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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