KCCVB_GDMCApplication2025_PDF

LODGING EXCISE TAX APPLICATION & IMPACT CITY OF MOUNT VERNON 2026-2027

Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau is honored to apply to the biennual Mount Vernon Lodging Excise Tax . This application details the significant work will accomplish with our funds and highlights the profound, positive ripple effect that tourism has on our beloved community.

MAKING AN IMPACT

Our actions and drive are rooted in our core principles, driving every decision and initiative: Vision: Our aspiration is to promote the power of travel to support our communities and inspire visitors. We believe that every visitor trip contributes to a richer, more vibrant Knox County.

Mission: The Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau is the destination marketing organization (DMO) responsible for promoting Knox County as an attractive travel destination and enhancing its public image as a dynamic place to live, work, and visit. Through the impact of travel, our team works diligently to strengthen the local economic position, enrich community development, and promote opportunities for people to connect with their passions.

Responsibility: The KCCVB is responsible for the promotion and publicizing of Knox County with the goal to bring the patronage and business of tourists, and cultural, educational, professional, and sports organizations into the County, for the benefit of residents of the County and of the business community.

As you review the pages that follow, you will see how these principles translate into real-world results—from driving economic activity to showcasing the unique assets of Mount Vernon. The projects and goals highlighted in this report would not be possible without the strong partnership of our local businesses, organizations, and engaged residents.

Thank you for your continued support. Together, we are harnessing the power of tourism to build a stronger, more dynamic future for Mount Vernon and Knox County.

Olivia Toth OLIVIA TOTH

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Knox County CVB “Why Not” 2025 Print Advertisment Campaign.

OTA RUBY Award Recipient

why not

come for the trails & stay for the toasts?

Along the trail or around a table, we’ve saved a spot for you.

FLAPPERS BAR & GRILLE MOUNT VERNON, OHIO

WWW.VISITKNOXOHIO.ORG PHOTO BY @NICOLEONEMILLER

ECONOMIC IMPACT METHODOLOGY

The development of visitor economy impact modeling begins with a comprehensive demand side analysis. Visit survey data provides estimates on the volume of visitors by type and their spending in specific industries (e.g. loding, restaurants, retail, recreation and entertainment, transportation).

DIRECT

INDIRECT

INDUCED

Direct visitor purchases in retail, lodging, transportation, entertainment and dining.

Travel business purchase goods and services creating supply chain effects.

Employees spend wages generated by visitor activity in the local economy.

Visitor spending create direct economic value within a defined set of sectors. This supports a proportion of spending, jobs, wages and taxes within each sector.

Businesses providing direct services to visitors purchase goods and services, generating additional impacts called indirect impacts or supply-chain effects.

Additional business activity is generated as employees spend incomes locally that are earned due to visitor activity.

This is called induced impact or income effect.

SALES

TOTAL IMPACT JOBS TAXES

SOURCE: TOURISM ECONOMICS, DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT, TOURISMOHIO REPORT 2025

INCOME

STATE KEY FINDINGS

In 2024, 241.9 million visitors spent $43.7 billion in the Ohio economy, year-over-year increases of 1.5% and 2.1% respectively. Visitor activity generated a total economic impact of $71.9 billion.

241.9M

VISITORS TO OHIO

$43.7B

VISITOR SPENDING

$71.9B

TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

$19.1B

TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME

532K $4.7B

Visitors spent $120 million per day, on average in Ohio.,

This is the equivalent of nearly $2,300 per household in Ohio, on average.

TOTAL JOBS SUPPORTED

The visitor economy directly sustains 5.0% of all jobs in Ohio. These employees could fill Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Stadium nearly eight times over.

STATE AND LOCAL TAXES

Total state and local taxes generated by visitor spending reduced the tax burden by $981 per household in Ohio

IN THE HEART OF IT ALL...

Timing matters. With more than 80% of trips planned less than two months in advance, our seasonal campaigns need to launch just before and continue throughout each season.

Activity mix boosts satisfaction. Visitors who do three or more activities during a trip report significantly higher satisfaction, so our messaging should always highlight a mix of options.

Family travel is a growth opportunity.

Nearly 40% of overnight trips include children, and these visitors stay longer and spend more. Friends and family are an important target segment. Nearly half of trips are to visit friends and relatives, but over half of these visitors still stay in hotels. However, 1 in 4 of these visitors doesn’t participate in any activities while they’re here. Changing that—by inspiring them to explore, dine, and experience more—represents a significant opportunity for growth.

Ohio’s population size is a BIG asset.

Ohio is the 7th most populous state in the ENTIRE country with 11.7 million residents—that’s a LOT of potential brand ambassadors, and with a slightly larger budget this biennium, we’re able to resume targeted search, social, and digital advertising in-state to spotlight our seasonal guides and content— ensuring that Ohioans, their friends, and family, never lack inspiration for a memorable Ohio weekend!

SOURCE: TOURISM ECONOMICS, DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT, TOURISMOHIO REPORT 2025

STATE PARTNERS The KCCVB works with several state-wide organizations on initatives that help charge the industry forward. From organizational strategies to trail planning, collaborating with these partners informs our marketing efforts in support of Knox County.

OHIO, THE HEART OF IT ALL Ohio, The Heart of it All is the State Agency within the Department of Development that markets Ohio’s tourism experiences to travelers, potential residents, prospective businesses and more. By aligning our efforts with their initiatives, we can create a powerful narrative and brand that reaches far and wide.

OHIO TRAVEL ASSOCIATION

OHIO TO ERIE TRAIL

OHIO ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUS

MID-OHIO REGIONAL PLANNING

The Ohio Travel Association (OTA) is the leading voice and shepherd of the travel industry. Our membership provides top notch industry education, advocacy tools, statewide recognition and strategic planning resources.

Members of Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau (OACVB) are armed with networking, education and government affairs resources necessary for destination marketing organizations.

The Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) is the 326 mile trail that links the Ohio River to Lake Erie, primarily on rail trails and canal paths. Knox County sits in the middle of this trail connection and is a popular stop on the 326-mile journey. We work with its team through data sharing, collaboration and promotion.

Knox County is part of the 15-country region that Mid-Ohio Regional Planning (MORPC) assists.

KCCVB has been a part of its Trail Town Strategic Development project and holds a seat on its Central Ohio Greenways Board and the Trail Towns Committee.

OVERNIGHT TOURISM IMPACT & FACTS

Visitor spending has increased in Knox County since 2021, putting more money into the local economy and supporting local businesses. Our mix of communities and amenities aligns with travel interests to support increased visitation and spending. This year we have took a more analyzed focus on understanding our overnight visitor.

GENERATING VISITOR SPENDING Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s promotion and marketing, locally, state-wide and beyond, is effective at inspiring interest in the Knox County area, growing tourism and supporting local businesses and partners.

PLACER AI TRENDS Overnight Visitors to Knox County contributed a direct impact of $54.4 million (+3.0 YoY) in the last 12 months. 250k overnight visitors (+7.4% YoY) accounted for nearly 650k visit nights (+9.2% YoY)

OVERNIGHT TRIPS

VISIT NIGHTS TOTAL VISITORS’ SPEND

250k +7.4% YoY

650k +9.2% YoY

Overnight trips counts the total number of separate overnight trips (i.e. trips that include 1 or more overnight stays) made to the selected region within the selected timeframe, including multiple visits by the same person (so long as the multiple visits are in separate months; Multiple visits by the same person within a given month will be counted as 1 visit). Overnight Trips are counted for visitors whose home location is at least 10 miles away

Visit Nights counts the total number of Overnight stays made by people visiting the selected region within the selected timeframe. Visit Nights are counted for visitors whose home location is at least 10 miles away (changeable via the Filters)

$54.4M +3.0% YoY

Calculated by multiplying Foot-Traffic based tourist visitations by local credit-card based transactions (average transaction size, across all spend categories).

SOURCE: PLACER.AI, KNOX COUNTY CVB TOURISM SPENDING DASHBOARD,2025

LOCAL TARGETED IMPACT INTENTIONS OF FUNDS The Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is requesting proportional bed tax funds (25%) from the City of Mount Vernon to support critical initiatives that directly drive overnight visitation, increase visitor spending, and enhance the city's marketability. These funds will be invested in highly targeted programs focusing on trail tourism, data-driven marketing, digital visitor engagement, and city beautification. The initiatives outlined below are designed to convert regional day-trippers into overnight guests, thereby maximizing the economic return on the City of Mount Vernon’s bed tax investment.

CENTRAL OHIO TRAIL TOWN

PROMOTIONAL TRAILS

DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION

VIA BANDWANGO PLATFORM

Establish Mount Vernon as a premier regional destination for trail tourism in partnership with and with development support from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC).

Justification: Trail users are high-value tourists who require local amenities and lodging. This funding will support planning, infrastructure assessment, and certification necessary to attract cyclists and hikers who will stay in Mount Vernon hotels, patronize downtown restaurants, and utilize local services.

Develop and manage interactive, mobile-exclusive visitor passes and digital trails (e.g., the Antique & Thrifting Trail, History & Art, Coffee and event-based passes).

Justification: The Bandwango platform uses geofencing to guide tourists to specific participating businesses and attractions within Mount Vernon and Knox County. This drives direct revenue to local shops and mandates visitor participation at key locations, increasing the likelihood of extended stays and repeat visits.

$6.5K (PILOT) $2.5K (YEARLY)

$10K YEARLY

Identified Benefits: Trail Town Identity Builder Workshop & Website Template, Outdoor Trails Pass, Ambassador Training Program, Marketing & Promotional Materials, Trail Friendly Business Program

Identified Benefits: Direct Revenue, Increased Foot Traffic, Local Business Support, Repeat Visitation, Guided Exploration, Streamlined Access, Targeted Engagement, Actionable Data Collection

DATA PLATFORM AND

AMERICA 250-OH

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT VIA PLACER AI

PLANNING & PROMOTION

Maintain essential visitor analytics to inform strategic decision-making.

Justification: Placer.AI provides sophisticated, realtime data on visitor origin, duration of stay, and specific locations frequented (e.g., downtown Mount Vernon vs. other county areas). This is critical supporting documentation to prove that KCCVB and partner marketing campaigns are effective, allowing us to pivot marketing spend to areas that yield the highest volume of overnight guests for Mount Vernon.

Leverage the national 250th anniversary of the United States (2026) to attract state and national heritage tourists. Finish the utility boxes in downtown to revamp and launch a new Mount Vernon Arts & History Trail.

Justification: Mount Vernon has significant historic assets. This investment will fund promotional materials and programs linking Mount Vernon's sites to the nationwide celebration, generating unique media coverage and driving long-distance visitors seeking historically relevant Ohio destinations.

$26K YEARLY

$10K (2025-2026)

Identified Benefits: Managing Affective Marketing Strategies, Targeted Campaigns, Partnership and Funding Support Metrics, Demographics, Traffic Patterns, Event Prepardness, Local Development Support

Identified Benefits: Targeted Campaigns, Cohesive Strategy, Attracting High-Value Tourists and Long Distance Travelers, Unique Media Coverage, State Platform and Promotion

CA&C VISITOR CENTER

EXPERIENCE MOUNT VERNON

EXPERIENCE & AMENITIES

AND ARTS PARTNERS SUPPORT

Enhance the visitor experience at the primary trail hub.

Justification: Funds will support programs like a Bike Lending (Partnership with Knox Public Health) services, Happy Spokes (partnership with United Way), visitor center environmental design, interior design and storytelling enhancements to highlight American Heritage Park. These collaboratives convert trail daytrippers into more valuable multi-day visitors by providing necessary services and a high-quality "welcome mat" experience, encouraging them to book lodging nearby.

$15K YEARLY Identified Benefits: Conversion of Multi-Day Visitors, Increased Local Spend, Providing Essentials and Value-Added Services to Locals and Trail Users, High Quality Visitor Experience, Must-See Local Storytelling.

Direct investment in Mount Vernon's entertainment, physical environment and curb appeal.

Justification: This partnership specifically funds visible improvements within the city (i.e. banners, beautification efforts, etc.), event marketing (Mount Vernon Arts Partners) and historic venue support. A more attractive, festive, entertaining and welcoming city atmosphere encourages visitors to spend more time—and therefore more money—in Mount Vernon businesses and utilize city accommodations.

Organizations in our community may have a limited budget, limited staff and may have not explored unique media opportunities we can access as the KCCVB (Digital Marketing, Ohio Magazine, etc.). We like to offer in-house marketing to partners for them to explore a fresh perspective on their events, programs, and marketing goals.

$5-10K YEARLY Identified Benefits: Event Driven Revenue, Unique Media Opportunities, Cost-Saving Partner Opportunities, Downtown Appeal and Beautification, Increased Time & Spending.

PARTNER IMPACT PROJECT

2025

Knox County CVB x Experience Mount Vernon Arts 2025 Print Media 4-Page Insert.

OTA RUBY Award Finalist

EXPERIENCE MOUNT VERNON X ARTS PARTNERS GUIDE OHIO MAGAZINE

The KCCVB, Experience Mount Vernon and the Mount Vernon Arts Partners have created a partnership over the last three years to market the arts scene and seasonal events as “Mount Vernon Presents”. The Ohio Magazine 4-page insert was an opportunity presented by the KCCVB to create a physical guide to the season that was not only included in Ohio Magazine 2025 Spring Issue, but also a printed version to be distributed throughout Mount Vernon and the county. This advertising opportunity was a $10K investment from the KCCVB, and below you can see the digital results from this campaign. The Mount Vernon Presents campaign was also marketed through a blog post that generated over 4K views and the Mount Vernon page on the KCCVB has generated over 41K views year to date.

DIGITAL RESULTS

105 1K

INDIVIDUAL QR SCANS INDIVIDUAL GUIDES DISTRIBUTED

40K 32

CENTRAL OHIO GUIDES DISTRIBUTED

BUSINESSES & PARTNERS HIGHLIGHTED

2025 DOWNTOWN SUMMARY PEAK VISITATION DAY

1.1M

DOWNTOWN VISITS

FRI

5.13

VISITOR FREQUENCY

109 MIN AVG DWELL TIME

SOURCE: PLACER.AI, KNOX COUNTY CVB DASHBOARD REPORT, 2025, KNOX COUNTY CVB WEBSITE ANAYTICS DASHBOARD, 2025

PEAK VISITATION AT 12PM & 6PM

DOWNTOWN VISITOR

PARTNER IMPACT PROJECT

NTOWN DOW

2025

MERCHANTS MOUNT VERNON - OH 1805

ESTD

A MIDDLE-EARTH MARCH THROUGH MOUNT VERNON EVENT OVERVIEW (2025)

The Downtown Mount Vernon Merchants leverage their robust social following and passion to promote and support local downtown shopping and initiatives. The Merchants generate local buzz and execute marketing for their events by utilizing their Facebook page and strategic partners like Experience Mount Vernon and Knox County CVB. The figures below capture the overall unique visitors in Downtown Mount Vernon on the day of the event. This data is intended to give Merchants, potential event vendors and event planners a snapshot of the foot-traffic impact a downtown Mount Vernon event can have on any day or the week.

5.25K SEPTEMBER 20TH

DIGITAL PASS NUMBERS

706 62

TOTAL DAILY DOWNTOWN VISITATION

+26%

INDIVIDUAL DIGITAL PASS CHECK-IN’S

INDIVIDUAL DIGITAL PASS USERS

2.9K

8AM 7PM

EARLIEST DIGITAL PASS CHECK-IN LATEST DIGITAL PASS CHECK-IN

MIDDLE EARTH MARCH

98MIN MIDDLE EARTH MARCH

PEAK VISITATION AT 12PM

DOWNTOWN VISITOR AVG DWELL TIME

DAILY DOWNTOWN VISITATION VS. AVERAGE SATURDAY IN 2024-2025

50 TARGETED EMAILS

44.6K FACEBOOK VIEWS

TO BOOKSTORES ACROSS OHIO

ON MIDDLE EARTH BLOG ON KNOX CVB

SOURCE: PLACER.AI, KNOX COUNTY CVB DASHBOARD REPORT, 2025, KNOX COUNTY CVB FACEBOOK ANAYTICS DASHBOARD, 2025

happysp kes

PARTNER IMPACT PROJECT

2025

CYCLING WITHOUT AGE KNOX OHIO

Investing in a Cycling Without Age (CWA) program in Mount Vernon, Ohio, offers a wealth of social, health, and community benefits, particularly for its older citizens and those with limited mobility. The program, which operates locally as Happy Spokes in Knox County, uses specialized trishaws (threewheeled bikes) piloted by trained volunteers to provide free rides.

BRANDING & PROGRAM PLANNING The KCCVB, along with United Way, Knox Public Health, Knox Mobility Management, and Knox DD are collaborative building this program for Mount Vernon and Knox County. The KCCVB has lead the branding efforts to ensure our messaging and strategy, for the program, benefit both local and visitor. With our branded packaged and funding proposal presentation the volunteer team has been able to secure three trishaws ($45K+) for our local community. Plans to fully launch the program are projected for 2026.

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PARTNER IMPACT PROJECT

2025

KNOX COUNTY BIKETOBERFEST

The KCCVB was approached by Outdoor Pursuits in September 2024 and pitched the idea of launching this new event. Outdoor Pursuits is a well known and trusted outdoor adventure non-profit in Central Ohio. Known for their unique cycling events, they had heavy interested from their riders to bring a Fall event to Knox County.

COORDINATION & COLLABORATION The KCCVB lead planning meetings with local partners to act as a planning liaison to Outdoor Pursuits. Partners included were the City of Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon Arts Consortium, ArielFoundation Park, Ohio to Erie Trail, Kokosing Gap Trail, Experience Mount Vernon and more.

WEEKEND IMPACT CYCLING

68% REGISTRANTS

TRAIL

15% REGISTRANTS

298 REGISTRANTS 44% ROUTES AGE 60+

TWO-DAY

OUT-OF-STATE BEER VOUCHER

58% REGISTRANT $1.1K REDEEMED

*HAPPY STREET, FLAPPERS, BICKERDYKES

HOTEL 40+ LOCAL ROOMS

VOUCHER $1.8K FOOD REDEEMED KNOX FOODIES FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL 10/5

SOURCES: OUTDOOR PURSUITS, KNOX COUNTY BIKETOBERFEST WEEKEND DATA REPORT AND SURVEY, 2025

PARTNER IMPACT PROJECT

2026

AM250-OH KNOX COUNTY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Ohio’s celebration of U.S. Semiquincentennial (also referred to as America 250-Ohio) has already begun. The Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau has been charged to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and the impact of Ohioans (Knox County) in the nation’s past, present, and future.

BRANDING & STORYTELLING The KCCVB, along with Experience Mount Vernon and planning committee members are working on storytelling and beautification efforts in Mount Vernon and all the villages. This cohesive branding across the county will help our AM250-OH efforts stand out and enhance our Main Street corridors.

2026 INITIATIVES ALIGN WITH STATEWIDE EFFORTS AND PROMOTIONS PLAN , MARKET AND EXECUTE OHIO GOES TO THE MOVIES EVENT ENHANCE HISTORY/ART STORYTELLING REAPPLY FOR STATE HSITORICAL MARKER ENHANCE HISTORIC RELATED EVENTS & PROVIDE MARKETING SUPPORT

VISITOR GUIDE COMMUNITY PAGES FEATURED AMENITIES

INVESTMENTS The KCCVB is dedicated to providing our partners with resources that help drive their business, event, point of interest or organization. Our biggest investments will continue to be our most impactful.

WEBSITE MOBILE FRIENDLY IMPROVED NAVIGATION COMMUNITY PAGES EDITORIAL FEATURES ITINERARIES COUNTY EVENT CALENDAR ANALYTICS DASHBOARD LEAD DEVELOPMENT

VISITOR INSIGHTS

IMPROVED STORYTELLING GUIDED ITINERARIES PHOTO LIBRARY

PARTNERSHIPS (COMMUNITY + ORGANIZATIONS) BLOG CONTENT FOCUSED CAMPAIGNS CO-BRANDING PLANS & STRATEGIES COMMUNITY SIGNAGE COORDINATED MESSAGES

STRATEGIC PLANNING 2025-30 STRATEGY STAFFING NEEDS STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK

TOTAL VISITORS

GOAL ALIGNMENT

UNIQUE VISITORS

FOCUS GROUPS

BENCHMARKING VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS TARGETED MARKETING INFORMED STRATEGIES PARTNER EDUCATION PARTNER INSIGHTS

BRANDING COHESIVE BRANDING COMMUNITY SIGNAGE CO-BRANDING COMMUNICATION PLANS COORDINATED MESSAGES

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

The KCCVB is the curator of experiences in Knox County. Through our print, digital and other marketing efforts, we tell the story of the unexplored and unexpected of Knox County. And sometimes, that storytelling is recognized by top marketers and industry leaders for its creativity, execution and hand-crafted messaging.

OHIO TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 2025 RUBY Awards RUBY Award, Print Advertising RUBY Award, Annual Report Finalist, Blog Finalist, Print Media 2024 RUBY Awards RUBY Award, Print Advertising RUBY Award, Website Finalist, Visitor Guide Magazine 2023 RUBY Awards Finalist, Overall Marketing Campaign 2022 RUBY Awards Citation of Excellence, Spirit of Community (TrailAPALOOZA) Finalist, Visitor Guide Magazine 2021 Ohio Travel Industry Emerging Leader

OHIO ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAUS 2022 STAR Awards First Place, Speciality Marketing (TrailAPALOOZA)

EXPERIENCE MOUNT VERNON 2024 Experience Mount Vernon Investors Breakfast Community Spirit Award 2022 Experience Mount Vernon Investors Breakfast Non-Profit of the Year

KNOX COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2022 Knox County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Finalist, Leadership Knox Distinguished Alumni Award

WEBSITE 2024 PRSA Central Ohio, PRism Awards Website Redesign 2023 AVA International Digital Awards Gold Level, Tourism Website

MIDWESTERN TRAVELER MAGAZINE 2025 Best in Ohio Awards First Place, Visitor Guide Magazine

thankyou

FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP

PREPARED FOR CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, GDMC COMMITTEE PREPARED BY OLIVIA TOTH KNOX COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 501 SOUTH MAIN STREET MOUNT VERNON, OHIO 43050 (740)392-6102 MARKETING@VISITKNOXOHIO.ORG