central oregon visitors association 57100 beaver...
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CENTRAL OREGON VISITORS ASSOCIATION57100 BEAVER DRIVE, BUILDING 6, SUITE 130
SUNRIVER, OR 97707 | 800-800-8334VISITCENTRALOREGON.COM
Smith Rock State Park
FROM THE CEO
The Central Oregon Visitors Association (COVA) has proudly served as the Regional Destination Marketing Organization for forty-six years.
In that time, Central Oregon tourism has grown to generate annual total economic impacts of $1.1 billion with tourism employing more than 9,200 Central Oregonians.
COVA has been awarded statewide recognition at the annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism for International Sales & Development (2017); Outstanding Overall Oregon Marketing Program (2016), and; Outstanding Oregon Public Relations Initiative (2015). COVA’s Official Central Oregon Visitors Guide received the Best in the West Visitor Guide Maggie Award (2014), honoring excellence in print and electronic publishing.
For copies of COVA’s FY17 Annual Report and FY17-19 Strategic Plan, go to VisitCentralOregon.com and visit our Research & Reports page. For a deeper dive into COVA’s programs we invite you to schedule a one-on-one briefing with the COVA marketing team via [email protected].
Alana Hughson, CEO
Thank You,
OUR MISSION:TO DRIVE OVERNIGHT VISITATION TO SUPPORT AN ENDURING ECONOMY
State of the Industry 1Annual Report 2017
Table of Contents
3 FY16/17 BUDGET
THE ROLE OF TOURISM4
CENTRAL OREGON AIR SERVICE7
PUBLICRELATIONS14
HISTORY OF TRT IN DESCHUTES COUNTY5
6 RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS
VISITORSERVICES12
13 CONSUMERREMARKETING
DESTINATION MARKETING8
10 WEBSITEANALYTICS
SOCIAL MEDIAENGAGEMENT15
16 REGIONAL TOURISM INVESTMENTS
17 PROGRAM INNOVATION
2 TOURISM BY THE NUMBERS
ALANA HUGHSON*PRESIDENT & CEO
TAMMY BANEYCOMMISSIONER, DESCHUTES COUNTY
CHRIS VAN DER VELDEMANAGING PARTNER, TETHEROW
MICHAEL PATRONEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
ZACHARY BASSREDMOND AIRPORT MANAGER
RYAN SMITHG.M., THE VILLAGE AT SUNRIVER
MACKENZIE BALLARDMARKETING MANAGER
SCOTT BREONCHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, VACASA
TOM ANDERSON (EX-OFFICIO)ADMINISTRATOR, DESCHUTES COUNTY
*EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
JOEY HAMILTONVICE PRESIDENT
ROBERT BENNINGTONPRES., BENNINGTON PROPERTIES
DANA WHITELAW Ph.D.*TREASUREREXEC. DIR., HIGH DESERT MUSEUM
KRISTINE MCCONNELLINDUSTRY RELATIONS
DAN DESPOTOPULOS*VICE CHAIRMANAGER, DESCHUTES FAIR & EXPO
KRISTI RICHTERMEMBERSHIP & EVENTS
JOHN MCLEODPRESIDENT, MT. BACHELOR, INC.
TED TAYLORCONTENT & COMMUNICATIONS
SHAWNA PENCEOWNER, SUNSET LODGING
JULIE BRADLEYTRAVEL CONCIERGE
TOM O’SHEA*CHAIRMANMANAGING DIR., SUNRIVER RESORT
PAM SANDEFURTRAVEL CONCIERGE
SPENCER SCHAUBG.M., PRONGHORN
COVASTAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
State of the Industry2 Annual Report 2017
About The Association
By The Numbers
Our goal is to INSPIRE destination vacation travel to Central Oregon and continue to DEVELOP destination markets by promoting a world-class travel experience that will DELIVER lasting memories and encourage REPEAT visitation while converting Central Oregon visitors into lifelong evangelists.
The O� cial Central Oregon Visitors Guide has a readership of 402,500+.
Central Oregon tourism employs 9,230 residents, up 3%; generating more than $1.1 billion in regional economic impacts.2
SOURCES: 1: Dean Runyan Visitor Study 2: Longwoods Study 3: TRT Reports
Central Oregon welcomed 4.3 million overnight visitors in 2016 with an average daily spend of $143 per visitor, per day.1
COVA has a Consumer Database of over 105,625 opt-in subscribers, up 54% over FY2016.
COVA has secured Earned Media value of $9.975 million through story placements and earned print circulation, and earned online reach of over 1 billion globally.
VisitCentralOregon.com generated nearly 1 million sessions in FY17 – an increase
of more than 68% over FY2016 and directed more than 155,000 outbound
clicks to COVA members.
COVA’s social media e� orts created more than 16.9 million impressions – an
increase of 92% over FY15/16
State of the Industry 3Annual Report 2017
COVA’s FY2016/2017 BudgetREVENUE
SUPPORT AND REVENUE UNRESTRICTED BUDGET AMOUNTDeschutes County Transient Room Tax $1,633,166.00
Marketing - Co-op Investments $185,000.00
Membership Dues $120,000.00
Pacific Amateur Golf Classic $280,000.00
Regional Cooperative Tourism Program $175,000.00
Visitor Information Center $5,000.00
Credit Card Residual $7,000.00
TOTAL REVENUE $2,405,166.00
EXPENSES
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING EXPENSES BUDGET AMOUNTDestination Marketing $1,166,801.00
New Program Innovation $100,000.00
Digital Development $60,000.00
Industry Representation and Dues $9,000.00
Public Relations / Sales and Familiarization Tours $55,000.00
Visitor Information Center $5,000.00
Visitor Inquiry Fulfillment $45,000.00
Telephone / Internet $9,000.00
Pacific Amateur Golf Classic $280,000.00
Regional Cooperative Tourism Program $175,000.00
TOTAL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING EXPENSES $1,904,801.00
FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT BUDGET AMOUNTComputer Hardware / Software $1,000.00
Computer Programming and Support $1,000.00
Depreciation $4,500.00
Equipment Repair and Maintenance $1,000.00
Office Lease / CAM’s / Utilities $58,000.00
TOTAL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT EXPENSES $65,500.00
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION BUDGET AMOUNTAnnual Audit and Accounting $16,000.00
Credit Card and Bank Fees $9,250.00
Copier / Fax / Scanner $5,375.00
Insurance $4,250.00
Legal Fees $500.00
Office Supplies $3,500.00
TOTAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES $38,875.00
PERSONNEL BUDGET AMOUNTEmployee Wages $466,500.00
Payroll Taxes $47,500.00
Simple IRA Plan $13,500.00
Employee Health Benefits $68,490.00
TOTAL PERSONNEL EXPENSES $595,990.00
NET ASSET REVENUETotal Expenses -$200,000.00
FY2016 Net Asset Revenue Transfer $200,000.00
ZERO BASED BUDGET $0.00
State of the Industry4 Annual Report 2017
Tourism continues to be the single largest industry in Central Oregon, employing more than 9,230 residents and generating total economic impacts that exceed $1.1 billion annually. The tourism industry is an equally powerful driver for Central Oregon’s economic diversification, new business recruitment and overall quality of life.
The Central Oregon Visitors Association is appointed by the Oregon Tourism Commission to serve as the Regional Destination Marketing and Management Organization (RDMO) for Central Oregon. This role further supports COVA’s partnerships with our local and statewide Stakeholders on tourism marketing and development initiatives.
For regional economic impact results, COVA extrapolates regional data from research reports prepared for the Oregon Tourism Commission by Dean Runyan Associates (Oregon Travel Impacts) and the Longwoods Visitor Profile. The primary objective of the state research is to provide reliable, detailed figures to allow comparisons from year-to-year for both state and county levels.
The Role of Tourism
SUMMARY OF CENTRAL OREGON IMPACTS• Central Oregon (comprised of Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and south Wasco counties) welcomes more than 4.3 million
overnight visitors annually (source: 2015 Longwoods Visitor Study | Central Oregon Regional Visitor Report) • Central Oregon Transient Lodging Tax revenues accounted for $16.8 million in 2016. Of that total, Deschutes County
leads the Central region in generating $14.9 million of the Transient Lodging Tax revenue• In 2016, employment directly generated by travel spending in Central Oregon was 9,230 jobs, up 3.0%• In 2016, total direct travel expenditures in Central Oregon was $924.2 million• At $713.4 million, Deschutes County ranked 5th in the state in terms of travel expenditures (including air and ground)• Average daily spend, per person, from an overnight visitor is $143; golf visitor is $254 (sources: Runyan | IAGTO)
EXPENDITURES BY BUSINESS TYPE* CROOK DESCHUTES JEFFERSON WASCO (SO.) TOTAL IMPACT
Accommodations $11.4 $187.4 $9.3 $37.4 $245.5
Food / Beverage $11.2 $181.3 $13.7 $29.5 $235.7
Food Stores $5.5 $50.3 $7.1 $10.6 $73.5
Air / Ground Transportation $2.8 $49.1 $4.4 $6.4 $62.7
Recreation / Entertainment $6.1 $70.2 $7.3 $16.1 $99.7
Retail Sales $4.6 $75.0 $6.1 $13.0 $98.7
Other Travel $2.6 $100.1 $2.7 $3.0 $108.4
TOTAL 2016 EXPENDITURES: $44.2 $713.4 $50.6 $116.0 $924.2
TOTAL TRAVEL IMPACTS* CROOK DESCHUTES JEFFERSON WASCO (SO.) TOTAL IMPACT
Travel Expenditures $44.2 $713.4 $47.8 $42.9 $848.3
Industry Earnings $13.0 $186.6 $16.6 $15.5 $231.7
Local / State Taxes $1.5 $31.9 $2.3 $1.0 $36.7
TOTAL IMPACTS: $58.7 $931.9 $67.7 $59.4 $1,116.7
Industry Employment / Jobs 580 6,930 1,020 700 9,230
*Dollar Amounts In Millions
State of the Industry 5Annual Report 2017
1,800,326
FY93
FY94
FY95
FY96
FY97
FY98
FY99
FY00
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
FY07
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY15
FY16
FY17
2,004,724
2,199,514
2,305,089
2,493,259
2,610,084
2,843,463
2,903,911
3,018,247
3,034,742
3,273,272
3,310,502
3,535,309
3,199,536
2,971,919
3,151,973
3,357,635
3,695,963
4,278,774 5,269,481
6,068,098
6,383,950
2,967,401
3,009,283
2,967,175
Deschutes County TRTDeschutes County Transient Room Tax (TRT), a portion of which funds COVA’s regional destination marketing programs, is collected from overnight accommodations outside of the incorporated cities of Bend, Redmond, Sisters and La Pine. All of the Destination Resorts in Deschutes County are within the unincorporated area. Deschutes County contracts with COVA to function as the destination marketing provider for the county and supports COVA’s role as the umbrella destination marketing organization for the region.
1971 Initial Formation of the Central Oregon Recreation Association
Central Oregon tourism industry partners create a Regional Destination Marketing Organization (RDMO) that would serve as the unifi ed voice of the regional tourism industry. CORA is incorporated as a non-profi t in 1974.
1975 Deschutes County TRT Established at 5%
In 1975, the fi rst 5% TRT was enacted by the voters. The initial 5% is split with 80% dedicated to the Deschutes County General Fund (public safety funding of the Sheriff ’s Department) and 20% dedicated to tourism promotion (COVA).
1980 Deschutes County TRT Rate Increased to 6%
In 1980, the Deschutes County TRT Rate increased to 6% with no change to distribution or language.
1987
2013
Deschutes County TRT Increased by 1% to 7% Total
Deschutes County TRT Increased by 1%
In 1988, the Deschutes County TRT rate increased to 7% (approved by voters in 1987), implemented to pay for debt service on construction of a new Welcome Center; with the balance after debt service dedicated to tourism promotion.
In 2014, the Deschutes County TRT rate increased to 8% (approved by voters in November 2013), implemented to fund marketing for the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center; with 70% dedicated to the Fair and Expo Center for marketing purposes and 30% to the Deschutes County General Fund.
DESCHUTES COUNTY TRANSIENT ROOM TAX COLLECTION BY YEAR
HISTORY OF TRT COLLECTION IN DESCHUTES COUNTY
State of the Industry6 Annual Report 2017
ResearchContinuing to grow COVA’s investment in research and analytics allows our team to be more successful in positioning the destination at the forefront of the competition. Review of results, measurement of program analytics and understanding how key marketing programs are performing is paramount to success.
COVA contracted multiple research projects in the 2016/2017 Fiscal Year. The two primary projects were the:
The insights gained from this research provides invaluable data that is used both for creating the marketing plan and creative assets for the Central Oregon message as well as analyzing the success of each campaign. COVA has contracted with Destination Analysts to conduct additional Traveler Profile research in FY18 to identify our primary family and luxury traveler audience profiles.
COVA contracted Destination Analysts to conduct a 12 month website user & conversion study. The Central Oregon research was combined and compared to data from nearly a dozen other destinations to determine the influence a DMO website has on leisure travel.
This study was commissioned to define the submarkets of the golf travel industry to develop more sophisticated and surgical marketing efforts to reach the golfers with the highest propensity to travel to Central Oregon for a golf related vacation.
WEBSITE INTERCEPT SURVEY CENTRAL OREGON GOLF TRAVELER PROFILE
State of the Industry 7Annual Report 2017
Central Oregon Air Service
The Central Oregon Visitors Association is a founder of COAST and serves as the marketing arm for COAST programs.
COVA is a founding member of the Central Oregon Air Service Team (COAST), the ad hoc Committee charged to work directly with the RDM | Roberts Field management team and commercial air service providers to retain and grow air service for the region.
COVA serves as the marketing arm for COAST inbound air service marketing programs and participates in the ongoing airline relationship development meetings. The strategy to develop new destination markets that align with non-stop commercial air service is a key strategy for building destination visitors.
Central Oregon Air Service
RDM
SEA
PDX
SFO
LAXPHX
SLC DEN
RDM
SEA
PDX
SFO
LAXPHX
SLC DEN
Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) plays a vital role for the tourism industry. Supporting air service with marketing initiatives helps to ensure that Central Oregon remains accessible and attractive to potential visitors.
Non-stop jet routes to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Phoenix were all initiated due to the successful, long-term collaboration of the COAST committee. RDM is now served with 23 daily flights with non-stop markets extended to Portland (PDX), Seattle (SEA), Denver (DEN), Salt Lake (SLC), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Phoenix (PHX). The RDM frequency is on par with larger metro airports like Eugene and Medford.
*Blue states represent markets where COVA actively ran
marketing campaigns during FY16/17
State of the Industry8 Annual Report 2017
Destination Marketing
The strategy for this campaign is to leverage the impact of COVA’s presence and momentum in these markets, to create awareness, drive demand and attract winter visitors to book multi-day ski vacations at Mt. Bachelor.
16/17 WINTER CAMPAIGN
The winter co-op / Mt. Bachelor campaign was executed primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, Greater Phoenix and Seattle.
The goal of this campaign was to create awareness of the Central Oregon ski product and to promote Central Oregon and Mt. Bachelor as the preferred winter ski vacation destination.
WEB SESSIONS: 47,943
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS: 10,215,668
DATABASE LEADS: 1,980
Partner with select regional golf associations, top industry
publications and behavioral/geo targeted digital advertisers to create
awareness and attract visitors from our target markets to book
multi-day golf vacation packages in Central Oregon. Traffic is driven to the Central Oregon Golf Trail page.
2017 GOLF CAMPAIGN
GOLF CAMPAIGN RESULTS Two sets of creative showcased both luxury and value minded experiences.
The Golf Campaign covered Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, Washington and parts of Oregon through a combination of digital, print, video,
social media, and direct consumer engagement.
WEB SESSIONS: 110,282
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS: 67,358,236
WINTER CAMPAIGN RESULTS
State of the Industry 9Annual Report 2017
Traffic is driven to a Spring Vacation landing page (VisitCentralOregon.com/spring-vacation). Quality leads are generated through an enter-to-win giveaway for continued direct consumer marketing.
2017 SPRING CAMPAIGN
SPRING CAMPAIGN RESULTSThe Spring Campaign covered Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, Washington and parts of Oregon through a combination of digital, print, video, social media, and direct consumer engagement to create awareness and promote Central Oregon as the preferred spring vacation destination.
WEB SESSIONS: 85,654
TOTAL IMPRESSIONS: 55,546,359
DATABASE LEADS: 1,796
These campaigns are used to supplement the larger campaigns, as well as other seasonal opportunities in Central Oregon.
MINI-CAMPAIGNS
PHOENIX OPEN MINI CAMPAIGN HOLIDAY BEER MINI CAMPAIGN
To support new direct flight service from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport to RDM, COVA targeted golfers in the Phoenix market through email, radio, digital banner ads and an onsite activation at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) PGA Golf Tournament.
COVA partnered with the Arizona Golf Association and Arizona Sports Radio 98.7FM to create a WMPO VIP experience enter-to-win contest. Traffic was driven to a custom Phoenix Open landing page on the COVA website with a confirmation page. Both the landing page and confirmation page have links to COVA’s golf site as well as our resort and lodging partners.
Target potential visitors in our primary markets who have a strong interest in craft beer to create awareness and promote Central Oregon as the preferred craft beer destination.
Leverage the impact of COVA’s presence and momentum in these markets to create awareness, drive demand and attract visitors to develop an interest in Central Oregon craft beer. Traffic was driven to a What’s Brewing landing page with outbound links to brewery and lodging partners. Quality leads were generated through an enter-to-win giveaway for continued direct consumer marketing.
PHOENIX OPEN CAMPAIGN RESULTS
WEB SESSIONS: 3,074
DATABASE LEADS: 864
IMPRESSIONS: 232,690
HOLIDAY BEER CAMPAIGN RESULTS
WEB SESSIONS: 5,631
DATABASE LEADS: 1,702
IMPRESSIONS: 215,953
State of the Industry10 Annual Report 2017
• The VisitCentralOregon.com website directly generated 10,094 incremental trips to the region. These are trips that would not have taken place without the influence of the regional tourism website.
• On average, visitors stayed 3.7 days on these incremental trips.
• Visitors on these incremental trips spent an average of $330.12 per day.
• Total visitor spending on incremental trips to Central Oregon totaled more than $12,328,735.
• Previously planned trips to Central Oregon were extended by 2,931 days due to website influence.
• Visitors spent $967,457 on trip days extended by the website.
• There were 15,960 room nights in a Central Oregon lodging property directly generated by the website.
• The total economic impact of the website on the Central Oregon economy totaled $13,296,192.
• The VisitCentralOregon.com website received nearly 1 million unique sessions in FY16/17, this represents a 68% increase over FY15/16.
• There were an average of 46,074 unique visitors per month on VisitCentralOregon.com, a 47% increase over the previous year.
• There were a total of 155,916 outbound clicks to COVA member businesses from the VisitCentralOregon.com website, a 31% increase over FY15/16.
VisitCentralOregon.com
JUL AUG NOV DEC MAY JUNSEP OCT MAR APRJAN FEB
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
150,000
100,000
0
50,000
WEBSITE VISITATION BY MONTH
WEBSITE RETURN ON INVESTMENT - KEY METRICS
WEBSITE KEY ANALYTICS
State of the Industry 11Annual Report 2017
Subject to Influence
47.5% of potential visitors were subject to influence by the website in making the destination decision (“interested” and “considering”)
Potential Visitors
57.5% of website users were potential visitors
using the website to plan a trip to the destination
• After spending time on VisitCentralOregon.com 66.0% of those website users took a trip to Central Oregon.
• 64.7% of these trips were for a “vacation” and 17.5% were a “weekend getaway”.
• On average, visitors spent 4.6 days & 3.9 nights in Central Oregon.
• The average visiting travel party spent $340 in Central Oregon per day.
• 42.5% of visitors chose to stay in a hotel property in Central Oregon.
• 65.4% of Central Oregon visitors who used VisitCentralOregon.com as a resource prior to travel said that the website influenced their decision to visit.
INT’L: 6.6%
OTHER US: 25.5%OR: 25.8%
CA: 27.1%
AZ: 4.5%
WA: 10.7%
OUR WEBSITE VISITOR PROFILE
WHERE OUR WEBSITE USERS ARE FROM
FEMALE: 60.7%
MEAN AGE: 52.9
HAVE CHILDREN UNDER 18: 20.6%
AVG. HHI: $98,647COLLEGE OR GRAD
DEGREE: 67.1%
MARRIED OR PARTNERED: 60.7%
State of the Industry12 Annual Report 2017
426JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
507
803
1,003
1,258
2,066
4,091
3,852
879
3,535
991
628
Visitor ServicesCOVA operates the Regional Visitor Information Center from offices in the Village at Sunriver. This Visitor Center opened in 2014 to meet the demand generated in the greater Sunriver / South County area of the region.
Given that the community of Sunriver accommodates roughly 2.5 million overnight visitors annually, the COVA board deemed that a Visitor Center in Sunriver was a prudent move to effectively fulfill and disperse visitor demand throughout the region.
INTERNATIONAL: 4%
LOCAL: 9%
NO. CALIFORNIA: 16%
SO. CALIFORNIA: 8%
GREATER PORTLAND: 16%
OTHER OREGON: 18%
WASHINGTON: 18%
OTHER U.S.: 11%
WALK-IN VISITORS BY MONTH WALK-IN VISITORS BY LOCATION
State of the Industry 13Annual Report 2017
Consumer RemarketingConnecting with potential visitors who are already familiar with Central Oregon with a targeted marketing message or promotion.
Remarketing through direct email allows COVA to serve specific messaging to an audience that has previously engaged with us either through our website or in person. Our list of opt-in subscribers are exactly that, opt-in, meaning these are individuals who have requested to stay informed of the myriad of vacation opportunities in Central Oregon.
The Central Oregon Adventure Guide email messages are sent to these individuals 24 times a year with information on where to STAY, PLAY, and DINE, as well as a list of some upcoming events happening in the region. COVA’s consumer email database engagement has historically outperformed industry standards for open rate (the percentage of individuals that open a message in comparison to the number of possible recipients) and click-through-rate (the percentage of people who opened the email and clicked on at least one link).
With strategic initiatives, prominent subscribe options on the website, and successful event
activations, COVA’s consumer email database of opt-in subscribers grew by more than 54% in the
last 12 months.
105,625
The average open rate for COVA’s consumer emails in FY17 was 22.5%. The industry average open rate for Travel & Tourism is 14.9%, Accommodations is
13.2%, and Art and Culture is 17%.
22.5%
Once people open the monthly email newsletter, nearly 10% engage with the content by clicking
on a link. The industry average click-through rate for Travel & Tourism is 7.5%, Accommodations is
6.7%, and Art and Culture is 7.1%.
9.4%
State of the Industry14 Annual Report 2017
Public Relations Reaching out to and working with journalists and bloggers to help spread the Central Oregon message through earned media in top-tier publications, online magazines, and television productions.
COVA continues to work with domestic and international media to promote Central Oregon as the premier travel destination in the west through a thoughtful, consistent, sometimes unconventional, targeted and cost-effective public relations campaign.
The public relations programs have and will continue to generate earned media to raise awareness of Central Oregon as a travel destination and expand the reach of COVA’s paid marketing programs. We do this through pitching story ideas, creating travel writer familiarization tours and building relationships with editorial contacts. Additionally, we work closely with the PR team at Travel Oregon as they work to ensure Central Oregon is featured in their global PR initiatives.
DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL EARNED MEDIA RESULTS
TOTAL STORY PLACEMENTS: 1,098TOTAL DOMESTIC REACH: 979 MMTOTAL INTERNATIONAL REACH:EARNED MEDIA VALUE:
513 MM$9.975 MM
State of the Industry 15Annual Report 2017
Social Media EngagementOur day-to-day, minute-to-minute avenues to create content that tells the Central Oregon story and provide inspiration for people to plan their next trip to our region.
Social Media is the voice of the organization and has been used to strategically engage and maintain a two-way conversation with potential and repeat visitors at all stages of travel planning, during their visit and after they return home. COVA drives engagement through social media by sharing content with broader audiences to position VisitCentralOregon.com as the comprehensive regional resource for all things Central Oregon tourism. We achieve this through a unique and authentic voice to inspire our followers, drive potential visitors to the COVA website and highlight COVA partners. Our social media strategy focuses on creating brand awareness, prompting action (web clicks) and creating interest in our region. We do this through breathtaking imagery and uplifting videos that showcase our region as a destination where adventure truly calls.
SOCIAL MEDIA RESULTS
SOCIAL MEDIA USER PROFILE
TOTAL FACEBOOK FANS: 51,033AVERAGE REACH PER FB POST: 7,575TOTAL FACEBOOK IMPRESSIONS: 16.5 MMINSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS: 5,635TWITTER FOLLOWERS: 5,241
FEMALE: 64%
MARRIED OR PARTNERED: 62%
HHI OVER $50K: 85%
HHI OVER $75K: 60%
COLLEGE OR GRAD DEGREE: 63%
State of the Industry16 Annual Report 2017
Oregon law mandates that 20% of the statewide room tax be invested in regional tourism programs. The Central Oregon Visitors Association was appointed by the Oregon Tourism Commission to serve as Central Oregon’s designated Regional Destination Management Organization (RDMO) to administer the Regional Cooperative Tourism Program (RCTP).
Regional Investments in Tourism
KEY THEMES RESONATING WITH THE CENTRAL OREGON REGIONAL COOPERATIVE TOURISM PROGRAM STAKEHOLDERS GROUP INCLUDE:
• Programs and messaging designed to increase year-round demand, leveling the seasonal peaks and valleys of visitor volume.
• Continue leadership development with the Central Oregon Air Service Team to maintain commercial air service levels and support expanded air service to the region.
• Develop product, human resources, technology and marketing support for rural communities.• Convene and collaborate with regional partners on destination development programs designed to support
regional trails, transportation maintenance and infrastructure.• Incorporate sustainable messaging to ensure that the resources we market to visitors are protected and
enhanced with management of visitation to sensitive areas to retain high quality visitor experiences.• Research, Promotion, Sales, Marketing, PR & Inquiry Response.
OREGON’S 7 TOURISM REGIONS (RDMOS)RCTP VISION: CENTRAL OREGON MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM:
The 2018 Central Oregon Matching Grant Program (COMGP) will allow community DMO’s and regional non-profits the opportunity and the flexibility to set their own priorities and timelines for key Destination Development projects.
Travel Oregon’s Matching Grant program has served as the regional model to ensure that qualifications and program measurement meet the statute requirements and industry standards for the highest and best use of lodging tax resources. Guidelines and applications for the 2018 COMGP will be available in the fall of 2017.
State of the Industry 17Annual Report 2017
Program InnovationInnovation, technology and unconventional but highly creative vehicles to reach potential visitors have energized the COVA marketing team.
COVA’s research has proven people are receptive to our destination messaging if it is presented in an authentic, trusted environment. This has inspired us to develop programs to connect with potential visitors when they are doing things they feel passionate about and COVA has begun development in two of our key target markets with some experiential in-market event activations.
The tactics are in our top tier markets of the San Francisco Bay area and greater Phoenix-Scottsdale. Both target markets are key to our commercial air service strategies and provide non-stop jet air service to Central Oregon via RDM.
In-Market Activations
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Strategy: The SF Giants possess the largest and most loyal fan base of any professional sports team in California; with absolute domination in COVA’s #1 target market, the greater Bay Area.
Tactic: Initiate a relationship with the SF Giants marketing team to develop a Central Oregon ‘takeover’ of AT&T Park at select Giants games.
Activation: Presenting sponsorship exposure; access to the Corporate Level hospitality suites for COVA messaging; exhibiting at key fan entry points to AT&T Park; branded promotional giveaways; in-game vacation giveaway, social media, radio, TV, stadium L.E.D boards, and PA announcements.
Reach: +12.3 million in media reach through social, television, radio. Plus, fan to fan exposure to 40,000 in-park attendees. KNBR, NBC Bay Area, Comcast, mlb.com, MLB TV.
Timing: Shoulder Season = April 2017 | spring home games.
WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN
Strategy: Build upon the Bay Area activation success to develop an in-market opportunity to quickly build brand awareness in new target market of greater Phoenix-Scottsdale.
Tactic: Initiate an ideal cross-seasonal marketing and promotion of new non-stop flights in an on-site sales relationship with the highest attended PGA event in the world, the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Activation: Presenting sponsorship exposure, access to Corporate Level hospitality suites for COVA messaging. Pavillion exhibitor to audience of 200,000n attendees daily.
Activation Description: tournament sponsor, primary exhibitor, vacation giveaway, social media, radio, television, course video boards.
Reach: 7.5 million. Arizona Golf Association, Arizona Sports Radio 98.7, bunkergolf.com, Facebook, AdTaxi.
Timing: Shoulder Season = January - February.
Central Oregon Visitors Association
PO Box 4489 | 57100 Beaver Drive, Bldg 6, Ste 130Toll Free: 800-800-8334 | Local: 541-389-8799
E: [email protected] VisitCentralOregon.com