|
July 2005 — June 2006
|
ORGANIZATION/ADMINISTRATION
|
 Public Meetings
|
Conducted regular twice-monthly meetings in an open and public manner in accordance with FBID’s bylaws, contract with the City of Fortuna and good public practice. |
Annual Meeting
|
FBID held its annual meeting on September 20, 2005. We collected business owners’ and other interested parties’ comments and suggestions about FBID’s work and the year to come. Of note were suggestions to: use community events as areas for customer survey sampling, an event idea for a citywide yard sale, scheduling events to take advantage of sports events, a citywide cleanup, and FBID involvement in a new façade grant program. |
Board Retreat
|
The FBID Board of Directors held a retreat on November 29, 2005. The FBID Board of Directors discussed strategies for attracting tech-centered businesses to Fortuna including citywide business wireless internet, wi-fi hot spots and marketing Fortuna as a “telecommuting zone”. Discussed developing more promotions to involve non-core-area businesses like Customer Appreciation Day does. Also discussed community events and the issues with adding new efforts to an already full calendar. |
|
PUBLIC RELATIONS/ADVERTISING
|
Public Relations
|
The FBID office is the relied-upon source for Fortuna business and community event news by all local media outlets. FBID uses the local media, as well as regional and national media when possible, to spread positive stories about Fortuna’s businesses, business community and community events.
Some of FBID's successes in public relations for the year include:
|
|
- As a direct result of FBID's activities, at least 126 positive stories about Fortuna's business community and community events have been featured in local publications, television news and radio news programs (approximately 87 printed news stories, photos and related listings, over 33 TV news stories, approximately 6 radio interviews)
|
|
- FBID continues to keep Fortuna’s business community in the news through “business brief” articles on everything from new businesses, to those adding new features to those celebrating anniversaries and other milestones. The FBID office wrote and released 15 business briefs over the last 11 months.
|
|
- FBID Coordinator David Reed has continued as a contributor to the Times-Standard's "Business Sense" feature, sharing general business advice and Fortuna business and event news.
|
|
- In addition to local coverage, FBID works to get Fortuna recognition through national, regional and niche publications. FBID calendar listings and brief articles have been submitted and published in VIA magazine, Northwest Brewing News, RV Journal Magazine, Celebrator magazine and Paddler magazine this year.
|
|
- FBID continues to use the Internet as an event-marketing tool. FBID lists community events with event and travel portal web sites. Also, niche web sites for beer and wine lovers, canoe and kayak paddlers, California tourists and gardeners have Fortuna’s events listed.
|
Advetising
|
FBID concluded the two year run of the “What Can You Find in Fortuna?” television campaign in the Fall of 2005. At the campaign’s end 16 ads were running, highlighting business types as varied as mail order companies, grocery stores, home builders and auto service; 62 business types in all. While the business types printed on screen directly represented about 60% of Fortuna licensed businesses, the overall the campaign showed viewers that Fortuna had a much deeper range of services, products and professions than they perceived.
In January 2006, FBID completed work on a new TV campaign. The “Fortuna Stories” ads are a simpler, more personal approach to attracting business to Fortuna than the preceding campaign’s ads.
So far five commercials are airing, showing everyday people talking about their positive experiences doing business in Fortuna. Spots air on the NBC and Fox network affiliates and on Cable channels like Food Network, History and E Entertainment television.
The goal of the commercials is to have the viewer recognize something of themselves in the people interviewed. As the broad spectrum of interviewees shares their positive “Fortuna Stories”, viewers are asked to discover their own.
In 2006-07 FBID will add interviews to increase the number of “Fortuna Stories” running to at least 12 ads.
In addition to the Citywide television campaign, FBID continues a print ad campaign for the new Customer Appreciation Day (see Programs) and switched over to TV ads for the program in February 2006. A brief ad run was also produced for the Fortuna Citywide Gift Certificate and Holiday Movie promotions in November and December.
|
Newsletter
|
Developed, wrote and produced three newsletters (with one more scheduled for June ’06) and three mailers for distribution to the over 600 licensed businesses of Fortuna. Newsletter topics included Customer Appreciation Day, gift certificates, the mural program launch, holiday movie tickets, the new website coming online, community event reminders and polls on potential FBID projects. |
Fortuna Rodeo July 11-17, 2005
|
FBID continued it’s partnership with the Rodeo Board, assisting the Rodeo with public relations support and developing an ad campaign. The results of 2005’s cooperation surpassed the two prior years. Among the successes, FBID secured a five-day, full page and full color feature in the Times-Standard featuring FBID written copy and Rodeo provided photos. The in-kind donation was worth over $4400. The Rodeo reported gains in attendance for the weekday and Friday events. FBID grant paid for one-quarter of new Rodeo/AutoXpo banners hung over Main Street. |
Autorama July 22-24, 2005
|
Included Autorama in FBID’s releases to regional event calendars, national event calendars and
Internet travel sites. See banner item above. |
Hops in Humboldt – September 27, 2005
|
The festival’s second year saw expected gains in crowd and sales. Attendance was up by over 50% and the final sales were just under $18,000. Expenses, especially for advertising and attracting breweries to Fortuna, were also up. The event netted $7,200 to split between the two sponsor organizations’ charities after seed money was set aside. This was nearly double the first year’s profit.
FBID assisted the event by placing advertising in local print and radio and nationally in brewing magazines. FBID also produced the event’s public relations effort. FBID staff and Board members continue to work with the Rotary Club of Fortuna and the Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority organizers in the third year of Hops. Seed funding from the first year and an FBID grant of $1000 were used to fund promotional activities in ’05. |
Core Area Halloween Activities - October 31, 2005
|
FBID staff and core area merchants arranged Halloween activities in Downtown and Redwood
Village to draw parents and children into the commercial areas. This provided a safe fun activity
for children and connected families with the business community. The fourth year of the
promotion was successful with both areas having a large turnout. |
Citywide Christmas Events 2005
|
Assisted Fortuna Downtown Merchants and Redwood Village merchants in producing their Holiday open houses. Downtown Fortuna moved back to their traditional date coinciding with the Fortuna Chamber’s parade and saw better crowds that last year. Redwood Village had a low turnout attributed to a lack of advertising and a business closure. Downtown Fortuna also promoted three Saturday music events to coincide with FBID’s movie promotion. Assisted Christmas Music Festival Committee and the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce in promoting and advertising the 29thChristmas Music Festival. Designed program for the event inhouse. Produced event poster design, which was professionally printed. Secured”Fortuna Night” on the KEET holiday auction in order to promote the merchant holiday events and Fortuna Christmas Music Festival. |
Holiday Kids Movie Day(s) December 3, 10, 17, 2005
|
Sponsorship of holiday "Days at the Movies" for the children of Fortuna and the surrounding area. Done in partnership with Fortuna Theater and the City of Fortuna and promoted as a 'thank you from the businesses of Fortuna'. Over 100 businesses from every corner of Fortuna distributed 3500 tickets to customers and employees. About 680 children and family members were treated to free holiday movies over the three days of the event. Three sponsoring businesses assisted in paying for free popcorn and refreshments. Promotion funded in part thanks to a gift of $2400 by the City of Fortuna in lieu of FBID’s office rent. |
Fortuna Daffodil Show March 25-26, 2006
|
Assisted promotion of the 31st annual show and surrounding events. Organized local schools and businesses for a eighth annual Children’s Daffodil Art show that tied the business community into the event. |
Cobra Butterfly Martial Arts Tournament April 8, 2006
|
Assisted event organizers in relaying press releases to the local media. Also assisted with
placement of Downtown event banner. |
Paddle to the Headwaters Canoe Marathon April 1-2, 2006
|
FBID staff sat on Paddle to the Headwaters steering committee. FBID staff assisted with pre-event activities including merchandise coordination, public relations and advertising.
Responsible for all pre-event publicity, contacting regional publications and interest publications. Arranged media sponsorship with Lost Coast Communications group (The Point, KHUM and KSlug) that gave event $600 in free advertising and live interviews. Local print media coverage was strong with 12 articles or free-standing photos on the event in three publications. One national magazine and several online paddling sites included event in calendars or news briefs. |
Art and Wine in the Park June 11, 2006
|
Worked with Fortuna Rotary organizers in building on successes of 2005. Further expanding advertising and press coverage before and during event as well as advertising through radio and television media sponsors. FBID secured a $1300 advertising package with NBC affiliate KIEM TV for a $700 buy-in cost. Helped secure a $1700 media sponsorship with K-Jack/KXGO for a buy in of $600. Placed event in online calendars specific to wine tasting events. |
|
ON-GOING PROGRAMS/PROMOTIONS
|
Business Recruitment/Retention/Relocation
|
FBID is the first point of contact for many start-up and relocating businesses when they consider Fortuna. The FBID office fields “Relocation/Recruitment” calls, emails and visits weekly. The most common requests from start-ups and moving businesses continues to be: finding commercial space, rules and laws governing business in Fortuna, promotion of new ventures, acting as a liaison with City or other government agencies and connecting with the business community.
On commercial space searches alone, the office fielded over 12 potential business owners and another seven property owners or developers seeking tenants in a sample of the first four months of 2006. This does not include counseling potential start-ups that are either not ready for a location, are home-based or already have a site chosen.
The FBID office also acts as counselor for new businesses in order for them to be stronger overall ventures. FBID regularly directs potential new businesses to the Small Business Development Center, Redwood Region Economic Development Corporation, Arcata Economic Development Corporation, Fortuna Redevelopment Agency, and College of the Redwoods for either further training or financial backing.
The FBID website, FortunaBusiness.com acts as a resource for businesses looking at Fortuna for a location. The redesigned website contains more information for businesses considering Fortuna. In the coming year, FBID will add information to the site to entice more businesses to Fortuna and make it easier for start-ups to find resources and locations. |
Customer Appreciation Day
|
Continued the citywide promotion aimed at increasing Fortuna businesses visibility as a unit and including more businesses outside of core areas in a “retail event”. The Customer Appreciation Day event happens on the last Tuesday of each month. Currently there are 72 licensed businesses (and River Lodge) participating.
Participating businesses choose an offer, sale or gift to give to customers on the last Tuesday of each month. Participants are given yellow flags and window signs to identify them during the event. FBID advertises event with 15 second “book-end” television ads on CBS affiliate KVIQ and Fox affiliate KBVU. Individual businesses and their offers are advertised with flyers distributed at participants and on the FBID website |
Goods and Services Guide
|
A new guide is set for publication after the start of the new fiscal year. |
Fortuna Citywide Gift Certificate
|
Continued to administer and promote the Fortuna Citywide Gift Certificate (Fortuna Buck) as a method to encourage employee and consumer spending in Fortuna. Have continued periodic advertising campaigns and appeals to local employers to further increase the Gift Certificates scope and sales. Sales of certificates were $8630 (not including April-June) for the 2005-06 fiscal year. |
Mural/Facade Programs
|
The FBID Board authorized a mural grant and assistance program to for business and property owners at the end of last year. The program makes small grants available for outdoor murals on commercial buildings.
An announcement of the first set of grants in June received four interested businesses and one completed proposal. After working with the applicant and their artist a $1500 grant was awarded to Loving Hands Institute of Massage. The business owner is now submitting the designs for City Design Review to hopefully be painted this summer. A second announcement for applicants in January also brought in four interested businesses. Two of those are putting
together proposals now. The program calls for two grants up to $1500 to be awarded per year as funds and interest allow. |
Farmers Market
|
FBID no longer gives a grant to the Fortuna Farmers’ Market for advertising or live music but continues to give public relations support to the market. |
FBID Online (the FBID web site)
|
FBID’s website, FortunaBusiness.com has been completely changed this year to serve Fortuna businesses better and do a better job of attracting and communicating with new businesses. At the beginning of the year, the FBID Board completed its request for proposal process. Of the RFPs sent to Fortuna web design businesses, two interest forms were returned. One firm, Precision Intermedia, completed the proposal process. The FBID Board found that the firm met the proposal criteria and awarded the contract to build the site in September ‘05. The majority of the year has been spent making a new framework and design for the site and developing new and updated content.
The site is launching in late June with three “user areas” for Fortuna businesses, relocating or start-up businesses and community members. Content is being added with statistics about Humboldt County and Fortuna, cost comparisons on operating a small business in Fortuna versus other areas, commercial site look-up and other topics having to do with recruitment. In the Business area, new resources, schedules of events and seminars, discussion forums and an online newsletter are planned.
The FBID Board will be negotiating a separate contract to market the site and keep a database on users soon after the launch. |
Wi-Fi “Member Benefit”
|
From discussions at the Board retreat, FBID Board members and staff have researched plans for either a citywide or business area, wireless network. Board is exploring options and looking at costs and problems now with business groups and local wireless internet experts. Primary goal of FBID involvement in any wi-fi system would be attracting and keeping businesses that would see citywide internet access as a benefit and the mark of a forward thinking community. In addition citywide wi-fi would be a benefit to existing businesses not thought of as “tech” but that would use wireless internet as part of their business. Finally the system could be promoted to Fortuna customers as a benefit.
At this time the Board is looking at alternatives outside of an FBID controlled system for wireless internet capability in Fortuna. |
Bulk Mailing “Member Benefit”
|
Any Fortuna business can now use the bulk mailing rate using FBID’s mailing privileges. The benefit can save businesses that do a large amount of mail to customers about $12 per 100 pieces mailed.
The Bulk Mail benefit is one of the promotions selected as a “member benefit” by the FBID Board. The Board is seeking suggestions for new business benefits that the financial clout of 600 businesses could bring. |
Classes and Seminars
|
FBID partnered with the North Coast Small Business Development Center in a series of seminars on May 3, 10, 17 and 24. Classes were aimed at improving retail businesses but had information that appealed to service and professionals also. Retail Merchandising, Buying, PR and Customer Service topics were covered in four 11/2 hour sessions. Feedback from attendees was positive and many have asked for more classes in the future. FBID has pitched other class series with SBDC for restaurants, professionals and service businesses, working with emerging markets and general façade/signage improvement. |
|
