BALTIMORE...Our marketing team enlisted local Baltimore talent Blaqstarr to create music for a new...

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BALTIMORE: the Big Picture

ANNUAL REPORT AND BUSINESS PLANFISCAL YEARS 2017-2018

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CONTENTS

3

7

15

21

27

29

31

Tourism Matters

2017 Highlights

Convention Sales & Services

Marketing & Communications

Visit Baltimore Education & Training Foundation

Membership

Operations & Financials

2018 Strategy

33 Leadership

35 Appendices

OUR ROLE

Visit Baltimore, a private, not-for-profit membership organization, is the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore City.

We generate economic benefits for the region through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors. We also work to provide a positive experience for all guests.

Learn more about who we are, what we do and why it matters in the pages that follow.

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BALTIMORE: the Big Picture

The theme of this year’s report is relevant in many ways. First, it reminds us of our core mission. As the City’s destination

marketing organization, Visit Baltimore’s job is to promote Baltimore, painting a destination picture that inspires and influences

the decisions of individual travelers as well as meetings and convention groups. FY2017 numbers demonstrate how we are

fulfilling that mission: our sales team booked 385 unique pieces of business for future years; our services team, together with

our hospitality partners, welcomed more than 471,000 attendees from business that convened in Baltimore, including high-

profile events such as the Army Navy Game and the National Urban League Convention; and, our marketing and PR teams’

collective efforts helped drive a record 25.9 million total person trips to Charm City. Of course, it is also our responsibility to

share the big picture about why a healthy and thriving meetings and tourism industry matters (see Tourism Impact Report on

page 6). That task was particularly important in FY2017 as we took our case for Visit Baltimore’s funding to our elected officials

in Annapolis, resulting in the renewal of our base of hotel tax dollar support through FY2022.

Second, it reflects new efforts underway and new tools at our disposal. With leadership change in November, Visit Baltimore

took a purposeful pause to listen to our stakeholders, by having focused discussions about our Baltimore narrative and our

position within the Baltimore community. Visit Baltimore has long championed Baltimore as a city of neighborhoods, but

we have also taken recent strides to ensure that our message and our membership reflect this longstanding commitment

to inclusivity. Our membership network grew to 775 area businesses representing every district, including 26 new women

and/or minority-owned businesses through our Diversity Membership Program. Our marketing team enlisted local Baltimore

talent Blaqstarr to create music for a new destination video – including footage from 90 unique attractions, events and

neighborhoods – to better depict the Baltimore experience (in two and a half minutes). We are also expanding the MyBmore

campaign, a testimonial campaign at heart, to include the people who know Baltimore best – Baltimoreans – through

#MyBmore. By investing in new technologies, we are now able to incorporate user-generated content sourced through social

media channels, images that are visually inspiring to travelers, into our out-of-market campaigns.

Finally, our Big Picture is aspirational. To be the best Visit Baltimore possible, we have begun an intensive strategic visioning

process, bringing together internal leadership and a cross-section of Baltimore stakeholders to develop our goals and an

action plan for the next five to seven years. We look forward to sharing the outcomes of this plan, but we can already say the

following with certainty: Visit Baltimore wants to be even more deeply woven into our City’s fabric. In this way we can be the

best stewards of the Big Baltimore Picture: an authentic, exciting and unforgettable experience, shaped by a rich culture and

history, unique venues and inspiring people.

We encourage you to read more about our results and efforts underway in the pages that follow.

AL HUTCHINSON

President & CEO

JOHN FRISCH

Chairman, Baltimore Convention

& Tourism Board of Directors

FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO AND BOARD CHAIR

1-4% 5-9% 10-14% 15-19% 20% or more

COMBINED DAY AND OVERNIGHT MARKET SHARE:

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2016 TOURISM IMPACT REPORT

As Maryland’s top destination, tourism drives Baltimore’s economy and quality of life in a number of ways – visitor spending, job creation and tax generation.

In Calendar Year 2016, Baltimore welcomed 25.9 Million

domestic person trips, an increase of 2.8% from 2015 with

gains in both overnight and day trip categories. Thanks in

part to a continued surge in overnight demand, Baltimore’s

hotel performance was strong – with occupancy, ADR and

RevPar all increasing over CY2015, some even outpacing the

national average. While “Visiting Friends and Relatives” was

the most frequent purpose for overnight travel, “Marketable

Leisure” (those influenced by marketing efforts) still dominated

Baltimore’s day trip market with “special events” cited as the

highest marketable trip purpose.

Baltimore’s visitors continued to draw primarily from our East

Coast drive market. Regardless of their point of trip origin,

Baltimore’s visitors once again enjoyed our historic places,

cultural assets, and culinary/craft brew scene at similar or

higher rates than in other U.S. destinations.

Baltimore’s visitor spending left a noticeable mark on area

businesses, residents and the region at large: $5.64 Billion

in direct visitor spending – an average of $221 per visitor –

generated upwards of $705 million in local City and State

taxes. Not only was this a 3.8% increase from CY2015, but

also, these revenues saved each Baltimore area household

$680 in personal income tax contributions. Visitor spending

increased most significantly (5%) for food & beverage, spending

in alignment with Visit Baltimore’s strategic focus on culinary

tourism promotion. In addition, while domestic visitation

dominates Baltimore’s current visitor market, we hope to see

further growth in international inbound visitation and spending

with expanded outreach in international markets as well as

gains in both lift and route access at BWI Airport.

The other big story? Baltimore’s meetings and tourism

economy continued to prove a major employer for the

region, creating or sustaining 85,000 jobs. According to Visit

Baltimore’s own research, we can proudly count more than

48,750 of these positions as representatives of our own 775

business strong membership network, with at least half of

those positions held by city residents.

NUMBER OF DOMESTIC VISITORS

2014

2015

2016

5 10 15 20 25 30

25.9M

Day Visitors Overnight Visitors

Trip Purpose

54%Friends/ Relatives

28%Marketable

Leisure

18%Business

Trips

Trip Purpose

46%Marketable

Leisure

43%Friends/ Relatives

11%Business

Trips

15.3 MILLION DAY TRIPS

24% children/76% adults

10.6 MILLION OVERNIGHT TRIPS

21% children/79% adults

VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS (day & overnight)

STATE OF TRIP ORIGIN:

Maryland 20%

Pennsylvania 19%

Virginia 12%

New York 9%

New Jersey 8%

Washington, DC 3%

California 2%

North Carolina 2%

Florida 2%

West Virginia 2%

Massachusetts 1%

Illinois 1%

Ohio 1%

Texas 1%

TOP ACTIVITIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST (day & overnight)

Historic Places

25%Baltimore

19%U.S. Average

Family Reunion

22%Baltimore

17%U.S. Average

Cultural Activities & Attractions

16%Baltimore

17%U.S. Average

Exceptional Culinary Experiences

13%Baltimore

10%U.S. Average

Brewery Tours & Beer Tastings

6%Baltimore

5%U.S. Average

DESIGNATED MARKET AREA (DMA) OF TRIP ORIGIN:

Washington, DC 18%

New York, NY/ NJ/PA/CT 13%

Baltimore, MD 11%

Philadelphia, PA 9%

Harrisburg-Lancaster Lebanon-York, PA 9%

Norfolk-Portsmouth- Newport News, VA/NC 3%

Los Angeles, CA 2%

Boston, MA 1%

Chicago, IL 1%

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2016 TOURISM IMPACT REPORT

HOTEL PERFORMANCE

Calendar Year CY14 CY15 CY16 CY14 CY15 CY16

Occupancy 67.6% 67.1% 67.8% 64.4% 65.4% 65.5%

Average Daily Rate (ADR) $111.67 $113.08 $114.50 $115.06 $119.88 $123.47

Revenue per Available Room (RevPar) $76.25 $76.63 $78.43 $74.22 $78.56 $81.09

BALTIMORE NATIONAL AVERAGE

$34.5 MILLIONBaltimore City hotel taxes collected in FY2017

500+ HOTEL ROOMSAre under construction or in planning as of Spring 2017

VISITOR SPENDING by category

Food & Beverage ($1,633M)

Lodging ($1,258M)

Recreation ($931M)

Retail ($736M)

Other Transportation ($490M)

Air Travel ($408M)

29%

22%16%

13%

9%

7%

VISITOR SPENDING by market

Leisure 77%Business 23%

PURPOSE

STAY

Overnight 75% Day 25%

MARKET

Domestic 93%

International

7%

SCOURCES:

Longwoods International

Tourism Economics

U.S. Travel Association

Smith Travel Research

TOURISM IMPACTSThe total economic impact of tourism extends far beyond

direct visitor spending.

26,230indirectly employed

58,822directly employed

7.3% of total wage

and salary employment in

Baltimore

Activity generating$1.5 BILLION in taxes and fees

including

85,052 JOBScreated or sustained

JOBS IMPACT

$10.3 BILLIONin total tourism industry sales

ECONOMIC IMPACT

$411 MILLION in State Revenues

$294 MILLION in City Revenues

Saving $680 in personal tax contributions PER BALTIMORE HOUSEHOLD

$5.6 BILLIONin total visitor

spending

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Visit Baltimore continued to lead all out-of-market advertising and PR to drive increased awareness of and visitor traffic to

Baltimore for the second year of Light City Baltimore. Our efforts paid off. Thanks in part to a strategic PR plan including advance

deskside media appointments in New York City and a three-day Light City press trip, our team secured more than $1.1 million in

free earned media coverage including extensive features in such national outlets as NBC News, The Los Angeles Times, Fodors,

Huffington Post, Orbitz Travel, AAA World, and Budget Travel as well as in targeted drive-market print and broadcast. Combined

with paid advertising on television, in print and online in the Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Central Pennsylvania metro

regions, as well as an 18-page Light City advertorial feature and destination spread in the March issue of Southwest Magazine,

Visit Baltimore’s promotional efforts helped drive a 30% increase in out-of-state visitors. Included in these visitors was our own

Customer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting timed to highlight the City’s commitment to tourism, innovation and transformation.

This 32-member strong roster of senior industry professionals represents convention and meetings business valued at 250,000

tentative and/or definite room nights and more than $140 million in business for Baltimore.

Visit Baltimore also enhanced our engagement with attendees and partners during the Festival. We sponsored the Food Labs

@ Light City program in strategic alignment with our broader culinary campaign. We also rallied our partners in the hotel and

restaurant community to capitalize on Light City visitor traffic to raise funds in support of the United Way.

LIGHT CITY BALTIMORE: Bigger, Brighter, and Bolder

March 31 – April 7, 2017

470,000 nighttime Light City attendance*

One-third of whom came from D.C. or 22 states outside of Maryland *source: BOPA/Forward Analytics

Earned Media Impressions

+1 Billion $4,623 in Funds raised from hotel

receipts and the sale of the craft Light City cocktail in support of

the United Way

YEAR IN REVIEW

When reflecting back on

Visit Baltimore’s major

activities for FY2017, several

campaigns and institution-

wide initiatives stand out

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Baltimore is a must-visit destination for food lovers. To amplify that story, Visit Baltimore

launched a variety of new content on Baltimore.org, for media relations and social outreach,

and in our visitor publications. Curated content for new culinary landing pages on Baltimore.

org included videos, articles and photo tours featuring everything from family-friendly dining

to chef profiles. Aided by a comprehensive culinary press kit, the PR team held deskside media

appointments with media including Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, National Geographic, James

Beard House, Sweet and Paste Magazine, as well as secured positive culinary coverage in Wine

Enthusiast Magazine, The Robb Repot, Departures Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today

and BudgetTravel.com, to name a few. Baltimore’s craft brew and cocktail scene also received

special attention. In addition to soliciting member participation in the State’s FeBREWary

promotion, we launched our own Summer Beverage Passport featuring 27 restaurants, bars and

breweries – a program designed to highlight our beverage scene as well as incentivize visitors

and locals alike to explore a neighborhood they may not typically frequent. A highlight of our

campaign, we developed a two-page culinary-focused advertorial spread that ran in the New

York Times “T” Magazine’s Summer Travel issue, and, in the Baltimore, D.C. & Philadelphia June

issues of Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine and Real Simple. Culinary also took the cover story of

BALTIMORE: A Culinary Destination

WINE ENTHUSIAST

One of the Top Under-the-Radar

Food Towns

USA TODAY One of Top Five

Underrated Food Cities on the East Coast

TASTING TABLE

The Best Bike-Friendly Food

Cities in the Country

our own Summer/Fall Official Visitors

Guide with additional editorial features

throughout.

To help us promote the most holistic view

of Baltimore’s culinary offerings, our

Membership team worked hard to grow our

culinary network – adding 43 members to

the roster. Of course, the Convention Sales

& Services team continued to incorporate

Baltimore’s culinary scene as part of their

exposing customers to Baltimore’s evolving

storyline. We hosted 116 site visits and

customer events featuring Baltimore’s

dining scene and unique venues.

Our Commitment to DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Baltimore’s rich history and cultural heritage underscore its status as a premier

diversity travel and meetings destination; as such, a diverse message is interlaced

throughout all that we do. An initiative piloted last year, Visit Baltimore’s Diversity

Membership Program welcomed another 26 women- and/or minority-owned

businesses to our network. These included African American-owned as well as a

growing number of Baltimore’s Latino community, the latter thanks in part to Spanish

language translations of our membership materials as well as dedicated sales calls

to Hispanic businesses. We also worked hard to facilitate even greater businesses

connections for these members in our meetings and tourism economy. For example,

we brought 73 members together with the planners of the NAACP to aide in their

vendor selection in advance of the Annual Convention in July. Speaking of the

NAACP, we hosted a robust calendar of prestigious groups in the African American

and religious meetings market during FY2017, from the National Urban League to

historically black fraternal groups such as the Alpha Kappa Alphas. We also filled

the pipeline for future years, booking 18 multicultural meetings including The Black

Geeks and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, as well as confirming

three more years of hosting the Annual Convention of Islamic Circle North America.

We continued to build our tools to attract, welcome and educate visitors in the

multicultural and heritage tourism space. In addition to updating our publication

DREAM: A Heritage Guide, we added an insert listing women or minority owned

restaurants throughout the City. The fourth annual Family Reunion Expo drew

1,649 people and included more than 20 sponsors and exhibitors. We also ramped

up our promotions and commemorations of Black History month by sponsoring

Baltimore’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, creating new :15 and :30 videos to

promote our Legends and Legacies Heritage Pass, and, launching the Legends &

Legacies Jubilee at the Baltimore Visitor Center to serve as an anchor for the city’s

celebration and engaging Baltimore’s major attractions. This inaugural event drew

nearly 1,000 participants and generated more than 45 million advertising and

public relations impressions.

19 “Diversity” restaurants featured in

our enhanced Dream Guide

16 EXHIBITORS &

45 MILLION media impressions secured for the Jubilee celebration

of Black History Month

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Throughout the year, we sought opportunities to

welcome the public to the new and improved Baltimore

Visitor Center. Regular arts & crafts Saturday Sessions

for families, monthly Paint Night and lecture series

events, and special events and display cases featuring

local partners invited members of the public in to be

entertained, informed and inspired. Of course, the

facility was also busy in the off-hours, hosting 23

reception events whose rental fees raised $15,000 to

support the educational and workforce development

programs of the Visit Baltimore Education & Training

Foundation.

We also found special moments to give back and to

collaborate. Just in time for the Holiday Season, we

curated a Holiday Give Back Gift Guide collection of

locally-sourced tangible and experiential gifts that

celebrated Baltimore while also directly benefiting the

community when purchased. We also stepped out of

the box for National Travel & Tourism Week to create

an integrated series of programs that celebrated the

power of Baltimore tourism while also highlighting the

unique experiences and people who make our industry

so remarkable. To start, a day of free, Hop-on Hop-off

Guided Neighborhood Bus Tours leveraged multiple

transportation partners, on-board guide partners, in-

neighborhood historical re-enactors, greeters & urban

rangers and 115 participating attractions, business

and historic sites to provide +150 riders with a new and

informative view of Baltimore. A sector-focused Career

Pathways & Resources Fair deployed in partnership

with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development

also brought together 40 participating exhibitor and

career services organizations, in addition to a roster

of individual speakers, with more than 107 interested

job-seekers. Local media outreach ensured that these

programs, and the spirit of Tourism Week, reached as

wide a regional audience as possible. In total, segments

across Baltimore’s top broadcast channels and online

articles surpassed 491,000 regional impressions.

Visit Baltimore also took a similar community-focused

approach to our internal all-staff retreat – taking the

entire team out into the neighborhoods to visit vendors

and locations.

On the sales front, and in addition to bringing

customers in-market to experience signature Baltimore

events such as the Preakness Stakes, the Meet Local

program continued to create greater awareness

amongst the regional private sector of Baltimore as

a meeting and event destination – and the value in

working with Visit Baltimore. Our second annual Meet

Local Education Panel and B2B event at the Baltimore

Museum of Art featured panelists representing

institutions driving innovation and development across

the city’s top vertical industries including healthcare,

technology, business and real estate.

Our COMMUNITYCOMMITMENT

Visit Baltimore believes that community engagement

is essential to our ability to promote a stronger destination

and visitor economy.

In FY2017, we approached that commitment in a

number of ways.

American Visionary

Art Museum

Babe Ruth Birthplace

& Museum

Baltimore & Ohio

Railroad Museum

Baltimore History

Alliance

Baltimore Museum

of Industry

Mount Clare Museum

Reginald F. Lewis Museum

of Maryland African

American History & Culture

Sail Baltimore

EXHIBITS FEATURED IN ROTATING DISPLAY CASES AT THE VISITOR CENTER FROM:

Career Pathways & Resources Fair

All-staff retreat

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Growing our share in the International Market

Domestic travel may dominate Baltimore’s current visitor market, but new routes and carriers at BWI Airport and other factors are supporting an expansion in our in-bound International focus.

In FY2017, this included dedicating significant time and resources to IPW – the

travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of

travel to the U.S., and, an event hosted in Baltimore’s backyard at National Harbor

in June.

On-site, the PR team conducted 34 Baltimore-focused individual international

and/or national and travel media appointments, while the Sales team ensured a

Baltimore message as part of the CRUSA (Capital Region USA) presence. Off-

site, Visit Baltimore also worked hard to bring top international media and group

tour operators to experience Baltimore for themselves. PR focused on UK media,

hosting writers for both pre- and post-IPW familiarization tours (FAMs) from such

publications as Essentially American, The Daily Telegraph, Tour Magazine and

the Daily Mail. The Sales team also hosted two FAMs with vetted international

inbound leisure operators in the Free Independent Travel space to showcase “all

that’s new” in Baltimore, from hotel products to our culinary scene and more.

If the FY2017 arrivals calendar were to tell a story, it would be one of hosting key industry influencers and high-impact meetings.

Industry events included the fall meetings of the AMC

Institute’s Executive Leadership retreat and the Events

Industry Council’s Annual CMP Conclave. Whereas AMC

Institute provided an opportunity to showcase Baltimore as

a destination for the attendees’ individual association clients’

conventions and events, CMP Conclave was an opportunity

to directly network with our peers and clients in the meeting,

convention, exhibition and event industry. A badge of

excellence in the industry, the CMPs demonstrated a shared

commitment to giving back – donating a portion of funds from

their off-site reception events to support the Professional

Development Scholarship program of the Visit Baltimore

Foundation, in turn supporting future CMP applicants.

In July, we kicked off a series of high-impact, lead-generating

events. In July, the American Association of Medical Society

Executives (AAMSE), a professional association representing

more than 300 member organizations, provided a great

opportunity to highlight Baltimore as a healthcare and medical

meetings destination. At least six of AASME’s member

organizations have been or are coming to Baltimore in future

years. In the fall, the annual business meeting of the Trust

for Insuring Educators (TIE) also brought to town several

representatives from educational associations that represent

lead or definite business for Baltimore. For example, 46 of

TIE’s 78 attendees represented approximately $28 million in

economic impact for Baltimore. In addition to being an event

to reinforce those relationships, this was also a Synchronicities

event, with Baltimore being the third and final host following

two previous years in San Antonio and Anaheim. Perhaps the

most significant event in terms of hosted and future meetings

impact, Conference Direct’s Annual Partner Meeting (APM)

brought an estimated 200 Conference Direct sales associates

and over 700 destination, vendor and supplier partners to

Baltimore in May. Visit Baltimore’s 2016 Customer of the Year,

Conference Direct is one of the industry’s largest booking

intermediaries, having driven business to the tune of 155

meetings, 115,000 room nights and $28.8 million in economic

impact to Baltimore in recent years alone.

High-Impact Customers & Key Industry Influencers

David Keith

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CONVENTION SALES AND SERVICES

The Sales & Services team drives business and economic impact to Baltimore and the region by booking and servicing conventions, meetings

and events at the Baltimore Convention Center (18+ months out), the Baltimore Arena, area hotels and other venues. Implementing a strategic focus on both citywide and convention center-related business as well as

short-term self-contained meetings, the team focuses on top accounts as well as key vertical and feeder markets. Our ultimate goal is for customers to return with future meetings and for individual travel.

In FY2017, the convention sales team increased Citywide production to confirm 30 new Citywide conventions for future years,

of which 18 bookings targeted need periods and eight high-value bookings are expected to drive 2,000+ room nights on peak to

Baltimore through 2032. Also included in our FY2017 production were new industry events as well as bookings resulting from

established strategic sales partnerships. For example, we added additional years of United Soccer Coaches for both 2028 and

2032 (a relationship that we leveraged to drive a new three-year booking for our Synchronicities partner in Anaheim for 2021,

2024 and 2029). Each of these events is anticipated to bring 9,500+ room nights and upwards of $5 million in economic impact to

Baltimore per meeting. Collectively, and thanks to a robust schedule inclusive of representation at 30 travel industry tradeshows,

attendance at the meetings of 23 top prospects, hosting more than 116 prospective client in-market site inspections, delivering

1,954 sales appointments and presentations, and the coordination of 14 sales missions taking Baltimore to other markets, Visit

Baltimore’s strategically deployed sales team confirmed business worth an estimated $332 million in future economic impact.

And while the sales team was busy booking future business for Baltimore, the convention services team was busy providing

customized services support and welcome program benefits to 23 arriving citywide conventions and 285 non-citywide meetings.

To ensure an outstanding experience as well as a high level of customer satisfaction, this team worked collaboratively with

internal, industry and city partners, be it implementing biweekly safety meetings with the Downtown Partnership Safety Coalition,

Baltimore City Police, Waterfront Partnership and BCC, or, collaborating with the Visit Baltimore marketing team to facilitate six

enhanced marketing and attendee-building campaigns for targeted Citywide clients. The team also enhanced its communication

with customers after their event, developing reporting tools to include information and results sharing to aide future planning.

BALTIMORE: A MEETING DESTINATION IN THE NEWS

#6 on SmartAsset’s list of “TOP 10

CITIES FOR DIVERSITY IN STEM”

ONE OF 19 “KNOWLEDGE

CAPITALS” in the world by

the Brookings Institution

BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL (BWI) AIRPORT RANKED #1 of “Top 10 Surprisingly

Great Airports in America” by Thrillist

$620,181 ADVERTISING EQUIVALENCY of earned Sales and Services coverage

secured in media trade publications

50 PLACEMENTS • 1,455,508 TOTAL CIRCULATION

BALTIMORE: A MEETING DESTINATION IN THE NEWS

-18--17-

30 out of 385 (8%) Events Booked

199,682 out of 416,866 (48%) Room Nights Contracted

$188,404,859 out of $332,524,552 (56.7%) in Economic Impact

219,800 out of 433,556 (51%) Future Attendees

CITYWIDE BOOKINGS

HIGH VALUE MARKETS

13%

11%

8%

15%

14%

11%

5%12%

14%

5%

9%14%

62%

53%

53%

EDUCATION

49 Events Booked (13%)

45,898 Room Nights Contracted (11%)

$25,284,431 in Economic Impact (8%)

OTHER



$178,165,859 in Economic Impact (53.5%)

HEALTH, MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL




ATHLETIC & SPORTS/RECREATION




DIVERSITY (Religious, Fraternal, Ethnic)




BOOKINGS BY ARRIVAL YEAR • Short-Term Success

FY 2017 BOOKING TRENDS

In addition to 29 events booked in-the-year-for-the-year, 80% of all events (309 events) with 208,568 of all Room Nights (50%) are driving short-term meetings business for 2017-2019.

ARRIVAL YEAR EVENTS ROOM NIGHTS ATTENDEES ECONOMIC IMPACT

2016 29 10,639 1,856 $2,940,524

2017 207 75,928 79,356 $42,587,186

2018 73 67,249 101,919 $64,197,173

2019 29 65,391 40,295 $42,586,883

2020-2032 47 197,659 210,130 $151,311,766

BOOKINGS BY MARKET SEGMENT

46.9% of all Room nights and 46.8% of all future estimated Economic Impact represent bookings in high value or niche markets for Baltimore.

CITYWIDE AND BCC-RELATED BOOKINGS

While only accounting for 8% of all events secured, Citywide production continued to drive a majority of all room nights, attendance and economic impact booked in FY2017. Together with 22 additional non-citywide BCC-related events, Visit Baltimore generated a total of 52 unique pieces of business for the Baltimore Convention Center (including 26 pieces of short-term business arriving by or before 2019).

416,886 HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS BOOKED

385 EVENTS

52 BCC Events

355 In-House

Events

Worth $332 MILLION in future economic impact

FY2017 BOOKING PRODUCTIVITY BY THE NUMBERS

30 Citywide Events

Arriving 2017 through 2032

2019

8%

2016

8%

2017

54%

2018

19%

2020-2032

12%

-20--19-

*Groups among the 388 EVENTS, including 53 BCC events, and 471,773 ATTENDEES HOSTED this year

ORGANIZATION

START

DATE

ATTEND-

ANCE

ROOM

NIGHTS

ECONOMIC

IMPACT (actual-

ized)

Lunar Solis Corporation | BronyCon 2016 7/7/2016 7,609 4,873 $4,007,215

National Urban League | 2016 Annual Convention 8/3/2016 5,241 3,455 $2,803,322

Otakorp, Inc. | Otakon 2016 8/12/2016 29,113 10,316 $12,362,821

New Hope Network | Natural Products Expo East 9/21/2016 28,007 15,731 $17,094,381

American Health Information Management

Association | 2016 Annual Convention 10/16/2016 4,725 10,253 $5,821,879

US Lacrosse | LaxCon 1/19/2017 7,130 3,398 $2,457,414

National Association of Independent Schools | 2017

Annual Conference 2/28/2017 5,802 4,940 $3,318,539

Society of Toxicology | 2017 Annual Meeting and

ToxExpo 3/12/2017 6,842 14,257 $7,548,818

Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine | Academic

Internal Medicine Week 2017 3/19/2017 2,703 4,522 $2,130,099

Association of College & Research Libraries |

National Convention 2017 3/22/2017 5,007 8,507 $4,076,468

American Organization of Nurse Executives | 2017

Annual Meeting 3/29/2017 3,511 5,711 $2,808,534

Islamic Circle of North America | Annual Convention 4/14/2017 21,400 3,320 $5,922,904

The Drupal Association | DrupalCon 2017 4/24/2017 3,271 4,446 $2,387,826

Association for Research in Vision and

Ophthalmology | 2017 Annual Meeting 5/7/2017 10,949 22,375 $12,470,166

National Postal Forum | National Postal Forum 2017 5/21/2017 4,490 6,450 $2,993,159

HIGHLIGHTS OF CONVENTION GROUPS* that Met in Baltimore During FY2017

The staff at Visit Baltimore knows their city and industry partners intimately.

Lancey Cowan, Senior Director, Meetings/Awards & Grants Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Whether it was helping us find a local venue or connecting us to a city official, Visit Baltimore was able to make it happen

efficiently and quickly.

Eris T. Sims, Sr., Director, Events Planning National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

The DrupalCon block was comprised of several downtown hotels…the proximity to the convention center was key.

Rachel Friesen, Director of Events DrupalCon

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING:

We achieved record attendance and the highest survey results in the last 10 years…

without the partnership of Visit Baltimore, we would not have realized these accomplishments in 2017.

Maureen Goodson, Executive Director National Postal Forum

“

Strategic Sales Partnerships:ASAE

Association Forum

ConferenceDirect

IAEE

PCMA

AMC Institute

HelmsBriscoe

Attendees raved about the welcome reception at Camden Yards. It was a true WOW moment!

Kourtney Sproat, Senior Meeting Planner American Assoication of Nurse Executives

-21-

LEISURE MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

The Leisure Marketing and Communications team promotes a positive image of Baltimore as a top East Coast travel destination through targeted advertising, promotions, visitor publications, and public relations efforts. Our campaigns leverage the power of partnerships for maximum reach and resonance in both changing the conversation about Baltimore and encouraging visitation.

In addition to MyBmore paid advertising deployed across a

variety of channels, the team spearheaded several campaigns

to capture visitor attention around special milestones, holidays

and events. We began the Fiscal Year in July in mid-Find Your

Park in Baltimore mode. A campaign tying in with the centennial

of the National Park Service, Find Your Park promoted the array

of parks and activities available in Baltimore both locally and

out-of-market in collaboration with Fort McHenry National

Monument and Historic Shrine, City Rec and Parks, the Parks

& People Foundation and the Baltimore National Heritage

Area. In advance of NBC’s national broadcast of the John

Water’s classic Hairspray LIVE on December 7, Visit Baltimore

executed a comprehensive Quirky Baltimore campaign inclusive

of dedicated baltimore.org pages featuring themed hotel

packages, cocktails and other promotional travel deals and

Hairspray-inspired itineraries; a new “Quirky Baltimore” video

highlighting the unexpected side of the city; and, a revised New,

Hot, Cool TV spot that aired during NBC’s live broadcast in the

Philadelphia and D.C. markets. In addition to securing 14 unique

stories highlighting Baltimore’s Hairspray connections and Visit

Baltimore’s promotional packages, the PR team was also on-site

at the WBAL-TV Baltimore viewing party to publish a series of

Facebook Live videos with Mayor Catherine Pugh and the Ravens

cheerleaders, among others. Last but not least, in advance of

Light City, the team also developed a “Balt-Amour” campaign

for Valentine’s Day including local advertising through the

Baltimore Sun and Facebook as well as a special landing page

featuring events and deals on baltimore.org.

We also invested in tools to help us better tell the Baltimore

story. A new ‘Baltimore in 60 seconds’ video was produced

for baltimore.org; a new weekly calendar of events promotion

tied social media outreach to baltimore.org; and, a new tour

planning tool empowered visitors to create their own customized

itineraries on baltimore.org from a number of themes, including

family travel and history and heritage. We also invested

in long lead projects, such as a new destination video.

Debuting in FY2018, this comprehensive video will include a

number of adaptations for leisure as well as sales purposes,

but the ultimate goal is simple: to capture the Baltimore

experience through its people, places, neighborhoods and

experiences – as well as sound, thanks to music by local

rapper, singer and producer BlaqStarr.

THE DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

139,707fans and growing on six social media platforms

2,036,408visits to baltimore.org

4,942,110page views on baltimore.org

1 www.Baltimore.orgBaltimore.org

VISITBALTIMORETHE OFFICIAL GUIDE

Find Your Parkin Baltimore page 16

QuintessentialBaltimore Bites page 80

SUMMER-FALL 2016

1 www.Baltimore.org

VISITBALTIMORE

BALTIMORE’S CULINARY SCENE

THE OFFICIAL GUIDE

SUMMER-FALL 2017

Cutting Edge& Classic

Baltimore in 60 seconds Find Your Park

in Baltimore

(Summer-Fall

2016 Visitor

Guide)

Cutting Edge &

Classic Cuisine

(Summer-Fall

2017 Visitor

Guide)

da

B-Side

-24--23-

$26.8 MILLION in free, positive destination coverage

Reaching 787 MILLION PEOPLE through 818 PLACEMENTS

Including $1.3 MILLION in local media

Reaching 109 MILLION PEOPLE through 392 PLACEMENTS

“Four U.S. Cities to Visit Now”

AFAR Magazine

LEISURE MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Our Communications team had one of their most successful years ever in terms of positive destination coverage secured.

The team secured travel features in national

print and online media including New York

Times, USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel

& Leisure, National Geographic, Yahoo News,

U.S. News & World Report, Southern Living,

Food & Wine, The Los Angeles Times, The

Chicago Tribune, Men’s Health, Women’s Health,

Women’s Wear Daily, AAA World, Thrillist, AFAR,

Departures, Architectural Digest, Reader’s

Digest, Domino, Lonely Planet, Southwest

Magazine, Delta Sky Magazine, Fodor’s and

Huffington Post. We also secured Baltimore’s

inclusion on national broadcast media including

Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew

Zimmern, Cooking Channel’s Cheap Eats, Fox

News and The Jet Set. Underscoring all of these

successes was a strategic plan including in-

and out-of-market opportunities. For example,

three familiarization trips brought 52 individual

journalists and travel writers representing such

key publications listed above as well as The New

Yorker and Fox News to Baltimore, while the

team secured 40 desk-side appointments with

travel and lifestyle media including Bon Appétit,

USA Today, Martha Stewart Living & Weddings,

Sherman’s Travel and Parents Magazine.

Baltimore in the Media

“One of the Most Exciting U.S. Cities Right Now”

Architectural Digest

“6 U.S. Cities to Watch in 2017”

Condé Nast Traveler

“Five underrated food cities on the East Coast”

USA Today

BALTIMORE ACCOLADES

“Destinations on the Rise: 9 American Cities to Visit Now”

Departures Magazine

“Charm City has raised the charm quotient”

The New York Times

EARNED MEDIA BY THE NUMBERS

-26-

VISIT BALTIMORE FOUNDATION

2016 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTEES

• Baltimore Outreach Services (BOS) - $2,000

BOS helps Baltimore’s homeless women help themselves and their children by providing

emergency shelter, transitional housing, educational programming, health and mental health

services, job training and employment counseling. Foundation funds supported BOS’s 8-week

culinary job training in which students are taught the essential skills required to obtain an entry-

level job in the food service industry.†

• My Sister’s Place Women’s Center (MSPWC) - $2,000

MSPWC provides women pathways to increased income, improved health, sustainable housing

and community integration. Foundation funds supported MSWPC’s 12-week Learn to Earn

internship program including culinary and clerical work experience at local restaurants and hotels.

• Roshé Anthony, owner of Roshe Cosmetics - $100

Attendance at the 2016 Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit

• Natalie West-Makel, adjunct instructor at the Community College of Baltimore County - $1,500

Professional certificate in event management at the George Washington University Event

Management Institute

• Amelia Rambissoon, development and office manager at Station North Arts & Entertainment -

$1,465

Attendance at the 2017 Interactive Conference track at South By Southwest in Austin, TX

† Thanks to an introduction facilitated by the Foundation, members of BOS’ graduating culinary

program have gone on to gain full employment with our partners at Centerplate

2017 ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES

• Naomi Davidoff, MAAA - Masters of Arts in Arts Administration, Goucher College - $2,500

• Ms. Donice Sneed, BA – Hospitality Management, Morgan State University - $2,500

• Ms. Sarah Pard, BA – Hospitality Management, Frostberg State University - $2,500

• Ms. Melissa Simmons, MS – Communications Management, Towson University - $2,500

• Mr. Ben Hyman, MA – Business Administration, Johns Hopkins University - $2,500

• MD DECA, local high school student winner of 2018 Hospitality Competition - $500

The Visit Baltimore Education & Training Foundation, Inc. was founded to promote and support Baltimore City

and the local tourism community.

A 501(c)(3) charitable organization,

the Foundation’s programs

provide young people with the

encouragement and tools to join our

industry, strengthen the capacity

of local employees and tourism

organizations, and, educate the public

as to the importance and assets of

Baltimore’s tourism industry.

Aided in part by a new Blackbaud©

CRM system, as well as a new

strategic plan, FY2017 was a

significant year for the Foundation.

In total, the Foundation announced

$20,000 in Academic and/

or Professional Development

scholarship awards – including

our first grants for organizations

delivering valuable workforce

development services for City

residents. We also collaborated

with our broader Visit Baltimore

family and the local community

in spearheading two significant

programs for National/Baltimore

Tourism Week, including a Career

Pathways & Resources Fair attended

by more than 100 job seekers, and

a series of free, Hop-On-Hop-Off

Guided Bus Tours spanning nearly

two dozen Baltimore neighborhoods.

Marianne Rowan-Braun

Chairwoman, University

of Maryland Medical

Center

John Frisch

Miles & Stockbridge P.C.

Al Hutchinson

Visit Baltimore

J. Michael Riley

M&T Bank

Peggy Daidakis

Baltimore

Convention Center

Danielle Rembert

National Academy

Foundation School #421

Ellis G. Brown, Jr.

Morgan State University

Mr. Gregory Brown

The Land of Kush

Mr. Alex Smith

Atlas Restaurant Group

Mr. Michael Barrett

Centerplate at

the Baltimore

Convention Center

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

With an undergraduate degree in aviation sciences from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and an MBA from Morgan State University, this 23-year old Jamaican native, Baltimore transplant, two-time HBCU graduate and mother explains her interest in the industry and what it means to be Visit Baltimore’s first-ever Apprentice.

Meet our First Diversity Apprentice, Deedra Mills

What brought you to Baltimore?

I fell in love with Baltimore when I made my debut in Maryland

in 2009; however, I did not move to Baltimore until 2014

when I was offered a full scholarship to attend Morgan State

University. I firmly believe Baltimore is a city filled with historic

gold, from the history behind Fort McHenry to Federal Hill.

I don’t plan on ever leaving. It’s a city on the rise, filled with

endless opportunities.

From undergrad to graduate, what made you choose your

specific areas of study?

Ever since I was a child, I always had the burning desire to

fly a plane. I remember being a little girl and watching the

bottoms of planes as they lifted into the sky – and being

hooked. Although I haven’t flown a plane, I have worked hard

to learn everything I can from the ground, including studying

airway management and operations. One of my dreams is to

own my own aviation management company. I know my MBA

will make me a little bit more prepared to be a force in the

business world. I’m hoping this Apprenticeship will also give me

a competitive edge.

What are your impressions of Baltimore’s tourism industry?

Tourism is a huge part of the Jamaican economy. I left when

I was 16, but that time instilled in me a love for travelling to

new places, discovering various cultures and historic artifacts,

and meeting new people from different backgrounds. When

people hear you’re from Jamaica, they get excited because

you’re from somewhere they want to go. I think Baltimore is

somewhere people will want to go, too. We have welcoming

people, a beautiful harbor, historic places and interesting

neighborhoods.

What exactly IS your Apprenticeship?

My apprenticeship is a 600-hour paid program, more

like an accelerated rotational program, where I will have

the opportunity to work in various departments at Visit

Baltimore for 300 hours, before working at the BWI

Marshall-Washington Airport for 150 hours, and completing

my apprenticeship with 150 hours with Marriott. After the

program is completed, I am guaranteed a position with a

great organization – in which I will be able to apply the skills I

have honed during the tenure of my apprenticeship.

-27-

MEMBERSHIPMembership in Visit Baltimore

Means More Business Opportunities

MEMBERSHIP BY CATEGORY

Restaurants

191Members

25%of total

Retail

182Members

24%of total

Services

122Members

16%of total

• AAA

• Baltimore

Magazine

[New in FY2017]

• Centerplate

• Cruises on the Bay

by Watermark

• Entertainment

Cruises

• Flowers and

Fancies

• The Ivy Hotel

• Party Plus

• SuperShuttle/

ExecuCar

• Wedding411

• ZBEST

• Amtrak

• Cruise Maryland

• Horseshoe Casino

Baltimore

• Ripken Baseball

• City of Baltimore

• State of Maryland,

Office of Tourism

Development

Accommodations

61Members

8%of total

Agencies/Non-profits

46Members

5%of total

Attractions

147Members

19%of total

Nightlide, Bars & Entertainment

26Members

3%of total

The Membership team oversees a host of benefits and programs to help members market their products and services to leisure and convention visitors. By building a collaborative, engaged and informed hospitality and services network, we can help more people discover our city and ensure the best possible visitor experience when they are here.

In FY2017, the Membership team focused on enhanced engagement, efforts

supporting membership retention as well as acquisition from a diverse cross-section

of our community. For example, we directly engaged with +700 individual member

attendees at 11 member events over the course of the year for information sharing

and networking, as well as offered a regular Tuesday Morning Member Presentation

series for businesses to meet with Visit Baltimore staff in our offices. We also

spearheaded events to promote our members, from the third annual Seasons

Eating’s holiday cooking demonstrations featuring eight member restaurants at the

Baltimore Visitor Center to more than a dozen restaurant and attraction partners in

the inaugural Jubilee for Black History Month. Because of these efforts, and robust

sales outreach, we retained 91% of our existing members while growing our base by

a further 103 new businesses (a +10% gain).

“I want to say what a great opportunity it is to be a member of Visit Baltimore. My public profile has increased exponentially thanks to being featured in the magazine and we have been eligible to cater events at locations that we would not otherwise have been able to access. They are a joy to work with and very invested in the health of our business. I feel like I have a whole team of public relations specialists who keep me in touch with upcoming events and opportunities.”

Kimberly Ellis

Owner, Breaking Bread

New Diversity Member in FY17

“

STRATEGIC & CORPORATE PARTNERS

MEMBERSHIP BY REGION

775Total Members

as of June 30, 2017

1

15

394

1

641

35

8

8

21208

21215

2120921210 21212 21239

21234

21214

21206

21251

2121821211

21207

2121621217

21213

2120521237

21202

2128721231

212012122321229

21227

21230

21225

21225 21226

21224

21222

135226

69

3822

22

2415

3

33

7

63 3

2

3

2 1

1

1

2

62

5

5

12

1

1

1

n

n

n

n

641 BALTIMORE CITY

39 BALTIMORE COUNTY

35 ANNE ARUNDEL (including BWI)

15 HOWARD COUNTY

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

+

8 MONTGOMERY COUNTY

8 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

4 HARFORD COUNTY

1 CAROL COUNTY

1 FREDERICK COUNTY

1 QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY

1 WASHINGTON COUNTY

20 NON-MARYLAND

-30--29-

OPERATIONS

The Operations division provides day-to-day support in the areas of

finance, human resources, administration, technology and research for Visit Baltimore.

In this way, and in addition to touting any number of its own impressive results,

the Operations team influences achievements across all departments.

FINANCIALS

In 1997, the Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation allotting 40% of all hotel taxes collected in Baltimore City to Visit Baltimore for convention sales and tourism promotion – a tax paid by those convention and leisure visitors we work so hard to attract. The remaining 60% goes to the City of Baltimore to support general services.

This legislation is renewable every five years, and was up for debate during Session 2017 in Annapolis. And while the 40-60 funding mandate was renewed through FY2022 with only moderate language changes, a resulting agreement with the City of Baltimore does institute a cap on Visit Baltimore’s respective share of hotel tax dollars between FY2019 and FY2022. As a result, the organization is investigating alternative sources to supplement and grow our revenues moving forward.

In FY2017, the team implemented new systems to streamline and maximize

operations. For example, a new accounting database, Blackbaud Financial Edge,

now offers enhanced tools for reporting as well as unique accounts for both Visit

Baltimore Inc. and the Visit Baltimore Foundation; and, IT moved from a physical file

server to cloud-based Sharepoint operations.

In addition to housing our direct visitor services such as the Call Center, the

Operations division is also home to our revenue-generating activities, several of

which expanded in FY2017. The Visit Baltimore Housing department, operating

under the new name Key Bookings, expanded its external fee-for-service client base

to include the Austin, TX, CVB. In addition to welcoming 171,551 patrons through

its doors, the Visitor Center team increased retail sales in the gift shop by 36% to

surpass $60,000 in gross revenue as well as opened a certified U.S. Postal Service

Unit and associated services.

FY17 PRE-AUDIT EXPENSES

Occupancy Tax • $13,466,100 • 87.9%

Convention Services/Housing • $625,080 • 4.3%

State Funding • $434,320 • 2.8%

Membership • $407,460 • 2.7%

Other • $133,130 • 0.9%

Promotional Participation • $84,680 • 0.6%

Sponsorships/Partnerships • $82,000 • 0.5%

Advertising • $64,420 • 0.4%

FY17 PRE-AUDIT REVENUES

Revenue By Source

$15,328,190 TOTAL REVENUE

Expense by Department

$15,328,190 TOTAL EXPENSES

Convention Sales & Marketing • $4,920,562

Leisure Marketing • $4,682,497

Administration/Other • $2,029,918

Convention Services/Housing • $1,326,568

Visitor Services • $912,044

Communications/PR • $883,649

Membership • $439,728

Travel Trade Sales & Marketing • $133,224

FY18 BUDGETED EXPENSES

Occupancy Tax • $14,318, 300 • 87.6%

Convention Services/Housing • $708,170 • 4.3%

Membership • $438,500 • 2.7%

State Funding • $350,000 • 2.1%

Other • $156,250 • 1.0%

Sponsorships/Partnerships • $155,500 • 1.0%

Advertising • $120,000 • 0.7%

Promotional Participation • $100,050 • 0.6%

FY18 BUDGETED REVENUES

Revenue By Source

$16,346,770 TOTAL REVENUE

Expense by Department

$16,889,770 TOTAL EXPENSES

33.3%

31.9%

9.5%

7.5%

7.1%

6.0%

3.2%1.5% Convention Sales &

Marketing • $5,624,177

Leisure Marketing • $5,380,841

Convention Services/Housing • $1,599,446

Communications/PR • $1,261,130

Administration/Other • $1,203,665

Visitor Services • $1,027,196

Membership • $540,250

Travel Trade Sales & Marketing • $253,036

32.1%

30.5%

13.2%

8.7%

5.9%

5.8%

2.9%

0.9%

2,595 Visitor Center

volunteer hours

OPERATIONS BY THE NUMBERSMaking

54,445 Reservations

for 44 convention groups

Fielding 60,834 Inquiries for hotel, transportation, restaurant and attraction information

Providing 11,415 temporary registration staffing hours for 43 conventions (worth $186,796 in Billable Revenues)

1• Strategic Visioning. Visit Baltimore will

complete its first intensive strategic visioning

process, bringing together internal leadership,

a cross-section of Baltimore stakeholders and

consultants to help us develop our goals and an

associated action plan for the next 5-7 years.

• Tourism Improvement District. In the face of a

competitive landscape, and limited resources

influenced in part by a cap placed on our hotel

tax-derived funding through FY2022, Visit

Baltimore – with the City’s hotel community – is

seeking to establish a Tourism Improvement

District (TID). An increasingly popular funding

tool, a TID would see hotel properties passing

along a charge to the visitor that is directed

back to Visit Baltimore for the express purpose

of generating more occupancy and more

impact for the assessed businesses. While TID

parameters and governance will be shaped

in collaboration with the hotel industry and

approved by City Council, there is an essential

first step to this process: secure state enabling

legislation during session 2018

• High-Yield Convention Sales. In addition to driving continued momentum in

top vertical segments such as healthcare, science and engineering , technology

and education, the team will execute a business development strategy that

targets niche markets such as diversity, sports, finance and insurance as well

as opportunities in the corporate and tradeshow segment; and, leverages

strategic industry partnerships as well as Synchronicities© to build brand

awareness. As part of this strategy, Visit Baltimore is taking a refreshed

approach to (and presence at) key industry shows such as ASAE, XDP, IMEX

and IAEE that focuses on the developments and transformation underway

in Baltimore, including featuring more Baltimore partners and products. The

team has also been redeployed against the key market segments noted to

maximize demand.

• Meet Local. In addition to a sales strategy targeting established and

emerging vertical industries for Baltimore such as health care, technology and

food & beverage, as well as citywide and short-term (2018-2021) meetings

and conventions, Visit Baltimore will enhance our MeetLocal program. The

goal? Cultivate local advocates representing a variety of industry segments

to help us generate new business opportunities as well as provide an active

knowledge and resource base to better engage with incoming arrivals. Direct

mail, industry partnerships and enhanced digital content and communication

drawing on platforms such as LinkedIn will supplement MeetLocal and all sales

outreach.

• Motor Coach. Capitalizing on the Student & Youth Travel Association’s

Baltimore meeting in August 2018, and in anticipation of the American Bus

Association’s meeting in 2021, Visit Baltimore will increase communications

with key group decision-makers. Supporting these efforts will be new creative,

advertising and public relations approaches including focused promotion of

Baltimore’s experiential tour products.

• International. As part of a new focus on the international business and

group travel market, Visit Baltimore will develop Baltimore-specific consumer

advertising, promotions and media outreach in two markets: the United

Kingdom and Canada. For example, a new Brand USA partnership will provide

an expanded presence on visittheusa.com as well as in-market advertorials

in publications such as The Telegraph. In addition to continued collaboration

with the Capital Region USA, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and

Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, we will: partner with tour

operators and airlines in the UK, Canada and Germany; join in sales missions

to Toronto, CA, among other locations; and, participate in tradeshows such as

the Ontario Motor Coach Association and Quebec Bus Association.

GOAL: Improve Organizational Capacity – in the Immediate and Long-Term Future

2GOAL: Target High-Yield Convention Sales while Expanding Key Growth Markets including International & Domestic Leisure as well as Group Tour

3GOAL: Find New Ways to tell the Big Picture Baltimore Story

4GOAL: Enhance our Member and Community Engagement

-32--31-

FY2018 BUSINESS PLAN & PRIORITIES

• #MyBmore. Launched at the start of FY2018, #MyBmore is an

in- and out-of-market multi-channel campaign. In-market, we

are encouraging Baltimore influencers and residents to share

what they love about Baltimore across all social media platforms

by using #MyBmore, with seasonal promotions, contests,

scavenger hunts and special partnerships driving an ongoing

conversation. Out-of-market, we are using that authentic user-

generated content to drive visitation. Specifically, we will collect

and curate #MyBmore content on Baltimore.org, as well as

develop ‘Visit Like a Local’ creative, messaging and packages for

television, digital and print advertising.

• Destination Video and Visuals. Visit Baltimore will expand

visual content across all platforms. Premiering this year, we

will capitalize on a new destination video, highlighting segments

from that content as commercials on direct television streaming

platforms, digitally and through social media. Visual content will

also support our culinary campaign, from advertorial spreads to

robust tools supporting earned media outreach, as well as new

and exciting visitor content on baltimore.org.

• Diversity Market. Marketing and promotions will build visitation

by multicultural travelers as well as support diversity sales

initiatives. In addition to hosting the 5th annual Baltimore

Reunion Expo, we will host the second-annual Legend & Legacies

Jubilee celebration during Black History Month with special focus

on the 2018 bicentennial of Frederick Douglass’ birth. Out-of-

market advertising will continue to target regional and national

African American publications, with new resources allocated to

the Hispanic market as well as an active promotional presence at

targeted LGBTQ events.

• Digital, Social and Local. To increasing our advertising frequency,

and address all markets including the New York metro, Visit

Baltimore is transitioning some of our traditional event print

advertising to digital, PPC and social media. A heightened

focus on key national outlets, including broadcast, will increase

awareness of and “change the conversation” about Baltimore.

Equally important, by collaborating with local content producers

– from Baltimore Magazine to Charm TV – we can expand our

messaging to influence day and staycation travel from the

Baltimore metro area.

• Membership & Extranet 4.0. In order to diversify our network

and provide more visitor options, recruitment will target

more vendors from Baltimore’s Municipal Markets as well as

neighborhoods throughout the city – including Hispanic and Latino

owned businesses. To support these efforts, as well as support

existing members, Visit Baltimore will be going door to door to

thank businesses and share our message at special ‘Days in the

Community’. We are also investing in our Simpleview Extranet,

the member-facing portal of Visit Baltimore’s CRM that allows

members to control their own visitor-facing message, leads and

listings. A roll out to Extranet 4.0 will enhance the user experience

with receiving business leads, profile updates and more.

• Certified Tourism Ambassador Program. After bringing the

established Baltimore CTA program back in-house, Visit Baltimore

will re-engage lapsed CTAs while increase awareness of the

program amongst all frontline tourism employees. We will also

explore ways to engage more residents in becoming Baltimore

“cheerleaders.”

• Visitor Center. New signage will help visually identify this state-

of-the-art facility for visitors and locals alike. This is important, as

a season of expanded events will invite the public inside our doors

including history and cultural lecture series, family-friendly arts and

crafts programs, Paint Night and other social activities.

• Community Affairs. Visit Baltimore has created a new community

affairs focus to: elevate an understanding about the role of tourism

in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and build our communication with

those residents that may have felt traditionally disconnected from

the tourism space. These efforts will support marketing in engaging

an authentic Baltimore voice in our messaging; provide additional

touch points for the Public Affairs and Membership teams to

leverage; and build connections to the Visit Baltimore Foundations’

educational and workforce development outreach.

Visit Baltimore will continue its core mission of attracting conventions, groups and leisure visitors; and, providing a positive experience for all guests. Four strategic themes are informing how we execute this mission in FY2018:

-34--33-

LEADERSHIP

BALTIMORE CONVENTION & TOURISM BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIR John Frisch*Miles & Stockbridge P.C.

Gene-Michael AddisLord Baltimore Hotel

Margot AmeliaNational Aquarium

Greg Brown*Hilton Baltimore

Erin ChamberlinHorseshoe Casino

William H. Cole IVBaltimore Development Corporation

Douglas ConnerCenterplate

Peggy Daidakis* Baltimore Convention Center

Commissioner Kevin Davis Baltimore Police Department

Azikiwe DeVeauxEvents4GoodPeople, LLC

Terry Donahue Renaissance Harborplace Hotel

Wanda Draper Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Jerry EdwardsChef’s Expressions

Vanessa A. Finney*Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show

Tony ForemanFOREMAN WOLF

Kirby FowlerDowntown Partnership of Baltimore

Michael FrenzMaryland Stadium Authority

Donald Fry*Greater Baltimore Committee

Mike GillMaryland Department of Commerce

Bill GilmoreBaltimore Office of Promotions & The Arts

Delegate Keith Haynes 44th District

Howard HendersonGreater Baltimore Urban League

David Hoffman Sagamore Pendry Baltimore

Al Hutchinson*Visit Baltimore

Alison Jones Days Inn Inner Harbor

Shawn KingUnder Armour

Donna MarquezHyatt Regency Baltimore

Carlos PlazasPlanned Parenthood of Maryland

Frank Remesch1st Mariner Arena

J. Michael RileyM&T Bank

Marianne Rowan-BraunUniversity of Maryland Medical Center

Ed RudzinskiMarriott Waterfront Hotel

Alex SmithAtlas Restaurant Group

Jim SmithOffice of the Mayor

Ricky SmithMaryland Department of Transportation

Shelonda StokesGreibo Entertainment

Colin TarbertOffice of the Mayor

Chuck Tildon*United Way of Central Maryland

COUNSELSteve Bers Whiteford, Taylor & Preston

Elena DiPietroBaltimore City Law Department

*Executive Committee Member

VISIT BALTIMORE ADVISORY COMMITTEESThank you to the members of our volunteer Cultural Tourism, Group Tour, LGBT, Multicultural and

Membership Advisory Committees for your time, consideration, creativity and efforts on our behalf!

VISIT BALTIMORE STAFF

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Al HutchinsonPresident and CEO

Sam Rogers Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

VacantChief Operating Officer

Amy Calvert Senior Vice President of Convention Sales and Services

Allison Burr-LivingstoneAssociate Vice President of Public Affairs; Executive Director, Visit Baltimore Foundation

Dionne Joyner-WeemsVice President of Marketing and Community Affairs

Craig VayVice President of Finance and Administration

Sara Warfield Vice President of Communications

Bon Whiting Vice President of Membership and Development

Kasey Borden Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

CONVENTION SALES

Aurelia Welsh Director of Sales and Services

Kim Allison, CAE, CASE Director of Citywide Sales

Amra Elmore Regional Director of Sales

Eric MastertonDirector of Tourism and Training

Anthony MolinoRegional Director of Sales

Laurie Nelson-Choice Director of Diversity and National Sales

Sheila Provenzano Regional Director of Sales, Chicago/Midwest Regional Office

Sally Sutera Regional Director of Sales, Northeast Regional Office

Kireem SwintonDirector of Sales Development, Mid-Atlantic Region & Tradeshows

Brian Chung Senior National Sales Manager

Kat Taylor Senior National Sales Manager, Midwest

Christina GhaniNational Sales and Sports Manager

Terry KalmeyNational Sales Manager

Amy Musgrove-LaPennaSales and Services Coordinator

Katherine ShenasConvention Sales Coordinator

Eboni KirklandAdministrative Assistant to Sales

J’Quara ScottAdministrative Assistant to Sales

CONVENTION SERVICES

Lindsay Ruocco Director of Events & Tradeshows

Olivia PuglisiAssociate Director of Convention Services

Camille Spilker Convention Services Manager

VacantConvention Services Manager

Ashley Johnson Convention Services Coordinator

OPERATIONS

Kyla McConnellDirector of Human Resources

WC HarveyStaff Accountant

Anastasia O’DonnellAdministrator

Janice StewartOffice Manager

RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

Natalie JamiesonManager of Research and Data Analysis

Donald LilleyManager of Information Systems and Technology

Jessica LehrerBusiness Analysis Coordinator

HOUSING AND CALL CENTER

Tammy Davison Director of Housing and Call Center Operations

Charlyene Grimes, CMP Senior Manager of Housing

Ledora Cornish Call Center and Fulfillment Manager

Paula EgglestonManager of Housing

Alexis Perry Convention Staffing Manager

Trena CarterCall Center Information Specialist

Calvin CoatesFulfillment and Call Center Specialist

Victoria LaureyNational Group Housing Assistant

Chandler WilliamsCall Center Information Specialist

MARKETING

Brendan Janishefski Director of Web Marketing

Bridget WeiningerDirector of Meetings and Conventions Marketing

Kimberly AlvaradoMarketing Manager

Cassandra MillerContent and Publications Manager

Amy Quarles Graphics and Production Manager

Leticia Enos Marketing and Community Engagement Coordinator

Marsha ValentineAssistant to the Executive Vice President

COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Kelly NagleDirector of Communications

Erica MalangaSocial Media Manager

Julia WatkinsPublic Relations Manager

Deanna MartinoCommunications Assistant

MEMBERSHIP

d. Morales-RicklinDirector of Member Relations and Sales

Pamela Pennington Member Services and Events Manager

Tia Wilson Administrative Assistant to Membership

VISITOR CENTER

Frank Riggio-Preston Director of Visitor Center Operations

Jennifer Anderson Manager of Visitor Center Operations

Chuck Boyd Visitor Center Supervisor

Peggi Powell Visitor Center Supervisor

Keith Shuey Visitor Center Supervisor

-36-

APPENDIX AKey Groups Booked in 2017 for Future Years

TRADESHOW/EVENT DATES LOCATION

FIRST QUARTER, FY2018

DMAI Annual Meeting July 11-14, 2017 Montreal Canada

Orioles vs Cubs Game July 13-14, 2017 Baltimore, MD

CESSE Annual Meeting July 25-27, 2017 Quebec City, Canada

Experient E4 Conference July 30-August 2, 2017 Houston, TX

CEMA Summit July 30-August 1, 2017 Rancho Bernardo, CA

SISO Leadership Conference August 1-3, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

IAEE Krakoff Leadership Institute August 7-9, 2017 Leesburg, VA

ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition August 12-16, 2017 Toronto, ON, Canada

Connect / Corporate, Association, Specialty & Sports Marketplace August 21-23, 2017 New Orleans, LA

TSNN Awards August 21-23, 2017 New Orleans, LA

Student Youth Travel (SYTA) Annual Conference August 25-29, 2017 Albuquerque, NM

CDX17 (Conference Direct) September 5-8, 2017 Dallas, TX

ASAE 5-Star September 7-10, 2017 San Antonio, TX

CEIR September 14-15, 2017 Washington, DC

NYIAEE War On the Shore September 17-18, 2017 Northfield, NJ

Maryland on the Road Sales Mission TBD

SECOND QUARTER, FY2018

ASAE Summit Dinner October 4, 2017 DC, National Building Museum

NASC Market Segment October 9-11, 2017 Detroit, MI

IMEX America / CIC Hall of Leaders Gala October 10-12, 2017 Las Vegas, NV

Journey Home October 21, 2017 Baltimore, MD

Connect Healthcare October 24, 2017 Cincinnati, OH

Connect Faith October 24-26, 2017 Cincinnati, OH

AMC Institute Forum November Anaheim, CA

Fall CAB November 5-7, 2017 Baltimore, MD

OMCA Marketplace November 5-8, 2017 Toronto, ON, Canada

CD Forum November 14-16, 2017 Omni Orlando, FL

IAEE Expo! Expo! November 28-30, 2017 San Antonio, TX

HPN Annual Partner Meeting November 29-December 2, 2017 San Francisco, CA

National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners November 29 - December 2, 2017 Oakland, CA

ConferenceDirect – 2017 CEO Summit December 6-8, 2017 The Phoenician, Scottsdale, AZ

CVBREPS Holiday Event December 12, 2017 Washington, DC

Association Forum Holiday Showcase December 13-14, 2017 Chicago, IL

APPENDIX B

FY2018 Tradeshow/Event Calendar

ORGANIZATION EVENT NAMETOTAL ROOMS

START DATE ECONOMIC IMPACT

A T Expositions 2021 American Towman Trade Show & Expo 3,845 11/10/2021 $5,827,723

A T Expositions 2022 American Towman Trade Show & Expo 3,845 11/16/2022 $5,950,782

AcademyHealth 2021 Annual Research Meeting 4,617 6/8/2021 $3,200,594

All Star Challenge** All Star Challenge 2018 3,812 4/4/2018 $3,341,731

AMDA-The Society for Post-Acute and

Long-Term Care Medicine Annual Meeting 4,180 3/7/2022 $2,490,030

American Bus Association Marketplace 2021 9,690 1/26/2021 $5,148,436

Association for Molecular Pathology** 2019 Annual Meeting 8,786 11/3/2019 $5,152,851

Athletic Business Media, Inc. Athletic Business Media Show 2020 5,065 10/30/2020 $2,756,895

BBYO 2022 International convention 4,996 2/11/2022 $3,984,719

Church of God in Christ, Inc.** International Women’s Convention 2019 9,514 5/22/2019 $9,081,924

Informa Exhibitions U.S. Remodeling Show | DeckExpo | JLC LIVE 2020 3,527 10/10/2020 $4,244,569

Insurance Accounting and Systems

Association

IASA 2022 Annual Educational Conference &

Business Show 6,659 6/1/2022 $3,936,698

International Society for

Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes

Research** 2018 ISPOR Annual International Meeting 4,000 5/17/2018 $3,893,284

Islamic Circle of North America ICNA-MAS 46st Annual Convention - 2021 4,045 5/26/2021 $8,660,917



Lunar Solis Corporation BronyCon 2023 7,900 8/1/2023 $6,894,178



National Association of Independent

Schools

2021 People of Color Conference/Student

Diversity Leadership Conference 6,496 11/28/2021 $4,647,108

National Soccer Coaches Association of

America 2028 NSCAA Annual Convention 10,324 1/9/2028 $8,532,429

National Soccer Coaches Association of

America 2032 NSCAA Annual Convention 10,324 1/11/2032 $9,174,179

Phi Theta Kappa 2021 Annual Convention 5,600 4/5/2021 $4,561,566

Southern Regional Education Board** HSTW Staff Development Conference 2019 9,455 7/7/2019 $4,691,364

Spirit Team** American Masters 2018 3,439 1/31/2018 $2,642,784

The General Convention of the Episcopal

Church General Convention of the Episcopal Church 23,940 6/26/2021 $25,186,885

Tree Care Industry Association TCI EXPO 2020 3,525 10/26/2020 $2,732,335

US Lacrosse 2021 LAXCON 3,640 1/11/2021 $5,492,549

US Lacrosse 2022 LAXCON 3,640 1/10/2022 $4,235,516

Veterans Of Foreign Wars Of The United

States VFW & Auxiliary 10,924 7/27/2021 $10,012,731

Bookings associated with top performing markets including:

Health and Medical Athletics, Sports & Recreation Diversity

Education**Short-term booking

-38-

APPENDIX B

TRADESHOW/EVENT DATES LOCATION

THIRD QUARTER, FY2018

PCMA Convening Leaders / Annual Meeting January 7-10, 2018 Nashville, TN

SYTA Summit January 17-21, 2018 San Jose, Costa Rica

DC GM Sales Mission January 24-25, 2018 Washington, DC

American Bus Association (ABA) January 26-30, 2018 Charlotte, NC

RCMA January 30 - February 1, 2018 Omaha, NE

Meet Local Executive & Senior Leadership Breakfast January/February Baltimore, MD

Diversity Marketplace (Connect) February 4-6, 2018 Portland, OR

AMC Institute 2018 Annual Meeting February 7-9, 2018 Vancouver

Experient SAM-SSE February 19-21, 2018 Baltimore, MD

PMPI MACE February 27, 2018 Washington, DC

CDX18 (Conference Direct) February

National Tour Association Marketplace TBD

Spirit of Hospitality TBD Washington, DC

DMAI Destination Showcase TBD Washington, DC

Experient EnVision TBD

NYSAE Meet NY Day March 7, 2018 New York City, NY

PCMA Education Foundation Partnership Summit March TBD

NE GM Sales Mission March New York City, NY

ConferenceDirect APM March 24-29, 2018 Los Angeles, CA

CBI 14th Annual Pharma Forum 2018 March 25-28, 2018 Philadelphia, PA

FOURTH QUARTER, FY2018

African American Travel Conference April 1, 2018 TBD

Light City Customer Event April 14 – April 21, 2018 (Light City) Baltimore, MD

ASAE’s Xperience Design Project April 19-20, 2018 Gaylord National Resort

NASC Symposium April 23-26, 2018 Minneapolis, MN

Helmsbriscoe Annual Business Conference April 30-May 2, 2018 Orlando, FL

Destination Celebration Kansas City, MO

Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays Spring TBD 2018

IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Forum May TBD 2018 Washington, DC

Chicago GM Sales Mission May TBD 2018 Chicago, IL

PCMA Education Foundation Visionary Awards May 2, 2018 Washington, DC

Preakness Customer Event May 19, 2018 Baltimore, MD

US Travel Association’s IPW May 19-23, 2018 Denver, CO

SGMP’s National Education Conference June 1, 2018 Norfolk, VA

MPI WEC June 2-5, 2018 Indianapolis, IN

Association Forum and Honors Gala (Chicago) TBD Chicago, IL

PCMA Education Conference June Cleveland, OH

FICP June Vancouver

FY2018 Tradeshow/Event Calendar

DAY VISITORS OVERNIGHT

TOTAL 15,332,635 59% 10,606,535 41%

Adults & ChildrenChildren 3,679,832 24% 2,227,372 21%

Adults 11,652,803 76% 8,379,163 79%

Trip Purpose

VFR 6,593,033 43% 5,409,333 51%

Leisure 7,053,012 46% 3,288,026 31%

Business 1,533,264 10% 1,378,850 13%

Business & Leisure 153,326 1% 530,327 5%

Season of Trips

January-March 25% 22%

April-June 27% 27%

July-September 25% 27%

October-December 23% 24%

Average Age Day: 42.2 Overnight: 44.5

18-24 16% 16%

25-44 46% 42%

45-64 26% 29%

65+ 12% 13%

Gender 50% Female 52% Female

Household Income

Under $49.9k 39% 39%

$50k-$74k 20% 23%

$75k-$99.9k 18% 15%

$100k+ 23% 23%

EducationCollege/Post Grad 64% 66%

Some College 21% 21%

Employment

Full time 60% 57%

Part time 11% 12%

Retired/Not working 29% 31%

Travel Party Size 2.8 Persons 2.8 Persons

Transportation

Personal Auto N/A 63%

Air Travel N/A 26%

Rental Car N/A 23%

Length of StayOnly 1 night N/A 37%

Avg. nights N/A 2.5

Accommodations

Hotel/Motel N/A 48%

Friends/Relatives N/A 32%

Boat/Cruise N/A 2%

Activity Participation

Shopping 29% 38%

Fine Dining 16% 25%

Museum 16% 19%

Landmark/Historic 14% 17%

Waterfront 7% 12%

Nightlife 6% 10%

APPENDIX C

Visitor Profile

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