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


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.”


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


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


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


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


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


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.

64

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81

64

66

77 220

460

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Roanoke

VT

Virginia’s Blue Ridge

Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau – www.visitvablueridge.com

Virginia's Blue Ridge - 2012 Progress Report

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