Woodbury City Council — Minutes
Monday, April 27, 2026
EDC Meeting Format Modifications
Destination Woodbury Performance and Marketing Initiatives
Economic Development Indicator Dashboard Review
Mayor’s Business Outreach and Development Updates
Votes (3)
DESTINATION WOODBURY UPDATE
Eric Satre provided an update on the first year of Destination: Woodbury. Key points included strong hotel occupancy (70% average), mixed website analytics, and social media performance. Growth markets like Dallas–Fort Worth and Milwaukee were identified. Staff implemented Wi-Fi sponsorships at Central Park and M Health Fairview Sports Center. Upcoming initiatives include a new 'Know & Go' e-newsletter (design input gathered), partnership with Shrpa for content creation, a summer marketing campaign, and a 'sizzle reel' video (commissioners provided location input). The 2027 budget priorities include advertising, technology support, and an update to the strategic plan. Commissioners discussed the shift from brand awareness to actionable marketing strategies.
MAYOR’S BUSINESS OUTREACH UPDATE- (CONSULT)
This item was moved to the next meeting for discussion.
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
This item was moved to the next meeting for discussion.
Notable Quotes (9)
Jamie Fritts, Housing and Economic Manager, advised the Commissioners that they will notice some modifications to the meeting format to make discussion items more engaging, with the goal of maximizing participation and generating more robust recommendations and actionable feedback.
He said these changes will also provide more clarity as to the objective of the EDC discussion (information purposes or policy direction, etc.).
Eric Satre said April 5 marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Destination: Woodbury website. Year one focused on building a strong foundation, including launching the website and supporting marketing tools.
Hotel occupancy is off to a strong start in 2026. The 12-month hotel occupancy is an average of 70 percent, a significant milestone not reached since before the pandemic.
Mr. Satre said staff have emphasized making the DMO marketing tools more actionable for visitors.
Marketing to date has been mostly about creating brand awareness of the DMO and we are transitioning to marketing strategies that encourage visitors to take some type of action.
Mr. Fritts advised the Commission of the attached Economic Development Dashboard created by LOCi Consulting. He provided additional context of the data displayed on the dashboard.
Is there interest in the vacant building located in the Northeast Business Park?
Broader policy to look at on how to go about that and what are the key businesses we want.
Ordinances & Resolutions (8)
Document outlining proposed changes to meeting format and objectives
City's tourism website, one-year anniversary of launch discussed
Metrics reviewed for Destination Woodbury's performance
Report providing key highlights for Woodbury's DMO performance
Mentioned as including many DMO metrics, but not yet in overall city performance measures
New quarterly e-newsletter launching in May, with logo/header designs reviewed
Dashboard created by LOCi Consulting, presented to the Commission
Update included in the 2027 DMO budget priorities