ORGANIZATIONAL WORKING SESSION FROM THE 2009
KATY TRAIL MERCHANT CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 3, 2009 AT THE KATY DEPOT IN SEDALIA, MO
People attending the conference were divided into 4 groups and were instructed to answer several questions and report back to everyone.
Its 5 years in the future and you have become the ideal organization.
1. What have you done? 2. What do you look like as an organization?
Group A:
1. Action
- Events
- Marketing-advertising external marketing plan
- Support for members
- Internal communication
- More riders
- Provide lower end services
- Website
- Lobbying
2. The organization
- Would be a 501c 3
- Board committees
- Paid staff
- Funding-due supported
- Membership/pay
- Plan
- Representation
Group B:
1. Action
- More riders on the trail
- Users of the trail spend more $
- Cooperative advertising
- Market plan as a group
- E-mail communication
- Fulfill the need of lower end spenders- webpage to market accommodations
- Business forum only on web and an annual all Katy Trail event.
2. The organization
- Would be older
- Separate website from Missouri River Communities Network
- Fundraising to promote trail statewide
- One entity
- All communities equal regardless of size
Group C:
1. Action
- Collective marketing
- Increase trail awareness and use
- Increase accommodations-restrooms/water (DNR)
- Newsletter
- Website
- Quarterly meetings
- Membership-annual fees/organizing body(benefits of)
- What do the trail riders want?
- Determine the motivation of the vendors of the trail
- Share success-communication
- Communicate business changes-hours sales etc.
- Effective website (link for each community) includes transportation
- A strong web presence
- Communications directory
- Unified marketing between towns
- Educational enrichment
- Cross-promote events(calendar of current events)
- Researching grants to increase profitability
- Paid administrator, package deals
- Support(incubator)
- Customer comment card
2. The organization
- Would have money (grants)
- Board of directors
- Rules/guidelines
- Committee (not-for-profit)
- Membership to pay for salaried positions
- Donations
- Fundraiser/festival
Group D:
- Promotion of the trail and organization to Nation
- big trail wide event(rag ride)
- resource guide for merchants and riders
- find out what the riders want
- website/guidebook not great while riding
- merchant map
- 2010 trail anniversary
2. Organization
- Would be an association pulled under other 501 3 c-easier and less work
- Board with members from each community
- Continue meetings to pull people in
- Tour new towns
- Use Old Trails region as an example
- Cohesive structure so it stays together
1. What needs to happen in the next year to start accomplishing your vision?
2. What issues need to be addressed?
Group A:
1.
- Decide if become a nonprofit or not
- Decide who is going to be responsible
- Create an internal portal
- Each type of merchant would have a representative
- Create a 2010 event
2.
Group B:
1.
- Complete trail vendor list
- Form formal organization
- Solicit membership to promote their business
- Marketing information and education
- Form organizational committee
- Develop business plan
- Develop marketing/media plan
2.
- Time to attend meetings
- Getting members
- Money
Group C:
1.
- Form a group
- Get members, board members
- 20th anniversary events-broken into smaller tasks
- Organizational/planning committee-sub-committees for other areas
- Name
- Mission statement
- Coupon
- Webmaster involved
- What to do with the web-enhance it
- More links ie business and advertising
2.
- Time and finding people to volunteer
- Money
- Lack of education among the group to organize and do the next step
- Publicity
Group D:
1.
- Interim Director
- VISTA? (Hire the director) they would take charge of coordinating/staff work/loan staff, retired person?
- Come up with a strategic plan (marketing/business)
- Establish ground rules
- Have people sign up for committees
- Increase membership/establish benefits for businesses and organizations to join
- Committees develop detail plans
- Develop a social network-Yahoo-blog/talk/share concerns-develop one for the committee
2.
- Money and resources addressed
- Timeline and plans to move forward
- Assessment of what has worked (annual planning/evaluation)
- Getting the word out
Summary from all the groups as follows:
1.
- Form group/decide form
- Assign leadership and responsibilities (Board, directors, VISTAs)
- Membership and publicity
- Committee, planning, planning committee
- Internal portal/social network
- Business plan/timeline
2.
- Getting people
- Time
- Resources
Individuals wrote down on cards what they would be willing to do. Answers were put into the following categories:
Events
- Organizing: forming and implementing, Event planning and promotion/fundraising, help with organizing and putting on an event, and help with organizing events for the future. Discuss with DNR the concept of partnering an event across the trail involving communities. It is easier for DNR to partner/co-sponsor an event if the partner is one entity such as a 501 c3.
- Research: check out local trail sites within 20 miles each way of Jefferson City and make a listing of vendors along the trail (recommendations of food/shelters), Survey the trail usage by people-day/month
Internal
- Committee: work on a committee/marketing plan, form a committee for Huntsdale (collaborate), form city communities to report to second board to report to director
- Inventory: help with inventory of the Katy Trail Merchants, list of each community participants, need to generate a database of all the Katy Trail Merchants as a starting point for membership and communication
- Website: Collaborate on the website development. Add informational link to this organization’s website to the katytrailstatepark.com website and bikekatytrail.com website
Marketing/Publicity
Specifics: Willing to work on promotional brochure, communicate with other businesses along the trail to give information about goals of the organization. Provide a coupon for the book, help with publicity and to see how to incorporate the transportation promotion
Committee: I will serve on media/marketing committee. Help with marketing and media
Word out: work with Clinton community and help get the word out about the organization and what we are doing. Possibly helping with the organizational structure. Get the word out.