Winter 2019 TTBID Newsletter

WINTER

TTBID

Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows. Photographer: Ben Arnst

Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District

2019

TTBID TRUCKEE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (TTBID) Winter 2019 | Truckee.com/Winter2019TTBID TTBID MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Jim Winterberger, Chair Tahoe Getaways Jon Borden Truckee Donner Lodge & Inn at Truckee Juan Llaca Best Western Plus Truckee Tahoe Hotel

The TTBID’s strategies are to optimize the destination’s appeal and competitiveness have resulted in significant market share gains.

TRUCKEE WINS NATIONAL AWARDS

TTBID’s efforts have resulted in Truckee named one of “The coolest under-the-radar ski towns in the American West” by Wall Street Journal; “Coolest Ski Town in North America” by Matador Network; “Best Ski Town” by USA Today 10Best.com; and “Best Mountain Towns in America” by Marriott.

MARKETING, PUBLIC RELATIONS & TRUCKEE.COM

Melanie Meharchand Donner Bliss, private vacation home rental

Key performance indicators (KPI) significantly increased.

Mindy Oesterman Donner Lake Inn Bed & Breakfast Lisa Toutant Chamber Board Member ELTE Inc.

• • • • •

Visit Truckee E-Newsletter grew from 1,640 to 19,880 subscribers.

Truckee.com annual website users doubled to 276K in FY17-18, a 123% increase.

Truckee.com pageviews nearly tripled, reaching over 1 million views, a 175% increase.

The value of public relations coverage reached $6.9million.

Social Media grew from 29K to 49K fans/followers.

DESTINATION TRAVEL—21 DIRECT FLIGHTS TO RENO

TRUCKEE CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MISSION: To promote and develop local business and tourism, while improving the community’s quality of life.

As partners with Reno/Tahoe International Airport’s RASC (Regional Air Service Corporation), TTBID contributes to national marketing strategies that attract, retain and expand direct flights from feeder markets such as Chicago, New York and Southern California. Tell guests about Truckee.com/flightdeals.

TRUCKEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FY2018/19 Board of Directors Pam Hobday, Chair, Pamela Hurt Associates John Manocchio, Vice Chair, Waddell & Reed Ted Owens, Chair-Elect, Tahoe Forest Health System Tonya Beyer, W&T Graphix Roger Cardoza, Northstar California Bill Greeno, Quality Automotive & Smog Tally Leontovich, Sierra Insurance Associates Aimee Schaller, Tri Counties Bank Lisa Toutant, ELTE Inc. Kelly Wallis, Atelier Ravn Whitington, Professional Advisor, Porter Simon CHAMBER STAFF Lynn Saunders, President/CEO Colleen Dalton, TTBID Strategic Director/ Truckee Brand Communications Director Ruth Geresy, Director of Operations/ Manager, California Welcome Center Megan Hines, Membership Services Manager Justin Swett, Communications Manager TRUCKEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Downtown location: 10065 Donner Pass Rd. Administrative offices: 10183 Truckee Airport Rd. Truckee, CA 96161 530-587-8808 | 530-587-2439 (fax) info@truckee.com Truckee.com

TRUCKEE’S FIVE TRAVEL THEMES

As a year-round mountain town destination, TTBID is prioritizing public relations, marketing and social media to focus on five travel themes. This messaging is reflected in photography, videos, and stories. Learn more at Truckee.com/travelthemes.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Adventure Base Camp World Class Trails & Slopes Local Cuisine, Breweries & Markets Entertainment, Events & Mountain Culture Active Families Base Camp

BRAND AWARENESS TRUCKEE, BASE CAMP FOR A BIG LIFE

TTBID’s long-term goal is to drive national awareness about Truckee’s unbeatable location and easy access to outdoor sports, nature and mountain culture.

“Truckee is an authentic mountain town with easy access to world-class, yearround recreation. Truckee is for adventurous friends and families who have a passion for outdoor sports, nature, events, cuisine, wellness, connection and creativity.“

D Accomplishments

Sagan Fondo Dirt Edition

Truckee Craw Thaw, Photographer Court Leve

NEW & UNIQUE TRUCKEE EVENTS

TTBID funded two new spring events in 2018 that attracted visitors while leveraging three travel themes; cuisine, mountain culture and world class trails. Learn more Truckee.com/springevents.

• May 3–5, 2019 Truckee Sagan Fondo Dirt Edition (gravel bike race and festival with world-class cyclist Peter Sagan).

—New this year! Family fun races, activities and live music.

SaganFondo.com • May 31–June 1, 2019 Truckee Craw Thaw music festival with cajuninspired food.

—New this year! Expanded stage, unique cuisine.

TruckeeCrawThaw.com

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES ON TRUCKEE.COM

Visitors, and especially families, will find every event imaginable on Truckee.com. TTBID invests in the management of over 2,000 events uploaded to the website, annually. In fact, traffic to Truckee.com/events received over 370K page views in FY17–18.

TRUCKEE VENUE DEVELOPMENT

New Truckee venue(s) with the ability to host events in the shoulder seasons, are of high interest to TTBID. The TTBID Committee voted to invest in a $50K feasibility study for a new yearround Community Pavilion, in addition to a $10K sponsorship for a new Donner State Park Museum amphitheater.

TRUCKEE VISITOR-FRIENDLY PARK & RIDE

TTBID committed $30K to support Town of Truckee’s shuttle efforts over peak holidays (Truckee Thursdays and Holidays), for long term brand positioning as a transportation friendly destination.

The Economic Power of TRAVEL In FY2017/18

the Truckee lodging industry generated $3.4 million in transient occupancy tax (TOT).

The TTBID 2% assessment, generated $660,449 that is strictly designated for destination marketing and other related activities.

In addition to creating jobs and resulting in business growth, tourism helped the local economy through the trickle-down effect. Every dollar visitors spent in the community generated additional dollars of spending throughout all sectors of the economy.

Tourism was instrumental to Nevada County’s financial success in 2017, with visitor spending reaching $343.7 million (up five percent from 2016), according to the Dean Runyan Associates report recently released

by Visit California.

The Nevada County tourism industry supported 3,670 jobs (six percent increase from 2016) and generated $12.5 million in local tax revenue last year (up 11 percent as compared to 2016).

To ensure the TTBID’s destination marketing targets the right audiences, TTBID Committee voted to invest in a Truckee Visitor Profile Study conducted

by SMG Consulting, with results completed by winter 2020. Additionally, TTBID will be working with Dean Runyan Associates to prepare a Travel Impact Report that will include economic impacts of tourism to the Town of Truckee and comparison with Truckee’s key competitors by season.

HOW IS YOUR MONEY USED? 10% TOT + 2% TTBID Assessment • TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) funds are part of the Town’s General Fund that supports Truckee infrastructure and services. Benefiting visitors, year-round residents and 2nd homeowners, TOT pays for snow removal, road maintenance, public safety, trail & bike paths, transit, streetscape projects, emergency services, river TOTAL TTBID revitalization, and more.

TOT HISTORY TOT COLLECTIONS INCOME

• TTBID (Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District) funds are strictly designated for destination marketing, event sponsorships, and other related activities for the benefit of all assessed properties.

50%

$4,000,000

$800,000

40%

$3,500,000

$700,000

30%

$3,000,000

$600,000

$2,500,000

$500,000

$2,000,000

$400,000

20% 10% 0% 15/16

16/17

n Hotels n Property Management n Individual Rentals

LIST YOUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL ON TRUCKEE.COM All TTBID marketing efforts drive website traffic to Truckee.com in three lodging categories: • Hotels + Resorts • Nightly Rentals and Vacation Homes • B&B + Rustic Lodging

17/18

$1,500,000

$300,000

$1,000,000

$200,000

$500,000

$100,000

$0

15/16 16/17 17/18

$0

15/16 16/17 17/18

Paid listing – $65 annually, you receive a webpage for your property and a “Book Now” link to your website or booking engine. Learn more at Truckee. com/listingproperty.

EXAMPLE: Donner Bliss, Private Home Vacation Rental When you book Donner Bliss, in North Lake Tahoe’s Town of Truckee, you book direct with superhost Mel, with NO Airbnb or VRBO Booking

TTBID represents the entire Truckee lodging industry. As an individual short term rental paying the 10% TOT and 2% TTBID assessment, it is important that your home be listed on Truckee.com in order for you to maximize your benefits from TTBID marketing efforts.

fees. Dog-friendly!

WEBSITE, MAP, NEWS, PHOTOS, EVENTS»

BOOK NOW»

Join Facebook group: Truckee Short-term Rental

A

s we head into the holiday season, downtown Truckee is as charming as ever glittering with festive lights. Our world-class resorts are taking advantage of Truckee’s wellknown cold temperatures and the snowmaking guns are going full blast.

Climate and weather are key elements of a destination’s geography, influencing tourist flows, appeal, activity, satisfaction and safety. It’s no stretch to say that snow is key to Truckee’s economic success, and we’re fortunate for the resorts’ investments of millions of dollars in snowmaking to ensure a fun winter experience for our visitors even when Mother Nature holds out on us.

There is, however, more to a winter trip to Truckee than just snow. Our cuisine, breweries, entertainment, art galleries, and mountain culture have put us on Top Ten lists, including the Wall Street Journal that recently named Truckee as one of “the coolest, under-the-radar ski towns in the American West.”

The Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District (TTBID) Management Committee, representing the Truckee lodging community, is proud of the work we have accomplished to date.

Since TTBID assessments were put into place October 1, 2015, the TTBID Management Committee has worked hard to develop our mission, strategies and goals to promote Truckee.

A Message From the Chair

Collectively Making Truckee Better

We all feel so grateful to live, work, and play here and give back to the place that allows us to prosper. We are committed to acting as good stewards of our space and role models in our industry. Today’s travelers like to travel in a way that is authentic and connects them with the people around them. When seeking lodging, they want a variety of choices and experiences ranging from hotels, bed and breakfasts, to vacation rentals.

Offering all segments of the visitor market with diversity within the accommodations market is essential to meeting customer demand.

The TTBID Management Committee is made up of a diverse group of hoteliers, property management owners, and independent short term rentals. We are looking to expand the Committee to bring in some fresh perspectives and encourage anyone paying the TTBID assessment to contact us to learn more about how to get involved. We are fortunate to have the adept team of marketers and community leaders at the Truckee Chamber of Commerce working side by side our team to drive the TTBID’s efforts.

When looking at the TTBID, one should remember the stages of a business lifecycle. We are early in our journey, and it has taken us through the idea stage, and into the startup phase.

Adaptability and patience is key here as we continue to refine our strategies, assess and reassess our efforts. We remain 100% committed to the mission of the TTBID and look forward to continued growth and maturity phases. Watch for future newsletters to keep you apprised of our efforts and the benefit you derive from the TTBID. Finally, the TTBID Management Committee would like to express our gratitude to the Truckee Town Council for its continued support.

Jim Winterberger TAHOE GETAWAYS TTBID MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR

About Visit Truckee VISIT TRUCKEE is the official, outward facing brand name targeting tourism utilized in all digital and traditional channels. It is also the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Truckee. As the DMO, TTBID is responsible for promoting the destination’s brand. A DMO’s role is to oversee, create and implement marketing campaigns and promotions to inspire travelers to visit their destination.

TTBID’s overarching goal is to raise awareness of Truckee and influence travelers to choose Truckee over other competitor destinations, focusing on shoulder seasons and mid-week. Visit Truckee DMO activities are funded primarily through the TTBID, supplemented with funds from the Town of Truckee.

The Truckee Base Camp for a Big Life logo, tagline and brand identity was developed through an extensive community outreach process and launched in the summer of 2016, along

with a redesigned Truckee.com website. This project was funded

by Truckee Tomorrow, a public/private partnership, led by the Truckee Chamber of Commerce. The tagline can mean challenging yourself to new outdoor sports, or creating family memories of vacations in the mountains.

FIND VISIT TRUCKEE WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: INSTAGRAM: TWITTER:

Truckee.com facebook.com/VisitTruckee @VisitTruckee @VisitTruckee

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe to the TTBID and Visit Truckee E-Newsletters at Truckee.com/subscribe.

How Can I Get INVOLVED? Request to Join the TTBID Management Committee

Attend a TTBID Meeting

Contact Us

TRUCKEE TBID MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 10065 Donner Pass Rd. Truckee, CA 96161

The use of TTBID assessment dollars are based on the recommendation of the TTBID Management Committee, which is comprised of a minimum of four (4) hotel or property management owners or individuals renting their homes paying the TTBID assessment, and one Chamber Board member. The Committee provides direction and oversight of the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing program to promote tourism to Truckee. Perspectives from hoteliers, property management owners and independent short-term rentals are critical to ensure a well-rounded program that benefits all assessed properties.

The TTBID Management Committee meets monthly, the first Wednesday of the month (except January & July) from 12:00–2:30 p.m. at the Truckee Chamber Administrative Offices at 10183 Truckee Airport Road, Truckee, CA 96161. All meetings are open to the public and conducted in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. All TTBID documents, agendas, meeting packets, budgets, minutes and more can be found at Truckee.com/TTBID.

If you are interested in joining the Committee, or for any questions regarding TTBID, contact Colleen Dalton, TTBID Strategic Director / Truckee Brand Communications Director at Colleen@Truckee.com or call 530-412-7090.

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