www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report
Contents
1Mission Statement, Board of Directors,
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitation
2Staff, Tourism Impacts, How Travel & Tourism
Benefits Virginia’s Blue Ridge
3Measurable Success: Macro-Economy,
Lodging Tax Revenue, Hotel Room Demand
4 28th Annual Meeting and Tourism Awards
5Public Relations, Southeast Tourism Society
Shining Example Award
6Destination Marketing
7Conventions & Sports Sales,
Motorcoach Tour Sales
8Visitor Services & Hospitality Training,
Partnership
9State of the Bureau, Budget History
leadeRship ViewpointDear Tourism Stakeholders,
It is a new era for Virginia’s Blue Ridge tourism
industry. Thanks to the new tourism agreement, the
Roanoke Valley CVB has the ability to expand our
reach into new target markets and ensure our region
grows its share of meetings and sports groups as well
as visitors.
Our local tourism industry is now broadly recognized
as a major economic engine for the region. Local
public relations efforts and outreach have led to a
supportive business community and new partners.
We are proud to live in a popular metro-mountain
travel destination. Our tourism industry is increasingly
known for delivering jobs, economic benefit and the
Virginia’s Blue Ridge brand promise.
With this positive momentum comes the opportunity
to set a bolder vision for our destination marketing
organization. The new brand communicates our
organization’s strengths in leadership, expertise and
professionalism. We are a broad umbrella representing
this region’s many distinct products and services.
As the voice for Virginia’s Blue Ridge’s tourism
industry, we are committed to growing our tourism
economy while further engaging the local community.
As we embark on this new era, we pledge our
continued focus on delivering more visitors, more
economic benefit, more jobs and more recognition
of the great benefits our industry contributes. We look
forward to working with you, our investors and partners, in ensuring
the success of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Warm regards,
w. lee wilhelm, iii Barton J. wilner landon C. howard Chair Past Chair President
landon C. howard President
w. lee wilhelm, iii Chair
Barton J. wilner Past Chair
www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 1
BoaRd of diReCtoRsw. lee wilhelm, iii Richfield Retirement Community Chair
Jeffrey a. Marks WDBJ Television, Inc. Vice Chair
Gary d. walton The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Secretary
R. Carey harveycutter, Jr. City of Salem Treasurer
Barton J. wilner Entre Computer Center Past Chair
Mission stateMentThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) exists to promote Virginia’s Blue Ridge as a unique destination,
with an outstanding quality of life, for leisure tourism, meetings, sporting events, recreation and business, and to facilitate
the financial and cultural growth of the community as an exceptional place to live, work and recreate.
yeaRly totals 2010 2011 2012 2013
1,252,741 1,320,408 (5.40% change) 1,359,191 (2.94% change) 1,159,768 (-11.8% change)
Blue RidGe paRkway VisitationBlue Ridge Parkway visitation entering the Roanoke Valley from six exits in the
region decreased 11.8% in 2013. (Factors - Facilities closed due to funding or
Government Shutdown)
dave andersen Dominion Lodging
doug Blount Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Jeremy Carroll Glenn, Feldmann, Darby & Goodlatte
Renee “Butch” Craft The Roanoker Restaurant
B. Clayton Goodman, iii County of Roanoke
shirley B. holland Carilion Clinic
tarah holland County of Franklin
kenneth lanford Lanford Brothers Company, Inc.
pete larkin Office of the Honorable Robert W. Goodlatte (VA-6)
Mary Beth layman Vinton War Memorial
Christopher p. Morrill City of Roanoke
dharmendra patel Samip Management
Richard “pete” peters Botetourt County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Charles a. price, Jr. Harrison Museum of African American Culture
Charles l. Robbins, iii BB&T (Retired)
douglas B. Robison Wildflour Market & Bakery
ssunny shah Ramada Inn Conference Center
susan e. short, ph.d. Virginia Tech
James e. taliaferro, ii City of Salem
Joyce waugh Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce
John williamson RGC Resources, Inc. (7/2013-12/2013)
2 www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report
staff (March 2014)
adMinistRationlandon C. howard President
heidi R. Mowry Director of Administration
ConVention salesMichael R. unanue Vice President of Sales
kelly d. Burd-adams Director of Sales
Gary w. Crizer National Sales Manager
Vickie Meeks Miller Convention Sales & Services Coordinator
Christopher nicholas Sales Research Coordinator
touRisM iMpaCtsMeasured results: Tourism is BIG Business which creates
“economic impact” and furthers economic development.
As a result of the RVCVB achieving the primary objective,
the following 2012 numbers* will expand over time:
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Spending: $730 million
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Jobs: 7,230
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related Payroll: $142.5 million
– Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor-Related State and Local Tax Collections: $52.4 million
*Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation
2013 tourism impacts $15,000,000 Conventions & Sports Sales
$801,150 Motorcoach Tour Sales
$56,570,184 Leisure Travel
$ 72,371,334 Generated by the RVCVB
+
How Travel & Tourism Bene�ts VIRGINIA'S BLUE RIDGE
TRAVELERS
FUEL
Art GalleriesMuseums
OUTFITTERS
CAMPING
Jetski RentalsB&Bs
ATTRACTIONSDINING
Nightlife
concertsSPORTS CONCESSIONS
FUEL
Art GalleriesMuseums
OUTFITTERS
CAMPING
Jetski RentalsB&Bs
ATTRACTIONSDINING
Nightlife
concertsSPORTS CONCESSIONS
FUEL
Art GalleriesMuseums
OUTFITTERS
CAMPING
ShoppingShoppingShopping
Jetski RentalsB&Bs
HotelsHotelsHotels
ATTRACTIONSDINING
Nightlife
concertsSPORTS CONCESSIONS
JOBS, PAYROLL, SALES TAX, MEALS TAX, LODGING TAXBene�ts local businesses, schools, property owners, residents
MaRketinGdebora wright Director of Marketing
trena s. pividal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) / Marketing Coordinator
Catherine herlocker Partnership / Marketing Sales Coordinator
david aldridge e-Marketing Coordinator
puBliC Relations & VisitoR seRViCesCatherine fox Director of Public Relations & Tourism Christa stephens Public Relations & Visitor Services Manager
part-time staff: Visitor services leads Holly Marden Jane Smith weekend part-time Shannon Keener Kayla Land Eva Lynn Angela Tabor Velma Thomas
Volunteer staff: Ann Andrews Hugh Brown Elizabeth Callahan Joe Cummings Terry Eastman Marlene Efkeman
www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 3
hotel RooM deMand
ROOMS SOLD
ROOM REVENUE
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
916,661 975,622 997,490 1,056,484 1,085,730
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
$71,952,926 $75,023,204 $78,391,404 $83,148,287 $85,591,610
Source: Smith Travel Research
lodGinG tax ReVenue
61.1%
1.3%5.6%
16.1%
15.9%
Locality 2013 Revenue
City of Roanoke (7% / 8% tax rate) .............. $3,750,764
City of Salem (7% / 8% tax rate) ..................... $977,824
County of Roanoke (5% / 7% tax rate) ........... $988,827
County of Botetourt (5% tax rate) ................. $345,601
County of Franklin (5% tax rate) ......................$77,233
Source: Local governments $6,140,249
MeasuReaBle suCCess
Potential Customers
INFORMATION BROKERMACRO-ECONOMY
Consumers
RoanokeValley
Convention& Visitors
Bureau
Travel Agents
Tour Operators
Meeting Planners
Attractions
Restaurants
Hotels
Rental Cars
Retail
Virginia’s Blue RidgeTourism Industry
The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
(RVCVB) serves as an information broker for
Virginia’s Blue Ridge (VBR) macro tourism
economy representing and working with over 625
hospitality and tourism businesses and government
partners including the Cities of Roanoke and Salem
and Counties of Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke.
the RVCVB’s primary objectives are to expand
market-size as monitored by two key measures:
– hotel Room demand, which is the measure of
the number of rooms sold in the VBR region.
– lodging tax Revenue, which are Transient
Occupancy Taxes (TOT) paid by visitors
while staying in lodging properties in funding
jurisdictions or as described in the RVCVB’s
Bylaws as “Participating Localities.”
2,000,000
1,080,000
1,060,000
1,040,000
1,020,000
1,000,000
980,000
960,000
940,000
920,000
900,000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Rooms Sold
4 www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report
28th annual Meeting Regional tourism agreement for Virginia’s Blue Ridge officially signed
For over two years, the Roanoke Valley Convention
& Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) has been working to
increase funding for tourism promotion. Support
was sought from Roanoke County and the Cities of
Roanoke and Salem to agree to a predictable revenue
source of funding for the RVCVB. The RVCVB agreed
to use this additional money for enhanced tourism
marketing initiatives. As of January 1, 2013, the
Transient Occupancy Tax increased in the Cities of
Roanoke and Salem from 7% - 8% and in Roanoke
County from 5% - 7%. These local governments have
agreed to invest 3 percentage points of collections to
the RVCVB, adding an estimated $1 million dedicated
to marketing Virginia’s Blue Ridge. This is a big
accomplishment for regional cooperation and the
beginning of a new era for tourism.
2013 tourism awards announced awards presented by Bart Wilner and Landon howard
tourism ambassador award The Patrick A. McMahon Tourism Ambassador Award is presented annually to an individual
for their outstanding efforts, dedication and support toward the promotion of the region and
its many tourism attributes.
Award Recipient - John Shaner, Director, City of Salem Parks & Recreation
Golden star award The Golden Star Award is presented to an individual or organization in recognition for their
outstanding service and commitment toward the economic growth of the tourism industry.
Award Recipient - Virginia’s Blue Ridge Hospitality Association – Cathy Ring, President, accepted
on behalf of the Association
Chairs’ tourism excellence award The Chairs’ Tourism Excellence Award is presented by the RVCVB’s Past Chairs in recognition
of an individual who exemplifies leadership, service and commitment to the tourism industry
in the region and the state. It recognizes an individual’s lifetime achievements in developing
and promoting our industry.
Award Recipient - Dr. Jim Sears, General Manager of Center in the Square
Photo taken at the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau 28th Annual Meeting – May 22, 2013 Signing the agreement from left to right – Barton J. Wilner (Board Chair, RVCVB), The Honorable Randy
Foley (Mayor, City of Salem), The Honorable Michael Altizer (Chairman of the Board, County of Roanoke), The Honorable David Bowers (Mayor, City of Roanoke); Included in the photo – Virginia State Delegation, City of
Roanoke Council, City of Salem Council, Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, Rita McClenny, President & CEO Virginia Tourism Corporation
www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 5
Public relationsMedia/pR Results– Media Tours – 4
– Number of Journalists Hosted – 92
– Media Coverage Circulation – 96,772,535
– Media Coverage Advertising Equivalency – $1,214,475
southeast tourism society shining example awardThe City of Roanoke, City of Salem and Roanoke County received the 2013 Governmental Tourism Leadership Shining Example Award from the Southeast
Tourism Society (STS). Each year, the Society honors an elected official (city, county,
state or federal) whose support or influence greatly enhances the tourism industry.
This is the first time a joint jurisdictional nomination has been awarded.
All three governments banded together in support of the Roanoke Valley Convention
& Visitors Bureau (RVCVB) by signing a regional tourism agreement. “This is a big
accomplishment for regional cooperation and the beginning of a
new era for tourism,” said Bart Wilner, Past Chair of the RVCVB.
“This is all about building a regional destination for Virginia’s Blue Ridge creating more jobs and increasing local revenue.
We are already beginning to see the benefits of this investment with tourism numbers trending upward with more hotel
rooms sold and more lodging tax revenues collected than at any point in our history.”
The Shining Example Awards have been a tradition since 1985 and were started by the STS, an organization dedicated
to the promotion and development of tourism to its 12 member states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Accepting the award in Jacksonville, FL – (pictured from left to right) From the City of Salem, City Manager Kevin Boggess and Mayor Randy
Foley, Roanoke County Vice Chair Charlotte Moore, City of Roanoke Mayor David Bowers and Landon Howard, President of the RVCVB.
Touring the Salem Farmer’s Market
Media tour at the Botetourt County Courthouse
6 www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report
destination MarketingThe RVCVB placed an aggressive online marketing program
including search engine optimization (SEO), search engine
marketing (SEM), with pay per click (PPC) and banner
advertising. This, along with an increase in mobile traffic
and a lead generating program, produced an increase of
over 47% in overall inquiries.
In addition, the RVCVB focused on communicating
with the existing database through eNewsletters to turn
“warm” leads into “hot” leads. this program along with the
sweepstakes programs has almost quadrupled, with a total
opt-in database of over 76,000.
x
xx
492,601
.44 % of inquirers who visited (Source: 2013 Conversion Study)
216,744
2.9 people in party (Source: VTC)
$90.00 daily trip spending per party (Source: VTC)
$56,570,184 in direct spending
www.visitvablueridge.com
The Blue Ridge Mountains are 400 million years old.It’s OK if you make time stand still for a moment.
The opportunities for outdoor recreation are endless in
the Roanoke Valley. There are hundreds of miles of scenic
trails for hiking, biking, running and horseback riding. The
famous Appalachian Trail follows a mountain ridge through
the region, while a beautiful urban greenway winds through
the heart of the valley. Follow a trail to happiness in
Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Advertising from new campaign
leisure travelers 307,816 Unique Website Visitors
90,881 Unique Mobile Site Visitors
93,904 Inquiries
492,601 total
advertising agency selectedAccess and Mikula-Harris partnered to develop a comprehensive
marketing and advertising campaign that promotes travel to
Virginia’s Blue Ridge. A fourteen person Agency Selection
Committee, led by Shirley Holland, dedicated many hours over
four months to hire this primary agency. The goal of the initiative
is to heighten the brand awareness of Virginia’s Blue Ridge
region and increase tourism to the area.
Estimated $115,611 in free advertising
Fall Sweepstakes
e-newsletter program– e-Newsletter Program nearly QuadRupled! (compared to 2012)
– Opt-in database went from 19,000 to over 76,000
– Niche Markets include Outdoor Recreation, Arts and Culture, Family Fun and Nightlife
www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 7
Conventions & sports salesparticipated in eight (8) tradeshows– Met with 370 meeting or sports professionals
– Partnered with the Virginia Tourism Corporation and four (4) VA CVB’s in Association Forum of Chicagoland
– Collaborated with local industry representatives to partner in the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC)
sales productivity– Leads: 42
Conventions and sports hosted and serviced– 33 groups representing 35,000+ participants and provided a direct spending of $15+ million
sports– 80+ sporting events were held in Virginia’s Blue Ridge
international Conference selects Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue ridge: Dr. David Trinkle led the effort to secure the International Conference of Collaborating Across Borders (CAB V). The Collaborating Across Borders conference series launched in 2007 as an interprofessional venue where educators, clinicians, researchers, policy makers and students from Canada and the United States engage in rich and productive dialogue regarding interprofessional education, practice and research.
CaB V will be held september 27 – october 1, 2015 in Virginia’s Blue ridge with approximately 1,000 attendees.
Motorcoach tour salesThe RVCVB attended the American Bus Association
Marketplace and the joint marketplace with Virginia
Motorcoach Association and North Carolina Motorcoach
Association. Tracking reports indicated 279 overnight
motorcoach tours occurred in the last year representing
6,850 overnight rooms.
Tour Leads (new business) ...........................................14
Bookings ......................................................................11
Guided tours conducted by the RVCVB ........................41
total estimated economic impact ........................$801,150
RVCVB staff works with VTC Co-op Tradeshows
Sightseeing tours with step-on guides
2014-15 Virginia Tour Planning Guide
Dr. David Trinkle lead the Virginia’s Blue Ridge team including N.L. Bishop, Jefferson College, and Landon Howard to Vancouver Canada to win the
CAB V Conference.
Association Executives of NC Holiday Showcase
8 www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report
Visitor services & Hospitality trainingOur purpose is to encourage overnight visitation, extend the average
stay, and increase visitor spending by providing relevant visitor
information about Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
how do we do it?– Fulfill visitor inquiries
– Create and maintain an ongoing events calendar for the region
– Partner with Community Events - St. Patrick’s Day Parade participant. Star City Half Marathon water station, open Visitor Center to welcome Dashers during the Drumstick Dash, Santa by Rail and train excursions.
– Conduct Customer Service Excellence Hospitality Training Workshops
– Host a AAA Travel Counselor FAM tour and in 2013 a Virginia Welcome Center FAM tour – Staff the Roanoke Valley Visitor Information Center - Open daily 9am-5pm (Sundays 12pm-5pm in Jan/Feb) Conveniently located at the corner of Shenandoah Ave. and Williamson Rd.
– Provide visitor information via Segway Ambassador at key events
six Customer service excellence hospitality training workshops were
held for 133 attendees, including a special training session provided
for the Green Ridge Recreation Center staff.
PartnershipfRee partnership for funding Jurisdictions The RVCVB moved from a membership-based organization to a
consumer-based partnership organization providing new fRee
opportunities for tourism and hospitality businesses in our five funding
jurisdictions which include Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke Counties
and the Cities of Roanoke and Salem.
Partnership has grown by over 56% this year to include 625 partners.
Free partnership and a new connection to arts and culture in our region
has broadened our promotion of arts organizations and galleries and
included the creation of an artist directory on our website.
This partnership base expansion now better represents the destination.
The RVCVB continues to offer monthly training sessions for our Partner Extranet to provide partners a means to input their
information that appears on our website and mobile site. Since implementation of the program we have trained over 208 partners.
Many thanks to our partners for providing $101,972 of in-kind goods and services. This amount leverages our capabilities to make
a greater impact for our key programs.
Hospitality Training at Green Ridge Recreation Center
Hosted AAA Travel Counselor FAM Tour
www.visitvablueridge.com 2013 progress report 9
state of the BuReauThe Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau is an
independent 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation. The Bureau
is supported by funding from 5 local governments
and partnerships.
funding sources for fy 2013/2014 City of Roanoke ............................................................................................................................................ $1,412,431
County of Roanoke .......................................................................................................................................... $533,184
City of Salem ................................................................................................................................................... $371,927
County of Botetourt ............................................................................................................................................ $57,026
County of Franklin ............................................................................................................................................. $36,652
State Grants & Miscellaneous Funds ................................................................................................................ $310,176
Partnership ....................................................................................................................................................... $20,500
$2,741,896
% of BuReau BudGet deVoted to MaRketinG 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 66.2% 74.0% 77.9% 75.2% 76.7%
BudGet histoRyThe Bureau’s budget increased 68.5% in FY 2013/2014.
2,750,000
2,500,000
2,250,000
2,000,000
1,750,000
1,500,000
1,250,000
1,000,000
750,000
500,000
FY 2013/2014
$2
,74
1,8
96
$2
,10
3,9
81
Total Budget Marketing Budget
FY 2012/2013
$1
,62
7,1
33
$1
,22
3,3
68
FY 2010/2011
$1
,32
7,2
43
$9
82
,45
6
FY 2009/2010
$1
,40
3,6
52
$9
29
,40
0
FY 2011/2012
$1
,30
3,5
46
$1
,01
5,0
66
51.5%
0.8%11.3%
1.3%2.1%
13.6%
19.4%
Roanoke Valley ConVention & VisitoRs BuReau – VisitVaBlueRidGe.CoM101 shenandoah ave. ne – Roanoke, Va 24016-2044 – 540.342.6025
The roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue ridge boasts the largest metropolitan center in the Blue ridge Mountain chain.
ROANOKEROANOKE
VTVT
6464
6681
95
40
77220
460
ViRGinia’s Blue RidGe
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