Visit Bend | Fiscal Year 2015 Business Plan & Budget

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WHAT IS VISIT BEND?

VISIT BEND is

an innovative marketing organization dedicated to enhancing Bend’s economy by attracting as many visitors as possible to the City, and once they’re here, ensuring those visitors spend as much money as possible with local businesses.

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THINK OF US

as a full-service marketing, PR, and advertising agency with only ONE client: The Bend Tourism Industry

PHOTO: PET E ALPO R T / V I S I T BE N D

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DEAR TOURISM STAKEHOLDER As Fiscal Year 2015 quickly approaches, Bend’s tourism industry is on pace to achieve a third consecutive record year.

Despite the sustained growth in Bend’s tourism industry, our destination continues to face an unhealthy drop in business during the shoulder seasons and winter months. Increasing visitor volume during the “offseason” is Visit Bend’s primary objective. In addition to a continuation and evolution of Visit Bend’s 2014 in-state marketing programs, the 2015 Business Plan introduces $336,000 of new out-of-state winter and shoulder season marketing programs.

The plan outlined in the following pages is aggressive and was designed to accomplish three primary objectives: 1) maximize the number of tourists visiting Bend, 2) maximize the amount of money tourists spend with local businesses, and 3) achieve healthier seasonality for our tourism industry.

As the team tasked with leading the City of Bend’s tourism development program, we look forward to working with the community to achieve continued growth for Bend’s economy.

On behalf of Visit Bend’s staff and board of directors, thank you for your continued support of Bend tourism.

All the best,

Doug La Placa President/CEO

$496 MILLION ANNUAL TOURIST SPENDING IN DESCHUTES COUNTY (DEAN RUNYAN & ASSOCIATES)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction Tourism by the Numbers Visit Bend’s Compass Visit Bend’s Programs & Services The Marketing Model - The Community Tourism Funnel Organizational Chart - A Marketing Model of Efficiency Fiscal Year 2014 In Review Fiscal Year 2015 Goals & Objectives Bend Tourism SWOT Analysis How We Measure Success

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8 10 11 The 2015 Plan 12-13 The 2015 Budget 14-15 APPENDIX

Bend’s transient room tax collections (TRT) and citywide lodging occupancy achieved historic highs in Fiscal Year 2014 (pages 16-17). Additionally, traffic to visitbend.com grew more than 20% over the previous year, exceeding one million visits for the first time. These indicators provide an exciting reflection of the growing demand for our destination.

Transient Room Tax (TRT) Data Citywide Lodging Occupancy Data Website Analytics Summary Bend in the Media Event & Group Hot Sheet Key Performance Indicators Frequently Asked Questions

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6 7

TOURISM BY THE NUMBERS

2.2 MILLION NUMBER OF TOURISTS THAT VISIT BEND ANNUALLY

63%

2,933,468

BEND VISITORS IN 2013 WHO LIVE OUTSIDE OF OREGON

PAGEVIEWS ON VISITBENDCOM IN 2013, A 27% INCREASE OVER 2012 (GOOGLE ANALYTICS)

(RRC RESEARCH)

30% SUMMER TOURISTS WHO RODE BIKES DURING THEIR STAY (RRC RESEARCH)

45% SUMMER TOURISTS WHO VISITED AT LEAST 1 BREWERY (RRC RESEARCH)

36% INCREASE IN BEND’S TRT (ROOM TAX) COLLECTIONS SINCE 2009 (CITY OF BEND)

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NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE RECORD YEARS FOR BEND’S TOURISM INDUSTRY (CITY OF BEND TRT)

4.2 AVERAGE NUMBER OF NIGHTS STAYED BY SUMMER VISITORS IN 2013 (RRC RESEARCH)

17.7% SUMMER VISITORS FROM CALIFORNIA (RRC RESEARCH)

60,000 BEND ALE TRAIL MAPS DISTRIBUTED IN 2013

8,578 BEND TOURISM TV & RADIO COMMERCIALS AIRED IN 2013

28% INCREASE IN BEND’S TRT (ROOM TAX) COLLECTIONS SINCE 2004 (CITY OF BEND)

14.7% SUMMER VISITORS FROM WASHINGTON (RRC RESEARCH)

8,480 JOBS IN CENTRAL OREGON BECAUSE OF TOURISM

(DEAN RUNYAN & ASSOCIATES)

$3.8 MILLION TOTAL TRT COLLECTED IN BEND IN 2013 (CITY OF BEND)

$2.72 MILLION TRT CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY’S GENERAL FUND IN 2013 (CITY OF BEND)

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VISIT BEND’S COMPASS

MISSION Visit Bend’s mission is to enhance the economic vitality of our community by promoting Bend as a year-round visitor, convention and event destination by maximizing collaborative partnerships, efficiently activating transient room tax revenue into effective sales and marketing programs, and cultivating a world-class visitor experience.

VISION

Visit Bend’s vision is to be the most effective Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) in the State of Oregon, to provide the best delivery of tourism service and information to Bend visitors, to be the tourism marketing resource of choice for businesses in Bend, and to be the industry leader in financial management and stewardship of public funds.

PURPOSE

Visit Bend is an economic development organization whose function is to create an effective mix of marketing, sales, and service programs which are designed to produce a positive economic impact of visitor spending in Bend.

Developing and implementing these programs results in enhancing the City’s livability by providing year-round employment. Visit Bend sells the entire City and works in good partnership with all sectors of the Bend and Central Oregon visitor and convention industry.

VALUES

Excellence in Stewardship of Public Funds Optimum Trust and Relationship with the Citizens of Bend and Bend City Council Innovation, Creativity and Excellence in All That We Do Collaboration with Key Partners Highest Level of Ethical Standards Reflect the Warmth, Friendliness, and Welcoming Nature of the Community

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VISIT BEND’S PROGRAMS & SERVICES

VISITBEND

.COM

TM

ADVERTISING TV/RADIO/PRINT/ONLINE

BENDFORBUSINESS

.COM

MEDIA PITCHES Visit Bend

BEND BUZZ

BLOG

art

pillars of

PUBLIC RELATIONS &

MYMOVETOBEND

.COM

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ATHLETIC EVENTS

BEND VISITOR

CENTER TM

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VISIT BEND’S MARKETING MODEL ( aka The Community Tourism Funnel) TV • RADIO • PRINT • SEO / SEM • CITYWIDE EVENTS PUBLIC RELATIONS • BEND ALE TRAIL • BEND VISITOR CENTER SOCIAL MEDIA • ONLINE • BEND BUZZ BLOG • PILLARS OF ART ROUNDABOUT ART ROUTE • THREE SISTERS SCENIC BIKEWAY MYMOVETOBEND.COM • BENDFORBUSINESS.COM

Virtually everything Visit Bend does is designed to drive traffic to Bend and VISITBEND.COM. Visit Bend’s marketing model is founded on the fundamental strategy of generating customers through a comprehensive mix of MARKETING, SALES, and PUBLIC RELATIONS programs, then driving those customers to VISITBEND.COM where they are connected to Bend’s tourism stakeholders.

As a non-membership publicly funded organization, Visit Bend offers free listings on visitbend.com to tourism stakeholders to ensure transient room tax dollars benefit the entire tourism industry.

The premise is, we attract visitors to Bend and provide opportunities for local businesses to convert those visitors to customers.

VISIT BEND IS A LEADING REFERRER OF WEBSITE TRAFFIC TO MOST BEND TOURISM BUSINESSES (CHECK YOUR ANALYTICS!)

Downtown Bend

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VIS ITB END

Old Mill Distric t

NorthWest Crossing The Eastside

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$ $

Newport

$$

Arts & Musuems Tour Operators

Ski Resorts

Galveston

Events 3rd Street

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.CO M

Lodging Retail Restaurants

$$$

NUMBER 1

$$

is the engine that converts Visit Bend’s marketing efforts to revenue for local businesses.

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VISIT BEND’S website

Golf Courses

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART - A MARKETING MODEL OF EFFICIENCY Visit Bend’s staff and board of directors take great pride in the organization’s efficiency. With 7.5 FTEs, Visit Bend operated substantially below the 2013 industry staffing average of 9.6 FTEs among the 10 tourism bureaus in Visit Bend’s comparative group defined by the Western Association of Visitor & Convention Bureaus (WACVB).

Additionally, only 27.2% of Visit Bend’s total 2014 operating budget was allocated to full-time and part-time salaries, compared to the industry average of 31.4%. Visit Bend further increases efficiency by conducting most marketing services in-house, including creative production, graphic design, copywriting, blog production, public relations, sales, social media, collateral development, and event management. This makes marketing much less expensive.

As stewards of public funds, the staff and board of directors continually look for new ways to ensure Visit Bend operates efficiently.

27.2% PERCENTAGE OF VISIT BEND’S 2014 OPERATING BUDGET ALLOCATED TO FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME SALARIES COMPARED TO THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE OF 31.4% (WACVB) 7

FISCAL YEAR 2014 IN REVIEW With one month remaining, Fiscal Year 2014 is on track to be a third consecutive record year for Bend tourism. Transient room tax collections (TRT), citywide lodging occupancy, and citywide average daily rate (ADR) will exceed the historic highs set in fiscal year 2013. Additionally, traffic to visitbend.com and the Bend Visitor Center will reach all time highs.

Google Analytics from third party websites demonstrated record referrals from VISITBEND.COM. Listed below are a few tourism highlights from FY2014.

• • • • • • •

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FY2014 Transient Room Tax collections are on pace to exceed $4 million for the first time.

Citywide average daily lodging rates are on pace to set a new historic high, surpassing the previous record set in FY2013.

Over the past 12 months, unique visits to visitbend.com surpassed 1 million visits. This marked a historic high and a 21%

year-over-year increase.

Visit Bend launched the largest TV and radio advertising campaign ever executed for Bend tourism. Over 8,000 TV and radio commercials aired throughout Oregon and southern Washington on cable, DirecTV, NBC, and online.

The Bend Buzz Blog increased its readership by 67% year-over-year.

60,000 Bend Ale Trail maps were distributed and Ale Trail completions surpassed 10,000.

The Tin Pan Alley Art Project was launched through a unique partnership between Visit Bend, the City of Bend, and private building owners.

• • • •

The Bend Visitor Center is on pace to host more than 25,000 visitors in FY2014, representing a new historic high.

The Three Sisters Scenic Bikeway website was launched and the bikeway expanded from 4 to 8 routes.

Visit Bend secured Bend as the long-term host for the Oregon Senior Games.

Bend hosted 14 regional & national citywide athletic events including: USA Track & Field 50K National Championships USA Track & Field Club Cross Country Championships USA Masters Road Cycling National Championships Leadman Triathlon Halloween Cyclocross Crusade US Gran Prix of Cyclocross

FISCAL YEAR 2015 GOALS & OBJECTIVES • Achieve +3.8% year-over-year growth in TRT collections (adjusted).

• Expand reach and frequency of Visit Bend’s award-winning TV and radio campaigns into Seattle.

• Initiate shoulder season campaign highlighting the Bend Ale Trail and Cultural Tourism programs.

• Exceed 1.1 million visits on visitbend.com.

• Launch Bend Cultural Tourism Fund program to build off-season tourism.

• Expand installs of Bend Buzz Blog and Event Calendar widgets on partner websites.

• Work with community partners to grow the Tin Pan Alley Art Collection.

• Produce a Bend Ale Trail marketing video and commercial.

• Increase readership of the Bend Buzz Blog by 25%.

• Improve communication and collaboration with COVA and other destination marketing organizations in Central Oregon.

• Win bidding process with USA Triathlon to host the 2015 and 2016 Duathlon National Championships.

• Initiate national winter advertising campaign distributing “mini guides” through targeted magazines.

• Launch new winter television and radio campaign with three new TV commercials, three new radio commercials, and a new winter-specific visitor guide.

• Update Visit Bend by-laws and expand board of directors from eight to ten positions.

PHOT O: PET E ALPO R T / V I S I T BE N D

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BEND TOURISM SWOT ANALYSIS Despite the current momentum of Bend’s tourism industry, there remain many opportunities for improvement that will help ensure long term growth for Bend’s economy. Below is a list of a few of the Bend tourism industry’s STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, and THREATS.

ST RE NGTHS

• • • • • • • • • • •

A beautiful and inspiring landscape Hip and charming business districts Unparalleled outdoor recreation Sunshine!

Extraordinary craft beer culture and the Bend Ale Trail Emerging arts and cultural attractions Genuinely friendly community Parks, trails, open spaces, and pristine rivers and lakes Events, events, events!

A state-of-the-art Convention Center on the river Strong collaboration between City of Bend and Visit Bend

W E AK N ESSES

• Low tourism volume during shoulder seasons and winter months • Over reliance on outdoor recreation to drive tourism

O P PORTUNI TI ES

• • • •

Increase tourism during shoulder season and winter months Diversify tourism offerings Enhance recreational amenities (sports fields, trails, paddle parks) New and updated lodging facilities

T HRE ATS

• • • •

Downturn in national economy and consumer confidence Increase in regional marketing from competitive destinations Large scale forest fire and drought Continued de-watering of the Upper Deschutes River and resulting degradation of Bend’s recreational fishery.

P HO TO : P ETE A LP O R T / VISIT BEND

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HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS Visit Bend uses several metrics to gauge the ebbs and flows of Bend’s tourism industry and to evaluate the effectiveness of Visit Bend’s marketing efforts. When viewed cumulatively these metrics provide a reliable approximation of the health of the industry and the effectiveness of Visit Bend’s programs and services. Listed below are the primary TOURISM METRICS Visit Bend uses with a brief description of each.

TR ANSI E NT RO O M T A X COLLE CTIONS (TRT) TRT collections serve as the primary metric Visit Bend uses to measure the ebbs and flows of the Bend tourism industry. Due to the demand driven nature of lodging pricing (the higher the demand, the higher the lodging rates), TRT collections provide a BLENDED METRIC of rate and occupancy that effectively approximates the overall demand for a destination’s lodging inventory.

C ITY WI D E LO DG ING O CCUPANCY

Citywide lodging occupancy is the percentage of available lodging units occupied for a defined period of time. Smith Travel Research(STR) occupancy data is the industry standard used by Travel Oregon, The Oregon Employment Department, most lodging companies, and Visit Bend. Along with TRT data, citywide occupancy data helps Visit Bend gauge the ebbs and flows of the City’s tourism industry.

W E BSI T E T RA FFIC T O VIS ITBEND.COM

Visit Bend’s marketing model is designed to drive customers and leads to visitbend.com where they are converted to customers for local businesses. As a result, the volume of visitors to Visit Bend’s website is a key metric used to evaluate interest in our destination and the effectiveness of our marketing.

R E FE R R A L T RA FFIC FROM VIS ITBE ND.COM TO S TA KE HO L D E R WE BSI T E S

Visitbend.com is designed to convert Visit Bend’s marketing efforts to revenue for local businesses. Therefore, the volume of website referrals sent from visitbend.com to the websites of tourism stakeholders is a primary metric used to evaluate the effectiveness of Visit Bend’s marketing.

B E ND V I SIT O R CENT ER TRAF F IC

Despite the advances in mobile technology, Bend’s state-of-the-art Visitor Center remains an important part of the visitor experience. Traffic volume helps Visit Bend determine the relevancy of the Bend Visitor Center and provides ancillary (but immediate) data of the city’s tourist volume.

B E ND V I SIT O R G U IDE R E QUE STS

Visit Bend’s online content is substantially more popular among tourists than printed brochures, but demand remains for a printed visitor guide. The quantity of visitor guides distributed is a tertiary metric used to evaluate the demand for the messages and materials Visit Bend distributes.

R E L O C A TIO N P A CKET RE QUE S TS

Tourism serves as a gateway industry to attract new residents and new businesses to Bend. With this in mind, Visit Bend works with the City of Bend to convert tourists to residents. The volume of requests for relocation packets helps Visit Bend evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts.

B E ND AL E T RA IL P A SSPORTS DISTRIBUTED & RE D E E M E D

The Bend Ale Trail has quickly become one of the signature visitor experiences in Central Oregon, and an important driver of tourism on a year-round basis.

The number of passports distributed and redeemed is one of the metrics we use to gauge the effectiveness of the Bend Ale Trail marketing program.

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THE 2015 PLAN Visit Bend is firmly focused on achieving the FY2015 goals and objectives reflected on page 9. The following 10 KEY STRATEGIES provide a summary of Visit Bend’s primary efforts that will be employed to achieve those objectives. Each of these strategies and tactics will be initiated in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year and will continue to be executed and enhanced through the conclusion of the upcoming fiscal year.

STRATEGY #1 DESTINATION BRAND MARKETING

Advertising the Bend tourism experience through mass media represents Visit Bend’s largest expenditure and a primary driver of traffic to visitbend.com. In addition to a continuation and evolution of Visit Bend’s in-state marketing programs, the fiscal year 2015 budget reflects $336,000 of new winter, shoulder season, and cultural marketing programs and expansion to new markets including Seattle. This advertising plan includes insertion of a 16-page winter vacation guide in to Sunset Magazine, Mountain Magazine, 1859 Magazine, and Seattle Monthly Magazine.

STRATEGY #2 CITYWIDE EVENTS, CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES

Courting citywide groups is important to improve non-summer tourism and introduce new visitors to the destination. Fiscal year 2015 will introduce the arrival of the Oregon Senior Games in Bend. This will be a long-term, flagship event to complement and further diversify Bend’s growing list of national and large-scale events.

STRATEGY #3 DIRECT MARKETING

Communicating compelling marketing messages to our opt-in databases cultivates long-term customer relationships.

The quarterly Bend Buzz newsletter contains information for visitors covering topics from dining and lodging, to entertainment and recreation.

STRATEGY #4 PUBLIC RELATIONS

Pitching story ideas to journalists is an effective and efficient way to generate national promotion for Bend. Refer to visitbend.com/pr for national press generated by Visit Bend.

STRATEGY #5 WEBSITES AND INTERACTIVE MARKETING

Visit Bend’s website is the most important part of Visit Bend’s marketing mix. Ensuring Bend tourism is supported by the best tourism website in the industry is Visit Bend’s most important job. Visit Bend’s hyperactive social media channels, an adventurous blog, a beer app, and numerous micro-sites extend and reinforce the Bend brand.

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THE 2015 PLAN

PHOTO: PETE ALPORT / VISI T BEND

STRATEGY #6 CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

Establishing marketing relationships with corporate partners extends Bend’s marketing reach and validates the destination.

STRATEGY #7 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Allocating time and resources to make Visit Bend an active participant in the community enables Visit Bend to be a broader value to the community, and ensures Bend’s tourism industry is represented in important community conversations.

STRATEGY #8 RESEARCH

Investing in high-quality research enables Visit Bend to deliver on the commitment to be a data-driven organization. Additionally, the research is made available to the public—at no cost—to assist with business and economic development efforts.

STRATEGY #9 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Visit Bend is focused on achieving excellence in financial management and stewardship of public funds. This is an ongoing and unwavering priority for Visit Bend’s staff and board of directors.

STRATEGY #10 BEND VISITOR CENTER

Despite the growing use of mobile technology, the state-of-the-art Bend Visitor Center remains an important part of the marketing mix. Visitation to Bend’s visitor center continues to increase every year.

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THE 2015 BUDGET YEAR TO Y EA R CO MPA R I SO N REVE N U E

F Y2014 City Funding - 9.0% City Funding - 1.0% Retail Sales Advertising Events Other Total

EXPE N SE S Marketing Group Sales Cultural Tourism Fund Visitor Center General & Administration Total

NET IN CO M E (LOSS)

V AR I AN CE $ %

F Y2015

$1,247,903 109,042 139,820 104,064 $6,921 $1,607,751

$1,295,061 335,757 114,494 93,260 50,000 40,000 $1,928,572

47,158 335,757 5,452 (46,560) (54,064) 33,079 320,821

3.8% 100.0% 5.0% (33.3%) (52.0%) 477.9% 20.0%

F Y 2014

F Y2015

$

%

779,769 373,834 277,137 153,618 $1,584,358

1,045,465 300,123 122,311 303,167 155,592 $1,926,658

265,696 (73,711) 122,311 26,030 1,974 342,301

34.1% (19.7%) 100.0% 9.4% 1.3% 21.6%

$23,394

$1,914

(21,480)

(91.8%)

G EN ERALChart Title & ADM I N

8%

PR I M A R Y B U D G ET A L L O CA T I O N S

V I SI T O R C E NT E R

54% MARKETIN G

16% CU L T U R A L T O U R I SM F U N D

6%

GROUP SA LE S

14

16% 1

2

3

4

5

THE 2015 BUDGET REVENUE TOTAL $ TOTAL %

City Funding - 9.0% 1,295,061 67.2%

City Funding - 1.0% 335,757 17.4% Retail Sales 114,494 5.9% Advertising Sales 93,260 4.8% Event Revenue 50,000 2.6% Other Revenue 40,000 2.1%

TOTAL $1,928,572 100%

PERSONNEL EXPENSES TOTAL $ TOTAL % Base Pay 430,360 22.3% Incentive Pay 42,500 2.2% Payroll Taxes 37,829 2.0%

Employee Benefits

57,048 3.0% Contract Labor - 0.0%

TOTAL $567,738 29.4%

SALES & MARKETING EXPENSES TOTAL $ TOTAL % Cultural Tourism Fund 122,311 6.3%

Visitor Development Fund

92,000 4.8% Online Marketing 81,021 4.2% Outdoor - 0.0% Photography 16,050 0.8% Print Advertising 102,366 5.3% Production 102,700 5.3% Radio 115,000 6.0% Trade Shows 3,904 0.2% TV 205,000 10.6% Collateral 96,000 5.0%

Postage for Brochure Distribution 42,000 2.2% Public Relations 13,400 0.7% Promotions 50,000 2.6% Research 13,000 0.7% Web Development 13,652 0.7% Travel & Meals 26,000 1.3% Retail Purchasing 99,224 5.1%

TOTAL $1,193,629 61.9%

OVERHEAD EXPENSES TOTAL $ TOTAL % Building Lease 49,363 2.6%

Building Maintenance 8,289 0.4%

Equipment Lease & Maint.

4,410 0.2% Professional Fees 41,500 2.2%

Office Supplies 11,500 0.6% Utilities 6,000 0.3% Bank Fees 400 0.0%

Dues & Subscriptions 16,730 0.9% Insurance 4,000 0.2%

Licenses & Permits

2,000 0.1%

Education & Training 1,200 0.1%

Network & Telephone Co.

10,000 0.5% Non-Capital IT 500 0.0%

Depreciation & Amort.

9,600 0.5% Interest Expense (200) 0.0%

TOTAL $165,292 8.6%

T O T A L E X P E N SE S $1,926,658

8,578 BEND TOURISM TV & RADIO COMMERCIALS AIRED IN CALENDAR YEAR 2013

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APPENDIX A: TRANSIENT ROOM TAX (TRT) DATA Transient Room Tax collections (TRT) serve as the primary metric Visit Bend uses to measure the ebbs and flows of Bend’s tourism industry. Due to the demand driven nature of lodging pricing (the higher the demand, the higher the lodging rates), TRT collections provide a BLENDED METRIC of rate and occupancy, effectively approximating the overall demand for a destination’s lodging inventory.

Bend’s TRT collections set a historic high in fiscal year 2013 and are on pace to raise the bar even higher in 2014.

Additionally, each of the past 12 months have set historic highs for that given month. The chart below provides TRT collections from fiscal year 2010 through February 2014 for the City of Bend.

CI TY OF BEND TRT REVENUE Reported to Visit Bend by City of Bend Finance Department

FY’09/10

CHANGE

FY’10/11

CHANGE

FY’11/12

CHANGE

FY’12/13

CHANGE

FY’13/14

CHANGE

JUL

$433,489

-3.5%

$489,662

13.0%

$544,668

11.2%

$543,438

-0.2%

$586,376

7.9%

AUG

$384,731

-11.9%

$444,130

15.4%

$480,388

8.2%

$534,186

11.2%

$610,702

14.3%

SEP

$284,892

-11.4%

$328,306

15.2%

$377,773

15.1%

$395,722

4.8%

$462,399

16.8%

OCT

$224,398

-7.5%

$250,959

11.8%

$229,891

-8.4%

$280,250

21.9%

$338,624

20.8%

NOV

$144,153

-5.6%

$152,274

5.6%

$166,215

9.2%

$178,469

7.4%

$211,531

18.5%

DEC

$185,489

22.8%

$218,038

17.5%

$205,601

-5.7%

$228,195

11%

$283,238

24.1%

JAN

$143,102

0.4%

$153,692

7.4%

$158,458

3.1%

$183,934

16.1%

$224,078

21.8%

FEB

$165,234

3.2%

$181,006

9.5%

$191,409

5.7%

$205,050

7.1%

$257,662

25.7%

MAR

$198,289

18.5%

$207,918

4.9%

$225,231

8.3%

$260,039

15.5%

APR

$201,723

12.1%

$215,623

6.9%

$233,926

8.5%

$273,645

17.0%

MAY

$256,714

7.1%

$290,647

13.2%

$304,522

4.8%

$358,299

17.7%

JUN

$337,885

14.6%

$348,207

3.1%

$405,876

16.6%

$446,842

10.1%

FYTD $1,800,254

-5.1%

$2,037,061

13.2%

$2,162,994

6.2%

$2,344,194

8.4%

$2,974,610

16.7%

$2,960,098

0.8%

$3,280,461

10.8%

$3,523,958

7.4%

$3,888,070

10.3%

FY END

The ORANGE HIGHLIGHT indicates a historic high 16

APPENDIX B: CITYWIDE LODGING OCCUPANCY DATA

DATA P RO VI DED BY SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH (STR) Bend Lodging Occupancy Rates: July 2007 - March 2014 90% 80%

2007/08

2008/09

Nov 41.4% 35.3% 35.0% 36.1% 38.0% 43.3% 46.0%

Dec 36.6% 29.2% 33.5% 39.1% 38.7% 44.3% 47.9%

2009/10

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

Lodging Occupancy Rate (%)

70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Jul 74.4% 71.4% 74.4% 75.4% 78.7% 79.5% 84.4%

Aug 75.0% 71.4% 69.8% 74.9% 72.2% 80.0% 83.5%

Sep 68.6% 60.9% 58.8% 66.0% 69.0% 74.0% 76.6%

Oct 51.9% 49.3% 48.9% 51.8% 49.0% 57.4% 64.7%

Jan 33.3% 29.2% 31.4% 32.0% 34.6% 42.1% 43.3%

Feb 41.9% 36.6% 38.0% 41.0% 43.4% 49.0% 50.2%

Mar 44.5% 37.5% 42.3% 42.5% 45.2% 53.4% 62.7%

Apr 48.8% 40.7% 45.0% 46.4% 51.3% 60.1%

May 54.4% 49.7% 52.4% 54.5% 59.4% 67.0%

Jun 61.9% 62.4% 62.6% 61.4% 71.8% 77.2%

FY total 52.8% 47.9% 49.4% 51.8% 54.3% 60.7% 62.3%

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APPENDIX C: 2013 WEBSITE ANALYTICS SUMMARY VISITBEND.COM is the foundation of Visit Bend’s marketing model. Virtually everything Visit Bend does is designed to drive traffic to visitbend.com where Visit Bend’s marketing efforts are converted to revenue for local business. Due to the significant role of Visit Bend’s website, we track the performance of the website closely. Listed below is a summary of visitbend.com’s primary metrics from calendar year 2013.

TO T A L SI T E T RA FF IC • 903,170 visits (up +21% over 2012) - Average of 75,264 visits per month

- July was the highest month with 125,489 visits

- November was the lowest month with 54,629 visits • • • •

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2,933,468 pageviews (up +27% over 2012) Average time on site, 2:38 Percentage of new visits, 64.40% Pages per visit, 3.25

GE OGR A P H I C ORI G I N OF W E BSI T E VI SI TORS • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bend, Oregon 19% Portland, Oregon 12% Seattle, Washington 10% Eugene, Oregon 2% Beaverton, Oregon 2% Redmond, Oregon 1.6% Vancouver, Washington 1.6% La Pine, Oregon 1.5% Salem, Oregon 1.44% San Francisco, CA 1.3% Los Angeles, CA 1% Corvallis, Oregon 1% Boise, Idaho 1%

2,933,468 PAGEVIEWS ON VISITBEND.COM IN 2013, A 27% INCREASE OVER 2012 (GOOGLE ANALYTICS)

P HO TO : P ETE A LP O R T / VISIT BEND

APPENDIX D: BEND IN THE MEDIA Visit Bend’s extensive public relations efforts over the last fiscal year resulted in significant regional and national media exposure. Here are a few of the highlights. For a complete list go to visitbend.com/pr

Visit Bend

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APPENDIX E: EVENT & GROUP HOT SHEET GROUP AND EVENT tourism is an important segment of Bend’s tourism industry. While events represent a relatively small portion of Bend’s overall tourism mix, they are critically important in building tourism during the SHOULDER SEASONS and WINTER MONTHS. In addition to helping smooth the tourism seasonality curve, groups and events introduce our destination to new visitors (i.e. they generate new product trial).

As this segment of Bend’s tourism industry continues to grow, Visit Bend will continue to cultivate our efforts to court citywide events to the city. Listed below are a few of the highlights from Visit Bend’s group and event efforts.

20 1 3 H I GH LIG H T S • • • • • •

US Snowshoe National Championships USA Masters Road Cycling National Championships USA Track & Field Club XC National Championships Leadman Triathlon Halloween Cyclocross Crusade US Gran Prix of Cyclocross

U PC O MI NG G RO U P S & E VE NTS • • • • • •

Oregon Senior Games USA Track & Field 50K Trail Running National Championships Halloween Cyclocross Crusade US Gran Prix of Cyclocross Leadman Triathlon USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country and Enduro National Championships

WH O W E A RE P URSUING • • • • • •

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2015-2016 USA Duathlon National Championships International Mountain Biking Association World Summit USA Track & Field Cross Country National Championships National Craft Beer Conference USA Ultimate Frisbee Sectional USA Orienteering North American Championships

P HO TO : NA TE W YETH / VISIT BEND

PHOTO: PET E ALPO R T / V I S I T BE N D

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APPENDIX G: CALENDAR YEAR 2013 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

BEN D V I SI TOR GU I DE REQUES TS

8 3, 5 05

W E B SITE VISITS 903,170

B END VISITOR C ENTER TRAFFIC

22,25 3

RELOCATION PACKET REQUESTS

1,30 7 P HO TO : TYLER R O EMER

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APPENDIX H: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS HOW IS VISIT BEND FUNDED? ARE YOU CITY EMPLOYEES?

By law, the City of Bend allocates 30% of the initial 9% and 70% of the remaining 1.4% of transient room tax collections (TRT) to the promotion of tourism. This TRT revenue is called the Tourism Fund and represents approximately 85% of Visit Bend’s total operating revenue. Additional revenue sources include advertising sales, event revenue, sponsorship revenue, and retail sales in the Bend Visitor Center. Visit Bend employees are not employees of the City, nor are they public employees. Visit Bend is a private, non-profit, independent marketing agency contracted by the City to promote tourism.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VISIT BEND, THE CENTRAL OREGON VISITORS ASSOCIATION (COVA), AND THE OTHER TOURISM BUREAUS IN CENTRAL OREGON?

Oregon’s state tourism commission (Travel Oregon), divides the state into seven tourism regions and assigns each region with a Regional Destination Marketing Organization (RDMO). COVA is the RDMO for Central Oregon. Within most regions, multiple Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) exist.

Whereas the RDMOs focus their marketing efforts broadly on behalf of the entire region, the DMOs focus their efforts more specifically on the city or destination that funds their efforts. Visit Bend is focused on marketing the City of Bend. The cities of Sisters, Redmond, and La Pine also have city specific DMOs.

IS VISIT BEND A MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION? HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ADVERTISE THROUGH VISIT BEND? Visit Bend is a non-membership organization that promotes all Bend tourism businesses for FREE on visitbend.com, in the Bend Visitor Guide, through Visit Bend’s social media efforts, in the Bend Visitor Center, and through Visit Bend’s extensive public relations program. In addition to the free marketing support made available to all tourism stakeholders, businesses may purchase additional advertising on visitbend.com, the Bend Ale Trail Map, the Roundabout Art Route map, the Bend Visitor Guide, the Bend Relocation Packet, and in the Bend Visitor Center’s brochure rack program.

HOW DOES SOMEBODY GET APPOINTED TO VISIT BEND’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS?

Visit Bend is guided by publicly drafted and approved bylaws that define the selection process of Visit Bend’s board members. The Visit Bend board of directors consists of ten positions: at least two representing the lodging industry, one city councilor, one city staff member, five at-large positions and the President/CEO. Per the bylaws, the city council representative is appointed by the mayor, the city staff member is appointed by the city manager.

The remaining seven are elected by a majority vote of the sitting board members. Visit Bend’s bylaws are available to the public at visitbend.com/bylaws.

WHY DON’T I SEE ANY VISIT BEND TV COMMERCIALS OR HEAR ANY RADIO ADVERTISEMENTS IN BEND?

Advertising represents Visit Bend’s largest expenditure, but since the advertising is intended to lure visitors to Bend, we activate our TV, radio and print in geographic markets where potential visitors live. Currently, the vast majority of Visit Bend’s advertising occurs in Oregon and Southern Washington. All of Visit Bend’s TV, radio, and print advertisements can be seen at visitbend.com/campaign.

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VISIT BEND

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