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Weekly community news for Durham civic, business, university and neighborhood leaders from the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. |
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IN THIS ISSUE:
DurhamCulture.com · Downtown Image Foodie Update · Taxpayer Equity
REGULAR FEATURES: Knowbulls · Community Event Calendar · Feedback · Factoid
Partnership Launches DurhamCulture.com DCVB, working in partnership with the City and County's Cultural Master Plan Steering Committee over the last 8 months, has greatly expanded and deepened online inventories of local cultural organizations, facilities and programming. While DCVB already had the process, database and delivery tools in place, the partnership worked to proactively broaden the information to be equally useful for the cultural community as it is for residents and visitors.
Equally funded by DCVB and the City and County Cultural Master Plan, the new portal both broadens and deepens DCVB's existing databases, and sets the stage for future improvements. Artists and performers will use the database to clear dates and secure facilities. Facilities will use it to clear dates and promote capacity. Educators will use it to explore the many different indigenous features, cultural experiences, performers and agencies in Durham. DCVB will continue to populate and update the database as part of its ongoing inventory or more than 3,000 visitor related organizations, as well as www.durhameventcalendar.com, www.durhamartscalendar.com, and many other sites it gatekeeps. Image Shift for Downtown Over 10 Years
Partnering with a DCVB survey conducted in May/June by
Raleigh-based Catevo, Downtown Durham, Inc. (DDI), a private advocacy group for
downtown redevelopment, asked a question to update how the image of Downtown
Durham has changed among residents of three counties including Durham. This
is the first time since 1999 and 2000 that the perceived image of Downtown
has been benchmarked.
Take aways include:
· Positives in Durham about Downtown are up 36.4% to 78% of those polled, negatives are down 61%.
· Wake County positives about Downtown Durham are up only 3% to 44% of those polled, but negatives are down 74% as they move to undecided, up 67%.
· Orange County positives about Downtown Durham are actually down 1% to 47.5%, but negatives are down 66% as they moved to undecided, up 79%.
· The ratio of "very" positive to "very" negative is telling, 7.4 to 1 in Durham, 13 to 1 in Wake, and 6 to 1 in Orange. "Very negatives" in Durham and Orange about Downtown Durham have actually increased since 1999.
Cross tabulation with other questions benchmarking personal experience and word of mouth shows the most predictive factor is the experience people expect in Durham "from what people say." If word of mouth was positive, they had a positive experience, if it was negative, they had a negative experience.
Click here to view the poll results regarding Downtown Durham's image from 1999-2008. Durham Prepares for "High Mobility" NEXTGEN Travelers Already,
14% of the approximately 229 million cell phones currently in use in the
United States are Internet enabled. There is no question mobility will soon
"rule" as the preferred method of communication, decision making and Durham's #1 rated official website for visitors, residents and newcomers, www.durham-nc.com, will begin downloading custom versions for different cell phones in August. The "NEXTGEN TravelerTM" survey co-authored by YPartnership and PhoCusWright provides some insights on active "next generation" travelers who are also "users of technology:"
Fully
one-quarter of NEXTGEN travelers will in the next two years make destination
decisions, airline, hotel or car rental reservations and search for things
to see and do upon arrival using their Internet-enabled cell phone (other
than through voice communications), two and half times the number that do
now. So buckle up!
Source: YPartnership Marketing Intelligence 4 Things to Expect of a Destination Marketing Organization Destination marketing organizations like DCVB have been around more than 100 years, but they continue to rapidly evolve. DCVB's advantage as Durham's marketing agency is: (1) it is fully accredited to the best practices in community marketing, and (2) because Durham got a late start compared to other communities, it has leapfrogged in its evolution to roles defined by experts studying what DMO's must be today and for the future.
Durham's Culinary Options Expand to Foodies' Delight Recent openings of several new area restaurants signal Durham's growing place-based culinary tourism, which is great news for local and visiting foodies.
Premiere chefs will collaborate in the kitchen of the Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club during upcoming wine dinners on July 17, August 12 and September 23.
After eight years, Durham Catering Co. has become well-cemented in the local culinary firmament and has expanded tremendously, now with four full-time chefs - more than any other caterer in Durham - and they've moved into a larger location at 3438 Hillsborough Rd.
Serving slow-cooked BBQ since 1941 across the country, Dickey's Barbecue Pit has opened its first Durham location in New Hope Commons shopping center on Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. Eat in, take out and catering available.
The Picnic Basket has
opened its fifth Durham location at 2501 University Drive beside
of Thai Cafe and
Wine Authorities
(former Sips). Named the largest volume Caterer in the Triangle area
The Durham's Farmers Market has a new vendor that will tempt everyone's sweet tooth. Dolly Mama handmade chocolates are crafted using local, hormone-free cream and pure, fresh ingredients. Each chocolate is unique and hand-crafted. They also offer fresh, delicious dog biscuits.
Chicken, Salisbury steak, hog jowls, liver & onions, "Grand Ma's Special Banana Pudding" and other specialties can now be found at C's Soul Food at 826 Fayetteville St.
These new places add to Durham's growing diverse culinary landscape with over 400 restaurants, including 35 "Celebrated Cuisine" restaurants that have received regional or national reviews.
Thanks to hard work by the Durham Delegation, Durham voters will be given an opportunity to approve a 1% levy on prepared food, just like Raleigh, Charlotte, Fayetteville, the Outer Banks and even the Town of Hillsborough have done for years now.
The uses below took many years to shape and they all pertain to quality of life, curb appeal and property values, unique sense of place, and continued viability as a visitor destination. DCVB as Durham's tourism development authority and representing all facets of the destination including culinary arts, is fully in favor of this levy, and foodservice interests have been involved in the conversations over many years to shape something favorable.
But Durham's use of the proposed tax will also be much more equitable to taxpayers, e.g.:
· 40% will be paid by visitors and non-resident commuters. Half of the jobs in Durham are held by commuters and they will now help shoulder the costs of providing a vibrant community in which to work.
· The 1% on prepared food means the costs of a viable destination would be self funded by all Durham visitors and several hundred businesses, not just the 20% that stay overnight in 60+ businesses. Foodservice is the single largest beneficiary of tourism to Durham, by far.
· It is more equitable to all Durham taxpayers to have the costs of cultural, civic and recreational projects shouldered by a small consumption tax that includes nearly all residents, visitors and commuters than it is to continue to place it solely on property taxpayers. Hospitality savvy economists have advised us our approach is better tax policy for all concerned, including the business collecting the tax.
The special levy is intended to improve Durham's quality of life and viability as a visitor destination and will be used for:
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Durham News Service is a service of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, an internationally accredited local tourism development authority and the official destination marketing organization for Durham, North Carolina, including Research Triangle Park. |
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