Our Town Motueka's year off to flying start

February 20th, 2016
[by David Armstrong]

The business promotion group Our Town Motueka (OTM) is off to a flying start for 2016 with news that it's new promotional video and website are proving a great success.

The committee heard at its meeting last week that more than 30,000 views of the "Love Motueka" video had been clocked up to date by people around the world, exceeding the most of domestic predictions of its guiding light, committee member Johny O'Donnell.

The new website, lovemotueka.com, has also received many favourable comments, although local businesses have largely been slow in availing themselves of their opportunity for free listings on the website business directory.

Johny puts this down to the past couple of months being very busy ones for most members, but shortly a campaign will be ramped up to encourage them to get their marketing details onto the directory.

With so many people now looking at the website, it would be a shame for businesses not to leverage that to give them a broader audience, especially to people coming to Motueka from outside, Johny said.

He also reported that a handful of nonmember businesses have approached about becoming voluntary members so they can have listings on site also.

An online PayPal account and application form will be set up to enable voluntary members to join and automatically pay their fees annually.

Motueka businesses which are not members of OTM are generally those working from home or premises outside of the business rating area, and therefore who do not pay the targeted rate which provides OTM with its operating finances.

The "Love Motueka" brand, which OTM has adopted for its marketing face, is beginning to spread. Steph Fry, the local owner of Ideal Cup which makes an innovative reusable takeaway coffee cup, will put the logo on her products which are distributed around the country.

The new committee has spent several months sorting out budgetary issues and gaining a clear picture of funds available and costs of potential projects. The result has been a tightening of the scope of OTM's operations for this year.

As far as internal management is concerned, the committee took the important step of appointing a long-term Secretary/Treasurer to look after its administrative work.

Claire Hutt was chosen from an impressive list of 18 candidates, and she has already taken up her duties as a contractor, rather than as a part-time employee which has been the case for previous OTM administrators.

The committee was pleased to welcome to new members from the retail sector, Renee and Ian Rowling who own Ormolu.

Our Town Motueka is hoping to host a social event during March for all members to attend, to act as a debrief on how the summer season business went for them and what could be done better in future.

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