Monroe County’s Official Tourism Promotion Agency

In business since 1932

Our mission is to AGGRESSIVELY sell and market Greater Rochester as a preferred destination—for meetings, conventions, business travel and leisure travel

Increase visitor spending to enhance the economy

Advocate for appropriate destination development

Increase awareness, appreciation, and support for the visitor industry.

Budget Approximately $ 3 million+

Who We Are

A portion of the Monroe County Hotel Tax In-kind member and partner support/co-op programs Membership dues Matching grants funded by I Love NY

Revenue comes from.

Consist of 18 full time staff and approximately 20 part time staff

• Approximately 1.7 Million Visitors Each Year

• Economic Impact Nearly $1 billion

• State Taxes Generated: $58 million +

• County Taxes Generated: $64 million +

• Tourism accounts for 15,00 direct jobs in Monroe County

Provide existing Visitors with:

• Exceptional level of service

• Information

• Hospitality

• Resulting in:

• Future return visits

• Passing on appreciation of the area’s hospitality and attractions

Attract a wide range of visitors to Rochester and Monroe County.

Strategies:

Increase collaboration and investments among members and regional partners - take a regional lead when appropriate.

VisitRochester is a membership organization with over 400 members in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes Region representing….

Sleep See & Do

Shop

Community Eat & Drink Services

Assist the community and region in its growth as a highly appealing destination by recommending and advocating for development or change.

• Meetings/Convention Sales

• Convention/Visitor Services

• Communications/PR

• Membership

• Tourism Sales

• Finance

• Rochester Finger Lakes Film & Video Office

Departments:

• The VisitRochester Meetings and Convention team actively seeks out new business and leads by

• Attending trade shows

• Hosting potential meeting planners

• Organizing and hosting Familiarization Tours

• Identifying local contacts of regional, state, and national organizations

Meetings and Conventions

A Meeting/Conference Delegate/Exhibitor spends approximately $275.00-$415.00 a

day

• Monroe County has 7014 Hotel Rooms

• Conferences from 10-5,000 delegates

• They leave $$$ behind at Hotels Restaurants Gas Shopping Attractions

Meetings and Conventions

• What organizations are you affiliated with - both professionally and personally?

• Can you personally help us by making connections with these organizations?

• How can your organization incentivize employees/members/students to actively work on bringing organizations to Rochester?

Locals are the Key—Here’s How Locals Can Help

• Agricultural

• Cultural

• Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing

• Educational

• Engineering

• GLBT

• Government

• Hobby

• Medical

• NYS Markets (All)

• Optics, Imaging, Photography

• Religious

• Trade, Business, Commercial

Affinity Markets for Rochester

• Economic impact on our community

• Exposure of the community to those that would not otherwise have come

Meetings and Conventions Impact our Region by…

Rochester Institute of Technology

• National Council of University Research (280 room nights)

• American Ceramic Society (250 room nights)

• National Collegiate EMS Foundation (400 room nights

Examples of Local Collaborations

Greater Rochester Enterprise

• State Science and Technology Institute (400 rooms)

• Fuel Cell Conference (248 rooms)Wegmans

• American Cheese Society (800 room nights)

• Food Marketing Institute (600+ room nights)

University of Rochester

• American Urological Association (580 room nights

• Pediatric Nursing Conference (25 room nights)

• Batten Disease Support and Research Association (415 room nights)

• Neural Ceroid Lipofuinoses (450 room nights)

• Esophageal Surgery Conference (65room nights)

• Association of Computational Linguistics (700 room nights)

• Optical Society of America (2,935 room nights)

Help Us Help the Community

• Visit Rochester's Experienced Sales Team will take over once introductions have been made

• Our Convention Services Team will assist organizers make sure everything goes smoothly

Marketing Programs

A Welcome SurpriseCanada a target market

• Just 90 minutes across the border

• The exchange rate is favorable to them

• We are an affordable destination

• Family-friendly

Marketing to Leisure Travelers

This co-op program with regional partners consists of…

• A Welcome Surprise printed piece in the Toronto Sun

• Cross-Border Showcase-VisitRochester produced radio show in Ontario

• Online and social media components

Presence: Making Rochester NYC ConnectionsA NY/NY market development program in partnership with Delta AirlinesVisitRochester present at NYC events

• NYC Chamber of Commerce events

• Crain’s Business Review Breakfasts

• New York Society of Association Executives

Marketing to New York City Influencers

Next Steps

• Presence in NYC at 8-10 events

• Engage with individuals

• Cultivate informed relationships

• Maintain continuity of contact

• Host selected individuals

• Foster a growing knowledge for NYC/Rochester network

• Ask for support from allies End Game

• A group of NYC based allies who will willingly assist VisitRochester in pursuit of business and opportunities

VisitRochester Again!

• Business visitors

• Convention/meeting attendees

• Leisure visitors

• Parents of college students (either looking at schools or visiting their children).

Marketing to Those Visitors Who are Already Here

VisitRochester has identified 10 key markets for our region.

Niche Market Cards

Hike, Bike & Paddle

Travel with KidsFlowers

Music

Women’s Heritage & Rights

Wine & Culinary Photography & Film

GolfDance & Theatre

Destination Shopping

Student & Parent Market

Printable PDF’s available to schools on request.

ROC 101 Cheat SheetAnd other college collaborations

• Actively working with colleges & universities to acquaint students with all Rochester has to offer

• Provide ROC 101 sheets to local colleges –personalized for each college or university

• Explore ways to bring high school students here on tours/experiences

• Rochester is a family-friendly destination

• VisitRochester works closely with attractions and businesses that cater to this market

• Our hotels offer many packages that are attractive to families—including some that offer free pizza & soda with an over-night visit

Families with Kids Market

Family Funtastic

Golf Consumer MarketsGolf is Great in Rochester and the Finger Lakes• There are over 40 semi-

private and public courses within a short drive of Rochester

• In 2013 Rochester will host both the PGA and LPGA Championships

• Rochester is the only city to have hosted both in the same year

• Recently, VisitRochester partnered with the PGA for two receptions in Toronto

• VisitRochester will use this opportunity to show-off the area to potential meeting planners, event site selectors, and travel media.

New Visitor’s Guide—Explore Greater Rochester

VisitRochester/Rochester Business Journal partnership to make Explore Greater Rochester the official visitors’ guide for the region

Wegmans Finger Lakes Guide

• VisitRochester/Wegmans partnership

• Inserted in May Menu magazine

• Includes Rochester/Finger Lakes spread and contest

Savor Rochester

VisitRochester/Palmer’s partnership with Restaurant Week to encourage local residents to take family and friends to locally

owned establishments

THANK YOU!

Visit us at

Or follow us

On Facebook:

facebook.com/VisitRochester

On Twitter: twitter.com/VisitRochester

On YouTube:

youtube.com/VisitRochester