Virginia's Blue Ridge - 2012 Progress Report
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Transcript of Virginia's Blue Ridge - 2012 Progress Report
2012 progress report
Roanoke Valley ConVention & VisitoRs BuReau
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report
Contents
1Mission Statement, Board of Directors,
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitation
2Staff, Tourism Impacts
3Measurable Success: Macro-Economy,
Lodging Tax Revenue, Hotel Room Demand
4Virginia’s Blue Ridge Brand
5Destination Marketing
6Public Relations, Annual Meeting
7Conventions & Sports Sales,
Motorcoach Tour Sales
8Visitor Services & Hospitality Training,
Partnership
9State of the Bureau, Budget History
leadeRship ViewpointThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
knows quite well that “Tourism Is BIG Business.”
Your Bureau has been hard at work, both publicly
and behind the scenes, to create the perfect
environment for our region to be successful in
promoting tourism and economic development for
many years to come.
2012 highlights inClude:
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the region’s new tourism
destination brand, was unveiled on April 19th.
– 53 travel journalists visited from around the
United States and Canada resulting in Virginia’s Blue Ridge being featured in a host of national
publications, valued at more than $667,000.
– Hotels in Virginia’s Blue Ridge sold over 57,000
more rooms than in 2011 – a 5.8% increase.
– Roanoke City, Salem and Roanoke County have significantly enhanced
their regional partnership to fund the marketing and promotion of our
new brand, Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
– New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, First Lady Maureen
McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling all participated in our
nearly SOLD OUT Annual Meeting.
The tourism industry’s dedication to working together contributed to these
successes in 2012. With the new investment formula in place, the Bureau
will have the capability to attract even more visitors to Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Thank you for your continued support, partnership and pride in our region.
Warm regards,
Barton J. wilner landon C. howard Chairman President
Barton J. wilner Chairman
landon C. howard President
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report 1
BoaRd of diReCtoRsBarton J. wilner Entre Computer Center Chairman
w. lee wilhelm, iii Richfield Retirement Community Vice-Chairman
gary d. walton The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Secretary
R. Carey harveycutter, Jr. Salem Civic Center Treasurer
susan e. short, ph.d. Virginia Tech Past-Chairman
dave andersen Dominion Lodging
doug Blount Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Jeremy Carroll Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte
B. Clayton goodman, iii County of Roanoke – County Administrator
shirley B. holland Carilion Clinic
Mary Beth layman Vinton War Memorial
Jeff Marks WDBJ Television, Inc.
Christopher p. Morrill City of Roanoke – City Manager
dharmendra patel Samip Management
pete peters Botetourt County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Charles a. price, Jr. Harrison Museum of African American Culture
ssunny shah Ramada Inn Conference Center
James e. taliaferro, ii City of Salem – Assistant City Manager
Joyce waugh Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
Carthan f. Currin, iii MB Contractors (FY 11-12)
John dudley Residence Inn by Marriott, Roanoke Airport (FY 11-12)
Rhonda Morgan The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge (FY 11-12, FY 12-13)
debra h. weir Franklin County Commerce & Leisure Services (FY 11-12, FY 12-13)
Mission stateMentThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) exists to promote Virginia’s Blue Ridge as a unique destination,
with an outstanding quality of life, for leisure tourism, meetings, sporting events, recreation and business, and to facilitate
the financial and cultural growth of the community as an exceptional place to live, work and recreate.
yeaRly totals 2009 2010 2011 2012
1,339,568 1,252,741 (-6.48% change) 1,320,408 (5.40% change) 1,359,191 (2.94% change)
Blue Ridge paRkway VisitationBlue Ridge Parkway visitation continued to rebound. The number of visitors
entering the Roanoke Valley from the six Blue Ridge Parkway exits in the region
increased 2.94% in 2012.
2 www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report
staffadMinistRationlandon C. howard President
heidi R. Mowry Administration Manager
MaRketingdebora wright Director of Marketing
trena s. pividal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Coordinator
david aldridge Marketing Specialist
touRisM & CoMMuniCationsCatherine fox Director of Tourism & Communications
Christopher J. nicholas Visitor & Information Services Supervisor
part-time staff: Volunteer staff: Barbara Fink Ann Andrews Tarah Holland Hugh Brown Janet Lampman Joe Cummings Betsy Osborne Marlene Efkeman Jane Smith Velma Thomas
ConVention saleskelly d. Burd-adams Director of Sales
gary w. Crizer National Sales Manager
Vickie Meeks Miller Convention Sales & Services Coordinator
touRisM iMpaCtsMeasured results: Tourism is BIG Business which creates
“economic impact” and furthers economic development.
As a result of the RVCVB achieving the primary objective,
the following 2011 numbers* will expand over time:
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Spending: $703 million
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Jobs: 7,160
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Payroll: $138.4 million
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related State and Local Tax Collections: $50.9 million
*Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation
2012 tourism impacts $10,951,500 Conventions & Sports Sales
$95,160 Motorcoach Tour Sales
$38,404,323 Leisure Travel
$49,450,983 generated by the Roanoke Valley CVB
+
Roanoke Valley CVB welcomes David Baldacci to the Annual Meeting
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report 3
ConVention saleskelly d. Burd-adams Director of Sales
gary w. Crizer National Sales Manager
Vickie Meeks Miller Convention Sales & Services Coordinator hotel RooM deMand
1,080,000
1,060,000
1,040,000
1,020,000
1,000,000
980,000
960,000
940,000
920,000
900,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Rooms Sold
ROOMS SOLD (Source: STR)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
993,012 916,661 975,622 997,490 1,055,363
lodging tax ReVenue
61.1%
1.8%5.9%
14.9%
16.3%
Locality 2012 Revenue
City of Roanoke (7% tax rate) ......................$3,113,553
City of Salem (7% tax rate) ............................$831,289
County of Roanoke (5% tax rate) .................. $759,916
County of Botetourt (5% tax rate) ................. $300,017
County of Franklin (5% tax rate) .....................$90,118
Source: local governments $5,094,893
MeasuReaBle suCCess
Potential Customers
INFORMATION BROKERMACRO-ECONOMY
Consumers
RoanokeValley
Convention& Visitors
Bureau
Travel Agents
Tour Operators
Meeting Planners
Attractions
Restaurants
Hotels
Rental Cars
Retail
Virginia’s Blue RidgeVisitor Industry
The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
serves as an information broker for Virginia’s Blue
Ridge macro tourism economy representing and
working with over 400 hospitality and tourism
businesses and government partners including
the Cities of Roanoke and Salem and Counties
of Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke.
the RVCVB’s primary objectives are to expand
market-size as monitored by two key measures:
– Room demand, which is the measure of the
number of rooms sold in the VBR region.
– Room tax Collections, which are Transient
Occupancy Taxes (TOT) paid by visitors
while staying in lodging properties in funding
jurisdictions or as described in the RVCVB’s
Bylaws as “participating localities.”
4 www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Brandstrategic Brand platform:target audience: For those seeking a rich mix of culture and outdoors
frame of Reference: Virginia’s Greater Roanoke Valley, linking to areas within an hour radius of Roanoke/Salem (Botetourt Co., Franklin Co., Smith Mountain Lake, Bedford, Floyd, Blacksburg to Natural Bridge)
point of difference: Boasts the largest metropolitan center in the Blue Ridge Mountain chain
Benefit: Adding surprising vibrancy to the serene splendor and outdoor adventure of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains
with the launch of the new brand in april 2012, the Bureau redesigned all collateral and marketing/sales materials to carry the Virginia’s Blue Ridge logo and new look.
Ad campaign for Virginia’s Blue Ridge
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report 5
destination MarketingThe Bureau continues to place an emphasis on electronic
marketing. By introducing online marketing initiatives with
banner ads and listings, search engine optimization (SEO),
and pay per click (PPC) programs, the Bureau produced a
record number of unique website visitors. Additionally, the
mobile site strengthens our presence as more people are
using their mobile devices for a source of tourist information.
The Bureau now offers monthly training sessions to provide
partners a means to input their information onto the website
and mobile site. Since the implementation of the program,
we have trained over 170 partners.
leisure travelers– 238,136 Unique Website Visitors
– 46,631 Unique Mobile Site Visitors
– 49,649 Inquiries
– 334,416 total
x
xx
334,416
.44 % of inquirers who visited (Source: 2013 Conversion Study)
147,143
2.9 people in party (Source: VTC)
$90.00 daily trip spending per party (Source: VTC)
$38,404,323 in direct spending
Monthly eNewsletter
Received a $50,000 grant
VA
NC
SC
MD
PA
NY
GA
FL
Primary Target Market
Target City
PRIMARY AND SECONDARYTARGET MARKETS
Secondary Target Market
RICHMOND
RALEIGH
GREENSBOROWINSTON-SALEM
CHARLOTTE
ROANOKEVIRGINIA BEACH
RICHMOND
RALEIGH
WINSTON-SALEM
CHARLOTTE
WASHINGTON, DC and NORTHERN VAWASHINGTON, DC and NORTHERN VA
ROANOKEVIRGINIA BEACH
GREENSBORO
www.visitvablueridge.com website statistics
compared to 2011
– Unique Visitors increased 78%
– Page Views increased 81%
online advertising – 8,901,662 Impressions with 79,098 unique website visitors
– E-Newsletter with over 19,000 opt-in database
– Estimated $58,845 in free advertising
– Received a $50,000 grant
Rail History Sweepstakes
6 www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report
Public relationsMedia/pR Results– Number of Journalists Hosted – 53
– Media Coverage Circulation – 35,163,208
– Media Coverage Advertising Equivalency – $667,080
Tourism alerts from the Bureau BUZZ!
Media tour with Sean Luther in Downtown Roanoke
Guest speaker Lt. Governor Bill Bolling., First Lady Maureen McDonnell and keynote speaker David Baldacci
David Baldacci shares a few stories and discusses his new novel with Bart Wilner
annual MeetingOn May 9th, the Roanoke Valley CVB annual meeting
attracted just over 450 attendees. Guest speakers
Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and First Lady of
Virginia Maureen McDonnel spoke on behalf of their
support of the tourism industry. The keynote speaker
was David Baldacci, New York Times best selling
novelist and author of 23 books including “Absolute
Power”, “Saving Faith”, “Zero Day” and his newest
novel “The Innocent”. He captivated the audience
with his stories and his big news about his novel
“Wish You Well” soon to be a filmed in the region.
annual Meeting award Recipients presidents’ tourism excellence award – Granger Macfarlane
tourism ambassador award – Trixie Averill
golden star award – Clay Goodman, Chris Morrill and Kevin Boggess
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report 7
Conventions & sports sales2012 was a productive year with highlights including a sales
mission to Nashville, direct floral sales campaign targeting
women’s groups and a hand in co-sponsor Senator Warner’s
Women’s Conference. All opportunities for potential new leads
for booking groups in the future.
sales productivity– Leads: 37 (new business 89%)
– Bookings: 19
– Attendance: 24,950
– Estimated Total Room Nights: 20,242
– Estimated Direct Spending: $10,951,500
Conventions & sports hosted– Total Hosted: 14 (includes 8 Valleywide groups)
– Total Attendees: 18,794
– Total Room Nights: 7,824
– Direct Spending: $7,918,580
– 27 groups were serviced with a total attendance of 28,604
Motorcoach tour salesThe RVCVB attended the American Bus Association Marketplace and the
joint marketplace with Virginia and North Carolina Motorcoach to re-establish
contact with tour companies in 2012. Tracking reports indicated 147
overnight motorcoach tours occurred in the last six months representing
3,227 overnight rooms.
Tour Leads (new business) ...................................................................... 24
Bookings ................................................................................................. 10
Step-on guided tours booked with the Roanoke Valley CVB ...................... 35
total estimated economic impact ..................................................... $95,160
Senator Warner welcomes the Virginia Women’s Conference attendees
Quidditch competition at Green Hill Park
A bus tour travels along the Blue Ridge Parkway
A step-on guided tour stops at the Roanoke Star & Overlook
8 www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report
Visitor services & Hospitality trainingThe Visitor Services team strives to encourage overnight
visitation, extend the average stay, and increase visitor
spending by providing relevant visitor information about
the region. We accomplish this by fulfilling visitor requests,
offering partner referral services to better represent
our hospitality industry, participating in community
events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, customer
service excellence training targeted toward the hospitality
industry, and greeting visitors at the Roanoke Valley Visitor
Information Center, open 9am-5pm daily, located at the
corner of Shenandoah Avenue and Williamson Road, and
by Segway at various events.
Seven Customer Service Excellence Hospitality Training
workshops were held for 128 attendees including special
training sessions provided for the Roanoke Regional
Airport staff.
PartnershipThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau serves as
an information broker for Virginia’s Blue Ridge area macro-
tourism economy representing and working with over
400 industry partners.
Many thanks to our partners for providing $70,955 of in-kind goods
and services. This amount leverages our capabilities to make a greater
impact for our key programs.
September workshop held at the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center
Roanoke Valley Visitor Information Center
www.visitvablueridge.com 2012 progress report 9
state of the BuReauThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau is an
independent 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation. The Bureau
is supported by funding from 5 local governments and over
400 private sector partners.
funding sources City of Roanoke ............................................................................................................................................... $781,251
County of Roanoke .......................................................................................................................................... $201,600
City of Salem ................................................................................................................................................... $187,874
County of Botetourt .............................................................................................................................................. $8,500
County of Franklin ............................................................................................................................................. $33,811
State Grants & Miscellaneous Funds ................................................................................................................ $129,701
Partnership ....................................................................................................................................................... $59,525
$1,402,262
% of BuReau Budget deVoted to MaRketing 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 67.9% 67.7% 66.2% 74.0% 77.8% 78.2%
Budget histoRyThe Bureau’s budget increased 7.6% in 2012/2013.
Total Budget Marketing Budget
1,500,000
1,250,000
1,000,000
750,000
500,000
2012/2013
$1
,40
2,2
62
$1
,09
7,1
67
55.7%
4.2%
9.3%
2.4%0.6%
13.4%
14.4%
2007/2008
$1
,34
4,3
90
$9
12
,34
0
2008/2009
$1
,38
7,6
40
$9
39
,19
0
2010/2011
$1
,32
7,2
43
$9
82
,45
6
2009/2010
$1
,40
3,6
52
$9
29
,40
0
2011/2012
$1
,30
3,5
46
$1
,01
5,0
66
101 shenandoah ave. ne – Roanoke, Va 24016-2044 – 540.342.6025
The Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge boasts the largest metropolitan center in the Blue Ridge Mountain chain.
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Roanoke
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Virginia’s Blue Ridge
Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau – www.visitvablueridge.com