Tourism Advisory Council Meeting

Monday, September 23, 2019

11:00am – 12:30pm

633 Third Ave, 37th Floor Boardroom, New York, NY

Webcast address: http://161.11.132.60/tcs/?id=44ce2fb2-5a2f-48ed-9fae-6623a90287f6

AGENDA

I. Approval of Minutes Cristyne Nicholas

II. Chair’s Report Cristyne Nicholas A. Governor’s Summer Tourism Announcements & Activities

III. I LOVE NY Report Ross Levi + I LOVE NY Team A. Updates & New Tourism Numbers B. Summer Marketing Efforts

1. Sumer Advertising 2. WorldPride 3. State Fair 4. International 5. Partnerships

C. Fall Marketing Efforts 6. Fall Advertising 7. Fall Foliage Report 8. Fall Media Night 9. Path Through History Weekend

D. Tourism Funding Programs E. Policy & Program Development

IV. New Business

Next meeting: Monday, November 18, 2019

11am – 12:30pm

633 Third Ave, NYC

September 23, 2019

A Division of Empire State Development

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Tourism Advisory Council Meeting

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CHAIR’S REPORT

GOVERNOR’S SUMMER TOURISM ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACTIVITIES

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▪ Hudson River Skywalk Grand Opening for National Trails Day

▪ $3M Welcome Center at Walkway Over the Hudson Opens

▪ Frontier Town Campground Completed

▪ Jones Beach 90th Anniversary Summer - over $100M investment

▪ Completion of Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House restorations

▪ $7.5M to renew marina & offer long-term camping at Sampson

State Park

▪ $6.4M grant to improve Genesee Valley Greenway & Niagara

Shoreline Trail

▪ Reimagine the Erie Canal Initiative and Taskforce

▪ Record-breaking attendance at the New York State Fair

“SEE THE CATSKILLS LIKE NEVER BEFORE” CAMPAIGN

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▪ 2nd Catskill Challenge at Bethel Woods on July 11

▪ Governor announced “See the Catskills Like Never Before”

▪ Fire Tower Five Challenge

❑ Hike to all five Catskills Fire Towers by December 31

❑ Hikers who complete all five eligible for prizes

❑ ~100 hikers completed so far

▪ Hike With US Program

❑ DEC free guided hikes for beginners every weekend from July 11 - October 26

▪ I LOVE NY promoted with TV spots and landing pages on iloveny.com offering travel itineraries

“SEE THE CATSKILLS LIKE NEVER BEFORE” CAMPAIGN

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SUPPORTING LAKE ONTARIO REGIONAL TOURISM

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▪ Governor went fishing with Attorney General Letitia James and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Lake Ontario to promote tourism along shoreline impacted by high water

▪ Announcements included:

❑ Free fishing through Labor Day on Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River and Lower

Niagara River

❑ 50% off camping and vehicle entrance fees at state parks along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River

▪ I LOVE NY promoted with TV spot and a landing page on iloveny.com offering specific content and itineraries for the region

CAMPAIGN TO BOOST TOURISM IN LAKE ONTARIO REGION

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I LOVE NY REPORT: UPDATES

2018 TOURISM NUMBERS

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▪ New York State welcomed 253 million visitors in 2018 –10 million more than 2017

▪ Visitors generated $71.8 billion in direct spending – $4 billion more

▪ New York State tourism generated $8.9 billion in state and local taxes in 2018

▪ Average per-household savings of $1,221 in taxes

▪ Economic impact of New York State tourism was $114.8 billion

▪ Tourism is state’s third-largest private sector employer, supporting 957,800 jobs

2018 TOURISM NUMBERS

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Visitors

2017 2018 Change 16-17 Change 17-18

Economic Impact

Direct Spending

State & Local Taxes

239 M

$104.8 B

$64.8 B

$8.2 B

243 M

$108.7 B

$67.6 B

$8.5 B

2016

253 M

$114.8 B

$71.8 B

$8.9 B

4 M

$3.9 B

$2.8 B

$.3 B

10 M

$6.1 B

$4.2 B

$.4 B

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I LOVE NY REPORT:

SUMMER MARKETING EFFORTS

2019 SUMMER COMMERCIALS

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2019 SUMMER COMMERCIALS

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TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: OVERVIEW OF FY 17/18

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▪ Total tourism media budget for FY 17/18 was $26,444,388, up 13.5% from FY 16/17

▪ Marketing Goals

❑ Create awareness and enthusiasm for vacationing in NYS

❑ Establish NYS as the best choice for a family vacation within the NE drivable region

❑ Provide information & resources to help family decision-makers choose NYS and plan their trip

▪ KPIs

❑ Measurement of perceptions on NYS attractiveness as a vacation destination

❑ ILNY website visits and activity

❑ NYS visitor counts and RevPAR (revenue per available room)

▪ Performance Measurement Tools for KPIs

❑ Quantitative in-market tracking research through consultant

❑ Analysis of website activity via Google Analytics

❑ Tourism and economic data from ESD and NYS Department of Labor

TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: BUDGET BREAKDOWN

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TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: PERCEPTIONS OF NYS

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TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: PERCEPTIONS OF NYS

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TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: PERCEPTIONS OF NYS

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TOURISM ADVERTISING RESULTS: WEBSITE PERFORMANCE

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WORLDPRIDE WEEK-OF ACTIVATIONS

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▪ WorldPride Welcome Center opening press event

▪ Governor’s Welcome Reception ahead of Welcoming Ceremony

▪ Pod presence at Family Movie Night, Pride Festival and Pride at the Falls

▪ Governor’s contingent marched in Pride March, including 11 WorldPride Ambassadors

▪ I LOVE NY balloons and confetti featured in Pride March

WORLDPRIDE STATEWIDE EVENTS

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▪ Albany Symphony “Sing Out, New York!”

▪ Pride on the Beach

▪ Conversation with Bishop Gene Robinson

▪ Pride At The Falls

▪ Matteo Lane at the Comedy Center

▪ Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits at Fenimore Art Museum

▪ New Glass Now Exhibit & Pride Tour at CMOG

WORLDPRIDE RESULTS

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▪ Largest LGBTQ+ event in history: 5M attendees

▪ Largest event in New York City history

▪ Nearly 633,000 people watched ABC7 live broadcast

▪ Longest Pride March in the world:

❑ 12 hours, 30 minutes

❑ 150,000+ marchers, 750+ groups, 150+ floats

▪ Record 25+ events & 100+ partner events throughout June

▪ Over 6.9 billion media impressions globally

▪ Family Movie Night - 2500+ attendees

▪ Opening Ceremony - 8500+ attendees

▪ Closing Ceremony - 150,000+ attendees

GREAT NEW YORK STATE FAIR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

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▪ Amtrak partnership to help promote attendance

❑ Ride Amtrak and receive free admission

❑ Two cars on Empire Service Line 63 wrapped with Great NYS Fair graphics and messaging

❑ All Empire line trains served Taste NY products

❑ Promotional materials distributed through seatback flyers, posters and table tents

▪ Digital campaign to encourage visiting the fair as part of New York State vacation

▪ Commercial ran in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo,

Elmira, Utica, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, NYC

STATE FAIR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

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I LOVE NY EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE FAIR

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I LOVE NY EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE FAIR

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I LOVE NY EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE FAIR

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I LOVE NY EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE FAIR

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I LOVE NY EXPERIENCE AT THE STATE FAIR

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INTERNATIONAL MARKETING EFFORTS

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▪ Water Lantern Festival in Orange County on June 15

▪ Pursued two NYC-based tour operators aimed at US-based Chinese travelers

▪ 800 attendees throughout day with majority from Flushing, Queens

▪ 5 motor coaches and 6 mini buses came from NYC

▪ 170 cars from NYC and the Hudson Valley

▪ Will become annual event and include more local tours

SUMMER MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS

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Aurora Games, August 20-25, Albany

▪ First festival of its kind featuring world class competition in six women’s sports

▪ ILNY was official sponsor of event with opportunities for branding and media coverage

▪ Ross gave live ESPN interview about the benefit of having the event in the Capital Region

World Surf League, September 6, Long Beach

▪ Longboard Classic competition on Long Beach

▪ ILNY support through Market New York

▪ Opportunity for ILNY branding and media coverage including live streaming commercial

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I LOVE NY REPORT:

FALL MARKETING EFFORTS

FALL ADVERTISING

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FALL FOLIAGE REPORT

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▪ Launched September 12

▪ Sleek new template

▪ Weekly email alerts with

information and updates

▪ More than 2,000 subscribers

before first report published

▪ Weekly teaser video on social

media channels

FALL FOLIAGE REPORT

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FALL MEDIA NIGHT

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▪ August 7 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

▪ Attractions & partners included regional tourism

representatives, Path Through History, Intrepid Sea, Air

and Space Museum, Beak & Skiff 1911, Six Flags Great

Escape, Haunted History Trail, New York State Breweries

Association, LIRR, Amtrak and NY DEC

▪ Activations included fall wreath making, craft beverage

tastings, u-pick experience and tour of the Intrepid

Museum before the event began

▪ More than 40 media, more than half new attendees

▪ Included outlets such as USA Today, Forbes, Parents,

Men’s Journal, Latina, Pure Wow and Trip Savvy

▪ Nearly 10 story leads and press trips as a result

FALL PATH THROUGH HISTORY WEEKEND

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▪ 502 events registered for the June PTH Weekend

▪ 35+ participants in June Weekend social media contest

▪ 450 events registered so far for the October PTH Weekend

❑ “The Midsummer Derby: 150 Years of the Travers Stakes”

❑ America’s Elite in the Downton Abbey Era in Staatsburg

❑ Gravestones of Early Long Island: 1680-1815

▪ Brochures/rack cards/posters mailed to PTH attractions, hosts,

TPAs, parks & transport hubs

▪ Email blasts, travel media pitches & social promotions

▪ 952 events in 2019 vs. 862 events for 2018

▪ 231 event hosts in 2019 – 157 new

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I LOVE NY REPORT:

TOURISM FUNDING

MATCHING FUNDS

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▪ $4,408,000 appropriated for 2020 Matching Funds program year

▪ Newly created online database is easier for TPAs, allows for more

accurate reporting, is more cost effective and requires less staff time

required to process these documents

▪ 2020 Guidelines & Application Part I sent to TPAs in July

▪ All applications received, reviewed & approved with every county

eligible for funds

▪ 2020 Grant Award Letters scheduled to be sent late November

MATCHING FUNDS PERFORMANCE RESULTS

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▪ In FY 2016/2017 $4,212,410.80 was disbursed to 62 counties

▪ A general summary of activities conducted by the counties from these funds is:

❑ 33% for advertising

❑ 22% transferred to region (regional programming)

❑ 15% for collateral

❑ 7% for research

❑ 6% for web development and maintenance

❑ 5% for mailings and distribution

❑ 5% for travel shows

❑ 5% for public relations

❑ 1% for FAM tours

❑ .6% for video / AV elements

❑ .1% for telephone or consumer services

▪ Overall tourism investment by counties for 2017 was $32,904,651 indicating a 681% ROI

▪ Every $1 of taxes invested in matching funds contributed to $6.81 worth of tourism promotion

MARKET NEW YORK

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▪ $15M appropriation for Market New York program

▪ $7M marketing + $8M capital

▪ Round 9 CFA closed July 26, 2019

▪ Received 177 Applications

▪ Eligibility and scoring process under way

▪ Award announcements anticipated later in the year

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I LOVE NY REPORT:

POLICY & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

INTERAGENCY TASKFORCE

▪ Reconvened Interagency Tourism Taskforce established under NYS Tourist Promotion

Act to expand the level of communication and collaboration among state

agencies that interact with the tourism industry and help increase visitation to New

York State

▪ Ensure agencies are informed of important tourism-related projects, policy

proposals, procedures

▪ Assist with streamlining communication & identifying areas of potential growth for

tourism industry

▪ Taskforce to produce a report on its findings in January to help for 2021 planning

INTERAGENCY TASKFORCE

▪ Taskforce representatives include:

❑ Bridge Authority

❑ Canal Corporation

❑ Council on the Arts

❑ Department of Agriculture &

Markets

❑ Department of Environmental

Conservation

❑ Department of Health

❑ Department of State

❑ Department of Transportation

❑ Empire State Development

❑ Hudson River Park Trust

❑ Long Island Rail Road

❑ Metro North Railroad

❑ Office of the Aging

❑ Office of Parks

❑ ORDA

❑ Port Authority

❑ Thruway Authority

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FIND WHAT YOU LOVE

Tourism Advisory Council Meeting Minutes “Draft – Subject to Board Approval”

Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2019 Location: ESD Offices, 633 3rd Ave, New York, NY Attendance: TAC Members Cristyne Nicholas, Katherine Nicholls, Elinor Tatum Phone: Spike Herzig, Ali Sirota, Thurman Thomas, Dan Fuller, Tom Mulroy, Alexandra Stanton

ESD / NYS Staff Ross Levi, Executive Director of Tourism; Kelly Garofalo-Wilkins, Project Manager Tourism Marketing & Partnerships; Anna Pakman, VP Digital Marketing; Markly Wilson, Director of International Operations; Lisa Soto, Director of Public Relations & Licensing; Shenique Coston, Director of Experiential Marketing; Kirsten Kim, Manager of Digital Analytics Phone: Sara Emmert, Director of Special Tourism Initiatives;

TAC Guests Randy Bourscheidt, New York Public Library; Steve Khanoyan, United Airlines; Roni Weiss, Travel Unity; Damien Duchamp, Travel Unity; Peter Feinman Phone: Greg Marshall, Visit Rochester; George Ntim, Marriott Hotels; Bob Provost, NYSTIA; Dick Stone, Trajectory Sports; Tom Martinelli, New York by Rail; Lisa Burns, Finger Lakes Tourism; Phil Novoa, Finn Partners; Meeting called to order: 11:04 AM I. Approval of minutes – Cristyne Nicholas

• Motion to approve by Elinor Tatum

• Minutes approved with a second by Ali Sirota

II. Chair’s Report – Cristyne Nicholas A. Tourism Action Day Recap

• Last time TAC met was in Albany following Tourism Action Day. Dan Fuller was able to step in to lead the meeting. Hopefully many of you were able to attend and meet with state representatives to advocate the importance of tourism in New York State.

• NYSHTA and the Tourism Industry Coalition organized a Breakfast Meeting for members. Heard from Lieutenant Governor Hochul, Ross Levi, and Kristen Jarnagin from Discover Long Island on various tourism issues throughout the state. Afterwards, members headed out in groups—designated by region—to meet with their state representatives face-to-face.

• Tourism Industry Coalition’s agenda items this year were: o Seeking $5 million for the Matching Funds Program o Supporting the allocated funds in the Executive Budget Proposal for ILNY funding o Asking elected officials to look carefully at legislation that would add additional burdens to small

businesses, like campgrounds, ski mountains, & hotels. o Continued support for the NYS Film & Television Tax Incentive Program

• All of these issues affect the tourism industry, so pleased stakeholders had the opportunity to voice their concerns and reemphasize the importance of tourism as an economic driver in New York State. We thank you for being great advocates for New York State tourism.

B. Budget Overview

• The state’s fiscal year is from April to March, so this is the first TAC meeting since the 2018/2019 fiscal closed & the 2019/2020 state budget passed.

• State’s investment in I LOVE NY tourism efforts has remained stable at around $60 million, which continues the trend over the last few years of historically high annual investments in tourism. This figure includes a seventh round of $15 million in competitive funding through the Market NY initiative to support tourism marketing plans and projects that best demonstrate regional collaboration among counties to promote regional attractions, as well as matching tourism funds for regions and counties, and funding for the promotional and programmatic initiatives of I LOVE NY.

• On behalf of the New York State tourism industry, TAC thanks the Governor and the Legislature for their continued support.

C. Tourism Related Announcements

• Completion of the New Explore & More – The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Children’s Museum at Canalside in Buffalo.

o 43,000 square foot museum features seven educational play zones, each offering hands-on activities and exhibits that tell the stories of Buffalo to children and their families.

o Expected to bring 250,000 visitors per year to Canalside and create 36 full-time jobs. o Will officially open its doors to the public later this month. Ross was able to take a hard hat tour and

says it’s truly unique and spectacular.

• Maid of the Mist plans to launch two all-electric, zero-emission passenger vessels constructed in the U.S., making them the first all-electric vessels built in the U.S.

o Once launched later this year, the catamaran-style vessels will provide more than 1.6 million guests from around the world with quiet ride allowing guests to better enjoy the roar and majesty of the iconic Niagara Falls.

• The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark is officially open to the public. o There was a commemorative ribbon cutting on May 10th attended by the park’s owners & developers,

members of the Sullivan county business community and several local and state officials—including Ross, who delivered remarks on behalf of the Governor.

o The Kartrite, which expects to bring 100,000 annual visitors, was built on the Resorts World Catskills campus, and will be integral to the resurgence of the Catskills.

• Last week marked the opening of the historic TWA Hotel at JFK. o Ross was there for the ribbon cutting and comments by Governor Cuomo. o The project has transformed the former Trans World Airlines terminal, which was designed by world-

renowned architect Eero Saarinen in 1962, into the largest hotel lobby in the world, serving as the centerpiece of a modern 512-room hotel.

o The new hotel preserves the jet age mid-century design and offers lodging and best-in-class services to millions of travelers each year. It builds on the historic $13 billion vision plan to transform JFK airport into a 21st century facility that will continue to serve as the nation's premier international gateway.

III. I LOVE NY Report – Ross Levi & Team

A. Sales Efforts

• IPW o Will take place June 1-5 in Anaheim, CA o Both Markly and Ross attending. o Joined by several NYS delegates representing various attractions and destinations making up a total

of four different booths. o Ross will be meeting with media on the first day along with a representative from Finn o Markly will be meeting with operators with 180+ appointments already set o On the second evening, I LOVE NY will be hosting a dinner and have invited all the New York state

delegates to meet with and inform suppliers and other conference attendees about NYS product

• Adventure Travel Trade Association ELEVATE Conference o Established in 1990, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) is widely recognized as a vital

leadership voice and partner for the adventure travel industry around the world. o Put together travelling conference every year, chose Lake George as host for 2019 o Considered one of North America’s most important and practical professional adventure travel events o I LOVE NY is an official Host Destination Partner. As a partner I LOVE NY receives:

▪ Opportunity to distribute pre and post custom messaging to ATTA members ▪ Branding, media recognition, and presence at the 2019 conference ▪ Chance to address conference attendees at Delegate Welcome Ceremony ▪ Opportunity to host I LOVE NY FAM trips for conference attendees

B. Marketing Efforts

• Summer Media Night o Held on March 26 at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater o Decided on new format: instead of traditional tables set up for networking, had an “I LOVE NY recital”

featuring 40 minutes of performances to highlight numerous cultural anniversaries happening throughout the year (60th Anniversary of Alvin Ailey, Woodstock 50, Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday)

o Hosted by comedian Judy Gold, courtesy of the National Comedy Center o Performances followed by cocktail hour reception to allow journalists to interact with the TPAs,

attractions & performers. Similar to typical media nights. o 43 journalists from notable publications in attendance including writers for Forbes, CNN, NY Times &

Condé Nast Traveler. o Very well received by both TPAs & journalists and will look to expand on unique formats in the future

• Summer Advertising o Strategy for commercials is remaining the same from last year: a mix of anthemic spots that feature

top-line, must see attractions and more emotional spots that depict the number of memories you can make in New York State

o Like last year, trying to get on early in the season, with sufficient time to affect consumer decision making before the end of the school year.

o Currently have NYC subway wraps running featuring world-class NYC & Upstate attractions

• WorldPride o NYS WorldPride Welcome Center opening for Pride Month o Newly announced WorldPride events across NYS

▪ Herb Ritts: The Rock Portraits at Fenimore Art Museum ▪ New Glass Now Exhibit & Pride Tour at Corning Museum of Glass

o I LOVE NY presence at NYC events including festival & Family Movie Night C. Industry Events

o NYSTIA Annual Conference o Took place April 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo o Opportunity for NYS tourism stakeholders to get together to learn & network o Theme was “Inclusion—Tourism is Everybody’s Business” and featured panels on how to effectively

leverage and reach out to diverse communities & consumers. o Featured great keynotes and speakers including Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Roger Dow,

President & CEO of US Travel Association, Brian Stratton, Director of the NYS Canal Corporation, and Brand USAs chief analyst.

o I LOVE NEW YORK participation included: ▪ Participation in the ADA/Accessibility Panel to discuss Accessible Tourism Program in more

depth & the value of improving the visitor experience for travelers with varying abilities ▪ Closing session, I LOVE NEW YORK’s 2018 Year Review

IV. 2018 Fiscal Year-End Review – Ross Levi & Team

A. Overview of I LOVE NY Initiatives and Marketing Strategy

• I LOVE NY Overall initiatives can be broken down into several categories: marketing, sales, programs & policy development, and industry support. Each of these broken down into specific subcategories like advertising, PR, international efforts, trade shows, finding opportunities, etc.

• I LOVE NY marketing strategy has remained the same for several years: to build consideration and visitation to New York State by showcasing the unique, world-class destinations in upstate and Long Island, to convey the emotional value of family memories created in New York State, and to ultimately drive information seeking behavior to iloveny.com and partner TPA websites.

• This year I LOVE NY refreshed the “Find What You Love” campaign, which builds on the iconic heart logo and focuses on highlighting attractions across the state complemented by images of creating memories with loved ones.

• Target market remains the same: families in 5-hour drive radius B. Traditional Advertising

• I LOVE NY’s traditional media is comprised of TV Commercials, the most visible marketing we do, and out-of-home print advertising.

• This past year, we had 6 commercials in total: 2 Summer, 1 State Fair, 1 Fall, and 2 Winter. C. Public Relations

• Focused on changing face of tourism landscape from new/reimagined lodging, attractions & growth of craft beverage industry.

• Continued successful program of media relations, press trips & events resulting in increase in quality & quantity of publication placements and media attendance at events.

• New initiatives included: PR workshop for tourism partners at NYSTIA, four group press trips for the TBEX blogger conference & exclusive media event with Meredith Corporation.

• New York State destinations were highlighted in “Top Places to Go in 2019” stories in Mic, Foder’s Travel, Frommer’s, Forbes, Travel & Leisure and Smarter Travel Experiential & Events.

D. Experiential Marketing & Events

• Pod Tour o Added second touring Pod to extend reach o Attended 39 major events both in-state & out-of-state o Attended 21 new events o Redesigned interiors to include VR & GIF activations

• I LOVE NY Experience at New York State Fair o Transformed 25,000 sq. ft. space in Expo Center into engaging experience that promotes tourism o “All Year, All Here” theme with four season stations o ‘Tree of Seasons’ as central anchor for footprint design o Partnered with state agencies to include activations

• Welcome Centers o All 11 Welcome Centers now open.

o Video highlight reel of all Welcome Centers shown. E. Digital Initiatives

• Website had record breaking year in terms of page views and visits. Have increased engagement with blogs and longer form content

• Launched redesign for listings widgets to help people find what they are looking for faster.

• Focused on website accessibility for those with vision and hearing impairments. Working with agency called AudioEye to make sure we are complying.

• User Generate Content has been large part of our campaign this year and very successful.

• Instagram Stories have performed very well with higher user retention rates

• Partnered with Wibbitz to produce social first videos which have performed very well without any paid promotion behind them; they have become some of our best performing content.

F. International

• Completed sales calls to in-market, outbound agents & operators

• Conducted workshops & trainings o 361 UK agents completed online I LOVE NY training manual o In-house training for Hainan Airline staff

• Hosted FAM trips o Travel Solutions Dublin & Belfast Ski FAM o Australian Tour Operator FAM with Delta o Post IPW FAM for Chinese Agents

• Attended trade shows o IPW, WTM, Holiday World, ITB, IMTM

• Participated in road shows and trade missions G. Policy & Program Development

• Path Through History o Continued Path Through History Weekends in Spring and Fall o Redesigned all collateral, produced lawn signs to assist with wayfinding, and distributed branded

stickers to assist with attendance & program promotion o Engaged in paid digital advertising for first time o Participation grown 125% from 2014 to 2018 o 13% increase in total event hosts YOY o 1.2 Million impressions from paid digital advertising o 52 of 62 counties participated in Spring o 46 of 62 counties participated in Fall

• WorldPride o Experiential campaign strategy meant to reach long-haul travelers interested or planning to attend

WorldPride by activating at 13 consumer and trade events domestically and internationally. Collected 5,300+ emails with a total reach 7+ million.

o Media campaign included print and digital advertising in strategic LGBTQ outlets domestically & internationally, updating design & content of iloveny.com/LGBT to reflect WorldPride celebrations, events & destinations, sending WorldPride e-newsletter to travelers who provided emails at consumer events in 2018

o PR campaign included a co-hosted LGBTQ media event with Heritage of Pride and continual targeted pitches, which resulted in coverage in Forbes, Out, etc.

o Launched WorldPride Ambassadors program

• Senior Tourism Program o Collected information on Senior discounts available at New York State Parks and attractions o Performing market research to best inform how to expand currently available information

• Accessible Tourism Program o Hired Open Doors Organization to perform research on accessibility market and develop criteria and

best practices for accessibility o Distributed survey to 250+ attractions in New York State & collecting results

H. Industry Support

• Matching Funds o $4.5 million available to 62 counties o Implemented process improvements including simplifying application process, updating forms,

introducing training sessions, and conducting an abridged final report process

• Market New York Round 8 o $15 million in awards for direct investments to 60 projects including:

▪ Close to $7M for 46 marketing projects ▪ Close to $8M for 14 capital projects ▪ Up to $1.4M to support WorldPride/Stonewall 50 ▪ Up to $1.7M for to support Agri-tourism Craft Beverage projects

o Over $91.4 million awarded to 320 tourism projects across the state through the overall REDC process

I. Plans Looking Ahead

• Advertising o Continue “Find What You Love” with mix of out-of-home and commercial advertising

• Public Relations o Seek tourism attractions to host Media Nights and consider smaller niche event for targeted media o Reorganize press released according to trends and topics instead of by region o Fine tuning media pitches to showcase “hidden gems” like craft beverage and history attractions

• Digital o Make database listings more consistent and compelling to consumers o Continue improving website usability and investing in top performing campaigns and editorial o Explore new ways to reach our audience on social media – check out our new TripAdvisor profile! o Implement partnership with CrowdRiff o Create more digital-first video

• Experiential & Events o ILNY Pod Tour to return with ~40 events and dedicated area for NYS travel conversations o ILNY Experiences portal will migrate to main I LOVE NY website for seamless transition of

recommendations o Partnering with Ag & Markets to bolster and support marketing efforts for Welcome Centers

• Policy & Program Development o Provide consumer-friendly accessible tourism information based on survey results o Provide tourism stakeholders with best practices & guidelines to encourage better visitor experiences

for people with differing accessibility needs o Continuation of popular Spring and Fall Path Through History Weekends o PTH Weekend social media contest to promote the program and track attendance o Reconvene the Tourism Interagency Taskforce

• Industry Support o $15 Million for Tourism Projects

▪ $7 Million for Regional Tourism Marketing (minimum requests of $50,000+ only) ▪ $8 Million for Tourism Capital (minimum requests of $150,000+ only) ▪ Projects that market/promote/showcase unique, world-class destinations; a broad array of

activities; and/or strength in creating family memories and projects that align with I LOVE NY initiatives such as: I LOVE NY LGBT; Path Through History; Taste NY and agritourism; and/or new special events encouraged.

VI. New Business – Cristyne Nicholas

A. Woodstock 50 Festival

• MS. TATUM: Will there be 1 or 2 Woodstock Festivals?

• MR. LEVI: Tickets are being sold for the event at Bethel Woods to commemorate Woodstock. Whether or not there will be another, separate music festival is unknown at this point. There will not be a large music festival at Bethel Woods.

B. Path Through History

• MR. FINEMAN: Is there a wat to track day trips versus overnight trips for those attending the Path Through History Weekends?

• MS. EMMERT: We are certainly hoping to get to that point in the program with the tracking that we are doing. C. Welcome Centers

• MS. TAUTM: What brochures are allowed in Welcome Centers? I didn’t see many last time I was at one. Would expect to see many.

• MR. LEVI: Currently the brochures offered are the I LOVE NY guide and the regional guide for the region the Welcome Center is in.

• MS. NICHOLAS: Do we have visitor numbers for the Welcome Centers?

• MS. COSTON: Currently, we have the capability to collect those numbers a 70% of the Welcome Centers and are working to get that to 100%.

Meeting adjourned: 12:13pm Next meeting: Monday, September 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM in New York, NY