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PRIORITY ISSUE: Push Arts and Outdoors as a Theme for Eugene <br />Contact: Susan Muir, Executive Director, Planning and Development, 682-6077 <br />Jan Bohman, Staff Lead, 682-5587 <br />Reporting period: October -December 2005 <br />Eugene's plentiful arts and outdoor resources are unique assets and major contributors to the <br />community's overall quality of life. Strengthening and promoting these vital assets has two significant <br />benefits: improved sustainable economic activity through increased tourism and commerce; and, <br />enhanced community livability with expanded access to arts and outdoor amenities for area residents. <br />With assistance from a marketing consultant, staff will assemble community partners, such as the <br />Convention and Visitor's Association of Lane County, Oregon (CVALCO), Lane County, and <br />Downtown Eugene, Inc., (DEI) to jointly develop a marketing strategy for effectively communicating <br />the arts and outdoors as a community identity and an economic development theme. The marketing <br />plan will establish cooperative working agreements regarding the roles and responsibilities of various <br />agencies and will evaluate opportunities to develop and support resources and activities within the <br />'community as well as promoting them outside of the area. <br />OUTCOMES <br />• Increased economic activity due to arts, outdoors, and tourism <br />• Eugene is well-known as a great place for arts and outdoors <br />• Residents have greater access to arts and outdoors amenities and activities <br />PROGRESS SINCE LAST REPORT <br />The staff team met several times in June to develop the proposed action plan for the Arts and <br />Outdoors priority issue, and the City Council approved the plan in July. In September, the City <br />Council approved a slogan for Eugene, "World's Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors," to be <br />used in promoting Eugene as a center for arts and outdoors activities. The staff team is now <br />developing an agreement with a marketing consultant. <br />CHALLENGES <br />Although there is already considerable interest among key partners in cooperatively developing this <br />community identity, the overall challenge facing the project is to coordinate a diverse group of <br />stakeholders and reach consensus on the many issues identified in the action plan. Clarifying the <br />appropriate role and responsibilities for the City of Eugene organization in relation to the other <br />stakeholders will be an important aspect of that process. Other key challenges will be to identify <br />adequate resources to implement the marketing plan, and also to determine how to share the <br />responsibility for implementation while coordinating actions for the most effective results. <br />INTERMEDIATE MEASURES <br />• Number of partners and stakeholders contacted to participate in marketing plan <br />• Number of opportunities for partners and stakeholders to participate in planning <br />• Percent of resource assessment completed <br />Percent of marketing plan activities completed <br />Number of uses of identifier and/or theme in ads, publications <br />Percent of project list activities completed <br />-9- <br />