BUT JUST SAYING, OKAY, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND, HOW DO WE TRY TO LOOK THROUGH THE FUTURE WITH DATA SETS THAT REQUIRE CAVEATS, RIGHT? IS SORT OF THE CHALLENGE HERE.

SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF OUR APPROACH TO RESEARCH TO CAPITAL, TO, TO CAPTURE ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS.

UM, THIS INCLUDES ADVANCED LODGING DATA.

THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY REALLY LOOKING AT THE WEEKLY DATA MORE THAN, MORE THAN WE TRADITIONALLY HAVE BEEN.

UM, LOOKING AT THAT CITY OF SEDONA TRAFFIC DATA, UM, WHICH I THINK I, YOU YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT FOR OTHER PURPOSES IN THE PAST.

AND THEN, UM, THIS NEW OPPORTUNITY OF WHAT I LIKE TO CALL COMMUNITY LISTENING, WHICH IS, UM, MEETING WITH BUSINESSES AND ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS, WHICH ARE TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, OFF THE RECORD, BUT THEN ALSO HAVING ANONYMOUS SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED TO TRY TO GIVE US INFORMATION THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED ESSENTIALLY ON THE RECORD.

UM, SO ADVANCED LODGING DATA, JUST WANNA KINDA WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE STUFF, UM, THE TEAM IS DOING TO KINDA LEAD UP TO OUR MEETING WITH CITY COUNCIL IN, IN, IN JULY.

SO YOU'VE SORT OF SEEN EVERYTHING SEPARATE, BUT WITH OUR BEST ABILITY TO JUST LOOK AT REVENUE AND DEMAND WITHIN THE THREE DIFFERENT LODGING TYPES THAT WE HAVE DATA FOR.

SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE IS PRETTY MUCH SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WERE SEEING ON THE PREVIOUS LODGING SLIDE, BUT IT'S SEDONA PLUS IS THE HOTEL.

VRBO IS THE SCRAPED VRBO DATA AND AIRBNB IS THE SCRAPED AIRBNB DATA HERE.

WE PULLED UP REVENUES BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025 AND THEN DEMAND AND GUEST NIGHTS.

THEY'RE CALLED DIFFERENT THINGS BETWEEN HOTEL MOTEL AND SHORT-TERM RENTALS, UM, FOR MAY AND JUNE WITHIN THOSE.

UM, AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT

[00:30:01]

UM, AND THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT.

UM, BUT WHAT I'LL KIND OF SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT, YOU KNOW, A DR IS WHAT REALLY LED THE REVENUES IN MAY AND JUNE TO BE, YOU KNOW, HIGHER YEAR OVER YEAR, BUT DEMAND WAS DOWN, YOU KNOW, 4.3 AT LEAST WITHIN THIS DATA SET, RIGHT? THIS ISN'T ALL HOTELS.

WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME ISSUES WITH THE SCRAPE DATA, BUT ESSENTIALLY IT STARTS TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LESS PEOPLE STAYING OVERNIGHT, AT LEAST WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE, RIGHT? UM, IF ANYTHING, THERE'S LESS PEOPLE STAYING AT THE SHORT TERM RENTALS THAN WE'RE BOOKING.

SO THAT NUMBER COULD ACTUALLY BE FURTHER DOWN, BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO REALLY DETERMINE WHAT THAT IS.

UM, AND THEN AGAIN, THIS IS WHAT WE PULLED, I I NOW HAVE ALL OF JULY OBVIOUSLY, BUT I, WHEN WE PULLED IT FOR JULY ONE TO JULY 19, SAME EXERCISE.

AND AGAIN, KIND OF THAT SIMILAR TREND OF, YOU KNOW, REVENUES ARE TECHNICALLY SORT OF UP, BUT THERE'S LESS PEOPLE.

AND WHAT THAT TELLS ME IS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T JUST SERVICE THE LODGING COMMUNITY, WE'RE ALSO SERVING ALL TOURISM BUSINESSES.

SO TO ME, LESS PEOPLE MEANS LESS PEOPLE, LESS FOOT TRAFFIC IN UPTOWN, LESS PEOPLE BOOKING TOURS, LESS PEOPLE GOING TO RESTAURANTS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

SO THAT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY HERE.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE REVENUE THAT'S COLLECTED AT THE HOTELS, IT'S REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT ARE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN SEDONA THAT, YOU KNOW, WILL BE SPENDING THEIR DOLLARS HERE.

UM, AND THEN WE ALSO, UM, HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UM, INCREASINGLY SO, UM, TO REALLY WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF OUR TRAFFIC DATA.

UM, AGAIN, TRAFFIC DATA DOES NOT ALWAYS CORRELATE TO SPEND DATA.

IT'S JUST ANOTHER THING WE HAVE TO START TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, MOVEMENTS AND KIND OF FLOWS.

SO, UM, YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THIS FROM THE TIME WE REPORTED ON IT WITH KIND OF WAIT TIMES OR THE, UH, INCONVENIENCE THRESHOLD AS I LIKE TO CALL IT, UM, THAT WE SET UP.

BUT, UM, 1 79 NORTH IS COMING ESSENTIALLY FROM LIKE BELL ROCK BOULEVARD UP TO THE Y UM, 89 A NORTH IS COMING, YOU KNOW, DOWN COOKS HILL TO THE Y AND THEN 89 SOUTH IS COMING FROM THE TROUT FARM TO THE Y ESSENTIALLY.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE SAW, YOU KNOW, GOOD TRAFFIC NUMBERS IN, IN MAY.

UM, JUNE WE SAW A PRETTY LARGE DECREASE IN TRAFFIC NUMBERS.

AND THEN, UM, IN JULY WE'VE SEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, A SLIGHT INCREASE, BUT MOSTLY JUST IN THAT 89 A NORTH.

AND I WONDER TOO IF THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT JUST ACROSS THE BOARD.

I WONDER IF THAT'S MORE PEOPLE ARE TAKING TWO 60 INTO TOWN IS SORT OF 1 1 1 ASSUMPTION THAT ONE COULD MAKE OR ONE SORT OF INFERENCE THAT ONE CAN MAKE.

SO, SO AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER DATA SET THAT WE HAVE ACCESS TO, TO LOOK AT VOLUMES OF PEOPLE HERE IN TOWN.

COULD IT BE MORE PEOPLE GOING TO FLAGSTAFF? YEAH, IT COULD ALSO BE DRIVE-THROUGH TRAFFIC AS WELL.

I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I SEE BOB WHEN I TALK TO, UM, SOME OF OUR GEOLOCATION PROVIDERS BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW SALES TAX IS DOWN IN THE SUMMER, BUT WHEN I TALK TO THE GEOLOCATION PROVIDERS, THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT DEVICE COUNTS AREN'T AS BAD AS YOU WOULD THINK LOOKING AT THE SALES TAX.

UM, I WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH THEM TO SORT OF, THEIR, THEIR ALGORITHMS ARE ALSO KIND OF JUICING THE SUMMERS.

'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN MOST DESTINATIONS ARE BUSY.

AND SO WE'RE SORT OF AN ANOMALY WITH THEM, WHICH IS WHY I WAS SORT OF GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM.

BUT, UM, THERE ARE MORE FAMILIES TRAVELING IN THE SUMMERTIME AND THEY'RE MORE TYPICALLY DRIVING THROUGH US.

SO WE MIGHT SEE THE CAR TRAFFIC, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE SEEING THE SPEND.

YOU KNOW, SIX WERE UP, TWO WERE FLAT, SEVEN WERE DOWN IN REVENUE IN JUNE, THREE WERE UP 12, WERE DOWN, DOWN IN REVENUE IN MAY FOUR WERE UP, ONE WAS FLAT, SIX WERE DOWN IN PROFIT IN JUNE, TWO WERE UP, ONE WAS FLAT AND EIGHT WERE DOWN IN PROFIT.

UM, WOULD BE WHAT I'VE TAKEN AWAY AFTER TALKING TO A LOT OF THESE DATA FOLKS.

BUT AGAIN, THAT'S JUST ONE OTHER VARIABLE TO THROW INTO THE THROW INTO THE SOUP, YOU KNOW.

UM, AND THEN AGAIN, WE STARTED, WE STARTED COMMUNITY LISTENING.

I THINK WE'VE BEEN DOING IT, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE REALLY DID IT IN A WAY THAT WE STARTED REALLY TRULY REPORTING ON.

UM, SO, UH, OUR TEAM IS COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING FEEDBACK LOOPS WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

I THINK IT'S REALLY JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN BEST SERVE THEM AND REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW TO STRUCTURE OUR PROGRAM TO, TO, TO MOST BENEFIT THEM.

UM, WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DOING IS THESE IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES.

I'VE DONE QUITE A FEW, MANY PEOPLE ON THE TEAM HAVE DONE THEM.

WE ALSO LEAN ON OUR PARTNERS WITH THE SEDONA CHAMBER AND THE SEDONA LAUNCHING COUNCIL TO SAY, HEY, CAN YOU, CAN YOU ASK YOUR MEMBERS? YOU KNOW, UM, KIND OF WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE STATE OF THE UNION? AND A LOT OF THAT COMES BACK TO US AGAIN, ANONYMIZED AND SORT OF OFF THE RECORD.

UM, BUT THEN WE DID ADMINISTER OUR FIRST SEDONA BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND OUTLOOK SURVEY IN JULY TO REALLY SAY, OKAY, WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THIS IN THE DATA.

IT'S TYPICALLY MORE THAN WE, IT'S EARLIER THAN WE, THAN WE TYPICALLY REPORT IT.

UM, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY? 'CAUSE AGAIN, TRAFFIC DOESN'T RELATE TO SPEND, YOU KNOW, LODGING REVENUE DOESN'T RELATE TO SPEND AT OTHER SECTORS, RIGHT? SO JUST SORT OF REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THIS.

SO WE DID ADMINISTER AN ANONYMOUS SURVEY THAT RECEIVED RESPONSES FROM 15 BUSINESS OWNERS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS THAT INDICATED THAT, UM, IN MAY,

[00:35:01]

YOU START TO SEE THAT TREND OF THINGS STARTED TO SLOW DOWN FROM THE RESPONDENTS IN JUNE.

UM, AND THEN YEAR TO DATE, UM, COMPARED TO THE SAME TIME PERIOD, FIVE WERE UP, NINE WERE DOWN, UM, A YEAR TO DATE FOR JUNE THREE WE'RE UP, TWO WERE DOWN, SIX WERE DOWN, TWO WERE FLAT, AND SIX WERE DOWN.

SO WE STARTED JUST TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF MAY SEEMED TO BE PERFORMING PRETTY WELL AS WE GOT INTO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUNE THINGS STARTED TO ESSENTIALLY SLOW DOWN FOR FOLKS.

UM, WE SEE THIS AS THE START OF SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO EXPLORE FURTHER AS IT RELATES TO SEDONA TOURISM BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND OUTLOOK SURVEYS.

UM, I'VE DONE THESE WITH COMMUNITIES ALL ACROSS COLORADO WHEN I WAS WORKING THERE.

UM, INITIAL THINKING FOR US WOULD BE JUST TO HAVE A QUARTERLY PULSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING SUPER SIMPLE THAT JUST SAYS, HEY, WHAT SECTOR ARE YOU? WHAT'S, WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE? WHERE'S IT GOING? UM, AND JUST HAVING THAT KIND OF LOCKED IN LOADED FOR US, UM, JUST AS ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN START TO GET SOME INFORMATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO THINGS LOOK LIKE NOW BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO GET BETTER AT MAKING REAL TIME DECISIONS, BUT IF WE WAIT FOR A MONTHLY RESEARCH TO COME OUT, WE'RE 45 TO 60 DAYS BEHIND, RIGHT? SO, AND SOMETIMES THAT'S GOOD.

YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE STUFF THAT YOU REALLY TRUST, BUT WHAT ARE THOSE NEW WAYS TO OPEN UP MORE ACCESS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND? YEAH.

SO I GUESS THAT'S JUST KIND OF A QUICK UPDATE ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF SPRING, LATE SPRING, SUMMER PERFORMANCE, THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, HOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THEM.

UM, I WOULD LOVE TO JUST HEAR, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS OR REFLECTIONS FROM, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS ON THE TAB ABOUT HOW THIS SPRING AND SUMMER HAVE BEEN GOING.

UM, AND EVEN JUST IDEAS ON HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR RESEARCH PROGRAM.

UM, I'LL SPEAK OUR BUSINESS.

UM, WE HAVE A PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND WE WERE A PART OF THE, UM, HEAT ADVISORY, UM, WARNINGS.

WE WERE ASKED TO SEND THAT OUT TO OUR CLIENTS AND THAT WAS A LOVELY, UM, RESOURCE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY WELL DONE.

UM, THE ONLY THING THAT CAME TO MIND WAS MAYBE PUTTING SOME REMINDER FOR PETS, LIKE PET SAFETY.

I DON'T, I REALIZE THAT WASN'T ON THERE.

UM, BUT THAT WAS JUST AWESOME.

AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER CAVEAT, UM, THAT I HAD WAS WHEN AS A SMALL BUSINESS WE WERE ASKED TO MEET, IT WAS JULY.

AND, AND JUST IN BEING IN SEDONA FOR A WHILE, BECAUSE IT IS SO HOT, WE DO TRY TO GET OUT OF TOWN IN JULY.

SO I LOVE THE QUARTERLY IDEA AND JUST, IT WAS HARD.

IT WAS JUST LIKE THE ONE TIME WE WERE OUT OF TOWN.

SO THAT KIND OF, AGAIN, THAT'S OVER MONTH FOR US.

SO, UM, BUT I JUST, I THINK REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, JUST YOU'RE BEING SO CREATIVE AND YOUR OUTLOOK IS REALLY DIVERSIFIED, UM, KINDA IN HOW YOU'RE APPROACHING DIFFERENT GROUPS.

SO, UM, AND I WOULD JUST ADD ONE LITTLE, WE HAVE A 30 DAY, UM, FURNISHED RENTAL SPACE, WHICH KIND OF ISN'T SHOWN.

AND I'LL SAY WE ARE SEEING SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH THERE.

SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT, UM, UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE LIKE STRONG FINANCIAL BACKING, YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF SHORT TERM RENTALS GO TO THE SALES MARKET, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE SAME NUMBERS.

YOU ARE SEEING THESE BLACKED OUT TIMES AND YOU'RE NOT REALLY GETTING THAT FULL PICTURE.

UM, AND OR YOU'RE SEEING HOMES CONVERT TO A 30 DAY OR A LONG-TERM MODEL.

AND FORTUNATELY OR UNFORTUNATELY, THE PRICES ARE RAISING, SO THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO COVER COST AT WHAT SOME OF THOSE FURNISHED 30 DAY SPACES ARE.

WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN 30 DAY HOUSING THAT IS WAITING TO BUY.

SO THAT PRICE POINT IS PROBABLY LOWER WHEN WHAT THE MORTGAGE MIGHT BE.

SO IT'S JUST A, JUST TO KIND OF MENTION THAT OTHER SPACE, UM, THAT IS SHOWING A LOT OF GROWTH MORE THAN OUR JULY WAS THE BEST WE'VE HAD IN SIX YEARS.

SO JUST KIND OF RANDOM THINGS THAT ARE SHOWING GROWTH.

I THINK AS A BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE REALLY APPRECIATED THAT YOU GUYS TOOK THE FORESIGHT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S, IT'S BEEN A HORRIBLE SUMMER, I'LL JUST PUT IT THAT WAY, UM, FOR OUR SEVEN BUSINESSES ACROSS THE BOARD.

UM, EVEN ONE THAT WE'VE BEEN SETTING RECORD NUMBERS UP UNTIL THIS YEAR.

UM, AND IT'S SUBSTANTIAL.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

I JUST, I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE QUARTERLY.

I THINK WE NEED TO STAY AHEAD OF THIS MORE.

I, I APPRECIATE THAT WE, WE DID IT AND YOU GUYS ACTED AND WENT TO

[00:40:01]

COUNCIL AND GOT EVERYTHING APPROVED.

SO GREAT JOB ON THAT.

BUT FOR NEXT YEAR, IF WE CAN BE PLANNING AND THINKING ABOUT THAT NOW THAT WE'RE, WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN JUST REACTIVE IN THESE SITUATIONS, WHICH I KNOW IS HARD TO DO, BUT IF WE HAVE SOMETHING IN OUR BACK POCKET THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO JUST IMPLEMENT IF YOU SEE THINGS GOING THAT WAY OR, UM, THAT WOULD MAYBE BE MY SUGGESTION.

UM, BUT AS A BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE JUST REALLY APPRECIATED THAT YOU GUYS ARE CREATING THIS, UM, ARENA FOR US TO GET INFORMATION BACK AND FORTH.

UM, WE HAD TRIED TO BRING SOMETHING TO YOU ALL TODAY, UM, ABOUT CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND STARTING TO, UM, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE NEXT YEAR SO THAT IT DIDN'T HAVE TO FEEL SO CHAOTIC, AT LEAST FOR US ON THE BACK END.

AND I JUST COULDN'T GET ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER IN TIME FOR TODAY'S MEETING.

I HOPE TO BRING SOMETHING IN SEPTEMBER WHERE WE CAN HAVE, UM, A DISCUSSION ON WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND TO CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE THAT, UM, A MORE STREAMLINED PROCESS SHOULD WE NEED TO DIP INTO THAT CONTINGENCY FUND AGAIN.

GREAT.

NO, I THINK I HAVE TO ECHO, I THINK IT WAS A GREAT DECISION TO GO TO COUNCIL AND I THINK YOU'RE REACTING TO IT WAS GREAT AND I THINK GETTING IN THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED THE BUSINESSES WAS A, WAS A GREAT STEP.

SHOWING UP, WE'RE LISTENING AND DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS A, AS A BOARD.

SO GOOD.

WE'RE GOOD.

HOW TO YOU, LAUREN? OKAY.

UM, SO

[5.b. Summer 2025 destination marketing campaign update]

I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, ANDREW TOUCHED ON A LOT OF THIS.

UM, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE BACKGROUND, UM, AND JUST FILL YOU IN A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH SOME OF THE DETAILS.

AS YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE ORIGINAL SUMMER CAMPAIGN STRATEGY.

UM, IT WAS A TOTAL OF $163,582.

UM, WE SPENT THAT IN PAID SEARCH, META IN-MARKET MA ADS, META OUT OF MARKET ADS, ATTRIBUTION, WEBSITE ADS AND ATTRIBUTION CTV ADS.

UM, THE OUT OF MARKET ADS GO TO PHOENIX, LA TUCSON, SAN FRANCISCO, VEGAS, SAN DIEGO, CHICAGO, SEATTLE, DENVER AND DALLAS.

UM, SO REGARDING INITIAL RESULTS, IT SHOWED A, IT'S, SO FAR WE'VE SHOWN A POSITIVE ROI, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT TOO SOON TO REPORT ON ANYTHING, UM, THAT I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE, UM, SHARING WITH YOU IN CASE IT CHANGES OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

UM, BUT THE ONE THING WAS THAT, UH, WE COULD SEE HOW THE INDIVIDUAL MARKETS WERE, UM, FAIRING AND SO SEATTLE AND DENVER WERE PERFORMING THE WORST, NOT SURPRISING, THEY'RE THE FURTHEST MARKETS AWAY.

UM, AND THEN PHOENIX, LA AND TUCSON ARE PERFORMING THE BEST ALSO.

NOT SURPRISING.

UM, OH, YEP, YOUR SCREEN.

UM, SO AFTER HEARING FROM BUSINESSES THAT JUNE WAS PARTICULARLY SLOWER THAN NORMAL IN COLLECTING SOME DATA THAT SAID THAT THE COMBINED MAY, 2025 SALES AND BED TAX WAS LOWER THAN MAY, 2024, OUR TRAFFIC DATA, YOU'RE GOOD.

NO, IT'S FINE TO STAY THERE.

UM, OUR TRAFFIC DATA IN JUNE, UM, 2025 SHOWED LESS CARS IN SEDONA COMPARED TO JUNE, 2024.

THAT'S WHAT ANDREW JUST SHOWED YOU.

BUSINESSES WERE SEEING A DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY ON BOTH REVENUE AND PROFIT IN MAY AND JUNE.

UM, LIKE YOU JUST SAW.

AND THEN ALSO LIKE YOU JUST SAW THE HOTEL AND SHORT TERM RENTAL DEMAND WAS DOWN 4.4 0.3%.

SO AS ANDREW SAID, LESS ROOMS BOOKED MEANS LESS PEOPLE MEANS LESS FOOT TRAFFIC IN OUR BUSINESSES.

SO WE WENT TO CITY COUNCIL, WE ASKED FOR THAT EXTRA 60 K, 50,000 OF THAT WOULD BE SPENT IN THE ADVERTISING, UM, TO GET PEOPLE TO COME HERE NOW WITH ADS THAT FEATURED, UM, COOLED OFF IMAGERY THAT WE JUST SHOT THIS SUMMER.

AND THEN, UM, AS HE SAID, THEY UNANIMOUS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE SPEND.

UM, SO THEY APPROVED THE FOLLOWING STRATEGY FOR THE EXTRA MONEY.

THAT'S 15,000 FOR A BANNER AT THE PHOENIX AIRPORT.

UM, THAT'S IN TERMINAL FOUR ABOVE THE ESCALATOR AS YOU'RE GOING DOWN INTO BAGGAGE CLAIM.

AND THEN 35,000 FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING.

SO THAT WOULD BE 20,000 FOR THE ATTRIBUTION DIGITAL AND CTV ADS FOR EXPANDED REACH AND FREQUENCY, 12,000 TO META FOR EXPANDED REACH AND FREQUENCY AND THREE K UM, FOR PAID SEARCH AND EXPANDED REACH AND FREQUENCY.

SO MORE SPECIFICALLY WILL REALLOCATE THE EXISTING MONEY AWAY FROM SEATTLE AND DENVER.

SO WE'RE, WE'VE PULLED OUT OF THOSE MARKETS ALTOGETHER.

AND THEN, UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, SO WE'LL, OKAY, LEMME SEE IF I CAN EXPLAIN THIS WITHOUT BEING CONFUSING.

UM, AND THEN WE'LL ADD THE EXTRA 30 5K TO THE REST OF THE DRIVE MARKETS, KEEPING THE SPEND IN SAN FRANCISCO AND DALLAS THE SAME.

SO WE DIDN'T PULL OUTTA SAN FRANCISCO AND DALLAS, BUT WE ALSO DIDN'T, WE DID TWO

[00:45:01]

THINGS.

WE PULLED OUT OF DENVER AND SEATTLE AND TOOK THAT MONEY AND PUT IT IN OUR DRIVE MARKETS AND THEN WE TOOK THE 30 5K AND WE PUT IT INTO OUR DRIVE MARKETS.

AND SAN FRANCISCO AND DALLAS KEPT WITH THE SAME SPEND THAT WE HAD ALWAYS PLANNED ON SPENDING.

THE REASON FOR THAT IS I JUST WANTED PEOPLE HERE IN AUGUST.

THAT WAS THE MAIN GOAL FOR THAT.

SO HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF THE CREATIVE.

OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I JUST WENT OVER.

UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THE FAMILY ON THE RIGHT THERE.

SHE KEPT SAYING, WE WANT MORE FAMILIES.

AND WE WERE LIKE, WOW, YOU'RE HIRED.

WE'RE LOOKING AT YOU .

NO.

UM, AND THEN HERE'S THE AIRPORT BANNER.

UM, WHICH WAS PRETTY FUN.

I WISH ALTHEA WAS HERE, UM, BECAUSE I DID NOT TELL HER ABOUT THIS.

AND SHE CAME IN FROM HER FLIGHT AND LOOKED UP AS SHE WENT INTO BAGGAGE CLAIM AND WAS VERY SURPRISED TO SEE HERSELF, UM, UP ON THE SCREEN.

SO TALKING ABOUT WINTER CAMPAIGN STRATEGY, UM, WE'RE REALLY IN THE EARLY PHASES OF EVERYTHING.

UM, SO I'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU IN SEPTEMBER, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU A COUPLE THINGS THAT WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF WE CAN GET SOME DIRECTION ON THESE TWO THINGS, UM, IT WOULD HELP US A LOT.

AND THAT IS, DO YOU SUPPORT CONTINUING THE REDEFINED DESERT CAMPAIGN? UM, AS YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE APPROVED THAT, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 18 MONTHS TO TWO YEARS THAT WE WERE KEEPING THAT.

SO WE'RE STILL IN THAT TIME WINDOW.

UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHERE OUR MIND IS, MIND IS AT, WE HAVE JUST HAD INTERNAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO TO, UM, PITCH OURSELVES, STAY WITHIN THE REDEFINED DESERT CAMPAIGN, BUT PITCH OURSELVES AS, UM, A COMPETITION TO, OKAY, MAYBE YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO YOUR ITALY VACATION 'CAUSE YOU'RE A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS ABOUT THE POLITICAL CLIMATE, OR MAYBE YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOUR INVESTMENTS AND YOU'RE UNSURE ABOUT THE STABILITY OF THAT.

UM, SO IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT, THEN COME TO SEDONA BECAUSE IT'S A INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE RIVAL OURSELVES WITH, UM, HAVING A, UM, AN OUT OF COUNTRY EXPERIENCE, BUT YOU GET TO, TO STAY, STAY RELATIVELY LOCAL.

SO JUST KNOW THAT'S WHERE OUR HEAD'S AT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT TRANSLATES IN, INTO ANYTHING YET, BUT JUST SOME, SOME CONCEPTS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.

AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU ALL IS, DO YOU SUPPORT LAUNCHING THE CAMPAIGN SOONER? SOONER AND STAGGERING THE FLIGHT MARKETS UP TO SIX WEEK, SIX WEEKS EARLIER THAN THE DRIVE MARKETS? I KNOW THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UM, PREVIOUSLY, WE JUST HAVEN'T BEEN SPECIFIC ENOUGH AS HANGING AN ACTUAL NUMBER ON IT.

UM, IF YOU, IF YOU ACCOUNT FOR THAT, THAT MEANS OUR ADS WOULD GO INTO MARKET, UM, FOR OUR FLIGHT MARKETS.

THEY'D GO IN, UM, DURING BUSY SEASON.

UM, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL WERE OKAY WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST A COUPLE WEEKS, IT'S NOT TWO AND A HALF WEEKS.

IT'S UH, IT'S AN ENTIRE SIX WEEKS THAT WE'RE THINKING SO THAT THEY COME HERE DURING WHEN WE WANT THEM TO COME RATHER THAN, UM, YOU KNOW, LAUNCHING THE CAMPAIGN IN NOVEMBER AND THEN THEY DON'T COME UNTIL FEBRUARY.

UM, SO THAT WAS, THAT'S THE THINKING AND WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT, UM, THE TIME HORIZON FOR DECIDING WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GO ON A VACATION AND THEN WHERE YOU'RE GOING? YEAH, I MEAN WE'VE, WE'VE GOT, I'VE SEEN NUMBERS IN THE PAST, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE.

YEAH, THEY'VE BEEN SHORTENING AND IT KIND OF STINKS IF YOU ASK ANY HOTELIER.

I WISH WE HAD ONE HERE.

UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING FOR THEM, UM, BECAUSE THAT BOOKING WINDOW HAS BEEN CLOSING.

BUT, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY FOR THE DRIVE MARKETS.

I STILL THINK FOR FLIGHT MARKETS YOU'RE LOOKING AT SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS, UM, AT LEAST TO BOOK YOUR TRIP.

NO, I'D AGREE WITH THE GOING OUT SIX WEEKS FOR THOSE FLIGHT MARKETS.

I'M JUST THINKING THAT WE, WE HAVE TO GO AT LEAST SIX WEEKS BEFORE I COMPLETELY AM BEHIND THE STAGGERED APPROACH.

UM, I THINK WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE LUXURY CONSUMER THAT WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THEY BOOKED WELL IN ADVANCE.

UM, SO I AGREE THAT FOR THAT FLIGHT MARKET, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT THAT KIND OF PERSON, THAT IT DOES NEED TO BE STAGGERED AND GO OUT A LOT EARLIER.

I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA HOP ON A PLANE AND COME THAT WEEKEND.

UM, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE MEETINGS AND THEY'RE GONNA BE TOO BUSY.

UM, THE REDEFINE DESERT CONCEPT THAT'S JUST GONNA BE THE SAME AS WHAT WE'RE DOING WHERE IT'S LIKE REDEFINE AFTERNOON NAP AND REDEFINE THIS AND THAT.

SO I'M FINE WITH CONTINUING WITH THAT FOR THE TIME BEING.

[00:50:02]

WE'RE SEEING THAT SAME THING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THAT THE HIGHER END CUSTOMER DEFINITELY STILL BOOKING LATE, THEY'RE STILL BOOKING IN THEIR SAME WINDOW.

THE, AND THEN THE, THE ONES THAT ARE DRIVING ARE DEFINITELY TAKING IT A LOT CLOSER IN.

WE'RE SEEING THE SAME THING WITH OUR BOOKINGS AND OUR HOTELS.

SO I, I AGREE WITH GOING OUT WITH TWO APPROACHES OF SIX WEEKS OUT FOR THOSE FLIGHT ONES.

'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA COME AND THEN THE DRIVES RELEASE IT WHEN WE'RE LIKE, WE'VE BEEN DOING, AND I'M FINE WITH THE SAME THING WITH THE REDEFINED CAMPAIGN.

TO ME, I'D RATHER GET THE MONEY IN FRONT OF THE GUEST.

AND SO THE CAMPAIGN SEEMS TO BE WORKING WELL FOR US AND IT LOOKS GOOD.

SO RATHER THAN RE SPEND ANY MONEY REDEVELOPING A CAMPAIGN, I'D RATHER PUT THE MONEY OUT THERE IN FRONT OF THE, THE POTENTIAL GUEST.

I I ALSO ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THE CAMPAIGN.

I THINK IT'S THE IMAGE THAT WE, THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE THAT I, AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THOSE COOL PICTURES DID LOOK SUPER COOL MM-HMM .

UH, WHICH IT IS NOT OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW, BUT YEAH.

UH, SO I THINK THE, I LIKE THE CAMPAIGN AND I FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOT SO MUCH DATA NOW THAT AS IF WE CAN BE MORE, UH, INTENTIONAL ABOUT THE WAYS THAT WE TARGET THE BETTER WE'LL BE YEAH.

WHICH WE'VE SEEN WITH BEING ABLE TO TURN OFF CERTAIN MARKETS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BE DONE BEFORE.

SO THAT'S A PRETTY COOL TOOL THAT WE HAVE IN OUR BACK POCKET.

WHY, WHY COULDN'T YOU DO IT BEFORE? JUST, UM, IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT THE, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DID OKAY.

WAS TURN OFF MARKETS MIDWAY THROUGH AND, YOU KNOW, PIVOT IN THAT TYPE OF WAY.

SO, SO AS FAR AS, UM, THE REDEFINE, UH, CAMPAIGN, YOU WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT, UM, YOUR, YOUR THOUGHTS ON, ON THE INTERNATIONAL MM-HMM .

YOU KNOW, I, I KIND OF LIKE THAT IDEA.

UM, WAS THAT IN INSTEAD OF, OR NO, IT WOULD BE STICKING WITHIN THE REDEFINED CONCEPT, BUT KIND OF PUTTING THAT LENS OVER IT.

I, I REALLY THINK THAT'S A GREAT DIRECTION.

WE AREN'T SURE HOW THAT TRANSLATES REALLY, BUT IT'S JUST WHAT THE TWO OF US TALKED ABOUT OF WE CAN SEE THAT AS A MARKET THAT NEEDS TO BE FILLED.

AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE IN LIKE THE, THE LEARNING OUTCOME.

AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET TO THE LEARNING OUTCOME.

BUT IT'S, DON'T GO TO TUSCANY DRINK WINE IN THE VERDE VALLEY.

DON'T HIKE THE DOLOMITES HIKE IN THE SEVEN CANYONS AREA.

YOU KNOW, LIKE JUST, BUT WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT YET WITH THE REDEFINE, BUT THAT'S PART OF THE BRIEF WE'RE GONNA BE PUTTING AGAINST OURSELVES.

WELL REDEFINE AN EXOTIC LOCATION.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL OR .

AND I NOTHING AGAINST ITALY, BY THE WAY.

SO , HAVE WE PUT ANY THOUGHT INTO UM, REDEFINING FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS CANADA CAMPAIGN? THAT SOUNDS POLITICAL.

I THINK IT'S GOOD.

I MEAN, I THINK WHAT WE'VE PUT THOUGHT INTO IS HOW TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE PRESENCE IN THE CANADIAN MARKET.

UM, AND I THINK THAT JUST ONE, ONE SIDE EXAMPLE, AGAIN, YOU DON'T SEE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO 'CAUSE THAT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG SOMETIMES.

BUT, UM, WITH A OT THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY, THEY'RE GOING TO A CANADIAN CONFERENCE.

I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE INVESTING IN MYSELF GOING TO A CANADIAN CONFERENCE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING A BROCHURE DISTRIBUTION AT THAT, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, SO THE VISITOR GUIDES WILL BE, WILL BE GIVEN OUT AT A AIR CANADA EX EXPO.

SO, UM, SO AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAINTAIN THAT PRESENCE.

WE ACTUALLY ARE DOING WITH BRAND USA, WE HAVE A LUX, THERE'S A CHINESE LANGUAGE LUXURY PUBLICATION CALLED PURE LUXURY.

UH, WE HAVE A PRESS TRIP IN SEPTEMBER, A PARTNERSHIP WITH LABERGE ON THIS ONE.

UM, AND THAT'LL BE LIKE A FIVE PAGE SPREAD ABOUT SAVONA, SEDONA, AND A LUXURY, UM, CHINESE LANGUAGE MAGAZINE IN CANADA.

SO THAT'S REALLY HOW I'M CURRENTLY FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GET IN FRONT OF THE CANADIAN MARKET, DOING IT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A OT AND BRAND USA.

UM, WE, OUR DOLLARS JUST GO A LOT FURTHER THAT WAY.

UM, I, I KEEP UP WITH, UH, REDEFINE, UM, THE SIX WEEKS EARLIER.

I, I LIKE THAT IDEA.

MY ONLY CAUTION WOULD BE PHOENIX, UM, ONLY IN THE FLIGHT MARKETS.

ONLY IN THE FLIGHT MARKETS.

ONLY FLIGHT MARKETS.

SO SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS IS FINE ACROSS THE BOARD THEN.

'CAUSE I MEAN, THE LAST THING WE WANNA DO IS WE HAVE A BOOMING, YOU KNOW, FALL AND, AND PEOPLE START SEEING OUR ADS AND MARKETS AND THEY START GETTING UPSET AGAIN.

NO, NOT THE PLAN.

THE ONLY FEEDBACK I WANTED TO SAY WAS JUST THAT, UM, I THINK WE'RE FINALLY SEEING AN INCREASE IN DIVERSITY IN SEDONA, UM, WHICH IS JUST BEAUTIFUL TO SEE.

SO I KNOW I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT SOME BOARDS AND I'VE SEEN SOME REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS LIKE, UM, DOES THE CITY FEEL INCLUSIVE OR DOES THIS CITY, WHAT'S THE RACIAL CLIMATE? UM, AND I REALLY LOVED SEEING THOSE QUESTIONS ASKED.

I LOVED SEEING HONEST, HONEST ANSWERS GIVEN.

AND SO I JUST, I THINK AGAIN, IN HAVING LIKE MARKETING SHOW, UM,

[00:55:02]

HOLD ABOUT THAT.

HOLD IT.

UM, A COUPLE ON THE LEFT ARE, UM, PEOPLE OF COLOR.

OKAY, GREAT.

SO YEAH, SO MAYBE, UM, TALKING ABOUT GENDER IS, YOU KNOW, JUST DIFFERENT.

I THINK AGAIN, IS A REALLY POWERFUL SPACE TO BE ABLE TO MARKET TO AND TO THAT POINT THEN JUST GET THAT GREATER GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING TO, UM, AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE I WANNA SAY IS JUST, UM, THAT I THINK THE MENTAL HEALTH SPACE IS SO HUGE RIGHT NOW.

SO I DO THINK THAT WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF PEOPLE COME TO SEDONA FOR SOME INTENSE, UM, REASONS, AND I'D RATHER THEM COME FOR SOME HEALING.

SO JUST TO PUT A PLUG THAT MAYBE WE CAN, UM, YEAH, REALLY, REALLY PUT OUT WHAT TYPE OF PRACTITIONERS OR WHAT TYPE OF LIKE HEALING SPACES WE HAVE HERE.

MM-HMM.

I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING JUST TO HEAR FROM YOU FIND HEALING.

YEAH, I LIKE THAT.

DO YOU WANNA VOTE ON, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT UM, THE, THE BILLBOARD IN PHOENIX AIRPORT, UM, IS THERE OTHER WAYS THAT WE COULD LEVERAGE VISITORS TO THE GRAND CANYON AND OR, UH, VEGAS? I KNOW VEGAS IS DOWN WHAT THEY'RE SAYING 11% OR SOMETHING, BUT, BUT IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S A, THAT'S A FOUR HOUR TRIP.

UM, YEAH.

BUT YOU KNOW, IS THERE SOME WAY THAT WE COULD LEVERAGE THOSE LOCATIONS TO TRACK MORE VISITORS? IT'S SOMETHING WE, UM, WE THOUGHT ABOUT.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT IN MAY AND THEN WHEN THE FIRES HAPPENED, UM, UP AT THE NORTH RIM, IT HAS REALLY KIND OF TANKED SO MUCH OF LIKE, IT'S LIKE A BAND OF SMOKE ACROSS THAT AREA.

SO WE DID NOT PURSUE IT FOR, UM, THIS INJECTION THAT WE GOT THE OTHER DAY.

UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S ON OUR MIND AS WELL THAT THERE'S A, UM, WHETHER IT'S THE, WHAT'D YOU CALL IT? THE GRAND TOUR? UH, THE GRAND CIRCLE.

GRAND CIRCLE, THE GRAND CIRCLE, UM, WHICH I KNOW THE, THE CHAMBER HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN BACK IN THE DAY.

UM, OR WHETHER IT'S JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, FIGURING OUT HOW TO CAPTURE MORE OF THE FAMILIES THAT ARE COMING, THEY'RE COMING HERE TO, TO GO TO THE GRAND CANYON OVER THE SUMMER.

AND SO HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PART OF THAT TRIP, YOU KNOW? YEAH.

I WOULD SAY SO.

WE CAN DEFINITELY DO MORE, BUT I WILL JUST SHARE SOME THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW.

I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WANTED VISITOR GUIDES IN THE FLAGSTAFF VISITOR CENTER WAS FOR THAT WE KNOW THAT FLAGSTAFF IS A KEY ASPECT OF THE GRAND CANYON EXPERIENCE.

SO GET IT IN THE VISITOR CENTER THERE TO TRY TO DRAW PEOPLE DOWN.

UM, I WILL SAY AT LEAST INTERNATIONALLY, AND I KNOW WE'VE SEEN SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT THIS YEAR, BUT, UM, WHEN I'M WITH A OT AT IPW AND I'M AT GO WEST, I'M TALKING TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE ORGANIZING THE 15 DAY, 14 DAY TOURS THAT THE FRENCH OR THE UK OR THE GERMANS ARE BUYING.

SO I DO THINK WE'RE DOING WHAT WE, I THINK WE'RE DOING AN ADEQUATE JOB WITH THE INTERNATIONAL TOUR PACKAGES, BUT HOW DO WE CAPTURE THAT DOMESTIC VISITATION OF THE GRAND CANYON? I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY IS.

UM, AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE CONTINUING TO EXPLORE.

BUT I THINK IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S MAKES LESS SENSE TO DO IT ALONE.

IT'S KIND OF JOINING THE GRAND CIRCLE AND KIND OF BEING PART OF THESE AUGMENTED PRESENTATIONS OF THE AMERICAN WEST CENTRALLY, UM, FOCUSED ON KINDA THE NATIONAL PARK CIRCUIT.

NO, I THINK THE OTHER THING TOO IS WE BACK EAST WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT THE FIRES, PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NORTH RIM AND THE SOUTH RIM .

AND I SAID, THIS IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HEAR BACK THERE.

EVERYBODY THINKS IT'S GONE.

AND SO I, OF FACT, I CALLED ARIZONA DEPARTMENT TOURISM, SAY, OKAY, HOW DO WE GET SOME MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT THE SOUTH RIM IS OPEN? 'CAUSE THAT IS, PEOPLE ARE WITH THE PEOPLE IN ION RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE GETTING ALL THESE CANCELLATIONS 'CAUSE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE STILL OPEN.

AND SO IT'S, THEY'RE NOT COMING FOR THAT REASON FOR THIS YEAR.

SO NEXT YEAR MAY BE A NEXT YEAR WOULD PROBABLY BE A GOOD YEAR TO TRY TO POP IT 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE GONNA RESCHEDULE THAT FOR NEXT YEAR.

ALRIGHT.

EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR PROTECTION.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA VOTE OR, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I NEED TO VOTE.

I FEEL LIKE I GOT REALLY GOOD DIRECTION JUST VERBALLY FROM ALL OF YOU.

GREAT.

UM, ANYTHING ELSE WITH KINDA MARKETING CAMPAIGN UPDATES, STRATEGY Y'ALL WANNA TALK ABOUT BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS? I JUST WANNA ADD ON A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT LINDSAY SAID ABOUT THE HEALING AND EVERYBODY'S COMING FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, THE MENTAL WELLNESS RIGHT NOW, JUST OUR NUMBER ONE TRENDING ADS.

UM, WE'VE RECENTLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND INVESTMENT IN OUR WEBSITE.

THING, WELLNESS PROTECTION, REALLY JUST TRYING TO FIND A SAFE ENVIRONMENT HAS REALLY BEEN, UM, SUBSTANTIAL FOR US.

SO THAT WHOLE HEALING

[01:00:01]

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? LIKE, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF PROTECTION FROM WHAT? OR LIKE CAN YOU GIMME ANY MORE DETAILS THAT WOULD HELP ME MAYBE TRANSLATE THAT TO I CAN'T, I MEAN I CAN GIVE YOU MY BEST INSIGHT INTO IT, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFICS OF OF THAT.

BUT I THINK PEOPLE ARE JUST REALLY TRYING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND SEDONA IS KNOWN AS A SANCTUARY AND A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO KIND OF COME AND BE WHO THEY ARE NO MATTER WHAT GENDER, YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE'RE A VERY ACCEPTING COMMUNITY.

SO, UM, THIS IS OUR LAST ITEM OF BUSINESS.

AND SO I THINK THAT COULD BE PART OF IT.

I THINK IT'S JUST WITH A LOT OF TROUBLE IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE WORLD.

PEOPLE THEY WANT SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY CAN COME AND FEEL SAFE AND THAT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, RELAX AND FEEL SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE THAT WILL ACCEPT THEM.

SO THANKS FOR GIVING ME SOME MORE DETAIL ON THAT.

ALRIGHT,

[5.c. Update on AllTrails and U.S. Forest Service partnership]

WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON SOME WORK THAT I'VE CHATTED THAT WE WERE CONCEPTING AND MAYBE THAT WE WERE DOING.

BUT NOW WE'VE GOT A FUN UPDATE WITH THE, WHAT I CALL THE ALL TRAILS AND US FOREST SERVICE PARTNERSHIP.

UM, SO JUST QUICKLY SOME CONTEXT WHEN, UM, I THINK IT WAS LAST FALL, LAUREN AND I HAD AT LEAST MY FIRST MEETING WITH, UM, THE US FOREST SERVICE RED ROCK RANGER DISTRICT TEAM TO JUST KIND OF SIT DOWN AND JUST GET A STATE OF THE UNION ON, HEY, WE'RE BUILDING OUT THE TOURISM PROGRAM, OR AT LEAST I'M NOW HERE BUILDING OUT THE TOURISM PROGRAM, UM, WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.

AND, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE HELP OUR FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN ASSIST THEM? I ALWAYS SAY THAT THEY DIRECT US, WE DON'T DIRECT THEM.

UM, THEY'RE REALLY THE ONES THAT I LOOK TO FOR INSIGHTS ON HOW TO MANAGE THE WONDERFUL PUBLIC LANDS THAT SURROUND US.

UM, ONE KIND OF TAKEAWAY FROM THAT MEETING WAS THIS WHOLE CONCEPT AROUND SOME CHANGES THAT WERE HAPPENING BETWEEN THE FEDERAL LAND MANAGERS AND THE DIGITAL TRAIL APPS.

UM, ONE OF WHICH IS ALL TRAILS.

UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WAS A, LIKE A, A GATHERING OF THE MINES WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS OR SO.

THERE WAS SOME CONFERENCE THAT I'VE BEEN MADE AWARE OF WHERE THE, THERE WAS SOME AGREEMENT THAT GOT MADE AROUND HOW TO SOLVE THIS.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S US FOREST SERVICE TRAILS AND THEN THERE'S SOCIAL TRAILS AND IF YOU LOOK AT DIGITAL TRAIL MAPS, THEY ALL KIND OF LOOK THE SAME AND NOBODY WANTS TO JUST START DELETING THINGS.

UM, OR MAYBE THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH DELETING THEM.

SO WHAT'S THE AGREEMENT? AND THE AGREEMENT WAS TO CHANGE THE SYMBOLOGY OF SOCIAL TRAILS ON DIGITAL TRAIL MAPS SO THEY LOOK LESS PRIORITIZED THAN DESIGNATED TRAILS.

AND THAT WAS SORT OF ONE OF THE AGREEMENTS THAT GOT MADE IS WE'RE NOT GONNA GO IN A DELETE BATTLE, WE'RE JUST GONNA CREATE A HIERARCHY IN THE PRESENTATION OF TRAIL SYSTEMS SO THAT USERS CAN MORE EASILY KNOW WHAT IS A DESIGNATED TRAIL VERSUS WHAT IS NOT.

UM, ANOTHER OUTCOME OF THAT, AT LEAST WITH ALL TRAILS, WAS THAT THEY CREATED THE PUBLIC LANDS PORTAL.

UM, AND WE HAVE BEEN, UM, USERS OF THE PUBLIC LANDS PORTAL SINCE FALL.

UM, ONE I GUESS KIND OF TIMELY UPDATE FOR YOU, JOHN, AS I ACTUALLY JUST TALKED TO THE ARIZONA OFFICE OF TOURISM BECAUSE, UM, ALL TRAILS WAS SAYING THAT THE BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL IN GRAND CANYON WAS CLOSED AND WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH ALL TRAILS WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS.

AND THAT'S NOW SAYING IT'S OPEN, FOR EXAMPLE.

SO THERE'S SORT OF A THROUGH, UH, THERE'S A DIRECT LINE TO ALL TRAILS NOW TO BASICALLY SUGGEST EDITS TO TRAILS, WHETHER THAT BE THINGS THAT WERE NOT CORRECT OR KIND OF ALERTS OR FALSE CLOSURES, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, AND WE CAN ALSO CURATE OUR OWN DIGITAL TRAIL MAPS.

I'M NOT, I CAN'T DELETE THE SUBWAY CAVE TRAIL OFF OF ALL TRAILS.

THAT'S IT.

IT'S, IT'S PUBLIC SOURCED, BUT WE CAN CREATE OUR OWN MAPS SO YOU DON'T SEE THE SUBWAY CAVE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHERE TO HIKE IN, IN, IN SEDONA.

UM, AND THEN WE DID LAUNCH OUR HIKING PAGE, WHICH I'LL KIND OF PULL UP HERE IN A SECOND JUST TO KIND OF REORIENT YOU WITH THAT.

AND THEN REALLY WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT HERE TO UPDATE YOU ON IS SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE US FOREST SERVICE AND ONE OF OUR OTHER VENDORS WITHIN OPEN STREETE MAPS, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY LIKE THE WIKIPEDIA FOR TRAILS IS THE BEST WAY I CAN DESCRIBE IT.

SO IT'S THE BASE LAYER THAT POWERS WHAT YOU SEE ON ALL TRAILS AS WELL AS TRAIL FORKS.

AND I THINK GAAN, I THINK ONYX, UM, WHICH ARE ALL KIND OF LIKE TRAIL FORKS IS FOR MOUNTAIN BIKERS MOSTLY.

ALL TRAILS IS MOSTLY FOR HIKERS.

ONYX IS MOSTLY FOR OHV USERS, BUT IT'S ALL POWERED BY THE SAME WIKIPEDIA BASE LAYER.

UM, AND WE'VE BEEN ADJUSTING THE SYMBOLOGY, WHICH AGAIN, IT SOUNDS ESOTERIC, BUT IT'LL MAKE MORE SENSE WHEN I CAN SHOW YOU.

UM, BUT YEAH, HERE IS OUR, I'M SORRY, VIDEO GAME .

UM, SO I'LL JUST PULL THIS UP REAL QUICK.

UM, THIS IS OUR SIGNATURE TRAIL MAP.

WE'VE GOT SIGNATURE AND SOLITUDE.

THIS IS, AGAIN, IF WE'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF I'M HERE FOR THE WEEKEND, WHAT ARE THE SIGNATURE HIKES IN SEDONA? WE'VE, OUR TEAM WORKING WITH KEEGAN PRIMARILY ON, ON OUR TEAM AS WELL AS OTHER INPUT, THIS IS WHERE YOU SEE THINGS LIKE BEAR MOUNTAIN

[01:05:01]

FAKE DEVIL'S BRIDGE FROM THE MESCAL TRAILHEAD, NOT FROM THE DRY CREEK.

JUST VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT.

UM, SO THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY KIND OF A CURATED TRAIL MAP.

THIS IS THE ONE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PUTTING ONTO THE DIGITAL KIOSKS.

AND AGAIN, I HAVE THE ABILITY YOU CAN KIND OF SEE LIKE THIS SAVE SIGN, I CAN GO INTO MY VERSION AND WE CAN TOGGLE ON AND OFF TRAILS IN REAL TIME THROUGH THAT.

BUT, UH, WHAT WAS NICE WAS WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING WITH THE FOREST SERVICE LAST JUNE.

WE HAD OUR SECOND MEETING WITH THEM TODAY ACTUALLY.

UM, AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS PULLING UP THE BASE LAYER OF ALL TRAILS AND I HAVING THEM INFORM US WHEN THERE'S NON-SYSTEM TRAILS LOOKING LIKE TRAILS.

AND THEN OUR VENDOR GOES INTO OPEN STREET MAPS AND DOES WHAT WAS AGREED TO AT THIS MEETING OF THE MINES ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

ESSENTIALLY A CODING EXERCISE.

YOU TYPE IN INFORMAL, YOU CLICK ON THAT LINE SEGMENT AND YOU PUT INFORMAL EQUALS YES.

AND WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE SUBWAY CAVE IS RIGHT THERE.

THERE'S NO LONGER A TRAIL TO THE SUBWAY CAVE.

I WAS PRETTY CLOSE WITH THAT POINTER ACTUALLY.

THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD .

UM, BUT NOW YOU CAN SEE IT AS THIS LIGHTER LINE.

AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY THE ADJUSTING OF THE SYMBOLOGY.

IT'S NOW NO LONGER AS PROMINENT AS FOREST SERVICE TRAILS.

UM, SO WE STARTED LOOKING AT THE PRIORITY AREAS OF CONCERN.

ESSENTIALLY ANYTHING BLANK CAVE WAS SORT OF THE FIRST THING THAT WE LOOKED AT.

UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THOSE, UM, DEPRIORITIZED AS I CAN THINK THE TECHNICAL TERM FOR THIS.

WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE BLANK CAVES OVER HERE.

UM, AGAIN, IF YOU ZOOM IN, YOU'LL START TO SEE THE LINE, BUT YOU WON'T SEE IT FROM FARTHER AWAY.

UM, AND THEN THE MEETING THAT WE HAD TODAY, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT THINGS NORMALLY LOOK LIKE.

WE WERE DOWN HERE IN THE TURKEY CREEK AREA, UM, WHERE, UH, PRETTY MUCH ALL THESE BLACK LINES EXCEPT FOR THIS BLUE ONE ARE SOCIAL TRAILS.

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IT'S A, IT'S BEEN, WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF CLEANUP WORK ON THE BASE LAYER OF OPEN STREET MAPS, UM, AND JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOREST SERVICE AS WELL AS UNDER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DIGITAL TRAIL APP PROVIDERS TO REALLY CLEAN THIS UP.

UM, WHAT'S INTERESTING, WHAT WE FOUND RIGHT, IS THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT GO INTO THE WIKIPEDIA OF TRAILS AND THEY ADD IN A SUBWAY CAVE.

UM, IT'S LIKE OUR VENDOR SEES IT IN THE COATING, THERE'S MORE INFORMATION THERE.

WE'RE ALSO JUST SEEING LIKE RANDOM LINES THAT EMERGE THAT HAVE NO ESSENTIALLY METADATA ATTACHED TO THEM.

AND OUR THINKING RIGHT NOW IS THAT IT'S COMING FROM FOLKS WITH STRAVA ACCOUNTS THAT MIGHT BE CONNECTED AND IT'S GETTING AUTOMATICALLY UPLOADED.

BUT WHAT, WHAT I SAY THIS FOR IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO NOTHING IN TWO YEARS, WE'LL START TO SEE DUST ON OUR TRAILS MAP AGAIN.

AND I'M JUST CALLING IT LIKE THE D DUSTING EXERCISE.

WE'RE GONNA TRY TO BRING OUR BASE LAYER TO A BASELINE.

UM, AND THEN ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR, MAYBE BEFORE THE SPRING SEASON, SIT DOWN WITH THE FOREST SERVICE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S A MISS RIGHT NOW? AND HOW DO WE GET THIS? 'CAUSE YOU CAN THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF I SHOW SOMEBODY TO GO, HEY, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD DO BEAR MOUNTAIN, JUST SEE IF I CAN GET THERE.

UM, AND THEN THEY'RE LIKE, OH, I'LL DO BEAR MOUNTAIN, BUT WHAT'S THIS TRAIL OVER HERE? THEN THEY START TO SEE THE OTHER TRAILS, RIGHT? SO IT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT THE BUMPERS ON THE BOWLING ALLEY OF HOW WE DIRECT PEOPLE TO MAKING GOOD BEHAVIOR.

UM, FIRST STEP WAS CURATING MAPS THAT DIDN'T HAVE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE TRAILS AS OPTIONS, BUT THEN IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT YOU'RE STILL SEEING THOSE SOCIAL TRAILS ON THE MAP AND NOW YOU'RE NO LONGER SEEING THEM AS PROMINENT.

SO, SO LIKE DOE MOUNTAIN, UH, WITH THE FOREST SERVICE ELIMINATING A LOT OF THE SOCIAL TRAILS, DO THEY THEN WORK WITH THESE MAPPERS TO ELIMINATE THOSE TRAILS THAT ARE, HAVE NO LONGER, THEY'RE WORKING WITH US NOW ON THAT.

SO THAT'S PART OF IT.

TURKEY CREEK, WE'RE ACTUALLY, UM, THERE'S TRAILS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW THAT AREN'T SHOWING UP IN OPEN STREETE MAPS THAT ARE DESIGNATED FOREST SERVICE TRAILS.

AND WE'RE GONNA DO THE, THE FIR FIRST MEETING WE HAD IN JUNE WAS THE CLEANING UP OF THE SOCIAL TRAILS.

AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT BUILDING IN SYSTEM TRAILS THAT AREN'T THERE.

LIKE, WHAT IS IT COLA OR, UH, YEAH, IT IT STARTED WITH A DI BELIEVE.

YEAH, IT WAS, I'VE, I'VE NOT BEEN TO THAT AREA SO I, A LOT OF THESE I KNOW PRETTY WELL THAT ONE.

I WAS LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON OVER HERE GUYS? I HAVE NO IDEA.

IT'S REALLY EASY TO GET LOST OVER THERE .

I BET .

WHICH AGAIN, ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD CLEAN IT UP.

I JUST WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THAT JUST KIND OF HELPS.

UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SORT OF A, IT'S KIND OF ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF THIS CONCEPT RIGHT NOW.

I THINK I, I KNOW SOME FOLKS IN NEW MEXICO WERE DOING IT.

I DON'T KNOW OF ANOTHER DMO FOREST SERVICE PARTNERSHIP.

IT MIGHT EXIST.

HOPEFULLY IT DOES.

I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WORK, BUT I'M JUST HAPPY THAT, YOU KNOW, SEDONA CITY OF SEDONA SPECIFICALLY HAS BEEN ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BE A, BE A DRIVING FORCE IN THIS ONE.

SO WITH THAT, I WILL HAND IT BACK TO JOHN.

ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING ELSE?

[01:10:01]

WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT EVERYBODY THINKING THAT THE GRAND CANYON IS CLOSED, UM, RENEE MIGHT REMEMBER WHEN THIS HAPPENED, BUT THERE WAS QUITE A FEW DAYS WHERE IT SHOWED THAT THE I 17 NORTH WAS CLOSED COMING UP FROM PHOENIX.

AND I MEAN, WE REALLY NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT DROP AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHO ALL I EMAILED ABOUT IT AND IT GOT FIXED AND THEN IT WAS OFF AGAIN AND IT WAS FIXED.

BUT IT WAS SOMETHING WITH THE WAY THAT GOOGLE WAS INTERACTING WITH YEAH, IT HAPPENED BECAUSE WE, WE CREATED THOSE LIKE AUXILIARY LANES ON 17 WHEN THOSE GATES GOT CLOSED, GOOGLE WAS THINKING THAT THE ROAD WAS CLOSED IS WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF IT WAS.

AND THEN, UM, ANDY, OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, WAS THE ONE THAT WORKED WITH THAT KINDA LED THE EFFORT TO GET THAT FIXED.

UM, BUT YEAH, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A WEIRD ONE.

YEAH, THERE WERE 180 RESERVATIONS FOR GOLF AT, UH, SEDONA GOLF RESORT.

50 PEOPLE SHOWED UP.

THAT'S HOW BAD IT WAS.

BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE TAKING THEM THROUGH PACE AND THAT WAS WEIRD AND IT'S JUST, JUST SHOWS YOU, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIABLES LIKE AN IMPACT TOURISM AND VISITATION AND THAT ONE THAT WAS NOT IN THE BINGO CARD FOR ME.

NEXT MEETING IS SEPTEMBER 3RD, 3:00 PM AGAIN.

SO IS THAT LIKE FIX NOW THAT WON'T EVER HAPPEN AGAIN? OR IS IT SOMETHING IN THE COATING, OR DO WE JUST HAVE TO MONITOR THAT? I, I CAN'T GUARANTEE IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT WE'RE MONITORING IT, SO THANK YOU.

YEAH, THAT'S, ANYBODY GOT ANYTHING ELSE?

[6. FUTURE MEETING DATE]

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS ON GETTING THOSE IMPLEMENTED? SO WE HAVE THE KIOSKS.

THEY ARE, THEY'RE ON THE PROPERTY BARELY.

AND WE ARE WORKING WITH ROMNEY RIGHT NOW ON THE WIRE FRAMES.

SO, SO I NEED JUST KIND OF LOCK IN.

SO WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE CMS. WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THEIR TEAM AND JUST SORT OF SOLELY BUILDING OUT THE SOFTWARE THAT POWERS THE KIOSKS SO UNDERWAY, BUT THE PHYSICAL KIOSKS HAVE NOT MOVED.

THEY'RE STILL WHERE THEY'RE, AND THEN, UM, SITE SELECTION.

ANY FURTHER THOUGHT ON THAT? UM, CURRENT OR MEAN? UM, THE TOURISM, UM, CENTER OBVIOUSLY, BUT, UH, ALAK AND YEAH, SO THE, SO WE, WE HAVE TWO.

UM, THE VISITOR CENTER IS ONE AND THEN, UM, WE DID MEET WITH WENDY.

SHE'S CURRENTLY OPEN AND EXCITED TO HAVE A KIOSK ON AT TILL LOCK CAPA AND WE HAVE TWO POTENTIAL LOCATIONS, UM, THAT WE'RE THINKING OF THERE.

AND THE HOPE IS TO HAVE 'EM IN PLACE BY, UM, I'M TELLING MYSELF JAN ONE OH THAT EARLY.

SO IF THAT'S EARLY FOR BOB, MAYBE I SHOULD PUSH THAT BACK.

, I'LL STICK IT NEXT MONTH.

BUT , SORRY, JUST ONE, UM, JUST TO SAY LIKE WE'VE BEEN SAYING IT'S SO HOT OUT.

SO JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, LIKE SUNSET PARK HAS A WATER STRUCTURE, SO MAYBE JUST AS ANOTHER THING OF LIKE LOOKING AT LIKE OUR PARKS AND OUR GATHERING CENTERS, TALKING ABOUT GATEWAY IS LIKE HAVING LIKE WAYS TO COOL OFF THAT ARE LIKE, THAT HAS CITY INVOLVEMENT AND HAS SOME TYPE OF LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE.

I KNOW OBVIOUSLY THE WATER INCREASE IS, THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU THAT SUNSET PARK IS A, IS VERY POPULAR AND HAS, I NOTICE A LOT OF TRAVELING FAMILIES THAT ARE GOING TO GATHER THERE.

UM, SO OTHER CREATIVE WA OUTDOOR WATERING SPACES WHERE YOU COULD BRING A PET, YOU KNOW, OR EVEN AS AN ADULT.