Catch Des Moines 2021-2022 Annual Marketing Plan

ANNUAL MARKETING PLAN

Des Moines. The ss are silent. Our city is booming.

A MESSAGE FROM GREG EDWARDS

PRESIDENT & CEO

Hello!

In a year of unknowns around the world and in the tourism industry, Catch Des Moines persevered, safely hosting events and rolling out innovative marketing campaigns to promote the region as a safe, fun, family-friendly getaway. In 2020-21, Catch Des Moines worked with 214 conventions and events, with 117 of those occurring because of our sales efforts, creating $54.3 million in economic impact.

Events hosted included Nike Tournament of Champions, Certified Piedmontese IRONMAN 70.3 Des Moines, National Junior High Finals Rodeo, and the Dew Tour, which helped christen the opening of our new world-class Lauridsen Skatepark. Additionally, we announced the return of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2023!

Each year, we publish our Annual Marketing Plan as a resource to highlight the mission and work of our organization. The 2021-22 Annual Marketing Plan illustrates the strategies of our vision and focus areas for the upcoming year, along with the goals we have set to get there. In addition, a quick recap of this past year’s successes is included.

Now more than ever, our success is dependent on our strong community partnerships, local organizations, and business partners who believe in what we do and work alongside us to make it happen. If this year has taught us anything, it is the value of collaboration, creativity, and flexibility; together we can and will get through this! So, to all of you – thank you!

We are proud of the work we completed in 2020-21 and look forward to now and continued opportunities in the future. On behalf of myself, the Board of Directors, and the entire Catch Des Moines team, we are excited for another year of increasing visitors to Greater Des Moines.

Regards, Greg Edwards President & CEO Catch Des Moines

WHO WE ARE

The Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Des Moines Area Sports Commission, collectively known as Catch Des Moines, markets the region as a visitor destination, increasing economic growth, and enhancing the visitor experience.

Catch Des Moines is an accredited Destinations International organization. As the visitors' and meeting professionals' trusted partner, we are the heart, the soul, and the energy of our destination. Our focus is to drive economic success and enhance the quality of life in the 15 Greater Des Moines communities we represent.

BRAND PROMISE

The essence of Greater Des Moines can’t be boiled down to one feature, but rather a feeling. The feeling of excitement when you realize what you’ve been looking for has been here all along, and that no matter who you are, you’re welcome.

TARGET AUDIENCES

Leisure visitors — Social Moms / Gen X Families (35 - 54) and Young Professionals / Millennial Families (25 - 34) ♦

Leisure markets: Iowa, Omaha, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Western Illinois ♦

Conventions / events / sports planners and executive directors

Brand advocates and champions within the community ♦

Tourism operators and co-op partners

communities we represent

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

HOW WE ARE FUNDED

Catch Des Moines is funded by the communities we support. We receive 2/7th of the hotel/motel tax. We are governed by a 28-member board.

We generate additional revenue through private sector sponsorships, corporate sponsorships, and marketing advertising opportunities.

OUR STAFF

Catch Des Moines employs 22 full-time and 4 part-time staff members who are responsible for managing daily operations, strategic planning, market research, local partnerships, sales and leisure advertising programs (locally, regionally, and nationally), public relations, co-op advertising, and sales and support (conventions, events, and sports).

ACCREDITATION

Catch Des Moines is designated an Official Accredited Destination Marketing Organization by Destinations International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program.

The accreditation program defines quality and performance standards in destination marketing and management. It recognizes destination marketing organizations that meet or exceed industry standards.

CATCH DES MOINES BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2021 - 2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

2021 - 2022 BOARD MEMBERS

David Adelman, Cornerstone Government Affairs

Bob Andeweg, Mayor, City of Urbandale

Ann Atkin, Prairie Meadows Casino Racetrack & Hotel

Bobbi Bentz, Councilperson, City of Ankeny

Jeremy Boka, Councilperson, City of Altoona

Dave Burgess, Mayor, City of Windsor Heights

Jay Byers, Greater Des Moines Partnership

Dan Carlino, Hilton Des Moines Downtown

Chris Connolly, Iowa Events Center

Paula Dierenfeld, Mayor, City of Johnston

Jeff Fleming, Des Moines Art Center

Curt Gause, Councilperson, City of Pleasant Hill

Sarah Haines, ITA Group

Greg Hudson, Councilperson, City of West Des Moines

Eric Klein, Councilperson, City of Clive

Scott Mikkelsen, Mayor, City of Grimes

Jason Morse, Mayor, City of Polk City

Brian Mulcahy, Des Moines Airport Authority

John Parker, Jr., Councilperson, City of Indianola

Bob Peffer, Councilperson, City of Bondurant

Steve Peters, West Des Moines Marriott

Sven Peterson, City Administrator, City of Perry

Katie Weber, Principal Financial Group

Gary Slater, CHAIR CEO, Iowa State Fair

Paul Rottenberg , Vice CHAIR Orchestrate Hospitality

Angela Connolly , Past CHAIR Polk County Supervisor

MARTY MARTIN, Treasurer/secretary Drake University President

Frank Cownie Mayor of Des Moines

CATCH DES MOINES STRUCTURE

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

The Finance & Administration Team manages all office financial, technological, human resources, and operational work at Catch Des Moines.

SALES / Event Experience MARKETING

The Sales & Event Experience Team leads all Catch Des Moines efforts to market central Iowa across the country as a premier meeting and event location. The team works collectively to secure new conventions, sporting events, meetings, and festivals and ensure a seamless experience for planners and attendees.

The Marketing Team is responsible for all marketing efforts, including building/retaining partnerships, driving private sector revenue, advertising, public relations, media relations, and Catch Des Moines events. In conjunction with an advertising agency, the marketing team is responsible for developing media strategies, executing media buys, and management of overall brand positioning.

CATCH DES MOINES STAFF

President & CEO

ADMINISTRATION

GREG EDWARDS – President & CEO

SHANNON WINTERS, CDME, SHRM-CP – Vice President of Finance & Human Resources

LAURA MCNICHOLS – Director of Administration

PAULA GLEASON – Receptionist

JANET KOERNER – Receptionist

JAKE JASS – Shipping/Receiving

CONVENTIONS, SPORTS & EVENT EXPERIENCE

TRINA FLACK, CMP – Vice President of Sales

CHRIS BAKER – Director of Event Experience

KATIE STIEN, CMP – National Sales Manager

AMBER SMITH – National Sales Manager

KELLY SMITH, CMP – National Sales Manager

JANELLE MENZ – National Sales Manager - Sports

TIFFANY CONRAD – Sales Manager

BAILEE ARNBURG – Event Experience Manager

LAURA JASS – Event Experience Sports Manager

MARY ANN MOORE – Sales Coordinator

CAROLYN DEVINE – Sales Assistant

JAN MEYERS – Airport Volunteer Coordinator

MARKETING

BROCK KONRAD – Vice President of Marketing

BEN HANDFELT – Director of Creative & Communications

JUSTIN ZERFAS – Senior Marketing Manager

JENNA SCHAEFFER – Partner Fulfillment Manager

TESSA SIMONS – Partner Sales Manager

ALEX WILSON – Communications & PR Manager

CLAIRE STRICKLAND – Web & Social Media Specialist

STACEY WILLEY – Graphic Designer

GREG EDWARDS

Travel Expenditures

Polk and Dallas counties received $1.7 billion of the $7.2 billion in statewide spending in 2020, according to the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s “Iowa Tourism Economic Impact Report” released October 2021.

POLKANDDALLASCOUNTIES 1.7 BILLION

Significant Bookings

IOWA FFA ASSOCIATION Leadership Conference April 2021

DEW TOUR May 2021 USA GYMNASTICS Championships May 2021

ALL-IOWA ATTACK BASKETBALL Battle of The Best Super 16 Showcase July 2021

BBI INTERNATIONAL International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo July 2021

USA RACQUETBALL National Junior Championships with Adult Team Qualifying July 2021

MEISTER MEDIA WORLDWIDE Tech Hub LIVE July 2021

U.S. GRAINS COUNCIL 2021 Annual Board of Delegates Meeting July 2021

NAIA - MEN'S VOLLEYBALL 2022 & 2023 National Championship April 2022, April 2023

MAJOR events hosted

ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL ILLUSTRATORS Annual Meeting July 2022

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS MAASTO Annual Meeting July 2022

NCAA - DIV. I MEN'S BASKETBALL 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS March 2023

IOWA LEAGUE OF CITIES 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibit September 2025

STATEWIDE SPENDING 7.2

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS, INC Nike Tournament of Champions 20201st, 2nd, and 3rd Weekends JULY 2020

BILLION

DRAKE ATHLETICS Blue Oval Showcase August 2020

15,000+ Jobs are supported by this spending in Polk and Dallas counties.

$1,500 annually is the additional amount each household in Polk/Dallas counties would pay if it weren’t for the revenue generated by travel/ tourism. This number is the sum of state and local taxes ($338M) divided by the census bureau’s estimated households for Polk and Dallas counties (222,000).

USA WRESTLING Preseason Nationals October 2020

UNITED STATES CUSTOM HARVESTERS Annual National Meeting January 2021

IOWA FFA ASSOCIATION Leadership Conference April 2021

NAIA - MEN'S VOLLEYBALL 2021 National Championship April 2021

DEW TOUR May 2021

NATIONAL PORK PRODUCERS COUNCIL World Pork Expo June 2021

IRONMAN Certified Piedmontese 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 Des Moines June 2021

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RODEO ASSOCIATION Junior High National Finals Rodeo June 2021

BEEF IMPROVEMENT FEDERATION Annual Conference June 2021

NATIONAL AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM June 2021

Navigating The Pandemic

ithin the travel and tourism industry, the last couple years have presented a unique challenge for DMOs across the country, and Catch Des Moines was no exception. Since March 2020, 404 events were lost or canceled due to COVID-19, representing a loss of more than $320 million in economic impact.

Despite these unavoidable obstacles, we were able to rebook some of these events for future years. This includes the National Speech & Debate Tournament, the National Congress of State Games, U.S. Academic Decathlon, Nursing Organizations Alliance, American Association of Meat Processors, and the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

Greater Des Moines and Iowa remained relatively open for business in some capacity throughout much of the second half of the pandemic and because of that we were able to secure events from other states who had capacity restrictions. That included the Nike Tournament of Champions, Dew Tour, BBI Fuel Ethanol Workshop, and U.S. Grains Council.

We benefited from certain market segments that were more willing to meet in person — specifically agriculture and sports. Greater Des Moines also outperformed our competitive set, averaging higher occupancy and rates than our neighboring, like-size cities. We continue to leverage our strengths — accessibility, safety, cleanliness, affordability — to sell our region as a practical and fun destination for events big and small.

SALES

HOSTED monthly Zoom calls with hoteliers.

ATTENDED appointment based trade shows.

SENT out eight newsletters to over 7,000 planners in different markets.

SENT out four mailers to top prospects and accounts to remain top of mind.

FOLLOWED policy changes in other cities for the opportunity to re-home events. MARKETING

CREATED The Catch List, featuring 20 new leisure itineraries.

LAUNCHED Des Best blog series, curating local suggestions for over 20 'best of' blogs.

TESTED new advertising tactics, including Hulu, OTT (connected TV), and a "Catch of the Game" radio sponsorship with the Chicago Cubs that earned national recognition.

This support includes Group Servicing, Event Promotion, Catch Crew, & Planner Toolkits.

Admin, finance, hr, technology

The Administrative Team supports the Catch Des Moines staff ensuring the organization is able to run efficiently. The team oversees all financial activity, human resources, office operations, research, and data maintenance. The team also oversees technology, maintaining our systems, and delivering innovative solutions. It establishes and maintains policies and procedures to ensure compliance.

♦

GOALS:

Total Points: 1,810

Total Bookings: 203

Qualified Prospects: 430 future opportunities

Site Visits: 50 planners

KEY STRATEGIES:

sales

♦

TACTICS:

Attend nine industry trade shows, meet with more than 500 national meeting planners, pre and post show mailings, expose Greater Des Moines through advertising in conjunction with the show.

♦ Maintain memberships and attend industry events with MPI, PCMA, ISAE, SportsETA, NAMA, ASAE, USATF, and AAU.

♦

Focus on 2021 and 2022 short-term business, to drive economic impact and drive COVID recovery.

♦ Increase national exposure and relationship building through industry trade shows and events, client events, and sales calls in key feeder markets such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Colorado Springs.

♦ Host the Catch Des Moines Customer Advisory Board Meeting, with meeting planners spanning across market segments and event size. Show off Greater Des Moines while gaining valuable insight on necessary future infrastructure, targeted advertising, room blocks and attrition, and making the attendee experience top notch.

♦

Leverage Catch Champions to secure future events.

♦ Maintain and increase exposure and relationship building with third-party planners.

♦ Showcase Greater Des Moines as a destination to motorcoach planners.

Host spring client events with industry partners in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

♦

Sponsor and be involved with third party planners such as ConferenceDirect, Experient, and HelmsBriscoe, in order to strategically fill need periods.

♦

Attend the American Bus Association conference to drive motorcoach traffic. Continue to service leads and refer partners throughout the year.

♦

Develop new assets for the Catch Champions campaign. Maintain relationships with local CEOs and state associations. Present to 20 local departments and organizations.

The Sales Team is focused on securing new conventions, sporting events, meetings, and festivals to drive economic impact in Greater Des Moines. A team of six sales managers strategically target key markets, including agriculture, sports, medical, association, education, government, corporate, hobby, religious, and group tours.

event Experience

♦ Enhance all visitors’ experiences by highlighting Des Moines’ uniqueness and authenticity at conventions, sporting events, and community events. ♦ Continue to enhance the visitor's experience by working with marketing on community awareness for upcoming groups. ♦ Process more than 25,000 room nights through housing.

Educate the hospitality and service industry by leading the continued development of the 5-Star Service Frontline Training Program.

KEY STRATEGIES:

Support the sales team’s efforts throughout the sales process and build relationships with event organizers to enhance their likelihood of confirming Des Moines and the services offered by Catch Des Moines and our partners. ♦ Develop Pop-Up Visitor Centers for all major events in Des Moines to continue to assist conventions and festivals by providing visitor information. ♦ The Catch Housing Team is continuing to develop the prospecting process with the sales team to drive additional business and revenue to the housing program. ♦ The 5-Star Service Frontline Training Program will continue into its third year with an emphasis on new hotel staff, community partners, and individuals to train and educate the hospitality community and the public.

marketing

KEY STRATEGIES:

♦ Engage with locals and visitors through engaging content, contests, Instagram stories, and social media themes. Leverage social media to increase the reach of new creative assets we develop. ♦

Expand PR efforts with trade publications, travel writers, and national/regional/local features. ♦ Develop an integrated ad plan that best uses our lesser budget and our new/best assets. ♦ Develop new Catch Des Moines :30 commercial. ♦ Increase focus on diversity/inclusion on all content created for marketing the Greater Des Moines region. ♦ Secure 200 new partners (any new advertising sales).

♦ Create an editorial calendar that aligns with our paid social media strategy that encompasses potential blog posts, Instagram stories, promotions/contests, events, conventions/events, etc. ♦ Update and enhance the communications plan and editorial calendar to proactively identify opportunities for PR coverage both locally and nationally along with our industry trade publications. ♦ Implement new content using social media, paid advertising, SEO, and other tactics to enhance site visits.