[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6565317,"mediaKeyId","3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878","parentId",3222141,"title","Clay County names Teddy Meyer tourism director; staff outline product and app initiatives","audioSeconds",1544,"startMs",117000,"endMs",1661000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878&start=117&end=1661","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878/thumbnail_117000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6565317/Clay-County/Florida/Clay-County-names-Teddy-Meyer-tourism-director-staff-outline-product-and-app-initiatives","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565317-4236168c820d35cfc57162d13dcdf1d1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213422&Signature=D1kzLjpmBZJNAYHU~rzsFRZbAxyah12N~6uCItLlwvMMUTy-193~gnWLUNRQK95x9wlsgCKT~ChmAQ4H3oJK3KroZh4v4hsE1P1fRYl2sIUw1kIp-KOJvqLl0aNuK1jEsAQsftFoSzQeuijWmLy5fisLqArRSJQM5oaE80htajAQMLV~bfZHFQsXaL8qKZUhqnEaGMiwqchG2l7zNTuC9XGupOE1fupAV9-RvGeQdhP~Fb1xxfyMsYO4A2rBR9hrU232TwzcMoiqtwkN9h-bxzZml~kWY-Vr-REHRSOLeEwEuhUvp7c5JyQvyMvll9zeLRkjkbQoxu7geSewugVgSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clay County","date","2025-05-07T00:00:00Z","article","The Tourist Development Council introduced Teddy Meyer as the county's new tourism director and heard updates on product development and digital tools from the tourism staff.

Charlie Latham, assistant county manager, introduced Meyer and described the hire as the result of a candidate search. Teddy Meyer told the council he comes from St. Johns County, has experience in sports tourism and facility management, and said his priority is to grow niche events that both serve residents and attract out-of-county groups.

Staff then presented program work and upcoming projects. Samantha Coster, product development manager, described a \"Wheel of the World\" listing initiative designed to help travelers with unique abilities find inclusive activities; she said the project includes photography and mapping of 30 partner sites with a planned launch by the end of summer.

Coster also summarized work on a Bartram Trail map and kiosk program identifying eight William and John Bartram locations in Clay County, with kiosks and signage in development with the Bartram Society. Staff highlighted new tools and partnerships: CrowdRiff for user-sourced photography, a visitor-guide photo shoot to fill seasonal imagery gaps, and an influencer project called \"Take It Outside\" scheduled for fall.

Staff reported metrics for the Explore Clay app and website. The tourism product team said the app averages roughly 20 users per day and that app page views track engagement with local business listings. Bed tax collections were described as showing positive monthly and year-to-date trends. Staff also noted limitations on vacation-rental visibility: some platforms (for example, Airbnb) collect and remit taxes under a collection agreement, while other listing platforms may not automatically remit taxes to the county.

Why it matters: the director hire and the product-development projects set operational priorities for tourism marketing and event recruitment. Staff emphasized accessibility initiatives, improved imagery for marketing, and better event listings as ways to increase visitor engagement and overnight stays.

What happens next: Meyer will take an active role in RFP work and event recruitment; staff will continue the Wheel of the World rollout, the Bartram Trail installations and the visitor-guide photography to support autumn and winter campaigns.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clay County - Tourist Development Council - May 07, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The TDC heard the introduction of new tourism director Teddy Meyer and staff updates on product development, including a Wheel of the World accessibility mapping project, a Bartram Trail kiosk plan, the Explore Clay app usage and visitor-guide photography.","taxTitle","Clay County, Florida","taxId",12757,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6565322,"Advanced Travel report: ExploreClay campaigns drive strong engagement and year-over-year website growth",600,444000,1044000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878&start=444&end=1044","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878/thumbnail_444000.jpg","/articles/6565322/Clay-County/Florida/Advanced-Travel-report-ExploreClay-campaigns-drive-strong-engagement-and-year-over-year-website-growth","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565322-25a1dd5be6a1bc82cca452a7cb0e24f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213422&Signature=TvMHiz~AtVl4eQ9GLElTCtJaUxBdAaGgMXp~j0tHDY0-uiUmYrKPmbtHd4ZpsM1-GZVbh-7M1JyxPOqiDEHzpK0ytp0u7cCWOHQoR93XuJ0mqLA3n8b4CDS2ySQnq58CyyzT1ZKz8brAlUXWLsTry4jNfVTCY6tmsj6fWHeEysIIzAo3C~vudyWknpW5VKI8axtQaFa6YqHbZC4Puhy0nSuhCd9xFOcXhIHWWYtBJ70YMFU0KSipceyIh6lK8c4KR4J7O-QmpW1cWFZ70Zwf2mq3WZ0rnAbU9IkMaJJPOHT17x~uBtAZ98k6~y3OH0krDH~W5PjsZKMpcoGyRvAYDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Advanced Travel & Tourism presented the TDC with first-quarter marketing and analytics for the ExploreClay campaign, reporting higher-than-average engagement across video, audio, social and email channels.

Laura English, regional sales manager for Advanced Travel & Tourism, said the firm delivered about 5.3 million Explore Clay messages that drove more than 50,000 potential travelers to exploreclay.com during the quarter. English reported a 69.45% average video completion rate (industry benchmark ~50%) and a 96.47% audio-ad completion rate. She said targeted ad tracking has enabled the contractor to identify a portion of ad viewers who later visited Clay County: \"we had 520 of the ads that were delivered, 520 people tracked back into Clay County,\" producing an approximate 0.64% tracked CTR and roughly 18,000 clicks to the website from select campaigns.

English highlighted social campaigns and two ticket-giveaway efforts tied to the Scottish Games and Clay County Fair. The Scottish Games giveaway produced 161,000 delivered impressions with 12,872 clicks (7.97% CTR) and 6,285 post engagements, while a Clay County Fair giveaway generated tens of thousands of entries. Advanced Travel reported total social ad engagements of about 181,000 and 87,000 clicks for a 4.9% CTR, well above the group's stated internal target of 2%.

In email marketing, English said the team targeted a 70,000-person audience with a roughly 45.8% average open rate across sends and about 954 direct clicks to ExploreClay.com from the campaign.

Website performance showed strong year-over-year changes: total site traffic rose 74%, new users increased 68%, page views were up 171%, and average time on site grew 27%. English credited updated business directories, improved content and a stronger events calendar for the gains.

Staff and council discussed outreach channels: the tourism office uses a Friday \"Explore Clay\" post on Clay County social platforms and a Visit Widget/app option that can deliver push alerts to users who download the Explore Clay app. Council members asked about text-based alerts and broad non-social distribution; staff said an app-based alert system exists and that pure SMS text-alert options would require further investigation.

Why it matters: the numbers underpin council decisions about marketing spend and grant awards. Members said the metrics help justify partnerships and ticket-giveaway tactics but asked staff to consider additional non-social channels to reach residents who are not on social media.

Next steps: staff and the contractor will continue seasonal campaigns, a visitor-guide photo shoot and influencer placements (\"Take It Outside\" project) slated for later in the year, and will refine event-targeted digital campaigns to convert ad clicks into overnight stays when possible.","Advanced Travel & Tourism told the TDC that digital campaigns, social ticket giveaways and partnerships drove above-average engagement for ExploreClay.com, and the tourism team reported double- and triple-digit year-over-year growth on several web metrics.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6565327,"Clay County TDC approves grants for Pro Water Cross, Moose Haven Fourth of July and SeaMark Rodeo",0,2913000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878&start=2913&end=2913","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222141-b42459f87cf754c7207d9a0fe2a9c878/thumbnail_2913000.jpg","/articles/6565327/Clay-County/Florida/Clay-County-TDC-approves-grants-for-Pro-Water-Cross-Moose-Haven-Fourth-of-July-and-SeaMark-Rodeo","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6565327-e3900c554c760ea76b2c33d809befe19/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213422&Signature=HLUGEf0ZbPt6BHAYaYSpawkYubaKjbJvSCpSPLGr-Uoq2rWc01GmZZrgDGfF6CSFL7Bn5i2PhZrqZuCdLAMCRct8x6RbeMLfcQVM5KPIN-~5ilZ5SREDaqAja0-88Fv8vD3eRx--2NAs~4bH3k-aCTRTc-7BxIn5t81Cdy7KXuMyFpAEndMzsVzwAj9BWflzPfjivrtRr~ozadTUT56E0~6zTfSB9Su8D-~Hzk~aKXHteUpiFb4jRKv4fmU3DDpi4aPVfFaQjVqvrEwET0RvqaKpyy4vzcjiZv1NNa71AGJ1aOIRNfG~VRwVRP63Et~02NyNCU3mVRDiNlz5Ic4LWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Clay County Tourist Development Council on May 7 approved event marketing grants for three returning and new events in the county.

The council voted to award $15,000 to the Pro Water Cross event in Keystone Heights, a multi-day competition that will be broadcast on CBS Sports. Stephanie Lam, program manager for the tourism department, told the council the applicant requested $30,000 and that staff's scoring recommended $14,000. Lam also cautioned that \"their 500 room nights might not be Clay County room nights,\" noting many attendees may stay just over the county line.

The council approved $3,500 to Moose Haven for its American Fourth of July celebration after hearing from Marina Matthews, a Moose Haven representative, who described the event as a free community festival that draws large daytime crowds. \"Last year we had estimated between 13 and 15000 people on our campus,\" Matthews said, and she explained the TDC funds would reimburse event advertising because Moose Haven, as a fraternal nonprofit, cannot advertise its residential services directly.

The council also approved a $3,500 grant for SeaMark Ranch's new Rodeo at the Ranch. Adrienne Tolbert, director of development for SeaMark Ranch, called the event a family-focused rodeo with barrel racing, bull riding, bronc riding and team roping and said about 75% of tickets sold so far had come from outside Clay County. Tolbert said the site can hold up to 2,800 people and that many rodeos realize most ticket sales at the door.

Votes were taken by voice; board members moved and seconded each motion during the meeting and the chair called the ayes and nays. The meeting record shows motions carried on voice votes; no roll-call tallies with named votes were recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: the grants support events that county staff and council members said contribute to local quality of life and bring out-of-county visitors who may spend at restaurants, vendors and, in some cases, area lodging. Several members said staff bandwidth to recruit events is limited and signaled support for a future request-for-proposal to hire a third-party events-solicitation vendor.

What happened in the meeting: council discussion on the Pro Water Cross centered on whether the televised exposure justified the level of support given limited local room-night capture. For Moose Haven, members emphasized the event's community reach and free offerings. For SeaMark Ranch, the council discussed production logistics and advertising match dollars; the board amended the initial staff-recommended award and approved $3,500 for the event's first year.

What to watch next: staff said the tourism grant fund had sufficient remaining balance for the fiscal year and asked event organizers to continue submitting applications and post-event reimbursement documentation.The council noted coordination opportunities with neighboring Bradford County when events draw overnight stays outside Clay County.","The Clay County Tourist Development Council approved three event grants: $15,000 for the Pro Water Cross national broadcast event, $3,500 for Moose Haven's Fourth of July celebration, and $3,500 for SeaMark Ranch's Rodeo at the Ranch. Board members discussed room-night impacts, TV exposure and marketing limits before voting by voice.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Clay County names Teddy Meyer tourism director; staff outline product and app initiatives

Advanced Travel report: ExploreClay campaigns drive strong engagement and year-over-year website growth

Clay County TDC approves grants for Pro Water Cross, Moose Haven Fourth of July and SeaMark Rodeo