2023 Visit Brookings Annual Report

VISIT BROOKINGS 2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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OVERVIEW The visitor industry plays a significant role in the economy of Brookings. The city had a strong year in 2023, thanks to university events, business travel, youth athletic tournaments, and leisure tourists.

To evaluate progress, Visit Brookings staff monitors several indicators, including the BBB or 3rd penny sales tax, occupancy rates, and the Occupancy Fee (which is a $2/room/night fee charged on most hotel rooms, commonly known as the Pillow Tax).

We also have access to data from the South Dakota Department of Tourism, which keeps track of state, regional, and county statistics.

In 2023, Brookings achieved record high BBB numbers, with an overall 9% increase in hotels, restaurants, and bars. According to the South Dakota Department of Tourism, total visitor spending in Brookings County rose by 7% compared to the previous year (as of November 2023). These numbers were higher than those of most other peer communities, except for Yankton and Lawrence Counties. The final numbers for 2023 will be available in the spring.

Although the BBB reported growth in 2023, both the Pillow Tax revenue and occupancy rates showed a slight decline compared to 2022. The Pillow Tax revenue was 1.5% lower than in the previous year, and the occupancy rates fell by 2.1%. Inflation and high gas prices during the summer could be contributing factors. It is also worth noting that 2022 was a record year for travel in Brookings postCOVID. Nonetheless, tourism in Brookings remained strong in 2023.

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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VISIT BROOKINGS BOARD MEMBERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Lisa Marotz, Chair McCrory Gardens

Lace Thompson, Vice Chair Pasque

Michael Logan, Sectetary/Treasurer Dacotah Bank Center

Jamison Lamp, Past Chair South Dakota State University

BOARD MEMBERS

Nathan Christensen, SDSU Erika Klein, First Bank & Trust Sarah Pitts, Sanford Foundation Jacob Meske, City of Brookings Melisa Yager, Holiday Inn Express/Hamption Inn & Suites

Michael Johnson, Pheasant Restaurant Becky Kuehl, SDSU Kate Treiber, Children’s Museum of SD Laura Schoen Carbonneau, Visit Brookings

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VISIT BROOKINGS STAFF

Laura Schoen Carbonneau Executive Director

Bridgit Burghardt Director of Operations & Sales

Kate Solberg Director of Marketing

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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GOALS AND PROGRESS

The Visit Brookings team creates an annual Plan of Work based on the Visit Brookings Strategic Plan and the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan

Each year the Visit Brookings team holds a planning retreat to evaluate progress and identify goals and action items of the coming year. We use the Visit Brookings Strategic Plan and the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan as our guide The information from the planning retreat is used to create an annual Plan of Work

which identifies specific tasks to work on throughout the year. The entire 2023 Plan of Work included 65 action items. The following represents the six specific goals identified in our Subsidy Funding Agreement with the City of Brookings.

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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GOAL 1: IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO MORE WIDELY TELL THE BROOKINGS STORY At Visit Brookings, we place a strong emphasis on marketing and employ various tools and campaigns to promote our community to visitors. Collaborating with our industry partners, we aim to encourage tourists to explore multiple attractions within Brookings. We believe that by keeping visitors engaged and immersed in our city, we can increase overall spending and create a more memorable experience for everyone involved.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

TARGET:

Encourage the formalization of a culture of cross-promotion among partners

Re-imaging the Brookings Great 8 Passport and launch an updated version by June 1.

RESULTS: GOAL COMPLETE

First created in 2017, the Brookings Great 8 Passport is one of our most popular marketing tools to showcase the many unique attractions in our city. It also is a way for our partners to cross-promote community assets. In 2023 we updated the passport to include our new logo and branding and expanded the content, including a link to the Visit Brookings website. We also created a rack card version of the passport which we printed and distributed to all the Welcome Centers along Interstates 29 and 90 and participated in a marketing program to have the rack card version included in display cases at over 100 high-traffic visitor locations along I-90 and SD Highways 14 and 18.

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GOAL 2: ENHANCE THE LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AMONG TOURISM PARTNERS The consulting firm responsible for the City of Brookings Economic Development Master Plan recently conducted an audit on our online assets, revealing opportunities for improvement. Despite the fact that we have a vast array of nightlife, outdoor activities, and attractions, they were not being effectively advertised on popular platforms such as Google and TripAdvisor. Given that these platforms still play a crucial role in travel planning for visitors, it is imperative that our assets are accurately represented to attract more tourists.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

TARGET:

Initiate an online reputation program with Brookings’ attractions, hotels and restaurants.

Identify and work with five entities each quarter to create Trip Advisor and Google listings.

RESULTS: GOAL ONGOING The Visit Brookings team identified businesses and organizations who lacked an online presence and began an outreach effort to encourage them to claim their business on Trip Advisor and Google and to monitor their accounts, responding when appropriate to comments. By the end of the year, the team had been in contact with more than 20 businesses with more to work with in the coming year. Visit Brookings Marketing Director Kate Solberg is also creating a document outlining the steps At the same time, an effort is underway to encourage visitors needed to claim and manage an and local residents to leave reviews for the businesses. This is online reputation and will an ongoing effort and will continue for the foreseeable future. complete that in early 2024.

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GOAL 3: ASSIST IN THE COMMUNITY’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS Challenges in the workforce have increased over the last several years, especially in the hospitality industry. There is no easy solution to the issue so the Visit Brookings team focused on the positives of working in the Brookings tourism industry.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

TARGET:

Celebrate those who work in the hospitality industry during National Travel and Tourism Week.

Increase the number of participants in the National Travel and Tourism Week “Work and Win” promotion by 10%.

RESULTS: GOAL COMPLETE For the second year, Visit Brookings increased outreach efforts during the annual National Travel and Tourism Week to thank employees who work in our hotels and attractions. We drop off goodie bags for every employee and invite them to come to our office to participate in a fun activity with a variety of prizes including $100 cash, tickets to area attractions, gift cards and a chance to win $25,000. It has become a successful program and we achieved an increase in reaching out to 10% more employees in the hospitality industry.

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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GOAL 4: GROW MEETING AND EVENT SALES Historically Brookings does very well in attracting visitors from Thursday through Saturday.

Tournaments and youth sporting events happen almost every weekend throughout the year. Our opportunity for strategic growth is in the earlier part of the week.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

Identify opportunities which would be the right fit for our community.

TARGET:

Contact organizers of 10 cattle shows which could potentially be a fit for Brookings and learn specifics about bid cycles and requirements.

RESULTS: GOAL ONGOING During the summer, the Visit Brookings team conducted research on ten different cattle shows that could be held at the Dacotah Bank Center. The team identified key details such as contact information, bid cycles, and event information, and started initial outreach efforts.

Since building relationships is a crucial aspect of the sales process, working closely with the Dacotah Bank Center staff to network and establish strong connections with the cattle show event organizers will be essential for long-term success.

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GOAL 5: ADVOCATE FOR COMMUNITY ENHANCING DEVELOPMENT EAs a result of our work, the team at Visit Brookings has a wealth of knowledge about the tourism assets and needs of the community.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

TARGET:

Position Visit Brookings as the trusted subject matter expert on future development projects which would increase visitation to the region.

Work with city leaders to fund and complete the hotel feasibility study as proposed by CSL in 2022.

RESULTS: TARGET CHANGED Brookings is still pushing for tourism industry growth, but with a change in direction. In 2022, Laura Schoen Carbonneau was part of a consultant-led study to explore expansion options for the Dacotah Bank Center. One of the recommended actions from the study was to conduct a feasibility study to assess the demand for more hotel rooms in the area.

Although the city did not pursue the idea any further, there are currently some projects in development that may eliminate the need for a study. Visit Brooking is closely monitoring occupancy rates and gathering information to help shape the future of the tourism industry in the area.

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GOAL 6: INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT According to a recent study by the South Dakota Department of Tourism, the majority of residents believe that tourism has a positive impact on the local economy. At Visit Brookings, we recognize the importance of catering to both internal city residents and external visitors when promoting the community. Our approach is to engage both targets through various channels to ensure a well-rounded strategy.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE:

TARGET:

Encourage residents to follow Visit Brookings on social media and assist in sharing the Brookings story.

Create a community ambassador program to encourage residents to embrace and share information about things to see and do in the community.

RESULTS: GOAL IN PROGRESS In 2023, Visit Brookings successfully grew our social media presence with a 23.1% increase in Facebook Followers and a 53.7% increase in Instagram followers. Most of our social media followers are local, giving us a wider audience to help share the Brookings story. During 2023 we also researched a program called the Certified Tourism Ambassador program to assess whether this would be the right fit for a community ambassador program. The Visit Brookings board concluded this would be an excellent way to fulfill this goal. With financial assistance from Vision Brookings and a commitment from the City Council in the Visit Brookings 23024 budget, we have decided to implement a CTA program in Brookings. In early December, two focus groups were held, followed by a Subject Matter Expert Panel to help shape the curriculum. A survey of front-line workers and managers is currently underway. We’re excited to see the program take shape with certification classes starting in early summer 2024.

Visit Brookings Annual Report

VISIT BROOKINGS GRANT PROGRAM

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Each year Visit Brookings dedicates a significant amount of our budget toward meeting and event recruitment. Our Event Grant program is a successful tool in recruiting new events and retaining those which provide economic impact on an annual basis. This market sgment took a big hit during 2020 but is contuining to rebuild over time.

The economic impact of the grants awarded in 2023 is estmated at $7.1 million in Brookings. For every dollar Visit Brookings invested in a group, the community experienced a $77.20 return on investment.

Economic Impact $12 m $10 m $8 m $6 m $4 m $2 m $0 m

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

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VISIT BROOKINGS EVENT GRANT In 2023, Visit Brookings staff processed 28 applications including eight from new events. The estimated economic impact of the awards totaled $7.1 million, attracting 46,550 event attendees who used over 12,000 hotel rooms. For every dollar invested in event recruitment,

we saw a return of $77.20 based on our economic impact calculations. The Visit Brookings staff also assisted more than 27 meeting and convention groups by providing visitor guides, nametags, and assisting with room blocks.

The Event Grant program assisted in generating 12,289 hotel room stays and 46,550 visitors to Brookings in 2023.

Returning Events

New Events

50

40

30

20

10

0

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Visit Brookings Annual Report

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MARKETING Visit Brookings utilizes a variety of tools to market the community to both visitors and residents. Digital media, traditional print ads, both radio and digital audio, email and other tactics were used to reach our target markets.

FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT: +9.15%

INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT: +15.7%

VISITOR GUIDE IMPRESSIONS: 22,512

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VISIT BROOKINGS MARKETING VISIT BROOKINGS WEBSITE

132,878 TOTAL SESSIONS

TOP VIEWED PAGES HOMEPAGE: 48,094 VIEWS PLACES TO STAY: 16,483 VIEWS THINGS TO DO: 16,076 VIEWS PLAN YOUR EVENT: 14,580 VIEWS

The Visit Brookings website continues to gain engagements. In 2023, traffic to the website increased 26% over 2022. The most popular parts of the website include the “things to do” and lodging options. Many of the student written stories for the Brookings Visitor Guide are repurposed as blogs on the website. Content is also kept up to date when new restaurant or other offerings open.

For the second year, Visit Brookings participated in the South Dakota Community Co-op Program. This is a dollar-for-dollar match which doubles the marketing investment and utilizes the South Dakota Department of Tourism ad agency for creating ads and placing them in target markets during peak season. The 2023 message So Much Brookings, So Little Time tied in with the statewide efforts to explore the entire state.

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DESTINATION MARKETING ASSISTANCE GRANT Visit Brookings applied for and received $45,000 each year for four years the South Dakota Department of Tourism for a grant for destination marketing organizations.

BRING IT TO BROOKINGS Visit Brookings used the majority of funds for a Bring it to Brookings campaign. The goal of the project was to encourage residents who attend meetings and events in other communities to consider hosting those events here. The campaign utilized digital and social media, along with traditional and digital audio. Visit Brookings also wrapped a BATA bus and utilized billboards to drive home the message.

FALL IN LOVE WITH BROOKINGS The Visit Brookings team has been looking for ways to work together with industry partners to stretch our collective marketing dollars. The Fall in Love with Brookings magazine ad in the October 605 Magazine was the first local cooperative marketing piece. We worked with eight partners in a 2-page spread to showcase the opportunities to enjoy the fall activities Brookings has to offer.

Based on the success of this program, the Visit Brookings team is working on a catalog of other joint marketing opportunities.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMORIES The final marketing push of the year was a holiday campaign which showcased things to do in Brookings in December. The campaign included a :30 second TV advertisement which ran on Midco in the Sioux Falls area. A shorter version of the ad ran as pre-roll on select streaming platforms.

Visit Brookings Annual Report

SUMMARY This report is a snapshot of the progress made by Visit Brookings in the past year and specifically highlights goals outlined in the 2023 Subsidy Agreement. Visit Brookings welcomes the opportunity to share additional information throughout the year and invites City Council members to contact our office with questions or suggestions. The Visit Brookings quarterly email gives an update of activities and opportunities for the upcoming three months and is emailed out four times each year. We look forward to building on success over the past year as we position our organization for strong growth in the future. The Visit Brookings team appreciates the strong relationship we’ve developed with both the City Council and administrative staff. By working together, we can reach our goals.

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