2023 Q3 Report | July 2023 - October 2023 A LETTER FROM THE CEO Welcome to Fall! It has already been an exciting month, as I recently returned from the International Festival & Events Association (IFEA) annual convention, where Visit Stockton took home nine awards from Stockton Flavor Fest. I could not be prouder of our team, our partners at the City of Stockton, and everyone involved who made this event the success that it is. Learn more about our awards on page 3.
impact of the economic downturn, and we are actively analyzing, measuring, and adjusting our programs as needed. As mentioned above, the Visit Stockton team continues to stay focused on our work to help improve the local tourism economy. Below are two marketing successes from the past quarter:
TV Commercial Campaign
IFEA 2023 Annual Convention Summer has come to an end, cooler temps have arrived, and holiday décor is lining the store shelves. It is hard to believe we are two-thirds the way through this busy year, but before we look at the highlights, let's take a moment to review the status of our local tourism business community. Stockton continues to see volatility in the lodging market with overall occupancy down about 7.5% for the past 12 months running, with a slight increase in average daily rate over last year, at a $114 ADR (average daily rate), up from about $90 for the same period in 2019. At the same time, overall visitor foot traffic is down roughly 11% in the past quarter, slightly less than our neighbors to the north and south, showing that the drop in visitors is a regional trend. We continue to invest in strategies to lessen the
and get ready to go out and dine. Be sure to check out StocktonRestaurantWeek.com for all of the latest info.
▪ Our six-month TV commercial campaign has wrapped up, funded by a $100,000 tourism recovery grant from San Joaquin County. The project generated over 3.5 million impressions on television and streaming devices in the Sacramento and San Francisco markets, with a completion rate exceeding 95%. ▪ In July, we kicked off a digital display campaign, which to date has generated over 3.8 million impressions. This effort targets past visitors to Stockton, as well as competing destinations, in both the San Francisco and Sacramento markets. Our vendor Epsilon can measure arrivals to our destination as well as their spending in Stockton. In just the first 44 days of the campaign, we saw a 10:1 ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) with visitors spending over $180,000 locally.
I am extremely proud of the dedication and achievements of our team. We continue to make a significant impact on the local economy on behalf of our partners and the residents of Stockton. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to share them with me or any member of the Visit Stockton team. We appreciate your support as we work together towards our common goal.
Wes Rhea Chief Executive Officer
Lastly, we are excited to announce the return of one of Stockton’s favorite culinary events. After a year hiatus, and based on feedback from the Stockton restaurant community, we are bringing back Stockton Restaurant Week for its 14th year! Mark your calendars for January 19-28
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CURRENT EFFORTS Stocked Full of Arts Much like our all-digital approach in January to celebrate Stockton’s dining scene, we went full-digital for our promotion of arts and entertainment in September and October. Historically, Stockton Arts Week was funded by a grant from the California Arts Commission (and administered through the City of Stockton), but that funding expired in 2022. Our response was to take a marketing-focused approach as opposed to program-based, where we highlight arts organizations on the This is Stockton podcast, through blogs, hashtag contests on social media, and through vertical video promotion. This allows our office the opportunity to celebrate the arts as a whole, as opposed to only those receiving grant funding from the City. The results of this effort will be shared in the annual report. Stockton Lantern Festival Visit Stockton has been contracted through ASM Global to provide all the marketing needs for the City’s new Chinese Lantern Festival. The new brand, Stockton Lantern Festival, will feature 50+ days of breathtaking immersive experiences at the Stockton Ballpark as the space is transformed into “Koda’s Journey to the Magic Forest.” Visit Stockton will take full creative leadership on the campaign, from creating logos and print advertisements, placing digital ads, running commercials, and managing public relations efforts for the event. Festivities kick-off on November 24th and run through January 14th, but promotions are already underway. We cannot wait to see you at this incredible event! For more information and to reserve your tickets, visit stocktonlanternfestival.com. 2024 Calendar As per tradition, Visit Stockton is finalizing our 2024 calendar to distribute to our patrons, partners, and visitors! The calendar is a fun tradition celebrating user-generated images from throughout the year, highlighting Visit Stockton initiatives like the Stockton Savings Pass, and a way to promote upcoming events like Stockton Flavor Fest 2024. Calendars will be available in late November, and if you would like some to distribute, please reach out to diana@visitstockton.org. Stockton Restaurant Week It’s back! Stockton Restaurant Week will kick-off it’s 14th year on January 19th through the 28th. This is a celebration of the culinary excellence in our community, with special prix fixe menus, featured chefs, foodie contests, and an overall good time. Restaurants are encouraged to participate in this great promotional event, and we hope you all can help spread the word. If you know a restaurant or eatery that would like to participate, please have them reach out to diana@visiststockton.org.
Epsilon Campaign In July, we launched a data-based digital marketing campaign that will help us gain further knowledge of who our visitors are, their behaviors, and their decision-making processes. This data allows us to make smart marketing decisions by eliminating a “one-size-fits-all" message to our unique visitor market. This campaign focuses on our family-friendly attractions, as well as Stockton’s arts and entertainment offerings. Preliminary results from this campaign are a 10:1 ROI, with the total visitor spend of over $180,000.
IN REVIEW Grant Taylor Photoshoot Grant Taylor is a lifestyle photographer from New York who worked with Visit Stockton in 2019 during our “Time to Fly” campaign. We had the opportunity to co-sponsor Grant’s return to California, helping us fill-in gaps in our public media gallery. Some of the highlights of the photoshoot were on the water activities with H2O Excursions, an afternoon of play at the Children’s Museum of Stockton, lifestyle shots from shopping to dining on the Stockton Miracle Mile, and outdoor recreation at the University of the Pacific. These images are available in our media hub for partner use, and we cannot wait to show them off in the 2024 Visit Stockton Guide. 2
IN REVIEW (Continued) Visit California Mixer Visit California is charged with marketing the state to domestic and international travelers. To further their knowledge of the state, they reached out to Visit Stockton and four other rural regional partners to “pitch” their staff and contractors (public relations, marketing, etc.) at a special one-day event. This was a great opportunity for our office to strut our stuff and the hard work we do to the folks with the largest share of voice in travel marketing in California, and we certainly delivered. We worked with partners such as Stockton Soul and the San Joaquin Pride Center to showcase what makes Stockton unique, and we received rave reviews from our audience members. Keep an eye out for mentions of Stockton in national and regional publications thanks to the work of Visit California and our team! Open House We’ve finally nested in our cozy new office, and we loved opening our doors to our partners and friends! Our new home at 146 W Weber Ave. was bustling with action at our open house celebration (partially due to Tia Linda’s Margaritas), and we are so grateful for this beautiful ground-floor visitor center that is welcome to all the community and visitors. Be sure to stop by during our business hours for visitor information, to purchase official Stockton merch, and to say what’s up to your favorite Visit Stockton team. We are open Monday through Friday, from 8 AM – 4 PM. Sport City Golf Tourney Back for its second year, the Sport City Golf Tourney is a great way to celebrate sports in Stockton while raising funds to bring even more sporting excitement to the city! The tournament was held at Brookside Country Club and featured on-course activations, an awards banquet, amazing raffle prizes, and a whole lot of fun! For more information about sports in stockton, visit visitstockton.org. International Festival & Event Association Convention (IFEA) Visit Stockton was honored at the International Festival and Event Association’s Annual Convention with multiple awards for Stockton Flavor Fest! This prestigious awards competition strives for the highest degree of excellence in festival and event promotions and operations. Here is what we won: ▪ Silver Grand Pinnacle for Overall Best Festival ▪ Gold Pinnacle Awards for Best Hat, Best Promotional Photo, Best Digital Ad Series, and Best Instagram Site ▪ Bronze Pinnacle Awards for Best Single Digital Ad, Best Newspaper Ad, Best Radio Promotion, and Best T-Shirt All awards were given in our respective budget category and a testament to the talent and hard work of our team and our partnership with the City of Stockton!
SPORTS & MEETINGS HOSTED
Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational (Men's Golf) October 2023
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem October 2023
LOOKING FORWARD Visitor Guide During the last quarter of the year, our office will be tearing through the 2023 Visit Stockton Guide in order to get the 2024 publication to print! The Visit Stockton Guide is our largest piece of printed promotional material loved by both locals and visitors alike, featuring neighborhood highlights, dining recommendations, attraction features, and stories that explore Stockton’s history. New guides will be available in early 2024, so please let diana@visitstockton.org know when you need a refresh in your establishment.
TRADESHOWS AND CONFERENCES Attended Destination International Annual Convention July 2023 NCAA Championship Hosting Symposium August 2023 Educational Seminar for Tourism Offices (ESTO) August 2023 Cal Travel Summit August 2023 Visit California Mixer September 2023 Seek Explore Experience (SEE) Conference by Crowdriff September 2023 TEAMS Tradeshow October 2023 International Festival & Events Association (IFEA) Convention October 2023 Upcoming eTourism Summit November 2023 City Nation Place Awards Global Convention November 2023 Destination Council Board Advisory Fall Meeting December 2023 CalSAE December 2023
IN THE COMMUNITY StocktonCon Summer July 2023 University of Pacific – Move in Day September 2023 National Night Out August 2023 LAZ Park(ing) Day September 2023 Stockton PRIDE Festival October 2023 Courthouse Plaza Trick-or-Treating October 2023
MARKETING STATS WEBSITE
MEET THE TEAM
July through October, in comparison to previous period
506k 158.0k 252k
ADMINISTRATION & OPERATIONS Wes Rhea, CDME Chief Executive Officer wes@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1555
Source: Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Christa Griffith Office Manager christa@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1555
Page Views 6.24%
Engaged Sessions 0.78%
New Users 6.82%
SPORTS, EVENTS, & TOURISM DEVELOPMENT Rebecca Scharmann Director of Sports, Events, & Tourism Development rebecca@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1556
SOCIAL PROFILE PERFORMANCE In late August, Visit Stockton adjusted our paid social strategy with our supplemental agency, Black Truck Media. Stats reflected in this social report may be adjusted due to those changes.
61.7k 5.9mil 567
GOOGLE WEB STORIES Source: Localhood
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
141,991 Emails Sent 8.4%
0.11%
Unsubscribe Rate 28%
52%
Open Rate 1.9%
7.5%
Click Rate 2.7%
Source: Mailchimp
Saves 61.4%
Impressions 24.5%
Post Link Clicks 27.9%
Source: Sprout Social
2,854
6.66%
13%
11.3%
Total Story Views
Story CTR
299,877
Google Impressions 16%
0.18%
Google CTR 144.8%
Diana Nuño Events & Community Engagement Manager diana@visitstockton.org | 209.851.3096 Nicholas Ramirez Events Services Manager nicholas@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1552 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Amy Alpers Director of Marketing & Communications amy@visitstockton.org | 209.636.4348 Anthony Esteves Social Media Content Manager anthony@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1557 Jesse Salazar Video Production Manager jesse@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1553 Wesley Sosa Graphic Designer & Brand Manager wsosa@visitstockton.org | 209.938.1554
YOUTUBE
374,706 Views 20.19%
1,825.5
Watch Hours 11.54%
5.1%
Click Thru Rate 10.31%
981
Subscribers
Source: Youtube Studio
UPCOMING DATES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS George Kaplanis President Omega Hospitality
Rhona Miles University Plaza Waterfront Hotel
Wes Yourth Vice President University of the Pacific
Isadora Harness Marriott Properties
Susan Obert Treasurer, Haggin Museum Alex Munro Hilton Stockton
Jai Patel Red Roof Inn Michael Blower Council Appointee Councilmember, District 3, City of Stockton
Visit Stockton Board of Directors Meeting
Stockton Lantern Festival November 24, 2023 - January 14, 2024
Stockton Restaurant Week January 19 - 28, 2024
Board meetings are scheduled bimonthly. Please visit visitstockton.org/ about-us/about-visit-stockton/ for more information