Item B: City Council Goal Update-Arts and Outdoors

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communicate the identity in marketing materials, seeking to find something all partners would feel comfortable to use consistently. Staff subsequently spoke informally with a professional marketing firm for advice. After considerable deliberation, the staff team decided not to pursue a formal change in the approved slogan, but to encourage partners to use the arts and outdoors theme in different variations that would work best for their purposes. The City and some partners continue to use the theme in slightly varying ways. Examples of how it has been incorporated recently at the shared Eugene 08 booth and in various marketing materials will be presented at the council meeting. ? Story promotion – The staff team has created a draft story pitch plan that highlights many of the world-class features that make Eugene a great city for the arts and outdoors. The plan outlines story ideas and resources for background, interviews, and visuals to support staff and partners in pitching stories to local, regional and national media. A summary of the story lines included in the plan thus far is attached (Attachment B.) Staff will work with key partners to refine the plan and target media to obtain stories at opportune times. This is a strategy that was used with considerable success in promoting the area before and during Eugene 08. ? Tourism marketing – The City’s lead partner in marketing our area to visitors is the Convention & Visitors Association of Lane County Oregon. CVALCO has been developing a new brand identity for their countywide tourism marketing efforts. The results include a new organizational name, slogan and an overall marketing focus that centers on Eugene as the key marketing name of the region. Kari Westlund, president and CEO of CVALCO, will present information on their new direction at a City Council work session on February 25. 4) 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials – Eugene 08 Eugene 08 was a phenomenal success and provided the single largest opportunity to strengthen and promote Eugene’s arts and outdoors assets. Many partnerships were expanded and deepened; these relationships will serve the community well in promotion of the arts and outdoors and in addressing multiple shared goals, challenges and issues in the months and years to come. ? Community image – Media coverage before, during and after the event was voluminous and overwhelmingly positive. Local coverage was particularly significant with a very high volume of stories and special features. Outside the local area, hundreds of clippings from print media alone were gathered from national and international sources. While many stories focused primarily on the competition, literally hundreds of articles and subsequent website entries highlighted targeted key messages about community livability, natural and cultural resources. ? Community programs – Several programs were designed to encourage youth to lead healthy and active lifestyles and to develop the future of the sport of track and field. The All-Comers meets on the two non-competition days had record participation estimated at 1500-2000. The Personal Best Youth Camp brought youths from around Oregon for a life-changing experience on campus, attending leadership classes and volunteering during the competition. ? Eugene 08 Legacy Projects – Facility and park improvement projects connected with Eugene 08 leave a lasting legacy for the community. The Autzen Footpath received 36 new pedestrian-scale light fixtures. As noted above, the Riverbank Path was improved with signs and quarter-mile markers and Alton Baker Park now has kiosks with new park maps, a Pre’s Trail map, and interpretive signage. Also, the five Willamette River pedestrian bridges were cleaned and enhanced with new railings. Related to Eugene 08, the new synthetic track and sports field at the Arts and Technology Academy received partial funding from NIKE, and additional NIKE support will fund scholarships and track equipment. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090211\S090211B.doc