2023 Annual Report. Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

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2 Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 2023 Annual Report Table of Contents 3 Letter From Our President And Chair 4 About ACVB 5 Bed Tax Background 7 Selling Atlanta 9 Preparing For Future Groups 10 Marketing Atlanta 16 ATL in the News 17 Making A Difference 18 Diverse Atlanta Experiences 19 Awards and Accolades 20 Senior Leadership 22 2023 Board of Directors

Letter From Our President And Chair

WILLIAM PATE

BOB SOMERS

Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

To our members, hospitality partners and colleagues, As we reflect on the successes of 2023 and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead in 2024 and beyond, we are pleased to share some of the highlights of the last year.

One of the standout achievements of 2023 was when Michelin recognized 45 of our restaurants in its first Atlanta Guide. Our thriving culinary scene has become a magnet for leisure visitors, and a crucial factor in attracting meeting planners and convention attendees. Atlanta is finally being recognized for our culinary diversity, positioning us as one of America’s most diverse cities.

While our culinary scene grabbed a lot of the attention in 2023, it was also a remarkable year for our convention industry. We hosted 19 major citywide events, building on the 50 million visitors we saw in 2022. Atlanta was also ranked as the No. 1 convention city in the country in Northstar Meetings Group’s Convention Cities Index. In addition, Money Magazine named Atlanta one of its “Best Places to Travel” and one of the best places to live in the United States.

In August, we hosted more than 5,000 attendees for the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) annual meeting. A decade since its last occurrence in Atlanta, this event not only showcased our city’s new development but also provided an excellent opportunity to book future convention business.

ACVB also expanded our Atlanta Meta World platform to include Georgia World Congress Center and Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart, allowing our sales team to conduct immersive site visits in the metaverse. This innovative approach sets us apart from other destinations and enables us to showcase our facilities virtually.

Looking ahead, 2024 is off to a strong start with 21 major citywide events scheduled, matching a historic high. We will also be hosting several notable industry events including Global Business Travel Association, Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference and Travel South’s International Showcase.

Atlanta is also gearing up to host several major sporting events, including the opening match for CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024, the College Football Playoff National Championship, the NCAA South Regional and MLB All-Star Game in 2025, and eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Our hospitality business should continue to accelerate as we look to welcome more than 60 million visitors annually before the end of the decade.

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About ACVB

ESTABLISHED IN 1913

MARKETS ATLANTA TO TOURISTS, CONVENTION ATTENDEES, MEETING PLANNERS AND BUSINESS TRAVELERS

Promotes entire destination:

o Hotels

o Restaurants

o Attractions

MISSION

Nearly 110,000 hotel rooms in metro Atlanta

Bed tax collected on accommodations in the city of Atlanta (approximately 26,000 hotel rooms and 6,000 short-term rental listings), primarily in:

o Downtown

o Midtown

o Buckhead

Favorably impact the Atlanta economy by selling and marketing Atlanta globally as the premier conventions, events and leisure destination.

VISION

To be the most welcoming, inclusive and easiest convention city to work with in the U.S.

4 Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 2023 Annual Report Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

Bed Tax Background

CURRENT CONTRACT DATED 2018 WITH EXPIRATION IN 2027

Contract is between ACVB and Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA)

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ACVB MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM GWCCA CITY OF ATLANTA FIRST 7% ACVB CONVENTION MARKETING FUND LAST 1%
39.3% 9.64% 28.56% 22.5%

Atlanta is in the midst of a boom in hotel, residential and mixed-use development that is expected to transform the hospitality landscape in the city.” “

— Atlanta Business Chronicle

SELLING ATLANTA

In 2023, ACVB booked 19 major citywide events representing 625,000 convention room nights.

Atlanta earned the No.1 ranking in Northstar Meetings Group’s December 2023 Convention Cities Index (CCI) as the best convention city in the United States.

Atlanta hosted ASAE’s Annual Meeting with more than 5,000 attendees.

ACVB made significant enhancements to the convention trade show booth for ASAE’s 2023 Annual Meeting and 2023 IMEX Las Vegas.

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Atlanta always embraces the future, and its meetings and conventions product has benefited from major new improvements highlighted by a luxe new headquarters hotel rising between Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center.”

8 Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 2023 Annual Report
“ —
Today @spencer @spencerhumphrey
Meetings

PREPARING FOR FUTURE GROUPS

Hosted 175 in-person site visits for future business

Engaged more than 550 international tour operators and hosted 70 individuals on FAM trips

Completed pre-show promotion travel and on-site attendance building activity at 11 of our largest 2024 trade shows

Achieved a 4.7 / 5 score in overall satisfaction with ACVB from meeting planner event surveys

100% listed either “satisfied” or “very satisfied”

Hosted 10th anniversary of UpNext Atlanta customer event in Washington D.C. with 21 partners/sponsors and more than 45 customers

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7.5 million page views

3,520

10 Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 2023 Annual Report Social Media Website Traffic Discover Atlanta eNews Content Production Discover Atlanta App 57% average monthly open rate 2.1% average monthly CTR
average monthly active users
4.6 million sessions
578 articles, videos, posts 66 in Spanish
million
186.1
impressions
I AM ATL. ATL. ATL DISCOVER ATL ATL
Key Website Metrics equal to YA +146% vs YA -22% vs YA +59% vs YA +55% vs YA
9.8 million engagements
MARKETING ATLANTA

In 2023, ACVB launched the newest edition of ‘50 Fun Things to See and Do in Atlanta’. The guide started in the early 2000s as a brochure for visitors to track the places they had been and has now transformed into an interactive app which takes discovering the city to a new level.

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Influencers 14 Media 2 Atlanta attractions 23 Agencies 2 80 Attendees
50 Fun Things to See and Do in Atlanta

ATLANTA HAS LONG BEEN A DESTINATION FOR VARIED CULINARY OFFERINGS — FROM INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS AND ELEGANT EATERIES TO HOME RESTAURANTS. NOW, GEORGIA’S CAPITAL OFFICIALLY HAS THE MICHELIN STAMP OF APPROVAL.

— Travel + Leisure

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MICHELIN

- Atlanta became the ninth MICHELIN Guide destination in North America

- Five restaurants receive a MICHELIN Star in inaugural selection - City boasts two restaurants earning MICHELIN Green Star

- 10 Bib Gourmand, plus four Special Awards, also revealed - 45 total restaurants, 23 cuisine types reflected in Guide

Launch Ceremony at  The Rialto Center for the Arts 500 33 9 Attendees Media Influencers

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Guide Arrives in Atlanta
Photos by Zach Hilty/BFA.com

Atlanta Meta World

In 2023, ACVB expanded the Atlanta Meta World platform to include Georgia World Congress Center and Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart. With the expansion, ACVB’s sales team will be trained to host site visits in the metaverse.

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Business Chronicle “

Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau is close to completing a buildout of the Georgia World Congress Center in the metaverse, a milestone executives say will give Atlanta a “competitive advantage” over other cities for conventions and other corporate events”

—Atlanta
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@spencerhumphrey

ATL IN THE NEWS

Hosted Trade Media

ACVB hosted a convention trade media FAM leading into ASAE’s annual meeting to highlight developments on GWCCA’s campus and throughout the city.

Engaged Travel Journalists

ACVB engaged regional, national and international journalists at industry events including STS Domestic Showcase, IPW, PRSA Travel and Tourism Conference, International Media Marketplace and Travel Media Meetup.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Community Engagement for Groups

Conventions and meetings in Atlanta go beyond business. Today, when organizations plan conferences, they often include community engagement. They open doors for attendees to engage with the community and make a positive impact. Legacy Collective provides the resources to meeting planners, event attendees and companies to give back to nonprofits while gathering in Atlanta. Recent groups have participated in a sock drive, park beautification and a gift of technology and toys for Atlanta children.

Giving back in the Community

As part of Event Service Professionals Association’s Celebrate Services Week, ACVB staff organized a Thanksgiving food drive to support Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency (ACSS). ACSS provides workforce readiness, job placement and life stabilization services to homeless and financially vulnerable men and women, empowering them to reach their goals for self-sufficiency.

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DIVERSE ATLANTA EXPERIENCES

ACVB produced and aired six 30-minute episodes of Atlanta con Sabor Latino in Spanish for Telemundo showcasing Latin culture, cuisine and personalities.

ACVB partnered with 10 Black influencers, writers, photographers and business owners to produce ATL Unguided Vol. 2.

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@Daniela Cintron

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

No. 1 City in the U.S. for Conventions

Northstar Meetings Group

Best Places to Travel 2023

Money Magazine

The South’s Best Cities 2023

Southern Living

Best Meeting Destination in North America No. 6

CVENT

Best Travel Destination for LGBTQ+ No. 13

OUT Traveler

2023

Best CVB/DMO Bronze Winner

Stella Award

Platinum Hermes Creative Award

On a Different Level Campaign

Communicator Award

‘Atlanta Looks Forward to Hosting ASAE

2023’ video in the Craft Categories

Videography & Cinematography

Content Marketing Awards

Best Use of Multichannel Social Media in Content Marketing for On A Different Level campaign

Gold MarCom Awar

On A Different Level campaign

Muse Creative Award

On A Different Level in the Social Media Travel & Tourism Category

Tourism Innovation Summit

Innovation Award

Runner-Up for Visit Real Cities metaverse project

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Senior Leadership

President and CEO

Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer

Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer/ Chief Financial Officer

Senior Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

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CHARLENE LOPEZ GREGORY NEGAS PIERCE SHERETHA BELL CYNTHIA MOKOTOFF ANDREW WILSON

PHOLETA ALEXANDER

Vice President, Technology and Facilities

KRISTIN DELAHUNT

Vice President, Destination Services

HEATHER KIRKSEY

Vice President, Public Relations, Corporate Events and Membership

Vice President, Sales

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JASON LUSK

2023 Board of Directors

Officers

Chair, Board of Directors and Executive Committee

Bob Somers

SVP, Global Sales

Delta Air Lines

Vice Chair, Advisory board

Kris Reinhard

Partner

Fifth Group Restaurants, Inc.

Vice Chair

Ron Tarson

General Manager

Westin Peachtree Plaza

Vice Chair

Chair, Finance & Human Resource Committee

Stan Wilson

Managing Partner

Elarbee, Thompson, Sapp & Wilson

LLP

Vice Chair

Chair, Board Cultivation

Leona Barr-Davenport

President

Atlanta Business League

Treasurer Chair, Atlanta Convention Marketing Fund Committee

Ken Bernhardt

Regents Professor of Marketing

Emeritus

Georgia State University

Secretary Chair, Compensation Plan and CEO

Contract Committee

Erica Qualls-Battey

General Manager

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Executive Committee

Teri Agosta

General Manager

Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Ed Baker

Executive in Residence

Georgia State University

Karen Bremer

CEO

Georgia Restaurant Association

Debby Cannon Director, Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality

Georgia State University

Daryl Evans Consultant

Hector Gallardo

Vice President, National Sales

The Coca-Cola Company

Sharon Goldmacher President communications21

Sheffield Hale President & CEO

Atlanta History Center / Margaret

Mitchell House

Brad Koeneman

General Manager

Hilton Atlanta

George McKerrow, Jr. Co-Owner

Ted’s Montana Grill

Derrick Morrow

General Manager

Hyatt Regency Atlanta

Nancy Oswald Co-Owner/Director of Marketing

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Frank Poe

Executive Director

Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Ramon Reyes

General Manager

Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center

Derek Schiller President, Business Atlanta Braves

Alexis Scott Board member

Steve Smith Sr. Consultant Pendleton Group

Armand Vari Partner

Jacoby Dev. Inc.

Dexter Warrior

Principal & COO

T. Dallas Smith & Co.

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Board of Directors

Cynthia Alford

Managing Director

Destination South Meetings & Events

Natalee Anderson

Director, Private Events & Tours Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Joselyn Baker President Grady Health Foundation

Deisha Barnett Vice President, Strategic Communications UPS

Ken Baye Co-owner Stoddard’s Guns

Kimberly Beaudin CEO Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame

M. Brian Blake

President Georgia State University

Andrew Chang

Executive Director of Marketing & Outreach

Summit CityMD

Pinky Cole CEO & Founder

Slutty Vegan ATL and Philanthropist

Tony Conway, CMP Founder & CEO

Legendary Events

Dan Corso

President Atlanta Sports Council

Tim Dahlen

General Manager

The Candler Hotel

Brian Davis President & CEO Georgia Aquarium

Dennis DeLoatch

Executive Vice President & General Manager

Carey Atlanta Executive Limousine & Transportation

Ayo Taylor Dixon

Sr. Associate Athletic Director GA Tech Athletics Association

Jennifer Dorian President & CEO Public Broadcasting Atlanta

Dr. Meredith Evans Director

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum

Alex Gonzalez Chief Innovation Officer Metro Atlanta Chamber

John Grant, Jr. Executive Director Celebration Bowl

Kevin Green President & CEO Midtown Alliance

Jo Ann Herold President Herold Consulting

Robert Hope President

Hope - Beckham, Inc.

Sean Hyslop President Sysco Atlanta

Mark Jaronski

Deputy Commissioner, Explore Georgia

Georgia Department of Economic Development

Richard Jones President Presenting Atlanta

Anne Hydrick Kaiser Vice President, Community and Economic Development Georgia Power

Julia Lauria

Vice President, Athlete Branding SportsTrust

David Malone Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Gas South

Brian P. McGowan President Centennial Yards

John Metz CEO & Co-Founder Sterling Spoon Management Services

Mercedes Miller Executive Director GICC

Peter Moraitakis

Senior Vice President & COO United Distributors, Inc.

Stan Morrell Sr. Vice President, Entertainment & Special Events Stone Mountain Park

Adam Noyes Senior Vice President Proof of the Pudding

Eric O’Brien Partner Jackson Spalding

Mark O’Brien President & CEO LakePoint Sports Robert Patterson President CityLife Development Partners

Frank Phair VP of Operations, Hotels Legacy Ventures

Fred Rich CEO

CTN Global Chauffeured Transportation

A.J. Robinson President Central Atlanta Progress

David Rubinger Publisher Atlanta Business Chronicle

Andrew Saltzman

Executive Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer

Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena

Bob Schuler Vice President

Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart

Kris Shea

Vice President, Business Development Juice Studios

Kelvin Slater Owner Slater Hospitality

Jim Sprouse

Executive Director Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association

John Stephenson Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Special Projects Chick-fil-A, Inc.

Amber Stewart Director of Marketing CentraArchy Restaurant Group

Gary Stokan President and CEO Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Pat Upshaw-Monteith President and CEO Leadership Atlanta

Dan Vargas CEO

Dortch Vargas Amigos

Allan Vella President Fox Theatre

John Woodward Vice President, Global Commerce Metro Atlanta Chamber

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24 Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 2023 Annual Report Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau 233 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, GA 30303 DiscoverAtlanta.com @DiscoverAtlanta

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