HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Travel Lane County (TLC) Annual Report AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 11/20/2017
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Gino Grimaldi/CMO Staff Phone No: 541.726.3700
Estimated Time: 20 Minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Encourage Economic Development and
Revitalization through Community Partnerships
ITEM TITLE: TRAVEL LANE COUNTY (TLC) ANNUAL REPORT
ACTION
REQUESTED:
No action requested.
ISSUE STATEMENT: The mission of Travel Lane County is to attract overnight visitors to the Eugene,
Cascades & Coast region to bring in new visitor dollars to the local economy.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Travel Lane County Annual Report
DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Kari Westlund, Executive Director of Travel Lane County (TLC), will provide a
brief summary of TLC’s annual report. The report highlights visitor dollars brought
into the community through various events and campaigns coordinated by TLC.
TRAVEL LANE COUNTY EUGENE, CASCADES & COAST SPORTS 754 Olive St PO Box 10286 Eugene OR 97440 541.484.5307 EugeneCascadesCoastSports.org EugeneCascadesCoast.org
November 1, 2017
Springfield City Council
225 Fifth Street
Springfield, OR 97477
Dear Mayor and Council:
Enclosed please find the FY17 Travel Lane County Annual Report. This
report is intended to meet the reporting requirements outlined in our
marketing contract with Lane County.
FY17 marked a sixth consecutive record year for local transient room tax collections
(TRT), at $11.6 million (up 10.5%), growing funding allocations for the partner
jurisdictions, along with investment in destination marketing via Travel Lane County.
Travel Lane County remains focused on its mission of attracting overnight visitors to the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region. Our programs and services highlights are included
in the report. We are proud to serve the citizens of Lane County in our role of attracting
new visitor dollars to the local economy.
Thank you for your continued support and recognition of our marketing programs. I look forward to reporting to you in person on November 16, 2017.
Sincerely,
Kari Westlund
President & CEO
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 24
Travel Lane County Annual Report FY17
Attachment 1, Page 2 of 24
607 Members
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 By the Numbers
7 Integrated Marketing
9 Visitor Services
12 Media & Public Relations
14 Leisure Campaign
15 Meetings Campaign
16 Sports Campaign
17 Sports Commission
18 Community
21 Board of Directors
22 Sports Advisory Council
23 Travel Lane County Staff
Travel Lane County Mission
To increase the number of overnight visitors to the Eugene,
and all businesses and citizens who depend on a strong
Lane County economy.
Our Brand Promise
Eugene, Cascades & Coast offers a variety of enriching,
authentic, approachable adventures for all ages and
abilities.
Our CommunitiesEugene & Willamette Valley: Coburg, Cottage Grove, Creswell,
Oregon, VenetaCascades:
Coast: Dunes City, Florence
Membership
607 Members
MEMBERSHIP BY REGION
C&M STABLES FLORENCE FROM VISITOR GUIDE PHOTO SHOOT BY TYLER ROAMER
Eugene 363 60%
McKenzie River - Cascade Mountains 35 6%
Grand Total 607 100%
Region Total Members Percentage
Attachment 1, Page 3 of 24
BY THE NUMBERS 2016 LANE COUNTY TRAVEL IMPACTS & VISITOR VOLUME
$42.3M
Economic Impact
Source: Dean Runyan Associates
$672 Million
Direct Visitor Spending
$263 Million
Industry Earnings
10,620
Industry Jobs
$11.6 Million
Transcient Room Tax Reciepts
Return on Investment
FY16 Travel Lane County marketing programs generated more than $42.3 million for
local communities. For every room tax dollar invested in Travel Lane County, $16.12
in visitor spending returned or will return to Lane County’s economy.
Every Room Tax Invested Vistor Spending Returned
$1 $16.12
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 3
Attachment 1, Page 4 of 24
BY THE NUMBERS
DIRECT VISITOR SPENDING BY COMMODITY
PURCHASED, 2016
2016 Lane County Visitor Spending
$672M
Direct Visitor Spending
$931M
Total Travel Spending
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 4
Attachment 1, Page 5 of 24
BY THE NUMBERS
Area hotel development was a welcome sight in
the opening of Home2Suites by Hilton last November.
This addition of rooms resulted in a reduction in
occupancy, however FY17 reset the transient room
tax bar to yet another height as Eugene area rooms
sales was up. Bolstered by the effects of the Olympic
Track and Field Trials in July and a powerful ice storm
in December, TRT rose by over $1 million. Our new
lodging inventory will provide needed capacity during
times of compression and will challenge our industry
to tap new markets in the shoulder seasons.
Occupancy & Room Tax Collections
Data Supplied by Smith Travel Research
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 5
Attachment 1, Page 6 of 24
BY THE NUMBERS
$2,620,944
Transient Room Tax (TRT)
Other (Retail, Ad Sales, Sponsorship)
$239,688
Members Dues
$156,080
In-Kind Contributions
$44,731
BUDGET BY DEPARTMENT
Travel Lane County Income FY17 Total
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 6
Attachment 1, Page 7 of 24
INTEGRATED MARKETING
The year started by converting the website to be fully
• Blogs Integrated into Website
• Social Media Sharing Functionality (Open Graph)
• Dynamic Content and A/B Testing Capability
• Book Direct for Lodging (JackRabbit)
These improvements resulted in almost 700,000 users
tallying nearly 1 million web sessions. As many DMO’s
experience losses in web users and sessions, due in
part to Google’s ability to command a greater share of
the market, Travel Lane County continued to grow.
(CRM) system meant improved experiences for
members and more tools for staff. These improvements
included a new member portal, an event RSVP module
and an online advertising portal offering reports for
members.
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report
Website & Database
Economic Impact
$6M
Increase in Website Advertising Revenue40%
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 7
Attachment 1, Page 8 of 24
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report
Travel Lane County further leveraged its extensive
photo and video library amassed over the past two
years, while continuing to capture new assets featuring
destinations and community events. With the advent of
festival season there has rarely been a week where our
videos. With these efforts continuing into the coming
These long version videos will be available on YouTube
and will be linked on the community pages of the
website.
INTEGRATED MARKETING
Video + Photography
Videos on YouTube14 destination, 3 meetings, 11 sports
Watch Time 642 hours 56%
53,884 Views 93.42%
Video Library
111 selected b-roll available to others
33 locations shot
13 organizations requested permission to use our videos
TOKATEE GOLF CLUB BY COLIN MORTON
LOWER TRESTLE CREEK FALLS BY COLIN MORTON
SAHALIE FALLS
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 8
Attachment 1, Page 9 of 24
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report
VISITOR SERVICES
Our media partner, MediAmerica, developed Visitor
Guide covers and content to showcase key travel
motivators through dazzling photography of each of
the Eugene, Cascade & Coast regions. Travel guides
provide potential visitors the inspiration and tools necessary to make the decision to visit our region and
once here visitors cherish printed guides.
Online searches continued growing, therefore Travel
Lane County ensures that the Visitor Guide, Sports
Planners Guide and Convention/Meeting Planners Guide are all available digitally. In fact, sports and
meeting planning guides are only produced digitally
as the more than 7,000 planners we connect with are
dependent upon online searches.
Guides for All Needs
Visitor Guide
VIEW PLANNER
Economic Impact
$10.5M
Guides Distributed
120,000
Digital Downloads
1,835
Visitor Guides
Meetings Planner Sports Planner
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 9
Attachment 1, Page 10 of 24
VISITOR SERVICES
The Willamette Valley burst onto the international stage
with the announcement of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s
2016 Wine Star Awards. Being named top wine growing
region in the world is something to shout about and
we did. Content was focused on our spectacular south
Willamette Valley wineries and Pinot Bingo became the
winning wines here in our backyard.
a lot to celebrate as the program continues to introduce
The Eugene Ale Trail added participants and continues to
draw visitors to area tasting rooms, but craft spirits fans
are excited to hear that the updated Ale Trail passport will
now feature the Distillery Trail. Seven regional distilleries
are producing a wide variety of craft spirits giving Ale Trail
participants another way to score great prizes.449 Eugene Ale Trail Passports Redeemed
Eugene Ale Trail - Pinot Bingo
92 Pinot Bingo Cards Redeemed
PINOT BINGO AD
PINOT BINGO CARD
ALE TRAIL PASSPORT
4,129 Brewery Visits
1,274 Winery Visits
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 10
Attachment 1, Page 11 of 24
VISITOR SERVICES
Visitor Center Contacts
6,148
2,581
Downtown, Eugene
7,313
Mobile Outreach
1,284
General Information Calls
EUGENE, CASCADES & COAST ADVENTURE CENTER
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 11
Attachment 1, Page 12 of 24
MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Efforts to create earned media attention led tourism
Conference on Tourism last year, so not to be outdone
this year, a group coordinated with Willamette
RiverKeepers and paddled their way to the conference
in Salem.
content calendar that guides the development of
creative and content rich public relations packages.
This work resulted in increased earned media
coverage, including an Oakridge cover and feature in
garnered over 100 million impressions.
Earned Media
$2.3
Million earned in media value
406Stories told
418MImpressions
OUTDOORSNW MAGAZINE ARTICLE
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 12
Attachment 1, Page 13 of 24
MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Social media integration was added to the web platform
providing new opportunities to connect with visitors and
locals through simple online interaction. Paid promotion
of content expanded our reach in FY17.
Instagram led the pack posting a 43% increase in new
new followers over the past year.
Social Media
TOTAL BLOG VIEWS
OREGON FALL FOLIAGE 57,967
TRAVEL 18,804
SPORTS 873
MEETINGS 1,324
43%Increase in Instagram followers
5,000
Added Facebook followers
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 13
Attachment 1, Page 14 of 24
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report
LEISURE CAMPAIGN
continued to targeted nearby leisure markets using
transit, print, digital and customized landing pages.
Oregon Public Broadcasting replaced Pandora radio
with great success as click through rates nearly
doubled.
Veneta, Coburg and Creswell began as the campaign
grows to highlight communities throughout the region.
GO!
SPRINGFIELD
EUGENE
JUNCTION CITY
FLORENCE COTTAGEGROVE OAKRIDGE
MCKENZIERIVER
Campaign Results153M
Impressions
39,531
Clicks
14
Attachment 1, Page 15 of 24
Bookings24
Attendance
19,974
FY17 Conventions
Economic Impact
$6.8M
internationally. Staff targets meeting planners with
digital ads shaped around motivators that highlight
our unique and engaging natural landscapes. Every
meeting destination has assets that include meeting
space, transportation, lodging and more. Our challenge
is to show planners that there is more available for their
group when they choose the Eugene, Cascades & Coast
region. This will be the second year staff has utilized
the successful Meeting Nerds and Meeting Genius
campaign to target millennial meeting planners.
Refreshed with new imagery, this ad campaign continues
to achieve higher than industry average click through
rates. Additionally, a video retargeting campaign, aimed
2017 views totaled 2,233 and click throughs hit 12.6%.
seconds!
MEETINGS CAMPAIGN
NERDS.COMMEETINGEXPLORE NEW SPACES
MEETINGNERDS
OREGON
Nerds & Geniuses
MEETINGGENIUSES
GENIUSES.COMMEETING TAKE NEW PATHS
OREGON
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 15
Attachment 1, Page 16 of 24
SPORTS CAMPAIGN
Bookings67
Attendance
98,937
FY17 Sports Events
Economic Impact
$18M
Similar to the meetings marketing strategy, sports
marketing focuses on sports planners in an effort to
motivate them to learn what the Eugene, Cascades &
Coast region has to offer. Illustrating sports participants
competing in their sport, while set in a natural setting,
casts a bright light on why Lane County is the place
planners should choose to host their competition.
Tying sports and recreation with the outdoors continues
to be accomplished in the “Life is Sport, Play it Here”
campaign that is now in its second year. Sports planners
are realizing that combining the great outdoors with a
vibrant metro area is perfect combination for executing
an unforgettable sports event.
Life is Sport, Play it Here
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 16
Attachment 1, Page 17 of 24
SPORTS COMMISSION
The Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission
Commission continued to establish itself as the place to go for anyone and any organization interested in establishing a new event or growing an existing event.
The second annual SportsTown awards stretched its wings to include additional award categories while employing a successful program format that again attracted large crowds. Strengthening partnerships with all its sponsors and supporters allowed the Sports Commission to leverage this event for strong earned media coverage.
Developing a statewide understanding of the value the Sports Commission brings to this market was
Summit was produced by the Sports Commission.
conference in 2018.
While unsuccessful in securing the 2020 Olympic Track and Field Trials, all eyes are now focused on planning the successful hosting of the 2021 World Track and Field Championships. Oregon21 is four short years away and the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Sports Commission, Travel Lane County and a growing group of civic and community leaders are fully engaged in making Oregon21 the most successful world track championships ever.
Highlights
SPORTSTOWN AWARDS BY COLIN MORTON SPORTSTOWN AWARDS BY MICHAEL SHERMAN
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 17
OREGON SPORTS SUMMIT BY JUSTIN QUINN
Attachment 1, Page 18 of 24
COMMUNITY
Collaborative Partnerships
Building upon the successful implementation of the 2016
County partnered with the Eugene Area Chamber of
workforce video highlighting why Lane County is a great
place to live, work and play.
The East Lane County Bicycle Tourism Studio involved a
collaborative process facilitated by Travel Oregon staff.
as biking destination and is focused on how to connect
communities across east Lane County. Now entering its
implementation phase, work groups are actively shaping
the implementation actions to meet the goals outlined in
the plan.
Association, Technology Association of Oregon, City of
hosted a San Francisco trip aimed at attracting key
business professionals and owners. Serving area craft
weekend in the fall, the partners were encouraged this
effort could lead to new economic development for the
region.
Destination
Organization of
the Future
Curatorsof destination content
Adopters
of business intelligence & data science
Catalystsof economicdevelopment
Activists
in community place making
Collaborators
within strategic networks
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 18
Attachment 1, Page 19 of 24
COMMUNITY
The Eugene Airport was recognized by Travel Lane County
with the Convention Leadership Award for their work
landing the American Association of Airport Executives in
Eugene for their annual meeting. This wouldn’t be the only
recognition the Eugene Airport would receive over the past
year. Completing their exciting terminal remodel, adding
direct air service to Phoenix, Arizona, and setting new
work of airport staff.
Amtrak survived another state legislative session and
continues to provide key travel connections into and out of
the region.
Bike Share is coming to Eugene! Scheduled to come online
utilizes smart bikes and will offer locals and visitors another
way to connect between and throughout downtown Eugene
the program’s downtown footprint.23,379
Amtrak Cascades to Eugene Arrivals
22,857
Coast Starlight to Eugene Arrivals
503,937
Eugene Airport Arrivals
Transportation
OVER 1 MILLION AIRPORT PASSENGERS IN FY17
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 19
Attachment 1, Page 20 of 24
COMMUNITY
Staff participation in community and civic organizations
provides a conduit to share industry information with a wide
variety of stakeholders. FY17 provided many opportunities
programs and product development and provide destination
overviews to general audiences. Staff from throughout the
organization participate in making presentations.
68Presentations
Outreach
8
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 20
Attachment 1, Page 21 of 24
OFFICERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EX-OFFICIO
BOARD MEMBERS
Travel Lane County
Eugene Cascades &
Coast
EugeneCascadesCoast.org
Robert Canaga, ChairRobert Canaga StudiosEugene
Pam Whyte, TreasurerEmge & WhyteEugene
Lorrie Normann, Vice ChairValhalla Winery Richard Boyles, Past ChairInnSight Hotel Management Group
Georg AdeltHigh Country Expeditions
Martin AlletsonDriftwood Shores Florence
John BarofskyBeppe & Gianni’s/LaPerlaEugene
Lisa BensonLane Community CollegeEugene
Corey BullerLane Events CenterEugene
JB Carney
Tucker DaviesLile Eugene Moving & StorageEugene
Randy DreilingOregon Adventures Vacations & Promotions
Mike DrennanIndividual MemberEugene
Tom Driscoll
Eugene
Mike Duncan
Eugene
Dan EganWildish Theater
Pat FarrLane County CommissionerLane County
Mark GiustinaTokatee Golf Club
Jody HallHilton Eugene & Conference CenterEugene
Aurora JacksonLane Transit District
Julie JohnsTerritorial Seed CompanyCottage Grove
Mayor Christine Lundberg
Cheryl MartinValley River InnEugene
Jennifer Nelson
Eugene
Michael NewmanIn Business MediaEugene
George PolingCity of EugeneEugene
Tim Doll, A.A.E./Cathryn StephensEugene AirportEugene
Courtney Griesel
Renee Grube
Services DepartmentEugene
Ric InghamCity of Veneta
Sarah MeansLane County Community & Economic DevelopmentLane County
Vonnie Mikkelsen
Steve Mokrohisky Lane County Administration Lane County
Travis PalmerCottage Grove Chamber of CommerceCottage Grove
Brittany Quick-WarnerEugene Area Chamber of CommerceEugene
Erin Reynolds/Jesse Dolin City of Florence
Joel PomerantzOregon Restaurant & Lodging AssociationEugene
Mike RoseThree Rivers Casino & Hotel
Pat StraubeDari MartJunction City
Dana Turell Turell GroupEugene
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 21
Attachment 1, Page 22 of 24
SPORTS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Eugene, Cascades & Coast
Sports Commission
EugeneCascadesCoastSports.org
Travis PalmerCottage Grove Chamber of Commerce
Erin ReynoldsCity of Florence
Janis RossEugene, Cascades & CoastSports Commission
Mike RipleyMudslinger Events
Rich SpurlinEugene Country Club
Courtney TuckerMTR Western
Whitney WagonerWarsaw Sports Marketing Center
Michael WargoWillamalane Park and Recreation District
Thomas Wuest , MDSlocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Kari WestlundTravel Lane County
Allan BenavidesEugene Emeralds Baseball Club
Daniel BeraldoCabela's
Lindsay Boeshans Hilton Garden Inn
Roxane ButlerValley River Inn
Steve CashTalus Group
Kathy Dougherty
Mike Duncan
Renee GrubeCity of Eugene Library, Recreation and Cultural Services Department
Tom JordanPrefontaine Classic
Jeri McPhersonInnsight Hotel Management
Sarah Means Lane County Community & Economic Development
Ethan NelsonCity of Eugene Planning & Development
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 22
Attachment 1, Page 23 of 24
Stakeholder Relations
Andy Vobora
Vice President of Stakeholder
Relations
Maxine Walton
Director of Partnership Development
Hayley Radich
Member & Partner Service Coordinator
Tourism Sales & Marketing
Natalie Inouye
Vice President of Tourism Marketing
Meg Trendler
Tourism Sales Manager
Stephen Hoshaw
PR & Social Media Manager
Abbie Youngs
Tourism Coordinator
Visitor Services
Carrie Hawks
Visitor Services Manager
Briana Mathews
Adventure Center Assistant Manager
Thomas Moser
Adventure Center Assistant Manager
TRAVEL LANE COUNTY STAFF
Travel Lane County
Eugene Cascades & Coast
Eugene, Cascades & Coast
Sports Commission
Administration
Kari Westlund
President & CEO
Aubree Nash
Director of Finance & Operations
Convention Sales & Marketing
Janis Ross
Vice President of Convention & Sports
Marketing
Tracy Brandt
Marketing Manager
Juanita Metzler
Convention Sales Manager
Linda Norris
Convention Services Manager
Rebecca Adelman
Marketing Coordinator
Integrated Marketing
Sally McAleer
Vice President of Integrated Marketing
Taj Morgan
Web Content Manager
Colin Morton
Graphic Design & Asset Manager
Diana Wells
Downtown Adventure Specialist
Jennifer Archer
Adventure Specialist
Janet Auxier
Adventure Specialist
Sharon Castle
Adventure Specialist
Sara Garrow
Adventure Specialist
Nancy Johnson
Adventure Specialist
Michael Sherman
Adventure Specialist
Pamela Sparks
Adventure Specialist
Beverly Vanzo
Adventure Specialist
Eugene Cascades & Coast Sports
Commission
Janis Ross
Executive Director
Joey Jewell
Director of Sports Sales &
Development
Jessica Shefferman
Director of Event Operations
Travel Lane County | FY17 Annual Report 23
Attachment 1, Page 24 of 24