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ITTULSA

2012/2013 Annual Report and 2013/2014 Outlook

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Mission

VisitTulsa will enhance the Tulsa region’s economy through tourism to position and sell our

region worldwide, in partnership with the public and private sector, as a premier destination

for conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, multi-cultural groups, sporting events,

and top-tier equestrian competitions.

Key Performance Metrics• Increase regional occupancy by 3 percent annually • Improve meeting planner satisfactory rating 20 percent by 2015• Generate 2,900 sales leads by 2015• Secure 340,000 total room nights by 2015• Realize a regional economic impact of $630 million by 2015

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As an investor and stakeholder in VisitTulsa, you are supporting our mission to serve as the region’s premier sales and marketing organization with high-performance goals to promote the Tulsa region’s world-class facilities and assets. With key successes in 2012 and 2013, we solidified who we are, what we have to offer and what we are capable of.

The past year marked a new era of regional tourism development for VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission. The organizations’ strong leadership has forged valuable relationships with key stakeholders and built lasting partnerships with our many market segments. Business processes, operations and strategic direction have been revamped, and the future for our tourism and sports industries is proactive and innovative.

Who could have imagined that the Bassmaster Classic would have brought more than 100,000 visitors to Northeast Oklahoma in February? The VisitTulsa and Tulsa Sports Commission knew it could be done, and, with your support, executed a seamless and incredibly successful event.

B.A.S.S. can’t wait to bring the Classic to Tulsa again, and the secret is out. Tulsa has proven it has the “it” factor, but we can’t stop now.

VisitTulsa’s vision to bring out-of-area visitors and spending to the greater Tulsa area remains regional in scope. Your support as an investor and stakeholder in our regional tourism strategies speaks to the community-wide cooperation we have built that understands the economic value of the hospitality and tourism industry. Collectively, we know the potential of our region, and we know the direct financial impact of tourism on the region’s economic prosperity.

We’ve heard the rumblings in our workplaces and on the street — Tulsa is something worth talking about by locals and visitors alike. But rumblings are not the mission of VisitTulsa. We still have work to do. Tulsa remains below average in tourism funding, and our marketing strategy is in its infancy.

As we strive to gain optimal competitive funding for our efforts and as we continue to tell our story to visitors, we encourage you to advocate on VisitTulsa’s behalf. Share in our successes and tell others about the great work we are doing.

The future is bright and you are a part of it.

Steven G. BradshawChair, VisitTulsa Oversight CommitteeSenior Executive Vice PresidentBank of Oklahoma

Dan HarrisonChair, VisitTulsaSenior Vice PresidentONEOK, Inc.

It is a pivotal time for VisitTulsa and the future of regional tourism in our communities. We are gaining new ground in the industry and beginning to compete in the region’s niche areas for premier events, conferences and sports. We are launching a new marketing campaign and website that will promote a fresh perspective on what our vibrant and beautiful community has to offer its visitors. And we are just getting started.

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2012/2013 Recap

VisitTulsa began FY 2012-2013 with a renewed perspective on the organization’s needs and

priorities after an intense strategy study performed in 2011. Following the organization’s first

public-private funding campaign, VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission have pursued

key performance metrics to generate increased visitor spending, local tax receipts and job

development.

Most notable successes from the past year are:• The entire Tulsa MSA enjoyed a

strong 9.4 percent increase in hotel occupancy. Coupled with an increase in available rooms in the past 12 months, this number is even more notable

• ADR (average daily rate) increased 4.3 percent for downtown properties

• RevPAR (revenue per available room) increased 11.4 percent for the MSA and 13.2 percent for downtown properties

• VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission surpassed a goal of 112,500 room nights by 1.5 percent for a total of 114,225 room nights, a 30 percent increase over the past two years

• Approximately 500 rooms have been added to Tulsa’s hotel inventory over the past year, and interest

in building additional lodging properties is growing downtown

• Occupancy rates have increased 5 percent

• Hosted the second-most attended Bassmaster Classic in the event’s history, topping more than 106,000 attendees

• Earned media impressions totaled 28.9 million, and advertising value equivalency rose to at least a half- million dollars

• The City of Tulsa’s budget estimate was exceeded for lodging tax collections for two consecutive years

• Consultant Judy Randall, Randall Travel Marketing, whose original study found Tulsa “beige,” reported in July that VisitTulsa’s increased efforts are working

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Economic Impact

Tourism is the third-largest industry in the state, boasting a $1.4 billion economic impact and

nearly 28,000 jobs in the region. In FY 2013, lodging tax collections increased 11.26 percent.

Additionally in the past year, VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission secured events

totaling an estimated $592 million in economic impact for the Tulsa region. VisitTulsa, as the

regional center for tourism development, continually works to increase those numbers and, in

turn, increase the local quality of life.

The tourism industry is a key revenue generator, with visitors impacting first-tier

businesses such as hotels, restaurants and retail in addition to businesses like dry cleaners,

grocery stores or mechanics, all of which employ local residents and help maintain a strong

local economy.

Next Steps

The VisitTulsa budget remains one of the smallest in its competitive set. With the VisitTulsa

funding campaign, the region’s tourism and sports efforts are increasing, but the organization

continues to do more with less.

According to consultants Randall Travel Marketing, the Tulsa region will have a

competitive advantage if it ultimately increases the VisitTulsa budget to the industry average

of $400 per room in marketing through a $5 million annual budget.

Annual Funding

Dollars Spent per Room

Annual Tax Revenue

Annual Economic

Impact

Competitive (2012-2014) $3 million $238 $11.5 million $210 million

Optimal (2012-2014) $5 million $400 $19.3 million $350 million

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Convention, Groups and Associations

Capitalize on the revitalized market for association and convention travel by leveling competition in a progressive bid process and leveraging regional partners to identify new prospects and secure multi-year contracts with existing and new

groups to reduce the repetitive annual bid process.

VisitTulsa secured a multi-year contract for a key energy conference, Hart Energy’s DUG Midcontinent,

focused on developing unconventional gas and other resources. In April 2013, 1,000-plus attendees

— more than double the expected attendance — descended on Tulsa at Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and

Convention Center for the event.

Other multi-year contracts secured or renewed include:

• Five-year renewal of Arabian Horse Association Arabian and Half-Arabian US Nationals

• American Buckskin Registry Association’s World Championship Show

• Sweet Adelines International Region 25 Competition

• Oklahoma CareerTech Summer Conference

Events secured include:• 2016 International Economic Development

Council Spring Conference• Oklahoma Telephone Association

79th annual summer conference• Veterinary Education Network Patient to Profits

• Spark and Hustle• Hart Energy 2013 DUG Mid-Continent• American Shetland Pony Club 2012 Congress• International Equine Judges Seminar 2014• Church on the Move 2013 SEEDS Conference• American Association of Christian Counselors

2013 Extraordinary Women Conference• National Snaffle Bit Association 2012

Annual World Championship Show• Chevron Retirees Association 2014

Annual Meeting• American Indian Alaska Native

Tourism Association• Miss High School & Collegiate America Pageant• Oklahoma Library Association 2014

Annual Meeting• Mid-America Shelby Meet• Tokyo in Tulsa

STRATEGY 1

Next Steps

For the next fiscal year, VisitTulsa staff will remain active in professional organizations, including the

Society of Government Meeting Professionals, Oklahoma Society of Association Executives, Arkansas

Association of Meeting Professionals and Meeting Planners International - Dallas/Ft. Worth Chapter.

Staff will attend national and regional conferences and trade shows to engage meeting planners.

Additionally, VisitTulsa is partnering with the sales team at the Cox Business Center to ensure groups

with a specific set of needs are given the best possible proposals.

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Tourism and Leisure TravelRebuild the Tulsa region’s image as a unique destination location and increase the number of leisure travelers to the region accessing retail shopping, restaurants,

museums, visitor attractions, hotels, concerts and casinos.

The momentum in the Tulsa region is undeniable. A number of amenities were added to the

area, from arts venues to green spaces. New events such as the Center of the Universe Festival

drew almost 80,000 people to Tulsa’s core. And 500 new hotel rooms were added to the

regional market.

Staff attended the Bank Travel Conference and American Bus Association’s annual

conference. During these conferences, VisitTulsa staff conducted 17 scheduled appointments

with tour operators to promote Tulsa to group leisure travelers.

Next Steps

Tourism and leisure travel activity is ramping up for 2014 and 2015. Following the launch of

VisitTulsa’s new brand, website and advertising campaign, a targeted campaign

will focus on attracting tourists and group tours to the Tulsa region.

STRATEGY 2

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Sports and AthleticUtilize the top-tier facilities in the Tulsa region by developing strategies and additional resources to aggressively bid for major youth, collegiate

and semi-pro sporting events.

With a number of successes in the past year, the Tulsa Sports Commission surpassed its

annual room night goal by 16,000 for a total of 61,140. More than 3,500 participants and

6,000 fans filled Expo Square’s River Spirit Expo for the 2012 USA BMX Grand Nationals in

November. Tulsa hosted the second-largest Bassmaster Classic in the event’s history, with

106,000 people in the Tulsa region in February. And in its first year managing the Tulsa

Run, the Sports Commission increased the number of runners by 11 percent from 2011.

Additionally, the second annual AC Milan Heartland Cup elite youth soccer tournament

welcomed 29 teams to Tulsa, including seven teams from the international market, which

tripled the number of participating teams from the 2012 tournament.

The Tulsa Sports Commission hosted 12 site visits, attended seven marketing events and

submitted 28 bids in the past 12 months.

Events secured and hosted included:• 2013 Bassmaster Classic• 2012, 2013 AC Milan• 2013 World League Volleyball• USA BMX Grand Nationals• NCAA Women’s Golf Championships• 15k Master’s National Championships

(2013-2017)

• 2014 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships• 2015 USGA Girl’s Junior National

Championships• 2014 National Biker’s Roundup• 2014 BMX Sooner Nationals

Next Steps

Tulsa Sports Commission will submit a number of significant bids this fall, including NCAA

soccer, tennis, cross country and volleyball events, Big 12 baseball, and Youth Soccer National

Championships.

STRATEGY 3

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Equestrian and AgricultureMaintain the Tulsa region’s national market share in equestrian events and

agriculture commerce while pursuing additional preeminent national events.

VisitTulsa and local partners announced the renewal of the U.S. National Arabian and

Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show’s contract for an additional five years, bringing the

premier event to Tulsa for a total of 10 years.

Events secured and hosted include:• 65th National Appaloosa Horse Show &

2012 World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show

• 2012 Palomino World Championship Horse Show & Sale

• 2012 American Shetland Pony Club Congress

• 2012 National Snaffle Bit Association World Championship Show

• 2012 Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic• 2012 American Miniature

Horse Registry Nationals• 2012 U.S. National Arabian &

Half-Arabian Championship Show• 2012 Pinto Horse Association

Color Breed Congress• 2013 Breeders Invitational• 2013 Pinto World Championship Show• 2012 Ranching for Profit School• 2013 International Equine

Judges Seminar• 2013 Palomino Horse Breeders of America

National Convention• 2013 American Kennel Club National

Agility Championship• 2015 National Jr. Angus Show• 2013-2017 American Buckskin Registry

Association World Championship Show • 2013-2017 Show Your Colors Multiple

Breed Show & World Championship

Next Steps

Throughout the next 12 to 18 months, VisitTulsa staff will collaborate with industry contacts

to develop relationships with equine and agricultural groups that have not previously utilized

Tulsa’s facilities. Staff will attend regional, national and world shows in competitive markets

and visit association headquarters to develop these relationships. Additionally, VisitTulsa will

plan and host familiarization trips in the region for representatives of equine and agricultural

groups.

STRATEGY 4

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Marketing and BrandingReintroduce the Tulsa region as a significant competitor for visitors, conventions and events through proactive and progressive marketing

to build a memorable brand.

Supported by Randall Travel marketing’s research on Tulsa’s stature as a visitor destination,

VisitTulsa sought a new brand, including logo and tagline, to market the region to meeting

planners and group tour operators. Tulsa has many of the same features found in most cities,

but what sets it apart is its easy access to amenities and attractions, affordability, a central

location and friendly service. Thus the tagline: It’s everything else that’s different.

Other notable accomplishments include:

• Earned media impressions totaled 28.9 million, and advertising value equivalency rose to at least a half million dollars

• Hosted 12 travel writers• In partnership with Philbrook Museum of

Art and George Kaiser Family Foundation, VisitTulsa hosted a contingent of six journalists and editors from the New York area, several of whom have since included Tulsa tourism-related articles in their respective publications

• Hosted a successful Lieutenant Governor’s

Travel and Tourism Summit, during which Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb praised Tulsa for its many tourism attributes and helped to highlight future meeting, conference, sports and tourist opportunities in the region

• Consultant Judy Randall traveled to Tulsa in June 2013 to present “The Tulsa Story,” to discuss the positive changes made to the VisitTulsa organization. She continues to tell this story among her peers in the tourism industry

Next Steps

In partnership with Littlefield Brand Development and Simpleview, a leader in destination

marketing websites and reporting software, VisitTulsa is preparing to launch a new brand

with marketing materials, a print advertising campaign, visitor maps and a new website for

www.VisitTulsa.com.

STRATEGY 5

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Bassmaster Classic

VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission hosted the 2013 Bassmaster Classic Feb.

22-24, 2013, providing more than $20 million in economic impact to the Tulsa region

with a total of 106,850 attendees filling the BOK Center, Cox Business Center and

Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees facilities over the three-day event.

Presented by Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the Classic’s high-powered events played a

huge part in the continued success of the Tulsa region’s mission to enhance its stature as a

destination for world-class events, visitors and entertainment.

In March, ESPN2 broadcast the event over multiple days, increasing the already

substantial media value of 7 million positive media impressions in the month of February.

Through this regional event, new tournament facilities were constructed on Grand Lake

O’ the Cherokees at Wolf Creek Launch. The project totaled $5 million of investment from

the City of Grove, Grand River Dam Authority, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and the

Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Wolf Creek is one of the top 10 boat launch facilities in the United States and, since its

completion, has hosted five national and regional fishing events. This new facility, a direct

result of the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, will have an economic impact for the City of Grove and

Northeast Oklahoma for decades to come.

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Accolades

VisitTulsa was honored at the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association’s 2013 RedBud Awards,

presented annually to organizations that have demonstrated excellence in tourism and made

significant contributions to increasing the impact of tourism on Oklahoma’s economy.

VisitTulsa received a RedBud for its capital campaign book, which was utilized to help

raise VisitTulsa’s level of funding to a competitive level with peer cities. The capital campaign

book received the RedBud award for best brochure or publication.

Additionally, Tulsa was recognized as a top tourist location by Livability.com, which

ranked Tulsa the No. 8 city for best family spring break destination (2013) and a top-10 city

for best music scene (2012).

The Tulsa region continued to establish itself as a national leader for quality of life and

was featured in national and international media. Downtown Tulsa’s “revival” was featured

in The Kansas City Star, both Gilcrease Museum and the Philbrook Museum of Art were

highlighted in The Wall Street Journal, and countless media outlets attended the opening of

the Woody Guthrie Center.

Additionally, VisitTulsa partnered with Philbrook and George Kaiser Family Foundation

to host journalists from Architectural Record; Metropolis; Art in America; The Architect’s

Newspaper; and Indian Country Today. Following the contingent’s tour and editorial meetings

in Tulsa, several Tulsa-related features have been included in these publications.

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Financial Report

Total Actual Total Budget

VisitTulsa & Tulsa Sports Commission 1,146,225 893,468

Tulsa Run 467,330 0

Chamber Contribution 250,000 250,000

Lodging Tax Revenue 2,149,351 2,053,990

* Bassmaster Classic 1,009,598 1,021,225

Total Revenue 5,022,505 4,218,683

Compensation 928,199 982,170

Professional Fees 153,980 210,455

Research and Training 263,982 153,585

Meeting Services 1,084,423 607,650

Travel and Hosting 286,496 252,893

Marketing 1,418,515 1,288,200

Publications & Brochures 229,591 182,893

Support Costs 660,460 622,051

Total Expenses 5,025,647 4,299,897

Net (3,142) (81,214)

* One-time special event

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VisitTulsa Oversight Committee

Steve Bradshaw2013 Chair, VisitTulsa Oversight Committee Bank of Oklahoma

John BoltonSMG Management

Jennifer Carthel Tulsa World

Neil CorneliusOsage Casinos

Jerry FloydRiver Spirit Casino

Dan HarrisonChair, VisitTulsa ONEOK, Inc.

Jake Henry Jr. Saint Francis Health System

Bob McGrewT.D. Williamson, Inc.

Mike NealTulsa Regional Chamber

Shawn SlatonCherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC

Jeff StavaGeorge Kaiser Family Foundation

Oversight Committee Investors

VisitTulsa Investors  Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa

Arvest Bank

Bradley K. Beasley, Boesche McDermott LLP

Mr. John Benjamin, Former Tulsa

City Councilor

Mr. Steven G. Bradshaw

Broken Arrow Economic Development

Corporation

Cubic, Inc.

Doug & Jan Eaton

Lew Erickson

Expo Square

Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers

Mr. Tony Heaberlin

Mr. Steven E. Hobbs

Littlefield Brand Development

Mr. Robert Mareburger 

The McNellie’s Group

Lynn Jones & James Medill

Charles S. Monroe, CPA, PC

Omni Air International, Inc.

Michael T. Peyton Trust

The Philbrook Museum of Art, Inc.

Regent Bank

River Parks Authority

Samson Energy Company, LLC

Samson Resources

Schnake Turnbo Frank

Tulsa Drillers

University of Tulsa

WPX Energy

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