Finally, PHA being held accountable

livewire
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Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#102033

I have been trying to get a copy of their marketing plan for the upcoming season for months - even just an idea of what their plan for marketing the city is - and finally, the city is doing something.
TimmyE
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by TimmyE »

I sure hope the city doesn't have to go to court to get the money back from the PHA. If they do, the only ones that are going to win are the lawyers.
livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

I hope so too Timmy...
ToddT
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by ToddT »

ToddT likes this.
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fluffy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by fluffy »

Don't get me started on this band of small minded nepotists. Ever since the fiasco with the Penticton Business Development Group. I have held the PHA in nothing but the lowest of contempt. Some of the finest minds this city has to offer were ready to tackle the issues in earnest until the city crumbled under pressure of the PHA holding the room tax ransom. And here we are, how many years later and the PHA has done diddly squat. About time they got slapped down.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

Fluffy! Yes! Thank you! Agree wholeheartedly!
twobits
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

fluffy wrote:Don't get me started on this band of small minded nepotists. Ever since the fiasco with the Penticton Business Development Association I have held the PHA in nothing but the lowest of contempt. Some of the finest minds this city has to offer were ready to tackle the issues in earnest until the city crumbled under pressure of the PHA holding the room tax ransom. And here we are, how many years later and the PHA has done diddly squat. About time they got slapped down.


Ditto from me on that. That whole power play stunt stunk to high heaven. The incompetence of the board of the PHA is stunning. They felt they were being marginalized in the decisions on the use of funds. It is abundantly clear now that they are incapable of making any decision. If I were a member providing 2% to these clowns I would consider litigation. Members are paying for a service, external marketing, and they are not receiving anything! 35k to Challenge.....big deal. Did it go into general revenues or was it stipulated that the funds were to be devoted to advertising Penticton, the purpose of the funds? Where are ya Daniel?
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mustgrowpenticton
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by mustgrowpenticton »

The PHA needs to recognize they wasted everyone's time on this and turn it over to Tourism Penticton. The PHA lacks the skill, leadership and organization to run any en devour other than there respective motels ( even that is up for debate ).
I understand the 2013 tourism season in Penticton was bellow expectations. I guess that is what happens when there is no co- ordinated marketing effort for the area . They had no transparency around governance, plans and expenditures.
They hurt the community with there incompetence. In early 2012 they put up a real stink about a new group committed to running the tourism agenda for the City. What a mistake . They were all talk. It was easy for them to dump all over that idea but could not back up there rhetoric with actions. It is time to stand down .
Forget legal advise PHA, move the file to a group that can spend the $$$ for the benefit of the community with the right stewardship !!
The funds generated are the communities not the PHA's !! You had your chance PHA... PHA,YOU FAILED MISERABLY.
mustgrowpenticton
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by mustgrowpenticton »

PHA Board must account for the concerns being expressed by the City and community ????

PHA Board of Directors time to open your books !!!
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Daspoot
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by Daspoot »

The PHA is blamed for not fixing the symptom of a much bigger problem that is not of they're doing. Of course they do need to account for all the money collected, but really, seriously, did anyone expect anything they did would make a significant difference and put butts in beds?

The young tourists are gone, the bars are mostly gone, the party atmosphere is gone, even the waterslides are gone. Most of what drew the crowds has been systematically dismantled, outlawed, discouraged and sent packing.

Penticton wanted FamilyFest instead of PeachFest and they got it, now they slap a tax on hotel rooms to collect money to advertise and promote the city and staff the board with the same type of people who got rid of the things that brought the people here in the first place, and guess what, not only did they not do a good job, but it was a hopeless battle to begin with as it wasn't lack of promotion that was the problem.

Now the City's claim to fame is a start-up Triathlon to replace Ironman, and even that was a bunch of athletes training for a grueling race. Not exactly the types you'd expect to be out there slathering money around the city are they? Sure they do put some butts in beds, but the demographic is not what you'd choose if you want money free-flowing into ancillary businesses is it?

Make the town a place they want to be, a candy store, a trip the tell everyone about when they go home, Penticton and Peachfest used to be legendary, then it got it's spirit crushed and soul sucked out , but people still want the business that came with it.

Build it and they will come, not advertise it so they come and find out you never built it, that just pisses them off.
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fluffy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by fluffy »

Daspoot wrote:The PHA is blamed for not fixing the symptom of a much bigger problem that is not of they're doing. Of course they do need to account for all the money collected, but really, seriously, did anyone expect anything they did would make a significant difference and put butts in beds?


Had they even tried that would have been something. They were called on the carpet at a city council meeting a couple months back and all they could produce was a donation to Challenge Penticton. They had half a million bucks in room tax revenue sitting in the bank with no plan, no strategy, no qualified marketing personnel, nothing. Direct questions were met with evasive non-answers. These people got into the position they did by holding the room tax hostage, their only motive was to oust the PBDG, and that was out of personal vendetta. It's long past time these people were put out to pasture.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by dreamon »

PHA's home page: http://www.thepentictonhospitalityassociation.com/
Quote from the home page: The PHA is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of all its members by inspiring excellence through programs and initiatives in advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, and community involvement. We are intrinsically linked and focused on the promotion of travel and tourism within the Okanagan and the province of British Columbia.

The first sentence has little or nothing to do with marketing Penticton as a tourist destination. Is it right that taxpayer money should be spent on those activities listed. Any companies, businesses small medium and large that I know of, do not use taxes to pay for advocacy, industry leadership and PD. Given PHA has collected tax monies, they should be completely transparent with how the monies are disbursed.
With regard to the second sentence, why would tax monies (HRT) collected from Penticton visitors be used to promote tourism within the Okanagan and the Province? Obviously Penticton lies within both, and some co-ordinated marketing needs to be done throughout the Okanagan and Province, but the bulk of the Penticton collected HRT funds should specifically be spent promoting tourism in Penticton.

A little further down the same page you arrive at this link: http://www.thepentictonhospitalityassoc ... act-us.php
No contact person, just a cell number and an office address which is that of Pearce Taylor Schneiderat.

Penticton needs to grow up, stop the pettiness, power tripping empire building, revenge, vendetta tactics and once again become the destination of choice, and have a well orchestrated marketing team that tells the world.
livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

Quote from the home page: The PHA is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of all its members by inspiring excellence through programs and initiatives in advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, and community involvement. We are intrinsically linked and focused on the promotion of travel and tourism within the Okanagan and the province of British Columbia.


There seems to be some confusion around the HRT where it goes and what is to be used for and by whom.

The 2% HRT is collected by accommodators. It is submitted to the Provincial Government. The Provincial Government then gives it to the City to be spent on external marketing. The City chose to put out an RFP for someone or group to manage those funds. Several proposals where submitted, the PBDG was on as well as I believe the Chamber. When the RFP was awarded to the PBDG, the PHA had a fit and said - our members will vote NOT to collect the HRT if we don't get to use it the way we want to. The city relented, took back the awarded RFP from the PBDG and gave it to the PHA.

At the end of the day, they are required by the provincial government to spend those funds on EXTERNALLY marketing our ENTIRE CITY. The PHA has other mandates as well, this was just one of them. The other mandates they have are not relevant to the spending of HRT marketing money. They could have a billion other dollars collected from wherever and spend it on what ever they like but the HRT money is required to be spent on external marketing. They are required by government to have a marketing plan, submit reports etc. They have not done that, therefore they are in breach of their contract and it has been taken away.

Sure, they gave $35,000 to Challenge, but Challenge was already an internal event. Also, if you were were an accommodator that was collecting this HRT but not a member of the PHA you were not included on the Challenge website as an accommodator. (A little like blackmail.) Read the first sentance, "Our Members) so if you are not a member....

Anyway, I am glad that the city has taken them to task and I would like to finally seeing some actual marketing of the City of Penticton.
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fluffy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by fluffy »

This just gets better and better. The city has asked for return of the outstanding HRT funds, an amount in the neighbourhood of $350,000, following the termination of the PHA's contract to market Penticton on behalf of hospitality interests, based on the PHA's failure to hold up their end of the bargain. The PHA is refusing, choosing instead to retain legal counsel to fight the issue on some minor technicality in the way the contract was terminated. Do these people have no shame?
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
twobits
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

fluffy wrote:This just gets better and better. The city has asked for return of the outstanding HRT funds, an amount in the neighbourhood of $350,000, following the termination of the PHA's contract to market Penticton on behalf of hospitality interests, based on the PHA's failure to hold up their end of the bargain. The PHA is refusing, choosing instead to retain legal counsel to fight the issue on some minor technicality in the way the contract was terminated. Do these people have no shame?


I would be very interested in who is funding the legal bill for the PHA. It certainly cannot come out of HRT funds and I doubt very much that every Hotel, Motel, B and B member is chipping in. So who is the clique and did the entire membership vote to pursue this path or just the directors?
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

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