Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism Annual Report 2013 2014

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MIDLANDS AUTHORITY FOR CONVENTIONS, SPORTS & TOURISM

FISCAL YEAR 2013-2014

ANNUAL REPORT


Mission Statements

MIDLANDS AUTHORITY FOR CONVENTIONS, SPORTS & TOURISM

Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism The Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism’s mission is to strengthen the area’s economy by promoting tourism in the region through active recruitment of new meetings, conventions, leisure travel and sporting events and by enhancing existing tourism through exceptional customer service. Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau The mission of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau is to strengthen the area’s economy by marketing and selling the region, it’s accommodations, meeting facilities, restaurants, facilities and attractions as a premier destination for meetings, conventions, tradeshows, special events and leisure travel and by working cooperatively with the hospitality community providing informative materials and assistive services that enhance and promote the desired image of the metropolitan area. Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center The mission of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center is to provide a first-class venue offering superior operations management and state-of-the-science amenities for the successful coordination of meetings, conventions, tradeshows, entertainment and other special events utilizing the facility; enhancing the economic viability and image of the area. Columbia Regional Sports Council The mission of the Columbia Regional Sports Council is to strengthen the area’s economy by marketing and selling the area’s economy by marketing and selling the region as a premier destination for sporting events, partnering with local sports organizations to grow and develop existing events, and by recruiting new events which provide an economic benefit to the region by generating room nights, food and beverage sales and associated tax revenues.


Dear Community Partners and Stakeholders, I am excited to share the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism FY 2013-2014 Annual Report. I have been a part of the Midlands Authority family for many years as a hotelier, board member, and now as President & CEO. Our entire organization is focused on increasing the economic impact tourism has on the Columbia region. This annual report will showcase some of the highlights of FY 13-14 – from the Columbia Regional Sports Council booking a record number of sporting events into our community to the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center achieving a banner year in revenue generated, to the Convention & Visitors Bureau rolling out a cooperative advertising program to showcase and benefit our hospitality partners throughout the region. The community’s brand, The New Southern Hot Spot, and our Famously Hot marketing campaign are going strong after six full years of educating our customers and community ambassadors about the benefits of visiting or meeting in the Columbia region. And there is much more on the horizon. With the growing number of restaurants, shops, hotels, and the increasing quality of our attractions, we are positioned for success. Our team continues to develop new and exciting ways to promote our assets around the region to visitors and increase the overall impact tourism has on this rapidly growing community. FY 13-14 was a strong year for tourism in our region, and I look forward to partnering with you as we forge ahead. Warm Regards, Bill Ellen President & CEO


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THE COLUMBIA REGION WELCOMES

MILLION VISITORS ANNUALLY

MAKING TOURISM A

BILLION DOLLAR

INDUSTRY FOR THIS COMMUNITY


CONTENTS COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

7

COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION CENTER

9

COLUMBIA REGIONAL SPORTS COUNCIL

11

MIDLANDS AUTHORITY MARKETING

13

MIDLANDS AUTHORITY MEDIA RELATIONS

15


Festivals

Dining

Columbia Metropolitan Airport

Outdoor Sports

Attractions


COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN

CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 5%

HOSTED ATTENDEES

MEETING SCOPE

100,000

80,000

9%

60,000

40,000

FY 10–11

FY 11–12

FY 12–13

Statewide Conference Statewide Conference

9%

40%

23%

20,000

0

5%

23%

National

40%

National

Local Conference w/room nights Local Conference w/room nights

Southeast/Regional Southeast/Regional

FY 13–14

23%

Attendees (from CVB generated bookings) Assisted Attendees (additional attendees serviced)

23%

International

International

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

ECONOMIC IMPACT

$18,140,571

DIRECT SPENDING

Convention expenditures, hotel, conference, meeting venue, etc.

+

$7.4 MILLION

INDIRECT SPENDING

additional food/beverage, retail, recreation, etc.

Last year the CVB took the Columbia, SC message to 13 industry trade shows that involved state, regional, and national meeting planners. In addition, the CVB also hosted client events in Charlotte and Atlanta, promoting the Columbia SC region to conference planners and decision makers.

2,072

2- Pie chart/ title: Meeting Scope regional, national, etc. % of events (could do # of events w/ total regional, national) International Conference: 5% National Conference: 23% 2- Pie chart/ Regional 9% title: Meeting Scope Statewide Conference: 40% etc. regional, national, Local Conference w/ room nights: 23%

115 CONTRACTED EVENTS

% of events (could do # of events w/ total regional, national) International Conference: 5% National Conference: 23% Regional 9% Statewide Conference: 40% Local Conference w/ room nights: 23%

RESULTING IN 25,982 ROOM NIGHTS

KEY EVENTS July 2013 & June 2014

Watchtower Jehovah Witness Conventions

28,000 Attendees

10,000+ Rooms

June 2014

Special Forces Association International Convention

1,100 Attendees

1,500+ Rooms

June 2014

Miss SC Pageant

2,000 Attendees

1,500+ Rooms

Sept. 2013

American Nuclear Society

400 Attendees

900+ Rooms

Sept. 2013

Society of Ultrasound in Medical Education

1,000 Attendees

600+ Rooms

COLUMBIA REGIONAL

VISITORS CENTER

3,962 WEBSITE INQUIRIES

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World Beer Festival

FLW Forest Wood Cup

Palmetto Health Bow Tie Record


COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN

CONVENTION CENTER NUMBER OF EVENTS PER MARKET SEGMENT

13 6 6 13 2929 3535 5252

Religious

NET SALES 2,500,000

Religious

Sports

2,000,000

Sports

99 99

(15weddings/14 weddings/14 Private) Social(15 Private) Social

Government Government

92 92

Education Education Association/Non-profit

Association/Non-profit

1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 0

FY 10–11

FY 11–12

FY 12–13

FY 13–14

Corporate

Corporate

HOSTED ATTENDEES 1- # of contracted events 326 (pie chart, as well as a call out)

1- # of contracted 326 (pie chart, as well as a call out) Of theevents 326 accounts contracted:

99 Corporate 30% REACHED ONE MILLION VISITORS IN 2011 92 Association/Non-Profit 29%

Of the 326 accounts contracted: 52 Education 99 Corporate 30% 16% 35 Government 11% 92 Association/Non-Profit 29% 29 Social 8% (Should we break this down to show 15 were weddings and 14 Private?) 52 Education 16% 13 Sports 4% 35 Government 6 Religious 11% 2% 29 Social 8% (Should we break this down to show 15 were weddings and 14 Private?) 13 Sports 4% 6 Religious 2%

2 MILLION TOTAL VISITORS BY 2015

FY 10–11 FY 11–12 FY 12–13 FY 13–14 0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

NOTABLE CONFERENCES HELD IN FY 13–14 Southern Gas Assoc. 2014 National Spring Gas Conference & Expo

450 attendees

SC State Law Enforcement Division 2013 Criminal Justice Information Services Conference Pure Fishing 2014 North American National Sales Meeting SC Highway Engineers 2014 Annual Conference Rockwell Automation 2013 On-The-Move National Conference 2nd World Congress on Ultrasound in Medical Education

400 attendees 8.4 – 8.6.13 275 attendees 675 attendees 200 attendees 415 attendees

3.17 – 3.20.14

4.28 – 5.2.14 3.24 – 3.26.14 8.12 – 8.15.13 9.26 – 9.29.13

326 CONTRACTED EVENTS

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USMC Ultimate Challenge Mud Run

Run Hard Columbia Marathon

The Color Run Columbia

SCHSL Basketball State Finals

Spring Training on the Broad River

UCF War of the Stars


COLUMBIA REGIONAL

SPORTS COUNCIL BOOKED EVENT ATTENDEES

BOOKED EVENTS

200,000

80 70

150,000

60 100,000

50 40 30

50,000

FY 11–12

FY 12–13

FY 13–14

0

FY 11–12

FY 12–13

FY 13–14

ECONOMIC IMPACT FY 11–12

FY 12–13

FY 13–14

$2,249,625

$4,970,575

$12,485, 698

EVENT ECONOMIC IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS 2013 Palmetto Capital City Classic

$600,442

2013 Classes AAA & AAAA Football State Finals 2013-14 SCHSL Basketball State Finals 2013 USMC Ultimate Challenge Mud Run (Fall) 2014 UCF War of the Stars 2014 Run Hard Columbia Marathon

$586,604 $537,300 $409,936 $376,655 $231,229

CONTRACTED ROOMS

11,905 11


www.ColumbiaCVB.com

:30 TV Spot

Print Ad Campaign targeting meeting planners & sports event organizers

2014 Official Visitors Guide

Web Banner Ads

Hot Spot Billboards

Mobile Site

Southern Living Print Ad


MIDLANDS AUTHORITY

MARKETING COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU Experience Columbia, SC: 57,992 likes as of 6.30.14 – 12% increase over FY 12–13 @columbiasc: 30,081 followers as of 6.30.14 – 30% increase WEBSITE: • Website traffic to columbiacvb.com from twitter.com increased 137% from FY 13–14 • Organic traffic increased 27.5% • Overall web traffic increased 28% • 1,098,942 total sessions • 814,142 users coming from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Texas, California, New York and Pennsylvania (Top 10 Locations).

COLUMBIA METROPOLITAN CONVENTION CENTER Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center: 6,481 likes – 37% increase over FY 12–13

@ColumbiaMCC: 774 followers – 64% increase WEBSITE: • 86,672 sessions/visits • 60,830 users

PAID SPACE ADVERTISING OUTLETS PRINT BILLBOARD/OUTDOOR DIGITAL TELEVISION SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

• Organic was over 50% of traffic • Facebook in top 10 referral traffic

COLUMBIA REGIONAL SPORTS COUNCIL Columbia Regional Sports Council: 1,159 likes – 18% increase over FY 12–13 @CRSportsCouncil: 653 followers – 54% increase WEBSITE: • 4,778 landing page visits • Organic traffic 64%

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A visit to Charleston and Columbia, S.C., turns up much more than just great barbecue City Market and Drayton Hall are must-sees in Charleston, while the State House, The Oak Table and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden are Columbia highlights BY STAN SAGNER / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2014, 2:00 AM

4th of July Getaways Every American MUST Take From unforgettable fireworks displays to the nation's oldest continuous 4th of July celebration, you won't want to miss these exciting Independence Day events happening around the country. By Kaeli Conforti, Wednesday, Jun 25, 2014, 6:00 PM | Subscribe to the magazine

1.

CHARLESTON AREA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU Drayton Hall, a former plantation in Charleston, S.C., is the oldest surviving example of Georgian architecture in the country.

The first thing New Yorkers may notice when visiting South Carolina is “the nod.” Coming from the Big Apple, where direct eye contact with a stranger can be a provocative act, you discover that, down there, it’s just good manners. Wherever you go, you’re greeted with a disarming nod and often a warm smile. It gives a good sense of what a trip to this Southern state has to offer. My visit to the cities of Charleston and Columbia initially began as a search for “Yellow Gold,” South Carolina’s famous variety of mustard-laced BBQ, but I quickly discovered a whole lot more.

Columbia, South Carolina, has plenty of events planned for the week of June 28th thru July 4th including the Lake Murray Patriotic Boat Parade, Torchlight Tattoo and Fireworks at Fort Jackson, BBQ & Blues at Irmo Community Park, and the South Carolina Philharmonic Patriotic Music Concert. (Sean Pavone/Dreamstime.com)

The courtyard of the Zero George Street Hotel in Charleston, S.C.

CHARLESTON

The Lexington County Peach Festival in Columbia, South Carolina, turns 56 this year with a morning parade, more than 1,000 Fried Chicken Banh Mi sandwich, from Butcher & Bee in Charleston, S.C.

arts and crafts on display, live performances, an antique car parade, and of course, fireworks. Don't miss the chance to chow down on delicious peach ice cream cobbler, teas, and other peachy products. (Courtesy Robin McCartha)

New York Daily News/Feb. 2014

Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel/June 2014

Men's Journal/Nov. 2013

Woodrow Wilson's Columbia, South Carolina Home Reopening To Public | by MEG KINNARD Posted: 02/15/2014 2:50 pm EST Updated: 02/15/2014 2:59 pm EST

South Carolina travel musts for children PHIL RABY, SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014 12:00 AM EST

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After nearly a decade of renovations, the South Carolina home where President Woodrow Wilson lived as a teenager is reopening to the public as a museum not only about the politician but also the Reconstruction Era. On Saturday, to kick off Presidents Day weekend, visitors will once again be able to see the home where the 28th president of the United States moved at age 13 and spent his teenage years. Wilson's father taught at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Columbia and was minister at First Presbyterian Church, where Wilson's father, mother and sister are all buried. The villa-style home built in 1871 is one of four historic sites for Wilson — along with his birthplace in Stanton, Va.; a home in Augusta, Ga., where he grew up; and the Washington, D.C., home where he lived after his time as president — and is South Carolina's only presidential site. Saved from demolition in 1928 after residents protested, the historic home in downtown Columbia closed its doors and grounds to the public in 2005 when plaster fell from the ceiling in some of the downstairs rooms and water damage to the home's foundation became evident. "Rather than just start pulling out artifacts from those rooms that were affected, we decided to go ahead and close the whole site," said John Sherrer, director of cultural resources at Historic Columbia, which maintains the property. The $3.6 million project to restore the home, which is owned by Richland County, was funded through tax money and private donations. During the nearly decade-long closure, Historic Columbia spent that time doing a historic analysis, which determined details like the blueprint of the home when the Wilsons lived in it and what had been added and closed up in the decades since.

Associated Press/The Huffinton Post/ Feb. 2014

A prehistoric megalodon shark greets visitors at the Columbia State Museum in Columbia, S.C. PHIL RABY/TripsWithKids.ca/Special to QMI Agency Article If you've been to one children's museum, you've been to them all, right? The giant building blocks, the pretend fire trucks and the pint-sized shopping carts filled with plastic foods. But unless you've visited the EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, you haven't seen anything yet. What makes this museum so special is immediately evident the moment you walk through the front doors. That's when you'll come face-to-foot with EDDIE, the museum's centrepiece and world's largest plastic child. Standing 12 metres tall and weighing nearly 18 tonnes, EDDIE is made of reinforced, molded plastic and is large enough for adults and children to climb in and through. Visitors can climb his spine up to the brain, crawl through his heart, bounce on his stomach contents and eventually slide out his, um, intestines. Best of all, Eddie is also a barrier-free exhibit to allow people of all abilities to explore his enormous exterior and insides. Our 10-year-old daughter was extremely reluctant to leave Eddie behind and we had to promise to return again before our visit was over. Beyond the massive 10-year-old and his accessible innards, visitors can also investigate the rest of the museum, including a butterfly garden, a 10-metre-high tower made from recycled materials and Maker Works, a place where only the imagination limits what you can invent and create with glowing blocks and limitless craft supplies. Of course, for traditionalists, the EdVenture Children' Museum does also have the aforementioned fire truck, kids' grocery store and spongy building blocks, but there is a whole lot more to experience for the 12 and under set. And if parents and older children need something a little more stimulating, the South Carolina State Museum is literally a stone's throw away.

The Toronto Sun/Jan. 2014 Southern Living/Nov. 2013


MIDLANDS AUTHORITY

MEDIA RELATIONS

One way the Midlands Authority strives to live out its mission is through public and media relations efforts. We promote the Columbia region on regional, national and international platforms through pitching story ideas and hosting members of the media from all over the world. Detailed below are major stories our team has garnered and all media trips we helped to facilitate in the past year.

NOTABLE COVERAGE PUBLICATION

ARTICLE TITLE

DATE

Men’s Journal

“The South’s Secret Adventure Town: Columbia, South Carolina”

Nov. 2013

Southern Living The Toronto Sun New York Daily News

“Next Great Neighborhood: Columbia’s Main Street” “South Carolina Travel Musts for Children” “A Visit to Charleston and Columbia, S.C., Turns Up Much More Than Just Great Barbecue” “Woodrow Wilson’s Columbia, South Carolina Home Reopening to Public” “4th of July Getaways Every American MUST Take”

Nov. 2013 Jan. 2014 Feb. 2014

Associated Press/ The Huffington Post Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel

Feb. 2014 June 2014

MEDIA TRIPS & FAMS DATE

HOSTED VISITOR/WRITER

PUBLICATION

TRAVELED FROM

Aug. 2013

Chris Leadbeater

London, England

Aug. 2013 Oct. 2013 Dec. 2013 Jan. 2014

Phil Raby Jessica Stringer Stan Sagner Mary Kong DeVito

National Geographic Traveller UK The Toronto Sun Southern Living New York Daily News Girl Meets Food

Jan. 2014

Adam Roberts

The Amateur Gourmet

Los Angeles, California

Apr. 2014 May 2014

Wendy Parsons PR Firm-Fahlgren Mortine: Marty McDonald, Leslie Holbrook & Meghann Naveau Hanna Raskin

The Daily Star

London, England Columbus, Ohio

The Post & Courier

Charleston, SC

June 2014

Toronto, Canada Birmingham, Alabama New York, New York Washington, DC

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