Destination Management

Aspen Chamber Resort Association, released the Aspen Destination Management Plan (ADMP) in March, a plan 7 months in the making; involving desk side research analysis, two tourism town halls, two cocreation labs, 1299 resident surveys and 10 one-on-one stakeholder interviews. The result synthesized the challenges Aspen is facing and provided mindful strategies through the lens of our 3 established pillars of address visitor pressure, enhance the Aspen experience, and preserve small town character. Designed to enhance the resiliency of the community over the next five years and beyond, the ADMP serves to build from and accelerate ACRA’s successes and aims to protect quality of life, and simultaneously preserve the very reason people enjoy coming here. The plan belongs to the community and ACRA’s role varies from lead, partner or advocate depending on the strategy. The success of the plan relies on full community participation to execute against the plan’s recommendations.

PILLARS

Address Visitor Pressure

Enhance the Aspen Experience

Preserve Small-Town Character Scan to read the full report. Develop and execute strategic partnerships and promotions to protect our destination assets.

Develop a framework that allows us to identify, support and enhance existing community and destination worthy events.

Achieve best practices in business management.

Conduct and utilize research to inform programs and promotion.

Position ACRA as the best point of contact for all visitors into the destination during every phase of the trip planning cycle.

Deliver Visitor Experience that Defies Ordinary.

Increase Community and Local Business Engagement.

Content campaign objectives build overall brand awareness of seasonal activities and getaways, promote safety and etiquette information to users currently in the destination, and encourage visitation by promoting lodging among the most engaged users. These digital ads, which ran on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube and StackAdapt through our agency TwoSix Digital, earned over 30 million impressions and 250,000 link clicks.

Defy Ordinary Branding Campaigns

Aspen Pledge: This local campaign ran from July – September with newspaper circulations of 32,100, and digital banner impressions of over 766,445 with over 697 clicks. Social media impressions were 1,060,000 with 5,478 clicks. 50+ radio spots ran per week.

Fall: Fall campaign ran from September 9 - October 10 on Facebook/Instagram and Datafy resulting in 5,655,820 impressions, 26,655 clicks, and a CTR of 0.47%.

Thanksgiving – Pre Christmas: This campaign ran from November 1-23, paused over the Thanksgiving holiday then picked back up December 1-9. Ads were placed on Facebook/Instagram and Datafy resulting in 12,323,395 impressions, 23,668 clicks, and 0.19% CTR.

SEM

BVK agency ran the paid search campaign January through February, paused March through June, then picked back up July through December. The campaign resulted in 67,451 clicks and 1,531 conversions.

WEBSITE

Aspenchamber.org website stats have decreased slightly YOY, in line with what we are seeing across other outdoor recreation driven destinations, following record numbers during the peak of the pandemic; however, we still exceed industry averages by a healthy amount and continue to work to attract engaged users to the site.

2022 WEBSITE STATS

2022

Users Average Session Duration Pages Per Session Bounce Rate

914,383 2:12 2.43 47.34%

YOY % Change -4.15% -3.30% -5.38% 0.29%

Industry Average *US Travel Association - 1.47 1.8 55.0%

DESTINATION NEWSLETTERS

ACRA sends 3 segmented newsletters going out to potential visitors, encompassing leisure travelers and wedding and meeting planners.

Wedding Planners Bi-annually to database of 388 Open rate: 78.5%

Meeting Planners Quarterly to database of 9,582 Open rate: 35%

Leisure Travelers Monthly to database of 32,518 Open Rate: 47%

This year on social media, we incorporated more educational content into our aspirational messaging with a video first approach. As we saw reels become the dominant factor on Instagram, we pushed out more videos on social than ever before that were a combination of organic and User Generated Content. With a video first approach, we also became live on TikTok, and worked with TwoSix Digital to push our campaigns out on this new platform as well.

184,663 Followers AMR: 1,639,713 139,126 Followers AMI: 1,341,960 14,600 Followers AMI: 32,345

3,340 Followers Likes: 16,100 Video plays: 1,394,212

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Promo Communications holds the contract for ACRA’s Public Relations. We focused on promoting the release of the ADMP both locally and within the industry. We also redoubled our efforts to focus on arts & culture initiatives, the Aspen Pledge, and education in the responsible tourism field, while supporting partner requests throughout the year.

11,951,487,184

TOTAL DOMESTIC & ONLINE VIEWERSHIP/PRINT IMPRESSIONS

$110,986,406

TOTAL PR VALUE

COLLATERAL

Rack Brochures 40,000 Summer 30,000 Winter

ASPEN PLEDGE 2.0

We relaunched the Aspen Pledge in July, ensuring it was speaking to both residents and visitors, and incorporating diversity, kindness and alternate modes of transportation.

We-Cycle Panels 6 weeks of Pledge and Defy Ordinary Promotion

ACRA is making a donation of $18.80 for each pledge signed, which honors the year Aspen was incorporated, 1880. Those signing the pledge can choose between the Independence Pass Foundation and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers as the beneficiary organization. For the initial launch, ACRA has committed up to $50,000 in donations.

The relaunched Aspen Pledge was signed 602 times resulting in $11,317.60 donated.

JOIN OUR MISSION. SIGN THE PLEDGE.

With the guidance of Aspen Historical Society and their relationship with the National Association for Interpretation, we created a land acknowledgment statement in the spirit of healing.

We also continued to diversify the influencers we hosted, including a wider demographic in our videos and content. We are pleased to be part of the Challenge Aspen Open Doors Campaign. We look forward to working with Challenge Aspen to share accessibility information with our guests and locals, as well as work with local businesses to enhance or highlight their accessibility features. This fall we hosted a training for partners in collaboration with Ascendigo on wandering and elopement.

OCCUPANCY REPORT

OCCUPANCY OCCUPANCY YOY ADR YOY

January 70.4% 84.6% 59.3%

February 79.8% 74.9% 66.8%

March 79.0% 19.8% 51.4%

April 39.4% 19.8% 24.6%

May 30.2% -15.8% 40.8%

June 63.4% -1.4% 35.4%

July 75.5% -12.7% 13.2%

August 69.0% -7.6% 11.7%

September 68.4% 0.0% 5.5%

October 52.6% -2.1% 2.1%

November 30.2% -9.7% 13.2%

December 61.6% -2.4% 21.4%

ACRA INSIGHTS

Summer Season (defined by Destimetrics as May to October) saw a decrease in Occupancy of 8.1%; however, the same time period saw an increase of 7.9% room nights available; which means the compression within the destination between summer 2021 and 2022 was about flat. Summer 2022 saw an increase in ADR of 15.3%

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY EFFORTS

ACRA is no stranger to collaboration, and we are proud to highlight some of 2022’s success for our community.

Fly Aspen Snowmass, your airport committee ensuring excellence in air service throughout the year, worked to return ground transportation service from DEN to the community with the newly launched Roaring Fork Express.

ACRA’S 2022 SUPPORT OF LEGACY EVENT ORGANIZERS

• Gay Ski Week 2022 • X Games 2022 • Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s Bloom

ACRA SUPPORTS:

• Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteer Clean up Days • Aspen Cycling Club’s Maroon Creek Race • Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association

ACRA does a really good job of is marketing the destination and telling the story of Aspen. This helps attract more people to come and visit Aspen while supporting our Sales & Marketing efforts.”

- Lou Eppelsheimer, Director of Sales & Marketing, The Gant

ACRA continues to host the Maroon Bells reservation system on aspenchamber.org. Our collaborative working group made up of RFTA, USFS, Aspen Skiing Company, Pitkin County, City of Aspen, and H20 Ventures was proud to receive the Rocky Mountain Region Regional Forester’s Honor Award for setting up the reservation system in 2020.

RFTA shuttled 93,593 guests in 2022 an 11% decrease for the same time period in 2021. The shuttles accommodated 14,707 day-of standby visitors in 2022. 73.7% of visitors who responded to the survey visited downtown Aspen before or after visiting the Maroon Bells. 36% of survey respondents reported that visiting Maroon Bells was the primary reason in their decision to visit the area and 91% of respondents decided to visit the Maroon Bells before arriving in the area.

ACRA is also a funding partner for the Maroon Bells Comprehensive Recreation Management Plan, an initiative that aims to provide a framework to sustainably manage recreation access to, and activities within, the Maroon Creek Valley. In addition to ACRA, the steering group is made up of Pitkin County, City of Aspen, USFS, RFTA, and Aspen Skiing Company.

COLORADO COLLABORATIONS

The Roaring Fork Valley Destination Alliance, made up of Chambers and Destination Organizations from Glenwood, Carbondale, Basalt, Snowmass and Aspen are working together to address the similar challenges that our communities are facing.

COLORADO HISTORIC OPERA HOUSES CIRCUIT

As part of a Colorado Tourism Office effort, ACRA and the Wheeler Opera House are partners on the Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit. This first-of-its-kind collaboration connects visitors with the arts and culture and Colorado’s heritage. As an event planner, I turn to the ACRA to provide me with credible properties and vendors. I trust in their referrals and am so pleased to partner with Liz and her incredible team. They have been instrumental in helping me find group lodging during the busiest of weekends.”

- Emily Campbell Owner Bella Design & Planning

2022 2021 2020

Leads Sent

Lodging Revenue Tradeshow Prospects Site Visits 534 200 105

$799,320 $351,082 $351,607 225 187 190

3 4 3

@weddingsaspen followers 2,838 @weddingsaspen posts 546 2,715 482 2,397 403

MEETING & WEDDING RACK BROCHURE LINKEDIN CAMPAIGN & WEBSITE WORK

The first meetings and weddings rack brochure was produced in 2022. 5,000 copies were printed and distributed around Aspen and Snowmass by Red Wheel. The rack brochure is more visual and less text heavy driving traffic to the website via QR codes.

Unique Venues

We have extraordinary spaces and sites fit for groups of all sizes and equipped with distinct, showstopping views and experiences for guests to enjoy. We have compiled a list of event spaces that are exceptional and offer beautiful backdrops to boot.

Say I Do in front of the most photographed peaks in North America. By reserving the Maroon Bells Amphitheater, you can have these stunning peaks as the backdrop to your wedding ceremony. This iconic ceremony site can be reserved one year in advance for a maximum of 50 people for private events. ACRA continued our LinkedIn Digital campaign with TwoSix Digital in 2022. The goal is to position the ACRA Group Sales department as the best first point of contact and information source for meeting and event planners. Weekly LinkedIn posts focus on group activities, tips, hotels and venues, and more. To increase our visibility and gain more followers ACRA implemented a paid LinkedIn Campaign in 2022. HOW TO ASPEN

- On LinkedIn, ads have received 179,610 impressions and driven 1,999 link clicks. The average cost per link click is $1.57, and the average click-through rate is 1.56%. - Meetings content has driven significantly more clicks on this network - 1,202 compared to Wedding content’s 797.

However, Wedding content has a much higher click-

through rate at 2.09% compared to meeting 1.04%. Vendors & Aspen Experts

Group Travel & Social Gatherings There are so many moving parts that go into a successful special event. Party rentals, planners, catering, venues and custom jewelry design are just a few. ACRA’s experts will provide introductions to Aspen’s local vendors to assist in your planning process. Wedding, anniversary, 50th birthday or family reunion, no stone will go uncovered until you have a most fabulous destination event planned in Aspen.

Aspen’s welcoming atmosphere makes it a great destination for many groups looking for quality time together and a memorable experience. Social groups may include family or school reunions, large tour groups of all ages, special interest clubs, student groups and ski clubs. These groups may also include religious gatherings, whether formal or informal, fraternal orders and military groups, or educational organizations. We provide complimentary planning services including sourcing venues and hotels, group activities and local vendor referrals. Our local knowledge and expertise are available to streamline your planning process, making it easier than ever to plan. We are fortunate to work in Aspen often and we love to lean on ACRA to be our local experts and boots on the ground. For us, their assistance with destination services and sourcing lodging for our clients is invaluable. Lindsey Morgan Owner & Creative Director Bello & Blue Events

Hotels, Dining HOW TO ASPEN & Nightlife

THE ASPEN PLEDGE

World-class meeting and event venues can be found in Aspen including LEED-certified hotels and high-tech conference rooms, mountain top THE ASPEN PLEDGE lodges and traditional western ranches. If your program is seeking a five star, five diamond

I PLEDGE TO EXPLORE ASPEN RESPONSIBLY.

property, a family-owned lodge, condominium resorts with on-site meeting space, or something I WILL COME PREPARED FOR ANY EXPERIENCE. in between, we can find the perfect fit for your I PLEDGE TO EXPLORE ASPEN RESPONSIBLY. I WILL FEED MY SENSE OF ADVENTURE, BUT Aspen meeting, conference or incentive. NEVER FEED THE WILDLIFE.

I WILL COME PREPARED FOR ANY EXPERIENCE.

I WILL FOREGO HIGH FASHION, AND DRESS FOR I WILL FEED MY SENSE OF ADVENTURE HIGH ELEVATIONS. , BUT

NEVER FEED THE WILDLIFE.

I WILL VENTURE INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN , I WILL FOREGO HIGH FASHION, AND DRESS FOR WHILE STAYING ON THE KNOWN TRAILS. We are Aspen experts! I WILL VENTURE INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN , HIGH ELEVATIONS. I WILL CARVE THE SNOW & NOT THE TREES. City Wide Events Aspen is home. We understand the ins and outs of our WHILE STAYING ON THE KNOWN TRAILS. I WILL FIND MYSELF WITHOUT MOUNTAIN RESCUE HAVING TO FIND ME. We invite you and your meeting attendees to WINTER SPRING SUMMER mountain community and look forward to sharing the I WILL CARVE THE SNOW & NOT THE TREES.own the Aspen zip code. Take over the coveted distinct group offerings that will make your meeting or incentive extraordinary. Our team of experts have I WILL FIND MYSELF WITHOUT MOUNTAIN RESCUE HAVING TO FIND ME. I WILL HIT THE SLOPES WITHOUT HITTING THE OTHER SKIERS. 81611 by staying across the resort and enjoying an array of experiences, all within walking distance. a background in hotel sales and boast accreditations I WILL TAKE AWESOME SELFIES , WITHOUT When the meeting culminates, team-building and from Destinations International as well as the Society I WILL HIT THE SLOPES WITHOUT HITTING THE OTHER SKIERS. ENDANGERING MYSELF-IE. mind-enriching experiences are waiting to be of Incentive Travel Excellence. We are well-equipped I WILL CAMP ONLY WHERE PERMITTED AND seized. A vibrant arts and culture scene brings and ready to assist you! I WILL TAKE AWESOME SELFIES , WITHOUT SECURE A PERMIT WHEN NECESSARY. Aspen’s colorful essence to life through world class ENDANGERING MYSELF-IE. I WILL REMAIN IN ONE PIECE, BY LEAVING THE experiences like the Aspen Music Festival and School I WILL CAMP ONLY WHERE PERMITTED AND WILDLIFE IN PEACE. and the annual Aspen FilmFest.

SECURE A PERMIT WHEN NECESSARY.

Offering the Aspen Chamber Resort Association I WILL ADHERE TO SKI PATROL CLOSURES (ACRA) services for our event clients to help find I WILL REMAIN IN ONE PIECE, BY LEAVING THE AS I WANDER HERE AND THERE. lodging for their groups is a beyond well received WILDLIFE IN PEACE. service. The partnerships ACRA has and the I WILL NOT SKI IN JEANS. efficiency in which they share lodging support with group rates for our clients is priceless. No other I WILL ADHERE TO SKI PATROL CLOSURES AS I WANDER HERE AND THERE. Average Daily Temp emp mountain town has a service like this which just adds I WILL NOT SKI IN JEANS. more to our list of why Aspen is our number one destination choice to produce events and to suggest to our clients. • Meeting & event hotels include roundtrip Aspen airport transfers in room rate Aspen airport transfers in room rate Getting Around 3 miles from downtown to airport up to 40 flights daily in winter Aimee Nicole Monihan • Downtowner on demand electric vehicle shuttle • Pedestrian & bike friendly up to 25 flights daily in summer Founder I Creative Director To learn more scan here! • Free skier shuttles to all four ski mountains Year round non-stop flights: Tropical Occasions I Mountain Occasions Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth & Los Angeles Seasonal non-stop flights: Aspen Chamber Resort Association • 590 N. Mill Street Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, 970.925.1940 • sales@aspenchamber.org Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orange County, Phoenix & San Francisco

75 Average Daily Temp

Average 300 days sunshine & 300 inches snow annually skiing snowboarding hiking golf fly fishing Aspen Historical Society tours 30O

skiing hiking snowboarding rafting snowshoeing SUP ice skating biking snowmobiling horseback riding fly fishing fly fishing golf ESPN Winter XGames

World Snow Polo

Championship Aspen Laugh Festival Wintersköl

Winter Words

100% 12 renewable energy 130 powered retail shops FOOD & WINE Classic JAS Music Festival Theatre Aspen Aspen Music Festival & School Aspen Arts Festival MountainFilm

THE GOOD TRAVELER

ACRA has launched a new booking incentive that will offset travel (air and ground transportation) for groups coming into Aspen that have been sourced through ACRA’s group sales team. ACRA will complete the offset through The Good Traveler whose platform offers a quick and easy way to make air travel more sustainable. For the initial launch, ACRA has committed up to $10,000 in donations. The website is a wealth of information for planners when considering Aspen as a host destination. Tremendous work has been done on the website this year, enhancing existing meeting and wedding content as well as updating the website with new information. New pages have been created to highlight our Unique Venues around Aspen, a page dedicated to booking your Maroon Bells wedding, and updated booking incentives.