Annual Report - Columbusassets.experiencecolumbus.com/docs/2017-annual-report.pdf · Annual Report...
Transcript of Annual Report - Columbusassets.experiencecolumbus.com/docs/2017-annual-report.pdf · Annual Report...
Annual Report
Experience Columbus’ vision is to be the leading force in creating and revealing the best of the Columbus experience to the world.
Brian Ross, CTA President and CEO
LETTERFrom the President and CEODear Community Partners,
Columbus is thriving! And so is our local tourism economy. Fresh new attractions and events help raise Columbus’ profile as a national meetings, convention, sports, trade show and leisure visitor destination.
In 2017, we cut the ribbon on the new American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Gallery at COSI and were galvanized by the renovation and expansion of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. In the fall of 2018, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum will be the only place in the country where travelers can honor the stories of veterans across all branches of service and all eras of conflict. The forthcoming Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and LEGOLAND® Discovery Center at Easton will help spur family visits to the city.
We were proud hosts of the NCAA Women’s Final Four at the end of March and are gearing up for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition in 2019. And while the enhancements to the convention center helped us land ASAE, to fully capitalize on that unprecedented opportunity and others in the future, we must continue to invest wisely in strategic development projects. The proposed expansion of the Hilton Columbus Downtown will be critically important as we focus on keeping the current momentum alive and continuing to grow the tourism economy.
Bed tax collections hit another all-time high in 2017, at $46.8 million, a 5.25 percent increase over 2016. In addition to funding the work of Experience Columbus, this means historic levels of visitor-spend dollars going towards the Convention Facilities Authority, the arts and vital human services for the community. The outlook for 2018 is strong as well. We anticipate welcoming 28 large citywide conventions to Columbus in 2018, a 17 percent increase over 2017.
Visitors represent a multi-billion-dollar industry and Columbus still has room to grow, which we can only do by continuing to work closely together. We know we could not accomplish all that we do to sell and market the city without the steadfast support of the City of Columbus and Franklin County, as well as our corporate partners and 1,000+ members. Thank you to everyone invested in our mission.
Sincerely,
CONTENTS
Since 2012, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission have worked collaboratively with community partners to implement and update a destination-wide strategic framework to enable the city to compete in attracting new visitors. With cities across the country upping their game to lure billions of dollars in visitor spending, we must create national awareness of all Columbus offers. By capturing a larger share of the tourism market, our entire community will benefit through additional visitor revenue that supports jobs, businesses, the arts, human services and overall quality of life.
The framework is based on two major Strategic Initiatives:
Increase the Economic Impact and Local Jobs from Travel and TourismEven with record gains, Columbus remains in the middle to lower tierwithin our competitive peer set. By engaging more business, convention,sports and leisure visitors, and getting them to stay longer and do more,we increase spending and positive ROI.
Showcase Authentic, Creative Columbus to Reveal Our PulseIncreasing national awareness that Columbus is a vibrant city with manythings to do reduces a significant barrier to the sales process (whichimpacts everyone who sells the city for education, talent recruitment,business relocations, etc.).
Key Focus Areas:
Growing sales and new markets
Continuing strategic development and connectivity
Telling the Columbus story through collaborative marketing
Assuring quality visitor experiences
Increasing partnership and membership
A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKFor Columbus’ Economic Growth: 2017–2020
Columbus Wins Big: ASAE 2019
By the Numbers: 2017 Production OverviewPage 1 / Page 2
Visitor Experience Pays Big Dividends
National Research Underscores Fierce Competitive Environment
Experience Columbus Board of Directors
Experience Columbus StaffPage 1 / Page 2
Make it Columbus
Greater Columbus Lodging Overview
Annual Impact of the Travel EconomyAnother Record-Breaking Year for Bed Tax
Experience Columbus 2017 Budget Overview
ANNUAL IMPACT OF THE TRAVEL ECONOMY IN COLUMBUS AND FRANKLIN COUNTY
EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS 2017 BUDGET OVERVIEW
Visitors directly spend
$6.4 billion in Columbus annually,
a $9.7 billion economic impact
$13.6M Actual Income
Bed Tax - 70.7%Franklin County - 14.6%Member Dues - 6.8%Programs - 6.0%Contributed Services - 1.3%Miscellaneous - 0.6%
$13.6M Actual
Expenditures
*Greater Columbus Sports Commission
Sales and Marketing - 77.8%Administrative - 9.0%Support to GCSC* - 7.1%Member Services - 4.5%Facilities - 1.1%Business Development - 0.4%Outside Consulting - 0.1%
ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR BED TAX
City of Columbus bed tax generated another record amount in 2017.
Bed tax funds support not only Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, but also cultural and arts programs, social services, affordable housing programs and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority.
$46.8 million bed tax revenue
from 2016
Visitors pay
$1.13 billion in local, state and federal taxes to support the arts, human services
and economic development in Franklin County
39.9 million visitors
Great
er C
olum
bus Welcomes
each year
Tourism supports
one in every 12 jobs in Franklin County
SOURCE: Tourism Economics an Oxford Economics Company, The Economic Impact of Tourism in Columbus, 2015
The visitor industry is big business in Greater Columbus, and it continues to grow. In 2016, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission were responsible for booking 508,859 room nights. Credit for that success must be shared with our partners at local businesses and organizations who worked with us to bring their meetings and conventions to Columbus. Since 2012, the Make it Columbus initiative has resulted in bookings that represent more than 438,300 hotel room nights and an estimated $316 million in visitor spending.
GREATER COLUMBUS LODGING OVERVIEW
Total Hotels303
Citywide Downtown
Total Rooms28,652
Total Hotels16
Total Rooms4,250
Occupancy65.8%
0.2%
Occupancy69.1%
1.8%
Average Daily Rate
$149.25
3%
Average Daily Rate
$103.63
1.9%
COLUMBUS WINS BIG: ASAE 2019Columbus is emerging as the next big destination for meetings, conventions, sporting events and trade shows. One major proof point of our success is being awarded the 2019 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition.
The annual conference will draw more than 5,000 attendees to the newly renovated and expanded Greater Columbus Convention Center Aug. 10-13, 2019, filling 16,800 hotel rooms and generating more than $16 million in direct visitor spending.
Hosting ASAE puts Columbus on the map with key decision makers and influencers planning meetings for their national associations. While the immediate impact of hosting ASAE is great, the ongoing impact is even greater, because most of the attendees are final decision makers or have significant influence on the location of future meetings. Past host cities of the ASAE Annual Meeting found that 20 percent of association executives who attend the Annual Meeting will book their own meeting in the host city in the next five years, representing $500 million in revenue for the host city.
This large gathering of influential meeting professionals will provide a tremendous amount of exposure to all the great assets of Columbus. This is a big win as we aggressively work to raise Columbus’ profile.
total attendees (includes 3,200+ association professionals)
5,300-5,750
$16M in visitor spending during the Annual Meeting
of association executives attending ASAE’s Annual Meeting will book their own meeting in the host city in the next five years, representing
$500Min revenue for the host city.
20%
COLUMBUSproud host 2019
are the final decision makers or have 79%significant influence on the location of future meetings
16,800Room Nights:
ASAE members plan 376,000 meetingsthat reach 200 million attendees
BY THE NUMBERS: 2017 PRODUCTION OVERVIEW
107% of Quota
114% of Quota
102% of Quota
120% of QuotaTOTAL
PRODUCTION
508,859GROUP TOUR
26,201CONVENTION
SALES/SERVICES
356,651GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION
126,007
Visitors engage with us on: instagram.com/experiencecolumbus facebook.com/experiencecolumbus facebook.com/columbusfoodscenetwitter.com/expcols
ROOM NIGHTS
ANNUAL MEETING
THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
870 Attended
640 VIP Guests Hosted
342Booked Conventions,
Meetings, Trade Shows and Events
67Industry Trade Shows,
Events and Sales Missions Attended
56Meeting Professionals
Serviced While Holding Events In
ColumbusRoom Nights
Site Visits with Meeting Professionals
Representing
68
156,148
143
12
Prospective Clients Hosted During
FAM Tours
CERTIFIED TOURISM AMBASSADORS:
New624
Active2,333
Trained (to Date)
3,8731,118
TOTAL MEMBERS186
NEW MEMBERS
14
1,345EVENTS WITH
ATTENDEESMEMBERSHIP
experiencecolumbus.com/blog
83.9% Retention
4Media FAM
Trips
67Writers Hosted
LEISURE CAMPAIGN LIFEINCBUS IMAGE CAMPAIGN
45,290 Visitor Center
Guests
9,679Volunteers
90Registered
groups/events for volunteers
1,280Redemptions
2,311Redemptions
204Redemptions
Inst
agra
m
followers53,600
interactions330,000
35% Face
bo
ok
followers100,300
interactions131,483
196%
Twit
ter
followers103,863
interactions59,399
28%
(experiencecolumbus.com)
Web
site
1.644M
18.6%
visits
COLUMBUS TRAILS
771M Impressions
55.9M Impressions
176M Impressions
1.4M Impressions
85M ImpressionsLEISURE
MEDIA CLIPS
491MEETINGS
MEDIA
63LOCAL
MEDIA CLIPS
185
PUBLIC RELATIONS
VISITOR SERVICES
INTERACTIVE
According to the latest Columbus visitor research, visitors directly spent $6.4 billion in 2015, supporting $9.7 billion in overall economic impact. The tourism sector provides 75,000 jobs in Columbus and Franklin County. That’s one out of every 12 jobs. And through state, local and federal tax revenue, tourism generates $1.13 billion to support the arts, human services and economic development in Franklin County. All of this represents a significant return on dollars invested in attracting visitors to our city.
In 2016, Greater Columbus welcomed 39.9 million visitors, and 23 percent of them stayed at least one night. Visitors who stay overnight generally spend about three times more than someone who visits just for the day. Overnight stays were predominantly for leisure purposes (86 percent), and the remainder for business or a mix of business-leisure.
The top five sectors that benefit from all this visitor spending are:
24% of tourism sales
$1.55 B24,160 jobs
18% of tourism sales
$1.16 B8,993 jobs
13% of tourism sales
$823 M8,142 jobs
15% of tourism sales
$950 M10,321 jobs
29% of tourism sales
$1.89 B9,447 jobs
SOURCE: Longwoods International, Columbus 2016 Visitor Report
VISITOR EXPERIENCE PAYS BIG DIVIDENDS
RETAIL
ENTERTAINMENT
LODGING
FOOD &BEVERAGE
TRANSPORTATION
SOURCE: Tourism Economics an Oxford Economics Company, The Economic Impact of Tourism in Columbus, 2015
Cities across the nation and world are competing for tourists, talent and investment. Increasingly, community leaders are recognizing the connection between their cities’ reputation and its attractiveness as a place to visit, live, work and raise a family.
One of Experience Columbus’ key strategic initiatives is to help tell the Columbus story through marketing. As we aggressively market, sell and promote Columbus on a national scale, it’s important that we assess the prevailing attitudes so we can effectively position the city. To that end, Experience Columbus worked with GfK, one of the world’s leading research firms, in 2014 and again in 2017 to understand what people
PLACE: • Quality of the Environment • Physical Attractiveness of the City • Amount of Green and Public Park
Space
PREREQUISITE: • Ease of Getting Around the City • Ease of Finding Satisfactory,
Affordable Hotels • Standard of Public Amenities
PEOPLE: • Warmth and Friendliness of the
Locals • Would Find People with whom I
Could Fit In • Safety of the City • Great Place to Raise a Family
PULSE: • Amount of Nightlife and Urban
Vitality • Ease of Finding Things to Do if
Visiting • Ease of Finding Things to Do if
Resident
POTENTIAL: • Quality of College Education • Ease of Finding a Job in the City • Good City for Starting or Growing
a Business • City Provides Opportunities for
Ordinary People to Get Ahead
PRESENCE: • Familiarity with City • Importance of Contribution to the
United States
across the country think about Columbus and to gauge any shifts in that perception over time.
In the 2017 study, Columbus maintains or improves its scores from core audiences. For instance, we have made significant improvement in increasing recognition of our Pulse (nightlife and urban vitality), particularly among Columbus residents, visitors, and Washington, D.C. residents.
NATIONAL RESEARCHUnderscores Fierce Competitive Environment
However, consistency and improvement in our scores does not safeguard Columbus’ standing when ranked against competitive cities, underscoring the fierce competition Columbus faces and the importance of continued investment in building our profile. The reputation hexagons above illustrate the difference between Columbus’ scores (left) and its ranking against competitive cities (right).
2014-2017 COLUMBUS REPUTATION HEXAGON
Based on Scores
Presence
Place
Prerequisite
People
Pulse
Potential
National Travelers 2017 National Travelers 2014Columbus Visitors 2017 Columbus Visitors 2014Columbus Residents 2017 Columbus Residents 2014
Based on Rankings
Presence
Place
Prerequisite
People
Pulse
Potential
National Travelers 2017 National Travelers 2014Columbus Visitors 2017 Columbus Visitors 2014Columbus Residents 2017 Columbus Residents 2014
Jerry O. Allen * Bricker & Eckler LLP
Jane Grote Abell, CTA Donatos
Beau Arnason, CTA Steiner + Associates, Inc.
Dirk Bengel, CTA * Columbus Hospitality
Frederic Bertley, CTACOSI
Chris Coffin, CTA Hilton Columbus Downtown
Janelle N. Coleman L Brands, Inc
Greg Davies City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office
Brian J. Ellis, CTA * Nationwide Realty Investors
Lisa Garner, CTA Marriott & Residence Inn Columbus University Area
Mike Gonsiorowski, CTAPNC
Bruce Harkey, CTA Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Erik Janas, CTA Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Tom Katzenmeyer, CTA * Greater Columbus Arts Council
EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS BOARD OF DIRECTORSJames E. Kunk, CTA * Retired – Huntington National Bank
Cathy Lyttle, CTA * Worthington Industries
Bruce A. McPheron, Ph.D.The Ohio State University
Karen J. Morrison J.D., M.S. OhioHealth Foundation/OhioHealth
Ken Paul, CTA City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office
Joel Pizzuti The Pizzuti Companies
Edward Roberts Columbus City Council
Joe Savarise, CTA Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association
Robert Shenton, CTA * (Chair) Plante & Moran, PLLC
Himbert J. Sinopoli, CTA Penn National Gaming/Hollywood Casino
Steve Stewart, CTA Hyatt Regency Columbus
W. Curtis Stitt, CTA Central Ohio Transit Authority
Doug Ulman Pelotonia
Katie Wolfe Lloyd The Dispatch Printing Company
* Denotes Executive Committee Member
EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORSSteve Lyons The Columbus Partnership
Don Brown, CTA Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority
Elaine Roberts, CTA Columbus Regional Airport Authority
Guy Worley, CTA Columbus Downtown Development/ Capitol South Urban Redevelopment Corp.
DIRECTORS EMERITIJoseph Alutto Fisher College of Business
Sandy Harbrecht Paul Werth Associates
Douglas F. Kridler The Columbus Foundation
EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS STAFF
Brian Ross, CTAPresident & CEONicole Ayala, CTASenior Executive Assistant
ADMINISTRATIONJodi Beekman, CPA, CTAVice President, Finance & AdministrationDave Burgan, CTA Director, Information TechnologyRoberta Stewart, CTAAccounting Administrator Dwight Farve, CTASupport Services Coordinator
CONVENTION SALESDan Williams, CTAVice President, SalesAngela Hammond, CASE, CTADirector, Convention SalesArtrice McNeil, CTADirector, Washington D.C. Regional SalesAmy Frazer, CTADirector, Chicago Regional SalesKalee Barnhardt, CTANational Sales ManagerArica Billing, CMP, CTANational Sales Manager Celia Anderson, CTANational Sales Manager
Leah Zender, CTANational Sales ManagerGina Predovich, CTASales Manager Kerri Pollet, CASE, CTASales ManagerTaylor Savage, CTA Sales ManagerMaggie Hester, CTA Market AnalystCrystal Hurley, CTA Sales AssistantAmanda Chiodo, CTASales AssistantAbby Rampe, CTASales Assistant
CONVENTION SERVICESBill Behrens, CMP, CTA Director, Convention Services Sharon Levine, CMP, CTAConvention Services Manager Diane Share, CMP, CTAConvention Services Manager Renee Scott, CTAHousing Coordinator Hannah Henthorne, CTAConvention Services ManagerZach Warmouth, CTAConvention Services Assistant
TOURISMKari Kauffman, CTAVice President, Tourism Robbie Banks, CTASenior Visitor Experience ManagerRoger Dudley, CTASenior Tourism Sales ManagerAlexis Perrone, CTASenior Visitor Services ManagerSarah Doodan, CTATourism CoordinatorLauren Herring, CTAVisitor Information Specialist Maureen Emoff, CTAVisitor Information SpecialistSamantha Frew, CTA Visitor Information SpecialistMarie Medford, CTA Tourism Assistant
MARKETINGAmy Tillinghast, CTAVice President, Marketing Amee BellWanzo, CTA Director, Marketing Beth Ervin, CTADirector, CommunicationsMegumi Robinson, CTAAssociate Director, Public Relations
Joe Vargo, CTADirector, Interactive MarketingLexi Sweet, CTAPublic Relations ManagerMichelle Ford, CTAMarketing ManagerEmily Hanson, CTAMarketing ManagerAudrey Hall, CTAGraphic DesignerKazmir Dinse, CTAMarketing Assistant
STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTMichael Brown, CTAVice President, Strategic DevelopmentCarol Allerding, CMP, CTADirector, Events/SponsorshipKatie Suty, CMP, CTAEvents ManagerKatie Croysdale, CTA Events ManagerMaggie Mecklenborg, CTA Membership Manager Alexis Caldwell, CTA Membership Services CoordinatorCasey Brown, CTA Development/Sales Coordinator
Continued...
Staff list as of December 31, 2017
EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS STAFF
VISITOR CENTER STAFF Aimee Briley, CTA Destination Specialist/Easton Trish Wirt, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Jessica Brewer, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Nicholas Steinbrecher, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Ryan Carrier, CTADestination Specialist/Easton TJ KlopsfsteinDestination Specialist/Easton Alia Evans, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Dave Cater, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Lauren Dugal, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Lou Tucci, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Stephen LaVelle, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Susan Pocta, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Carolyn Williams, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC Kiersten Curtis, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC Marceline Dyer, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC
GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION Linda Shetina Logan, CSEE, CTAExecutive Director Brenda Carter, CTAExecutive AssistantBrian Timm, CSEE, CTADirector, Corporate PartnershipsJeremy Leifel, CTADirector, Business DevelopmentLauren McNerney, CTABusiness Development ManagerMichelle Mercer, CTABusiness Development CoordinatorEric Archibald, CTADirector, EventsAriana Tyler, CTAEvents ManagerErica Cornell, CTAEvents AssistantBruce Wimbish, CTASenior Communications ManagerJenn Cartmille, M.S., IMC, CTAMarketing Manager Laura Brown, CTA Marketing CoordinatorAmy Card, CTAReceptionist/Office Manager
Staff list as of December 31, 2017
277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 125Columbus, OH 43215
experiencecolumbus.com
Financial support provided by the City of Columbus and Franklin County
Experience Columbus Corporate Partners