Virginia's Blue Ridge - 2012 Progress Report

Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

2012 progress report

Leadership Viewpoint The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau knows quite well that “Tourism Is BIG Business.”

CONTENTS 1

Mission Statement, Board of Directors, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitation

Barton J. Wilner Chairman

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– 53 travel journalists visited from around the United States and Canada resulting in Virginia’s Blue Ridge being featured in a host of national publications, valued at more than $667,000.

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Landon C. Howard President

4

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Brand

5

Destination Marketing

6

Public Relations, Annual Meeting

7

Conventions & Sports Sales, Motorcoach Tour Sales

8

Visitor Services & Hospitality Training, Partnership

2012 highlights include: – Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the region’s new tourism destination brand, was unveiled on April 19th.

Staff, Tourism Impacts

Measurable Success: Macro-Economy, Lodging Tax Revenue, Hotel Room Demand

Your Bureau has been hard at work, both publicly and behind the scenes, to create the perfect environment for our region to be successful in promoting tourism and economic development for many years to come.

– Hotels in Virginia’s Blue Ridge sold over 57,000 more rooms than in 2011 – a 5.8% increase.

– Roanoke City, Salem and Roanoke County have significantly enhanced their regional partnership to fund the marketing and promotion of our new brand, Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

– New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, First Lady Maureen McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling all participated in our nearly SOLD OUT Annual Meeting.

The tourism industry’s dedication to working together contributed to these successes in 2012. With the new investment formula in place, the Bureau will have the capability to attract even more visitors to Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Thank you for your continued support, partnership and pride in our region.

Warm regards,

Barton J. Wilner Landon C. Howard Chairman

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State of the Bureau, Budget History

www.visitvablueridge.com

President

mission statement The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) exists to promote Virginia’s Blue Ridge as a unique destination, with an outstanding quality of life, for leisure tourism, meetings, sporting events, recreation and business, and to facilitate the financial and cultural growth of the community as an exceptional place to live, work and recreate.

Board of Directors Barton J. Wilner

R. Carey Harveycutter, Jr.

Entre Computer Center Chairman

Salem Civic Center Treasurer

W. Lee Wilhelm, III

Susan E. Short, Ph.D.

Richfield Retirement Community Vice-Chairman

Virginia Tech Past-Chairman

Gary D. Walton The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Secretary

Dave Andersen

Pete Peters

Dominion Lodging

Botetourt County Parks, Recreation & Tourism

Doug Blount

Charles A. Price, Jr.

Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism

Harrison Museum of African American Culture

Jeremy Carroll

Ssunny Shah

Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte

Ramada Inn Conference Center

B. Clayton Goodman, III

James E. Taliaferro, II

County of Roanoke – County Administrator

City of Salem – Assistant City Manager

Shirley B. Holland

Joyce Waugh

Carilion Clinic

Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

Mary Beth Layman

Carthan F. Currin, III

Vinton War Memorial

MB Contractors (FY 11-12)

Jeff Marks

John Dudley

WDBJ Television, Inc.

Residence Inn by Marriott, Roanoke Airport (FY 11-12)

Christopher P. Morrill

Rhonda Morgan

City of Roanoke – City Manager

The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge (FY 11-12, FY 12-13)

Dharmendra Patel

Debra H. Weir

Samip Management

Franklin County Commerce & Leisure Services (FY 11-12, FY 12-13)

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY Visitation Blue Ridge Parkway visitation continued to rebound. The number of visitors entering the Roanoke Valley from the six Blue Ridge Parkway exits in the region increased 2.94% in 2012.

YEARLY TOTALS 2009 1,339,568

2010 1,252,741 (-6.48% change)

2011 1,320,408 (5.40% change)

2012 1,359,191 (2.94% change)

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

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STAFF ADMINISTRATION Landon C. Howard President

Heidi R. Mowry

Administration Manager

MARKETING Debora Wright

Director of Marketing

Trena S. Pividal

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Coordinator

David Aldridge

Roanoke Valley CVB welcomes David Baldacci to the Annual Meeting

Marketing Specialist

TOURISM & COMMUNICATIONS Catherine Fox

Director of Tourism & Communications

CONVENTION SALES

Christopher J. Nicholas

Visitor & Information Services Supervisor

Part-Time Staff: Barbara Fink Tarah Holland Janet Lampman Betsy Osborne Jane Smith Velma Thomas

Volunteer Staff:

Ann Andrews Hugh Brown Joe Cummings Marlene Efkeman

Kelly D. Burd-Adams Director of Sales

Gary W. Crizer

National Sales Manager

Vickie Meeks Miller

Convention Sales & Services Coordinator

Tourism Impacts Measured Results: Tourism is BIG Business which creates “economic impact” and furthers economic development.

As a result of the RVCVB achieving the primary objective, the following 2011 numbers* will expand over time: – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Spending: $703 million – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Jobs: 7,160 – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Payroll: $138.4 million – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related State and Local Tax Collections: $50.9 million *Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation

2012 Tourism Impacts

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+

$10,951,500 Conventions & Sports Sales $95,160 Motorcoach Tour Sales $38,404,323 Leisure Travel

$49,450,983 Generated by the Roanoke Valley CVB

www.visitvablueridge.com

mEASUREABLE SUCCESS The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

INFORMATION BROKER MACRO-ECONOMY Potential Customers

serves as an information broker for Virginia’s Blue Ridge macro tourism economy representing and

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Industry

working with over 400 hospitality and tourism businesses and government partners including the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and Counties

Consumers

of Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke.

Attractions

Travel Agents Tour Operators

The RVCVB’s primary objectives are to expand

Restaurants

Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

market-size as monitored by two key measures: Hotels

– Room Demand, which is the measure of the

Rental Cars

Meeting Planners

number of rooms sold in the VBR region.

– Room Tax Collections, which are Transient

Retail

Occupancy Taxes (TOT) paid by visitors while staying in lodging properties in funding jurisdictions or as described in the RVCVB’s Bylaws as “participating localities.”

Lodging Tax Revenue 5.9%

HOTEL Room Demand

1.8% 1,080,000 1,060,000

14.9%

1,040,000 1,020,000 1,000,000

61.1%

980,000 960,000

16.3%

940,000 920,000 900,000 2008

Locality

2012 Revenue

2009

2010

2011

2012

Rooms Sold

City of Roanoke (7% tax rate). .....................$3,113,553 City of Salem (7% tax rate).............................$831,289 County of Roanoke (5% tax rate). ................. $759,916

ROOMS SOLD (Source: STR)

County of Botetourt (5% tax rate). ................ $300,017

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

County of Franklin (5% tax rate)......................$90,118

993,012

916,661

975,622

997,490

1,055,363

Source: local governments

$5,094,893

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

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Virginia’s Blue Ridge Brand Strategic Brand Platform: Target Audience:

For those seeking a rich mix of culture and outdoors

Frame of Reference:

Virginia’s Greater Roanoke Valley, linking to areas within an hour radius of Roanoke/Salem (Botetourt Co., Franklin Co., Smith Mountain Lake, Bedford, Floyd, Blacksburg to Natural Bridge)

Point of Difference:

Boasts the largest metropolitan center in the Blue Ridge Mountain chain

Benefit:

Adding surprising vibrancy to the serene splendor and outdoor adventure of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

With the launch of the new brand in April 2012, the Bureau redesigned all collateral and marketing/sales materials to carry the Virginia’s Blue Ridge logo and new look.

Ad campaign for Virginia’s Blue Ridge

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www.visitvablueridge.com

Destination Marketing

www.visitvablueridge.com Website Statistics

The Bureau continues to place an emphasis on electronic marketing. By introducing online marketing initiatives with banner ads and listings, search engine optimization (SEO), and pay per click (PPC) programs, the Bureau produced a record number of unique website visitors. Additionally, the mobile site strengthens our presence as more people are using their mobile devices for a source of tourist information.

compared to 2011

– Unique Visitors increased 78% – Page Views increased 81%

The Bureau now offers monthly training sessions to provide partners a means to input their information onto the website and mobile site. Since the implementation of the program, we have trained over 170 partners.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

TARGET MARKETS

Leisure Travelers

NY

– 238,136 Unique Website Visitors – 46,631 – 49,649

PA

Unique Mobile Site Visitors

MD

WASHINGTON, DC and NORTHERN VA

Inquiries

VA

ROANOKE

VIRGINIA BEACH GREENSBORO

WINSTON-SALEM

– 334,416 TOTAL

RICHMOND

NC

RALEIGH

CHARLOTTE

334,416 .44 % of inquirers who visited (Source: 2013 Conversion Study)

x

SC

GA

147,143 2.9 people in party (Source: VTC) $90.00 daily trip spending per party (Source: VTC)

x x

FL

Target City Primary Target Market Secondary Target Market

$38,404,323 in Direct Spending

Online Advertising – 8,901,662 Impressions with 79,098 unique website visitors – E-Newsletter with over 19,000 opt-in database – Estimated $58,845 in free advertising – Received a $50,000 grant

Monthly eNewsletter

Received a $50,000 grant

Rail History Sweepstakes

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

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Public Relations Media/PR Results – Number of Journalists Hosted – 53 – Media Coverage Circulation – 35,163,208 – Media Coverage Advertising Equivalency – $667,080

Media tour with Sean Luther in Downtown Roanoke Tourism alerts from the Bureau BUZZ!

Annual Meeting On May 9th, the Roanoke Valley CVB annual meeting attracted just over 450 attendees. Guest speakers Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and First Lady of Virginia Maureen McDonnel spoke on behalf of their support of the tourism industry. The keynote speaker was David Baldacci, New York Times best selling novelist and author of 23 books including “Absolute Power”, “Saving Faith”, “Zero Day” and his newest novel “The Innocent”. He captivated the audience with his stories and his big news about his novel “Wish You Well” soon to be a filmed in the region.

David Baldacci shares a few stories and discusses his new novel with Bart Wilner

Annual Meeting Award Recipients Presidents’ Tourism Excellence Award – Granger Macfarlane Tourism Ambassador Award – Trixie Averill Golden Star Award – Clay Goodman, Chris Morrill and Kevin Boggess

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www.visitvablueridge.com

Guest speaker Lt. Governor Bill Bolling., First Lady Maureen McDonnell and keynote speaker David Baldacci

Conventions & Sports Sales 2012 was a productive year with highlights including a sales mission to Nashville, direct floral sales campaign targeting women’s groups and a hand in co-sponsor Senator Warner’s Women’s Conference. All opportunities for potential new leads for booking groups in the future.

Senator Warner welcomes the Virginia Women’s Conference attendees

Sales Productivity – Leads: 37 (new business 89%) – Bookings: 19 – Attendance: 24,950 – Estimated Total Room Nights: 20,242 – Estimated Direct Spending: $10,951,500

Conventions & Sports Hosted – Total Hosted: 14 (includes 8 Valleywide groups) – Total Attendees: 18,794 Quidditch competition at Green Hill Park

– Total Room Nights: 7,824 – Direct Spending: $7,918,580 – 27 groups were serviced with a total attendance of 28,604

Motorcoach Tour Sales The RVCVB attended the American Bus Association Marketplace and the joint marketplace with Virginia and North Carolina Motorcoach to re-establish contact with tour companies in 2012. Tracking reports indicated 147 overnight motorcoach tours occurred in the last six months representing 3,227 overnight rooms.

Tour Leads (new business)....................................................................... 24 Bookings.................................................................................................. 10

A bus tour travels along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Step-on guided tours booked with the Roanoke Valley CVB....................... 35 Total Estimated Economic Impact...................................................... $95,160

A step-on guided tour stops at the Roanoke Star & Overlook

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

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Visitor Services & Hospitality Training The Visitor Services team strives to encourage overnight visitation, extend the average stay, and increase visitor spending by providing relevant visitor information about the region. We accomplish this by fulfilling visitor requests, offering partner referral services to better represent our hospitality industry, participating in community events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, customer service excellence training targeted toward the hospitality industry, and greeting visitors at the Roanoke Valley Visitor Information Center, open 9am-5pm daily, located at the corner of Shenandoah Avenue and Williamson Road, and

by Segway at various events.

September workshop held at the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center

Seven Customer Service Excellence Hospitality Training workshops were held for 128 attendees including special training sessions provided for the Roanoke Regional Airport staff.

Roanoke Valley Visitor Information Center

Partnership The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau serves as an information broker for Virginia’s Blue Ridge area macrotourism economy representing and working with over 400 industry partners.

Many thanks to our partners for providing $70,955 of in-kind goods and services. This amount leverages our capabilities to make a greater impact for our key programs.

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www.visitvablueridge.com

4.2%

STATE OF THE BUREAU

9.3%

The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau is an independent 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation. The Bureau is supported by funding from 5 local governments and over 400 private sector partners.

2.4% 0.6%

13.4% 55.7%

14.4%

Funding Sources

City of Roanoke................................................................................................................................................ $781,251 County of Roanoke........................................................................................................................................... $201,600 City of Salem.................................................................................................................................................... $187,874 County of Botetourt............................................................................................................................................... $8,500 County of Franklin.............................................................................................................................................. $33,811 State Grants & Miscellaneous Funds................................................................................................................. $129,701 Partnership........................................................................................................................................................ $59,525

$1,402,262

% OF BUREAU BUDGET DEVOTED TO MARKETING

2007/2008 67.9%

2008/2009 67.7%

2009/2010 66.2%

2010/2011 74.0%

2011/2012 77.8%

2012/2013 78.2%

Budget History The Bureau’s budget increased 7.6% in 2012/2013.

1,500,000 1,250,000

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010 Total Budget

2010/2011

2011/2012

$1,097,167

$1,402,262

$1,015,066

$1,303,546

$982,456

$1,327,243

$929,400

$1,403,652

$939,190

$1,387,640

500,000

$912,340

750,000

$1,344,390

1,000,000

2012/2013

Marketing Budget

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

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Virginia’s Blue Ridge

66

81

64

Roanoke VT

77 220

64

460 95

40

The Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge boasts the largest metropolitan center in the Blue Ridge Mountain chain.

Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau – www.visitvablueridge.com 101 Shenandoah Ave. NE – Roanoke, VA 24016-2044 – 540.342.6025