CARBON • MONROE • PIKE • WAYNE COUNTIES
ANNUAL REPORT 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS SPECIAL THANKS ................................................................................................ 03 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................ 04 EXECUTIVE MESSAGE ......................................................................................... 05 BY THE NUMBERS ............................................................................................... 06 OUR VISITORS ..................................................................................................... 07 MARKETING ......................................................................................................... 08 LIVE CAMERAS ..................................................................................................... 11 POCONOMOUNTAINS.COM .................................................................................. 12 WEBSITE ENHANCEMENTS ................................................................................. 13 ANALYTICS ........................................................................................................... 14 SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY ................................................................................... 15 SOCIAL MEDIA STATS .......................................................................................... 16 COMMUNICATIONS .............................................................................................. 17 MEMBERSHIP ...................................................................................................... 18 SALES ................................................................................................................... 19 ADVOCACY .......................................... ................................................................. 20
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POCONO MOUNTAINS VISITORS BUREAU 1004 W. Main St. Stroudsburg, PA 18360 1-800-POCONOS (570) 421-5791 pocomts@poconos.org PoconoMountains.com @PoconoTourism #PoconoMtns
SPECIAL THANKS to our
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CARBON COUNTY
MONROE COUNTY
PIKE COUNTY
Wayne Nothstein* Tom Gerhard William O’Gurek
John Moyer* Charles Garris John Christy
Matthew Osterberg* Rich Caridi Steve Guccini
WAYNE COUNTY Brian Smith* Wendell Kay Joseph Adams
* Denotes Chairman
SENATORS & REPRESENTATIVES CONGRESSMEN
SENATORS
Robert Casey, Jr. Pat Toomey
Lisa Baker John Blake Mario Scavello John Yudichack
REPRESENTATIVES
REPRESENTATIVES
Rosemary Brown Jonathan Fritz Kevin Haggerty Doyle Heffley
Jerry Knowles Maureen Madden Michael Peifer Jack Rader
2016-17 BOARD OF DIRECTORS *Arthur Berry Second Vice Chairman Camelback Mountain Resort Jim Cahill Pocono Manor Investors *Bill Colavito 1st Vice Chairman Great Wolf Lodge John Culetsu Mount Airy Casino Resort Bob Dunlop Crescent Lodge *Eric Ehrhardt Chairman of the Board Silver Birches Resort *Tony Farda Hideaway Hills Golf Club
*Andrew Forte Stroudsmooor Country Inn
*Brandon Igdalsky Pocono Raceway
*Donna Smith Bushkill Falls
*Bridget Gelderman East Shore Lodging
*John Kiesendahl Woodloch Resort
*Justin Genzlinger Settlers Hospitality Group
Mark Major Intl. Sports Training Camp
Don Snyder Better Homes & Gardens Wilkins & Assoc. Real Estate
*Barbara Green Treasurer Blue Mountain Ski Area
Jim McGrath Split Rock Resort
Pete Helms Davis R. Chant Real Estate Inc.
Drew Snyder Pocono ProFoods
**Robert Phillips Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce
Rob Howell Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort
*Genevieve Reese Chairperson French Manor Inn & Spa
Martin Horowitz Brookview Manor Inn
Jeff Rudder Skytop Lodge
*Jim Tust 3rd Vice Chairman Shawnee Mountain Ski Area *John Warnagiris Chateau Resort & Conference Center *Andy Worthington Bushkill Group *Denotes Executive Committee **ex-officio
PAST CHAIRMEN 1934-1953 1953-1954 1954-1955 1955-1956 1956-1957 1957-1958 1958-1963 1963-1964 1964-1967 1967-1969
Ted Jenkins Jack Shinn Henry Arneberg Harry Ahnert Paul Asure Leroy Guccini William J. Altier Eric Schuchard Harry Kiesendahl Robert Ahnert
1969-1972 1972-1973 1973-1974 1974-1976 1976-1978 1978-1979 1979-1981 1981-1985 1985-1989 1989-1992
Charles Poalillo Glenn Kissel Paul Asure Peter Ahnert Joan Toms Wes Smith Bill Van Gilder Tony Farda Ron Logan Donald H. Pierson
1992-1995 1995-1998 1998-2000 2000-2002 2002-2007 2007-2009 2009-2012 2012-2014 2014-2016
Frank Kelley Jeanne Genzlinger W. Jack Kalins Larry Greene Andrew Forte Edward Mayotte Andy Worthington John Kiesendahl Eric Ehrhardt
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The PMVB’s annual report gives you a look back over the past fiscal year to see how tourism continues to grow and drive revenue to our four-county region. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
BY THE NUMBERS gives you a snapshot of how strong and important tourism and supporting tourism is to our region. OUR VISITORS gives you great insight into who is coming to the region. Here, you can also see how tourism directly supports job creation, income and taxes on the state and local levels. MARKETING is the nuts and bolts of what we do to support, engage, develop awareness, attract and build relationships with our audience. We aim to increase visitation to the Pocono Mountains and keep guests coming back year after year. LIVE CAMERAS tell the story of how we share scenes from the Pocono Mountains every day through our 29 live streaming cameras located throughout the region. Not only are these cameras streaming on our site, they’re on our members’ sites and also on TV stations and social networks. POCONOMOUNTAINS.COM is a portal and powerful tool for new visitors, returning visitors, PMVB members and locals to learn about things to do, events, festivals, attractions and lodging options in our region. We’ve developed this site to be the search engine of the Poconos. Our WEBSITE ENHANCEMENTS show what we’ve been doing to make PoconoMountains.com a user-friendly site across all devices, serving varied content based on user location and interests. TECHNOLOGY is one of the most important pieces for us as a destination marketing organization. We’re constantly learning, investing resources, training our staff and developing relationships with partners to stay on the forefront of the ever-changing worlds of marketing and tourism. Here, you will see some of the initiatives and partnerships we’ve been working on over the past year and how they have helped drive results.
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SOCIAL MEDIA and tourism have a unique relationship because they both tell very powerful and personal stories. We look at social media as one of the strongest ways to showcase our destination. By developing engaging content, relevant contests and utilizing our audience to help tell the story of the Pocono Mountains, we’ve seen substantial growth in the last year that has allowed us to reach new audiences and bring more visitors to the region. COMMUNICATION is a key role that we have really embraced and changed our strategy to stay relevant and top of mind in the new world of public relations. In doing so, we have doubled our reach, which has allowed us to tell our story to new audiences. MEMBERSHIP is a cornerstone of our organization and our members are the best tool for helping us tell the story of the Pocono Mountains. We’ve developed new tools to help our members over the past year, and we’re continuing to find ways to enhance and build relationships with current and new members. Our SALES team is constantly out developing relationships to bring events, meetings, groups and teams to the Pocono Mountains. ADVOCACY allows our members and tourism in the Pocono Mountains to have one voice in local, state and national matters. From building relationships with local and state officials to working with regional and state tourism agencies, we are working toward a common goal of bringing visitors to the region and keeping them happy while they are here. FINANCIALS show the state of the organization over the past fiscal year.
POCONOMOUNTAINS.COM/ANNUAL REPORT
EXECUTIVE MESSAGE I want to take a moment to thank all of you for a warm welcome and the great opportunity to serve all of you and the great Pocono Mountains. The past six months has been a great journey exploring all that our world renown destination offers. Each day gets more and more exciting as we conclude 2016-2017 and look forward to the new opportunities that 2017-2018 will present us. As we bring this fiscal year to a close, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize our elected official partners from State, County and Local government. They have supported us over the past year in many ways that we are grateful for and they have always positioned us for success. Their counsel and guidance is greatly appreciated. As we turn our efforts towards 2017-2018, we would like to present some points of focus that you can expect from us: 1. Enhance our product offerings to ensure value for our members 2. Enhance our marketing/advertising product so that they provide value for our guests and compels them to visit 3. Bring advertising and marketing services in-house to ensure maximum use of our hotel tax dollars to tell the story of the Poconos more effectively 4. Transparency in all that we do 5. Approach everything that we do with a heart for service 6. Educate the guest as to the treasure trove of experiences that is the Poconos Finally, we will listen. I want you to know that we are open to your ideas and suggestions. We are committed to surveying our members and guests and to sharing that information with you so that we make informed decisions. We hope that all of you will be partners in that endeavor. Thank you again for your dedication and commitment to our vibrant destination‌for all of you are the true heart and essence of what we call the Poconos. Sincerely,
I would like to thank the staff of the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau for their dedication and hard work this past year. Our marketing team continues to strengthen the Pocono Mountains brand with its commanding presence in key demographics such as New York and Philadelphia. We have also expanded into the Maryland and Virginia markets. New technologies are being introduced to attract and track the consumer, giving us new ways to remarket to guests while visiting our area. Incredible things are happening! This year we said goodbye to Carl Wilgus who after more than nine years as President/CEO of the PMVB transitioned into retirement. We welcomed Chris Barrett into the role of President/CEO and have set forth on an exciting journey of positive changes. His background in entertainment/hospitality and advertising are the perfect marriage for our region and we look forward to his innovative ideas and marketing directives. Our elected officials continue to support us in all they do. They understand the importance of tourism, the number one industry in our region, and have been working tirelessly with the Pocono Mountains to ensure that the hotel-tax funded marketing initiatives will continue to strengthen the overall destination. I am pleased to say that the 2016/2017 fiscal year of the Pocono Mountains continued to grow both in visitation and property investment and reinvestment. Jobs continue to be created and our destination continues to be the envy of our competitive set. I have been honored to serve as your Chairperson and I look forward to the many exciting things to come. Sincerely,
Genevieve
Genevieve Reese Chairperson
Chris
Chris Barrett President/CEO 5
BY THE NUMBERS 33,753
11
tourism related jobs
250,000+ guests assisted at PMVB visitors centers
20,883
TV partners streaming Pocono live cameras
consumer social posts tagged #PoconoMtns
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330,000+
branded adventure sports events hosted
2.3 MILLION
social media fans & followers
191.8%
19,134
visits to poconomountains.com
earned media placements
26.6 MILLION visitors welcomed in 2016
increase in Instagram followers over last fiscal
29,833,075
90.6%
36% overnight stays 64% day trips
increase in consumer enews subscribers YOY
live camera minutes viewed
TRAVEL SPENDING IN THE POCONO MOUNTAINS EXCEEDS $3.2 BILLION ANNUALLY. dining
$657.1 million
transportation $956 million
retail
$578.5 million
recreation
$610 million
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$3.2 billion
lodging
$422.6 million
Sources: Longwoods Travel USA, 2016 Visitor Report, Pocono Mountains; Tourism Economics: The Economic Impact of Travel in Pennsylvania
OUR VISITORS 9.6 million number of visitors
$1.5 billion total in-region spending for overnight trips
2.3 nights average length of stay
who stayed at least one night
$156
26.6 million
total per person trips to the Pocono Mountains
3.5 persons average size of
average per-person spend of overnight visitors
TOURISM IN THE POCONO MOUNTAINS CONTRIBUTES TO THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE Tourism supports economic, social and
82% number of overnight
guests who were repeat visitors to the region
overnight travel party
environmental wellbeing like no other industry.
CREATES JOBS For every additional 176 room nights generated year over year, one job is created.
GENERATES TAX DOLLARS TOTAL TOURISM AND ECONOMIC IMPACT • 33,753 jobs
For every dollar invested in “tourism advertising,” $3 in state taxes are generated.
• $1.343 billion in labor income • $321.6 million in state and local taxes
VISITORS CENTERS Assisting more than 250,000 visitors, our three Visitors Centers located in Jim Thorpe, Lake Wallenpaupack and Stroudsburg more than doubled the amount of visitor traffic over the 2015-16 fiscal year. Much of this increase can be attributed to local events making our Centers hubs for information.
GET THIS 36.3% of all workers in the Pocono Mountains are employed within the tourism industry.
Sources: Longwoods Travel USA, 2016 Visitor Report, Pocono Mountains; Tourism Economics: The Economic Impact of Travel in Pennsylvania
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MARKETING 2016 ad campaigns TELEMUNDO OLYMPICS 2016 [August 4 - August 21, 2016]
TOTAL SPEND: $65,000 MEDIA VALUE: $92,000
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TELEVISION
KEY INSIGHT
98 total spots in contract. On-site talent shoots at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions and Pocono Manor Resort & Spa. Average rating among Hispanic adults ages 25-54 was 0.8.
NTD SUMMER/FALL 2016 CAMPAIGN [June 30 - September 30, 2016]
MEDIA BUY: $38,750 MEDIA VALUE: $56,040
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TELEVISION
DIGITAL
KEY INSIGHT
Digital media delivered 1,918 total clicks to an in-language landing page: PoconoMountains.com/Chinese.
AWARD-WINNING MULTICULTURAL MARKETING Out of more than 1,200 entries, the Pocono Mountains’ Multicultural Advertising Campaigns submission was chosen as a 2017 Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Silver Adrian Award winner.
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MARKETING 2016-2017 ad campaigns FALL 2016 CAMPAIGN
[September 12 - October 30, 2016]
MEDIA BUY: $101,371 MEDIA VALUE: $265,771
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TRANSIT
DIGITAL
KEY INSIGHT
Mobile media delivered 35k+ ad clicks to PMVB site resulting in 3.81% CTR during the fall campaign.
WINTER 2017 CO-OP [January 2 - March 19, 2017]
MEDIA BUY: $1,018,291.99 CO-OP PARTNERS: 8 CO-OP INVESTMENT: $670, 816.04 MEDIA VALUE: $1,754,865.73
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TRANSIT
TELEVISION
DIGITAL
BILLBOARD
KEY INSIGHT
Digital ad CTR goal was 0.14%. Campaign result was 0.63%.
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MARKETING 2017 ad campaigns
NTD WINTER 2017 CAMPAIGN [January 7 - March 10, 2017]
MEDIA BUY: $29,450 MEDIA VALUE: $49,924
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TELEVISION
DIGITAL
KEY INSIGHT
292 in-language commercial spots on NTD Television delivered from January 7 to March 6, 2017.
SUMMER 2017 CO-OP [May 22 - August 20, 2017]
MEDIA BUY: $1,541,426.80 CO-OP PARTNERS: 63 CO-OP INVESTMENT: $853,584.85 MEDIA VALUE: $2,577,001.00
CAMPAIGN MEDIA TRANSIT
TELEVISION
DIGITAL
BILLBOARD
KEY INSIGHT
Campaign result was 0.46%. With over 46,000 conversions to partner and PMVB landing pages.
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LIVE CAMERAS THE PMVB’S LIVE CAMERA INTEGRATION
continues to evolve. Access to Weather Metrics Camera Manager has given members the ability to pull time lapse videos and post to social channels as well as track viewer minutes. Eleven television partners currently utilize the live camera streams including: • • • • • •
WPSG channel 57 Philly KYW channel 3 Philly WTXF channel 29 Philly WCAU channel 10 Philly WCBS channel 2 NY WPIX channel 11 NY
• • • • •
WNBC channel 4 NY WNYW channel 5 NY WFMZ channel 69 Allentown WNEP channel 16 Scranton WGAL channel 8 Lancaster
LIVE CAMERAS AT A GLANCE • 4 counties • 29 live streaming cameras • 11 television partners • 29,833,075 minutes viewed
LIVE CAMERA VIEWS BY MONTH
6
5
MINUTES VIEWED IN MILLIONS
4
3
2
1
0
JUL. '16 AUG. '16 SEP. '16 OCT. '16 NOV. '16 DEC. '16 JAN. '17 FEB. '17 MAR. '17 APR. '17 MAY '17 JUN. '17
MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR 11
POCONOMOUNTAINS.COM TRACKING SESSIONS FISCAL YEAR
TOTAL SESSIONS
2015-16
2016-17
% CHG
2,705,936
3,464,244
+28%
TOP PAGES
[10 most visited] 1. Homepage 2. Adults Only 3. Things to Do 4. Resorts 5. Romance Packages 6. Places to Stay 7. Romantic Getaways
Pocono Mountains Blog sessions increased 140% over the past fiscal year with 71% being new visits.
8. Family Resorts
The top post: A bachelor/bachelorette party guide with 5,402 page views.
9. Cottages/Condo 10. Events
INDUSTRY AVERAGES [July 1 , 2016 - June 31, 2017]
ENGAGEMENT METRICS
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INDUSTRY AVG.
POCONOMOUNTAINS.COM
% DIFFERENCE
2.36
2.97
TOTAL AVG. VISIT DURATION:
0:02:08
0:02:51
25.15%
TOTAL BOUNCE RATE:
54.78%
47.44%
-15.47%
ORGANIC PAGES PER VISIT:
2.38
ORGANIC AVG. VISIT DURATION:
0:02:09
0:03:31
ORGANIC BOUNCE RATE:
53.46%
38.88%
3.40
20.54%
TOTAL PAGES PER VISIT:
30.00%
38.86%
-37.50%
WEBSITE ENHANCEMENTS conversion rate optimization
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2016, the PMVB partnered
with Simpleview to optimize our website and bolster marketing efforts by increasing the value of the site to each visitor. The primary goal was to increase partner referrals. From July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017, PoconoMountains.com saw a 36% increase in sessions where a partner referral occurs. Many of these sessions include multiple referrals where we’ve seen the total amount of partner referrals increase 69%, and the rate of conversion increase 714% relative to the amount of sessions.
sessions +39%
PARTNER REFERRALS
FISCAL YEAR ‘15-16 ‘16-17
595,761 +69%
1,008,462
Optimization Summary enhanced listing & event layout In October 2016, we implemented an enhanced listing layout to attract more visitors to perform the desired action of clicking through to a partner website. Through site analysis we determined that there were too many calls to action on the listing layout and the ability to click through to the partner website was buried inside the individual listing details.
referrals +121%
conversion
+131%
a/b testing
We evaluated the visitor flows to find the highest converting path for partner referrals from specific pages. This allowed us to test calls to action (CTA) that lead visitors to higher converting pages. We continue to use A/B testing with three tests consecutively running on PoconoMountains.com. Overall, we see great growth in partner referrals and marked improvement through analyzing, hypothesizing, testing and implementing winning variations of content.
VARIATION: ROMANTIC STAYS WIDGET VS. SPEIALS SLIDER WINNER: ROMANTIC STAYS WIDGET IMPACT: 20.97% INCREASE IN PARTNER REFERRALS FROM ROMANTIC GETAWAYS PAGE
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ANALYTICS
Pocono Mountains Region Map With Arrivalist Data
ARRIVALIST METHODOLOGY
Arrivalist anonymously measures location changes of network-enabled computing devices after a sequence of media exposures to identify which messages influenced visitors to experience a destination. We use this information to calculate and improve the ROI on our media spend and increase visitation.
Wayne County: 9.7%
EXPOSURE Anonymous user views content or ads containing Arrivalist pixels MOVEMENT User travels
Pike County: 14.2%
ARRIVAL Arrivalist technology finds the user in the destination location MEASUREMENT Analytics of representative sample that is formed by the total arrivals found in target destination
Monroe County: 61%
Carbon County: 13.4%
Date Range: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
2016-17 ARRIVAL ORIGINS Pocono Mountains Dstillery AdTheorent WFMZ
GET THIS
WCBS Simpli.fi WTXF
51.3% of arrivals had their first exposure on PoconoMountains.com
WNBC Golf.com NTD KYW Newsday Media WPIX Multiview KYW TV
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SOCIAL MEDIA strategy
In 2016-17, we leveraged the power of our Facebook contests to expand our email database and provide added value to our members.
45000
FACEBOOK CONTEST ENTRIES BY MONTH
40000
TOTAL CONTESTS
13
TOTAL ENTRIES
223,284
35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0
16000
JUL. '16 AUG. '16 SEP. '16 OCT. '16 NOV. '16 DEC. '16 JAN. '17 FEB. '17 MAR. '17 APR. '17 MAY '17 JUN. '17
ENTRANT EMAILS COLLECTED BY MONTH
14000
EMAILS COLLECTED
87,919
NEW CONTACTS
66,881
12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0
JUL. '16 AUG. '16 SEP. '16 OCT. '16 NOV. '16 DEC. '16 JAN. '17 FEB. '17 MAR. '17 APR. '17 MAY '17 JUN. '17
STAYING CONNECTED
Social media contests this year alone have added over 62% to our newsletter database. The database adds collected from our social media contests were shared with members who donated prizes for the contests, allowing them to also grow their email lists. 15
SOCIAL MEDIA by the numbers FACEBOOK [page likes]
INSTAGRAM [followers]
FISCAL START:
263,456
FISCAL END:
294,093
FISCAL START:
7,842
FISCAL END:
22,880
CHANGE:
CHANGE:
+191.8%
+11.6% AVERAGE POST ENGAGEMENT-TO-REACH RATIO
4.31%
[key insight]
The Facebook engagement-to-fan ratio from December ‘16 - June ‘17 was .24%. This number calculates total engagement on a post divided by fan count on post day. Our number is above average for our Comp Set: Visit Philly, Experience Grand Rapids, Lehigh Valley and Visit Pittsburgh.
HASHTAG USE ON INSTAGRAM
#TakeONPocono 2016: 22,731 2017: 26,878 YOY: +18.2%
AVERAGE POST ENGAGEMENT-TO-FAN RATIO
2.37%
[key insight]
We debuted weekly Instagram Stories and completed our Summer Adventure Bucket List on the platform. We ran seasonal ads to drive newsletter sign-ups, website visits, and engagement. We also ran weekend-long ads based on high-performing posts from the past.
#Poconos 2016: 269,831 2017: 348,556 YOY: +29.2%
YOUTUBE [subscribers]
TWITTER [followers] FISCAL START:
FISCAL END:
10,476
9,247
FISCAL START:
FISCAL END:
380
322
CHANGE:
+13.2% AVERAGE POST ENGAGEMENT-TO-FAN RATIO
2.37%
CHANGE:
+ 81%
[video views] FISCAL START:
FISCAL END:
412,793
531,221
CHANGE:
+28.7%
PINTEREST [followers] FISCAL START:
1,427
SNAPCHAT [followers] FISCAL END:
1,690
CHANGE:
+ 18.4% 16
#PoconoMtns 2016: 12,250 2017: 20,883 YOY: +70.5%
FISCAL START:
340
FISCAL END:
518
CHANGE:
+ 51.5%
SMART SNAPPING In November 2016, the PMVB received an honorable mention in New York City for Snapchat communications from PR News’ Digital PR Awards.
COMMUNICATIONS BLOGGER FAM TOURS
BREAKDOWN OF MEDIA PLACEMENTS
WINTER ‘16 PR FAM
BROADCAST
3,014
19,134
five
78
WEB/BLOGS
15,426
six
WRITERS & INFLUENCERS SHARED
EARNED MEDIA PLACEMENTS
SOCIAL MEDIA
[ski/snowsports, family fun, dining & resorts]
616
ad equivalency: $110,976,721.09 total reach: 11,997,483,361
BLOG POSTS
46
SOCIAL FEATURES
SUMMER ‘17 FAM [water recreation, adventure sports, dining & resorts]
six
WRITERS & INFLUENCERS SHARED
five
BLOG POSTS
email marketing snapshot
68
SOCIAL FEATURES
[DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER CAMPAIGNS]
2015-16
2016-17
CHANGE YOY
Subscribers: 62,701 Avg. open rate: 12.1% Avg. click thrus: 1,117 Campaigns sent: 11
Subscribers: 119, 515 Avg. open rate: 18% Avg. click thrus: 1,643 Campaigns sent: 9
Subscribers: +90.61% Avg. open rate: +48.76% Avg. click thrus: +47.09% Campaigns sent: -18.18%
CONTENT CLEANUP TAKEAWAY Fewer campaigns + interest-based content = higher open rates (even through a subscription spike!) DATABASE MAINTENANCE >> Re-engagement campaigns out every six months to ensure clean email list
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MEMBERSHIP Introducing Wayfinder In May of 2017, we launched the Wayfinder program, a completely redesigned version of our enculturation program. Accessible on tablets, mobile or PC platforms, Wayfinder has users travel through the four-county, Pocono Mountains region finding artifacts and learning about the many things to do and places to stay. When finished, users become Brand Ambassadors and are awarded a silver pin. They are then eligible to be nominated for a gold pin and/ or a tourism achievement award.
2016-17 GOLD PIN RECIPIENTS
MEMBERSHIP AWARDS
2016 GAIL STERRET MARKETING AWARD
2016 Valued Partners
RECIPIENT: Sarah O’Fee Settlers Hospitality Group
2017 BRAND HERO AWARD
RECIPIENT: Greg Huffman Fernwood Resort
2017 OUTSTANDING TOURISM EMPLOYEE AWARD
• WeatherMetrics • Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine • National Parks Conservation Association 2017 Green Award Winners • Pocono Raceway • Keen Lake Camping & Cottage Resort
RECIPIENT: Kyle Kuczma Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts
member content management EXTRANET 4.0 Launched in October of 2016, Extranet 4.0 gives members more control over their presence on PoconoMountains.com. Three training sessions were held in September, giving all PMVB members an opportunity to learn about features and benefits. Extranet users can now add photos and videos, change descriptions, add and delete contacts, update social media feeds, upload special offers and events, and review sales leads at their convenience.
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SALES
intl. & student travel The sales team is dedicated to increasing international visitation to the Pocono Mountains. Sales strategies include marketing and selling to international travel trade, tour operators and travel agents for the FIT, individual leisure group and international meetings.
VISA VUE TOP 10
EXPENDITURES IN THE POCONO MOUNTAINS BY COUNTRY CANADA
CHINA
UNITED KINGDOM
$2,633,035
$558,931
$438,202
FRANCE
PUERTO RICO
$403,359
$376,144
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
GERMANY
JAPAN
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
$197,955
$196,418
$150,803
$255,017 ECUADOR
$149,050
$5,358,914 [TOP 10 SPENDING] +5.8% YOY
Total international Visa spending in the region was
2016-17 HIGHLIGHTS BRAND USA PARTNERSHIP • Brand USA Inspiration Guide PA Co-op [print & digital] +30 million impressions in over 16 countries IPW • Attended Washington DC IPW [June 3-7, 2017] • North American Journeys Partnership • Participated in RTO Summit’s East, West & MICE +120 qualified leads INTERNATIONAL FAM TOURS • Hosted travel trade from Canada, Ireland, UK & China 19
GET THIS
$7,930,304 this year!
IT ’ S R ECE SS FRO M H E R E O N O UT.
Trade in your classroom for the wilderness. Visit PoconoMountains.com/student-travel or call 800.722.9199.
ADVOCACY LOCAL PRIORITIES
RULES & REGULATIONS OBSTRUCTING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY The PMVB asks local units of government not to establish rules and regulations that place an unfair burden on the operation and growth of the hospitality industry. LODGING TAXES/TRANSACTIONAL FEES The PMVB opposes the imposition of additional lodging taxes and/or transactional fees by county or municipalities on the hospitality industry. PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE The PMVB supports efforts to ensure that all entities that rent rooms to visitors for 30 days or less are collecting and remitting state and local lodging taxes. VACATION HOME RENTALS The PMVB, in conjunction with county treasurers, is working to ensure that all short-term (less than 30 consecutive days) vacation home rentals are paying their fair share of State Sales Tax and County Hotel Tax.
STATE PRIORITIES
RULES & REGULATIONS OBSTRUCTING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY The PMVB urges our legislators to review rules and regulations established by the legislature that place an unfair burden on the hospitality industry. We further encourage the legislature to repeal such regulations, which will allow the industry to increase employment and help grow the Commonwealth’s economy. ESTABLISHMENT & FUNDING OF A PA TOURISM PARTNERSHIP The PMVB supports the establishment of the Pennsylvania Tourism Partnership and encourages the Legislature to find an appropriate funding source. Now is the time to create a sustainable public-private partnership outside of state government.
CULINARY/TOURISM JOBS ON HIGH-PRIORITY OCCUPATION LIST The PMVB and partners in the Pocono Workforce Investment Board continue to petition the State Department of Labor to include hospitality jobs that meet the family-sustaining wage criteria to be included on the High Priority List.
NATIONAL PRIORITIES*
RULES & REGULATIONS OBSTRUCTING THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Concern is being expressed over the Administrations’ interest in establishing actions that place unfair burdens on hospitality businesses, which would have the unintended consequences of reducing employment growth. EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT/CARD CHECK The PMVB stands in opposition to the proposed EFCA (Card Check) Legislation. AHLA is fighting to protect employee’s rights including the right to join unions through a fair and secret private ballot election process. OTA The PMVB opposes the “Internet Travel Tax Fairness Act,” which would prohibit the imposition of room taxes on transactions performed through online travel companies. The PMVB joins with PRLA and DMAI to protect state and county taxing authorities’ collection of room tax revenues from online travel companies. CONGRESSIONAL TOURISM CAUCUS We encourage our Congressmen to continue to participate in caucus. *The PMVB works closely with PRLA, NTA, AHLA, US Travel and Destinations International on advocacy efforts and legislation that impacts the tourism industry.
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1004 W. Main St. Stroudsburg, PA 18360 1-800-POCONOS • (570) 421-5791 pocomts@poconos.org • PoconoMountains.com @PoconoTourism