Dayton CVB 2023 Annual Report

YEAR IN REVIEW

It is with great pride and excitement that we share the highlights of the past year at the Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau. In 2023, we achieved our highest revenues to date as an organization. This underscores our team’s dedication and hard work in promoting Dayton and Montgomery County as a premier destination for conventions, events, and leisure travelers.

One of the year’s key milestones was our CVB Board participation in Strategic Planning, resulting in the identification of three primary initiatives to be implemented over the next three years. Additionally, we crafted new mission and vision statements. As part of the strategic planning, and in our ongoing work to enhance our brand and visibility, we engaged industry leader Miles Partnership for an organization and destination rebranding.

We continued to play an active role on the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority Board, contributing to the marketing, operations, and hotel committees.

BOARD STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVES SUMMARY Refresh the Destination and CVB Brand

We are busy promoting the $45 million renovation of the Dayton Convention Center, projected for completion in Q1 2025, and continue to advocate for convention-center hotels within a three-block walk.

In line with our commitment to visitor services, we opened a new Dayton Visitor Information and Military Welcome Center at the Dayton International Airport. Staffed seven days a week by Dayton CVB Ambassadors, the center serves as an important welcoming presence for travelers and distributes information on Dayton/Montgomery County, Greene County, and Miami County.

We successfully hosted a diverse array of groups in 2023 and secured important bookings for the future, further solidifying Dayton’s reputation as a premier destination for events and conferences. A significant triumph was spearheading and winning the bid to host the WGI World Championships in Dayton and southwest Ohio through 2031. This important “win” showcases Dayton/Montgomery County’s capabilities as a premier host destination.

As we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, we are optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead. With your continued support, we are confident that we will achieve even greater success in the years to come.

Sincerely,

Jacquelyn Powell Scott DeBolt

PRESIDENT & CEO DAYTON/MONTGOMERY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

BOARD CHAIR SENIOR ASSOC. DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS/ DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON ARENA

MISSION STATEMENT

THE DAYTON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU COLLABORATIVELY LEADS AND ADVOCATES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION’S VISITOR ECONOMY, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A THRIVING COMMUNITY, A DIVERSE TAX BASE AND LIFESTYLE AMENITIES FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY.

VISION STATEMENT

DAYTON WILL BE RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONALLY AS A PREMIER DESTINATION WITH A RICH HISTORY OF INNOVATION, AN EXCITING AND PROMISING FUTURE AND A CULTURALLY ENRICHING QUALITY OF LIFE.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIR Scott DeBolt, Senior Assoc. Director of Athletics/Director of University of Dayton Arena

VICE CHAIR Ron Nankervis CEO WGI Sport of the Arts

TREASURER Debbie Blunden-Diggs ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

SECRETARY Bhavin Patel MANAGING PARTNER Evolv Hotels/Comfort Inn Huber Heights

BOARD MEMBERS

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Kris Davis, SALES LEAD ANALYST Atrium Hospitality

AT-LARGE Micah Stampf, GENERAL MANAGER Marriott at the University of Dayton

EX-OFFICIO Robert Breen, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Montgomery County

Jacquelyn Y. Powell, PRESIDENT & CEO Dayton/Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc.

GENERAL COUNSEL/EX-OFFICIO Alan Schaeffer Pickrel, Schaeffer & Ebeling

Kelly Brown, Community Volunteer; Brady Kress, President & CEO, Dayton History; Walt Hibner, Local Affairs/Economic Dev. Manager, CenterPoint Energy; Homer Buchanan Meeting & Event Planner; Charlynda Scales, Servant Leader, Mutt’s Sauce, LLC; Brian Sharp, Director of Market Development, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty; Ty Sutton President & CEO, Dayton Live; Dan Apolito Co-Owner, Archer’s Tavern; David Tillotson, Director, National Museum of the US Air Force

PART-TIME DAYTON AMBASSADORS

Carol Cleavenger, David Cleavenger, Richelle Cooks, Shawn Davis, Brian Eifert, Peggy Gross, Geneva Hinton, Janine Kinnison, Amy Rehfus, Kevin Rehfus, Linda Stebbins-Suttman, Mary Tucker, Lynda Vanover, Debra Waters

Anderson

Jones

Koerner

Brenda Morris Gary Morris Pam Pennix

Steven Solomon Holly Verburg

Doug Whitney

STAFF

Jacquelyn Y. Powell, PRESIDENT & CEO

Lynn Gathagan, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Kim Addis, DIRECTOR OF SALES & SERVICES

Bev Rose, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & STRATEGIC PLANNING

Bruce Stricker, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Brenda Baker, SALES MANAGER

Eric Brockman, DIGITAL MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Tiffany Brown, SALES & SERVICES ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Ron Eifert, SENIOR SALES MANAGER

Madison Gerhardt, VISITOR INFORMATION SPECIALIST

Sonya Harchaoui, SALES & SERVICES MANAGER

Paisley Jones, MARKETING COORDINATOR

Allison Popadyn, SALES MANAGER

INDUSTRYOVERVIEW

The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau serves as an economic catalyst for our community by bringing outside dollars into the area. These dollars generate substantial sales and tax revenues, plus wages that support thousands of jobs in Montgomery County. The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau receives 70% of a 3% Montgomery County lodging tax to market Destination Dayton/Montgomery County. An additional 3% Montgomery County lodging tax is collected by the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority (MCCFA) for the operation of the Dayton Convention Center.

SALES

The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau sales team diligently secures convention and meeting business for Montgomery County hotels and venues. We employ a diverse range of sales and marketing strategies to drive bookings, from diverse markets including youth and amateur sports, hobby, faith-based, associations, military reunions, government, education, corporate, fraternal, multicultural and tour groups. With dedication and strategic planning, we continuously strive to exceed expectations and drive success for our valued partners in Montgomery County’s thriving hospitality industry.

SALES RESULTS

Net bookings of 33,189 total room nights for 107 events in 2023 & future years in Dayton/Montgomery County

Generated 236 convention & group tour sales leads representing 100,692 total room nights for 2023 & future years

Hosted 30 site visits with prospective clients/groups

Hosted targeted clients at several key customer events:

• Dayton Dragon games

• NCAA® First Four® tournament games

• Les Misérables Broadway musical at the Schuster Center

Attended over 27 Industry tradeshows to promote Dayton/Montgomery county as a meeting/event destination

HIGHLIGHTS OF GROUPS BOOKED IN 2023 FOR 2023 OR A FUTURE YEAR

West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church Annual Conference 2023

JUNE 2023

1,500 people | 1,358 total room nights

Heritage Ohio Conference 2023 OCTOBER 2023

330 people | 300 total room nights

International Silver Stick Hockey Mid-American Regional DECEMBER 202

1,000 people | 390 total room nights

National Aviation Hall of Fame 2024 Enshrinement Ceremony

SEPTEMBER 2024

500 people | 270 total room nights

WGI Color Guard, Percussion and Winds 2024 World Championships APRIL 2024

60,000 people | 8,500 total room nights

Corvair Society of America

people | 210 total room nights

people | 210 total room nights 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association 158th Anniversary Reunion 2024

people | 462 total room nights

Golf Association Men’s Western

people | 350 total room nights

Sponsored events at the following industry tradeshows: RCMA Religious Conference Managers Association; CMCA Christian Meetings & Conventions Association

SERVICES

Following event bookings facilitated through a Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau-generated Request For Proposal, the Bureau’s expert team springs into action, to ensure its seamless planning, promotion and execution within our vibrant community. At no cost to the meeting planner/client, our seasoned professionals offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to elevate every aspect of the event experience. From attendance boosting promotional videos and eblasts, to creating custom welcome packets, posters and buttons, coordinating local vendor connections, or providing personalized name badges, no detail is overlooked to ensure a successful and memorable event. Additionally, our team of part-time Dayton Ambassadors is on hand to assist clients with event registration, warm group welcomes, and valuable staffing assistance. These complimentary convention services serve as a compelling selling point, setting us apart as an ideal destination for event organizers seeking unparalleled support and expertise.

SERVICE RESULTS

Hosted and provided CVB services for 144 conventions, events, sports tournaments and meetings in 2023

Hosted 376,131 event attendees in 2023 and 39,030 event room nights in 2023

Dayton CVB ambassadors & staff provided 2,017 bureau service hours in 2023

HIGHLIGHTS OF GROUPS HOSTED IN 2023

Dayton/Montgomery County offerings were promoted via Dayton CVB staffed information stations at events and conventions and via the outdoor Dayton information tent at events such as:

•WGI Sport of the Arts World Championships; Adidas Warrior Soccer Tournament; West Ohio Conference of the

Methodist Church Annual Conference; Centerpoint Energy Dayton Air Show presented by Kroger; Warrior Soccer Halloween Fall Tournament

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

The Bureau’s marketing and communications initiatives work synergistically with the organization’s promotional and sales efforts to generate visitation and overnight stays in Montgomery County hotels. The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau utilizes a myriad of marketing channels to reach our target audiences. Below are some highlights of our 2023 marketing and communications initiatives.

HIGHLIGHTS

Produced and distributed 70,000 print copies of the 2023 Destination Dayton Visitors Guide (also available as a digital flip-book) to target audiences.

Created and sent a targeted direct mail package to our top 200 Helms Briscoe (third-party meeting planners) clients.

Placed advertisements (print and digital) promoting Destination Dayton to target audiences of leisure visitors and meeting planners in approximately 35 media outlets throughout the year.

Regular media appearances & exposure in the Dayton market.

Spearheaded creation of both a 15-second and 30-second Dayton/Montgomery County “Experience the Total Solar Eclipse in Dayton in 2024” videos to be utilized in promotions.

In partnership with industry agency Orange142, the CVB executed a four-month digital advertising and email campaign targeting Midwestern meeting planners. The campaign resulted in nearly 1 million impressions and 11,762 clicks for a click-through rate of 1.3%, well above industry standards of .01-.04%. A total of 228,572 custom emails were sent to planners resulting in 6,110 clicks for a 2.7% click-thru rate.

Sent a customized Happy Veteran’s Day eblast to nearly 351 miliary reunion prospects to stay top-ofmind as a reunion destination.

Posted weekly blogs on our website to continuously provide fresh content and information.

Partnered with industry agency ADARA to begin execution of a five-month digital campaign focused on liesure audiences.

Ran a “Dayton Air Show” get-away contest. Garnered over 1,000 email entries and first-party data.

Created Dayton CVB 30th Anniversary logo and Solar Eclipse logos for use leading up to 2024 events.

advertising with the Dayton Convention Center in Small Market Meetings Magazine and with Dayton Live in Ohio Magazine.

INDUSTRY AWARDS

The CVB was awarded:

3 RUBY AWARDS

(Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance in marketing) Awards by the Ohio Travel Association (OTA)

• 2023 Destination Dayton Visitors Guide

• Helms Briscoe Direct Mail package (3rd party meeting planners – folded airplane mailer and logo’d tin of colorful airplane shaped paperclips)

• Orange142 Digital Meeting Planner Campaign

The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau was proud to win:

7 HERMES AWARDS

in a competition administered by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals

• PLATINUM Branding/Specialty Item Wilbear Wright Aviator Teddy Bear Keychain

• GOLD Print Media/Advertising Other Visit Dayton Semi-Tractor Trailer Traveling Billboard Promotional Wrap

• GOLD Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media Video Destination Dayton 60-Second Sizzle Teaser Video

• GOLD Annual Report Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau 2021 Annual Report

• HONORABLE MENTION Direct Mail Piece Every Day is Veteran’s Day in DAYTON – We Would Love to Host Your Military Reunion! Military Reunion Planner mailing

• HONORABLE MENTION Direct Mail Piece Dayton Hosts Top-Flight Events Meeting Planner Direct Mail

• HONORABLE MENTION Publication/Magazines Destination Dayton 2023 Official Visitors Guide

2 Dayton CVB President & CEO Jacquelyn Y. Powell was honored in 2023.

• Named an Ohio 500 – Ohio’s Top 500 Business Executives

• Named a 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Award Winner by Smart Meetings Magazine

Co-op

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Dayton CVB staffed a station at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s™ 2023 April Easter Egg Hunt and 2023 October Troops for Treats events where we distributed collateral on Dayton/Montgomery County, Miami County and Greene County, as well as candy, to collectively nearly 16,000 visitors.

Sponsored the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show Photo Pit, staffed a Dayton Information Tent at the event, placed a full-page ad in their program and hosted several clients at the Show.

WEBSITE

In 2023, the CVB realized a significant increase year-over-year in the number of website visits and page views in 2023, surpassing each of the previous three years in each metric.

More than 235,000 Visits: 22% increase YoY from 2022 to 2023

More than 421,000 Pageview: 24% increase YoY from 2022 to 2023

Additionally, website referral traffic from social media sites increased 56% YoY from 2022 to 20223

This continues the trend of website traffic surpassing the pre-COVID year of 2019. Increases in 2023 are due in part to consistent social media and blog posting, strategic paid social media campaigns, several popular “enter to win” contests, continued enhancement and benefits from the CVB’s SEO strategy, as well as first quarter traffic generated by the Orange-142 meeting planner advertising campaign and fourth quarter holiday traffic generated by the ADARA digital leisure advertising campaign.

ADVOCACY

We continued to advocate for increases in the federal government per diem lodging allowance for Dayton, and realized a $2 increase for Oct. 2023/Sept. 2024.

The CVB sent letters to our state legislators regarding HB333 supporting the need for a strong TourismOhio marketing budget and tourism messaging.

Joined Ohio Chamber of Commerce which gives us membership on the Travel and Tourism Committee to encourage policies that promote, protect and support Ohio’s tourism industry.

Participated in the Dayton Development Coalition’s DC Fly-In.

A C VB Board committee was formed to assess Short-Term Rental (STR) activity in Montgomery County. Collaborative talks with the Ohio Hotel Lodging Association and Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau aimed to push for state legislation for STRs to ensure tax parity and oversight with hotels.

ANNUAL CVB COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR AWARDS BREAKFAST

Hosted Annual CVB National Tourism Week Celebration & Community Ambassador Awards Breakfast at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force™ during their 100th anniversary celebration.

Recognized four meeting planners, as 2023 Dayton Community Ambassadors, for the noteworthy events they chose to bring to Dayton/Montgomery County.

Sponsored the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association’s Greater Dayton Lodging Stars of the Industry luncheon where seven Montgomery County hoteliers won awards including CVB Board Member, Micah Stampf, Marriott at the University of Dayton, 2023 Greater Dayton Full Service General Manager of the Year.

NCAA® First Four® student athlete welcome & compilation video, work on the Big Hoopla Local Organizing Committee.

OHSAA Girls & Boys Basketball State Championships welcome.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Page Followers:

12,095 Followers as of 12/31/23

25% Increase YoY from 2022

Instagram Total Followers

2,813 Followers as of 12/31/23 Increase of 10% YoY from 2022

Linkedin Total Followers

972 Followers as of 12/31/23

Increase of 27% YoY from 2022

Youtube Channel 368,800 Views in 2023*

1,000% Increase YoY from 2022

* Includes approximately 355,000 views from paid campaign with TourismOhio.

Visit Dayton App

The CVB realized a 41% increase in new app downloads YoY from 2022 to 2023 (1,700 new users) for a total of 5,846 users

NATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WEEK

Dayton CVB exhibited at the “State Tourism Day” at Statehouse Capitol lawn in Columbus to promote Destination Dayton and tourism.

Dayton CVB President & CEO Jacquelyn Powell spoke at press conference at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery featuring Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine who unveiled the new state logo and theme – Ohio the Heart of It All.

Partnered with 8 Dayton area iHeart radio stations on a week-long “Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard” campaign including approximately 100 Montgomery County hospitality prize package giveaways.

Partnered with the Dayton International Airport, the airlines, car rental agencies and cabs to place The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau Thanks You for Traveling- Happy National Tourism Week placards, and candy and Destination Dayton Visitors Guide at their counters, highlighting statistics on the impact of travel & tourism in Montgomery County.