SANDWICH BUSINESS GROUP
MINUTES
JANUARY 8, 2007

Members present: Lisa Shambaugh, Don Brown, Tom Thiel, Connie Yanuszeuski, Sarah Zuccarelli, Bob Rowan, Janina Lamb, Ben Adriance, Susan Davies, Joyce Lund, Diane Johnson, Patsy Carega.

President Lisa Shambaugh called the meeting to order at 8:30.

Treasurer: Julie Deak presented the financial report.(Attached to hard copy of the minutes). We have been running the SBG on a “cash as needed” basis with no reserves. There is not a large balance in our account.

Brochure Distribution: We contracted for one year with CTM to have our brochures distributed in four rest areas throughout the state. The brochures will continue to be distributed through June. We do not have any feedback as to whether or not the brochures have brought business to Sandwich.

Should we keep the brochure the same this year or change it? One comment was made that there was no sense of distances on the map. Mileages can be added to the descriptions but space is an issue when adding mileages to the map. We can add a “not to scale” disclaimer to the map. A direct mailing to Sandwich, North Sandwich, Moultonborough, Center Harbor and Meredith was discussed. The possibility of including the brochure with the town mailing was also brought up. The addition of the brochure to a town mailing would increase the cost of the mailing so the SBG would have to help out with costs. Another point was made that Sandwich knows what we are doing so why spend money mailing to ourselves? Janina Lamb, brochure designer, suggested possibly splitting the services and the businesses open to the public. She suggested producing a spiral bound booklet to include the services in Sandwich and keeping the brochure for those businesses interested in attracting tourists. The directory for the town could include advertising. The State of NH will match costs for the promotion of tourism. The question that arose is whether or not our brochure is a mish mash of purposes. It includes businesses that do not want tourists at their doors and those that do. The brochure does, however, make people aware of what is going on in Sandwich and to that end serves our group.

Diane Johnson reported that the Sandwich Women’s Group is also working on the “update” to the Service Directory that was originally produced by the town. The project is just beginning. Don Brown made the point that we are not big enough to split at this point. The brochure was not envisioned as a tool to lure tourists at rest areas but as a tool to promote commerce in Sandwich. A motion was made to keep the brochure as it is for this year. The motion was seconded and voted upon. The brochure remains the same for 2007.  We discussed going to two colors to make it stand out more.

Membership Fees:  A discussion ran throughout the meeting as to how much dues should be this year for membership in the SBG. It was felt by some that $100 was fair. Others felt that this fee was high. $75.00 is to be the figure under consideration. We want to insure a financial cushion in our budget, which we can do by raising the membership fees.  The intent is to have a basic membership and an enhanced membership.

Sandwich Side Hillers: Bob Rowan spoke on behalf of the Sandwich Side Hillers. The group has taken over the sponsorship of the Sandwich Sixty and is looking to turn the event into a premier race. They have taken a page in the paper (Salmon Press) to advertise the event and would welcome any Sandwich businesses that would like to participate. The event draws about 5000 to 6000 people. Barbara Harris is in charge of advertising. If any of our members would like to advertise or help sponsor, the SBG is a vehicle to pass on the information.

Marketing: The SBG has joined the Lakes Region Association as a group. Our website is now linked to theirs. It is a good opportunity for the group.  The marketing committee is researching joint advertising possibilities and other packages that are available to our members.

NEXT MEETING: AN EVENING MEETING, MONDAY FEBRUARY 5TH AT 6:00 P.M. CORNER HOUSE INN.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:32 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Carega
Recording Secretary
 

[1.08.07]