Each year, VISIT DENVER compiles this Marke�ng Plan, which contains a thorough study of industry informa�on, customer feedback and consumer sen�ment, as well as a situa�on analysis of local, na�onal and interna�onal trends. Together, this informa�on helps guide VISIT DENVER in developing its 2024 strategies and tac�cs.
THE STATE OF DENVER’S TRAVEL INDUSTRY
Denver’s travel industry is back. It has been several years since such an unequivocal statement could be made about it.
Prior to 2023, growth had been strong but inconsistent, and a myriad of headwinds limited poten�al, everything from lingering concerns about COVID to drama�c increases in travel prices. While there are s�ll several meaningful issues to face, a combina�on of record-breaking 2022 travel results from our partners at Longwoods Interna�onal; favorable industry studies from domes�c and global research partners; and strong internal sales and marke�ng indicators all combine to allow this organiza�on to feel a brisk wind at its back for the first �me in more than three years.
The 2023 version of this report stated that, “There is no new normal.” VISIT DENVER came to that conclusion based on the available informa�on at the �me, no�ng a period of tremendous opportuni�es that were paired with new and rapidly evolving challenges related not only to the pandemic, but also to vola�lity in the global economy, poli�cal upheavals, social jus�ce, changing travel habits and more.
Today, there has been tremendous stabilization across nearly all key sectors that impact the global travel business. Travel demand, particularly from domestic leisure audiences, continues to grow despite continued concerns about travel prices and the looming threat of a recession. Demand in the group market continues to outpace earlier projections, with VISIT DENVER achieving lead volumes that exceed the organization’s 2019 high water mark. The international market has also surged back, particularly from North American and European destinations as all international flights have been restored with more on the way.
In response to these opportunities, VISIT DENVER continues to develop and execute comprehensive sales and marketing strategies that takes advantage of this renewed demand, while also ensuring the organization leans in, and does not put its guard down nor rest on its past successes.
There are innumerable reasons for doing so: Travel remains a highly competitive global business, with domestic visitors experiencing increased demand for international trips, and domestic destinations also putting out savvy marketing messages. The recovery in the meetings market brings with it new demand dynamics that have upended decades of booking patterns. While international demand is rising, few countries have yet to reach their 2019 travel levels.
And the global airline industry continues to wrestle with service and staffing issues that can leave travelers feeling frustrated.
Here in Denver, the travel product itself continues to evolve. Persistent crime and safety issues continue to impact the downtown area in particular, though significant progress has been made. Certain sectors of the industry, such as restaurants, continue to struggle with high food and labor prices and workforce issues, causing many closures. Hotels, which have enjoyed high rates during the peak of the inflationary period, have not yet seen their occupancy return to 2019 levels, primarily due to softness in the transient business market.
Despite these headwinds, and with a new City administration in place, VISIT DENVER’s outlook for 2024 is stronger than it has been in years. The organization retains a commitment to work through all challenges, known and unknown, with the same diligence and professionalism that has marked its stewardship of Denver’s travel industry for 114 years
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
U.S. Travel Forecast for 2023 & Beyond
The U.S. Travel Association (USTA) shows an optimistic outlook for 2023 and beyond in their U.S. Travel Forecast, Summer 2023 edition, with the latest figures available. As they have in past versions of this report, USTA offers their forecast in both a nominal and inflation-adjusted manner to give the industry a truer picture of recovery.
Here are their primary takeaways for 2023 and beyond:
Overall market:
A return to more “normalized” growth of around 2 percent for domestic leisure travel, which will remain resilient despite some headwinds
Rapid 2023 growth in domestic business travel, with a slight slowdown toward the end of the year and into 2024 due to a still-expected mild recession. A full recovery in terms of volume has been pushed to 2025 and inflation-adjusted spending recovery remains beyond the range of the forecast
A boost in international visitation. While still far behind, international inbound travel is expected to experience the strongest growth of any segment throughout the range of the forecast, nearing full recovery in 2024 and exceeding it in 2025
Travel volume:
Domestic leisure trips recovered in 2022, and are expected to return to more “normalized” rates of growth in 2023 and beyond
Business travel trips are projected to recover in 2025
International visitations are projected to recover in 2024 or 2025
Source: U.S. Travel Association’s U.S. Travel Forecast Summer 2023
Travel spending:
Domestic leisure travel spending recovered in 2021 (though it somewhat regressed in 2022); It is expected to grow more modestly in 2023 and beyond
Business travel spending when adjusted for inflation, is not projected to recover within the range of the forecast, so not before 2027 or even 2028
International visitations are projected to recover only in 2026
U.S.
Economic downturn:
A mild recession is expected in the second half of 2023:
o Although the economy dodged a recession and continued to grow during the first part of the year, thanks to strong consumer spending and a solid jobs market, the risks of a downturn later this year remain significant
o Elevated inflation and interest rates are expected to constrain consumer spending, business hiring and investment in the second half of the year
o Nevertheless, GDP growth for the year is projected to remain positive at 1.3 percent, followed by just 0.4 percent growth in 2024
Source:
Travel Association’s U.S. Travel Forecast Summer 2023
Economic indicators:
MONETARY POLICY: The Fed raised rates by 25 points in May and July, after holding them in June, and policymakers stressed they will resume hiking if inflation proves to be stickier than expected. The Fed is expected to keep interest rates steady for the rest of this year before cutting them in early 2024.
LABOR MARKET: Job growth was strong in April, May and June, countering other signs that the labor market lost some steam. But job gains are expected to ease through the rest of Q2 and payrolls will decline as tight lending standards and the impact of cumulative Fed rate hikes weigh on labor demand and the broader economy.
INFLATION: Inflation is expected to soften but remain high through the rest of 2023. The Consumer Price Index is expected to grow by 4.4 percent this year, well above the Fed’s 2 percent inflation target. Travel prices are expected to rise only 0.9 percent in 2023, primarily due to falling motor fuel prices. Inflation Consumer as well as Travel is expected to normalize after 2023.
CONSUMER SPENDING: While consumer spending remained strong through Q1 and into Q2, it will come under pressure due to an expected weakening in job and wage growth. Also, low- and middle-income households have exhausted most of their excess savings.
Source: U.S. Travel Association Travel Forecast, Summer 2023
DENVER’S TRAVEL INDUSTRY
2022 Longwoods Visitor Study
VISIT DENVER has many ways to measure the impact of the travel industry on the city, but none are so eagerly anticipated as the Annual Visitor Profile from Longwoods International. Longwoods surveys domestic visitors 12 months a year and produces for its clients an annual report on visitation, spending, visitor demographics and more. Their methodology is the industry standard for this kind of study, with a high degree of confidence and low margin of error. Longwoods has been researching the Denver visitor market since 1994.
In 2022, the latest figures available, Denver welcomed a record 36.3 million visitors, marking a 15 percent increase over 2021 and surpassing all historic tourism totals by a large margin. A record number of visitors also spent more money in Denver than ever before, generating $9.4 billion in tourism revenue, far beyond the previous record of $7 billion spent in 2019.
Overnight visitors totaled nearly 20 million, a 20 percent rise over the prior year. Growth was particularly strong in the domestic overnight leisure market, which rose by 13 percent over the prior year to a new high of 16.7 million visitors.
Longwoods also studies the impacts of VISIT DENVER’s efforts to target “marketable” visitors, the primary focus of the organization’s promotional efforts. In 2022, these marketable visitors increased by 18 percent over 2021 surpassing eight million for the first time.
Spending by overnight visitors increased in 2022 to $8 billion, a 45 percent increase over 2021. Among all traveler types, marketable leisure visitors spent the most at $229 per day followed by business travelers at $152 per day.
Longwoods International also conducted Return on Investment (ROI) research for VISIT DENVER’s largest advertising campaign of the year, the 2022 summer advertising campaign. The study revealed the strongest ROI numbers VISIT DENVER has ever seen, showing that the campaign generated 1.8 million incremental trips, generating $641 million in incremental visitor spending and $72 million in state and local taxes. Measured against spending, the campaign generated an ROI of $167 in visitor spending and $19 in taxes for every $1 in advertising investment.
Key numbers for 2022 include:
Denver welcomed 36.3 million total visitors in 2022, including 19.9 million overnight visitors and 16.4 million day visitors.
Overnight leisure visitors totaled 16.7 million in 2022, a 13 percent increase over 2021.
There were 8.3 million “marketable” leisure visitors in 2022, an 18 percent increase over 2021. This segment has the most discretion on where to vacation and responds to tourism marketing. This audience is the primary focus of much of VISIT DENVER’s marketing efforts and spends more time and money in-market than any other leisure visitor type.
Denver visitors spent $9.4 billion in 2022, including $8 billion from overnight visitors and an additional $1.4 billion in spending from day visitors. Total spending increased by 42.5 percent over 2021.
Denver overnight visitors spent nearly $2.3 billion on accommodations, and $1.3 billion on food and beverages.
Expenditures by overnight visitors on transportation reached nearly $2.7 billion. Retail purchases were $969 million, while overnight visitors spent nearly $685 million on paid attractions and other recreational and sightseeing activities.
On average in 2022, the biggest spenders were marketable travelers, who spent $229 per day, followed by business visitors, who spent $152 per day. Day visitors spent $88 per day.
Out-of-state overnight leisure travelers comprised 76 percent of visitors.
The top five states sending vacationers to Denver in 2022, apart from Colorado itself, were:
o California
o Texas
o Arizona
o Florida
o Kansas
The top five cities from outside of Colorado sending leisure visitors to Denver in 2022 were:
o Los Angeles, CA*
o Phoenix, AZ*
o Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX*
o Chicago, IL*
o New York City, NY*
*Denotes VISIT DENVER advertising market
DENVER 2022 PRODUCT UPDATE
The following sec�on documents the current state of Denver’s tourism product. It is always important to document the strengths and weaknesses of the city’s infrastructure, since it is an area over which VISIT DENVER has litle control. As is said around the organiza�on on a regular basis, “we own nothing,” meaning that once the sales and marke�ng efforts do their job, it’s up to the business owners to close the deal.
Denver Tourism Roadmap Update
VISIT DENVER’s focus on the Denver Tourism Roadmap, a long-term destination strategic plan, continues to guide the organization and its goals. Despite the pandemic-related disruption to this Roadmap over the last three years, the six goals remain the same. There will also be an opportunity to update the Roadmap with the board and with the new City administration in 2024.
Tourism Improvement District (TID)
The TID was formed in 2017, with the help of the Colorado Hotel & Lodging Associa�on (CHLA), to make sure that Denver had the marke�ng funds available to grow the tourism and conven�on business well into the future. As part of its forma�on, the TID also dedicates funds annually to the City for the expansion of the Colorado Conven�on Center (CCC), and the remaining funds then flow to VISIT DENVER for sales and marke�ng efforts. Past efforts using the TID tax revenue include programs such as the annual Mile High Holidays campaign and the
opera�ons of the Mile High Tree as well as the MLB All-Star Game fes�vi�es. Both programs helped drive overnight business to Denver.
In 2023 the TID remained commited to key strategic areas and its mission of increasing overnight demand by conven�on and mee�ng visitors, as well as leisure visitors to Denver, especially in our low- and off-peak seasons like major holidays and weekends. Specific programs include funding a holiday season marke�ng campaign highligh�ng the Mile High Tree, client concessions to atract mee�ngs and conven�ons in future years, and regional leisure marke�ng.
The TID con�nues to serve a significant role in helping Denver remain compe��ve when atrac�ng conven�ons. While compe�ng ci�es offer conven�on center discounts and financial incen�ves to book citywide business, the TID program has helped atract cri�cal business with a robust economic impact. Addi�onally, there has been increased compe��on from mega-hotels (facili�es so large that the en�re mee�ng can be held in one hotel, elimina�ng the need for a conven�on center), compe�ng for conven�on center business. Since the TID’s crea�on, VISIT DENVER has booked 35 groups with a $539 million economic impact, and $43 million in tax dollars. In 2023, VISIT DENVER has booked nine groups through TID incen�ves, worth $139.4 million in future economic impact which would result in nearly $11.2 million in tax dollars for our city.
Transporta�on & Accessibility
Located almost exactly 1,000 miles from both Chicago and San Francisco, Denver is the most isolated city in North America, 600 miles from the closest city of comparable size and surrounded by minimally populated areas of prairie to the north, east and south, and mountains to the west.
Denver Interna�onal Airport
Denver’s success in the 21st century, both in the leisure and mee�ngs markets, relies heavily on its accessibility, and primarily on the strength of Denver Interna�onal Airport (DEN) to provide convenient air service, and ground transporta�on from the airport to a compact, walkable downtown. DEN is Colorado’s largest economic engine, bringing in $33 billion annually.
Based on the strength of its domes�c network, DEN outperformed nearly every other airport in the country during and a�er the pandemic on a host of measures. In terms of passenger counts, DEN is the third busiest in the country and seventh busiest in the world (Source: DEN, July 2023 Air Service Profile). In 2022, DEN had 69.3 million passengers, surpassing the previous record set in 2019. Year-to-date in 2023, passenger traffic is up 13.2 percent versus 2019. July 2023 is scheduled to be DEN’s busiest month ever in terms of interna�onal flights and capacity. Compared to July 2019, DEN airlines will offer 10.5 percent more interna�onal flights and 31.9 percent addi�onal capacity.
DEN is also planning for future growth. Vision 100, the airport’s strategic plan, will enable it to prepare for and reach 100 million annual passengers. The strategic plan will serve as a blueprint to align decision-making and enable accountability so DEN can though�ully prepare to serve
100 million passengers in the next 8-10 years. DEN’s strategic plan is centered on the four pillars of Vision 100 and under each pillar are strategic objec�ves:
Powering our people
Growing our infrastructure
Maintaining what we have
Expanding our global connections
The Regional Transporta�on District (RTD) and 16th Street Mall RTD services a population of 3.08 million in a services area of 2,342 square miles and 143 regular fixed routes. With 9,750 average daily active bus stops, RTD maintains the largest fleet of electric buses in the nation (26) to service the 16th Street Mall, and as of 2020, these electric buses had traveled more than 1.2 million miles carrying passengers throughout downtown.
During July and August 2023, RTD offered zero fares across its system as part of the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative. This collaborative, statewide initiative, made possible by Colorado Senate Bill 22-180, in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office, is designed to reduce ground-level ozone by increasing the use of public transit. Current RTD customers also benefitted as they did not have to use or purchase fare products from July 1 – August 31, 2023, during Colorado’s high ozone season.
Built in 1982, the 40-year-old 16th Street Mall is currently undergoing a major restoration. The project will reconfigure the Mall’s layout to create wider sidewalks, a new amenity zone and center-running Free Mall Ride shuttle service. Phased construction began in 2022, starting at Market Street and moving towards Broadway before reaching completion in late 2024.
I-70 Project
Central I-70, between I-25 and Chambers Road, is one of Colorado's economic backbones. It is home to 1,200 businesses, provides the regional connection to DEN and carries upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day. The highway is essential to tourism traffic, both from the airport to downtown and through Colorado from the east to the mountain resorts in the west.
The Central I-70 Project, which was completed as of July 2023, reconstructed a 10-mile stretch of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Chambers Road, adding one new Express Lane in each direction, removing the aging 57-year-old viaduct, lowering the interstate between Brighton and Colorado Boulevards, and placing a four-acre park over a portion of the lowered interstate. Tolling of the Express Lanes began on July 11, 2023.
Colorado Conven�on Center Expansion
The expansion of the Colorado Conven�on Center (CCC) remains on track. Voters approved the project in 2015, and in July 2020, the City of Denver selected Hensel Phelps and TVS Design as the design/build team for the project. City Council approved the contract in fall 2020. Construc�on started in June 2021, and a "Raise the Roof" kick-off ceremony and press
conference took place in September 2021. The expansion will be completed by December 2023.
VISIT DENVER has worked closely with ASM Global, Denver Office of Transporta�on and Infrastructure (DOTI) and the contracted team to minimize the impact on exis�ng business, while also con�nuing to book new business during construc�on. Both VISIT DENVER and ASM Global are focused on driving new business to the expansion space beginning April 2024.
Key features of the expansion include:
Multi-function Bluebird Ballroom Space
o The signature feature of the expansion is an 80,000-square-foot, column-free multifunction space that includes 19 subdivisions of varying sizes.
Pre-function Concourse
o The new 35,000 square feet wrap-around, pre-function concourse, which features dramatic views of the Rocky Mountains and is conveniently accessible via the center’s existing street-level lobbies.
Rooftop Terrace
o The 20,000 square-foot rooftop terrace features spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains to the north and west and stunning views of Denver’s skyline to the east.
Hotels
Supply con�nued to grow in Denver even during the pandemic but is leveling off as of August 2023. According to CoStar Group, pipeline proper�es are concentrated in the CBD and East/DEN areas of the Denver metro area.
Pipeline Proper�es Concentrated in Downtown & Airport
1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
Source: CoStar 2023
There are already more than 12,500 downtown hotel rooms within walking distance of the conven�on center and nearly 52,000 rooms in the metro area, with more on the way. According to CoStar, as of August 2023 there are 2,673 rooms under construc�on and an addi�onal 4,878 rooms in final planning across all Denver submarkets.
In 2022, many downtown Denver hotels celebrated openings, as well as multi-million-dollar
renovations. Here is a shortlist:
Originally set to open in 2021, the Thompson Denver by Hyatt opened in early 2022. Located in the heart of LoDo, the hotel also includes Chez Maggy by Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre.
The much an�cipated Slate Hotel opened in May 2022 at the historic site of the original Emily Griffith Opportunity School across the street from the Colorado Conven�on Center and many other iconic Mile High atrac�ons. This hotel adds 251 guest rooms to downtown Denver.
In August 2022, Denver’s trendy RiNo Art District welcomed the 140-room Vīb by Best Western Hotels & Resorts. Its ameni�es include mee�ng and event space and an enclosed roo�op bar taking advantage of the views of the Rocky Mountains and Denver’s skyline.
2023 had fewer hotels open:
The Cambria Hotel Denver Downtown, a new 153-room hotel, opened in RiNo in September 2023.
Offering only 18 rooms, the Urban Cowboy Denver will bring a unique new experience to Uptown in late 2023.
And there are more hotels in the works in Denver:
Populus, the 250-room hotel planned adjacent to Civic Center Park, will feature a roof-top terrace. The property will be the first carbon positive hotel in the country and is scheduled to open in spring 2024.
Courtyard by Marriott Denver Stadium will add 118 rooms near Empower Field at Mile High in March 2024.
The Sonder Jefferson Park, a 93-room hotel, will open in December 2024.
The World Trade Center complex in Globeville includes plans for a 240-room hotel. Opening date TBD.
Train Denver Bou�que Hotel is coming to Denver’s RiNo Art District. The opening date is TBD.
Restaurants
Denver’s restaurants have always been a key pillar in the city’s reputa�on as a sophis�cated urban des�na�on. Discerning travelers choose des�na�ons in part due to the strength of a city’s culinary offerings. Similarly, they may avoid des�na�ons they don’t feel can provide them with the fresh, crea�ve and adventurous dining op�ons they crave.
This was a vola�le industry even before the pandemic, with razor-thin margins and persistent staffing challenges. COVID then unleashed upon restaurants nothing short of an existen�al crisis as public gathering places became highly restricted, and their in-person workforce went through several cycles of staff reduc�ons and re-hirings.
Add to these challenges the steep rise in food costs that began in early 2022, which persists today, as well as high labor costs due to a �ght job market and Denver’s high minimum wage, and the restaurants must feel they are in the perfect storm.
On the posi�ve side, the introduc�on of a new Colorado program from Michelin, the global leader in restaurant reviews, will significantly raise the profile of the Colorado dining scene in general and Denver in par�cular.
Atrac�ons, Cultural & Mee�ng Facili�es
A�er the devasta�ng effects of the pandemic – the city’s crea�ve community lost nearly 30,000 jobs and more than $1.4 billion in revenue between April 1 and July 31, 2020 – this vital and cri�cal sector of Denver’s tourism product has roared back to life. The author of the previous study, Colorado Business Commitee for the Arts, has not published its follow up, but there is significant evidence of the sector’s rebound.
According to Denver Center for the Performing Arts, in their 2021/2022 Community Report, their programs had the following impact and results:
More than $203 million total economic impact
More than 605,000 tickets distributed
More than 700,000 total guest interactions
World premiere of “Theater of the Mind, ” an immersive production co-created by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and artist writer Mala Gaonkar
Addi�onally, according to Denver Arts & Venues, the City had a significant impact on residents across the city, including:
More than 1,000 hosted cultural events
2.7 million attendees
350 artists and organizations receiving funding
More than 80 active public art projects
All of this speaks to a city that values culture as one of its defining principles, a quality that is highly visible to visitors who seek to enrich their lives through culture on their visit.
Some other significant cultural developments in the city include:
DENVER WALLS, a major street art festival in the RiNo neighborhood from September 22 –October 2, 2023. DENVER WALLS is tied to the global World Wide Walls event, which joins cities across the globe to beautify and connect local artists with their communities.
The strong return of Denver’s major cultural festivals such as March Powwow, Cinco De Mayo, Juneteenth, PrideFest, Cherry Creeks Arts Festival, Colorado Black Arts Festival and many others. Such a robust festival calendar offers locals and visitors alike multiple opportunities throughout the year to connect with the city’s diverse communities and artists.
The reopening of Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building Collection Galleries in May 2023, which included the Arts of Africa, Modern and Contemporary Art and Arts of Oceania galleries.
Sports
The year of 2023 in the sports world was welcomed by most rights holders, a�er a tough three years that seemed like decades in the making. According to Mat Swenson of Connect Sports, “Predic�ng the future is unknown, but it appears safe to say the worst of the pandemic is over. Arenas and stadiums across the country are full again. Generally speaking, Americans are back to many of their old rou�nes. The expecta�on is 2023 will be the closest to the ways things were, albeit with a few twists.”
“We have seen an upward trend in event par�cipa�on for our sport by around 10 percent to 20 percent,” reports Connor Shane, director of na�onal events at USA Racquetball. “Our regional events are coming back online in full force this year a�er almost three years of seeing obstacles from COVID-19.”
Denver was honored to host several events in 2023 that are keeping The Mile High City in the spotlight. Na�onal championships with USA Curling and USA Fencing brought �tle-chasing hopefuls to Denver, while the NCAA once again staged sold-out opening rounds of March Madness at Ball Arena.
This past year also brought another championship to the Kroenke Sports family and a first �tle to long-suffering Denver Nuggets fans everywhere. A�er a 47-year wait, the Denver Nuggets topped the Miami Heat for the NBA World Championship this past June. For the future of spor�ng event recrui�ng, the future looks bright, and the Denver Sports Commission will con�nue to move ahead with evalua�on of all levels of sports tourism.
Fes�vals & Events
2023 continued the trend of in-person events that started in 2022. Denver PrideFest received 550,000 visitors with another record-breaking attendance. Cherry Creek Arts Festival received 150,000 visitors and more than 225 artists, while Denver Day of Rock took place on June 3rd this year (one week later than in 2022). Taste of Colorado was modified this year with the newly created Taste of Colorado at ¡Viva! Streets Denver, across four Sundays throughout the summer, and served as Denver’s first-ever large-scale Ciclovía. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts returned to a full schedule in 2022, which continued in 2023. Red Rocks Amphitheatre maintained its full schedule of events, including Yoga on the Rocks and Film on the Rocks.
Sustainability
Denver’s Office of Climate Ac�on, Sustainability and Resiliency has led the way in decreasing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and priori�zing a sustainable future for the city. Likewise, VISIT DENVER collaborates with our venues, hotels and other partners to ensure we are offering sustainable op�ons that allow both the community and natural environment to thrive. Below are a few of VISIT DENVER’s sustainability efforts as well as those from our biggest partners:
VISIT DENVER Environmental and Sustainability Industry Recognitions:
o In 2023, VISIT DENVER was recognized as a Silver Level member of the Colorado
Green Business Network (CGBN). This is a voluntary program that encourages, supports and rewards organizations that make the move toward the goal of true, operational sustainability.
o VISIT DENVER is also pursuing certification in the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Sustainable Event Standards in 2023. These standards replaced the APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards in 2019, with an updated version released in 2022. VISIT DENVER was previously certified at Level II under the APEX/ASTM standards and had a goal of achieving Silver.
Hotel Sustainability Reports: In 2022, VISIT DENVER surveyed downtown hotels on their sustainability practices, including Waste Management, Energy Conservation, Air Quality and more. The survey provides meeting planners and visitors with comparable information regarding the sustainable practices of Denver hotels.
Green Vendor Directory: VISIT DENVER provides a one-stop resource to showcase vendors’ sustainability practices. The Green Vendor Directory allows visitors to sort businesses by certification type and practice. VISIT DENVER is proud to support and promote partners and their sustainable efforts.
Colorado Convention Center’s commitment to sustainability:
o CCC’s certifications include LEED Existing Building – Operations and Maintenance Level GOLD; ISO Standard 14001 – Environmental Management System. The CCC will be pursuing LEED Gold certification for the new ballroom and rooftop terrace upon completion.
o The CCC’s Waste Management Program, Energy and Water Conservation efforts, Air Quality policies and sustainable catering support the CCC’s commitment to making all events held at the Convention Center sustainable.
Denver International Airport’s dedication to energy efficiency and the environment: The seventh busiest airport in the world holds a strong commitment to sustainability. Programs like the Environmental Management System, wastewater reduction, airport solar program, single-stream recycling and a partnership with the Colorado Green Business Network support the airport’s goals to reduce its impact on the environment. In addition, the RTD A Line offers a “green” way to travel to and from the airport.
Diverse Denver Recap and Statement
VISIT DENVER con�nues to priori�ze the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in all of its opera�ons and sales/marke�ng efforts. The DEI Board Commitee, which was formed in June 2020, provides ongoing input for focus areas of internal policies/prac�ces, community affilia�ons and support, social impact/work force development efforts and marke�ng efforts and programs.
With the engagement of Darrell Hammond, Sr., of Higher Ground Consul�ng, several DEI educa�onal training courses for staff were conducted throughout 2022. All staff members
par�cipated in Outward Mindset workshops to gain more skills for interac�ng with clients, stakeholders and co-workers. In addi�on, staff recruitment efforts have increased the diversity among VISIT DENVER employees.
Based on opportunity areas iden�fied by the 2021 DEI Percep�on Survey, staff-led Impact Teams researched and developed proposals for enhancing internal policies and prac�ces, with the goal of enhancing DEI efforts. VISIT DENVER’s Board and leadership team have consistently embraced and guided this ongoing journey to enhance the organiza�on’s DEI efforts.
The focus on DEI will remain as a constant thread, in 2023 and beyond, woven into the fabric of all things VISIT DENVER. There will be a focus on addi�onal training and opportuni�es to keep an "outward mindset" top of mind through ac�on and conversa�ons, as well as con�nued work with the Board Commitee and the DEI focus areas. This includes the organiza�on’s official Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
At VISIT DENVER, we believe that travel makes the world a smaller and more connected place. It brings people together and fosters interaction among diverse cultures. It builds understanding, appreciation, empathy and respect for one another. This core philosophy is a big part of who we are as a community and why Denver is one of the top destinations in the country to live and to visit.
The Mile High City embraces and celebrates people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities and sexual orientation. We believe that Black lives matter and we reject any form of racial injustice. We also acknowledge that there remains a long road ahead to achieve true equity for all historically oppressed communities.
With this in mind, VISIT DENVER is pledging a renewed sense of awareness and action to create change, both within our organization and in our city. While VISIT DENVER has consistently supported diversity, equity and inclusion, we also believe that we can, and we must, do better. We are committed to making these core values a way of life for our organization, our partners in the hospitality industry and our visitors
2024 Convention & Tourism: SWOT
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats
STRENGTHS
The pandemic era appears to be over, at least for now Infection rates are low and concerns about the virus have largely receded, particularly as a barrier to travel. As proof of this, travel volumes and travel spending have recovered, in many cases surpassing the record levels set in 2019. Domestic leisure travel volume reached 101 percent of 2019 in 2022 and is expected to hit 103 percent by the end of this year (U.S. Travel Association).
The Denver brand, which recently received a major refresh, provides VISIT DENVER a strong platform from which to market the city, both from tourism and convention standpoints, positioning Denver as “uplifting by nature,” an outdoor city full of urban exploration and sophistication. As budgets exceed 2019 levels, VISIT DENVER will expand its sales and marketing presence in both leisure and convention segments.
Smart use of marketing funds in annual regional and national tourism promotional campaigns, including advertising, public relations, social media and search marketing, will keep Denver top-of-mind for the nearly recovered domestic leisure travel market. This includes expanded national advertising in the first and fourth quarters, which are historically soft times for visitation from these segments.
The Denver Tourism Roadmap, launched in 2016 with input from more than 1,000 stakeholders, continues to guide the development of Denver’s tourism product for future years and help VISIT DENVER focus on the top priorities before, during and after the pandemic. This plan will be updated in 2024.
The Tourism Improvement District (TID), launched in 2017, continues to add funds to help complete the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center (CCC), as well as attracting meeting business and marketing initiatives. A fully recovered TID budget is expected to be available in 2024.
Denver has a mild year-round climate, 300 days of sunshine and easy access to outdoor activities, both in the city and the nearby Rocky Mountains. This will be an important part of the brand in attracting visitors in the post-pandemic rea with people who are seeking outdoor and less-populated areas to visit.
Denver has a compact, walkable and vibrant downtown that is easily accessible through a variety of means and includes a wide array of amenities that are attractive to residents and visitors alike, including many options for entertainment, arts and culture, sports, dining, nightlife, retail and outdoor activities. All of this is true despite current challenges related to crime and safety, as well as the reconstruction of the 16th Street Mall.
New hotel product continues to be added to Denver’s supply and Denver has been a leader in supply percentage growth for the last decade. There are more than 6,500 properties in planning, or some phase of construction concentrated in the downtown and airport submarkets
Denver is a central location for meetings, just 340 miles from the exact center of the Continental United States. Denver’s effective status as a regional capital gives the city a leadership position in many areas, including dining, retail, arts and culture and sports, as well as with business, medicine, technology and financial services.
Denver’s long-term prospects in the conventions market remain strong. Meeting lead volume now exceeds 2019.
The CCC already has a strong reputation among clients that will only improve upon the completion of the center’s expansion in late 2023.
Denver International Airport (DEN) remains a central component of Denver’s success in both the leisure and meeting sectors. DEN is currently ranked as the third busiest airport in U.S. and the seventh busiest in the world, due in large part to its strong domestic network and connections. Additionally, DEN has seen the third-fastest recovery of any U.S. airport, with passenger volume through April 14 percent higher than the same period in 2019 (latest figures available).
The recently completed 39-gate expansion has also greatly enhanced DEN’s competitiveness and made the city more attractive, particularly to meeting planners.
The A Line train from DEN to Denver Union Station, which launched in April 2016, provides an efficient option for transportation between the airport and downtown for both meeting planners and leisure travelers, and addressed one of the main complaints from meeting planners.
All international flights to DEN have returned in 2023, including United’s nonstop flight from Tokyo. Additional international nonstop flights are expected to be announced in the coming months.
Denver continues to maintain its position as a top city for “green” meetings and has won many awards and recognition for sustainability.
Denver has a highly regarded medical and bio-science campus at Anschutz Medical Campus, which enhances the city’s reputation as a center for medical meetings and serves as a pool from which VISIT DENVER can recruit ambassadors to assist in the sales process, as well as provide experts and speakers for related groups.
Denver City Council’s 2016 approval of regulations and a taxing mechanism for short-term
rental properties (e.g. Airbnb and VRBO) opened the door for partnerships with these providers and generated additional Lodger’s Tax.
The city’s many tourism, sports, entertainment and cultural-related organizations have been very successful in the last several years in attracting high-demand events, exhibitions and festivals, though some continue to experience limited capacity and visitation during COVID. VISIT DENVER’s continued role in this process will be an ongoing asset.
Denver has a growing reputation for its arts and cultural scene with world-class museums, performance venues such as the Denver Performing Arts Complex, blockbuster exhibitions and annual festivals like the Denver Film Festival, all of which were incorporated into the City’s IMAGINE 2020 Cultural Plan. In addition, there are hundreds of arts and cultural organizations bringing creativity to the city and its neighborhoods, thanks in large part to the unique Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) funding that was renewed in 2016 for 10 more years. Innovations like art installations in alleyways and non-traditional, immersive programming by Denver Center for the Performing Arts also represent new ways to appeal to visitors.
The opening of the 90,000-square-foot Meow Wolf in September 2021 and the $150 million renovation of the Denver Art Museum’s Martin Building and Sie Welcome Center and the return of a robust performing arts schedule from Denver Center for the Performing Arts will all keep Denver’s cultural scene on firm footing as 2023 approaches. Notable in 2023 the reopening of Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building Collection Galleries that include some of their most inclusive collections, including Arts of Africa, Modern and Contemporary Art and Arts of Oceania.
Denver celebrates its rich ethnic diversity, including its Black heritage, increasing Hispanic/Latino population, Indigenous communities and its engaged LGBTQ+ community, as well as a new focus on people with disabilities, through a wide variety of events, attractions and restaurants.
VISIT DENVER’s board committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion continues to evaluate VISIT DENVER’s practices, from hiring to staffing to marketing, in an ongoing effort to ensure the city’s wide diversity is always represented. A consultant hired in 2021 continues to drive this process.
VISIT DENVER’s website, which relaunched in December 2021 with a fresh design, will allow the Bureau to effectively reach visitors across devices and with timely, engaging content, including up-to-date information about navigating the city during COVID. An expanded social media effort, including enhanced social media advertising and increased use of video, is also crucial in communicating with visitors.
Visitors to Denver now have two attraction passes offering discounted admissions to top attractions. The Denver CityPASS launched in 2018, offering tickets to three, four or five of
the eight participating attractions, and the Mile High Culture Pass, a three-day pass providing admission to seven of Denver’s top cultural attractions. The Mile High Culture Pass was relaunched in 2022, and both are selling well.
Denver has a robust culinary reputation that was strengthened in 2023 with the announcement of the Michelin program. Michelin is the global standard of restaurant reviews, and the launch of Denver’s program will immediately elevate the reputation of the city’s dining scene with domestic visitors, meeting planners and international travelers. The program has a three-year contract term with an option for two additional years.
Denver is known as the country’s leading craft brewing city with more than 150 breweries metro-wide. Additionally, the city is becoming increasingly known for its burgeoning craft distilling culture and innovative wineries.
The Denver metro area has extensive parks and open spaces, nearly 80 golf courses and more than 850 miles of bike paths, underscoring the city’s outdoor brand.
Denver has six professional sports teams and modern facilities.
The strength of the Denver Sports Commission in identifying, securing and servicing highvalue, high-impact sporting events, both professional and amateur, puts Denver in good position to grow its sporting event footprint, despite the fact that Denver was not chosen as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This reputation was further enhanced by Denver’s successful hosting of the 2021 MLB All-Star Game and Concacaf Nation’s League Finals in 2021, as well as the Denver Nugget’s successful NBA championship run and subsequent parade and rally that was attended by an estimated 750,000 people.
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre held a full calendar of concerts, films and fitness events in 2023, extending its season into November and reinforcing the city’s reputation for live music, culture and fitness.
Live music in Denver continues to achieve national awareness with the continued success of the Mission Ballroom in RiNo, the impressive (and largely free) concert calendar at Levitt Pavilion, as well as other smaller venues, especially outdoor ones like Number 38. The success of Denver-based bands OneRepublic, the Lumineers, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and others, as well as strong local festivals, including the Underground Music Showcase and Westword Music Showcase, also aid in this effort.
Denver has a rich Western heritage that is associated with the Rocky Mountain West and anchored by one of the world’s most prestigious livestock shows, the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo. In 2015, voters approved funds for a new development called the National Western Center, which is expected to be completed in 2024 and is intended to be a year-round destination that will engage local visitors and promote out-of-state tourism in collaboration with partners such as Western Stock Show Association, Colorado State
University System, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and History Colorado.
Denver has a variety of authentic, lively and growing neighborhoods filled with unique restaurants, shops, cultural/historical attractions and parks. Shopping at local merchants is particularly important to international visitors.
Denver’s outdoor brand is supported by the continued development and activation at Civic Center Park, including concerts, events and the Civic Center EATS food truck roundup.
The Amtrak Winter Park Express ski train offers seasonal, weekend rail service from Denver Union Station to Winter Park Resort, creating an option for skiers to stay at least one night in Denver. The service returned to a full January-April schedule in 2023 and is expected to return in 2024.
The introduction of the Rocky Mountaineer luxury train from Denver to Moab, Utah adds another high-demand, rail-based option for visitors to experience the West by train. The train is having its second full year of service in 2023, running trains weekly from AprilOctober.
Denver offers a wide variety of pre- and post-convention vacation opportunities, as well as leisure day trips in the nearby Rocky Mountains, a concept that VISIT DENVER markets under the “Basecamp Denver” brand.
Denver has a growing inventory of innovative tours, such as culinary, brewery and walking tours, as well as new virtual options, which increases Denver’s appeal to leisure travelers, both domestically and internationally.
The City, the Downtown Denver Partnership and other stakeholders have implemented several safety and security plans in the downtown area in 2022 and 2023. There is also a focus on working alongside the provider community to assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are in need of specialized services.
In 2023, the city elected a new Mayor, City administration and City Council that appears to support tourism, tourism funding, international marketing and air service development.
On July 1, 2021, the State of Colorado kicked off an incentive program for meetings and events. The program provides a 10 percent cash rebate against eligible hard costs for hosting meetings and events in Colorado. Initially, the meetings had to take place from July 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2022; however, in late 2021, the State extended the deadline to June 30, 2024. The minimum rebate is $3,500 and the maximum rebate is $100,000. The program’s goal is to increase tourism recovery by incentivizing meeting and event planners to book new meetings and events in Colorado, rather than in a competing state.
WEAKNESSES
Denver is one of the most geographically isolated major cities in America, with a relatively small population within a 600-mile radius, thus generating less drive traffic for tourism and conventions.
Denver is overly dependent on air traffic, with 41 percent of tourists arriving by air (according to 2022 data), significantly higher than the national average of 25 percent. This makes the city particularly vulnerable during this period with high gas prices that may cause people to travel closer to home.
There is a misconception that Denver is cold, snowy and has unpredictable weather.
Denver is not as well-known as some major U.S. cities with more long-standing tourism brands.
Denver currently has less recognition for offering unique regional cuisine or specialty cooking than other cities.
The number of office workers downtown is still only around 60 percent of pre-pandemic numbers, which impacts the viability of supporting local businesses and the overall vitality of downtown.
Visitors and meeting planners continue to share safety concerns on and around the 16th Street Mall and surrounding areas, noting multiple closed businesses and boarded-up storefronts, aggressive panhandling, people experiencing homelessness and intrusive solicitation by nonprofit groups.
Downtown Denver lacks major retail on or near the 16th Street Mall, a trend that was further exacerbated by COVID-era closures.
Denver has fewer nonstop international flights compared to many other large U.S. cities, though that number has increased substantially in recent years.
Traffic congestion issues exist on I-70 to and from the mountains, especially on weekends.
There is limited public transportation to many of the city’s top neighborhoods, attractions and shopping centers.
There are negative perceptions of Denver’s elevation, including that it can adversely impact a visitor’s stay.
Construction on I-70 and at DEN is greatly increasing traffic congestion from the airport to downtown and creating longer wait times to check in. Construction downtown, including the 16th Street Mall renovation, also impacts traffic flow in the city’s core.
OPPORTUNITIES
The plan to expand the CCC, which will open in late 2023, and rebuild the National Western Center will allow Denver’s convention and exhibition facilities to stay competitive for years to come. The creation of the TID will bridge the CCC expansion funding gap and, when the industry recovers, provide additional marketing funds, further ensuring the competitiveness of the city in both leisure and meetings markets.
The project to update the 16th Street Mall broke ground in April 2022, with an expected completion date in late 2024. The new Mall will be a focal point for visitors and residents alike, with wider sidewalks, more and larger outdoor patios, an expanded tree canopy and a more consistent bus configuration.
In 2017, the City approved $937 million GO Bonds, which include funding for a number of tourism-related projects, including upgrades to the 16th Street Mall, enhancements of citywide mobility projects, funding for key cultural partners and support for downtown parks.
City-wide infrastructure developments like the addition of protected bike lanes, enhancements to downtown parks and the proposed creation of a 5280 Loop will create additional amenities that will benefit both locals and visitors.
In November 2018, Denver voters approved measure 2A, a 0.25 percent sales tax increase to be specifically dedicated to acquiring, operating and maintaining open space. The fund is generating about $37 million annually and guided by a five-year strategic plan.
The renovation at DEN of the Great Hall, ticketing and security areas will improve safety, make the airport more efficient and elevate the passenger experience when complete.
VISIT DENVER will continue to work with DEN to maintain existing air service and pursue additional nonstop flights to tap unserved destinations in target markets including Europe, Asia, Oceania and South America. The new Air France flight from Paris maintains a key route to a very important international market that serves as an additional flight for the rest of Europe. New international flights from Munich (United Airlines) and London (United Airlines) strengthen connections in these important overseas markets.
VISIT DENVER’s already strong track record in promoting the city’s inclusive communities to diverse audiences will be strengthened in 2024 with the continued operation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee formed in 2020. This committee, along with a newly hired consultant and extensive activities at the staff and operational level, will help the organization improve several internal practices, from website content, hiring policies and training to promotions and partnerships.
On-going marketing initiatives, particularly around the Basecamp Denver initiative that encourages people to “play in the mountains, stay in the city” are poised to take advantage
of the consistent interest in outdoor experiences that Colorado brings, coupled with Denver’s urban appeal.
Temporary exhibitions at Denver’s cultural attractions have continued throughout the pandemic and provide time-specific marketing opportunities while also enhancing Denver’s reputation as a city that embraces arts and culture. Exhibitions like Desert Rider, Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks and All Stars: American Artists from the Phillips Collection at Denver Art Museum; Bugs and After the Asteroid: Earth’s Comeback Story at Denver Museum of Nature & Science; and Awful Bigness at Clyfford Still Museum will continue to highlight the arts and culture scene into 2024.
The City’s IMAGINE 2020 Cultural Plan provides a framework for future cultural tourism development and the Bureau’s Denver365 events calendar is a key resource and promotional platform within the plan
Brand USA’s website content and cooperative advertising and marketing programs offer ways to reach travel trade and consumers in international markets in a cost-effective way.
VISIT DENVER will continue to leverage the hosting of IPW 2018, and the possibility of hosting it again in the near future, to bring more international visitors to the city, despite the COVID-related slowdown in international travel to the U.S.
U.S. Travel Association’s continued advocacy around visas and improvements to the entry process for international travelers improves perceptions of the U.S. as a travel destination
Strong leadership at the City’s Office of Special Events helps ensure that large events are handled smoothly with more streamlined processes.
To attract more meeting business, the State implemented the Meeting and Events Incentive, which provides pre-approved applicants with a 10 percent rebate of up to $100,000 against the eligible hard costs of hosting meetings and events that take place between July 1, 2021 and July 30, 2024.
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) Tourism Recovery Marketing Grant will distribute $1.85 million in matching grants to tourist destinations still in pandemic recovery. Eligible projects are city, county or regional tourism marketing and promotional campaigns overseen by nonprofit organizations promoting tourist destinations, this federal funding allows the Colorado Tourism Office to focus on two areas important to pandemic recovery in tourism destinations: providing the Tourism Marketing Recovery Grant directly to the communities still recovering and attracting high-value international tourists back to Colorado. In October, VISIT DENVER was awarded a $500,000 grant to improve international marketing in 2023 and 2024.
The Michelin program will give VISIT DENVER an expanded platform to market its culinary scene to domestic and international visitors, as well as meeting planners and attendees.
The Downtown Denver Partnership’s retail strategy for the 16th Street Mall could provide a big boost to the area’s shopping amenities.
Denver’s overall mild climate could be an asset in coming years when compared to other parts of the west where extreme heat is becoming more regular.
Denver and Colorado’s central role in vital water issues in the U.S., and particularly the west, could create opportunities for hosting new conferences and businesses related to this critical topic.
THREATS
The impact of COVID on the global tourism and meeting industries cannot be overstated, and while a rebound is certainly underway, continued uncertainty due to the possibility of future variants will remain a threat in the coming years.
The short- and medium-term prospects of a recession/economic downturn could negatively impact tourism in all markets. The recession is expected to be mild and short, and the impacts on the industry is widely expected to be minor, but the prospect alone is enough to be cautious.
The entire hospitality industry is struggling to fill open positions. Prior to COVID, the industry’s workforce issues were a result of historically low unemployment rates, coupled with a relatively weak perception of the industry as a long-term career choice. What has emerged during the pandemic are a host of headwinds that combine to make it difficult to find qualified workers, including competitiveness with other industries, reputational issues with the leisure & hospitality sector, health and safety concerns, childcare issues and affordable housing
University-level leisure & hospitality programs are experiencing lower enrollment across the country, which could lead to future issues in filling key industry workforce roles.
Work-from-home policies have led to a slower-than-expected return of the downtown Denver workforce, which has contributed to the shutting of many downtown businesses that serve this market, including food service and retail. VISIT DENVER is part of several initiatives with the City, local businesses and related agencies like Downtown Denver Partnership to try and address these issues on multiple fronts.
The 1,500-room Gaylord Rockies in Aurora is a top source of lost business for Denver over the long term.
New hotel supply coming online in the metro area will slow the pace of recovery, especially
in the meeting and convention sector.
Perceptions of the impacts of construction and traffic congestion, by both locals and visitors, could negatively impact the city’s appeal
Despite some gains, there are continued safety issues on and near the 16th Street Mall that create an ongoing possibility for negative press, as well as the potential for lost business as more high-profile incidents become public.
Once frequently cited by U.S. News as a top place to live (#14 last year), Denver’s ranking slid to #99 this year in large part due to the lack of affordable housing, a statistic that could cast the city in an unfavorable light. Other issues cited include crime, long commutes and air quality.
Increased competition exists from a variety of traditional web, mobile and social media sources within both the leisure and meetings outlets.
Online booking options enable meeting delegates to easily find lower rates and book outside the block, and new options like short-term rentals further erode hotel room blocks
Ongoing competition from third-party travel and meeting planning websites challenges the relevance of DMOs.
There is always potential for new local, statewide or national legislation or ballot initiatives that could have a negative impact on tourism.
Denver residents’ frustration with growth and traffic could be transferred to anti-tourism feelings, leading to a reduction in local and state tourism marketing dollars.
VISIT DENVER’s success is tied to measurement programs that may not truly reflect business. Convention room blocks are decreasing due to delegates booking outside the block, so attendee counts and room nights booked are frequently lower than actual numbers. New measurements may be needed to accurately provide a picture of tourism business in the 21st century.
Climate changes in general, and worsening fire conditions across the west in particular, could make wildfires and wildfire-related poor air quality conditions a more frequent issue for the state as a whole and Denver in particular.
Meow Wolf, which opened as a successful Convergence Station in 2021, announced the opening of two locations in Texas in coming years, which may reduce the attraction’s regional appeal.
VISIT DENVER: Positioning & Messaging
Denver’s appeal rests on a strong brand foundation that combines outdoor adventure and urban amenities. This section will explore how the current brand positioning was developed, and how it will be deployed in 2024 and beyond.
Denver Brand Positioning & Brand Pillars
VISIT DENVER regularly conducts brand awareness research to gauge the current perceptions of the Denver brand in key regional and target markets.
The 2023 research was conducted by Denver-based BrandJuice, the same firm that conducted earlier studies in 2005 and 2013 from which the previous brand positioning was derived, providing continuity for the development of Denver’s brand.
The research showed a significant expansion of positive brand attributes, as well as some unexpected findings, which has provided the basis for VISIT DENVER’s campaigns for 2024 and beyond
In conducting post-COVID-era research, it became clear that, while travel continued to be a very sought-after activity, the reasons for doing so shifted fairly dramatically as people looked to meet up with loved ones to a much higher degree than pre-COVID. Rather than escape or adventure as primary motivators, travel in 2023 was defined by the idea of reconnecting, and to do so in new places.
Campaigns that will be implemented in 2024 will take advantage of this trend, as well as the trend to make Denver generally more welcoming and inclusive, by continuing the current tagline, “All Ways Welcome.” The line lives on two levels: describing the wide variety of activities in the Denver area, while also signaling to travelers of all types that they will find a warm welcome here.
Brand Highlights:
A strong correlation exists between Denver and the Rocky Mountains in the minds of many respondents, often referred to as “Denver’s Duality. ” The single most important icon for Denver is the Rocky Mountains; the city and its mountain backdrop are inextricably linked.
Denver’s urban qualities were put into a new perspective, with particular emphasis on the previous use of the phrase, “urban adventures,” which was somewhat off-putting and not believable, particularly among long-haul audiences and residents of larger cities like New York and Los Angeles.
Denver’s welcoming and open-minded spirit was reinforced as a key brand differentiator.
Denver’s western history was highlighted, but also brought into current times with qualities of entrepreneurship and collaboration.
Brand Positioning
Uplifting by Nature
Denver is a vibrant outdoor city at the base of the Rocky Mountains with natural energy that heightens every moment.
Known for crisp mountain air, sunshine and expansive blue skies, it’s a des�na�on of discovery that thrives in the beauty of every season offering an escape that upli�s and invigorates travelers with every visit.
Brand Pillars
1. Vibrant, contemporary atmosphere with an open-minded community that embraces visitors
2. 300+ days of sunshine to enjoy panoramic natural beauty and the allure of every season
3. Exciting array of attractions and activities for visitors of all ages (arts, culture, shopping)
4. Creative, contemporary dining scene (including fine dining, “foodie” hangouts, craft breweries, cocktail lounges and urban wineries)
5. Walkable, safe environment that encourages exploration and discovery of eclectic neighborhoods
6. Outdoor activities and adventures, both in the city and the nearby mountain playground
7. Welcoming city for family-friendly fun, providing a variety of opportunities for education and play
8. Dynamic destination for all types of events and entertainment in one-of-a-kind venues
Key Research Findings
DIFFERENTIATING DRAW
Travelers who have been to Denver agree that there are a combination of factors that make the city great, but they struggle to articulate one singular selling point.
Defining clear differentiation from this kaleidoscope of elements can ensure Denver’s appeal as a standout destination is more immediately recognized and understood.
DENVER’S DUALITY PERSISTS
Denver is “the best of both worlds,” offering the amenities of the city with the outdoor setting of a mountain town.
While the idea of an “Outdoor City” resonates, more can be done to define what it means to get outdoors within city limits.
365 DAYS OF DENVER
Denver’s 300 days of sun are a surprise to travelers who often associate the city with winter.
To sway winter-weary travelers, the brand should explore interesting ways to position the city as a year-round destination.
AFFORDABILITY ATTRACTS
The rising cost of living and proximity to expensive resorts has created a perception that Denver is an expensive destination, but visitors don’t find this to be true.
In terms of cost, the brand must show the value it offers to help attract new visitors.
AMBIGUITY OF URBAN ADVENTURE
Travelers, at best, believe the phrase “Urban Adventure” makes sense paired with “Outdoor City” but, at worst, don’t believe it is a true (or desirable) description of Denver compared to other cities.
Removing “Urban Adventure” from the strategy is the first step to repositioning Denver as a destination.
CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY
To deliver on travelers’ desires to experience new places and different cultures in a unique way, the brand should consider leaning into the spirit of Denver’s wild west roots to create an authentic sense of local culture within the city.
ATTRACTIONS FOR ALL AGES
Former Denver visitors believe that the city has something for everyone while those unfamiliar think of it as an adult-only destination.
To deliver on Denver being a destination for groups of all ages, the brand pillars and messaging should reference more family-friendly attractions.
EVENTS KNOW NO BOUNDARIES
Red Rocks and four major sports teams make Denver an event destination for both regional and national travelers to get away for a long weekend.
The brand should further leverage the appeal of Denver’s events to attract travelers from across markets and spur repeat visits.
Tourism Campaigns and Messaging
Attracting tourists to visit Denver for their vacation – whether as a stand-alone Denver trip or as part of a larger Colorado visit – requires a combination of tactics. Regardless of whether the visitor is from a long-haul target market (Chicago, New York or Los Angeles), a regional market (Phoenix, Cheyenne or Albuquerque) or international markets, the decision to come to Denver begins with the city’s brand appeal.
Visitors may make their final decision to come to Denver based on a variety of factors, including short-term exhibitions, special events or the use of Denver as a base for day trips, but the choice to spend time in the city depends first and foremost on the emotional appeal created by exposure to Denver’s brand.
As the brand research study confirmed, Denver’s appeal as an active, vibrant outdoor city drives interest to visit, and likely precedes investigation of specific things to do.
Post-COVID, the Bureau will expand its advertising focus well beyond historical spring/summer and winter holiday periods. The year-round popularity of the city, combined with an evergrowing list of festivals, events, exhibitions and performances throughout the year, allows marketing campaigns to promote the city 12 months a year. All campaigns have the same goal: to bring more visitors to Denver. Specific tactics and markets change with the individual campaign. Here is a summary of 2023 national and regional campaigns, which are discussed in more detail in the Tourism section of this report.
Always-on Regional
o Geographic focus: Colorado (excluding Denver metro) and regional markets
o Main goal: retail, based on availability of events, exhibitions and performances
o Timing: February - October
Spring/Summer
o Geographic focus: large target markets (Chicago, New York and Los Angeles) with smaller test markets (Atlanta, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston and others), national overlay
o Main goal: create inspiration through branding; encourage further research
o Timing: April - August
Mile High Holidays
o Geographic focus: Colorado (including Denver metro) and regional markets
o Main goal: retail, based on availability of events, exhibitions and performances related to winter holidays including the Mile High Tree
o Timing: November - December
Basecamp Denver
o Geographic focus: National; audience is behavioral as well as geographic, focusing on interest in outdoor activities
o Main goal: establish Denver as a home base that visitors can use to explore everything Colorado has to offer, but to continue to stay overnight in the city
o Timing: January-March, October-December
Of the campaigns above, the spring/summer campaign is normally the largest in terms of budget and reach; has traditionally been responsible for driving new business to the city; and is designed to deliver on brand attributes, create inspiration and encourage further research.
Convention Messaging
In 2017, VISIT DENVER staff and agency, along with feedback from the Customer Advisory Board, developed a new convention brand: “Different on Purpose.”
It speaks to the way the city delivers a unique experience, both for the planners working with VISIT DENVER and their attendees.
The brand is supported by three core pillars:
People: The friendliness, professionalism, and uniqueness of Denver’s engaged population. This extends beyond the usual service experiences into unexpected places (e.g. neighborhoods) and with unexpected people, namely Denver’s colorful residents and the “makers” of the city who are creating hand-crafted, quality products and services.
Place: The way the city welcomes guests and makes them feel immediately at home. While this occurs in many core places downtown, it also shows in Denver’s diverse neighborhoods and unexpected places.
Partnership: The way planners have come to see VISIT DENVER as a trusted resource and a premier destination marketing organization, one that is committed to client success and willing to go to great lengths to ensure an unmatched meeting experience.
Campaigns targeted to the conventions market are described in more detail in the Conventions Situation Analysis section of this report.
Denver’s Meeting Appeal
Many meeting planners consider Denver to be a top-tier convention city because it has the functional attributes they need: excellent meeting facilities and hotels, good accessibility and affordability, service and safety.
Knowing that, the sales team can consistently communicate those details, the goal of the convention marketing efforts towards meeting professionals – and the decision makers within their organizations – is to focus on Denver’s attributes as an exciting city that offers destination appeal.
In the convention market, studies show that “destination appeal” and the ability to attract attendees are some of the most important factors meeting professionals consider when choosing a destination. Furthermore, busy meeting professionals have limited time to receive destination updates, so the convention marketing strategy, brand and tactics have been retooled to deliver destination updates in ways that clients are asking for: short, informative, visually interesting and, often, delivered digitally or in unique offline ways.
Therefore, Denver’s advertising messages in the convention market strive to establish an emotional connection with the customer. The city’s “functional meeting attributes” are reinforced, especially in interactions with salespeople and in collateral; however, it is critical to create a balance between emotional appeal and functional attributes.
The following pillars are used to support the Denver Convention advertising campaign:
Accessibility
Affordability
Meeting Facilities
Hotel Packages
Service
Sustainability Destination Appeal/Safety
The conventions message also has a campaign dedicated to the expansion of the Colorado Convention Center.
Denver: Awards & Accolades
We are a SOUGHT-AFTER DESTINATION: Travelocity cited Denver as one of the top five most popular family vaca�on des�na�ons for spring and summer travel and TODAY echoed the sen�ment, declaring Denver in the top five sought-a�er des�na�ons from July through September in June 2023. Travel + Leisure proclaimed Denver among the “The 18 Cheapest Places to Travel in 2023.” We also can’t forget TravelPulse named Denver one of the top “3 Best U.S. Des�na�ons for 2022” thanks to our metropolitan offerings – from fine dining to cultural experiences – as well as our 300 annual days of sunshine and proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Addi�onally, the Colorado Division of Aeronau�cs Awards Program named Denver Interna�onal Airport (DEN) the 2023 Colorado Airport of the Year as one of the busiest airports in the world with over 69 million passengers traveling through the airport in 2022.
We are CULTURED AND CREATIVE: With a robust arts and culture scene, Denver is earning more acclaim as a des�na�on for the arts. In December 2022, Clever ranked Denver among the top 20 best ci�es in America for its unique culture and iden�ty. Esteemed architecture also makes Denver stand out as a des�na�on with loca�ons like Union Sta�on, which was ranked No. 9 by Time Out’s list of "The 21 most beau�ful train sta�ons in the U.S." in April 2023. Denver also ranked No. 10 in the 2023 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best City for Street Art in June 2023. Denver con�nues to be a top loca�on for musicians and music lovers with hundreds of venues across the city. The iconic Rolling Stone Magazine noted Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre as the No. 1 "Hotest Music Venue in the Country” in April 2023.
We are a CONVENTION CITY: With four hotels on Cvent’s Top 100 Mee�ng Hotels list and more than 14,000 hotel rooms downtown, Denver is a top �er conven�on city. Cvent also ranked Denver No. 10 in the “Top 50 Mee�ng Des�na�ons in North America” in 2023, no�ng the des�na�on as a top choice for event planners worldwide. Mee�ngSource.com con�nues to rank Denver among the “Top 25 Conven�on Ci�es in the USA” based on walkability, affordability, tourism appeal, ease of access, weather and safety.
We are a SPORTS CAPITAL: Denver is home to six professional sports teams and countless personal spor�ng and recrea�on opportuni�es. Following the success of The Colorado Avalanche in 2022 winning the NHL Stanley Cup, The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA Final in 2023 led by Nikola Jokić. Denver was a proud host of rounds one and two of the 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament, the 2023 Na�onal Cycling League Cup Series, the USGA U.S. Amateur Championship, the 2023 USGAA Finals and more.
We are HEALTHY & FIT: Denver is commonly known for its healthy mindset and exercise culture, and The Mile High City consistently earns high rankings as a top healthy city due, in part, to its temperate climate as well as the city’s loca�on with easy access to all the recrea�onal fun of the Rocky Mountains. Rocket Mortgage named Denver the eighth least stressed city in the U.S. in
August 2022, ci�ng the city's abundance of outdoor spaces, wellness establishments and mental health providers. Similarly, the American College of Sports Medicine ranked Denver No. 9 on their 2023 American Fitness Index.
In January 2023, WalletHub ranked Denver among the top 10 U.S. ci�es for ac�ve lifestyles as well. A study from the Bankers Life Center for a Secure Re�rement also noted Denver as the third best city in America for a healthy re�rement. With extensive miles of paved urban bike trails, metro Denver is a haven for cycling enthusiasts. Any�meEs�mate.com ranked Denver No. 6 on its “most bike-friendly” list because of the number of bike trails and bike shops per capita in The Mile High City. LawnStarter put Denver at No. 7 on its “Best Biking Ci�es in the U.S.” list for similar reasons, but also factored in bike meetups, weather and more.
We are a CULINARY DESTINATION:
Domes�c and interna�onal travelers can find top culinary spots in Denver. In June 2023, The MICHELIN Guide made Denver and Colorado its newest des�na�on. Colorado will be North America’s eighth Guide des�na�on. In addi�on to stars, MICHELIN Guide also awards restaurants The Bib Gourmand award. In the U.S., a three-course meal at a Bib Gourmand restaurant must be under $50. State selec�ons will be made later in 2023.
Colorado as a state is among the top 10 in breweries per capita and one of the top five states with the most cra� dis�lleries. In 2021, Esquire named Colorado, “one of the foremost states when it comes to cra� whiskey,” ci�ng two Denver dis�lleries, Stranahan’s and Leopold Bros., as top op�ons (even naming the later its No. 8 dis�llery in the country). This sen�ment was echoed by Travel + Leisure, which ranked Leopold Bros. sixth in the country.
We love our ENVIRONMENT: From priori�zing green spaces to encouraging the use of electric vehicles and alternate fuel sources, The Mile High City does its part for the planet. Denver ranked No. 1 on Architectural Digest's 2023 list of the “Top 50 Most Climate Resilient Ci�es” due to factors including fewer threats of extreme weather damage and city-level ini�a�ves to support clean energy Denver is the only U.S. city included on Na�onal Geographic’s list of “Eight Sustainable Des�na�ons for 2021 and beyond,” thanks to the city’s goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by the end of 2023, and 125 miles of new bike lanes and solar gardens planned throughout the city. Online insurance marketplace Policygenius echoed this sen�ment, naming Denver as the tenth-best city to live in by 2050 for climate change. Denver’s climate and mindset are conducive to enjoying the great outdoors, whether hiking, biking, running or walking. In August 2023, Denver Interna�onal Airport’s (DIA) fleet opera�ons was recognized for its sustainable management as the number three fleet in North America by the Na�onal Associa�on of Fleet Administrators (NAFA). The annual ranking recognizes peakperforming opera�ons and honors enhanced prac�ces making a posi�ve impact on the environment and improvements within the fleet industry.
We are WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE: As the largest city in a 600-mile radius, Denver atracts members of the LGBTQ+ community from all over the West and the world, resul�ng in a wellestablished gay nightlife, welcoming gay neighborhoods, gay-friendly hotels and numerous annual events that draw huge crowds. The 2023 State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index released by Out Leadership, the premier global LGBTQ+ organiza�on harnessing the power of business to drive equality, recognized Colorado in the Top 5 States for LGBTQ+ Equality. LawnStarter ranked Denver No. 4 in their list of 2023’s Most LGBTQ-Friendly Ci�es, no�ng Denver’s scores related to equality, community support, affordability, health care access and Pride-Readiness for the LGBTQ+ community.
Convention Sales: Situation Analysis
2023 A Year of Continued Recovery & Growth
Over the last 25 years, Denver has made major investments in infrastructure, resulting in a city that offers everything meeting planners are looking for in a convention destination: easy accessibility, outstanding facilities and affordability, all in an urban environment that is safe, walkable and provides exceptional service and destination appeal.
According to several internal metrics from VISIT DENVER’s 114-year history, 2019 was a banner year for definite room nights booked, meetings hosted and attendance and has remained a benchmark year for 2023 in addition to year-over-year analysis. Therefore, the team currently blends 2018, 2019 and 2022 as a 2023 performance measurement.
Look Back
In 2022, both the Delta and Omicron variants significantly halted recovery and made for a very slow first quarter. Recovery only began in earnest midway through the second quarter of 2022 and continued to be “hit or miss” in the second half of that year. Small- to mid-size groups continued to meet, but citywide business remained significantly off from 2019 levels.
Much of 2022 was plagued with a continued disconnect between planners and attendees. Attendance at large citywide meetings continued to be negatively impacted. Supply chain issues, the economy and inflation concerns were all affecting attendance figures. On the corporate side, many companies have not brought their workforce back into the office on a consistent basis, making travel for meetings and conventions a challenge.
VISIT DENVER and other major convention cities saw convention center clients holding back on booking their largest meetings out into the future. Not knowing how fast their attendance would recover made them pause on what would have been more traditional bookings 4-8 years out. More specifically, on average, the VISIT DENVER team books 27 groups representing more than 338,000 room nights that will be meeting at the Colorado Convention Center four years and beyond from the current booking year. As illustrated in the chart below, COVID and postCOVID convention center future bookings four years and beyond dropped considerably, impacting the long-term consumption pace. Using the average as a benchmark, from 2020 to 2022, nearly 600,000 room nights for the center were not booked due to the uncertainty of the health and safety factors, travel restrictions and the economy. Average bookings 4+ years out
Number of conven�on center bookings 27 24 10 10 14
Even with the delay by planners to commit to future bookings, VISIT DENVER continues to stay on pace as illustrated below.
On another positive note, as 2022 vs. 2019 group occupancy ended the year down 20.9 percent and down 25.9 percent in Denver and downtown respectively, Lodger’s Tax revenue hit an alltime high due strong leisure demand, strong ADR for transient and group rooms and a 5.6 percent increase in new hotel supply.
2023
2023 started off strong compared to the devasting first quarter of 2022. As of July 2023, occupancy in Denver was down 7.1 percent versus 2019 but offset by a 13.3 percent increase in ADR and 7.2 percent growth in room supply. Denver’s revenue per available room (RevPAR) is up 5.3 percent over 2019.
According to CoStar, through July, group occupancy is still down 17.7 percent in Denver over 2019, but rate is up 12.6 percent. Hoteliers, data experts and planners all agree that demand for meetings and events at hotels has surged in recent months, though it's not even across hotel types or group sizes.
STR research is also showing that Denver’s group market continues to grow each month, exceeding 2022 but still lagging 2019.
City & County of Denver
Business travel has slowly been seeing an uptick between Monday and Wednesday, and the leisure segment is seeing occupancy and rate decline as the industry settles into a new norm with more traditional growth rates. Denver and other cities are seeing corporate meeting and event planners right sizing their hotel program for their business travelers to accommodate the shift in travel patterns and are also downgrading their purchases away from luxury hotels.
Convention center group business has been strong in early 2023; however, attendance and spending are still tracking about 80-85 percent of 2019. This is consistent with Oxford Economics’ July group benchmark forecast as seen below. Baseline against the April forecast is slightly stronger in 2023 and weaker in 2024 and future years. The downside assumes a combination of factors, such as lower attendance levels, weaker economy and greater hesitancy to plan group events resulting in a slower demand recovery.
VISIT DENVER and several other sponsoring destinations have participated in MMGY’s Portrait of U.S. Meeting and Convention Travel quarterly research since early 2021 to track these trends. The most recent round of research (December 2022) continues to show that planners are unchanged in their belief in the importance of meeting in-person. When asked to consider time and money well spent, how important do they believe it is for attendees to meet in person with other attendees as part of the meetings/conferences/conventions they attend?
This next chart also shows that planners do not find the option of cloud-connected meetings appealing, and over half think it unlikely they will plan such a meeting in the next two years.
Sales Team Production (Leads, Lead Room Nights and Definites)
2023 sales efforts started out extremely strong in all markets. Leads and room nights for smalland mid-size meetings that are held in hotels are strong and very short term. Convention center users have right sized and, throughout 2023, have been looking to book long-term future dates.
Definites Booked
Lead Room Nights
Meeting Indicators
In 2023 the sales team has resumed 2019-level activities with the number of groups and sites compared to 2019.
Number of Groups 2023 vs. 2019
Site Tours Through Q2 2023
Mee�ng and Event Incen�ve Program
On July 1, 2021, the State of Colorado kicked off an incentive program for meetings and events. The program provides a 10 percent cash rebate against eligible hard costs for hosting meetings and events in Colorado. Initially, the meetings had to take place from July 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022; however, in March 2022 the deadline extended to June 30, 2024. The
minimum rebate is $3,500, and the maximum rebate is $100,000. The program’s goal is to increase tourism recovery by incentivizing meeting and event planners to book new meetings and events in Colorado, rather than in a competing state.
This has been a great tool for the sales team to use to encourage more business for Denver and Colorado. As of July 31, the program has received 559 submitted applications. 322 applications have been approved for a total of $6,915,686 in cash rebates. Thus far, Denver has received the highest number of cash rebates with 129 clients awarded funds. VISIT DENVER now receives monthly updates from the State, so the team can monitor the funds being allocated and encourage more participation in the application process.
Destination Product
Meeting planners typically make decisions about destinations based on the following criteria: accessibility, facilities, affordability, safety, service, and destination appeal. The destination product and experience are key in keeping Denver competitive. Each year, VISIT DENVER’s sales team books meetings worth more than $600M of future economic impact for the city and for partners. Denver has quickly grown to become one of the top convention destinations in the country, combining all these key attributes that meeting planners desire.
Also, for more than 20 years VISIT DENVER has participated in a biennial nationwide survey (Evidenz) along with the top 40 cities and nearly 500 top meeting professionals. The most recent Evidenz study shows how Denver tops meeting planner lists in a number of key attributes.
About the 2022 Meeting Planner Study:
459 Meeting Planners (MPs) in North America answered the 2022 Study o 322 Corporate/Association/Other Planners
137 Independent Meeting Planners
85 percent of MPs have been a meeting planner for 10 or more years
60 percent of MPs commit to space and sign a contract for space for their largest meeting three or more years in advance
Denver Results
City overall perception (based on key selection factors like hotels, safety, accessibility, convention facilities, city appeal, etc.): Denver ranks #1 for top 40 U.S. cities!
City they are already contracted with: Denver ranks #1 for top 40 U.S. cities!
City that’s the best fit for their largest meetings: Denver ranks #1 for top 40 U.S. cities!
Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) that have made a proposal (formally or informally in the past 12 months): Denver ranks #1 for top 40 U.S. cities!
City most talked about: Denver ranks #3 for top 40 U.S. cities.
City that planners would meet in again: Denver ranks #3 for top 40 U.S. cities.
City that planners would recommend to others: Denver ranks #5 for top 40 U.S. cities.
Convention Center Index (CCi)
For planners of large events trying to help their organizations make smarter choices in this environment, the CCi is an important tool for understanding how these major markets are performing. The CCi uses an in-depth methodology and weighted ranking system to determine the top 25 U.S. cities and top 25 global destinations for hosting large events. Each city is evaluated across six categories: available exhibit space, total hotel, rooms, average hotel cost, travel time from the nearest international airport to the convention center, the number of direct monthly flights and the city’s overall safety level. CCi data is updated twice a year, with a fully refreshed index published each June and an interim report released in January.
Denver ranks 7th in the report out of 22 major meeting destinations.
In addition, VISIT DENVER contracts with 2Synergize, a Simpleview consulting company, to conduct a Destination Attractiveness Mathematical Market Metrics (DAMMM) which is a statistical method, multivariate regression analysis, that holds ‘convention room nights’ as the dependent variable and all 40+ of the attractor variables as the independent variables.
There are 20 Destination Attractiveness variables included in this analysis:
1. Total Convention Hotel Rooms
2. Total Hotel Rooms
3. Largest Convention Exhibit Space
4. Total Hotel Rooms w/in 1 Mile of Convention Ctr
The higher the percentile the better the ranking; however, with Average Daily Rate and Occupancy it is inverted, so the assumption is the higher the occupancy and rate the more difficult it is for the meeting planner to book Denver.
Denver ranks high except for violent crime around the center and property crime around the center.
The analysis is done for Denver’s Competitive Set of the following cities:
Las Vegas Dallas Anaheim Nashville
Salt Lake City Houston Los Angeles Atlanta
Phoenix Austin Chicago Orlando
Seattle San Diego New Orleans Washington, D.C.
San Antonio San Francisco Indianapolis Philadelphia
Denver ranks firmly in the middle of the pack for destination product when compared to 20 of its competitive set, and again is disappointedly at the bottom for crime around the center. This has been an ongoing concern and issue and will be discussed later in the section.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a key component to convention success.
Denver International Airport continues to be a bright spot for the city when attracting leisure visitors and for meetings and conventions. Airports Council International (ACI) has released year to date April 2023 worldwide passenger traffic. DEN ranks as the 3rd busiest airport in the U.S. and the 7th busiest airport in the world. London/Heathrow jumped from No. 7 to No. 5, dropping DEN to No. 7. DEN’s position will likely change in the coming months as fewer than one million passengers separate the No. 5 spot from the No. 9 spot. Denver’s passenger traffic in May 2023 increased 9.2 percent as compared to May 2019. May 2023 ranks as DEN’s busiest May on record and second busiest month ever. For April 2023, Denver ranked third among peer airports in terms of passenger recovery vs. April 2019, lagging only Austin (AUS) and Nashville (BNA). Meeting planners find the number of nonstop destinations served by DEN a real benefit for their attendees, which as of July total 210.
As more and more international countries reopen their routes, it is expected that DEN will continue to drop in busiest airport in the world but continue its tradition of being in the top 5 busiest airports in the U.S.
Unfortunately, throughout 2023 there have been major issues with cost to fly, few flights and delays and cancellations. This will impact the number of attendees who are considering attending a meeting and convention. According to Longwood/Miles Travel Sentiment Study, cost and delays and cancellations might reduce likelihood of travel by 34 percent and 25 percent respectively.
Facilities
Denver has always had a strong roster of facilities conducive for meetings and conventions. Hotel development continued with the 2022 opening of the Hyatt Centric, The Thompson, The Slate and Vib Denver as well as the 153-room Cambria and 18-room Urban Cowboy in 2023. This new inventory adds to downtown Denver’s more than 12,000 total rooms; however, these new limited service/boutique properties have limited meeting space to create new demand. The last meeting hotel built in downtown Denver was the Embassy Suites in 2010. The lack of meeting hotels puts additional pressure on the convention center to perform.
New hotel product continues to be added to Denver’s supply, and Denver has been a leader in U.S. supply percentage growth for the last decade. The chart below shows what the new market pipeline looked like as of June 2023.
One of the greatest concerns within the hotel community continues to be the lack of adequate workforce. Many hotels are not at 2019 staffing levels, while occupancy continues to get close to 2019 levels. New supply continues to exacerbate the workforce challenges facing Denver. Currently, hotels are struggling to fill positions, with many prospective employees demanding more flexibility as it relates to working from home. This presents a unique challenge for hotels as they are still struggling operationally, and having staff working from home is simply not realistic in most cases. The industry continues to face a branding issue, which also makes hiring difficult. Clients are also expecting continued leniency with contracting, many requiring no cancellation and/or attrition when securing a future year. Hotels are also having to re-evaluate their rooms-to-space ratio policies, since groups need more space, but are not willing to contract more rooms due to continued uncertainty, travel restrictions and health protocols.
For nearly a decade Denver has been in the top six for supply growth. The updated chart below shows that Denver is still in the top 10 for supply growth for the next 5 years (2023 to 2028). This will continue to present competition and workforce challenges as the occupancy has not yet recovered to 2019 percentages.
Source: VISIT DENVER CoStar
Meeting Venues
Having unique venues for conventions and meetings is more important than ever. According to MMGY’s most recent U.S. Portrait of Meeting and Convention Travel research, attendees are looking for unique venues to replace the more standard meeting experience. The chart below shows that attendees find a unique venue much more appealing than they did pre-pandemic.
Planners are finding “venues that are truly unique to a destination” and “hotels & resort ballrooms and conference facilities” much more appealing now versus prior to the pandemic. Denver will have a competitive advantage on two fronts: the new expansion with its 150-mile views of the Rocky Mountains is uniquely branded and appealing, and Denver has an abundance of sports venues and unique offsite venues like Meow Wolf, the National Western Center and Red Rocks Amphitheater to name a few.
Colorado Convention Center Expansion
The expansion of the Colorado Convention Center (CCC) remains on track. Voters approved the project in 2015. The project was made possible by $104 million approved by Denver voters in 2015 and $129 million in Certificates of Participation issued in 2019 with repayment of the COPs derived from Tourism Improvement District revenues. Those revenues are a portion of the seat tax and excess revenues from the convention center hotel.
In July 2020, the City of Denver selected Hensel Phelps and TVS Design as the design/build team for the project. Denver City Council approved the contract in fall 2020. Construction started in June 2021, and a “Raise the Roof” kick-off ceremony and press conference took place in September 2021. On June 23, 2023, Mayor Hancock and City officials highlighted the progress of the $233-million expansion projects, surrounded by City workers, representatives from VISIT DENVER, Hansel Phelps Construction, and members of the local media. The expansion will be completed in December 2023.
VISIT DENVER is working closely with Denver Office of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) and the contracted team to minimize the impact on existing business, while also continuing to book new business. Throughout 2023, the focus was on successfully executing meetings, as well as minimizing any expansion impacts. The customer experience has been top-of-mind as the sales and services teams continue to navigate changing meeting norms and a building under construction.
The key features of the expansion are as follows:
Multi-function Bluebird Ballroom Space
o The signature feature of the expansion is an 80,000-square-foot, column-free multifunction space that includes 19 subdivisions of varying sizes. In its full configuration, the room can host more than 7,500 attendees for a general session or 4,600 guests for a catered event. The space includes 30-foot-high ceilings and rigging point accommodation at 30-foot centers across the entirety of the room.
Pre-function Concourse
o The new wrap-around, pre-function concourse, which features dramatic views of the Rocky Mountains, is conveniently accessible via the center’s existing street-level lobbies. Generously sized at 35,000 square feet, this beautiful space offers a variety of seating options for networking between sessions, as well as registration or refreshments.
Rooftop
Terrace
o The 20,000 square-foot rooftop terrace features spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains to the north and west and stunning views of Denver’s skyline to the east. Huge accordion-style doors connect the terrace to the pre-function space and will allow for seamless indoor/outdoor events.
Crime and Public Safety
Due to the COVID impacts, Denver’s visitor products like restaurants and retail continue to slowly return to the city center. However, vacant storefronts remain in the downtown core, and there are increased incidents of crime in the central business district, which are a concern for the meetings industry since safety is a top priority among meeting planners. The following charts from MMGY research, recently commissioned by several DMOs throughout the U.S., show how the levels of crime and perceptions of safety are impacting decisions for both meeting planners and attendees. Concerns regarding the defunding of police have diminished, but overall safety concerns remain top of mind for meeting planners. The order of public safety issues has remained consistent over the 8 quarters of asking the question: When selecting a destination to host a meeting, conference, or convention, to what extent does each of the following public safety (non-COVID) issues impact your decisions.
Source: December 2022, MMGY
Aggressive panhandling, safety and cleanliness continue to be the top complaints by meeting organizers who have met, or are considering meeting, in Denver. Constrained by these complex issues, Denver was keenly aware of the growing competition for convention dollars and the threat to the city's reputation as a desirable destination. In response to these concerns, former Mayor Hancock launched a comprehensive safety plan in early 2022, focusing on the following areas: preventing crime and improving policing, addressing the proliferation of illegal guns, behavioral health and alternatives to police response, police recruitment and retention and state partnerships.
Then in October of 2022, Mayor Hancock and Downtown Denver Partnership announced that they were deploying additional resources to address everything from trash and graffiti to panhandling and threatening behavior. In addition, the City made unprecedented investments in addiction treatment and recovery, mental health services, homeless housing and law enforcement. The intent was to send a clear message to the community that if you see something, say something.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER hired two pair of off-duty police officers for every convention at the convention center. In addition, VISIT DENVER contracted with DDP to add two more safety ambassadors for two eight-hour shifts per day to be deployed in the 10-block region around the convention center. VISIT DENVER understood that by adding police, they might risk a perception that there really is something wrong but felt that it was the right thing to do. In
addition, VISIT DENVER launched a program that connected hotels with the Denver Police Department and DDP via radio; currently there are 21 properties participating in this free program. These overarching plans have helped address some of the many concerns from meeting planners, visitors and residents alike, but there are still many issues in the central business district.
Another City initiative that launched in 2022 and continued in 2023 was a grant program providing incentives like free rent and décor allowances that encouraged small businesses to create pop-up shops in some of the vacant storefronts along the 16th Street Mall. This initiative helped to create a more visitor-friendly atmosphere while longer-term leases are negotiated; however, crime and 16th Street Mall construction negatively impacted many of the businesses that eventually closed.
As the conversations continue regarding crime, safety and civil unrest, many meeting planners are now requesting data on these topics in future RFPs.
Health & Safety
Post-COVID, VISIT DENVER realized that it was still important that some safety and cleanliness protocols should remain in place and, therefore, maintains the “clean and safe resource guide” located on VISITDENVER.com if it might aid concerned clients planning future meetings. There is also a “Know Before You Go” tailored to attendees that appears on all convention microsites. Meeting planners will continue to expect destinations to provide communication and responsiveness, destination updates with honest conversations, flexibility and understanding, and transparency regarding staffing levels. It remains important to be upfront about any continued impacts COVID is having on each destination.
During the height of COVID, many of the protocols were mandated by the city, state or federal government, while others were demanded by the meeting planners and attendees. Planners seem to want some cleanliness protocols but have minimized the need for mandated COVID protocols such as masks, testing and vaccinations.
Denver developed safety and cleanliness standards at facilities and secured ASM Venue Shield and GBAC certification for the Colorado Convention Center. ASM Global continues to maintain these practices and certification; these will extend to the newly expanded space, as well.
Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC)
o GBAC certification means that a venue has established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like COVID. The focus is on cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques and work practices to combat biohazards and infectious diseases.
ASM Global Venue Shield
o ASM Global manages the CCC, along with more than 300 other venues worldwide, and has developed the Venue Shield program. This comprehensive new protocol was developed in partnership with AECOM, the world’s premier infrastructure firm, and its international team is comprised of sports venue design, environmental hygiene and biocontainment experts. The Venue Shield program is being guided by scientific and medical research input from Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) and its interdisciplinary team of expert faculty and graduate medical students. Additionally, SERVPRO, the No. 1 choice in commercial cleaning and restoration services for more than 50 years, will serve as ASM Global’s primary partner in the implementation of the proactive viral pathogen cleaning process. The customized, in-depth workflows for venue re-occupancy include industrial disinfection and workforce safety initiatives, developed in accordance with international guidelines from the CDC, NHS, PHAA and WHO, among others.
Service
According to Longwoods/Miles Travel Sentiment Study, Wave 75, service continues to be topof-mind for conventions and meetings. With prices increasing significantly and lack of
workforce still being a huge challenge for the industry, visitor and planner expectations are shifting. The chart below shows service expectations for near-future travel.
This sentiment will continue to present a challenge for Denver, as recovery is on-going and hotels, restaurants and attractions work to achieve pre-COVID staffing levels. The Destination Services team has increased pressure to stay on top of staffing level challenges and any service interruptions at hotels. Due to staffing challenges, many hotels are only slowly opening their inhouse restaurants or have shortened their hours, and many have also eliminated room service. The Destination Services team works to manage expectations, while also holding a high bar for the overall experience that conventions and meetings have in Denver.
On a national level, the U.S. Travel Association is also working on this issue and will lead intentional efforts to address industry workforce challenges, including urging action from the Federal Government on admitting more temporary workers into the U.S., and partnering with Tourism Diversity Matters in taking the steps necessary to enable more diversity at all levels of the travel community. With no end in sight, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the National Restaurant Association are also making this a priority Locally, VISIT DENVER is working with CHLA and Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) to promote career opportunities within the travel and tourism industries.
Destination Appeal
The chart below shows the myriad factors impacting attendees’ decisions to attend meetings; some are within the control of the DMO, but many are not. Destination appeal ranks number one, and 2023 continued to be a tough year for the city in many respects; however, there are still many exciting projects underway that will help enhance destination appeal. Continued investment in infrastructure has been a huge bright spot for Denver’s future. Recent projects include the opening of Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, the expansion of the Denver Art Museum and the completion of the DEN gate expansion and progress on the Great Hall project. In 2023, there was continued progress on the National Western Center, and the 16th Street Mall refurbishment project is expected to be completed in 2025. The Colorado Convention Center will be completed by the end of 2023. Many of these factors are Denver’s strong suit;
however, public safety ranks 4th and has been a major issue over the last two years and discussed previously.
Hybrid/Virtual Meetings
In 2023, Denver saw a continued focus on personalization and the importance of in-person events but was more industry-specific. Many planners believe face-to-face interaction is the platform where attendees strike deals, forge relationships and generate ideas. The demand for face-to-face meetings and events continues to grow, with most respondents (85 percent) to MPI’s latest Meetings Outlook survey indicating favorable business conditions for the year ahead.
With so many people relying on video conferencing today, this technology, no doubt, will continue to evolve as we move into 2024. The opposing view to in-person meetings is seen by some employers who have recognized the savings on travel costs and the success of advanced videoconference platforms that supported their trade show and conference efforts during the pandemic.
Instead of targeting a few people with gated events, companies will open virtual and hybrid events to more attendees. This will target people at multiple points in the sales funnel. It is expected that in-person events will incorporate more digital touchpoints, supported by technology. This will allow event marketers and planners to capture more valuable insights on attendee behavior and interests to build more personalized attendee experiences.
The VISIT DENVER team is seeing more virtual events that happen after the in-person event. It appears that meeting planners are offering fewer synchronous hybrid meetings because of the costs and resources required to operate parallel in-person and virtual meetings at the same
time. For planners who offer virtual experiences, VISIT DENVER has developed resources that provide unique and engaging opportunities to infuse Denver into a virtual or hybrid event and maintains a directory of partners who can assist with all aspects of virtual or hybrid meetings.
CONSIDERATIONS/TRENDS FOR 2024 Workforce
Workforce continues to be a major challenge for Denver, as it is across the country, and is impacting the entire hospitality community. Many restaurants are unable to open to full capacity, and many hotels are unable to realize a full sell-out, both due to staffing shortages. Hotels and restaurants alike have hefty employment incentives in place, but to no avail.
Traveler research from Destination Analysts states that, during their travels, Americans are having more unsatisfactory travel experiences due to lack of workforce and service issues. Research is also showing an increase in expectations and that the traveler is running out of patience regarding negative impacts of workforce challenges on their experiences. The industry is discussing these issues at all levels, and VISIT DENVER is working to determine its role in helping to “move the needle” for this important aspect of Denver’s recovery.
Crime, Homelessness and Aggressive Panhandling
Denver's persistent challenges with crime, homelessness, and aggressive panhandling have not gone unnoticed by event planners and attendees. While recent collaborative initiatives by the city have made strides in addressing these issues, ongoing vigilance is necessary due to both real incidents and the broader perception. Throughout the sales process and event execution, VISIT DENVER takes a proactive approach to communicate the comprehensive safety measures in place within the convention corridor, encompassing off-duty officers, Ambassadors, the Clean and Safe app, and the hotel radio program. As demonstrated above, the safety of a destination continues to be a paramount factor when selecting a venue for meetings. Some clients even enlist third-party evaluators to assess the safety of a location prior to making a commitment to a destination. The concerns of homelessness and safety rank high on the agenda of Denver's newly elected Mayor, underscoring the need for sustained prioritization as we move into 2024.
The International Attendee
In recent years, increasing international attendance was an opportunity for most conventions. For most associations and global corporations, international attendance is vital to meeting success and long-term delegate growth. Prior to COVID, issues like terrorism, conflicts around the world, U.S. visa policies, tariffs and continued challenges with “Brexit-like” issues impacted the ability of every city in the United States to attract more international attendees. For more than two years, COVID has presented a brand-new challenge to luring this attendee to participate in meetings and conventions in the U.S.
While domestic visitation to Denver in 2021 nearly returned to 2019 levels, international travel lagged at a much slower pace of recovery, primarily due to international regulations regarding COVID testing and quarantine, and timing for airline carriers to resume flights that had stopped
operating since the beginning of the pandemic. Just like most of the visitation to Denver has been from U.S. cities, international convention attendees stayed close to home.
This situa�on changed June 12, 2022, when the U.S. finally li�ed the pre-departure tes�ng requirement for inbound air travelers. As of July 2023, most interna�onal flights that were in existence pre-pandemic resumed flying to Denver with addi�onal nonstop flights from United’s Munich and London-Heathrow. These developments opened the poten�al for progressive, but conserva�ve, growth of interna�onal atendees, a market that tradi�onally takes much longer to materialize due to the complexity of planning an interna�onal trip. According to Oxford Economics, Denver should exceed 2019 interna�onal travel numbers by 2024 and is forecas�ng 109 percent growth from 2022 to 2027 as seen below:
Source: Oxford Economics
Booking Outside the Block – Increased Supply & Lower Occupancy
Online hotel aggregator sites have negatively impacted room blocks, often making it easy for attendees to find lower rates outside of contracted group blocks. Travel costs and financial concerns exacerbate this behavior, and increasing supply coupled with lagging business travel demand will continue to impact blocks in 2024. In response to these realities, most citywide planners have been more conservative with their contracted hotel blocks; thus, the number of rooms contracted is no longer the single best way to evaluate the size and scope of a meeting opportunity for future years.
Home Share
In addition, the competition between hotels and home share has been strong within the meeting attendee audience. COVID created an opportunity for hotels to gain back some of that market share, as Destination Analysts research suggests that people feel more comfortable in a
hotel versus a home-share accommodation. Much of this is due to cleaning protocols that every hotel chain put into place to ensure guest safety. The competition between hotels and home share will continue, with lots of available supply and decision-making behaviors for meeting attendees driven by rate and location.
Through July 2023, Lodger’s Tax from short-term rentals was $8.15 million, which represents approximately 11.3 percent of total Lodger’s Tax collected. By comparison, through July 2022, the City had collected $6.3 million. Both the overall amount and percentage of total Lodger’s Tax con�nue to increase from 2022 levels, and 2022 surpassed the 2019 collec�ons by 7.5 percent
Home Share Lodger’s Tax Update
Competition
In the short term, the major meeting markets have relatively little availability due to rebooking COVID cancellations. However, as customers re-evaluate future meetings and destinations, it has become very competitive, and customers will be looking for deals after years of not meeting or meeting virtually.
Conven�on centers, both domes�cally and interna�onally, con�nue to expand and enhance their facili�es, making the mee�ngs industry increasingly compe��ve. Currently there are 17 conven�on center projects around the country and many of them are in Denver compe��ve set. Those who have recently expanded or are undergoing expansions include Aus�n, Seatle, San Antonio, New Orleans, Dallas, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Boston.
Some of the challenges today include:
Assurances about attendee safety will now play a major role in destination selection. There will also be a request for increased flexibility on things like food and beverage minimums, attrition and other performance metrics associated with meeting success.
With many cities trying to close pace deficits in future years, competition remains fierce from both tier one and tier two convention destinations. Also, across the United States, several cities are expanding or enhancing their convention centers.
Cities continue to offer convention center discounts, as well as financial incentives, to book large citywide business. Due to the number of options now available to meeting decision makers, rotation cycles have lengthened. Typically, a large citywide could rotate every four to six years, and now the industry is seeing rotation cycles as long as 10 years or more, given the number of destination options.
Competition from “mega-hotels” (facilities so large that the entire meeting can be held in one hotel, eliminating the need for a convention center) is increasingly impacting all major convention cities. In many cases, the mega-hotels offer complimentary meeting space, as well as an “all-inclusive” approach to doing business.
Expansion Impact
The Colorado Convention Center expansion began on June 1, 2021, and is on track for competition in late 2023. VISIT DENVER and ASM Global worked closely with groups to minimize any impacts from the construction and offered solutions and concessions where necessary; such disruptions have been minimal except for an extremely wet spring that caused major disruptions with roof leaks as the contractor connected the center roof with the new expansion roof. Until completion, groups will still expect concessions if impacted, and VISIT DENVER will work in conjunction with ASM Global to accommodate those requests and make any necessary space adjustments. With completion in late 2023, both VISIT DENVER and ASM Global are actively selling the expansion beginning Q2 2024, and this could move earlier as construction advances. There is healthy demand for and interest in the new space in 2024 and beyond, and the combined sales teams are aligned in maximizing bookings and revenue.
National Lodging Trends/Forecast – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Despite worries of recession, bank failures and a liquidity crisis affecting the macroeconomy, US hotels continue to outperform expectations. In Q1 2023, US hotels exceeded Q1 2019 (prepandemic) RevPAR levels by 13.0 percent, based on data from STR. Room rates continue to be the primary driver in this performance recovery. While occupancy in Q1 2023 was still down 2.1 points from the same period in 2019, ADR increased 17.0 percent. Leisure travel continues to be strong, even though growth levels are slowing, and individual business travel and group business has slowly re-emerged, contributing more significantly to future growth expectations.
The Fed’s continued increases in its policy rate, the failure of three banks and a liquidity crisis, has caused greater uncertainty in the public markets, which is expected to have a downstream impact on hotel demand for the remainder of this year and into next. PwC now expects annual occupancy for US hotels this year to increase slightly less than in the November 2022 outlook, increasing to 63.4 percent. With slowing growth in occupancies for the balance of this year, it is
expected that average daily room rates will increase 4.1 percent for the year, with resultant RevPAR up 5.5 percent approximately 114 percent of pre-pandemic levels, on a nominal dollar basis.
Since the November 2022 outlook, the Fed’s monetary policy has resulted in continually elevated interest rates and an unexpected fallout of several large regional banks has occurred, both of which have contributed to a limited availability of debt. This tightening credit market has resulted in a steep slowing of construction starts for new hotels.
For the remainder of 2023 and into 2024, demand growth from individual business travel and groups is expected to offset a softening in leisure demand, with outbound international leisure travel outpacing inbound, given the relative strength of the dollar. With flattening occupancy levels in 2024, growth is expected to come almost entirely from ADR, with an expected yearover-year increase in RevPAR of 3.5 percent approximately 118 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Significant risks to this outlook include the pace and magnitude of changes in the macroeconomic environment, continued high vacancy rates in office spaces nationwide and increasing geopolitical tensions.
According to PwC’s Hospitality Directions U.S. Report (May 2023), the outlook for 2024 anticipates:
Demand growth of 1.7 percent
Supply growth of 1.5 percent
2024 Forecasts PwC
Na�onal Occupancy & Average Room Rate
Source
Smith Travel Research (STR)
According to STR, below are the forecasts for recovery.
Total U.S.: Key Performance Indicator Outlook
August Forecast
2022
RevPAR Indexed to 2019
Source: CoStar August 2023
Denver, CO Market Key Performance Indicator Outlook
August Forecast
2022
Indexed to 2019
Source: CoStar August 2023
DENVER Lodging Trends/Forecast
CBRE Hotels - Hotel Horizons Q1 2023
By year-end 2023, Denver hotels are forecast to see a RevPAR increase of 10.5 percent. This is the result of an es�mated increase in occupancy of 5.2 percent and a 5.0 percent gain in average daily room rates (ADR). The 10.5 percent boost in Denver RevPAR is beter than the na�onal projec�on of a 6.0 percent increase. Year-end Denver RevPAR will be 5.5 percent greater than the 2019 year-end RevPAR level of $100.70. RevPAR for Denver hotels is not expected to surpass 2019 levels un�l the end of 2023.
Leading the way in 2023 RevPAR growth is the upper-priced segment of Denver. Upper-priced proper�es are forecast to atain a 4.7 percent gain in ADR and see a 7.4 percent increase in occupancy, resul�ng in a 12.5 percent RevPAR increase. Lower-priced hotels are projected to experience an ADR growth rate of 2.2 percent, along with a 3.8 percent gain in occupancy, resul�ng in a 6.1 percent RevPAR increase.
Looking towards 2024, Denver RevPAR is expected to grow 5.2 percent. This is slower than the forecasted rate of growth for 2023. Prospects for RevPAR growth in the upper-priced segment (5.7 percent) are beter than in the middle-priced segment (4.4 percent). Denver market occupancy levels are expected to range from 72.2 percent to 74.6 percent during the 5-year forecast period.
SERVICES
Meeting Planning Trends & Impacts
Two national, independent studies of meeting planners rank service from a convention bureau, service at the convention center and hospitality from the city in general as some of the most important considerations in selecting a meeting destination.
The expectations for meeting professionals have never been higher; therefore, outstanding convention services are crucial to a destination’s success.
Technology allows meeting planners to request services quickly and more easily, thus requiring immediate response and turn-key information via websites and internal systems.
Planning lead time and staffing levels continue to be a challenge, which is requiring Destination Services to field a lot of last-minute requests, site visits and planning assistance. VISIT DENVER must continue to provide turn-key systems and service levels to compete in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.
Meeting professionals continue to be more reactive than proactive. They rely more and more on their vendors and Destination Services Manager (DSM). The DSM needs to be the proactive agent between planners and vendors, serving as both mediator and troubleshooter. It’s becoming more and more important to maintain great rapport and relationships with the hospitality community.
Meeting planners are continually reinventing their programming and looking for unique attendee experiences, both during the meetings and at off-site venues. They often rely on their DSM to provide ideas and examples of what has been done in the convention center or they may look to their DSM for local vendors to provide these experiences.
Forecasting meeting attendance can be a challenge because of corporate travel restrictions and budget which results in last-minute registrations and higher onsite registrations. This is
creating challenges for meeting planners to forecast attendance for educations sessions, food and beverage guarantees and hotel blocks.
The turnaround planning time for site inspections can be short-term. Citywide site inspections tend to be large in scale with many staff and vendors in attendance.
Planners and caterers will continue to reinvent food and beverage service options and look to provide contactless serving and payment methods when possible.
Meeting planners are incorporating live-streaming options or virtual components for their attendees who are not willing or able to meet face-to-face. Destination Services continues to help with fulfillment, content and creative ideas to help engage the virtual attendee.
Planners will be working with limited budgets, and Destination Services will need to provide creative, low-cost or free options to enhance meetings.
Due to the uncertainty of the impact of the pandemic, planners were being very conservative with hotel blocks to minimize attrition costs. However, for meetings where attendance levels are increasing, securing additional hotel blocks can be difficult due to compression and limited availability. As a result, rates are often higher than the original contracted rates within the contracted hotel blocks.
As a result of the pandemic, planners are reviewing future contract language regarding force majeure and cancellation clauses.
Planners are looking to incorporate more Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) options and DEI initiatives into their programming and rely upon their DSM to provide local contacts and resources.
Downtown environment issues include but not limited to crime and safety continue to be a key concern and priority for meeting planners and their attendees. The Destinations Services team continues to communicate Denver’s programs and initiatives to address these concerns.
Ancillary events (ICW’s) are increasing but often booking last-minute which means venue availability can be limited.
Networking opportunities are top priorities for convention attendees. Planners are having to incorporate more networking events and soft seating/pods for attendee interaction.
Attendees are expecting experiential wellness opportunities to be built into the programming of the meeting. Meeting planners are incorporating options such as fun runs/walks, yoga, relaxation stations, wellness areas, etc.
DMO Destination Service Impacts
VISIT DENVER will continue to update and promote the Clean & Safe Resource Guide and provide resources for local COVID-testing locations, if needed.
Meeting professionals are extremely concerned about maintaining and increasing attendance. Planners continue to rely heavily on DMOs to assist in attracting local and regional attendees. They will continue to rely on convention bureaus to assist with destination marketing via marketing calls, attendee microsites, social media, mobile applications and videos.
Convention groups are incorporating smartphone applications and social media to market their meetings, enhance the meeting experience and reduce paper waste. VISIT DENVER contributes to the content of these applications, primarily in the form of business listings such as restaurants, shopping and attractions.
Meeting professionals look to DMOs as a resource for accessibility (ADA) information and assisted language services.
DMOs will continue to evaluate whether staff are required to attend pre-promotion trips for future meetings. Destination Services will be tasked with developing unique, interactive and virtual tools to promote Denver in lieu of sending staff.
DMOs are providing professional, high-quality welcome programs, which include banners, window signs, digital billboards, hospitality training programs and convention education to merchants, hotels, restaurants, attractions, taxi companies and transportation network companies (TNCs).
DMOs are discontinuing registration staffing and housing services in favor of referring these services to third-party companies.
Non-citywide, single-hotel meetings and non-bureau bookings continue to use DMOs for services, promotional materials and off-site venue assistance. These planners continue to request and rely on VISIT DENVER for site visits, venue referrals and marketing materials.
The internet continues to provide multiple resources (especially online travel agencies and short-term rental sites) for convention attendees to shop on their own for hotel accommodations, resulting in pick-up issues, attrition and smaller contracted blocks. An increasing number of planners are conducting their own room-block audits and continue to refuse to contract attrition in overflow contracts.
History is not a reliable, nor accurate, benchmark for forecasting hotel pickup. Because of this, it is incumbent upon DMOs to monitor the group’s current pickup in order to provide intelligent information to the hotel community.
Large citywide conventions are continually being targeted by pirate housing scams and poaching. DMOs are referring planners to the APEX Poaching and Piracy toolkit for best practices.
Meeting planners continue to consider sustainability a key consideration when planning their meetings. It is incumbent upon VISIT DENVER to serve as a primary resource for local green vendors, venues, volunteer/corporate social responsibility (CSR) opportunities and tools to assist in planning a green meeting.
Diversity, equity and inclusion will be a focus of future meetings. Meeting professionals will look to their DSM to provide local businesses that can provide services that meet their diversity, equity and inclusion needs.
Trade Media Trends
A variety of developments, including record travel to Denver and the comple�on of a longawaited CCC expansion, have helped to form an op�mis�c outlook toward the gradual return of mee�ngs and conven�ons in The Mile High City. Unfortunately, the trade media sector that reports on the industry has not experienced the same hopeful prospect. Many trade outlets either limped out of the pandemic or didn’t survive at all, and na�onwide, the industry outlook remains murky due to a number of notable trends.
Across the country, conven�on trade magazines con�nue to see shrinking staff and diminishing resources and many are relying primarily on freelance writers. Most trade publishers con�nue to reduce their publica�on schedule while increasing their online presence. And publica�ons associated with industry organiza�ons like Convene (PCMA), Associa�ons Now (ASAE) and The Mee�ng Professional (MPI) con�nue to decrease print circula�on to focus more on digital pla�orms while regionally focused outlets like Colorado Mee�ngs & Events have con�nued to operate on a smaller scale.
Industry outlets such as USAE, Successful Mee�ngs, Mee�ngs & Conven�ons and Smart Mee�ngs now convey a majority of industry news via publica�on websites and digital newsleters. While these websites have the ability to convey news much faster than a monthly magazine, driving traffic to them can be challenging. Due to this growing transi�on to online pla�orms, adver�sing values for trade channels con�nue to plummet and stories con�nue to get smaller with fragmented readership.
While trade magazines are producing fewer des�na�on features and focusing more on industry developments (e.g. renova�ons, expansions, new projects), these topics s�ll present opportuni�es for Denver placements highligh�ng new content and updates become available, such as new mee�ng venues and a newly improved CCC
Specialized mee�ng trade magazines are s�ll in business and can offer another method of keeping informa�on in front of mee�ng planners as well as poten�al opportuni�es to inspire des�na�on features. Readership is limited, but there are a variety of these
publica�ons covering specific geographic areas and markets, such as Black Mee�ngs & Tourism, Insurance & Financial Mee�ngs Management and Colorado Mee�ngs & Events.
Although not what they used to be, there are con�nued opportuni�es for advertorials, featured content and “na�ve adver�sing” for any des�na�on that is buying conven�on trade adver�sing.
Industry studies con�nue to reiterate that mee�ng planners get as much des�na�on informa�on from news and consumer travel publica�ons as they do from specialized mee�ng trade magazines.
Local news stories in the coming year will feature the comple�on of the CCC expansion, con�nued progress on DEN improvements/addi�ons, the ongoing development of Denver’s hotel inventory and enhancements to the city’s des�na�on appeal, such as breweries, unique cultural experiences like Meow Wolf, and Denver’s Michelin Star-rated culinary scene.
Na�onal news topics through 2024 likely will include the con�nued recovery of the mee�ngs industry; gas prices and infla�on; airline industry challenges; poten�al impacts of a presiden�al elec�on year; and a looming recession that may or may not come to frui�on.
In 2024, the team will con�nue to maximize trade media opportuni�es to posi�on Denver among the top mee�ng and conven�ons ci�es in the country. This will include promo�ng VISIT DENVER as a progressive and trendse�ng organiza�on in an effort to be included in roundup and trend stories. The most successful way to achieve this is to con�nue efforts that forge and maintain working rela�onships with mee�ng trade writers through tradi�onal means like press trips, deskside appointments and industry mee�ngs. Other key tac�cs will include genera�ng and distribu�ng new, original content about Denver with des�na�on news updates, photos, videos and press releases to conven�on trade websites and publica�ons.
Conven�on Sales: Market Segments
A. Market Segments
The meetings industry typically considers three primary market segments when evaluating group business Association, Corporate and Specialty or SMERF (Sports and Social, Military, Education, Religious and Fraternal). Denver’s largest meetings market segment continues to be association. While the association market supports industries of all types, the lucrative medical and high-tech associations have been the most prolific and trending upwards for Denver. Denver’s central location, ample airport lift, affordability and outstanding convention and hotel package make it a favorite choice for national and international association meetings. However, as demonstrated in the competitive review, destinations across the country are constantly improving their destination and convention offerings to shift market share to their cities. Denver’s sales and marketing challenge is to protect existing market share while aggressively pursuing new, first-time conventions. Because national associations book their annual meetings so far in advance, Denver deploys a long-term strategy to layer in the right convention business for our city and develop loyalty and repeat business among our customers.
Of course, the last three years have been anomalistic as many large association planners were reluctant to book too far into the future as the outlook of the pandemic remained uncertain for so long. Most convention business was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 and rebooked into a future open year for the cancelled city. This had the effect of pushing many conventions next open year even farther into the future. This, coupled with the trepidation to book new meetings, resulted in a two-year gap of productivity that is now showing on most destination long-term pace and outlook for future convention business. Thankfully, beginning in the second half of 2022 and certainly thus far in 2023, meeting planners have been increasingly willing to book into future years much as they were before the pandemic. We have continued to see a return to normal business cycles for the meetings industry and expect this to continue.
Denver’s market mix from 2017 to 2025 illustrates the growth in key lucrative business segments (See chart below.)
B. Economic Sector Dominance
Business in the hospitality industry increases or decreases in direct relationship to successes and failures in other economic sectors. VISIT DENVER not only monitors the broad markets, such as association and corporate, but also follows the economic sector dominance, since business is generally booked years in advance of the meeting date. Future growth industries include renewable energy, biotech and life sciences, genetics, fusion and lasers, nanotechnology and exploration travel.
Economic dominance is marked by the time at which the economic undertaking becomes the nation’s largest provider of employment. Soon thereafter, that sector begins to account for the biggest share of gross domestic product, but these changes in dominance do not mean that previous economic activities in other sectors will disappear. The chart below illustrates nine eras of economic sector dominance.
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and the hotel industry must be keenly aware that as economics shift from one sector to another so does the relative demand and value of association business that is mirroring the ascending and declining sector changes. An example is agribusiness, which represented 90 percent of all U.S. jobs in the 1700s and represents less than 2 percent today. VISIT DENVER looks at these indicators as commitments for rooms and meeting space are made in a long-term environment.
The challenge for the meetings industry is to ensure that products and services are prepared to effectively meet the economic drivers of the future. This includes facilities that offer the technology and service amenities needed for the next generation of meetings, as well as hotels and city environments that provide an exciting and multifaceted experience for the attendee.
VISIT DENVER has identified those industries where Denver and Colorado are nationally recognized. Industries with future potential new markets include energy, healthcare and wellness, aerospace, creative arts and culture, IT software and green/environmental.
The Nine Eras of Economic Sector Dominance
While the last three years of pandemic and recovery have presented unique challenges and opportunities for all industries, for the most part businesses and associations alike are returning to normal outlooks regarding their meetings and convention needs. According to MMGY’s Q4 2022 Portrait of Meeting & Convention Travel, one-third of planners are extremely optimistic about the outlook for the meeting, conference and convention industry. According to the chart below, most planners believe that the industry is at or has exceeded pre-covid levels. This is a huge shift from just six months prior in which planners expected the industry to return to precovid level in the next six months. You can see that, on average, only about one percent of planners believe that the industry will never return to its pre-pandemic state.
C. Association Market
Large national association conventions were slow to return to normal during the recovery from the pandemic due to their large number of attendees. However, the last 18 months have been characterized by a steady return to pre-pandemic booking patterns.
Associations are highly motivated to have meetings, since many have it written in their bylaws that they must host an annual meeting. In addition to membership, continuing education fees and publications, many associations make a large percentage of their annual revenue from hosting conventions and meetings, often as much as 60-70 percent.
Association meetings provide a great opportunity to educate their membership and are often used for continuing education and certifications. New developments, technology and investments for their members are often the result of a convention or meeting.
According to the Evidenz study, Denver and its hospitality community have built the infrastructure this market demands, as well as developing the destination appeal necessary to attract the maximum number of attendees. Denver will continue to successfully market these attributes to associations.
Because the association market has always been the main producer for Denver meetings, it will continue to be the largest focus of VISIT DENVER’s marketing efforts in 2024. The majority of associations are headquartered in Washington, D.C. (35,000 associations) and Chicago (17,000 associations); therefore, in-market sales offices representing VISIT DENVER are maintained in both cities.
Deployment of sales resources to this market is a vital part of VISIT DENVER’s strategy. VISIT DENVER has found it most effective to deploy based on size of meeting and geographic location of the association headquarters. This enables the sales team to stay connected to customers through local client events, regional industry organizations and trade shows.
VISIT DENVER currently works with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (MDEDC) to solicit conventions that align with the industry clusters that are predominant in metro Denver. Conventions bring thought leaders together from around the world, and these experts and creatives collide and cross-pollinate with locals. Seeds are often planted during conventions visits that can grow into great, long-term business opportunities for the city. VISIT DENVER promotes the local expertise/leaders in priority sectors as a primary sales strategy to help convention planners find local speakers for their conference or convention.
The meeting planners that comprise the association market are increasingly optimistic regarding the vitality of their convention business. As you can see by the chart below from the Q4 2022 MMGY research, when planners were asked in what timeframe they anticipated association meeting business to rebound to pre-COVID levels, more and more of them believe
that we are already there. You can clearly see planner sentiment on the rise throughout the course of this quarterly study.
D. Corporate Market
The corporate market segment is characterized by shorter booking windows, higher budgets and more consistent attendance as meetings are typically mandated by the company hosting. Certainly, during the pandemic companies were not able to meet with regularity they were accustomed to if they were able to meet at all. Industries such as high-tech leveraged virtual platforms and meeting solutions to postpone their return to in-person meetings. In fact, some of these companies continue to use online or hybrid solutions as their primary meeting platform. On the other hand, the medical and pharmaceutical industries were quick to return as soon as local health regulations allowed them to do so. Once the corporate segment returned, the industry experienced a surge of pent-up group demand that made 2023 the highest lead volume year on record through Q2. Much of this demand came from the corporate sector and was very short-term, small meetings that took place in a single hotel rather than at a convention center. The corporate market will continue to be a strong segment for Denver and a continued focus of the Convention Department.
Corporate meetings are usually booked very short-term, close to the meeting date. This was always a characteristic of the segment but due to increased demand, planners are finding it harder to find availability in hotels. Therefore, planners are sourcing more destinations than they were before the pandemic, thus increasing further the surge in short-term group lead volume.
Corporate meetings will continue to increase in key industry segments where Denver has a growing business environment, such as high-tech, biotech, pharmaceutical and health science industries. Denver has also had great success with corporate financial groups.
Corporate meeting planners often prefer full-service, lifestyle and luxury hotels. Denver has been among the leading cities in the nation for adding additional hotel inventory over the last several years. Many of these hotel rooms have been in the upper-upscale and luxury category thus positioning Denver well when competing for corporate business.
Corporate meeting planners lean heavily on third party intermediaries to source venues, contract hotels and sometimes execute the meetings themselves. VISIT DENVER continues to place priority with these top intermediary meeting planners engaging in partnership agreements, conducting education webinars and sales missions, and even hosting annual meetings and trade shows. In the last two years, Denver has hosted annual conventions for Hospitality Performance Network and HelmsBriscoe, both among the top five intermediaries in the world.
As illustrated by the chart below from the Q4 2022 MMGY research, corporate planners had a huge surge in optimism in the final wave of the quarterly study. This aligns with the enormous surge of group demand we saw from the corporate sector in Q1 2023. Indeed, corporate planners now have the most optimistic outlooks among planners and 11 percent believe that the meetings industry has already exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
E. Sports and Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal (SMERF) and Government Markets
SMERF groups can be very rate-conscious and may have additional unique meeting needs and requirements. Prior to COVID and due to the robust economic market, this market was even more flexible with dates and demonstrated a willingness to meet over holidays and slower timeframes of the year for the hotel industry, which is good for Denver. However, many of these groups continue to focus on second- and third-tier cities, as those destinations are sometimes better able to accommodate the rates and dates. Historically, Denver’s growing
hotel occupancy and higher average room rates made it difficult for the city to compete for many of these large, rate-sensitive meetings, particularly in the summer months, when Denver occupancies are stronger.
SMERF meetings have tight budgets that force them to pursue destinations during “shoulder seasons” with less demand or holidays. When sourced properly, this business can be very attractive for hotels and convention centers and enable them to drive occupancy during periods that last business and leisure demand alike. Denver’s winter months, specifically November through March are considered a shoulder season, and this is where we try to drive SMERF business most effectively.
As SMERF meetings sometimes have unique requirements and budgets, the relationship between the meeting planner and DMO is paramount so that we can learn the intricacies of each group. For this reason, VIST DENVER deploys specifically to the Specialty Market and has one sales manager that handles all meetings in this segment, big or small.
The current Government per diem rates have remained relatively stable in the last three years. For the third year, there is a tiered structure, with November and December at $153, January through March at $162 and April through October at $199. These tiered rates reflect the seasonality of Denver’s business demand. The FY 2024 rates will be announced in October.
According to the chart below from the Q4 2022 MMGY research, SMERF planners became increasingly optimistic throughout 2022 just as their association and corporate counterparts did.
F. Multicultural Market
The multicultural market throughout the United States has grown considerably over the past five years. However, solid relationships and strong support, from local chapters of national and international groups and often also from elected and appointed government officials, are essential to successful bookings. VISIT DENVER maintains an advertising effort for this market that is appropriate to its size.
2020 brought civil unrest throughout the U.S., and the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives moved to the forefront, with many cities pledging to increase their support using several different metrics to measure progress.
VISIT DENVER has a Board committee dedicated to DEI. The committee continues to provide input on DEI efforts that include internal processes and policies, community affiliations and educational opportunities, social impact/workforce development and marketing vehicles and programs. This enhanced focus also increases Denver’s ability to create a stronger network of resources to help bring more multicultural meetings to Denver. For more than a decade, VISIT DENVER has maintained a consistent commitment to attracting multicultural meetings, primarily in the Hispanic/Latino and Black markets. These marketing efforts have also made strides in the Asian and Indigenous markets, but they have a shorter history as definable market segments in the meetings industry.
In 2023, Denver has several multi-cultural conventions coming to Denver: three African American groups totaling more than 800 attendees, one Hispanic group that brings in nearly 2,000 attendees, and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, which brings 1,500 attendees to The Mile High City.
In 2024, VISIT DENVER will continue to target multicultural markets with continued involvement in the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Network of Latino Meeting Professionals in Washington, D.C.
VISIT DENVER has historically had one dedicated sales manager who provides sales and marketing support to target these market segments. Recently, VISIT DENVER redeployed another sales manager who works specifically with African American groups to help increase the amount of business opportunities in that market. New business opportunities in the Hispanic/Latino and Black meetings markets will be targeted through traditional advertising and direct sales efforts. In addition, the Marketing Department implements ongoing marketing to target Hispanic/Latino leisure travelers, which also helps meeting attendees with their experience in Denver.
G. International Market
The international market has been hit especially hard by COVID. Signs of an international decline due to COVID were evident in late 2019 and became even more pronounced in early 2020 and into 2021, as international borders, including the U.S., closed; the U.S. border
remained closed to international travelers until the November 8, 2021, re-opening. Since that time there has been a steady return of international groups that are sourcing the U.S. and Denver specially for their upcoming meetings. Denver has a sales effort focused on meeting organizers that are headquartered outside the U.S., but that segment of Denver’s meetings market is small. VISIT DENVER recognizes the growth in international visitors mostly as attendance-building opportunities for the domestic association market.
Many of the U.S.-based association meetings have seen flattening growth from their U.S. membership. Therefore, international attendance promotion and growth continues to be a focus for meeting planners The good news is that, for most associations, the international market did not represent a large percentage of overall attendance, even though it is one of their few growth areas.
As the largest city in a 600-mile radius, Denver relies heavily on Denver International Airport (DEN) to provide access for attendees coming to Denver. DEN has done a great job adding several international nonstop flights over the last decade, which has become a significant selling point to convention organizers. The strong presence of United Airlines and the Star Alliance network’s connectivity have been key to Denver’s success in attracting conventions and meetings. However, once COVID hit, this landscape changed drastically, and DEN did not have any international flights for 75 days. The markets that resurfaced first were Mexico and Canada, with flights starting to return in July and August 2020. All other markets have resumed flights since then, and efforts are underway to bring more international flights into DEN. VISIT DENVER has had great success over the last decade in working with DEN, Colorado Tourism Office (CTO), Denver’s and Colorado’s Economic Development offices and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in securing new international nonstop flights.
H. Sports Market
The Denver Sports Commission (Denver Sports), under the direction of its executive director, is the clearinghouse and go-to resource for all sporting event organizers interested in Denver as a future location. Denver Sports proactively identifies, pursues, and attracts new sporting opportunities and helps Denver compete regionally, nationally and internationally to host amateur and professional athletic competitions and events. An advisory board comprised of local business and community leaders assists Denver Sports in fulfilling its mission. (For more information, please see the Denver Sports section of the Marketing Plan located in Convention Sales.)
I. Convention Industry Media
Busy meeting professionals continue to widen the list of media they consume for their industry news with a focus on digital channels, as well as with leisure channels in addition to existing trade channels. As with most areas of media and advertising, there is less reliance on traditional printed media which, for our industry, means trade magazines to educate themselves about potential meeting destinations This trend was exacerbated during COVID when professionals were working from home with their trade publications still being delivered to the office. In
addition, the world just shifted more into a paperless digital world while safety concerns forced more people to work remotely While many are now working back in the office, the habits formed during the pandemic persist and consequently several industry trade publications have ceased operations or reduced frequency, circulation or both
This also means that planners are relying more and more on their in-market, DMO sales and service contacts to keep them up to speed on market updates, which creates a significant opportunity for organizations like VISIT DENVER.
COVID has thus been a watershed moment for VISIT DENVER’s trade advertising efforts. Whereas before the pandemic, extensive use was made of print advertising, that medium has been dramatically scaled back. In its place, VISIT DENVER expects to continue to use new and emerging digital channels, while still maintaining a small, targeted use of print media, particularly for the Colorado Convention Center Expansion campaign And given planners’ interest in news directly from destinations, expanded sales and marketing communications about new developments in the city are almost certain to be welcome from VISIT DENVER clients.
Paid Media Channels
Top-performing e-newsletters from key outlets such as PCMA and ASAE
Digital display advertising
Video advertising
Social media advertising, particularly on LinkedIn
Print and digital advertising in trade publications and their companion websites
Guerrilla tactics at tradeshows
Earned Media Channels
Press releases to trade outlets
Deskside meetings with trade outlet reporters
Reactive efforts for journalists on assignment
Owned Media Channels
Social media tactics on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
Videos exclusive to the convention market
Quarterly destination updates via VISIT DENVER’s email platform to sales database
Innovative CRM program
VISIT DENVER currently runs two campaigns to the meeting planner audience:
“Business As Unusual” highlights broad sections of the city’s overall meeting appeal: innovative venues, new and renovated hotels, Denver International Airport, Denver’s culinary scene and more. This campaign is targeted to meetings of all sizes and planners in all markets.
A stand-alone campaign focusing on the Colorado Convention Center expansion,
highlighting key features of the project like the new Bluebird Ballroom, pre-function space and outdoor terrace. This campaign is targeted to citywide planners primarily in the association and corporate markets.
Convention Sales: Competitive & Product Overview
In the first half of 2023, the meetings industry has been characterized by a historic surge in group demand across most domestic destinations. While lead volume has increased nationwide, far surpassing 2019 levels, production has remained flat if not slightly down to prepandemic levels in most destinations. This is due to meeting planners continuing to struggle with availability throughout their most sourced destinations and therefore including more cities on their initial searches. With post-pandemic leisure travel continuing to surge from pent-up demand over the last three years, many hotels have lowered their group ceilings to make way for higher ADRs coming from transient bookings. Therefore, a meeting that might have sourced one or two destinations prior to the pandemic is now sourcing more cities in hopes of finding availability. This has benefited Denver, which has been included in more RFPs in the first half of 2023 than ever before. Unlike nationwide trends, production has also increased beyond prepandemic levels as Denver continues to convert more opportunities than its competitive set. Nevertheless, some of the usual suspects on our competitor list as well as some new cities have also benefited from the historic group demand in the wake of the pandemic.
A. Lost Business
Lost business is based on how much convention business, measured in room nights, is lost to other cities. While Denver’s conversion of new opportunities has increased since the pandemic, a high importance is still placed on evaluating the destinations most sourced and selected over Denver.
In 2022, Denver lost more business to Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Orlando than any other destinations. While Vegas and Orlando are consistently in the top 5 lost-to cities, Salt Lake City was anomalistic as the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show decided to move back to Utah after spending the last five years in Denver for their two annual shows. Kansas City also made a rare appearance on Denver’s top ten competitors because of being selected as a host city for the 2026 World Cup. Orlando and Las Vegas have great convention products with mega-sized hotels and destination appeal. Orlando and Las Vegas are also financially competitive especially when bidding in summer months, one of Denver’s peak demand seasons. For the last several years the Gaylord Rockies, part of the Marriott network, has been one of Denver’s largest competitors and takes advantage of Denver’s marketing and destination appeal. However, the Gaylord fell off the list of Top 10 Competitors in 2022, coming in at #13. The behemoth hotel and convention center remain a viable competitor for Denver as they continue to expand and improve their property and have an upcoming sister property opening in Chula Vista opening in 2025. This will increase the brand’s ability to attract large conventions with multi-year packages across soon-to-be six Gaylord properties throughout the U.S. This hotel may also take business from the Gaylord Rockies and other Gaylord hotels making them more aggressive for business.
Lost Business Analysis: Percent of Top Cities Room Nights Lost in 2022 (measured by room nights)
Note: 23 percent was lost to 29 other cities.
Lost Convention Room Nights Analysis
Source: VISIT DENVER
As in the year prior, Denver lost the greatest amount of business in 2022 due to lack of availability at the Colorado Convention Center (CCC). As the CCC expansion is well under way that will double our ballroom space for 2024 and beyond, there is a greater opportunity to convert more of those bookings that are lost due to availability. Following CCC availability, Denver lost business due to Overall Package. This is comprised of groups that prefer different geographic regions for a variety of different reasons that may include that they haven’t rotated through a certain region in some time or is a destination where a group has strong membership or employee presence. The third top reason is lack of desired hotel availability. This can either be a result of not being able to align hotel availability with CCC availability or hotels not being available for in-house opportunities. Year-to-date in 2023, CCC availability once again leads the reasons for lost business. Corporate convention planners often source destinations for near-future dates in which we already have confirmed business. While large associations typically source further into the future, often they lack date flexibility which results in many groups wanting the same dates over peak demand months.
Source: VISIT DENVER
B. Tier One Cities with Strong Destination Appeal
Denver is well established as a first-tier city in both product and perception. The world-class Denver International Airport continues to expand and evolve as one of the busiest airports in the world and is now the number one hub for both United and Southwest Airlines. Hotel inventory continues to expand as Denver has for years been one of the top ten cities in the nation for adding hotel rooms to market as a percentage of existing supply. The Colorado Convention Center has already been a world-class facility and now adds 135,000 sq ft of function space with unrivaled views of the Rocky Mountains. The 16th Street Mall project continues to progress and will revitalize the central artery downtown as a key attraction for the city. All these features for meeting planners are complemented by a destination appeal in which travelers perceive Denver to be an outdoor friendly, walkable downtown that values wellness, dining, sports and entertainment.
Tier one cities usually have a large population base and offer an abundance of destination activities and infrastructure. Some of these cities include Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, D.C. among others. Many of these cities have been in the convention business for a century or more.
The tier one label may also be given to cities that do not have the population base but are committed to the meetings industry and have made major financial investments in the tourism industry. Cities that exemplify this are Orlando, Las Vegas and New Orleans.
Before the pandemic, the conventions and meetings marketplace was fiercely competitive. With an increase in meeting facility inventory, meeting planners had greater opportunities to book traditional first-tier cities because of the incentives and deals destinations offered to be competitive. Many destinations provided financial incentives to sell their new space inventory. Others were poised, whether by state funds or budget, to offer financial
incentives to potential conventions. Evident of a buyers’ market in the convention center arena, some associations requested and received complimentary center rental, causing competing cities to have to match or to exceed such offers to remain in serious consideration. Often, customers would not allow such incentives to be tied to any performance measures.
While the pandemic severely disrupted group demand, the conventions industry has nearly fully recovered over the last 18 months. Competition among Tier 1 cities and negotiations with customers have returned to a highly competitive environment. However, conventions now grapple with a new concern in securing enough room blocks to satisfy the group’s housing needs. With post-pandemic transient leisure demand high, hotels have become reticent to offer the large room blocks necessary for convention business to take place.
Positive awareness of Denver has increased over time as the city hosts high-profile conventions and events. Aggressive marketing efforts to promote the city as a top-rated and capable destination have proven successful according to industry rankings. There is an ongoing need to educate planners about the city and its international appeal.
Denver’s geographically remote location can be a challenge in driving traffic for conventions. In the post-pandemic environment, the return of direct international flights is integral to attracting higher international attendance and will be important to maintaining our status as a global destination. Ultimately, Denver does not have the sheer number of academic institutions, technology companies or population density for drive traffic that boost some cities’ large attendance, especially for large, high-profile medical events.
Safety, social and cleanliness issues on the 16th Street Mall and throughout downtown are an ongoing challenge around attracting and retaining meeting business; this is not a problem unique to Denver and has been exacerbated by pandemic complexities. While this was a focus of the former Mayor’s office and was a key focus of the new Mayor’s campaign, the Downtown Denver Partnership and VISIT DENVER’s customers indicate that significant improvements are imperative. As Denver works hard to handle these difficult issues, other top convention destinations share that same plight. San Francisco, once a top competitor, has fallen from our top lost-to cities in recent years presumably because of the struggles they face with crime, drugs and the impact of people experiencing homelessness.
C. Tier Two Cities & Regional Competition
While Denver has solidified itself as a “Top 10” meeting destination, it still competes with a combination of both tier one and tier two destinations. The latter would be characterized by those destinations that lack population centers or massive tourism infrastructure but continue to compete due to expanding product or destination appeal. For example, Austin, Indianapolis and St. Louis have each climbed into our top lost-to cities in recent years. Indianapolis has 7,500 hotel rooms attached to the Indiana Convention Center as part of a network of enclosed skywalks, and they have broken ground on a $150-million center
expansion and the addition of two new hotels totaling over 1,400 rooms. Austin will close their center in 2025 for a $1.3 billion rebuild. In St. Louis, the Americas Center is undergoing a $175-million project to add a 92,000-square foot exhibit hall, a 65,000-square-foot ballroom, 20,000 square feet of pre-function space and 26 new loading docks. These are all cities that will continue to be strong competitors as they grow and evolve as destinations.
Tier one is a highly competitive arena because planners seek cost-driven proposals. The more traditional second-tier cities can compete on price, offering discounted convention center rentals, low hotel rates, free shuttle and in some cases, financial incentives. In many cases, a planner can meet the overall convention needs in a second-tier city while saving money for the organization.
Denver’s location, 340 miles from the exact center of the continental United States, gives it the opportunity to be considered “West” or “Central” in a bidding process. For groups that rotate their convention into different regions of the country, this can be advantageous. However, a Western rotation places Denver in competition with cities boasting strong destination appeal, such as Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle and Phoenix. A central rotation invariably includes Chicago, Dallas and New Orleans as contenders.
D. Competitor Updates
As planners evaluate future host destinations, the primary factors that guide their decisions are overall costs, accessibility, venues, hotel inventory and destination appeal. As destinations add hotel inventory, build or improve upon their existing convention centers and experience change in airlift, the competitive landscape for Denver is constantly changing.
According to CoStar, the number of hotel rooms in construction in the United States has decreased from a pre-pandemic peak of approximately 210,000 rooms to just over 150,000 rooms as of May 2023. At the same time, Denver has approximately 2,200 rooms in 18 properties under construction representing a 3.8 percent increase in inventory. While 2023 looks to be the first year since 2014 in which fewer than 1,000 rooms are expected to open, 2024 is projected to bring over 1,400 rooms into the market. Amidst this new inventory, several new brands are entering the Denver market with all classes of service represented. In general, the hotel openings are trending towards smaller lifestyle and boutique Upper Upscale and Upscale hotels. The highest concentration of inventory will be added in the Denver Airport/East submarket with the Denver Central Business District (CBD) following closely behind. With a 2023 year-end forecast of 70.3 percent occupancy, and a modest increase to 72.7 percent in 2024, Denver’s position as one of the top cities adding additional inventory year over year, continues to erode growth in demand. Some other cities that are experiencing a boom in new hotel construction also happen to be among our top competitor cities. Dallas, Austin and Nashville all rank within the top ten cities increasing inventory and also are among Denver’s top competitors.
While improvements and expansions have continued at convention centers around the country, the interruption of business due to COVID has also interrupted planning and funding in some
cases. The wave of expanded or renovated convention centers has slowed recently. While some projects, such as Las Vegas Convention Center’s expansion and new underground people mover, have opened in 2021, others are in jeopardy. COVID halted the funding for the Orange County Convention Center’s $600-million expansion in Orlando and the expansion project in St Louis has gone over-budget and is possibly being cut short. At the same time, cities such as Dallas and Austin have begun massive undertakings to rebuild their existing convention centers altogether.
Updates to Top 10 Competitors
While Denver competes with many cities, there are some competitors that appear on our top 10 list year after year. Cities like Orlando, Las Vegas and San Diego are consistently among our top lost-to cities simply due to the infrastructure and facilities surrounding convention business in those destinations. Other cities like Nashville and Dallas seem to be considered along with Denver for similar rotational patterns or regional appeal. Salt Lake City entered the list due for the first time in years to the relocation of Outdoor Retailers Convention and Kansas City due to winning the World Cup Bid in 2026 The following represents a snapshot of the cities that Denver competed with most often in 2022.
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center: 1,100 rooms
Sheraton Denver Downtown: 1,238 rooms
Convention Center expansion to include new 80k gsf ballroom, 35k gsf pre-function and 20k gsf outdoor terrace; completion by first quarter of 2024.
Denver International Airport (DEN) is undergoing an expansion that includes 39 new gates.
Grand America Hotel: 775 rooms
Destination Updates In October, the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City opened its doors with 800 guest rooms and 60,000 square feet of meeting space. The property is the first hotel to be connected to the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Destination Updates A three-year, $600 million renovation project will commence in April 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The construction follows a 1.4 million square foot expansion that opened in 2021.
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
Hilton Orlando: 1,417 rooms
Hyatt Regency Orlando: 1,641 rooms
Rosen Centre Hotel: 1,254 rooms
Rosen Plaza Hotel: 800 rooms
Orlando International Airport (OIA) continues to improve upon the $2.8 billion Terminal C that opened in September of 2022. The next phase of the project will cost approximately $750 million and will include additional gates, pedestrian bridges, rental car lobby and other improvements.
Orange County officials continue to deliberate on plans to spend $600 million on a renovation and expansion plan for the Orange County Convention Center
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Manchester Grand Hyatt: 1,628 rooms
San Diego Marriott Marquis: 1,362 rooms
Destination Updates With the San Diego Convention Center expansion plans on hold due to legal hang ups and funding woes, hotel development continues to progress. Fairmont Hotels begins implementing their signed deal to bring a 1160 room hotel to the waterfront with over 120,00 sq ft of meeting space. Property is expected to open in 2027.
Key/Headquarter Hotels Omni Dallas: 1,001 rooms
Destination Updates
The city council of Dallas approved plans in February 2022 to build the new, 2.5-million-square-foot convention center next to the current Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which would be demolished. The project is expected to begin in 2024, with an opening date in 2028. New Orleans 6
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
San Antonio
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
Hilton New Orleans Riverside: 1,622 rooms
Hyatt Regency New Orleans: 1,193 rooms
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is undergoing a $557-million, five-year capital improvement plan that includes facility upgrades, as well as modernizing internal meeting spaces. The abovementioned master plan includes a 1,200-room Omni hotel with a sky bridge to the center. The new hotel will include 150,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Superdome will undergo a $450M renovation ahead of hosting Super Bowl LIX in 2025.
Grand Hyatt San Antonio: 1,003 rooms
San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter: 1,001 rooms
The new Civic Park at Hemisfair, just outside San Antonio's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, will be unveiled at the end of 2023. The project will add a new lawn for events of several thousand people. Also in the works is a plan to build out the section of the convention facility near the park for better access to the new outdoor space, and to add a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and 8 meeting rooms to the facility. A timeline for that construction has yet to be determined. The Texas Legislature also has passed a bill that would give hundreds of millions of dollars to an expansion of the convention center and renovations to the Alamodome. The details of this plan have yet to be determined.
Key/Headquarter Hotels
JW Marriott at L.A. Live/The Ritz Carlton, Los Angeles: 1,001 rooms
Destination Updates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is undergoing a $6 billion renovation. All phases of this project are slated for completion in 2028 in advance of the Summer Olympic Games scheduled for that same year.
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
Kansas City Marriott Downtown: 983 rooms
Loews Kansas City Hotel: 800 rooms
Kansas City International Airport recently completed a $1.5 billion project that added a new terminal in March of 2023. The new terminal features glass jet-bridges, upscale dining options and solar-powered garages as well as sensory rooms and infant feeding room.
Key/Headquarter Hotels
Destination Updates
Atlanta Marriott Marquis: 1,663 rooms
Hilton Atlanta: 1,249 rooms
Hyatt Regency Atlanta: 1,260 rooms
The 976-room hotel Signia by Hilton Hotel broke ground in May 2021 and is on-track to open in the first quarter of 2024. The $326 million new-build headquarter hotel will be directly connected to the Georgia World Congress Center.
Updates to other Competitors (listed alphabetically)
The following are notable updates on convention destinations with which Denver has recently competed, albeit somewhat less frequently than those in the table above. As convention business is largely cyclical, some of these cities could very well become top competitors for 2024.
AUSTIN
Convention Center Update
A redevelopment plan with a price tag of up to $1.6 billion includes a complete reconstruction of the convention center, expanding it from 376,000 square feet of rentable square feet to 709,000. The current project plans call for the convention center to close in 2025 and the remodeled building to be completed by 2029.
BOSTON
Convention Center Update
In 2019, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority put together a plan for a $400million expansion to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The proposed project would add 100,000 square feet of exhibit space as well as over 100,000 square feet of meeting space. The project has been put on hold indefinitely due to the pandemic and has yet to be approved by voters.
The plan to sell Hynes Convention Center to partially fund the potential expansion of the BCEC has also been put on hold as they continue to book future events.
CHICAGO
Destination Update
O’Hare International Airport has embarked on an $8.7 billion renovation. The goal is to make the airport the first “global alliance hub” with domestic airlines and their international carrier partners all in the same terminal by 2028. Despite COVID setbacks the project is on track.
INDIANAPOLIS
Convention Center Update
In fall 2020, Indianapolis city council voted unanimously for a $150,000-million, 235,000 square-foot expansion of the Indiana Convention Center. The expansion, which broke ground in July 2023, will include a 50,000 square-foot ballroom and will connect hotels to the center’s South Campus. Completion of the project is estimated to be in 2026.
Hotel Update
Hilton will build an 841-room Signia and another 600-room property adjacent to the
South Campus expansion of the Indiana Convention Center. This project is also anticipated to be completed in 2026.
ST. LOUIS
Convention Center Update
America’s Convention Center Complex is undergoing a $175-million project to add 92,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 65,000-square-foot ballroom, 20,000 square feet of pre-function space and 26 new loading docks. While the project was scheduled to be completed in 2024, recent complications have extended the project beyond its original budget. The city and county are currently determining whether the 2nd phase will be delayed or indefinitely suspended. This second phase includes the 65,000 sq ft ballroom and public plaza.
SEATTLE
Convention Center Update
In January of 2023, Seattle completed a $2-billion addition to their Convention Center. The 14-story expansion (named Summit) features half a million square feet of event space, 250,000 sq ft of exhibit space and an outdoor garden terrace.
Denver Sports Commission: Marke�ng Plan
In December 2012, the Board of Directors of the Metro Denver Sports Commission voted to become an affiliate of VISIT DENVER’s sports marke�ng efforts, effec�ve January 2013. Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, an avid sports fan, helped lead the alignment. A Denver Sports Advisory Commitee was formed immediately a�erward and has been working diligently to fulfill the mission ever since.
As an official affiliate of VISIT DENVER, the Denver Sports Commission (frequently referred to as Denver Sports) operates as a clearinghouse and resource for all spor�ng event owners and organizers interested in Denver as a future loca�on. The mission of the Denver Sports Commission is to proac�vely iden�fy, pursue and atract new regional, na�onal and interna�onal spor�ng events and sports-related business opportuni�es that generate economic impact, engage the community and support Denver’s brand as an ac�ve, healthy city.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
As 2022 showed signs of looking similar to pre-pandemic years, 2023 certainly illustrated that business is open in the sports recrui�ng world. A�er fully opera�ng with a new focus on protec�on and safety protocols, events and groups are charging ahead with no limits on selec�ng host ci�es to stage their events. Denver Sports will con�nue to move ahead with evalua�on of all levels of sports tourism.
In the wake of hos�ng important events in 2022 like the Move United Junior Na�onals and the US Women’s Soccer team, Denver was honored to host several events, to name a few, in 2023 that are keeping The Mile High City in the spotlight.
2023 USA Curling Na�onal Championships
The USA Curling Na�onal Championships host the best men’s and women’s teams from across the country to compete and advance to represent the U.S. at the Men’s and Women’s World Curling Championship. Winter sports fans got a chance to see this unique compe��on in Denver at the historic Denver Coliseum. These championships helped iden�fy America's future stars in the sport of curling.
2023 USA Fencing Junior Olympic Championships
As the na�onal championship for the junior and cadet age groups, this event crowned 12 individual champions and six team champions in February at the Colorado Conven�on Center. USA Fencing con�nues to find a welcoming home in Denver as over 7,500 athletes, coaches, spectators and officials atended this annual compe��on.
2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball – 1st & 2nd Rounds
Once again, the NCAA brought sold out capacity basketball to Ball Arena in March. Featuring eight teams, including exci�ng matches with Gonzaga, Baylor and Creighton, fans were brought to their feet cheering on another successful spring of “March Madness.” A favorable matchup of games being featured on St. Patrick’s Day made it extra special.
2023 United States Golf Associa�on (USGA) U.S. Amateur
The oldest USGA championship came to Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club in August and featured over 300 of the na�on’s best amateur golfers. The U.S. Amateur has enjoyed an illustrious history of great champions, including Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods.
MARKET SEGMENTS
Denver Sports regularly assesses opportunities to recruit or develop sporting events across five different segments and will continue to do so in 2024. The primary targets of relationshipbuilding and recruitment are as follows:
A. NCAA/Collegiate Conferences
Based on extensive research conducted during former bid cycles, it has become clear that securing some large-scale NCAA events could have challenges and be cost-prohibitive. Budget requirements for most events come with a hefty fee that has to be weighed against the value of hosting these lucrative events. An important qualifying element is the impact of taking Denver’s high-capacity venues offline. Several NCAA events require a high volume of event-days on the calendar that will be a continuous issue for our venues to consider moving forward.
With that said, the Men’s Basketball tournament each March has previously found an excellent home in Denver. Even though the 2021 Regionals were canceled due to the pandemic, the NCAA did award Denver the recent 2023 tournament round and future 1st & 2nd Round matches in 2025. These games will once again be staged at Ball Arena and are officially hosted by the Mountain West Conference. In addition, Empower Field at Mile High will host the Air Force Academy’s home football game against Army on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.
The next bid cycle for future NCAA championships is currently underway; however, with a change in format. The bidding process will be adjusted from a four-year process to a two-year process, with hosts and sites being awarded for approximately 88 of the 90 NCAA championships for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years. The Denver Sports Commission is expecting to receive hosting documents in the fall of 2023, as well as attending the “Host Symposium” at the NCAA National Office.
B. Amateur/Participatory
The recruitment and promotion of all amateur/participatory events solicited to Denver will fall under the purview of the VISIT DENVER sales and marketing teams. Denver Sports will lend
support, such as committee representation and promotion, when necessary. With Denver offering several multipurpose facilities like Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Ball Arena and DU’s Ritchie Center, there is substantial opportunity to solicit mass amateur participation in several different sports like soccer, lacrosse and rugby. The diverse scheduling of regional parks and sporting complexes can also play a role in more amateur sport bookings. For example, venues like Stenger Soccer Complex and the Apex Center have a bigger appetite now to schedule more business across their entire footprint.
C. United States Olympic Committee (USOC), National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and International Organizations
Denver Sports remains in close contact with USOC members. With most NGBs headquartered in Colorado Springs, the proximity of these groups running events in Denver can, and has become, an operational advantage for many of the different organizations in the USOC family.
NGBs were certainly affected by the pandemic with cancelled events and low membership revenue. However, these organizations have been able to approach full recovery with full event calendars in 2022 and 2023.
In 2024, the sports commission will continue to work on projects involving some of the nation’s best events with members such as USA Hockey, USA Rugby and USA Taekwondo. The sports commission has been honored to work closely with USA Volleyball in 2023 to land the December boys qualifier, the Mountain Classic. With projected solid attendance and a history of welcoming junior volleyball in Denver, we hope to have this tournament for years to come. USA Volleyball has also committed to hosting their signature event, the Open Championships in 2025
D. Professional Sports/National Team Tournaments and Exhibitions
In addition to amateur/participatory events, Denver Sports has the opportunity to recruit events associated with Denver’s professional sports franchises. Since Denver has six high-profile professional teams in addition to first-class sports venues and top-tier convention infrastructure, the city is well positioned to host these high-profile events. With the number of franchises in top-tier cities, these events can have somewhat limited availability and be cyclical in nature. Examples of these events include the NHL Stadium Series outdoor hockey game and the NFL Draft.
Because of Denver’s inventory of large-capacity venues like Empower Field at Mile High and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, another area of recruitment will be to secure attendance-heavy events involving the national teams in rugby and soccer. A great example of this is the semiregular hosting of the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament and Nations League Finals at Empower Field at Mile High. Although crowds were limited in 2021, the Nations League Finals were at capacity and highlighted Denver’s love for international soccer. At the time of this report, Denver has submitted their official interest with Concacaf on bidding for future years, starting with matches in the summer of 2025, as well as USA Rugby national team matches in 2024 and
2025. Denver’s great showing of attendance at previous matches featuring Mexico have also placed us in favorable position for MexTour events on future summer calendars.
The sports commission has also re-invigorated the exploratory committee charged with securing a future NFL Draft. With a typical busy April calendar, previous Drafts have eluded Denver. With new Broncos leadership alongside a new Denver mayor, a new evaluation is underway for a future bid.
E. Owned & Operated Properties
With the success of booking convention and transient business over the years, finding available dates in Denver’s calendar to recruit sporting events can be challenging. This, along with the sometimes-high price tag being placed on high-profile events, leads to a need to strategically review opportunities to create owned and operated events that are beneficial for the community and certain niche markets. Members of the Commission’s Advisory Committee have been meeting to discuss the implementation of this concept under the supervision of Denver Sports.
While the model of owning a new event can potentially pay dividends, this concept has been placed on the back burner because of the anticipated high cost of operating and staffing an unknown event. Securing proven events has been fruitful to date, but creating a new event will continue to be evaluated.
OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS
Denver Sports has made it a priority to assess Denver’s position and opportunities in the marketplace when developing strategies and tactics for 2024 and beyond. As the business climate has returned to normal, the strategies for Denver will not drastically change.
Strengths
Denver has built a diverse resume of high-impact events. In the last 20 years, Denver has hosted all-star games for six professional sports leagues and staged several types of NCAA events. This brand recognition in the competitive world of event recruiting can boost future conversations with event operators.
Denver has six professional sports teams, serving as one of the highest numbers of any city in the nation. Two of Denver’s professional franchises claimed championships in 2023: The Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth. Ending a 47-year wait for Denver, the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win their first-ever championship.
Denver and Colorado have colleges and universities that are well known and respected in the collegiate sports arena. Denver Sports has an established partnership with the Mountain West Conference, which has been an outstanding partner for pursuing NCAA college basketball events. The University of Denver’s venues have proved to be excellent host sites. In addition, Metro State University is a seasoned host, evidenced by their
successful hosting of several NCAA Division II Softball Championships and the 2016 NCAA Division II Spring Festival.
Denver has a passionate sports fan base that have set many attendance records for professional games and events as well as NCAA and international sporting events.
Denver has built five state-of-the-art facilities in the last 28 years, all of which have hosted major sporting events. Three of the major downtown facilities are currently evaluating major development projects to improve the fan and team experience.
Denver has 300 days of sunshine and a mild, dry climate that is extremely favorable for year-round outdoor sports.
Denver is a top-tier convention destination, with a proven track record of hosting fan events associated with all-star games and international sporting events. Key assets are a worldclass airport with direct rail transportation, a state-of-the-art convention center and over 52,000 metro-area hotel rooms, including more than 12,500 downtown.
Denver has one of the healthiest, most active populations in the U.S. and sets an example for NCAA and other youth-oriented sporting events.
Elite endurance athletes are attracted to train in Denver, given the cardiovascular benefits of training at altitude. England’s national rugby team is an excellent example of this, training in the altitude as a precursor to the U.K.’s hosting of the Rugby World Cup.
Being centrally located in the U.S. and the largest city within a 600-mile radius, Denver is an ideal location to host nationwide sporting events that require geographic representation in this region of the country.
Denver serves as the gateway to resorts in the Rocky Mountains for people coming to Colorado from abroad.
Weaknesses
The plethora of sports options and sporting events in Denver can present a saturation challenge, wherein there may be difficulties in gaining media exposure, sponsorships and ultimately, ROI for the event owner and the city.
Securing venue dates for sporting events recruited to Denver can be difficult, given the number of professional teams with extensive annual schedules and the need to preserve postseason dates. In addition, the “need period” timeframes in the “off-peak” seasons for conventions and tourism are often at the times of the year when sports venues are in maximum use.
Major corporate sponsors in the region are limited, especially for one-time special events, and the majority of them are already aligned with existing sports teams and properties.
Generating audiences for new events or one-time events can be challenging, given the saturation of sports in Denver and the relatively small population base in the states surrounding Colorado. Therefore, it is important that Denver Sports strategically targets both local and regional audiences for future events.
Different agendas for business models and financial risk among the parties necessary to achieve a successful sports event bid submission make effective collaboration challenging, but imperative.
The City and County of Denver has a very limited number of playing fields/sports complexes available for the amateur sports market, and most of the activities are hosted in the metro area, including but not limited to Aurora, Westminster, Lakewood’s Gold Crown facilities and Commerce City’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. All entities are engaged in aggressive efforts to host events.
Opportunities
eSports – eSports is an emerging player in the sports landscape. Video gaming has been around in various forms for decades, but new levels of professionalism, viewership and commercialism are emerging. Today there are organized eSports at the youth, high school, college and professional levels. Some locations, such as Las Vegas and Arlington, Texas, have responded with permanent eSports arenas. The Denver Sports Commission has reviewed data that suggests the Denver area has higher than national average numbers in users and devices. In addition, Denver is seeing a growing community in training and participation with venues like the Localhost Arena in Lakewood and the Sport Stable in Superior. The Denver Sports Commission has developed an eSports committee and is exploring signature industry events. The current climate suggests that eSports are here to stay. However, there is some evidence that there has been a recent cooling of benefit to attracting visitors to an on-site gaming experience. Because of this, the eSports committee is still reviewing the best strategy to enter the market in a significant way.
International Inventory of Events – With the exceptional amenities of DEN, hotel accommodations and mass transit, Denver can be an attractive destination to global events rights holders. These attributes can be benefits to international competitors, too. Denver Sports will continue to explore this territory with international shows featuring federations of different sports, some of which can now be done virtually.
Rugby – Denver has made a strong case as a rugby hotbed, due in large part to Glendale’s Infinity Park and a long history of hosting international events like the Churchill Cup, Serevi Sevens tournament and the RugbyTown 7s tournament that takes place every year at Infinity Park in Glendale. Denver has also been a frequent host of the Men’s National Team, the Eagles, and is actively bidding on matches in their international window. With the
announcement of the Rugby World Cup (world’s third largest attended event) coming to the United States in 2031, the sport will be receiving a great deal of attention in the coming years., Denver Sports will continue to work with USA Rugby – whose headquarters are advantageously located in Glendale – to bring large international events to Denver.
Hockey – Following Denver’s recent claim as Hockey Capital USA, the attention on the sport of hockey has not slowed down. Two of Denver’s primary ice floor venues (Ball Arena & Magness Arena) are actively part of discussions to bring high-profile hockey events to the city. Denver Sports will continue to work closely with the NHL (All-Star Game), NCAA (Frozen Four), and USA Hockey (National Team friendlies) on finding landing spots in their calendar.
USOC and Associated NGBs – Over the years, Denver Sports Commission has taken significant strides in furthering its relationship with the leadership of the USOC and its related NGBs. Given the city’s proximity to Colorado Springs – where the USOC is headquartered – it makes sense for Denver Sports to continue to foster these relationships and bid to host USOC events. Organizations of the USOC see it as an advantage to stage events within 75 miles of their headquarters. The USOC is always looking to diversify their host destination schedule for their athletes and premier events, and this proximity gives access to more than 20 organizations. Denver’s strong resume of hosting events associated with the Olympic family will continue to be an asset.
National Western Center – The plans to redevelop the National Western Complex facilities to house a new arena and exposition hall/field could enhance Denver’s ability to solicit and attract events that currently have not chosen the city because of limited venue availability. Denver Sports has participated in discussions for the appropriate use of the competition venue currently planned for the National Western Center. Denver Sports has uncovered many events that could benefit from a fixed-seat facility with an adaptable competition floor, so these on-going conversations will be crucial to the success of future sporting events in Denver.
Threats
Competition from other cities – Whether funded by government money, privately owned firms or professional teams, the recent proliferation of multi-use venues and sport-specific training sites in other cities brings increased competition for sporting events. These venues offer event owners a multitude of options to consolidate their event footprint, especially when numerous fields, courts, etc. are required. Venues and training sites that provide additional on-site or adjacent amenities can be very attractive to event owners as they decide where to bring their future events. Denver’s foray into the international market, opening the city up to potential new events, will certainly bring new competing destinations into the mix as well.
Event marketing funds in other destinations – Certain cities, counties and states have created tax revenue streams or allocated significant funds to attract sporting events by
“buying” the event, especially when large rights fees to host the event are in place. Although the occurrence of rights fees can be cyclical, Denver Sports will find itself in direct competition with markets that can deliver funding and offset operation costs. Denver Sports has certainly seen a propensity for international events to have a large financial commitment and/or risk attached but are now seeing more domestic events taking a similar approach. The incentive concept will continue to be an element that has to be considered for securing events. The emergence of Denver’s TID funding source has already played a successful role in landing several events. The ability to show strong returns on this funding will be important in maintaining this resource. Denver Sports has also engaged members of their advisory committee to uncover new funding concepts and anticipate having options to activate in the very near future.
Higher bid fees – Many second- and third-tier cities view sporting events as an opportunity to gain exposure and brand their destinations. Thus, they are willing to “bid up” the price by increasing their investment in hosting these events. The result is that event owners are now using this demand to ask for higher bid fees and more concessions.
Perception of inclement weather – Organizers can be swayed by the misperception that The Mile High City experiences severe cold weather and snow during the entire winter. Denver Sports will continue to work with VISIT DENVER to carry on marketing efforts to combat this perception, which could pave the way for more events in the non-peak times of the calendar.
Denver Sports has several key strategies and tactics that it will continue to focus on in 2024:
Engage key sports and venue stakeholders in Denver with the mission of Denver Sports and involve them in the process of assessing opportunities that exist to recruit sports events as potential business partners. The recent multiple-year process of bidding on FIFA World Cup was a productive exercise in collaboration and team building.
Work with Advisory Committee to be the “voice” of sports in Denver and establish this office as the “go-to” for any sports destination opportunities. Continue to build on the current work of the eSports committee and bring along key local partnerships to put plans into action. Denver Sports is consistently adding members every year, while also retaining veteran members and establishing a foundation of community stakeholders.
Ensure messaging, strategies and tactics of Denver Sports are aligned with the mission, overall goals, infrastructure and resources of VISIT DENVER.
Continue Denver Sports’ overall event recruitment strategy and develop the criteria and tactics necessary to analyze and recruit sporting events.
Refine a set of core capabilities for Denver Sports that can be applied and used in support of events recruited to Denver by venues, promoters or grassroots sports organizations.
Continue to aggressively recruit high-profile soccer matches to Denver, since Denver has proven success with frequent matches at Empower Field at Mile High and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Concacaf, Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer have become excellent partners in staging high-profile events in Denver.
Conclusion
Denver’s ability to attract meaningful events to the city continues to trend upward. And much like the previous mayoral administration, the sports commission anticipates a productive and valuable partnership moving forward. The Mile High City also looks forward to wrapping up a big year of sports in 2023 when Denver hosts the USA Volleyball Mountain Classic in December at the Colorado Convention Center.
Convention Sales: 2024 Goals & Objectives
Goals Analysis
To determine the appropriate performance measurements for the upcoming year, the Convention Department reviews current economic conditions impacting the convention and meeting industry and looks at supply and demand data as well as other relevant research.
VISIT DENVER uses three different data points derived from the production and pace reports, and several market analyses from leading companies such as CoStar, formerly Smith Travel Research (STR), CBRE and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to determine goals for the upcoming year.
2023 was the first full year that the recovery was not hampered by a COVID variant. Meetings began to stabilize, and attendance continued to improve over all to approximately 85% percent of 2019 and the attendance rebound was dependent on the industry segment.
Simpleview, the CRM provider used by VISIT DENVER and more than 230 other DMOs, provides detailed booking information to help understand the marketplace. FuturePace, one of their platforms, offers pace insight with aggregate data from 59 subscriber destinations. In 2019, there were 26.6 million definite room nights on the books from these 59 FuturePace destinations. While lead and lead room night volume through June 2023 are outpacing the same timeframe in 2019, +16% and +18% respectively, there are currently only 15.3 million room nights booked for 2024. Denver on the other hand is +15% ahead of Pace Target, and 2024 is shaping up to be a strong year. As of August, Denver’s year-to-date lead volume outpaces 2019 at 121. The meetings industry continues to rebuild, and 2023 has proven to be a year of growth making up a lot of industry-wide, delayed bookings due to COVID.
Current Hotel Market
A look at hotel indicators for Downtown and Denver City and County and submarkets through July follows. As can be seen, occupancy is still down from a high in 2019, while the rate and RevPAR are doing well. The slow group market and business travel is the main reason for lack of occupancy.
Pre-COVID, more than 60 percent of all the Lodger’s Tax for the City and County of Denver was derived from the downtown hotel inventory. There are approximately 12,000 hotel rooms in the downtown central business district (CBD) and roughly 24,000 hotel rooms total in the city. There are also nearly 52,000 hotel rooms metro wide.
Source: CoSTAR
Current Group Market
As of July, Denver’s group market is still lagging the percentage seen in 2019. Hotel group business has come back quicker with small to mid-size corporate travel business. Convention center users are seeing attendance at 80% to 85% of 2019 numbers.
Source: CoSTAR
Current Pace
Currently Denver is ahead of PACE for most years with some softness in 2027 to 2030 Current tentatives with high probability of booking in the next six months should close the gap for some of those underperforming years. The convention team is being aggressive in putting convention packages together for 2029 and 2030.
Source: FuturePace
Supply Impact
According to STR, the hotel final planning and construction pipeline remains strong with more than 2,700 rooms for the Denver CBD and another 2,200 projected for the airport. Denver has ranked in the top 10 of the Top 25 Markets for year-over-year percentage of supply growth for the last decade.
Denver has very few new meeting hotels being built that will drive new meeting business demand and allow for more bookings. Most of the hotels that have been or are being built, except for the Gaylord, are in the 200 total room range and have very little meeting space to attract new meeting business. The last meeting hotel built in Denver City and County was the 403-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown Convention Center in 2010.
According to STR, nine hotels with 1,160 guestrooms were added to the Denver metro area lodging supply in 2022, and another three hotels with 171 rooms were added up to August 2023 with another seven hotels with 752 rooms expected by yearend. The Denver metro area hotel room supply will continue to experience growth in 2024 with an additional five hotels with 604 guestrooms scheduled to open in the Airport/East market.
Competition Impact
Competition remains fierce from both tier one and tier two convention cities. Across the United States, several cities are expanding or enhancing their convention centers. Northstar’s recent convention center report overviewed 17 convention center projects around the country. Eleven out of 17 are in Denver’s competitive set including Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, to name a few.
COVID changed the landscape for many cities. Some of the planned hotel and center expansion projects in the pipeline were on hold but are now forging ahead, like Denver with a voter-approved expansion to open in late 2023. Once complete, the new rooftop meeting space should give the city a competitive advantage in booking 2024 Q2 and beyond.
Competition from “mega-hotels” (facilities so large that the entire meeting can be held in one hotel, eliminating the need for a convention center) is increasingly impacting all major convention cities. In many cases, the mega-hotels offer complimentary meeting space, as well as an “all-inclusive” approach to doing business. This meeting option can be appealing to both corporate and midsize association groups. In Denver’s case, the 1,501-room Gaylord Rockies hotel, opened in 2018, is located 23 miles from downtown Denver and partially financed by the City of Aurora and State of Colorado. Gaylord will continue to be a formidable competitor; they have large spaces and a waterpark, and their ability to host meetings under one roof will be attractive for groups, versus using multiple properties. They have an upcoming sister property opening in Chula Vista in 2025. This will increase the brand’s ability to attract large conventions with multi-year packages across soon-to-be six Gaylord properties throughout the U.S. This hotel may also take business from the Gaylord Rockies and other Gaylord hotels making them more aggressive for business.
Market Demand Impact
Pre-COVID and in 2023, citywide meeting planners were blocking fewer hotel rooms due to the aggressive attrition penalties enforced by hotels and the trend of attendees booking rooms via the internet, both through established online travel agencies like Expedia, as well as providers like Airbnb and VRBO. This meant that VISIT DENVER had to book more groups to achieve the established room night goal. Denver hotels are seeing higher occupancy and rates leading delegates to find cheaper hotel rates on the internet outside of the established blocks, and this will continue to disrupt the way VISIT DENVER measures performance and economic impact from meetings and conventions.
When it comes to room blocks, groups will be conservative to minimize their financial risk. Most associations rely heavily on meetings from a budgetary perspective, and clients will continue to be conservative in room blocks as we look to 2024
With the addition of the expansion, JLL forecasted incremental growth of attendance and an additional 60,000 room nights a year by the end of a five-year booking cycle.
There is a lack of availability in Denver’s larger meeting hotels in 2024 and 2025. In-house hotel business that was cancelled in 2020 to 2022 was relocated to future years along with pent up demand to restart the meeting business post-COVID.
Planners were resistant to book their long-term, large convention business out to the future during COVID which impacted years of 2020 to 2022. Planners seem prepared to book
more long-term business from 2027 to 2031 after having a post pandemic year behind them. Most saw 2023 attendance around 80-85% of 2019 numbers.
FuturePace Forecast
FuturePace delivers enhanced pace reporting for DMOs, helping destinations make more informed decisions based on accurate forecasting data. Created in partnership with George Fenich, father of the TAP report, FuturePace was designed with improved data processing for greater accuracy in the calculation of pace targets, giving VISIT DENVER the opportunity to identify and solve problems before they arise.
With FuturePace, VISIT DENVER can use Simpleview’s business intelligence team and a full, dynamic integration with CRM data. The report provides credible information about convention bookings, trends and future projections for nearly 60 cities and tracks all future and tentative bookings by month and year. The future bookings are labeled by market segments and size. The report gives each city the ability to compare production to other cities and monitor their booking and consumption pace, as well as demand, conversion, and market share.
Most importantly, FuturePace delivers deep visibility into industry demand pace from one to seven years out and enables DMOs to create more accurate forecasts and set appropriate booking targets for their market. Created from future-looking data, these reports serve as a tool for DMOs to share a realistic picture of market pressure and to help support hotels’ pricing and inventory initiatives to attract certain groups. The bookings, provided by participating DMOs in markets across the U.S. and Canada, are aggregated, analyzed, and configured into the FuturePace Report, which has become an industry standard.
In 2021, the system was used to recalculate new demand and consumption benchmarks for the industry. Group bookings and leads data consolidated by Simpleview were used to validate and differentiate DMO categories. This was combined with a U.S. lodging sector forecast prepared by Tourism Economics in partnership with STR. Economics forecasts are prepared by Oxford Economics, the parent company of Tourism Economics. Specifically, the forecast drivers used in the analysis included GDP, employment and private sector capital spending.
Baseline: Weaker 2024 and 2025 benchmarks than January forecast due to mild recession forecast early 2024.
Downside: Assumes a combination of factors, such as lower attendance levels, weaker economy, recession, and greater hesitancy to plan group events, results in a slower recovery in group demand.
Denver Market Forecast
By yearend 2023, Denver hotels are forecast to see a RevPAR increase of 10.5 percent. This is the result of an es�mated increase in occupancy of 5.2 percent and a 5.0 percent gain in average daily room rates (ADR). The 10.5 percent boost in Denver RevPAR is beter than the na�onal projec�on of a 6.0 percent increase. Year-end Denver RevPAR will be 5.5 percent greater than the 2019 year-end RevPAR level of $100.70. RevPAR for Denver hotels is not expected to surpass 2019 levels un�l the end of 2023.
Goal Summary and Recommendation
VISIT DENVER carefully analyzed supply and demand data points and market trends gathered from the hotel partners and select members of the Convention & Tourism Advisory Committee. To that end, the following influences are being observed and, to the extent possible, factored into the 2024 goal forecast:
Threats
COVID-related rebookings have slowed in 2023 but filled many of the future dates at the center and hotels for the next two years, making short-term availability very difficult.
Inflation, recession, travel restrictions and workforce concerns along with many companies still deciding what a return to the office will look like all continue to impact meeting attendance.
VISIT DENVER team cannot book additional groups in the CCC expansion until after first quarter 2024.
Improved competition packages (Atlanta, Indianapolis and Las Vegas all have large new meeting hotels, and Seattle’s expansion opened in 2023). Also, Gaylord continues to compete aggressively with a new property to be completed in 2025 just outside San Diego.
According to the recent Destination Attractiveness Mathematical Market Metrics (DAMMM), Denver ranks firmly in the middle of the pack for destination product when compared to 20 of its competitive set but is, disappointingly, at the bottom for crime around the convention center.
Opportunities
Large (citywide) events are no longer hesitant to book future dates. Planners are focusing on what the “new normal” will look like after their 2023 meetings are concluded, especially as it relates to future attendance, room nights, and the virtual meeting opportunities.
According to the recent Evidenz national meeting planner study of the top 40 convention cities, Denver is well positioned, ranking number one for overall perception (based on key selection factors like hotels, safety, accessibility, convention facilities, city appeal, etc.).
More hotel rooms downtown, albeit smaller properties with limited event space.
CCC expansion completion date of December 2023 and the ability to start booking second quarter 2024 and beyond.
Tourism Economics recently updated their projections for 2024 and 2025. The group demand benchmark average is estimated to reach 87.2 percent in 2024 and 95.4 percent in 2025 without any unforeseeable headwinds.
Denver ranks sixth in the report out of 22 major meeting destinations in the recent Convention Center Index (CCI). Each city is evaluated across six categories: available exhibit space, total hotel rooms, average hotel cost, travel time from the nearest international airport to the convention center, the number of direct monthly flights and the city’s overall safety level.
The 2024 goals outlined below have been developed with the best available data as of August 2023. Goals maybe different in the final report as production continues to actualize over the next few months and as current national and local industry environment changes.
Definite Goals 2024
Considering the threats and opportunities outlined above, the goal recommendations are as follows. As of August 2023, the convention team is on pace to meet and exceed the 2023 definite goal. The definite goal that is being forecasted for 2024 is 700,000 total definite room nights, which is a 12 percent increase over the 2023 goal.
Lead Goals 2024
The proposed lead goal is 3,825, which is 23 percent over the 2023 goal. Lead volume has been strong since Q2 exceeding 2019 levels but is beginning to normalize as of August 2023.
Lead Room Night Goals 2024
The proposed goal for lead room nights is 4,983,627, which is 7 percent over the 2023 goal.
Destination Services
The demand to provide unique and top-rated service to convention planners and their delegates continues to be a top priority. It is vital that close attention is paid to the destination appeal, attendance building and an upscale visitor experience expected of a first-tier convention city.
Below are the forecasted services goals for 2024:
Generate 10,000 partner referrals for Denver facili�es and services informa�on and keep Denver on the “short list” of mee�ng planners and execu�ves.
Achieve a ra�ng of “sa�sfied” or “very sa�sfied” in 90 percent or more of all customer service evalua�ons. This equates to a six or seven on a one to seven scale.
Public Relations
VISIT DENVER follows the public relations industry best practice of measuring advertising value equivalency (AVE). All stories that market Denver as a convention destination and have been placed, pitched or assisted by the Communications Department are measured for AVE, which determines how much the space occupied by the story would have cost if it had been purchased as an advertisement. Whether the story appears in USA Today, The New York Times, the Business Journal network, Meetings & Conventions magazine or Successful Meetings, as long as it promotes Denver as a convention and meeting destination, it is included toward this goal.
This measure, however, is not without challenges, particularly in the COVID era, when editorial focusing on destinations has been largely replaced by articles about how the pandemic has been impacting the meetings market and how planners are adjusting. While this has started to mitigate, stories with a hard-news angle are still much more frequent than the “soft” destination stories that made up so much of the coverage pre-COVID.
Prior to COVID, VISIT DENVER recognized that the number of trade magazines is shrinking, the number of convention trade websites is increasing, and stories are getting shorter. Since AVE measures by length of story, shorter stories translate into small numbers, meaning that AVE goals of the past are no longer practical. Historically, convention trade magazines would devote multiple pages to a Denver destination report; today, such reports are virtually nonexistent. And during the pandemic, most planners are working from home, which means that print magazines are probably not even getting to them. All of this has made it difficult to generate significant AVE. Add to this the fact that many planners now get their destination information from mainstream news and travel sources, as well as from peers and site visits, and the situation becomes even more challenging.
Despite these challenges in the trade media landscape, before, during and after COVID, the communications team will continue to send press releases to trade media, conduct deskside tours (when allowed), assist journalists from those publications and monitor news trends in the industry in order to insert Denver into appropriate stories in this market.
Goals
1. Increase the number of meetings and conventions held in Denver and Colorado and attract business that will have the greatest economic impact, with priority given to bookings at the CCC, driving City and County Lodger’s Tax.
2. Generate awareness among meeting planners of Denver and Colorado as a preferred meeting destination.
3. Generate community awareness among city and hospitality constituents, encouraging them to support VISIT DENVER’s sales and marketing programs.
Objectives
1. Confirm 700,000 future definite room nights for Denver to be consumed from 2024 through 2029 and beyond.
2. Generate 3,825 leads resulting in 4,983,627 lead/tentative room nights, which represent business that has the potential to be consumed from 2024 through 2030 and beyond.
3. Provide destination services assistance in order to drive attendance and encourage repeat business for 60 multi-hotel, citywide conventions; 650 individual meetings booked via VISIT DENVER; and 300 individual, non-Bureau assisted meetings and conventions booked for Denver.
4. Generate 10,000 partner referrals for Denver facilities and services information and keep Denver on the “short list” of meeting planners and executives.
5. Achieve a rating of “satisfied” or “very satisfied” in 90 percent or more of all customer service evaluations. This equates to a six or seven on a one to seven scale.
Tourism: Situation Analysis & Markets
Three major leisure tourism markets are reviewed in detail: Domestic Consumer Leisure, Domestic Group Leisure and International.
Unlike the conventions market, which is largely driven by direct sales efforts, success in the leisure market is directly impacted by paid promotions, e.g., advertising campaigns, as well as earned media in the form of public relations and owned channels such as the VISITDENVER.com website and social media. By reviewing trends and understanding consumer preferences, VISIT DENVER is better able to direct its domestic and international marketing efforts to maximize results and generate the highest possible return on investment.
DOMESTIC CONSUMER LEISURE MARKET
A. National Trends
In 2023, the domestic travel industry completed its post-pandemic recovery as visitation to destinations across the country largely exceeded 2019 levels. The pandemic left an indelible mark on all aspects of the travel industry. So even as travel volume and travel spending now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, there have been fundamental changes in the way people plan and book travel, in the way they experience destinations and how destinations approach the visitor experience. This section will attempt to encapsulate those in order to position how VISIT DENVER prepares to address them moving forward to ensure continued success.
Nationally in 2022, according to Longwoods International, domestic overnight visitation exceeded 2019, a record year for most destinations, by a fair amount. Consumers not only continued to expend pent-up demand, but also established a new mindset that prioritized travel in a way the industry has never seen before.
Source: Longwoods International 2022 Annual Visitor Study
TOTAL SIZE OF U.S. OVERNIGHT TRAVEL MARKET
The level of success in 2022, with double-digit increases over the previous year, was somewhat of a surprise. While it was assumed that travel would continue to grow in 2022 and continue to eclipse 2019, few expected the continued surge in visitor demand. Industry experts had discussed the decline of “revenge travel,” that pent-up demand created by the pandemic. In actuality, that pent-up demand was still being felt, along with a resurgence of an interest in travel overall that fueled a frenzy, despite the continuation of high travel prices due to inflation. And why not? The pandemic caused a great reordering of personal priorities. The inability to travel in 2020 and 2021 led to realizations that connections with friends and family was a priority, and one that fed perfectly into an increased desire to get on the road.
The U.S. Travel Association monitors all travel trends during the pandemic and shows a generally optimistic outlook for 2023 and beyond in its U.S. Travel Forecast Summer 2023 edition, the latest figures available. U.S. Travel predicts continued resilience of domestic leisure travel, though returning to more normal, pre-pandemic single-digit annual increases. In 2023, domestic leisure visitor volume is projected to end the year at 103 percent of 2019, and inflation-adjusted domestic leisure travel spending is projected to be 101 percent of 2019.
U.S. Travel is bullish about the recovery of the international leisure market, which picked up steam in the first half of 2023. In 2023, international leisure visitor volume is projected to be 84 percent of 2019, a steep increase of 20 percent over the 2022 year-end numbers. Inflationadjusted international leisure travel spending for 2023 is projected to be 73 percent of 2019, which is still a bit soft. A full recovery in international travel volume (compared to 2019) is expected to happen in 2025, but spending recovery is not expected until 2026. Both lags can be attributed to the slower-than-expected return of far-east travelers from Japan and China, as well as continued issues with visa wait times from several non-waiver countries.
Source: U.S. Travel Association Travel Forecast, Summer 2023
CONSUMER SENTIMENT AND BEHAVIOR
The following section relies on the research produced by key partners like Destination Analysts, Longwoods International, MMGY and others. These on-going studies track the travel industry, as well as the travel sentiment of consumers, and provide constant monitoring of trends in a very unpredictable and rapidly changing travel environment. These insights have become indispensable resources in adjusting and effectively implementing VISIT DENVER convention and leisure sales and marketing programs.
The Post-COVID Landscape
After three years of the pandemic, despite lingering daily cases of around 20,000 nationally, and the always-present threat of a new variant, it is clear that COVID is in the rear-view mirror, at least for now. That is a comforting fact, to be sure, though it does nothing to minimize the impacts the disease has had on nearly every aspect of our lives, some of which may never go away. We work differently. We eat differently. We approach public health differently. We educate our children differently. And, of course, we travel differently.
Who could have imagined a time when hotel rooms may not be cleaned on a daily basis? Which one of us is ready for QR code menus to go away? And of course, masks are still a relatively common sight on flights compared to pre-COVID.
However, it’s also clear that COVID is only a concern for a small minority of travelers and no longer serves as a barrier to travel. The latest research by Longwoods International/Miles Partnership (Wave 75, July 12, 2023) indicates that a mere 11 percent of the public feels COVID will greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months. For perspective, about double that number, or 20 percent, are more concerned about transportation costs. Indeed, across all research providers, financial and inflationary concerns have replaced COVID concerns as the most persistent issue for the industry.
As stated above, several economic concerns (travel/gas prices, inflation fears and issues related to household incomes) have substantially replaced COVID as a more acute – and possibly longer-lasting – barrier to travel, since travelers have always been mindful of the affordability of their trips. These concerns have been pushed to the forefront in recent months due to the steep spike in travel costs that began in the first half of 2022 and persists today, though perhaps not to the same extent as last year.
It is significant to note that these economic concerns are happening at a time of record travel demand. So, while it is important to take these concerns seriously and to respond to them appropriately, it should also be noted that they have not significantly dented travel demand, particularly among upper-income groups.
Here is a roundup of traveler economic concerns as of August 2023.
Nearly a quarter of travelers say their personal financial situation will impact their travel decisions over the next six months.
When incorporating the number of people who say inflation may somewhat impact travel decisions in the next six months, the figure above increases to 60 percent, which is certainly worrisome and something that will be closely monitored.
Despite these near-term concerns, travelers are optimistic about their future economic prospects. These longer-term considerations continue to buoy future travel demand as seen in the chart below. A near-majority of travelers at 47 percent expect to be better off financially a year from now, which is more than 10 points higher (30.9 percent) from how people feel today. This is also a number that has been rising steadily since June of 2022 during the height of travelrelated inflation.
Source: Destination Analysts State of the American Traveler, July 2023
Excitement to Travel
People are VERY excited to travel, with more than 86 percent stating so, according to Destination Analysts’ latest research.
Source: Destination Analysts State of the American Traveler, July 2023
This excitement to travel is bolstered by actual travel demand, with the latest study from Longwoods indicating that nearly 90 percent have plans to travel in the next six months.
This trend is reinforced by the latest wave of MMGY’s Portrait of the American Traveler, a quarterly leisure travel study, which shows every generational cohort experiencing an increase in travel intentions in the next 12 months.
Source: MMGY’s Portrait of the American Traveler, Summer 2023 Edition
2023 TRAVEL INSIGHTS
For years, MMGY’s quarterly Portrait of the American Traveler has documented key travel insights related to intent to travel, planned spending and other considerations. They also report on a variety of new and emerging traveler habits and behaviors, many of which were compiled in their Summer 2023 edition, and all of which are helpful to VISIT DENVER in planning for future visitor needs. Here is a roundup of some of the trends they are tracking.
Overall Traveler Outlook
Short-term travel is up significantly from February, with nearly half of travelers planning to travel within the next three months (48 percent).
The cost of travel continues to be the largest concern for the majority of travelers, and the most significant decreases in traveler sentiment occur within personal finances and affordability.
Where People Want to Visit
Hawaii and Florida destinations lead the way for domestic interest, with significant increases in interest compared to this time last year. Colorado remains a top five destination, and Denver performs well in their list of cities that people are interested in visiting.
Source: MMGY’s Portrait of the American Traveler, Summer 2023 Edition
Road Trips
Intent to take a road trip is down slightly compared to this time last year (72 percent), but more travelers than ever have taken a road trip in the past 12 months (63 percent).
Millennials are most motivated by the lower vacation cost to take a road trip, while Gen Zers, Gen Xers and Boomers are primarily motivated by the spontaneity of road trips.
July is the most popular month to take a road trip, followed by June and August.
The average distance traveled is 923 miles, and more than 50 percent of road trippers are willing to drive 500 miles or more.
Diversity in Travel
Travelers of diverse backgrounds seek different experiences within destinations. Black travelers are more likely than other groups to be influenced by a destination’s food and
drink scene, while Hispanic travelers are more influenced by the destination’s reputation for environmental responsibility.
More than half of Black and LGBTQ+ travelers believe inequities exist in the travel industry.
More than half of Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ travelers are influenced by a destination’s diverse cultural experiences and commitment to diversity and inclusion when choosing a destination.
Family Travel
Millennials make up more than half of family travelers.
Family travelers are motivated to spend time with their significant other and children and to get away and unplug when traveling.
Three-quarters of travelers are influenced by their children when planning daily activities on vacation.
Multigenerational travel and traveling for children’s sports is down significantly from last year.
Travel Agents
Younger generations and travelers with kids are most likely to use a travel agent within the next two years.
More than half of travelers who intend to use a travel agent do so in order to get the best prices for a vacation.
Traveler Perspectives
Optimism for the future of the U.S. and the world continues to remain low.
Three-quarters of travelers believe the memories they create on vacation are more valuable than material purchases.
Luxury Travel
Younger generations are more likely to identify as luxury travelers.
Travelers who identify as luxury travelers are most willing to splurge on hotel accommodations and upscale restaurants, and they are significantly more willing to do so than this time last year.
Vacation Motivators and Activities
Beautiful scenery is the most influential feature when selecting a destination, particularly for older generations.
Younger generations are more influenced by the music scene, diversity of a destination and nightlife than older generations.
International Travel Intentions
Interest in international travel remains strong with more than three-quarters of active leisure travelers interested in traveling internationally within the next two years.
More than other generations, Millennials are interested in visiting Canada on an international trip.
Other Factors Influencing Travel
Tourism and hospitality sectors are cri�cal drivers to the economic growth and employment in Denver, and VISIT DENVER is commited to developing a plan for 2023 and beyond to ensure these sectors come out stronger and more resilient.
Below are some key and national statistics that help illustrate the current situation and mindset going into 2023:
The Travel Price Index (TPI) and overall consumer prices (CPI) were both roughly the same in May as in April (seasonally adjusted). Notably:
Motor fuel decreased by 5.6 percent while Airline Fares decreased by 3.0 percent
Lodging prices increased by 2.1 percent
On a year-over-year basis (YOY), inflation continued to cool down. CPI cooled to +4 percent, the lowest in two years. TPI cooled even further, and prices were at the same level as last year (+0 percent YOY)
Motor Fuel was down 20 percent YOY, while lodging was up 3.7 percent
For the second month in a row, Airline Fares were down (-13.4 percent YOY)
o This reflects the most significant decline in Airline Fares since March 2021
o These two months of declining YOY fares follow 14 straight months when fares were up YOY by double digits
o While CPI an TPI were both up nearly 19 percent since 2019, Airline Fares were up only 5.4 percent
Travel Price Index (Major Components)
Source: U.S. Travel Association
U.S. Consumer Confidence Index,® which measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months, increased in July of 2023 to levels not seen since 2021. The Conference Board, a business research group, said its consumer confidence index rose to 117 in July from a revised 110.1 in June. The gauge beat the 110.5 that economists expected and was the highest in two years. While recession fears are still in the back of consumers’ minds the proportion of consumers who think a downturn is “somewhat” or “very likely” ticked up to 70.6 percent, up from 69.9 percent a closely watched indicator is no longer flashing warning signs. (CNN)
Representing destination diversity has quickly become a top priority for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs). Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s also good business. More than half of Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ+ travelers are influenced by a destination’s diverse cultural experiences and commitment to diversity and inclusion when choosing a destination. (MMGY Portrait of the American Traveler, Summer 2023 Edition)
Boomers, GenX and Millennials, especially affluent households, are the traveler segments we expect to drive continued growth in domestic leisure travel in 2023.
o Boomers lead all generations in travel spending intentions with 3.8 annual trips planned and annual spending of more than $6,500.
o GenX members are planning slightly fewer trips (3.6) with annual spending around $4,000.
o Millennials have the same number of trips planned as Boomers, but with lower planned annual spending of only around $3,000.
o (Source: MMGY Portrait of the American Traveler, Summer 2023 Edition)
B. Denver Trends
In 2022, according to the Longwoods International Travel USA Visitor Profile study, Denver welcomed 36.3 million visitors, 14.7 percent higher than 2021 and surpassing the record levels set in 2019.
Total overnight visitation was particularly strong in 2022, hitting 20 million, a 20 percent increase over 2021. Overnight leisure visitation saw an increase of 13 percent to 16.7 million. This included a very healthy 18 percent increase from “marketable” visitors to 8.3 million. Marketable visitors are the primary focus of VISIT DENVER’s promotional efforts. Business travel also surged to 3.2 million, a steep increase over 2020 and 2021.
(Longwoods)
Travel spending by all visitors to Denver in 2022 reached a record $9.4 billion, an increase of more than 42 percent over 2021 and higher than the previous record in 2019. The study also showed that less than half of the increase in spending was due to inflation, with the balance attributable to organic spending growth from Denver visitors. (Longwoods)
Spending by overnight visitors increased in 2022 to a whopping $8.0 billion, a 45 percent increase over 2021. Among all traveler types, marketable travelers spent the most at $229 per day, followed by business travelers at $173 per day. (Longwoods)
Hotel occupancy in Denver reached 82.9 percent in June of 2023, the highest single month since September of 2019, and behind June 2019 by 3.6 points. Demand was up 2.7 percent to June of 2019, at 647,845 ADR reached $205 in June of 2023, growing 15.6 percent compared to 2019. Leisure and hospitality jobs grew 5.7 percent in June, over May of 2020, and was 4.4 percent higher than 2019 levels. (Source: STR, Google Analytics, Arrivalist and BLS)
Based on April 2023 worldwide passenger traffic, DEN ranks as the 3rd busiest airport in the U.S. and the 7th busiest airport in the world. London/Heathrow jumped from No. 7 to No. 5.
Nearly 6.6 million passengers transited DEN in May 2023, the busiest May on record and the fifth consecutive busiest month year-over-year.
May 2023 was also the second busiest month ever at DEN. May 2023 passenger volume increased 15.0 percent from May 2022. Year-to-date May passenger traffic is up 15.0 percent over 2022 and up 13.2 percent from 2019. (Source: Denver International Airport July 2023 Air Service report).
Tier I cultural organizations, since resuming full capacity in 2022, continued to provide a strong lineup of exhibits and events in 2023. The Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo continue to be top attractions for Denver. The Denver Center for Performing Arts continued its robust calendar with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Jagged Little Pill.”
Denver’s blockbuster exhibitions also had a full schedule in 2023. Denver Art Museum hosted shows such as Her Brush: Japanese Women Artists from the Fong-Johnstone Collection. Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibitions included Bugs: Marvel at their Adaptive Genius and After the Asteroid: Earth's Comeback Story.
While Denver’s dining scene has received tremendous accolades over the last several years, the pandemic had an outsized impact on this sector due to the convergence of multiple factors that continue to plague it today, including staffing shortages, increases in labor costs, food and material costs, etc.
According to the Colorado Restaurant Association 2023 statistics:
o 8 out of 10 restaurants are struggling to hire new staff, even if wages in Colorado have risen by an average of 20 percent
o About 3 cents is all that remains from each dollar spent at a restaurant after operators pay for labor, overhead, and food
o Food prices increased more than 11 percent in 2022, the highest increase in more than four decades
The CRA and the industry are enthusiastic about the Michelin Guide coming to Colorado, following its announcement that the Centennial State is now the eighth Michelin Guide destination in North America and the sixth in the United States.
Restaurants have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, with challenges related to inflation and food costs, affecting profitability for operating a restaurant.
VISIT DENVER 2023 Promo�ons
In 2023, VISIT DENVER executed a campaign and promo�onal schedule that has expanded even beyond pre-pandemic efforts. Several key factors contributed to this:
Advertising budgets have been restored to – even exceeded – 2019 levels. This includes the impact of TID funds for key leisure marketing programs.
Demand for travel overall and for Denver in particular has surged since the pandemic. After two years of depressed demand for all travel, especially to urban destinations, visitors are once again excited to explore America’s cities. Denver continues to enjoy an outsized advantage here due to the proximity of Rocky Mountain adventure throughout Colorado.
The Denver travel product has returned in full force. This importantly includes a robust events calendar that is the key to enabling regional advertising.
VISIT DENVER’s 2023 campaign schedule:
January saw the introduction of a new “Winter Basecamp” effort that built off the success of previous test efforts in this space. Driving the success of the 2023 effort is the innovative use of advertising technology to target people searching for Colorado winter trips and serving them Denver ads before they book.
The regional, “always on” campaign re-launched in February. This campaign replaced the year-round “Reclaim the Weekend” campaign, funded through the proceeds of the Tourism Improvement District (TID) tax, which was suspended early in the pandemic. The campaign, which is exclusively funded by the TID, promotes up to nine different large events (concerts, cultural exhibitions and festivals) each month, using the urgency they create to encourage visitors to come “right now.” The campaign used the tagline, “All Ways Welcome.”
The spring/summer campaign, which is always the largest of the year, broke new ground in 2023 with an aggressive geographic targeting effort. Using a three-tier system, the campaign focused dollars into the three largest markets in the country: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and also diverted funds to several “test” markets, including Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Minneapolis and others The campaign also ran nationally using specific audience targeting. The campaign began in mid-April and concluded in late August. This campaign also used the “All Ways Welcome” tagline.
The spring/summer campaign this year also included a new, expanded campaign effort targeting affluent Hispanic/Latino families for travel to Denver. The campaign, developed in conjunction with a noted national consultant, runs under the new tagline, “Listos? Let’s go!”.
Mile High Holidays, Denver’s holiday marketing campaign, also returned in 2023. The campaign promotes holiday events and festivities, including the return of VISIT DENVER’s Mile High Tree, to local and regional customers in November and December. Mile High Holidays is partially funded by the TID.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER also ran several smaller campaigns to support local programs like Denver Restaurant Week and Denver Arts Week that are discussed in more detail in those respective sections.
VISIT DENVER continued a cooperative program on Expedia and its family of brands. The campaign, which Expedia used to charge hotels for, is now fully funded by TID funds and promotes the city and partner hotels across the sites all year long.
VISIT DENVER also partnered with Denver Art Museum on a joint campaign to promote two fall/winter exhibitions: Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks and All Stars: American Artists from The Phillips Collection. VISIT DENVER will promote these exhibitions regionally while the museum promotes them locally.
Across all consumer campaigns through July, VISIT DENVER generated nearly 406 million advertising impressions and nearly 1.9 million visits to the VISITDENVER.com website, the best indicator of demand.
C. Primary Markets
Denver is the biggest city in a 600-mile radius. This huge, central/western part of the U.S.
represents the largest source for potential leisure visitors who come to The Mile High City for its unique combination of urban adventure and access to outdoor recreation.
Target markets for the annual spring/summer campaign are Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. In 2023, a new layer was added to the campaigns of secondary cities that includes several Texas markets (Dallas, Houston, Austin), Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle and others.
Regional markets include Colorado (outside of metro Denver), as well as neighboring states and cities such as Albuquerque, Cheyenne, Chicago, Kansas City, Lincoln, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Wichita. In 2023, additional regional markets were added in Oklahoma and Montana. Markets are evaluated based on a number of factors, including historic performance, website traffic, proximity, prevalence of air lift and multiple other determinants.
D. Niche Markets & Attraction Passes
The Bureau continues to market to several key niche markets, as well as offering two multiticket cultural attraction program
Cultural and Heritage Tourism
National research done by U.S. Travel Association shows that cultural/heritage travelers spend more money, stay longer and are more likely than the average traveler to rent a car and stay in a hotel.
Arts and cultural activity reached a peak in 2019, breaking records for economic activity and impact. Economic activity, which comprises direct and indirect spending from operations, audiences and capital projects, reached $2.3 billion in 2019, the highest amount reported by CBCA (Colorado Business Committee for the Arts). Economic impact, a segment of total activity that accounts for “new money” to the region, also reached a new height at $860 million. (CBCA, 2021 Economic Activity Study). The next CBCA Economic Activity Study comes out in November 2023 and we will be able to compare current activities with pre pandemic levels.
The DENVER 2-for-1-TIX program was developed in cooperation with Denver Arts & Venues to provide free marketing opportunities for arts, cultural and entertainment organizations with last-minute ticket discounts of two-for-one. The program generated a database of nearly 17,000 subscribers and achieved a 15 percent average open rate for the weekly e-mail before being paused in March 2020 due to the complications of COVID. VISIT DENVER reviewed this program, and surveyed cultural organizations in the first quarter of 2023 and found that most cultural organizations are not able to provide a 2 for 1 discount. However, VISIT DENVER amplified its Deals and Discounts page on its website to include offers from cultural organizations. Denver365, VISIT DENVER’s online events calendar, offers free marketing exposure for events throughout metro Denver. As of July 31, 2023, the calendar featured 1776 events in Denver. The calendar continues to include a robust number of in-person events.
Denver CityPASS
Denver CityPASS, which launched in May 2018, offers discounted �ckets to visit three, four or
five of the eight par�cipa�ng Denver atrac�ons with pricing available for both children and adults. The CityPASS is sold on VISITDENVER.com, as well as other CityPASS pla�orms and retail loca�ons. Although CityPASS has not included the Denver Zoo since 2022 (they opted out due to capacity restric�ons), the CityPASS con�nued to perform quite well in 2023. Through June of 2023, 1,519 total �ckets have been sold, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2022 and an increase of 1 percent rela�ve to 2019.
CityPASS Sales
o 2023 sales through June: 1,519
o 2022 sales through June: 1,287
o 2021 sales through June: 680
o 2020 sales through June: 241
o 2019 sales through October: 1,510
Mile High Culture Pass
The Mile High Culture Pass, which launched in 2013, was paused in 2020 due to COVID. The Mile High Culture Pass offers admission to some of the city’s most fascinating attractions, all for the bargain price of $37 for a three-day pass for both children and adults. The Mile High Culture Pass resumed operations in April 2022, and performed well with passes 883 sold through July 2023, just 2 percent lower than in 2019.
Mile High Culture Pass Sales
o 2023 sales through July: 883
o 2022 sales through July: 165 (relaunched in April)
o 2021: inactive
o 2020 sales through March (inactive after March): 143
o 2019 sales through July: 864
The Bureau employs a full-time Cultural Tourism Programs Manager to manage all cultural tourism initiatives, including the Denver365 events calendar, programs such as Denver Arts Week, outreach to the cultural community and management of VISIT DENVER’s neighborhood content program.
Destinations around the globe have recognized the value of LGBTQ+ markets because of their propensity to travel. VISIT DENVER works with the LGBTQ+ community to promote the city to these markets, especially around the annual PrideFest, which returned as an in-person event in 2023 with more than 530,000 people attending over the two days. VISIT DENVER was again a sponsor of the event.
Denver’s ongoing potential in this market is based on a combination of the city’s strong LGBTQ+ community; its growing reputation for cuisine, shopping, arts, culture and entertainment; and its proximity to the Rocky Mountains. VISIT DENVER is dedicated to showcasing inclusivity in consumer marketing programs using photos and video featuring members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as a committed component of the spring/summer campaign dedicated to this market.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER contracted a writer from the community, who is currently working to release new content for this community.
In addition, in 2023, VISIT DENVER became a member of IGLTA, an LGBTQ+ association that provides information and resources for LGBTQ+ travelers and expand LGBTQ+ tourism globally. Through IGLTA, VISIT DENVER will be amongst Marriott, Disney and American Express, to name a few, to support LGBTQ+ travel while continuing to be the welcoming city that it is.
Multicultural Markets
VISIT DENVER continues to expand its promotional reach to a variety of multicultural markets. As has been the case historically, both the Hispanic/Latin and Black segments of these multicultural markets are a priority for the Bureau. The Hispanic/Latin market offers potential for growth in leisure travelers to Denver, partially because of the large regional Latin population. For the Black market, the focus is on meetings, conventions and fraternal events, as well as driving leisure travelers to the city. Recently, the list has expanded to include those with disabilities (physical, cognitive, blind/visually impaired and deaf/hearing impaired), as well as the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) market.
Denver attracts these segments by showcasing the city’s diverse population, as well as its diversity in dining, shopping, outdoor recreation, cultural events, attractions and unique neighborhoods. As noted above, VISIT DENVER ran a new dedicated campaign to the Hispanic/Latin audience in 2023 and will continue to target this audience at other times of the year. Additionally, photography and video that represent members of these communities are incorporated into brand messaging and marketing to highlight the city’s rich cultural heritage. In 2022, VISIT DENVER was a sponsor and advertised Juneteenth, Black Pride Colorado, Cinco de Mayo and Chicano Music Festival in an effort to support these communities.
This effort is critically important to VISIT DENVER’s operations because of the business opportunities these markets represent VISIT DENVER will continue to serve as a welcoming city to these historically marginalized populations.
According to the recently released 2020 Census data, the U.S. is becoming increasingly diverse and multiracial:
The Multiracial population has changed considerably since the last census in 2010. It was measured at nine million people in 2010 and is now 33.8 million people in 2020, a 276 percent increase (2020 U.S. Census)
The Hispanic or Latino population, estimated at 18.7 percent of the population, grew 23 percent since 2010 (2020 U.S. Census)
More than 12 percent of the population identifies as Black/African American (2020 U.S. Census)
There are estimates that there are 80 million U.S. consumers that qualify as disabled due to one or more conditions, including those with ambulatory, cognitive, hearing or vision impairments (Exploryst)
Hispanics have $1.5 trillion in buying power with $73 billion spent on travel (Nielsen)
The Hispanic population is projected to grow by 82 percent, compared to only 9 percent for the non-Hispanic population. Latin consumers are also the youngest minority group, with a median age of 28 years old(Nielsen, Diverse Intelligence Series)
Colorado is one of the top 10 states where Latin consumers are spending their money, totaling $31 billion (Nielsen, Diverse Intelligence Series)
The buying power of the Black population continues to grow, reaching $1.3 trillion in 2018, up significantly from 1990 when it reached $320 billion. (Nielsen, Diverse Intelligence Series)
The disabled market is estimated to represent $1.2 trillion in buying power. (Exploryst)
VISIT DENVER maintains a collection of resources devoted to these markets, with much more planned for 2023 and beyond. This includes:
Updates on the Spanish-language section of the website, VISITEDENVER.com, knowing that while Hispanics may be bilingual, travel research indicates they prefer to book travel on sites that offer a Spanish-language option.
An ongoing contract with Essencialize, a local Hispanic/Latin marketing firm, to assist in reaching Hispanic media outlets and Spanish-speaking consumers in target markets.
National and regional Spanish-language consumer advertising designed to reach Hispanic/Latin audiences as part of spring/summer, fall and Mile High Holidays campaigns.
Expanding diverse content on the VISITDENVER.com website as well as across the Bureau’s social media channels in what is referred to as an “always on” fashion.
E. Competitive Overview
Many destinations worldwide are investing in marketing efforts and technology, which make it easier for destinations of all sizes to compete for a piece of the travel and tourism pie. Denver has remained competitive in these efforts by positioning the city as an urban destination combined with outdoor activities, but still has myriad of competitors, from national and international cities to cruises, theme parks, outdoor adventure tour operators and beach vacations.
Denver must showcase its safe, exciting, unique and compelling offerings to reserve a spot on the “short list” with potential visitors. While high-profile events and conventions have
broadened awareness of The Mile High City, consistent marketing and delivering on the promise of a “must-experience” combination of urban destination with outdoor activities are crucial to continued success. Photography, videos and other creative messaging help tell the story of how the spirit of the Rocky Mountains inspires both visitors and locals to explore the city.
In 2023 and beyond, the competitive edge will go to the destination that not only maintains its brand, but can also deliver on the promise of safety, cleanliness and confidence. Furthermore, the impact of climate change, including extreme heat events and wildfires, became much more important as many U.S. destinations experienced one or both events in 2023. Denver’s generally mild climate, and the lack of significant fire events in 2023, continues to help the city’s reputation.
Factors contributing to a positive visitor perception in Denver and Colorado, especially compared to several traditionally competitive cities, include:
Strong brand as an outdoor recreation destination, paired with “Basecamp Denver” messaging.
Reputation for exciting dining, nightlife and cultural scenes in a city with diverse, vibrant neighborhoods.
Reputation for being easy to get to, paired with reinforcement of the strength of Denver International Airport and with the appeal of western road trips.
City destinations viewed as competitors for Denver within the Rocky Mountain region and the Western U.S. include:
Seattle and Portland: Seattle’s location on the West Coast is attractive; it boasts a vibrant downtown complete with renowned attractions, as well as a reputation for technology and innovation; and the city also offers easy access to many scenic outdoor attractions. Portland (in many ways similar to Denver) has a hip, young atmosphere; a walkable downtown; a bike-friendly reputation; and a strong culinary and craft beer scene. Denver’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains is a plus, but Portland also promotes easy access to Oregon’s wine country and the scenic Oregon Coast. Both cities’ reputation suffered as they became early hotspots for COVID cases. Portland remains in the news as its downtown area continues to be plagued with crime and safety issues and a very visible homeless population.
Phoenix/Scottsdale: The Phoenix/Scottsdale area has many five-star resorts and the cities are significantly closer to the major attraction of the Grand Canyon. The two cities have established themselves as sunny destinations for golf and luxury resorts/spas. This is definitely a seasonal competitor during colder months, but extreme heat essentially takes this city off the table for summer travel. In July 2023, every single day of the month saw temperatures in excess of 110 degrees – most of those above 115 – and the nightly low remaining above 90 degrees.
Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City has a positive image as a ski destination and is somewhat closer to the mountain resorts than Denver. While it may not have as strong a reputation for
urban experiences, it is well known for outdoor activities in the summer as well as winter; and it has made infrastructure investments, from shopping complexes to highways and a new airport that opened in September 2020 to support tourism.
San Diego: San Diego is a well-branded West Coast city with must-see urban and outdoor attractions that appeal to all ages. The city has maintained a very positive destination image that includes an “always sunny” weather perception among business and leisure travelers. In addition, San Diego also has a walkable, vibrant downtown; plenty of great restaurants; art and culture; and access to outdoor recreation and beautiful scenery.
Nashville: This Midwest destination has a strong urban brand and is similar in size to Denver. Its crossroads, mercantile roots mirror Denver’s, and it also left behind a historic downtown that has been revitalized in recent years. Nashville’s superior entertainment and music brand makes this city a draw for younger visitors, especially those on special occasion trips like bachelorette parties and guys getaways.
Austin: The Texas capital continues to provide a world-class visitor experience, attracting people to the state who are drawn by its combination of live music, outdoor experiences (especially on its central river features) and food, particularly barbecue.
F. Local and Regional Tourism Marketing Initiatives
Denver Restaurant Week
In its 19th year of promoting The Mile High City’s dining scene, Denver Restaurant Week 2023 continued the established 10-day long format, spanning two full weekends from March 3-12. 226 local restaurants participated, up 15 percent from the prior year. According to post-event research:
Meals served: 111,000
Revenue generated: $4.4 million in spending at participating restaurants, delivering a muchneeded economic boost to struggling restaurants
The three-tiered pricing structure continued as well, offering diners a full, multi-course dinner for either $25, $35 or $45. Although the pricing tiers stayed the same in 2023, with increased food costs, this may not be able to continue in 2024, and will be reviewed with restaurants on what pricing they will be able to provide.
Denver Restaurant Week is supported by a multimedia advertising campaign that includes television, digital ads and billboards, as well as a full complement of public relations, social media and search engine marketing support. The website received more than 2.3 million pageviews, up 22.5 percent from the prior year; while the PR team garnered more than $4.7 million in AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency).
Lastly, VISIT DENVER had a title sponsor, Pie Insurance, which sponsored a launch event at the Dairy Block with food and drink samplings. Pie Insurance also had a couple of exciting contests: Win a free dinner for four from Pie Insurance and Enter to win a year of desserts + a one-of-akind pastry cooking class.
Denver Restaurant Week 2024 will take place from March 1-10 next year. Program timing is based on data from restaurants compiled from a survey that was sent out just after the conclusion of the 2023 program and other key events happening in the city.
For 2024, VISIT DENVER is working on a new website for this program that will create efficiency for the team and an improved platform for restaurants to upload their menus and prices.
Denver Arts Week
Initiated by the Bureau in 2007, Denver Arts Week is a celebration of all arts and culture genres in Denver. The primary goals of this local and regional marketing initiative are to generate awareness of Denver’s thriving and diverse arts and cultural activities with residents and visitors, and to help build new audiences for Denver’s arts and cultural organizations.
As in 2022, Denver Arts Week will have a full program in 2023, taking place Nov. 4-12 and is expected to feature a full complement of more than 450 events, including signature programs like expanded First Friday Art Walks and Free Night at the Museums. Deals and events, inperson, are being solicited from the cultural community in metro Denver and promoted on DenverArtsWeek.com through a dedicated local marketing campaign, as well as through VISIT DENVER’s social channels.
Denver Beer Week
Denver Beer Week was created to position Denver as America’s craft beer capital. It is usually staged around the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest beer competition in the world, and includes a metro-wide campaign promoting all the beer-related events that happen around GABF. In 2023, Denver Beer Week will take place from Sept. 15th - 23rd. As part of Denver Beer Week, the popular Denver Beer Trail digital edition will be updated, featuring VISIT DENVER’s nearly 50 craft brewery partners.
Neighborhoods Initiative
Because travelers are seeking authentic experiences, marketing the “hidden gems” found in Denver’s neighborhoods is a great way to showcase the city’s uniqueness. Many of Denver’s cultural treasures, including galleries, theaters, museums, independent shops and chef-owned restaurants are located throughout the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
Neighborhood content remains an important component on VISITDENVER.com. Updates to existing videos and dedicated landing pages which overview Denver neighborhoods continue on an annual basis to help enhance content.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER worked on making the Neighborhood Guide on the website more user friendly as well as mobile friendly. The written content has been updated to make it easier for visitors to understand the makeup of the neighborhoods, and an interactive map will be completed in Q4, where visitors will be able to click on each neighborhood and see the key aspects of each neighborhood. Videos will also be updated and completed by the end of 2023.
DOMESTIC GROUP LEISURE MARKET
A. National Trends
The American Bus Association includes approximately 1,000 motorcoach and tour companies in the United States and Canada. According to the ABA Foundation Research, the motorcoach industry lost 82.6 percent of its business in 2020, and another 62 percent in 2021. So far, 46 motorcoach companies have closed since the beginning of the pandemic, with more expected to close.
National Tour Association (NTA) consists of nearly 400 tour companies from the United States, Canada and Mexico, and over 1,900 supplier companies such as hotels, restaurants, attractions, bus companies, sightseeing services, publications and other travel-related businesses. As of the beginning of 2022, industry passenger volumes were down 62 percent from pre-COVID levels, making it one of the hardest hit parts of the economy. There are still concerns about more variant waves combined with driver shortage, and a recovery is not expected until 2024 at the earliest.
In addition, 71 percent of tour companies reported making either small or significant changes to their business model, with 32 percent standing pat. Some said they will offer more programs, while others are cutting back. Other changes mentioned include the following:
Reduced capacity of bus tours, from 50 people to 36 people
Changed payment and cancellation policies
Reimagined office with an option to work remotely
Less components/meals included in tour packages
Announcing and marketing tours much closer to departure
In 2023, as of June, VISIT DENVER received 206 group leads, above 2022 pace of 109 (as of June).
B. Denver and Colorado Trends
In 2023, in-person events continued to take place, including the Taylor Swift Concert and Rockies games.
The Tourism Department tracks all domestic group leads and service referrals generated from specific travel trade clients, small groups, weddings and reunions. Tracked 4,877 leads and referrals for the domestic wedding market as of June of 2023 compared to 5,705 for the same period in 2022.
The state of Colorado is seen as a favorable destination for the group tour market with open spaces, national parks and high vaccination rates. Denver is also the gateway to national parks in the Western U.S., which are a desired destination for tour groups post-COVID.
C. Target Markets and Results
This market is comprised of tour operators, travel companies, motorcoach companies and non-
professional group leaders. These markets are starting to recover, although at part with 2022.
Although largely impacted, the Tourism Department continues to service group travel planners in the following segments:
Motorcoach tours – Primarily mature adults and special-interest groups such as entertainment and social clubs.
Student tours – Primarily music and band performing groups and educational tours seeking performance venues and clinics, educational activities, hotels and restaurants.
Family and class reunions – Individual planners seeking information on hotels, restaurants and attractions suitable for groups.
Weddings – Individual planners seeking assistance with services, venues and hotels. VISITDENVER.com has automated wedding planning services.
Tracking of travel companies indicates that 12 companies offered new Denver travel packages in 2023, as of June, compared to 23 in 2022.
Rocky Mountaineer continues to be instrumental in increasing the number of travel groups coming into Denver, with the First Passage to the West service from Denver to Moab
The 2023 TourTrackerPro® Report was purchased again this year to estimate the number of room nights in Denver during 2023. Combined with the total number tracked, the total number of room nights in Denver for 2023 is 10,410, down 1,350 from 2022
Business leads and referrals generated within the domestic group market were down yearover-year, totaling 206 in 2023 versus 184 in 2022.
D. Competitive Overview
Colorado and the Western U.S. are favorable travel destinations amid COVID risks with open spaces and national parks, putting Denver in position to be the gateway city stopover on motorcoach trips through the West. Denver is the largest city in the state and region, potentially giving it a perception of being unsafe for the group tour market, consisting mostly of clients in a higher age bracket, as is the case with urban areas across the country. Denver and Colorado have handled COVID well compared to other Western U.S. states in our competitive set, even though Denver has more population density and can be seen as a higher risk than other, less-populated in-state destinations. Because of Denver’s remote location in the U.S., a tour from any distance often combines air travel with a motor coach, making air access and air travel sentiment important factors in running a tour that starts or ends in Denver.
Phoenix and Salt Lake City – Both cities offer proximity and easy access to famous national parks, despite Colorado being home to four national parks of its own.
Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Fort Collins and Loveland – These destinations offer a “small town” feel, convenient (often free) motor coach parking, easy access to attractions and the perception of being safer with lower populations. The perception (or reality) of lower hotel
prices than Denver also makes them attractive options for an overnight in Colorado instead of in Denver. The Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak area attractions have always been popular for motorcoach groups, and Grand Junction Wine Country has gained recognition in recent years. Fort Collins and Loveland have invested more in tourism marketing in recent years as well.
INTERNATIONAL MARKET
A. Travel Trends to the U.S. 2022 - Recovery
International travel is seeing growth in 2023 compared to 2022 but is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2024, even with the lift of COVID testing rules.
Although international visitations remain far behind, they are expected to pick up their pace of recovery over the next couple of months and years.
With double digit growth expected for both 2023 and 2024, international visitations to the United States are projected to reach 99 percent of 2019 levels in 2024
The strong growth of global travel is expected to provide a boost to inbound travel to the U.S. over the medium term. Strength from markets such as Canada and India, will be complemented by a pick-up in recovery from many European and Latin American markets.
International trips to the U.S. are projected to increase from 50.9 million in 2022 to 66.7 million in 2023.
But key risks and challenges remain, and they have influenced the longer time frame for a full recovery (2025 or later). These include:
o Excessive visa wait times
o Unfavorable (i.e., strong dollar) exchange rate
o Slowdown in the global economy and recession in many key inbound markets
o Increasing global competitiveness
o Lack of federal prioritization for inbound travel
o Reduced airline capacity for direct travel to China
U.S. destination marketers look to the Brand USA marketing organization to help bolster the image of America as a premier travel destination globally. Currently, Brand USA has active representation in Mexico, U.K./Ireland, Germany, India and China, plus PR representation in Canada. Brand USA remains engaged in trade projects in Australia, South Korea and Japan. Denver has exposure on their global consumer website VisitTheUSA.com and other digital platforms. Brand USA resumed paid media activities in 2022, which continued in 2023.
Brand USA’s marketing initiatives have helped welcome 8 million incremental visitors to the U.S. from FY2013 to FY22, benefiting the U.S. economy with $26.4 billion in total economic impact. The U.S. Travel Association advocates for policies and initiatives that will foster international travel to the U.S., including the maintenance of Brand USA funding.
COVID test regulations remain lifted for international passengers to enter the U.S.
Canada and Mexico are critical international markets and in 2023 are expected to represent 50 percent market share from international markets, which is slightly higher than in 2022. A full recovery to 2019 levels for all international inbound travel is not likely until at least 2025 (U.S. Travel Association)
International travelers are an important travel demographic to bolster the economies of state and local communities as international guests spend more money (an average of $4,200 per visit) and stay longer (an average of 18 nights) according to Brand USA.
Communications, Sales and Marketing Efforts
With the additional funding from the Restoring the Brand USA Act, Brand USA’s recovery campaign objectives include:
o Inspiration: To saturate core markets with United Stories (Brand USA’s video storytelling campaign) destination content and demonstrate the U.S. is ready and excited to have travelers back. (KPIs: impressions, views, engagements)
o Consideration and planning: Hyper-local content will allow the campaign to span from the greatest icons and national parks to off the beaten path experiences that locals would recommend. This is also a critical platform for partners to engage with the recovery campaign. (KPIs: clicks, site visits, time on site).
o Conversion: Drive activation by partnering with top tour operators and booking engines to nudge consumers down a path to booking in their market. (KPIs: tour operator and OTA bookings, annual ROI study).
Online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia are a global marketing asset. Expedia and other OTAs are also striving to package more activities and attractions in destinations by increasing their international marketing efforts. Brand USA has established an international partnership with Expedia to launch consumer marketing programs in which U.S. destinations can invest. VISIT DENVER has partnered with Expedia in the past and will rely on their data to make plans for future marketing investments when and where appropriate.
International travel to the U.S. still heavily depends on relationships with international travel companies. The strongest segment for international travel to the U.S. is individual travelers (FITs), rather than traditional group travelers. Most companies that have traditionally worked with travel agents to reach consumers have now added consumerfacing websites. A handful of companies have closed their doors due to the impact of COVID in target markets like Germany, Netherlands and the U.K. However, most international
travel companies have benefited from government subsidy programs amid COVID. While many of their employees were fully or partially furloughed, most have resumed working.
Despite the increases in direct online booking options in many countries, traditional travel agents continue to be important because of their expertise, ability to obtain the best prices and because of the benefits provided by consumer protection laws around travel purchases made with traditional travel companies. Travel agent webinar training has helped update the travel trade on changes to our offerings and continues to be an important part of the international strategy.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER was awarded a $500,000 grant ($250,000 to be used in 2023 and $250,000 to be used in 2024) from the Colorado Tourism Office, which is being used to contract direct Representative PR agencies in Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany and France. Trade efforts are underway with these agencies as well, where they are helping identify travel trade training opportunities. VISIT DENVER has contracted Hermann Global International on a social listening and search patterns in the UK and Germany. The goal is to understand consumer perceptions of Denver; keep visitors in Denver longer, whether their trip is part of a Colorado or US West vacation; understand motivating factors for visitors as they search for places to go and understand what turns off consumers about our destination (and what the misperceptions could exist).
B. Travel Trends to Denver & Colorado
Denver has a great combination of urban and outdoor experiences that are attractive to international travelers and can take different shapes, attracting different types of travelers at different stages in life or with different preferences.
1. Experienced international travelers looking for a new destination with a dining and cultural scene find Denver satisfies these requirements with the added outdoor and walkable downtown.
2. International travelers looking for a Colorado vacation that includes skiing or national parks visits.
3. Those who want the Western or “cowboy” experience, think Denver is the best city to fly into when arriving in the U.S. Not only does it offer a great experience within the city, but Denver is a great place to start and finish a vacation. It is also a market that is considered to be next on the list for savvy travelers looking for a unique experience.
Tourism Economics provides estimated numbers of international visitors and nights spent in paid accommodations by international visitors to Denver and Colorado. The research does not break down leisure versus business travelers; however, it is estimated the majority is leisure travel. Its numbers are based on the analysis of several data sources: the U.S. Department of Commerce/NTTO arrival numbers, airline passenger data (OAG – Official Airline Guide), credit card spending and Smith Travel Research hotel statistics.
2023 and the Road to Recovery
International visits to Denver are expected to grow 31 percent (to 485,000) in 2023, as forecasted by Tourism Economics. This equates to an additional 115,000 arrivals compared to 2022. International travel spending in Denver is forecasted to grow 345.5 percent in 2022, to $400 million, an increase of $299.9 million compared to 2021.
Tourism Economics is forecasting Denver to recover its international visitors to 2019 levels by 2024, and projecting growth of 131.4 percent from 2022 to 2027 in international visits, if all things remain the same (that there are no changes to COVID such as a stronger variant, or economic or geopolitical forces that make traveling not viable for key markets in Europe, for example).
In addition, Tourism Economics is forecasting international nights in paid accommodations in Denver will grow 71 percent from 2022 to 2025 to a total of 2 million room nights.
Denver’s largest source markets for 2023 are Canada (with 131,000 arrivals or 35 percent of total international arrivals), followed by the U.K., Mexico and Germany.
According to Oxford Economics, Denver is outpacing comparable North American cities in 2022 and 2024.
Trips to Denver tend to be shorter than those to the United States as a whole, with 3.1 nights the average length of a trip in 2022, compared to 4.8 nights for the United States.
Denver’s nonstop international flights to/from DEN have mostly all been restored, including the United Japan flight, which returned in March of 2023. There were also additions, such as:
United Munich nonstop flight – April 23, 2022
United London-Heathrow 2x/day – May 7, 2022
Additional non-stop flights were added in 2023, such as the Aer Lingus flight from Dublin, with more flights to be added in 2024.
C. Partnerships
Partnerships are crucial to international marketing successes:
Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) – On July 1, 2021 the CTO reinstated its international representation contracts with several countries that were paused in 2020. The office now employs in-market representatives in the U.K., Germany/Switzerland/Austria, France, Australia/New Zealand, Mexico and Canada, which continued in 2023. VISIT DENVER is now contracting, through a CTO grant, the same in-market representatives in the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany and France, while partnering with CTO in efforts to bring visitors from Australia/New Zealand.
Rocky Mountain International (RMI) – RMI collaborates between Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho and Montana to market the Great American West and pursue the U.K., Germany/Switzerland/Austria, Italy, France and Benelux markets. In July 2021, RMI resumed full representation in the Nordic countries and Australia/New Zealand. Denver is a gateway city partner represented in all markets, now competing with Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington.
Colorado Ski Country USA and Colorado Ski Industry Partners – Collaborative marketing in Europe, Asia, Australia, Mexico and South America aims to increase the length of stay in Colorado and include pre- or post-ski visits to Denver.
Brand USA – Cooperative marketing opportunities are available through the national tourism marketing effort that has fully integrated marketing campaigns and in-market representation in 20 international regions covering over 40 countries. Brand USA suspended all paid marketing programs in March 2020 due to COVID, but still supports travel trade promotion. Marketing resumed in November of 2021 and continued in 2023.
Denver International Airport (DEN) – Increased collaboration with DEN helps to maintain and pursue new nonstop service to Denver and increase the number of visitors to Denver and Colorado.
International Beer Festival Alliance (IBFA) – In 2019, Denver became a partner city in the International Beer Festival Alliance (IBFA), a China-based organization that aims to promote world-renowned beer events and the cities that host them, including the Qingdao International Beer Festival (Qingdao, China), Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany), Toronto’s Festival of Beer of Canada and Denver’s own Great American Beer Festival. No activities occurred in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the 32nd Qingdao International Beer Festival took place from July 15 to July 31, and then again in 2023. VISIT DENVER’s participation included a video about Denver, and in-person partnership is on pause for the foreseeable future.
D. Results
For the domestic tour companies, VISIT DENVER has tracked 64 companies with Denver Tours year-to-date through July (compared to 67 in 2022). Travel packages for Denver were also marketed internationally by 25+ receptive tour operators based in the U.S. Tracking of 2023 product results is an estimate and will not be available until the fourth quarter.
Many travel companies have new staff, and we continued to compile new contacts in 2023. Tracking the number of travel companies offering Denver product is currently 12 (YTD June of 2023), compared to 19 in 2022, mostly due to consolidation in key markets. In 2023, a total of 2,173 international room nights were tracked through June, through international marketing efforts. Through June 2022, 1,939 room nights were tracked from the available sources. VISIT DENVER will be capturing additional room nights by the end of 2023.
E. Target Markets
The Tourism Department markets to international travel companies to encourage Denver features in the following ways:
Dedicated Denver hotel + flight packages to promote Denver as a destination.
Denver as a gateway to a Colorado vacation, whether that is a fly-drive travel program (e.g., touring itineraries in a car, motorcycle or RV that include Denver and RV rentals by
international visitors that require an overnight stay before picking up the vehicle.)
Denver as a gateway to the West, whether that is a fly-drive travel program (e.g., touring itineraries in a car, motorcycle or RV that include Denver and RV rentals by international visitors that require an overnight stay before picking up the vehicle.)
Group tours (motor coach, mini-bus or van tours) that include Denver.
Denver hotel listings (hotel options only, without full city package or itinerary).
Target countries for Denver are determined by air access and traveler preferences in addition to border openings, resumption of international flights and traveler sentiment. Canada and Mexico rebounded first, due to proximity and flight availability. In 2023, all significant international flights returned with the addition of a United Munich flight starting on April 23, 2022, a London-Heathrow nonstop and twice a day flight that started on May 7, 2022, and a United nonstop flight from Japan that started in March of 2023
VISIT DENVER collaborates with Brand USA, CTO, DEN and The Great American West with making sales and marke�ng plans, to leverage the Bureau’s investment to its greatest poten�al.
Primary Interna�onal Target Markets
Primary target markets have been picked by the following factors:
Performance in 2023
Forecasted performance in 2024 and beyond
Nonstop flights
Visa waiver status
Geopolitical environment
Brand USA, CTO and The Great American West support and priorities to maximize budget and reach
Target Markets:
1. Canada
2. United Kingdom
3. Mexico
4. Germany/Switzerland/Austria
5. France/Benelux
6. Australia/New Zealand
Secondary Markets:
1. South and Central America
2. Asia Pacific
3. Nordic Countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland)
4. Italy
5. Japan
F. Compe��ve Overview
Denver’s most obvious competitors have strong nonstop international air service, wellestablished brands and access to famous attractions including national parks. Now, the handling of COVID and a visitor perception of safety create a competitive advantage for Denver and Colorado. Colorado and the Western U.S. continue to be favorable visitor destinations with open spaces and a strong handling of COVID. Denver acts as the premier gateway to this region. Potential competitors in the West and Midwest, depending on resumption of international flights as well as the handling of COVID going forward, include Minneapolis, Phoenix and Salt Lake City, as well as Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.
Phoenix and Las Vegas – Phoenix is known for its upscale golf resorts and is a gateway to the Grand Canyon, while Las Vegas is a “must-see” destination for entertainment, gambling and shopping. Both of these cities have strong nonstop international air service and can be used to access many of the national parks in the West without including Denver.
Salt Lake City – Salt Lake City has good international air access, including nonstop to and from London, Paris and Amsterdam, and is a strong Delta Airlines hub. Utah has retained consistent tourism funding even in the midst of the COVID crisis while other states cut budgets, which allows them to more aggressively pursue international markets.
Los Angeles and San Francisco – Both cities have California’s positive destination appeal and many international nonstop flight options. International travelers have traditionally used the large cities on the West or East Coast as gateways to the U.S. These cities offer access to beautiful coastal scenery, golf, national parks and famous attractions, including Universal and Disney theme parks.
Seattle and Portland – Increased international air service, expanded marketing budgets and nonstop flights to and from Asia, Nordic countries and Europe make Seattle and Portland strong competitors for those travelers wanting to see the Western U.S. In addition, both are strong U.S. gateways for Icelandair. However, Portland and Seattle were in the news for protests in 2020-2021.
Chicago – Chicago remains a very strong international gateway for the U.S. when travel returns. Although Choose Chicago (the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau) has experienced ups and downs in funding and has closed in-market representation offices in recent years, the city hosted IPW in 2014 and is slated to host again in 2025.
Tourism: Public Relations Trends
The prevalence of optimistic travel and tourism media coverage is often an accurate barometer of a healthy tourism industry. Like leisure travelers, journalists have hit the road again in droves, and they are penning inspirational global travel stories like never before. Year-to-date in 2023, the Communications Department has generated more than $40 million of positive print, broadcast and online earned media coverage featuring Denver as a top travel destination. But, despite this surge of optimism, many headwinds remain in travel journalism, and it has never been more difficult to forecast industry trends.
Even as widespread travel coverage has resumed, major long-standing travel publications and travel sections across the globe continue to struggle, and the ongoing shift toward digital news continues, further suffocating advertising revenue for media outlets.
In-person media marketplaces have returned and are producing record attendance numbers; however, individual media deskside meetings have become more challenging to secure with fewer journalists working regular office hours. The work-from-home trend has become particularly pronounced in the print media industry where fewer writers fill staff positions, and many journalists are less enthusiastic about in-person meetings that require them to leave the comfort of their homes.
Despite this uncertainty, the public relations trends below remain relevant and offer a snapshot of a rapidly evolving industry. The Communications Department closely monitors these trends and provides timely digital content for all media with material catered to the outlet and/or target story angle.
Travel Media Trends
Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a hot (and controversial) topic throughout the media and journalism industry, its use in public relations and travel journalism remains highly ambiguous and suffers from too many credibility and ethics implications to truly forecast its long-term relevance within the industry.
With the ongoing proliferation of digital news, most consumers prefer to get their news online, including travel stories, and even a majority of journalists find their news online.
The quantity of dedicated travel editors in major daily news publications continues to decrease, making destination features even more difficult to place. Many have converted to freelance writing, furthering the clutter among journalists competing to place stories.
The prevalence of freelance travel writers continues to increase, comprising nearly 20 percent of journalists in the industry today. Freelancers face more competition than they ever have to place travel stories in publications offering less real estate for travel topics.
Due to diminishing resources in the print news industry, freelance travel writers no longer receive the resources or the compensation they did in the past, and editors often expect them to play the role of photographer for their stories as well.
The prevalence of video in travel media across all digital, social and print mediums continues to grow and stretch traditional standards of reporting. Even many longstanding print publications have embraced the use of video on their websites to complement or replace standard text news placements.
Although bloggers and influencers have gained more traction in recent years, reputable ones are scarce. As with most online coverage, blogger and influencer placements are difficult to monetize and still do not warrant priority over placements that can achieve a tangible value.
Online photo galleries and Top 10 lists remain popular and are especially beneficial in driving traffic and increasing website page views.
Images are vitally important to all mediums; high quality, easily accessible photography and videography have become as important as the story itself, and press releases accompanied by photos have a higher probability of earning placement.
Editorial coverage continues to shrink in proportion with the decreasing attention span of readers who are now accustomed to short, concise stories on the web and through social media channels.
A growing number of online resources are now available at the fingertips of today’s prospective traveler, decreasing the reliance on media outlets for travel inspiration. From travel apps on smart- phones to Facebook and Instagram pages to user- generated review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp, few segments of travel have been changed by the internet more than travel public relations.
The monetary value of online travel editorial generated by PR is still difficult to gauge; however, advertising value equivalency (AVE) and impressions remain the industry standard for measuring results. Although strides have been made with tracking vendors, there is currently no other widely accepted industry standard for monetizing online editorial placements.
Online travel writers still garner information from media sections within official destination websites. They expect easily navigable, responsive websites that offer access to photos and provide itinerary planning/mapping tools.
International Media Trends
As another sign of travel optimism, global tourism is on the move again in a big way, and VISIT DENVER has officially resumed its international media efforts to inspire more visitation from
key travel markets. These efforts focus primarily on Canada, Mexico, the U.K., German-speaking Europe and France, which serve as primary sources of international travel offering nonstop flights to Denver International Airport (DEN).
Although international media trends remain subject to long-term, unforeseen changes based on possible new COVID variants, the geo-political climate, global economics and gas prices, the trends below remain relevant and offer a valid snapshot of the industry.
International media face the same challenges from the internet as American print and broadcast media, and they are reacting in the same manner – shorter stories, less space and fewer articles.
Due to the rise of international nonstop flights to DEN and increased interest in Denver as a destination, the Communications Department spent more time creating itineraries for and hosting international journalists. The number of international media FAMs to Denver has doubled in 2023 along with the number of global placements
European consumers remain interested in the American West and the entire Rocky Mountain region with the variety of recreation opportunities and attractions available. Denver generally offers the primary “big city” option on press trips that feature food, culture, sports, shopping and nightlife verticals to create new coverage opportunities.
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) maintains contracts with trade and public relations representation firms in major markets including the U.K., Germany/Switzerland/Austria, Canada, Mexico, France and Australia/New Zealand. With the same in-market representatives in place as Denver, CTO staff regularly pursues press tours to Colorado from these countries with a stop in Denver. Leads for media coverage and press trips are also generated via other alliances, such as Rocky Mountain International (RMI). Each of these media visits requires significant staff time in planning and implementation.
The best methods for developing international media coverage include hosting educational press trips for journalists; efficiently responding to media requests; collaborating with Brand USA media FAM efforts; and participating in international media promotions or travel trade shows such as IPW, TravMedia IMM marketplaces in London, Berlin and Paris, and Brand USA’s Pan-European Media Forum, where contact can be made with a large number of journalists in one location.
Measurement Trends
With the growing prevalence of online and social content and the difficulty in monetizing its value, many companies are attempting to create and market new qualitative methods to measure media placements, but currently none are widely accepted in the PR industry.
With less real estate to work with, articles on average generate a lower AVE. As a result, it takes many more placements to generate the same ad equivalency as in the past. Nonetheless, monetizing results through AVE remains a standard “best practice” in most major convention bureaus and across the global PR industry.
Tourism: Digital Trends
This sec�on of the marke�ng plan discusses the trends within the digital landscape that will inform VISIT DENVER’S digital marke�ng strategy in 2024. The digital marke�ng world con�nues to evolve as it reflects the evolu�on of current technology and consumer demand.
VISIT DENVER will con�nue its investment in digital marke�ng strategies and tac�cs to beter target poten�al and repeat visitors to the city. The team is con�nuously seeking digital solu�ons to ensure that Denver stays top-of-mind as the des�na�on of choice for all travelers. Below are digital trends that VISIT DENVER’s team will pay close aten�on to throughout the year to ensure digital marke�ng tac�cs reach the right audiences at the right �mes to increase tourism from all audience segments.
Con�nued Focus on Privacy & Transparency
Consumer desire for privacy and personal data management con�nues to play a role. For digital marketers, this means con�nued difficulty tracking user behavior, diminished targe�ng capabili�es, less data to collect and limited ad targe�ng. Ad spend could become less efficient as a result.
Data privacy and protec�on will be a central focal point for digital marketers.
There is an increasing divide between corporate data prac�ces and the general popula�on’s expecta�ons around transparency and data privacy.
Approximately 62 percent of business leaders say their companies should be doing more to strengthen exis�ng data protec�on measures. The vast majority of the general popula�on respondents (88 percent) also say they want corpora�ons to take the lead in establishing corporate data responsibility.
Businesses should consider ways to be more explicit and transparent about how consumer data will be used. Most general popula�on respondents (76 percent) say they want more transparency about how their personal data is being used by companies, and 40 percent say they would willingly share their personal data if they knew exactly who would use it and how it would be used (KPMG 2023).
This will impact any adver�sing that relies on 3rd party data. In early 2024, Google has announced plans to disable 3rd party cookies for 1 percent of Chrome users, increasing to 100 percent by the end of 2024. The importance of 1st party data and the use of data clean rooms will become more essen�al as consumers want to receive trusted content.
Technology Shi�s
Google Analy�cs 4
Google’s Website Tracking Includes Machine Learning: July 2023 marked the release of Google Analy�cs 4 (GA4), ending the usage of Universal Analy�cs, the dominant analy�cs pla�orm used
on websites for the past 25 years. GA4 is not an updated product, but a new pla�orm, built with an en�rely new way of doing analy�cs. Built to operate in a cookie-less world, link mul�ple devices, and take consumer privacy into considera�on, GA4 is a new data model and a new user interface. GA4’s machine learning combines ar�ficial intelligence and computer science. Using machine learning, GA4 fills in data gaps and provides sophis�cated insights into user behavior, trends and anomalies.
Arguably the two most significant difference between GA4 and Universal Analy�cs are:
1. GA4 will track users across mobile apps, multiple devices and websites all in a single property using data streams. GA4 can follow users seamlessly in a way that Universal Analytics cannot. Although Analytics can track users more efficiently in GA4, protecting user privacy has poked holes in the data Analytics can collect. Machine learning seeks to fill gaps with predictive data.
2. The shift to focus on the quality of the website traffic, defined as “engaged” traffic, not by the quantity of website traffic. This shift will mean different metrics and KPI’s and a new framework for all sources that drive brand awareness and/or traffic to the VISIT DENVER websites.
The Role of Ar�ficial Intelligence
2023 saw the explosion of Ar�ficial intelligence (AI) into the public consciousness, with the introduc�on and fast rise of genera�ve AI technologies and pla�orms such as ChatGPT-3.5/4, Bard and DALL-E.
Genera�ve AI refers to the branch of ar�ficial intelligence focused on crea�ng or genera�ng new content such as original and realis�c images, text, music and videos. This involves training machine learning models to understand and learn paterns in exis�ng data to generate new and unique content. Genera�ve AI techniques o�en use deep learning algorithms such as genera�ve adversarial networks (GANs) and varia�onal auto-encoders (VAEs) to generate content that closely resembles input data. These models learn the underlying paterns and structures of the training data and generate new content based on extrapola�on of knowledge.
Businesses must take proac�ve steps to understand the evolving connec�on among brands, AI applica�ons, and the impact on their end consumers, especially as it relates to trust. While consumers are interested in AI and beginning to experiment with the new technologies it powers, there are many open ques�ons regarding how best to deploy AI in service of crea�ng posi�ve, long-term customer rela�onships. (Kearney 2023).
As AI con�nues to evolve, there are both opportuni�es and challenges, and certainly many ques�ons that need to be answered for both brands and consumers. Topics such as: misinforma�on (how to differen�ate “real” from “fake”) trustworthiness/trust deficit, data privacy & security, ethical concerns and bias, all remain uncertain.
2024 is predicted to see 60 percent of brands planning to pilot, improve or operate genera�ve
AI in some way (IBM 2023).
The Rise of Streaming Video
The global video streaming market size has achieved remarkable growth in a year, with the industry valued at $455.45 billion in 2022 and projec�ons to grow from $554.33 billion in 2023 to $1,902.68 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights 2023). There are mul�ple opportuni�es to leverage across the digital eco-system: SVOD/OTT/OLV adver�sing has become more dominant, integra�on of owned content into websites and further development of video-based pla�orms for wider content distribu�on.
Consumer Websites
Best in class website elements remain constant, but with an increased focus due to privacy, the prevalence of mobile devices, GA4 and Google’s move toward a conversa�onal search func�onality.
1. Mobile-Friendly Website: With the rise in popularity of mobile devices, it is important to make sure websites or applications are optimized for mobile devices. Mobile-friendly websites are easier to use and navigate on a smaller screen and are generally more effective than websites that are not optimized for mobile. Some of the best practices to consider when developing mobile-friendly websites or applications include designing content to fit the screen size of a mobile device, keeping the navigation system simple and easy to navigate on a small screen, and reducing the amount of text on the website as viewing it on a smaller screen can be more difficult.
2. Clear Navigation System: Navigation should help users find what they are looking for quickly and easily. It’s important to understand how users will navigate the site and what they will want to find. This goes beyond including links to a few pages and incorporates how you arrange content as well. When designing you’re a navigation system, keep it simple and avoid putting too much information at once on each page.
3. Authentic & Relevant Content: Google’s algorithms acknowledge the shift in user behavior and demand, leading to the rapid evolution of Search Engine Optimization. Relevant & interesting content is crucial for websites. A content strategy gives marketers the ability to understand consumer’s expectations and needs as well as what format they prefer to consume the content (video, infographic, podcasts, articles). To appear on Google’s search engine, relevant content will play a bigger role than ever before.
4. Prioritize speed and loading time: Improvements can be made through faster server speeds, keeping page sizes small, optimizing text and images for speed and testing frequently from multiple devices and browsers.
Social Media Pla�orms Overview
In 2023, an es�mated 4.9 billion people use social media across the world. This number is
expected to jump to approximately 5.85 billion users by 2027 (Forbes, 2023).
These aren’t users �ed to a single pla�orm. The average user now spreads their digital footprint across a staggering six to seven pla�orms every month, highligh�ng the need for a mul�pla�orm approach to social media marke�ng. The launch of “Threads” by Instagram as a text based, real-�me answer to Twiter ini�ally caused great buzz, but has tapered off as users of Instagram didn’t necessarily adopt Threads.
Social media is becoming more than just apps and pla�orms; it’s a digital environment that’s reshaping the world of marke�ng. Pla�orms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are the arenas where brands can connect, engage and grow with your audience (Forbes 2023). Facebook remains the most used social media pla�orm in the world, with 2.9 million monthly ac�ve users across the world in 2023, but it doesn’t stand alone. YouTube is hot on its heels, clocking in with 2.5 million monthly ac�ve users. It will be increasingly important to use social media management tools effec�vely to manage resources, look for insights and capture traffic. All other pla�orms including Instagram, Pinterest, Twiter, Threads, BeReal and Vimeo should be evaluated based on their audience and how they contribute to overall business objec�ves.
Short-Form Video
The short-form video (SFV) feature from social media pla�orms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube con�nues to grow in the digital space.
24 percent of viewers only watch videos longer than 20 minutes in 2022. Short-form videos are ideal for social media and extending brand reach because they have a higher shareability factor. According to 75 percent of par�cipants in a recent Content Marke�ng Predic�ons poll, the video will be the most popular type of content in 2023, with short-form video being the most o�en cited tac�c (MarTech Series 2023).
Influencer Marke�ng
Micro-influencers have emerged as having beter engagement rates than mega-influencers. Micro-influencers' audiences tend to be more engaged and more likely to act than mega and macro influencers' audiences. A recent study of the domes�c leisure traveler indicated 77 percent have not used an influencer to plan travel (Des�na�on Analysts 2023).
Email Marke�ng
Email marke�ng has long been accepted as the most cost efficient, highest yield of the digital marke�ng toolset. Growing an email consumer database is the most valuable source for 1st party data and enables marketers to communicate with and nurture consumers who have indicated an interest.
Despite the increasing popularity of messengers, chat apps and social media, e-mail has managed to remain central to digital communica�on and con�nues to grow in uptake. By 2025, the number of global e-mail users is expected to reach a total of 4.6 billion. Strategic email
marke�ng has become necessary in overall digital marke�ng strategies. Consumer sen�ment toward emails clutering their inbox and privacy protec�on changes pose challenges for marketers trying to take advantage of this high-ROI channel.
Apple’s implementa�on of Mail Privacy Protec�on has changed the email marke�ng game. Apple Mail Privacy Protec�on, if enabled on a user’s Apple device, hides the user’s IP address from senders and privately downloads email content once it is received rather than when it is viewed. This has translated into a couple of main pain points for marketers in that every email sent to an Apple device using Apple Mail:
Is “opened” by Apple Mail to scan for malicious content, skewing the email’s open rate, which has historically been used by digital marketers as one of the KPIs for an email’s effectiveness. Email marketers are finding different KPIs do not directly impact the number of opens to determine the success of an email.
Cannot produce tracking information typically used to determine the device, client, demographic data, cross-channel activity or additional IP-dependent information. Less information about the audience makes optimization more difficult.
With it being more difficult to collect audience informa�on a�er the email is sent, collec�ng as much data as possible at the beginning of the customer journey is becoming increasingly important. Robust subscriber data enables segmenta�on, which ensures every email adds value to the right people, and messaging personaliza�on, which increases engagement and sa�sfac�on.
Paid Search Marke�ng
Paid Search will con�nue to play a crucial role in 2024. Search volume is an “always-on” tac�c and a good indicator of consumer desire and intent.
Some of the biggest paid search trends for 2023 include relying more on first-party data, using AI to dra� crea�ve and targe�ng customers with Google Analy�cs 4 expanded audiences and machine-learning op�mized segments.
As VISIT DENVER begins to devise the 2024 paid search strategy, the organiza�on will be integra�ng the impact of Google Analy�cs 4 into all strategies & campaigns, including use of GA4 audience insights (new) and using Google’s op�mized targe�ng or audience expansion capabili�es (new). Trends that are worth paying aten�on to:
Use of AI for copy or creative optimization
Voice Search: the increase of mobile devices, Google’s shift toward conversational search means the use of more conversational language and keywords like “open now” will become increasingly important. Question-oriented keywords will also be used frequently when optimizing text for a voice search.
Visual Search: Platforms like Google and Bing allow users to search for a query by adding a
picture instead of using text. For example, by clicking on Google Lens, a user can either upload an existing image or take a photo. The search engine will then search for websites that have that image or a similar image. This is a convenient way that consumers can use to find links to products faster. It’s anticipated that big improvements to this feature will be announced in the coming years.
Video Ads: The rise of short form videos has yielded an opportunity to leverage existing short form videos for paid search video ads or visual content.
Tourism: 2024 Goals & Objec�ves
Goals & Measurements Overview
The Tourism and Marke�ng Departments track specific leisure tourism and marke�ng efforts to determine the results achieved. For 2024, both departments have conducted extensive analyses of their respec�ve goals to ensure targets are appropriately set, which is par�cularly important next year as it is the first year of VISIT DENVER’s new contract with the City, and certain measurements have been added and/or changed.
The Marke�ng Department is responsible for the execu�on of strategies and tac�cs for the domes�c leisure visitor market and conducts and monitors all adver�sing, promo�onal ac�vi�es and consumer touchpoints for all markets. The Tourism Department is charged with the sales, service and tracking efforts for the interna�onal leisure group, and domes�c group leisure markets.
For marke�ng, the metrics include tourism marke�ng impressions & engagements, visitor touchpoints, both tradi�onal and interac�ve, as well as adver�sing value equivalency (AVE) generated by the public rela�ons team.
For tourism, the main metric has historically been voluntary room night repor�ng from travel companies, travel planners or Denver hotels. In 2022, tourism had complemented reported room nights with impressions and room nights from coopera�ve marke�ng plans with OTAs and Airlines. Maintaining the number of travel companies selling Denver is also crucial to growing tourism, as is the genera�on of leads and referrals to VISIT DENVER partners for all leisure markets.
The 2024 goals outlined below have been developed with the best available data as of August 2023 Goals maybe different in the final report as new information becomes available over the next few months and as current national and local industry environment changes.
Room Nights - Domes�c
Based on a cost-benefit analysis of the number of room nights produced in the domes�c leisure group markets, which includes weddings, reunions and motor coach tour groups, the Bureau allocates limited staff resources toward these efforts and has automated wedding leads and service requests on VISITDENVER.com. The number of room nights are currently tracked through TourTrackerPro® research, by contac�ng tour operators and some�mes reques�ng from hotels. A total of 4,859 room nights, , were requested in wedding leads (YTD July of 2023) and, using a conserva�ve es�mate of 50 percent conversion, 2,429 room nights were consumed in 2023.
In the travel trade market, the TourTrackerPro® research was purchased in Q3 of 2023 to also allow VISIT DENVER to track the number of room nights from domes�c operators. For 2023, 64 companies with groups planned to visit Denver resul�ng in 10,410 room nights (as of July of
2023), which contributes to the goal of 7,500 room nights. We are expec�ng 13,000 room nights from domes�c leisure groups and travel trade in 2024.
In 2023, VISIT DENVER con�nued a marke�ng co-op with Expedia that drove room night bookings for Denver hotels. This program creates a des�na�on landing page that consumers who are driven to this site can be inspired to visit and book directly with Denver hotels (all VISIT DENVER partners). These results are predicated on the amount of marke�ng dollars put forth and, year-to-date through July 2023, has generated 58,831 room nights for Denver hotels valued at $11.8 million. VISIT DENVER plans to con�nue this program in 2024 and will also con�nue to report the acquisi�on of hotel room night data for specific domes�c consumer marke�ng campaigns, all of which have hotel deals that partners can take advantage of for free.
Room Nights: Interna�onal
Obtaining room night data from interna�onal travel companies is difficult due to data privacy policies and the lack of streamlined ways to provide specific city booking numbers. In addi�on, hotels are usually not able to assist in this repor�ng, because the bookings are primarily for individual travelers and are typically made via U.S.-based recep�ve travel companies; thus, the country of origin is not easily tracked. In addi�on, major hotel chains con�nue to resist the implementa�on of tradi�onal contracts with recep�ve travel companies, which was exacerbated by COVID; instead, they are only offering dynamic rates or “on-request” rates for interna�onal travel companies. In addi�on, in 2023, the interna�onal travel industry con�nues to experience a labor shortage that impacts repor�ng of room nights. However, VISIT DENVER has contracted RMI for a detailed room night report that is provided to Denver and Colorado for the key countries of UK, Germany, Mexico, France, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and Italy, Netherlands and Nordic countries. The goal for interna�onal travel trade room nights consumed in 2024 will be 27,000 room nights.
VISIT DENVER conducts interna�onal marke�ng campaigns with travel companies and consumer marke�ng pla�orms such as Airlines, interna�onal OTAs, Expedia and Brand USA. These campaigns o�en result in room nights being booked directly from the influence of the campaigns. VISIT DENVER will track the room nights as a measurement in 2024 based on the marke�ng investment.
To beter evaluate interna�onal visita�on to Denver, VISIT DENVER also obtains data from Oxford Economics, which conducts global research on visita�on to the U.S., combining airline passenger data, U.S. Department of Commerce annual interna�onal visita�on results, credit card spending metrics and other sources. This research for 2022 indicates that interna�onal room nights for Denver totaled 370,000, a 216 percent increase compared to 117,000 in 2021 Denver increased to a 0.20 percent market share of U.S. arrivals in 2022. This is not surprising considering nonstop flights came back and restric�ons to travel were removed in 2022. This share is projected to be 0.8 in 2023.The tourism department strives to maintain 0.80-0.83 percent Denver market share of inbound arrivals to the U.S. post-COVID.
Leads & Referrals
Business leads and referrals to VISIT DENVER partners are also generated and tracked in both interna�onal and domes�c markets by the one sales manager in the Tourism Department. DMOs are generally recognized as a trustworthy resource for travel companies seeking des�na�on informa�on, but online travel planning resources are also compe��on for DMOs.
There is a growing trend among travel trade clients to request referrals, rather than allowing a lead to be sent to the hotels or other suppliers of services on their behalf. For a referral, the DMO provides a list of contacts for specific partner hotels or service providers and the clients can contact the suppliers as they deem appropriate. Clients prefer to contact and nego�ate directly with hotels and other service providers, rather than ge�ng responses to a lead sent by VISIT DENVER.
The number of leisure event planners and travel companies needing assistance from VISIT DENVER for short-term tours, travel and events is flat to 2022, in 2023. However, planning for 2024 and beyond is s�ll taking place. Wedding market hotel leads and service requests have not recovered and expected to be slightly up in 2024, from 2023 actuals
The Tourism Department will maintain the lead and referral goal for 2024 at 375.
Travel trade contacts and proac�ve contact outreach are measured on an annual basis, as are the number of companies that offer Denver travel product. Travel trade contacts and impressions have historically been generated via proac�ve client outreach, trade shows, sales missions and training seminars.
Contact goals for 2024 will be increased 100 percent year-over-year to 3,000. There will be renewed marke�ng investment by CTO and RMI. The department will leverage opportuni�es for in-country trainings through the in-country representa�ves in key markets of Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany and France as well as virtual trainings with marke�ng partners like CTO, RMI, Brand USA and Visit USA.
Historically, impression numbers were counted from a total number of travel trade clients that were in atendance at travel trade shows, but that number does not reflect direct impact. Interna�onal marke�ng campaigns resumed in 2022, and con�nued in 2023, resulted in 61,402,777 impressions YTD through July and are expected to be over our goal of 20 million for the year. The department will con�nue to use interna�onal marke�ng impression numbers to measure impact. The marke�ng impression goal will be 80 million in 2024. This number will come from coopera�ve marke�ng campaigns and work expected from the CTO grant with direct representa�on in key interna�onal markets.
In 2023, as of July, 15 new travel packages have been tracked, and VISIT DENVER expects to reach its goal of 25 by the end of the year. VISIT DENVER strives to maintain exposure to the
same key travel companies and is expec�ng 20 new travel packages in 2024. This is lower than 2022 due to post-COVID consolida�on of travel trade companies and established product in the marketplace. We expect an addi�onal 20 new products in 2024.
Domes�c Visitor Numbers & Spending
Addi�onal research is u�lized to evaluate results for consumer marke�ng campaigns annually. Longwoods Interna�onal implements a comprehensive study to quan�fy domes�c visitor numbers and spending. This research provides a credible analysis of Denver’s domes�c leisure visitors. While Longwoods conducted their research for the 2022 travel year, such informa�on needs to be handled cau�ously and balanced with addi�onal sources of informa�on. In this case, it is VISIT DENVER’s intent to combine this informa�on with data about travel spending and taxes generated as reported by the annual Dean Runyan Associates report, received in late summer.
While compe��on for leisure travelers is increasingly intense, given the myriad of global choices they have, VISIT DENVER strives to maintain a growth rate for leisure visitors to Denver that equals or exceeds the na�onal growth rate for leisure visitor travel, as reported by Longwoods. The 2022 Longwoods research reported a 20 percent increase in overnight visitors for Denver. Overall, U.S. overnight travel grew just under 12 percent.
Leisure Tourism Marke�ng: Adver�sing Impressions and Digital Engagements
VISIT DENVER and its agencies devote a substan�al amount of �me and money developing promo�onal campaigns designed to atract future visitors. These campaigns form the core of the marke�ng department’s strategies to con�nue the impact of tourism for the city and for its partners.
Tourism is an extremely compe��ve global industry, and Denver competes with des�na�ons across the country and around the world. With so many des�na�ons to choose from, Denver’s success rests on being able to differen�ate the city’s appeal from other similar des�na�ons, and then to “close the deal” by offering relevant, credible and appealing informa�on once a poten�al visitor becomes interested.
Two of VISIT DENVER’s primary tac�cs for atrac�ng poten�al visitors are the Bureau’s domes�c adver�sing campaigns and social media efforts. A third core tac�c, public rela�ons efforts, is covered below.
VISIT DENVER’s adver�sing campaigns run year-round to regional and na�onal target markets, posi�oning the city using the “Upli�ing by Nature” brand, and messaging pillars related to dining, culture, outdoor ac�vi�es, events and more. One of the main measurements of success are the number of impressions these campaigns are able to generate. This new City goal, adver�sing impressions, will be calculated in partnership with the Bureau’s adver�sing agency of record based on the expected campaign mix, media tac�cs and budget. For 2024, the new goal recommenda�on is 550,000,000.
The second component, digital engagements, is a combina�on of visits to VISIT DENVER websites and engagements on VISIT DENVER social media posts on the Bureau’s three primary pla�orms: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Though VISIT DENVER does use other social pla�orms, the three above represent the vast majority of the social media team’s �me and budget, as where the majority of the audience looks for travel informa�on.
The total metric includes a combina�on of post engagements (likes, reac�ons, comments, shares, saves, link clicks) and videos views (all video starts in excess of 3 seconds) on the primary pla�orms. The goal for 2024 for digital engagements is to be set at 47,250,000, a combined 58 percent increase over 2023.
Leading Indicators for Leisure Tourism Marke�ng Goal Se�ng
Advertising Impressions
Strong Denver brand, competitive budgets, increasing demand, experienced and tenured agency and shift to digital media channels.
Digital Engagements: Web Visits
Digital Engagements: Social Engagements and Video Views
Interest in web-based info is increasing. Demand for Denver is up. Increase in promotional activities drives increase in demand for Denver info. New organic search agency and tenured paid search agency.
Strong interest in Denver. Facebook retains a strong core, older audience, while Instagram remains a strong inspiration medium for younger travelers. Both platforms are hungry for video content. New in 2024, social engagements will be rolled into a single engagements measurement that includes post interaction and video views.
Continue to focus on highimpact, low cost programmatic media while also leaning in to higher cost, high engagement tactics that generate conversions.
Increasingly used by locals who want info on things to do for themselves and when friends and family visit. Robust search marketing programs will help stay on top of Google trends. Explore AI impacts on website content.
Promote content like Basecamp and new videos. Projected increase of ad budget will assist engagement opportunities. Use new content contractors to produce more original content.
2024 is an election year, which means higher media costs, so budgets will not go as far.
Increased competition by web-based publishing outlets combined with constant changes by Google on how they index sites.
Overall, social media platforms have matured and there are fewer opportunities for sweeping gains in this area.
Increase 17%
Increase 75%
Visitor Inquiries and Touchpoints
VISIT DENVER has established a number of measurements that indicate consumers’ interest in visi�ng Denver, and in interac�ng with VISIT DENVER pla�orms during all phases of their visit. Collec�vely, these measurements are called Visitor Touchpoints and are a combina�on of the following: requests for the Official Visitors Guide to Denver & Colorado (OVG); visits to one of the official Tourist Informa�on Centers (TICs); engaging with one of the Bureau’s online newsleters and promo�ons; and, finally, engaging with other informa�on sources. These last two are new goals in the City contract and will be further defined below.
In the past several years, interac�ons with interac�ve pla�orms have been increasing, par�cularly with digital channels, while more tradi�onal channels are sta�c or down, such as requests for visitors guides and visits to the TICs. These trends were greatly exacerbated by COVID, including the temporary closure of all TICs in 2020 and 2021 (two remain in opera�on in 2023), a diminished demand for OVGs and an overall decrease in interest in physical materials and in-person interac�ons, have le� digital channels as the most prevalent way for visitors to get informa�on. Despite this, a focused opera�ons plan for the two remaining TICs at Denver Union Sta�on and the Colorado Conven�on Center, combined with an increased interest in Denver has seen a rise in visits leading to a recommended goal of 45,000 visits for 2024, a 50 percent increase over 2023.
Demand for the flagship official visitors guide has also been slowly increasing, though not to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the in-state distribu�on program was nearly doubled to include many statewide loca�ons not previously in the plan, and geared to appeal to Colorado visitors who may want to extend their trip with a visit to Denver. The visibility of online ordering op�ons for the guide has also increased, leading to a higher rate of online requests. Combined, this leads to a goal recommenda�on for 2024 of 200,000, a 14 percent increase over 2023.
The new goal of Subscribers to Online Newsleters & Promo�ons will be a combina�on of the following pla�orms: usage of the digital version of the OVG, new subscribers to the monthly Discover Denver email and submissions to a Travel Planning Resources. Based on 2023 performance, the goal for 2024 will be 41,000.
Finally, a new goal of Other Digital Informa�on sources will be evaluated annually based on emerging technologies and tac�cs. The goal for 2024 is s�ll to be defined and a recommenda�on will be submited with the final Marke�ng Plan on November 15, 2023.
Leading Indicators for Visitor Inquiries & Touchpoints Goal Se�ng
Tourist Info Centers Denver Union Station and Colorado Convention Center locations are opened, with DUS opened 7 days a week
Continued use of these two locations and use of geo-targeted ads to direct visitors when they arrive.
DEN location likely permanently closed.
Downtown location closed
Increase 50%
during summer. New geofencing tactic adds a new way to reach in-town visitors.
Official Visitor Guide
Requests
Subscribers to online newsletters & promotions
Other digital information sources
Demand for Denver travel info returning slowly. Certain segments (e.g. older travelers) like using printed guides. Distribution program significantly improved in 2023.
Increased demand for digital resources beyond just website. Continued interest in email-based information.
To be submitted with final report on Nov. 15, 2023.
Public Rela�ons
Continue to update information including top attractions, neighborhood info and key events. Continue to expand distribution and fulfillment program.
Increase visibility of all digital promotions like newsletter signups and partner information.
To be submitted with final report on Nov. 15, 2023.
indefinitely due to inability to staff.
Younger travelers not as interested in physical materials Avoidance of physical materials. Hotel distribution locations impacted by pandemic. Some TICs are closed.
Some may just want to use traditional website info. Privacy and spam concerns may diminish interest in newsletter signups.
To be submitted with final report on Nov. 15, 2023.
Increase 14%
NEW
TBD
Public rela�ons efforts are measured by a longstanding industry standard known as adver�sing value equivalency (AVE), which determines the monetary value of public rela�ons media placements based on the equivalent costs to place adver�sing in the same space. Though there are difficul�es in this method (e.g., lack of consistent repor�ng, especially from online sources), AVE remains the most widely used and consistent industry metric to track media rela�ons successes.
In 2024, the Public Rela�ons Department will con�nue its prac�ce of tracking AVE in three main areas: na�onal, interna�onal and local “business of tourism” stories.
Na�onal Market
Along with the op�mism of record domes�c leisure travel, the na�onal travel media industry has experienced a strong return of so� travel stories and city features. Domes�c journalists are traveling in big numbers, and the tradi�onal media FAM trip con�nues to serve as the most effec�ve means of providing inspira�on for na�onal travel stories. Domes�c media marketplaces have experienced record atendance levels including IMM in New York City and IPW, the two largest annual media marketplaces offered in the country.
Despite the many reasons for op�mism, many well-known travel outlets are s�ll working through industry-wide downsizing and diminishing adver�sing revenue. As a result, AVE con�nues to become more difficult to achieve and predict. And, domes�c mee�ng and travel trade outlets con�nue to lose clients who indicate they are more influenced by general press outlets than trade outlets when it comes to des�na�on informa�on.
Nonetheless, since key indicators in the communica�ons space point toward strong forward momentum, VISIT DENVER an�cipates a con�nued upward trajectory within the domes�c travel market in 2024. With this in mind, a na�onal goal of $31,860,000, an increase of 8 percent, is recommended.
Local Market
Local AVE numbers track the posi�ve press about the impact of tourism on the local and statewide economy in local media outlets, along with VISIT DENVER ac�vi�es and programs. VISIT DENVER tourism and partner advocacy stories con�nue to capture local news interest as the city sets new visita�on records The return of major local events, such as Great American Beer Fes�val and Denver Walls, have served as good local success stories. Addi�onally, the comple�on of the Colorado Conven�on Center expansion will illustrate the significance of an important industry that drives so much of the downtown economy. Due to the rela�vely low cost of local media, AVE numbers are tradi�onally low, so large year-over-year increases are difficult to achieve. A goal of $2,320,500, an increase of 2 percent, is recommended.
Interna�onal Market
With the strong return of global travel in 2023, VISIT DENVER ramped up its efforts to lure highspending interna�onal visitors to The Mile High City. With the help of new federal recovery grant funding administered by the CTO, VISIT DENVER was able to resume professional service agreements with interna�onal public rela�ons representa�ve agencies in Canada, Mexico, the U.K., German-speaking Europe and France, and was able to successfully conduct proac�ve media efforts in these key interna�onal markets while increasing earned media outcomes from the prior year.
With these resources in place, interna�onal travel stories con�nue to return at a steady rate in propor�on with global travel sen�ment. And, with expert guidance in these countries, VISIT DENVER will con�nue to pursue key communica�ons pla�orms and channels including interna�onal media marketplaces (IMMs) and Brand USA’s pan-European Interna�onal Media Forum. With many U.S. DMOs vying for market share in these countries, VISIT DENVER has been able to create new opportuni�es to complement and amplify the exis�ng work of the CTO with media efforts such as FAMs, travel trade show appearances and general proac�ve media outreach to generate des�na�on coverage. With DEN now offering more nonstop interna�onal flights than any �me in its history, this approach also may help to fill airline seats and ensure the con�nued success of these nonstop flights.
With this approach, VISIT DENVER will con�nue to collaborate with the CTO to generate much needed interna�onal market AVE. Addi�onal interna�onal AVE will con�nue to be reported by partners at Rocky Mountain Interna�onal (RMI). Due to the factors above, the recommenda�on is to adjust interna�onal goals to $10,000,000, an increase of 19 percent.
Leading Indicators for Public Rela�ons Goal Se�ng
LOCAL
DOMESTIC (Na�onal)
Pacing upward The comple�on of the Colorado Conven�on Center expansion will generate local news coverage that helps to illustrate progress and the con�nued return of an important industry that drives so much of the downtown economy. Stories associated with sports, tourism, hospitality and conven�ons that portray the economic impacts of the industry will con�nue to resonate with the local media industry including the return of major local events, such as Great American Beer Fes�val and Denver Walls. Due to the rela�vely low cost of local media, AVE numbers are tradi�onally low, so large year-over-year increases are difficult to achieve.
Pacing upward
INTERNATIONAL
Pacing upward
Domes�c journalists are hi�ng the road in droves, and the tradi�onal media FAM trip con�nues to be the most effec�ve means of providing inspira�on for travel stories. Key domes�c media marketplaces are genera�ng record atendance levels such as IMM in New York City and IPW. Although posi�ve sen�ment toward the domes�c media FAM has returned with rising volume in both group and solo journalist hosted visits, outlets are relying mostly on freelancers to atend FAMs and deliver resul�ng travel stories. Although there is s�ll much reason for op�mism, many well-known travel outlets are s�ll experiencing downsizing and devo�ng less real estate to travel. As a result, AVE has become more difficult to achieve and predict.
Global travel stories con�nue to return at a steady rate in propor�on with the return of high spending interna�onal visitors. Key communica�ons pla�orms and channels are genera�ng record par�cipa�on including interna�onal media marketplaces (IMMs) and Brand USA’s panEuropean Interna�onal Media Forum. U.S. DMOs are vying for market share in key travel markets with media efforts such as FAMs, travel trade show appearances and general proac�ve media outreach to generate des�na�on coverage. VISIT DENVER will con�nue to capitalize on its Denver-specific agency agreements to create new opportuni�es that complement and amplify the exis�ng work of the CTO in key global markets. With DEN now offering more nonstop interna�onal flights than any �me in its history, this approach also will help to fill airline seats and ensure the con�nued success of these nonstop flights.
Increase 2% to $2,320,500
Increase 8% to $31,860,000
Increase 19% to $10,000,000
Goals
1. Increase the number of leisure travelers to Denver metro area by crea�ng awareness of Denver as a desirable leisure travel des�na�on and by expanding Denver’s exposure in domes�c and interna�onal travel programs.
2. Iden�fy and pursue domes�c and interna�onal leisure travel markets most likely to visit Denver throughout the year.
3. Generate community awareness among city and hospitality industry cons�tuents encouraging them to support the Bureau sales and marke�ng efforts.
Objec�ves
The Tourism and Marke�ng Departments’ primary goal is to increase leisure travelers in three markets: domes�c consumer, interna�onal and domes�c group, in order of priority. The following objec�ves provide quan�ta�ve measurements toward that goal.
1. Generate and track 60,000 leisure room nights for domestic and international travel trade for metro Denver, as a direct result of the Tourism Department’s sales and marketing efforts.
2. Generate 375 leads and referrals for Denver in the domestic and international markets via trade shows, sales missions, website RFPs and telemarketing.
3. Generate 3,000 contacts with domestic and international travel trade representatives via proactive client outreach, in-person and virtual trade shows and trainings.
4. Generate 80 million international marketing impressions for Denver from campaigns with travel trade and international consumer marketing partners.
5. Develop 20 new or enhanced travel products that include Denver in domestic and international markets.
6. Generate 597,250,000 domestic leisure tourism marketing advertising impressions and digital engagements (social post interactions and video views)
7. Generate 286,000 visitor inquiries and touchpoints This new combined goal includes visits to Tourist Information Centers, requests for the Official Visitors Guide, requests for online newsletters & promotions and other digital information sources
8.
Generate $31,860,000 in ad equivalency from Denver stories in national consumer media publicizing Denver as a leisure and meeting travel destination.
9. Generate $2,320,500 in ad equivalency in local media stories on the Bureau’s impact and the importance of tourism and conventions to Denver’s economy.
10. Generate $10,000,000 in ad equivalency from Denver stories in international media publicizing Denver as a leisure travel destination.
VISIT DENVER: History & Organization
A Short History of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
In 1908, Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention in a brand-new building – the Denver Auditorium Theatre. The event was so successful in generating press and economic development for Denver that city leaders decided to create an agency to attract more conventions. In 1909, the Denver Convention Bureau was organized as a private trade association with the mission of bringing conventions and meetings to The Mile High City. It was only the sixth convention bureau in the United States. Today, there are more than 800 destination marketing organizations.
In 2008, the bureau rebranded using the trade name VISIT DENVER, once again hosted the Democratic National Convention and in 2009, celebrated its 100th anniversary. In 2024, VISIT DENVER will celebrate 115 years of promoting Denver and Colorado.
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit trade association with over 1,200 business partners (members) that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination.
With an annual forecasted budget of $46.5 million in private and public funding and 65 full-time professionals, VISIT DENVER’s goal is to bring conventions and tourists to Denver for the economic benefit of the city, the community and Bureau partners. As VISIT DENVER continues to rebound from the pandemic, the 2023 estimated actual revenue is projected to be $44.6 million which surpasses the 2019 budget of $41.3 million. Staffing has increased from 2021 and is back to 2019 levels. The Bureau’s budget is derived from partnership fees of approximately $1 million, private fundraising and advertising sales, and from 3.75 percent of the Lodger’s and Tourism Improvement District (TID) Taxes in the City and County of Denver. The Bureau is governed by a 39-member Board of Directors that is elected by the Bureau partnership and includes two Denver City Council members. In addition, there are five Lifetime members, up to 16 Community members that include two members appointed by the Mayor of Denver and two honorary members.
The Bureau is an accredited Destination Marketing Organization, a designation awarded and maintained by Destinations International (DI), the industry association for bureaus and related organizations.
VISIT DENVER Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
At VISIT DENVER, we believe that travel makes the world a smaller and more connected place. It brings people together and fosters interaction among diverse cultures. It builds understanding, appreciation, empathy and respect for one another. This core philosophy is a big part of who we are as a community and why Denver is one of the top destinations in the country to live and to visit.
The Mile High City embraces and celebrates people of all races, ethnicities, abilities, gender identities and sexual orientations. We believe that Black lives matter and we reject any form of racial injustice. We also acknowledge that there remains a long road ahead to achieve true equity for all historically oppressed communities.
With this in mind, VISIT DENVER is pledging a renewed sense of awareness and action to create change, both within our organization and in our city. While VISIT DENVER has consistently supported diversity, equity and inclusion, we also believe that we can, and we must, do better. We are committed to making these core values a way of life for our organization, our partners in the hospitality industry and our visitors.
In addition to a newly formed board advisory committee to assist VISIT DENVER with its community DEI initiatives, a staff consultant was contracted and has developed a three-year program of education and training.
STAFFING
The Bureau’s staffing levels are well below prior years due to the pandemic. Current staffing levels support the Bureau’s ongoing ability to generate demand and continue to grow the economy.
The following is an overview of the staffing and departments within the Bureau:
Communications
The department is responsible for all print, broadcast and online messages and media relations. The current department staff consists of one director, one manager and a coordinator.
Convention Sales
The department is responsible for marketing Denver as a meeting and convention destination. Goals are to increase the number of meetings and conventions held in Denver, generate awareness of Denver as a preferred meeting destination and build community awareness among city and hospitality constituents, encouraging them to support Bureau sales and marketing programs.
Located in Denver, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, there are 16 individuals dedicated solely to sales efforts, covering different markets, but working together to achieve a common annual room night goal. The department also includes a senior vice president, an associate vice president, a director, an executive assistant, three coordinators and an information analyst who provides support to the sales team.
The Bureau contracts with two independent sales professionals to develop convention sales leads through telemarketing and e-mail sales efforts. This initiative, known as the B.E.S.T. (Bureau Extra Sales Team) program, started in 2004.
Denver Sports Commission
The Denver Sports Commission was founded in 2001 to help bring high-profile sporting events to Denver. In December 2012, the Board of Directors of the Metro Denver Sports Commission (Denver Sports) voted to align themselves with VISIT DENVER's sports marketing efforts, effective January 2013. Under the direction of VISIT DENVER, the Denver Sports Commission has continued to serve as a clearinghouse and resource for all sporting event organizers interested in Denver as a future location. The executive director of Denver Sports is responsible for attracting premier amateur and professional sporting events to Denver.
Destination Services
The department is responsible for assisting conventions and meetings coming to Denver by acting as a liaison between Bureau members, city facilities and planners. They also facilitate any needs the client may have to ensure that the group returns to the city for future meetings. The department currently consists of one director, one associate director, three citywide destination managers, a manager, two coordinators and an assistant.
Executive
The department is responsible for overseeing the daily business operations of the Bureau. The president/CEO delegates departmental management authority to a vice president in each of the respective areas: Conventions, Marketing, Tourism and Finance & Administration. The director of government & community affairs serves as the Bureau’s liaison between city and state governments, the Board of Directors and the business and residential communities on all issues pertinent to the Bureau’s mission, especially those public policy and infrastructure issues that have potential to impact the tourism or meetings climate, positively or negatively. The department consists of the president/CEO, a director and an executive assistant.
Finance & Administration
The department is responsible for internal/external customer service and support which includes the areas of finance, administration, human resources/payroll and information technology. The department consists of an executive vice president, an accounting director, a human resources director, an accounting manager, a human resources manager, 3 information technology managers, an accounting assistant and an office administrator.
Marketing & Digital Marketing
The department develops an integrated marketing program to promote Denver as a premier travel destination for conventions, meetings and leisure travel. The department consists of a vice president, a digital marketing director, a digital design manager, a marketing manager, a social media manager, a web marketing manager and a coordinator. The Bureau contracts one content manager in support of the VISIT DENVER website.
Partnership & Foundation
The department is responsible for the sales, servicing and retention of the Bureau’s 1,200+ partners (members) and oversees advertising sales for the Bureau. The department generates
approximately $1.9 in private revenue annually, from partner dues, advertising sales and partnership cooperatives. Revenue continues to lag from the $3.3 million earned in 2019 as partners continue to struggle with their recovery from the pandemic. The department also plans events for the VISIT DENVER Foundation, which awards scholarships to college students pursuing degrees in the tourism industry. The department consists of a director, a services manager and two coordinators. The Bureau also contracts with an independent sales professional to generate new partners and sell advertising.
Tourism
The department is responsible for promoting Denver as a year-round leisure destination to domestic and international travelers with the goal of increasing leisure visitors for Denver. The department also manages the “Go the EXTRA Mile” program. The department consists of a vice president, a tourism & international meetings sales manager , one cultural tourism program manager and a coordinator. Additionally, the department manages two tourist information centers located in the Denver Union Station (DUS) and in the Colorado Convention Center (CCC). Due to the pandemic, the California Street location has been closed permanently. In addition, due to the current renovation of the airport terminal, that location is closed as well.
Summary
VISIT DENVER: 2024 Operating Budget*
VISIT DENVER: 2023 Board of Directors
2023
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Greg Feasel
Chair
President & Chief Operating Officer, Colorado Rockies Baseball Club
Jack Finlaw
Past Chair
President & CEO, University of Colorado Foundation
Brent Fedrizzi
Chair Elect
Co-President & Chief Operating Officer, AEG Presents Rocky Mountains
David Coors
Secretary
Vice President – Next Generation Beverages, AC Golden Brewing Company
Greg Leonard
Treasurer & Chair, Audit Committee
General Manager, Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center & Grand Hyatt
Denver
Leon Barnes
Co-Chair, Convention & Tourism Advisory Committee
Vice President, Human Resources - Mountain West Region, Comcast Cable
Luis Benitez
Co-Chair, Convention & Tourism Advisory Committee
Professor of Practice at University of Colorado, Boulder
A. Barry Hirschfeld (Lifetime Board Member)
Executive Committee
President, A. B. Hirschfeld & Sons
Walter L. Isenberg
Co-Chair, Special Projects Committee
President & CEO, Sage Hospitality Resources, LLC
Bruce A. James
Co-Chair, Special Projects Committee
Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Nick LeMasters
Co-Chair, Government & Community Affairs Committee
