virginia's blue ridge - 2013 progress report

Roanoke Valley ConVention & VisitoRs BuReau

2013 progress report

www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report

Contents

1Mission Statement, Board of Directors,

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitation

2Staff, Tourism Impacts, How Travel & Tourism

Benefits Virginia’s Blue Ridge

3Measurable Success: Macro-Economy,

Lodging Tax Revenue, Hotel Room Demand

4 28th Annual Meeting and Tourism Awards

5Public Relations, Southeast Tourism Society

Shining Example Award

6Destination Marketing

7Conventions & Sports Sales,

Motorcoach Tour Sales

8Visitor Services & Hospitality Training,

Partnership

9State of the Bureau, Budget History

leadeRship ViewpointDear Tourism Stakeholders,

It is a new era for Virginia’s Blue Ridge tourism

industry. Thanks to the new tourism agreement, the

Roanoke Valley CVB has the ability to expand our

reach into new target markets and ensure our region

grows its share of meetings and sports groups as well

as visitors.

Our local tourism industry is now broadly recognized

as a major economic engine for the region. Local

public relations efforts and outreach have led to a

supportive business community and new partners.

We are proud to live in a popular metro-mountain

travel destination. Our tourism industry is increasingly

known for delivering jobs, economic benefit and the

Virginia’s Blue Ridge brand promise.

With this positive momentum comes the opportunity

to set a bolder vision for our destination marketing

organization. The new brand communicates our

organization’s strengths in leadership, expertise and

professionalism. We are a broad umbrella representing

this region’s many distinct products and services.

As the voice for Virginia’s Blue Ridge’s tourism

industry, we are committed to growing our tourism

economy while further engaging the local community.

As we embark on this new era, we pledge our

continued focus on delivering more visitors, more

economic benefit, more jobs and more recognition

of the great benefits our industry contributes. We look

forward to working with you, our investors and partners, in ensuring

the success of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Warm regards,

w. lee wilhelm, iii Barton J. wilner landon C. howard Chair Past Chair President

landon C. howard President

w. lee wilhelm, iii Chair

Barton J. wilner Past Chair

www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 1

BoaRd of diReCtoRsw. lee wilhelm, iii Richfield Retirement Community Chair

Jeffrey a. Marks WDBJ Television, Inc. Vice Chair

Gary d. walton The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Secretary

R. Carey harveycutter, Jr. City of Salem Treasurer

Barton J. wilner Entre Computer Center Past Chair

Mission stateMentThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) 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 2010 2011 2012 2013

1,252,741 1,320,408 (5.40% change) 1,359,191 (2.94% change) 1,159,768 (-11.8% change)

Blue RidGe paRkway VisitationBlue Ridge Parkway visitation entering the Roanoke Valley from six exits in the

region decreased 11.8% in 2013. (Factors - Facilities closed due to funding or

Government Shutdown)

dave andersen Dominion Lodging

doug Blount Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism

Jeremy Carroll Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte

Renee “Butch” Craft The Roanoker Restaurant

B. Clayton Goodman, iii County of Roanoke

shirley B. holland Carilion Clinic

tarah holland County of Franklin

kenneth lanford Lanford Brothers Company, Inc.

pete larkin Office of the Honorable Robert W. Goodlatte (VA-6)

Mary Beth layman Vinton War Memorial

Christopher p. Morrill City of Roanoke

dharmendra patel Samip Management

Richard “pete” peters Botetourt County Parks, Recreation & Tourism

Charles a. price, Jr. Harrison Museum of African American Culture

Charles l. Robbins, iii BB&T (Retired)

douglas B. Robison Wildflour Market & Bakery

ssunny shah Ramada Inn Conference Center

susan e. short, ph.d. Virginia Tech

James e. taliaferro, ii City of Salem

Joyce waugh Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

John williamson RGC Resources, Inc. (7/2013-12/2013)

2 www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report

staff (March 2014)

adMinistRationlandon C. howard President

heidi R. Mowry Director of Administration

ConVention salesMichael R. unanue Vice President of Sales

kelly d. Burd-adams Director of Sales

Gary w. Crizer National Sales Manager

Vickie Meeks Miller Convention Sales & Services Coordinator

Christopher nicholas Sales Research 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 2012 numbers* will expand over time:

– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Spending: $730 million

– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Jobs: 7,230

– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Payroll: $142.5 million

– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related State and Local Tax Collections: $52.4 million

*Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation

2013 tourism impacts $15,000,000 Conventions & Sports Sales

$801,150 Motorcoach Tour Sales

$56,570,184 Leisure Travel

$ 72,371,334 Generated by the RVCVB

+

How Travel & Tourism Bene�ts VIRGINIA'S BLUE RIDGE

TRAVELERS

FUEL

Art GalleriesMuseums

OUTFITTERS

CAMPING

Jetski RentalsB&Bs

ATTRACTIONSDINING

Nightlife

concertsSPORTS CONCESSIONS

FUEL


OUTFITTERS

CAMPING

Jetski RentalsB&Bs

ATTRACTIONSDINING

Nightlife


FUEL


OUTFITTERS

CAMPING

ShoppingShoppingShopping

Jetski RentalsB&Bs

HotelsHotelsHotels

ATTRACTIONSDINING

Nightlife


JOBS, PAYROLL, SALES TAX, MEALS TAX, LODGING TAXBene�ts local businesses, schools, property owners, residents

MaRketinGdebora wright Director of Marketing

trena s. pividal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) / Marketing Coordinator

Catherine herlocker Partnership / Marketing Sales Coordinator

david aldridge e-Marketing Coordinator

puBliC Relations & VisitoR seRViCesCatherine fox Director of Public Relations & Tourism Christa stephens Public Relations & Visitor Services Manager

part-time staff: Visitor services leads Holly Marden Jane Smith weekend part-time Shannon Keener Kayla Land Eva Lynn Angela Tabor Velma Thomas

Volunteer staff: Ann Andrews Hugh Brown Elizabeth Callahan Joe Cummings Terry Eastman Marlene Efkeman


hotel RooM deMand

ROOMS SOLD

ROOM REVENUE

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

916,661 975,622 997,490 1,056,484 1,085,730

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

$71,952,926 $75,023,204 $78,391,404 $83,148,287 $85,591,610

Source: Smith Travel Research

lodGinG tax ReVenue

61.1%

1.3%5.6%

16.1%

15.9%

Locality 2013 Revenue

City of Roanoke (7% / 8% tax rate) .............. $3,750,764

City of Salem (7% / 8% tax rate) ..................... $977,824

County of Roanoke (5% / 7% tax rate) ........... $988,827

County of Botetourt (5% tax rate) ................. $345,601

County of Franklin (5% tax rate) ......................$77,233

Source: Local governments $6,140,249

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 RidgeTourism Industry

The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

(RVCVB) serves as an information broker for

Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) macro tourism

economy representing and working with over 625

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:

– hotel Room demand, which is the measure of

the number of rooms sold in the VBR region.

– lodging tax Revenue, 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.”

2,000,000

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 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Rooms Sold


28th annual Meeting Regional tourism agreement for Virginia’s Blue Ridge officially signed

For over two years, the Roanoke Valley Convention

& Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) has been working to

increase funding for tourism promotion. Support

was sought from Roanoke County and the Cities of

Roanoke and Salem to agree to a predictable revenue

source of funding for the RVCVB. The RVCVB agreed

to use this additional money for enhanced tourism

marketing initiatives. As of January 1, 2013, the

Transient Occupancy Tax increased in the Cities of

Roanoke and Salem from 7% - 8% and in Roanoke

County from 5% - 7%. These local governments have

agreed to invest 3 percentage points of collections to

the RVCVB, adding an estimated $1 million dedicated

to marketing Virginia’s Blue Ridge. This is a big

accomplishment for regional cooperation and the

beginning of a new era for tourism.

2013 tourism awards announced awards presented by Bart Wilner and Landon howard

tourism ambassador award The Patrick A. McMahon Tourism Ambassador Award is presented annually to an individual

for their outstanding efforts, dedication and support toward the promotion of the region and

its many tourism attributes.

Award Recipient - John Shaner, Director, City of Salem Parks & Recreation

Golden star award The Golden Star Award is presented to an individual or organization in recognition for their

outstanding service and commitment toward the economic growth of the tourism industry.

Award Recipient - Virginia’s Blue Ridge Hospitality Association – Cathy Ring, President, accepted

on behalf of the Association

Chairs’ tourism excellence award The Chairs’ Tourism Excellence Award is presented by the RVCVB’s Past Chairs in recognition

of an individual who exemplifies leadership, service and commitment to the tourism industry

in the region and the state. It recognizes an individual’s lifetime achievements in developing

and promoting our industry.

Award Recipient - Dr. Jim Sears, General Manager of Center in the Square

Photo taken at the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau 28th Annual Meeting – May 22, 2013 Signing the agreement from left to right – Barton J. Wilner (Board Chair, RVCVB), The Honorable Randy

Foley (Mayor, City of Salem), The Honorable Michael Altizer (Chairman of the Board, County of Roanoke), The Honorable David Bowers (Mayor, City of Roanoke); Included in the photo – Virginia State Delegation, City of

Roanoke Council, City of Salem Council, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, Rita McClenny, President & CEO Virginia Tourism Corporation


Public relationsMedia/pR Results– Media Tours – 4

– Number of Journalists Hosted – 92

– Media Coverage Circulation – 96,772,535

– Media Coverage Advertising Equivalency – $1,214,475

southeast tourism society shining example awardThe City of Roanoke, City of Salem and Roanoke County received the 2013 Governmental Tourism Leadership Shining Example Award from the Southeast

Tourism Society (STS). Each year, the Society honors an elected official (city, county,

state or federal) whose support or influence greatly enhances the tourism industry.

This is the first time a joint jurisdictional nomination has been awarded.

All three governments banded together in support of the Roanoke Valley Convention

& Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) by signing a regional tourism agreement. “This is a big

accomplishment for regional cooperation and the beginning of a

new era for tourism,” said Bart Wilner, Past Chair of the RVCVB.

“This is all about building a regional destination for Virginia’s Blue Ridge creating more jobs and increasing local revenue.

We are already beginning to see the benefits of this investment with tourism numbers trending upward with more hotel

rooms sold and more lodging tax revenues collected than at any point in our history.”

The Shining Example Awards have been a tradition since 1985 and were started by the STS, an organization dedicated

to the promotion and development of tourism to its 12 member states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Accepting the award in Jacksonville, FL – (pictured from left to right) From the City of Salem, City Manager Kevin Boggess and Mayor Randy

Foley, Roanoke County Vice Chair Charlotte Moore, City of Roanoke Mayor David Bowers and Landon Howard, President of the RVCVB.

Touring the Salem Farmer’s Market

Media tour at the Botetourt County Courthouse


destination MarketingThe RVCVB placed an aggressive online marketing program

including search engine optimization (SEO), search engine

marketing (SEM), with pay per click (PPC) and banner

advertising. This, along with an increase in mobile traffic

and a lead generating program, produced an increase of

over 47% in overall inquiries.

In addition, the RVCVB focused on communicating

with the existing database through eNewsletters to turn

“warm” leads into “hot” leads. this program along with the

sweepstakes programs has almost quadrupled, with a total

opt-in database of over 76,000.

x

xx

492,601

.44 % of inquirers who visited (Source: 2013 Conversion Study)

216,744

2.9 people in party (Source: VTC)

$90.00 daily trip spending per party (Source: VTC)

$56,570,184 in direct spending

www.visitvablueridge.com

The Blue Ridge Mountains are 400 million years old.It’s OK if you make time stand still for a moment.

The opportunities for outdoor recreation are endless in

the Roanoke Valley. There are hundreds of miles of scenic

trails for hiking, biking, running and horseback riding. The

famous Appalachian Trail follows a mountain ridge through

the region, while a beautiful urban greenway winds through

the heart of the valley. Follow a trail to happiness in

Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Advertising from new campaign

leisure travelers 307,816 Unique Website Visitors

90,881 Unique Mobile Site Visitors

93,904 Inquiries

492,601 total

advertising agency selectedAccess and Mikula-Harris partnered to develop a comprehensive

marketing and advertising campaign that promotes travel to

Virginia’s Blue Ridge. A fourteen person Agency Selection

Committee, led by Shirley Holland, dedicated many hours over

four months to hire this primary agency. The goal of the initiative

is to heighten the brand awareness of Virginia’s Blue Ridge

region and increase tourism to the area.

Estimated $115,611 in free advertising

Fall Sweepstakes

e-newsletter program– e-Newsletter Program nearly QuadRupled! (compared to 2012)

– Opt-in database went from 19,000 to over 76,000

– Niche Markets include Outdoor Recreation, Arts and Culture, Family Fun and Nightlife


Conventions & sports salesparticipated in eight (8) tradeshows– Met with 370 meeting or sports professionals

– Partnered with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and four (4) VA CVB’s in Association Forum of Chicagoland

– Collaborated with local industry representatives to partner in the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC)

sales productivity– Leads: 42

Conventions and sports hosted and serviced– 33 groups representing 35,000+ participants and provided a direct spending of $15+ million

sports– 80+ sporting events were held in Virginia’s Blue Ridge

international Conference selects Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue ridge: Dr. David Trinkle led the effort to secure the International Conference of Collaborating Across Borders (CAB V). The Collaborating Across Borders conference series launched in 2007 as an interprofessional venue where educators, clinicians, researchers, policy makers and students from Canada and the United States engage in rich and productive dialogue regarding interprofessional education, practice and research.

CaB V will be held september 27 – october 1, 2015 in Virginia’s Blue ridge with approximately 1,000 attendees.

Motorcoach tour salesThe RVCVB attended the American Bus Association

Marketplace and the joint marketplace with Virginia

Motorcoach Association and North Carolina Motorcoach

Association. Tracking reports indicated 279 overnight

motorcoach tours occurred in the last year representing

6,850 overnight rooms.

Tour Leads (new business) ...........................................14

Bookings ......................................................................11

Guided tours conducted by the RVCVB ........................41

total estimated economic impact ........................$801,150

RVCVB staff works with VTC Co-op Tradeshows

Sightseeing tours with step-on guides

2014-15 Virginia Tour Planning Guide

Dr. David Trinkle lead the Virginia’s Blue Ridge team including N.L. Bishop, Jefferson College, and Landon Howard to Vancouver Canada to win the

CAB V Conference.

Association Executives of NC Holiday Showcase


Visitor services & Hospitality trainingOur purpose is to encourage overnight visitation, extend the average

stay, and increase visitor spending by providing relevant visitor

information about Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

how do we do it?– Fulfill visitor inquiries

– Create and maintain an ongoing events calendar for the region

– Partner with Community Events - St. Patrick’s Day Parade participant. Star City Half Marathon water station, open Visitor Center to welcome Dashers during the Drumstick Dash, Santa by Rail and train excursions.

– Conduct Customer Service Excellence Hospitality Training Workshops

– Host a AAA Travel Counselor FAM tour and in 2013 a Virginia Welcome Center FAM tour – Staff the Roanoke Valley Visitor Information Center - Open daily 9am-5pm (Sundays 12pm-5pm in Jan/Feb) Conveniently located at the corner of Shenandoah Ave. and Williamson Rd.

– Provide visitor information via Segway Ambassador at key events

six Customer service excellence hospitality training workshops were

held for 133 attendees, including a special training session provided

for the Green Ridge Recreation Center staff.

PartnershipfRee partnership for funding Jurisdictions The RVCVB moved from a membership-based organization to a

consumer-based partnership organization providing new fRee

opportunities for tourism and hospitality businesses in our five funding

jurisdictions which include Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke Counties

and the Cities of Roanoke and Salem.

Partnership has grown by over 56% this year to include 625 partners.

Free partnership and a new connection to arts and culture in our region

has broadened our promotion of arts organizations and galleries and

included the creation of an artist directory on our website.

This partnership base expansion now better represents the destination.

The RVCVB continues to offer monthly training sessions for our Partner Extranet to provide partners a means to input their

information that appears on our website and mobile site. Since implementation of the program we have trained over 208 partners.

Many thanks to our partners for providing $101,972 of in-kind goods and services. This amount leverages our capabilities to make

a greater impact for our key programs.

Hospitality Training at Green Ridge Recreation Center

Hosted AAA Travel Counselor FAM Tour


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 partnerships.

funding sources for fy 2013/2014 City of Roanoke ............................................................................................................................................ $1,412,431

County of Roanoke .......................................................................................................................................... $533,184

City of Salem ................................................................................................................................................... $371,927

County of Botetourt ............................................................................................................................................ $57,026

County of Franklin ............................................................................................................................................. $36,652

State Grants & Miscellaneous Funds ................................................................................................................ $310,176

Partnership ....................................................................................................................................................... $20,500

$2,741,896

% of BuReau BudGet deVoted to MaRketinG 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 66.2% 74.0% 77.9% 75.2% 76.7%

BudGet histoRyThe Bureau’s budget increased 68.5% in FY 2013/2014.

2,750,000

2,500,000

2,250,000

2,000,000

1,750,000

1,500,000

1,250,000

1,000,000

750,000

500,000

FY 2013/2014

$2

,74

1,8

96

$2

,10

3,9

81

Total Budget Marketing Budget

FY 2012/2013

$1

,62

7,1

33

$1

,22

3,3

68

FY 2010/2011

$1

,32

7,2

43

$9

82

,45

6

FY 2009/2010

$1

,40

3,6

52

$9

29

,40

0

FY 2011/2012

$1

,30

3,5

46

$1

,01

5,0

66

51.5%

0.8%11.3%

1.3%2.1%

13.6%

19.4%

Roanoke Valley ConVention & VisitoRs BuReau – VisitVaBlueRidGe.CoM101 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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ViRGinia’s Blue RidGe

virginia's blue ridge - 2013 progress report

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