FROM OUR PRESIDENT
& CEO
As we reflect on this past year, I am excited to share that tourism in Cobb remains strong In fact, tourism remains the leading economic driver in Cobb County The latest report from Tourism Economics, which is a leader in tourism intelligence, shows the economic impact of tourism in Cobb has reached $2.6 billion. That is an 8% increase year-over-year.
More than 19,000 jobs are supported by tourism in Cobb, and each Cobb County household would need to be taxed an additional $780 per year to replace taxes generated by tourism. It is easy to see why tourism is Cobb’s number one industry!
Cobb’s hospitality community is very proud of those numbers, and I am equally as proud of Cobb Travel & Tourism’s (CT&T) role in capturing the stories and essence of our unique communities and using those distinct characteristics to drive visitation throughout Cobb and its seven cities
Tourism’s economic impact is not the only thing that has risen this year CT&T also rose – 18 stories to be exact! The ability to visually show our community to a client while making connections to and between locations is invaluable Our new office serves as a hub for promoting Cobb’s diverse attractions for visitors, clients and more.
Designed to inspire and foster creativity, the space features formal and informal spaces for brainstorming, board meetings, community gatherings and more. Our largest collaboration area is named after Jim Rhoden, a 17-year member of the CT&T Board of Directors and CT&T’s 2023 Hospitality Hero.
2024 certainly has been a year of growth for Cobb Travel & Tourism, and it is exciting to share key highlights in this Annual Report.
To our partners throughout the county, we could not be successful without you, and you are sincerely appreciated. It is truly a pleasure to promote our entire community alongside you every day
There is so much to be excited about during this coming year, and we look forward to working together as Cobb continues to shine on the regional, national and international stage.
Sweet Regards,
HOLLY A. QUINLAN PRESIDENT & CEO
TOURISM REMAINS ON TOP
TOURISM IS #1 INDU
$2.6Billion IN ECONOM
$227Million IN STATE AND L
19,280 JOBS SUPP
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TOP 5 OVERNIGHT VISITOR ORIGINS Florida Georgia Tennessee
LODGING OVERVIEW
In FY24, all of metro Atlanta experienced a downward trend in key hotel and lodging metrics as major elections and economic uncertainty caused consumers to reduce spending. Group business was a strong factor keeping the market stable as leisure travel softened It is worth noting that Cobb County, and especially the Cumberland area, continued to outperform many of the surrounding markets in occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR). This speaks to the strength and resilience of Cobb's position, even in a challenging environment.
14,184 ROOMS IN
131 HOTELS
MEET IN COBB
Cobb is Atlanta’s sweet spot for meetings, conventions, weddings, and reunions! Our professional Sales and Event Services teams do the heavy lifting to help event planners execute their vision and introduce attendees to opportunities to explore beyond the boardroom at hot spots like The Battery Atlanta, Six Flags over Georgia, Marietta Square, and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. In FY24, we fostered relationships with planners across the world and strengthened our repeat business, far surpassing our goals.
$41,104,207 44,926
SNAPSHOT OF EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN FY24
Cobb’s diverse amenities and world-class venues continue to attract events of all sizes to the area. In 2024, CT&T’s group sales team worked diligently to bring in new events such as the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs Regional Leadership Conference (785 room nights), American Association of Christian Counselors Youth Ministers Conference (1,696 room nights), and the Professional Pricing Society’s Fall Conference (1,750 room nights).
CHECK OUT A FEW OF THE KEY EVENTS CT&T’S GROUP SALES TEAM SECURED IN FY24:
Atlanta Shoe Market
The Blade Show Trade Show
The Electronic Security Expo ESX
Environments for Aging Conference + Expo
Junior Theater Festival
Music Biz Powered by Music Business Association
National Real Time Crime Center Association Conference
Society of Plastics Engineers Thermoforming Conference
Southeast Community Owners Annual Meeting
DID YOU KNOW THAT COBB HOSTS THE WORLD'S LARGEST KNIFE SHOW, THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST SHOE MARKET, AND THE WORLD’S BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE PERFORMING MUSICAL THEATER?
COBB SPORTS ALLIANCE
The Cobb Sports Alliance (CSA) partners with more than 60 area sports leaders to bring athletes and their families from across the world to compete in Cobb. In FY24, the CSA team traveled to 10 trade shows across the country, soliciting sporting events ranging from classic balls and bats to mountain biking and mixed martial arts With experience hosting high-caliber events such as the Super Bowl and MLB World Series, the community is well-equipped to manage sporting events and keep spectators entertained when the games are finished.
133
$165,713,204
81,120 EVENTS SECURED DEFINITE
TOTAL ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT*
416,926
216 LEADS GENERATED ROOM NIGHTS CONTRACTED
*Destinations International Economic Impact Calculator (These numbers represent the Sports Market)
PARTICIPANTS & SPECTATORS DID YOU KNOW COBB
BASEBALL • BASKETBALL • BMX • CHEERLEADING • DANCE
ESPORTS • FISHING • FLAG FOOTBALL • FOOTBALL • GOLF
GYMNASTICS • JIU-JITSU • JUDO • KARATE • KICKBALL • LACROSSE
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS • MOUNTAIN BIKING • RUNNING • SOCCER
SOFTBALL • SPIKEBALL • SWIMMING • TAEKWONDO • TENNIS
ULTIMATE FRISBEE • VOLLEYBALL • WRESTLING
ADAPTIVE SPORTS
BASKETBALL • GOALBALL • SKATEBOARDING • WHEELCHAIR CURLING NOW PLAYING IN COBB
100+
Million Sq. Ft. of space dedicated to sports
* Sports the CSA worked with in FY24 *
CHECK OUT OUR SWEET STATS:
166+
Trillion Gallons of water available for sports
1.4+ Miles of Trails available for biking & running
Cobb Travel & Tourism’s marketing efforts capture the stories and essence of our unique communities and use those distinct characteristics and qualities to drive visitation throughout Cobb and its seven cities. Our advertising sent a strong call to action to travelers around the southeast – encouraging them to come and play in Atlanta’s Sweet Spot. As a result, our website saw more than 320,000 sessions and 440,000 page views this past year.
262,674
WEBSITE USERS
TOP BLOGS BY CLICKS
320,650
442,737
WEBSITE SESSIONS WEB PAGE VIEWS
Atlanta’s Sweet Spot for Holiday Lights How to Shoot The Hooch
Holiday Pop-Up Bars in Cobb
Top 10 Things to Do in Cobb
Best Bruch Spots in Cobb
VIDEOS THAT INSPIRED VIEWS
In FY24, Cobb Travel & Tourism created more video content than ever before, helping us draw in 9,804 new followers across our channels. 33 new videos were added to TikTok and 110 videos were added to our Instagram Reels, leading to a 81% increase in social media engagement compared to FY23.
North Georgia State Fair 414,481 views
Smith-Gilbert Butterfly House 230,843 views
Six Flags Fright Fest 100,892 views
Marietta’s Art in the Park 41,420 views
Hamp & Harry’s 20,802 views
MEDIA MENTIONS
The 8 Best Bike Trails in the South to Explore this Summer and Beyond
Publication: Southern Living Reach: 22 5 Million
Date: 6/11/24
Atlanta Bites: Where and What to Eat in Metro Atlanta
Publication: Yahoo Life
UMV: 308.8 Million
Date: 4/4/24
For Braves Fanatics, a Weekend Guide to Atlanta
Publication: Garden & Gun
Reach: 502 2k
Date: 3/28/24
In FY24, Cobb Travel & Tourism & its programs were mentioned 129 times by media This had a potential reach of 994 million and $9.26 million ad value equivalency
$9.26M AD VALUE EQUIVALENCY
ADVERTISING
EXPEDIA I December 2023 - March 2024
Cobb Travel and Tourism leveraged $50,000 investment into $406 6 Thousand in hotel revenue
2.0M IMPRESSIONS
2,300 ROOM NIGHTS $406.6 GROSS BOOKINGS
GOOGLE ADS I Year-Round
New visitors were driven to travelcobb.org by strategically focusing on keywords such as "fun things to do around Atlanta" and "kids activities in Marietta."
67,660 IMPRESSIONS
4,693 CLICKS 6.94% CTR
SOCIAL MEDIA ADS I Year-Round
In FY24, Cobb Travel & Tourism increased its investment in social media advertising by 30%, bringing the total spend to $12,890 Ads promoted community initiatives, itineraries, and blogs.
3,191,906 IMPRESSIONS
87,361 CLICKS 2.74% CTR
RADIO BROADCAST I April 2024 - October 2023
In FY24, Cobb Travel & Tourism worked with 680 The Fan to develop attention-grabbing radio ads that captured the diversity of Cobb’s cities and attractions More than 28,000 radio spots aired across the entire Braves Radio network, reaching Atlanta Braves fans around the Southeast. These 30-second ads also received 700,000 impressions on the Braves Radio Network Podcast
VISITOR GUIDE REDESIGN
In FY24, Cobb Travel & Tourism published their new Visitor Guide, Grit and Garnish This innovative 70+ page magazine features all of CT&T’s partners and takes an in-depth look at the top things to do in the area.
20,000 copies were distributed to local hotels and community partners. Additionally, the guide is accessible online, broadening its reach. This publication is the ultimate resource for anyone exploring Atlanta’s sweet spot
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COBB ARTS VIBE
Since 2018, Cobb Arts VIBE has worked to amplify the arts in Cobb by forming a collective vision for the local area ’ s creative community. In FY24, Cobb Arts VIBE continued to facilitate invaluable connections between organizations from all areas of the arts in Cobb and acted as a critical resource for education, engagement, and awareness.
COBBUNITY
CT&T received statewide recognition for its diversity initiative “Cobbunity” at the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual tourism awards program, held in Cartersville on January 30, 2024. The Al Burruss Award for Creative Expression, which recognizes creative community public relations initiatives, was presented to CT&T just one year after it launched Cobbunity
FILM COBB
The film and TV industry continued to face challenges, including AI concerns, cultural shifts, rising costs, and international competition Despite these hurdles, CT&T responded to more than 30 location requests for Cobb’s downtowns, courthouses, jails, and private homes in FY24. You may recognize local landmarks in popular productions such as Tulsa King and Stranger Things Season 5.
HOLIDAYS IN COBB
HolidaysInCobb.com serves as Cobb County’s festive headquarters, featuring information on Christmas light displays, visits with Santa, and seasonal events. In FY24, we collaborated with Courtyard Atlanta Vinings/Galleria, Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta Ballet, and Sports & Social to offer a Holiday Getaway Giveaway for one lucky couple or a couple of friends 2,100 people from across the Southeast subscribed to our monthly newsletter and entered to win.
62,864
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
The seventh annual Cobb Hospitality Outlook brought more than 75 hospitality representatives together to gain insight on key planning data for the coming year. FY24’s panel presentation featured sports industry experts discussing the topic Building Big Dreams: Leveraging Small Events to Secure Major Opportunities Speakers included:
Dawn Churi, BlazeSports America
Zach Kerns, Kennesaw State University
Rachel Rogers, Cobb Sports Alliance
Dr. Roger Tutterow, Kennesaw State University
Mark Woodworth, Woodworth Core Group
COBB FOODIE WEEK
In FY24, 57 restaurants across Cobb County offered meal deals' during Cobb Foodie Week, making it one of the largest restaurant weeks in metro Atlanta. Nine influencers were enlisted to promote 14 restaurants. Their posts received more than 64,000 views and 2,500 engagements 1,060 foodies signed up for a digital pass
BUBBLES & BREWS
For the fifth year, Cobb County raised a glass to the thriving beverage scene during Bubbles & Brews, Cobb's Craft Beverage Month In FY24, 14 participating breweries, wineries, and distilleries handed out 3,000 physical BrewPasses 808 suds-lovers signed up for a digital pass, and 356 redeemed their passes for prizes!
2024 BEST OF BUBBLES & BREWS WINNERS
g g g p , the program included the election of the slate of officers, a first look at the renderings of CT&T’s new office space on the 18th floor of the Galleria 300 building, and a presentation of the SpotOn Awards for exceptional support of Cobb Travel & Tourism and the hospitality community.
Hotel Partner of the Year
OMNI HOTEL AT THE BATTERY ATLANTA
Restaurant Partner of the Year
SILLA DEL TORO
Attraction Partner of the Year
THE COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Event of the Year
CITY OF SMYRNA’S FOOD TRUCK TUESDAYS
Cobb Sports Alliance Event of the Year
BEAST OF THE SOUTHEAST
Hospitality Hero of the Year
JIM RHODEN, JR, FUTREN HOSPITALITY
Cobbunity ChangeMaker Award
MAXINE WILSON
CT&T REACHES A HIGHER ELEVATION
FY24 OPERATIONS BUDGET
Since its inception, Cobb Travel & Tourism has managed its budget efficiently and effectively, always with a strategic eye toward the future The FY24 Budget ran from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.
$4,797,895.60 Operating Revenues
Favorable to Budget by .4%
In March of 2024, Cobb Travel & Tourism packed up and moved to the 18th floor of the Galleria 300 building. The team celebrated this milestone by hosting a Ribbon Cutting on April 18 and an Open House on April 24 for community stakeholders and friends. From this new vantage point, clients and guests are able to physically see the many incredible assets that Cobb has to offer.
$4,797,895.60
OPERATING REVENUES
Favorable to Budget by .4%
$4,143,840.47
OPERATING EXPENSES
Favorable to Budget by 13 29%
$654,055.13 NET INCOME
Savings Used to Help Support Future Commitments
COBB TRAVEL & TOURISM TEAM
HOLLY QUINLAN
President & CEO
LINDSEY BURRUSS
Executive Vice President of Marketing & Programs
MARIA BUSTAMANTE
Senior Director of Research & Analytics
KAITLYN CHITWOOD
Director of Digital Marketing & Design
JESSICA COANE
Vice President of Group Sales
ANNE MARIE CROSBY CRM System Manager
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ZACH KERNS CHAIRMAN Kennesaw State University
ROGER FLEMING VICE CHAIRMAN Atlanta Marriott Northwest Galleria
DAWN TRUEMPER SECRETARY Atlanta Braves
MICHAEL KNOWLES TREASURER Fifth Third Bank
KIM FRANZ
Director of Programs & Events
LINDSEY GOETSCH Office & Team Manager
LAURA HORN Vice President of Finance & Operations
AMANDA HUGHES
Senior Director of Partnerships & Services
KYLE JONES Sales Marketing Coordinator
MELISSA LEGAUX
Senior Director of Tradeshow Sales
JIM RHODEN Futren Hospitality
JENNIFER BENNETT City of Smyrna
DALE GUSTAFSON Cobb Galleria Centre
ERIC GRAY
Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Vinings Galleria, hotel representative*
GREG FULLER Six Flags Over Georgia
DREW LACY
Director of Event Services
DIANNE LOVETT
National Sales Manager – Professional & Group Business
CRISTY PAK
Sports Business & Service Manager
TIMOTHY RAY
Sports Sales Manager
ALANNAH RINER Marketing Coordinator
RACHEL ROGERS
Vice President of Sports Sales & Engagement
Al MARTIN
Georgia Power Company
COUNCILWOMAN
CHERYL RICHARDSON City of Marietta
COMMISSIONER
MONIQUE SHEFFIELD Cobb County Board of Commissioners
OMAR VEGA
Omni Hotel at The Battery, hotel representative*
*Non-voting member
