Visit Stockton Annual Activities Report 2013

2013

activities report

What We Do

The Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) is charged with the promotion and marketing of the City of Stockton as a meetings, events, and travel destination. The bureau is a 501c6 non-profit organization funded by the collection of an assessment paid by guests to Stockton lodging establishments.

SCVB Team Wes Rhea

CEO wes@visitstockton.org 209.938.1551

The SCVB services include the development of an annual tourism marketing plan and its implementation through advertising, public relations, tour package development, online/electronic means, and attendance at consumer and trade shows.

Mission Statement

To promote Stockton by increasing the awareness and enhancing the image of our diverse cultural, historical, and recreational assets.

Vision Statement

Stockton is recognized as the premier travel destination to explore the unique experiences of our city, San Joaquin County, and Northern California.

Business Development monica@visitstockton.org 209.938.1552

Tim Pasisz The SCVB holds memberships with:

• Association of Military Reunions (AMR) • California Delta Chamber of Commerce • California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE) • California Travel Industry Association (CalTravel) • Central Valley Tourism Association (CVTA) • Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) • Meeting Planners International (MPI) • National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) • National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) • Religious Conference Managers Association (RCMA) • Society of Government Meeting Planners (SGMP) • US Travel Association (USTravel) • Western Association of Conference & Visitors Bureaus (WACVB)

The SCVB is in partnership with the Stockton Tourism Business Improvement District and the City of Stockton.

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Monica Slingerman

Sports Development tim@visitstockton.org 209.938.1556

Marketing & Graphic Design

Heather Duffett

heather@visitstockton.org 209.938.1553

Megan Peterson

Office Manager & CTA Coordinator megan@visitstockton.org 209.938.1555

Board of Directors George Kaplanis President, Hilton Stockton Karri Rivard Vice President, Hampton Inn & Suites John Cammack Immediate Past President, Attorney Sam Patel Red Roof Inn Stephen Sherman Retired Businessman Susan Obert Haggin Museum Katie Green Treasurer, Marriott Properties Ex Officio, Kathy Miller Councilmember

We have a new location!

125 Bridge Place, 2nd Floor

2014 SCVB Goals Visit Stockton Guide

Continue to successfully produce the guide in-house. Work to expand our local distribution network, while adding additional visitor touch points.

Website

Launch new update of site and work to make functionality seamless and user-friendly.

Increase unique visits and pageviews by at least 20%.

Enhance listing pages. Expand social media integration.

Mobile

Grow mobile marketing and advertising efforts by making online content more mobile-friendly.

Marketing

Grow interest in destination and the leisure market through strategic advertising and public relations efforts. Continue to focus on creating a positive image of Stockton to both locals and visitors. Track ROI.

Business Development

Increase leads generated for hotel partners through a combination of marketing, tradeshow, and staff driven sales efforts.

Sports Development

Continue to grow and expand existing sporting events, while focusing on new events with increased ROI.

Special Events

Grow our signature events— Stockton Restaurant Week, the Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out, and Stockton Beer Week—to include more participants and increased local impact. visitstockton.org // 3

Local Lodging Trends / SCVB Revenue History

Occupancy

2013 % Growth

Source: 2013 Smith Travel Research, Inc. / STR Global, Lte.

+10.1%

2013: 57.7% 2012: 53.9% 2011: 49.1%

+7.1%

Average Daily Rate 2013: $66.85 2012: $65.25 2011: $63.18

+6.6%

Demand

(room nights) 2013: 569,348 2012: 528,981 2011: 477,381

+2.7%

Revenue 2013: $38,060,639 2012: $34,515,549 2011: $30,160,761

SCVB Revenue History

2004-2005: $ 97,000 (City funds)* 2005-2006: $97,000 (City funds)* 2006-2007: $112,000 (City funds)* 2007-2008: $ 384,195 (TBID + $112,000 from the city)* 2008-2009: $373,000 (TBID + $112,000 from the city)* 2009-2010: $301,700 (TBID + $100,000 from city)* 2010-2011: $198,365 (TBID only) * 2011: $530,281 (Transition year, two quarters via TBID) 2012: $1,029,506 2013: $1,137,893 2014: $1,003,392 (projected) *Based at Chamber of Commerce

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Stockton Tourism Ambassador Looking Program Ahead

2014 Visit Stockton Guide 40,000 full-color copies of the 2014 Visit Stockton guide were printed and are being distributed all over Stockton and neighboring areas, as well as taken to tradeshows around the country, mailed to visitors all over the world upon request, distributed at various Stockton events/festivals/ venues, and more!

visitstockton.org We are excited to rollout a fresh look for visitstockton.org in March 2014! We are working with a leader in the DMO website industry to incorporate responsive design, state of the art technology, and a brand new look and feel into our website. With hundreds of thousands of visitors to our website each year, it’s crucial for us to stay up-to-date with modern technology and trends.

Below are examples of the new site during early stages of design. Please note that the final site may differ.

The guide will also be available online with an annual average of 18,000 impressions.

The 100-page guide boasts a new smaller size (about 5.5” x 8.5”), which conveniently combines the previous full-size guide and mini guide into one publication. There is also a handy pullout map of Stockton, along with new “My Stockton” pages featuring interviews with longtime Stocktonians, as well as Instagram pages of photos by users highlighting our city, and a section on Stockton’s history.

visitstockton.org // 5

2013 Official Stockton Activities Guide

copies printed and distributed.

Full Color // 76 Pages // Magazine Style The 2013 guide was distributed to visitors worldwide (upon request), as well as potential meetings and conference planners, tour operators, and group travel leaders. The guides were also distributed locally to hotels, restaurants, art & entertainment venues, City Hall, the Downtown Stockton Alliance, the University of the Pacific, and at citywide meetings, conferences, sporting events, Stockton Chamber of Commerce events, and more.

Highlights

Online Version Mobile-friendly!

Over 4,000 views

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5,000 copies printed and distributed.

Full Color // 28 Pages // Brochure Style This condensed version of our popular guide gave visitors a convenient, brochure-sized quick guide to our city. All major event, attraction, lodging information, and more was packed into this version that fit nicely on brochure racks throughout the city and beyond! *Note: Due to the mini guide’s popularity, we chose to combine both guides in 2014 into a new conveniently smaller size (about 5.5� x 8.5�)!

QR Codes were used throughout both versions of the activities guides, providing users easy connectivity to our mobile site from their smart phones, however this technology was omitted in the 2014 guide due to changing technology trends.

visitstockton.org // 7

Website: visitstockton.org & Mobile App

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Unique Visitors 173, 540 desktop

41,944 mobile

Visitors 240,022 desktop

61,142 mobile

Pageviews 717,052 desktop

202,392 mobile

Mobile App

as of 12.31.13

Web Stats

Mobile App

Total app downloads as of 12.31.13: From iTunes: 863 From Google Play: 731 Total Downloads: 1,594 Our “Stockton, California Guide” app was launched in November 2012 and it has had a great response! The app is an easy way to get all things Stockton in the palm of your hand—from places to stay and things to do, to events and restaurants; you can even create an itinerary and connect with us on social media!

Social Media stats as of 2.11.14

Facebook

YouTube

CelebrateStockton // 23,266 likes 2012: 10,668 likes

StocktonCVB // 172,306 video views 2012: 147,889

StocktonBeerWeek // 3,000 likes 2012: 2,076 likes

2013: 43 videos uploaded 2012: 39 videos uploaded

Stockton.Restaurant.Week // 6,582 likes 2012: 2,776 likes

Twitter @Stockton_CA // 5,336 followers 2012: 4,051 followers 2013: 3,938 tweets 2012: 3,082 tweets

Referrals to Website stats as of 12.31.13

2013: 164 subscribers 2012: 119 subscribers

Blogger ourstockton.com // 236 blog count 2012: 212 blog count 2013: 65,512 pageviews 2012: 40,590 pageviews

Pinterest StocktonCA // 786 followers 2012: 491 followers 2013: 605 pins 2012: 421 pins 2013: 23 boards 2012: 18 boards

Instagram @VisitStockton // 2,118 followers 2012: 301 followers 2013: 237 pictures 2012: 114 pictures Twitter

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Advertising

40,000,000+

San Joaquin Magazine // Full page // December 2013

Our print ads, billboards, and online ads combined equate to over 40 million potential impressions!

San Joaquin Magazine // Full page // July 2013

The Pacifican // 1/4 page // September 2013

We placed ads promoting Stockton in numerous local, national, sports, meetings, and travel publications throughout the year. You may have seen us in any of the following: Association News/Sports Travel • CalSAE • Central Valley Business Journal • CVTA • The Executive • Lifestyles • The Pacifican Port O Call • The Record • San Joaquin Magazine San Joaquin Woman • Sports Destination Management SportsEvents • Timeout • Via Magazine • Various websites online, billboards throughout San Joaquin County, and more!

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recordnet.com // Animated GIF

Google AdWords: 17,946 Clicks; 2.1M Impressions Mobile AdWords: 24,329 Clicks; 7.7M Impressions The Record // 1/4 page // May 2013

tripadvisor.com // Animated GIF

Total Search Engine Ad Impressions:

Total Facebook Ad Impressions:

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Sports Development

2013 Sports Sponsorships & Grants Room Nights Generated // Estimated Economic Impact CIF Wrestling* - February 114 // $23,629

ASA National Tournament* - July 759 // $517,846

USANKF Karate* - March 20 // $5,562

AJGA** - August 196 // $129,456

CA Baton* - May 54 // $15,584

Stockton Colts* - September & December 127 // $26,419

CCAA Baseball* - May 321 // $125,581

Pacific Invitational Golf* - October 179 // $34,897

CCAA Softball* - May 194 // $35,195

MPSF Water Polo Championships* - Nov. & Dec. 316 // $138,815

Pro-Am Racquetball* - May 62 // $10,748

Grapettes Softball*** - Year-long n/a // $1,043,658

West Coast Conference* - May 432 // $161,004

Runnin’ Rebel Gold Softball*** - Year-long n/a // $1,092,068

Future Pro Tour**** - May-September 33 // $14,396

*Information based on National Association of Sports Commissions Economic Impact Template **Information based on AJGA Economic Impact Report ***Information based on University of Pacific Sport Events Economic Impact Report ****Information based on FPT Economic Impact Report

Est. Economic Impact ($)

NorCal 12 & Under Tennis Sectionals* - June 43 // $12,190

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CIF Wrestling USANKF Karate CA Baton CCAA Baseball CCAA Softball Pro-Am Racquetball West Coast Conference Future Pro Tour NorCal 12 & Under Tennis Sectionals ASA National Tournament AJGA Stockton Colts Pacific Invitational Golf MPSF Water Polo Champs (UOP Grapettes Softball Runnin' Rebel Gold Softball

Total Estimated Economic Impact

SportsEvents Magazine // 1/2 page // February 2013

US Sports Congress // 1/2 page // September 2013

Sports Planning Guide // 1/2 page // July 2013

2014 Readers’ Choice Winner!

SportsEvents Media Group, the leading industry publication focused exclusively on helping sports event planners gain exposure in the United States and Canada, has recently announced its 2014 class of Readers’ Choice Award winners.

The SCVB has been selected based on our high standard of professionalism and quality service in

hosting sporting events. Sports event professionals were asked to name the sports commission, convention and visitors bureau, or sports events venue that they believed displayed exemplary creativity and professionalism toward the groups they hosted. Nominations were received from readers throughout the year and the top picks were selected based on the results from an online system. visitstockton.org // 13

Special Incentives/Campaigns

The Bring it Home campaign continues to invite community residents to utilize their personal and business connections to help bring more meetings and conferences to Stockton. Our business development department is committed to assisting prospective groups in any way and aiding their decision to bring their meetings/conferences to our city.

The Summer in Stockton campaign was created to highlight and promote all of the great events happening during the summer of 2013 in Stockton.

A convenient microsite (summerinstockton.com) listed and categorized all of the events under the following: Active Lifestyle/Sports, Adult-Friendly, Art Aficionado, Celebrating Diversity, Close to Home, For Foodies, Free/Low Cost Activities, Giving Back, Kid/ Teen-Friendly, Music Lovers, and On the Water/Delta.

One category of events was highlighted every week on social media and ads were placed promoting the website in various publications.

The Meeting Incentive Program offers meeting planners a cash incentive to book business in Stockton hotels. The maximum benefit is $5,000, depending on actualized rooms and eligibility.

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Our iSnap photo kiosk, lovingly referred to as Bob, usually resides at the Haggin Museum, but is also moved to various locations for events throughout the year. Users take free pictures on the kiosk that are bordered by special frames created to highlight any given event and promote Visit Stockton. Users can choose to email or post their photos on social media outlets.

The Stockton VTour is a series of 360-degree virtual tours that take the viewer on a journey through Stockton with stopping points at specific attractions, including: the Bob Hope Theatre, the Children’s Museum of Stockton, Banner Island Ballpark, the Haggin Museum, and more! The tours are completely interactive, allowing the viewer to “turn their gaze” to other points in the attractions and “walk” from one point in Stockton to another.

2013 VTour Stats 17,387 total visits

838 hours 21 minutes 46 seconds total time on tour

2.89 minutes average time on tour

All Time Stats (since 2012) 4,578 photos 536,226 impressions 2,406 ad clicks 781 brand views visitstockton.org // 15

Special Events

The Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau coordinates the following special events throughout the year. Our role is to handle all the creative and marketing for the events; promoting participating establishments and their offerings by purchasing ad space, posting on social media, and creating and printing various printed marketing materials. All of our special events create a lot of buzz within the community and are a great way for people to enjoy Stockton!

Stockton Restaurant Week is a highly anticipated event where diners can enjoy special fixed-price menus at multiple participating Stockton restaurants. The event that had previously taken place in September was moved to January to coincide with Visit California’s California Restaurant Month, skipping 2013 and picking up with its 5th year in January 2014. The new month for Stockton Restaurant Week was greatly successful, lending itself to some of the best business participating restaurants had ever seen!

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participating restaurants

During the Great Stockton Asparagus Dine Out (GSADO), participating restaurants feature special asparagus-related menu items prepared with locally grown asparagus! GSADO takes place in early April, leading up to the annual Stockton Asparagus Festival.

Local growers work with Stockton restaurants to provide the freshest locally grown asparagus to their kitchens. Our famous locally grown spear is featured in appetizers, entrĂŠes, desserts, and drinks throughout Stockton!

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participating restaurants

Tradeshows

Business Development 1,523 Est. Economic Impact: $569,383 Est. Room Nights:

Meeting Planners International (MPI) 41 meeting planners Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) 49 meeting planners

Connect Marketplace 400+ meeting planners // 25 appointments // 1 RFP Rejuvenate 400+ meeting planners // 27 appointments // 6 RFPs Seasonal Spectacular 514 meeting planners

Sports Development Total RFPs considered: 103 Total RFPs submitted: 71 Total RFPs awarded: 7 National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) 23 appointments // 9 RFPs

Stockton Beer Week is an event created to increase spending in Stockton bars and restaurants, while supporting our local craft beer industry—2013 was its second year. Participating establishments worked closely with beer distributors and local businesses/ associations to create all kinds of events, from beer dinners and beer cocktail competitions, to beer festivals and the first ever Brews & Shoes Walk/Run. Stockton Beer Week takes place in August.

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participating establishments

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 53 RFPs S.P.O.R.T.S. the Relationship Conference 13 appointments // 5 RFPs United States Olympic Committee SportsLink 8 appointments // 5 RFPs Travel Events and Management in Sports (TEAMS) 20 appointments // 3 RFPs United States Sports Congress 8 appointments // 4 RFPs visitstockton.org // 17

Stockton Tourism Ambassador Program

The Stockton Tourism Ambassador Program was launched in April 2013 and seeks to enhance the visitor experience in Stockton by creating knowledgeable, highly-trained Certified Tourism Ambassadors (CTA) throughout the city. The Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau holds certification classes every other month and just certified the 100th CTA in January 2014!

You can be a CTA! The Stockton Tourism Ambassador Program is a multi-faceted program that serves to increase tourism by inspiring front-line employees and volunteers to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience. When visitors have a positive experience they are more likely to return in the future and also share their experience with others. Everyone benefits – the visitor, the industry, the local economy, and most importantly, the front-line worker.

January 2014 CTA Class

Be on the lookout for our pins!

April 2013 CTA Inaugural Class

Stockton CTA Count: as of January 2014

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• Provides a meaningful credential • Increased business, higher tips • Builds valuable skills • Career advancement • Networking opportunities • Receive regular advice and updates • Rewards and incentives* By becoming a Certified Tourism Ambassador™ you’ll have the tools and knowledge necessary to create a more memorable visitor experience and you’ll reap the benefits. Being a CTA is a great achievement and it is a national designation to add to your resume. *The Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau hosts numerous CTA mixers and discovery days exclusively for our Stockton CTAs. These gatherings are a great opportunity to network with other CTAs while exploring Stockton in a new way. CTAs also have access to CTA-only discounts and freebies throughout the city!

August 2013 CTA Mixer at Banner Island Ballpark

StocktonAmbassadors.com CTANetwork.com

Megan at 877.778.6258

megan@visitstockton.org Be a part of something big!

CTA is a nationally recognized certification with other 10,000 frontline workers and volunteers who have earned their designation! There are currently 18 CTA programs nationwide involving over 100 DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations).

As an Accredited Provider, the Stockton Convention & Visitors Bureau presents the official CTA designation on behalf of the Tourism Ambassador Institute®, the national oversight body for the certification program. visitstockton.org // 19

125 Bridge Place, 2nd Floor PO Box 2336 Stockton, CA 95201 877.778.6258 / 209.938.1555 visitstockton.org