LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
Looking back over FY23, I feel more grateful than ever to work with Cobb Travel & Tourism’s community partners Their dedication and resilience have kept Cobb’s tourism industry strong and healthy
Tourism’s strength is seen in the numbers Tourism in Cobb had an economic impact of $2.4 billion, a 9% increase year-over-year, and supported more than 18,000 jobs. Each Cobb County household would need to be taxed an additional $726 per year to replace taxes generated by tourism activity. Tourism remains our county’s number one industry.
There are many highlights from FY23 showcased in this Annual Report, but a key highlight was a new funding agreement with Cobb County that ensures tourism remains a priority throughout the county. Thank you to the Board of Commissioners for your investment in our organization and industry
Looking ahead, I am excited to share that Cobb Travel & Tourism is beginning a new chapter and moving to the 300 Galleria Building, Suite 1850 This new location highlights Cobb’s hospitality advantages The panoramic views will allow clients and guests to see the many incredible assets that Cobb has to offer. I would be remiss if I did not thank the Cobb Galleria Centre for being CT&T’s wonderful home for more than 25 years.
One special feature of our new space will be the community room which is named after our 2023 Hospitality Hero, Jim Rhoden. Jim has consistently supported CT&T, the hospitality industry, and the community. You can see his fingerprints on many of the organizations and accomplishments that make our community great.
In closing, I want to thank the CT&T Board of Directors for their leadership and support. To our partners and sponsors, thank you for your investment.
Cobb Travel & Tourism, the Cobb Sports Allianc Cobb Arts VIBE, and Film Cobb look forward to continuing to support you as we all work to elevate tourism and hospitality in every part of Cobb
All the Best,
HOLLY A. QUINLAN PRESIDENT & CEO
TOURISM’S ECONOMIC IMPACT
Cobb Travel & Tourism plays a vital role in the economic development process for our community. When a new company comes to Cobb County, hospitality is the welcome mat. We work closely with Cobb County, Select Cobb, and all our partners to ensure we maximize our impact and put our best foot forward.
Each Cobb household would need to be taxed an additional $726 per year to replace taxes generated by tourism economic activity.
18,219
$2.4Billion $209Million in Economic Impact Jobs Supported in State and Local Taxes
In FY23, Average Daily Rates (ADR) skyrocketed past 2019 benchmarks as business groups and conventions steadily came back to Cobb The Atlanta Braves produced another great baseball season, and compression from Atlanta into Cobb County continued to grow. ADRs in Cobb are healthy and competitive when compared to other major submarkets.
133 HOTELS
14,486 HOTEL ROOMS
MEET IN COBB
By serving as a one-stop shop for local tourism interests, Cobb Travel & Tourism offers planning assistance and up-to-date information on activities, services, and facilities for meetings and convention planners, tour operators, and visitors In 2023, we expanded our event services capabilities and ramped up our lead generations, surpassing 2019 benchmarks and FY23 goals.
$45,836,879
SNAPSHOT OF EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN FY23
Cobb’s diverse amenities and world-class venues continue to attract events of all sizes to the area. In 2023, CT&T’s group sales team worked diligently to bring in new events such as the National Association for Family Child Care, Gypsum Management GMS Expo, and Gentle Giant Music Ministries
CHECK OUT A FEW OF THE KEY EVENTS CT&T’S GROUP SALES TEAM SECURED IN COBB:
AnimeWeekendAtlanta
BestPracticesExpo
CaribouMediaGroup
GentleGiantMusicMinistries
GeorgiaAcademyofFamilyPhysicians
GypsumManagement&SupplyExpo
HolderConstruction
InternationalBiomass
NationalAssoc.forFamilyChildCare
PanAfricanYouthLeadership
PawnExpo
SertaSimmonsBedding,LLC
SoutheastCommunityOwners
SoutheasternShowTravelersAssoc.
TAPPITappicon
TRIBGroup
DID YOU KNOW THAT COBB HOSTS THE LARGEST ANIME CONVENTION IN THE SOUTHEAST, THE WORLD'S LARGEST KNIFE SHOW, AND THE LARGEST SHOE MARKET IN THE COUNTRY?
COBB SPORTS ALLIANCE
The Cobb Sports Alliance (CSA) partners with more than 60 of Cobb's sports leaders to bring athletes and their families from across the world to compete in Cobb. In FY23, the CSA team traveled to 14 trade shows across the country, soliciting sporting events ranging from classic balls and bats to motocross and mixed martial arts. With experience hosting high-caliber events such as the Super Bowl and MLB World Series, the community is well-equipped to manage sporting events and keep spectators entertained when the games are finished.
131
SECURED DEFINITE MEETINGS
$143,939,829
177 LEADS GENERATED ROOM NIGHTS CONTRACTED TOTAL ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT*
BASEBALL'S
407,736 PARTICIPANTS & SPECTATORS
79,670
NOW PLAYING IN COBB
BASEBALL • BASKETBALL • BMX • CHEERLEADING • DRAGON BOAT
ESPORTS FISHING • FOOTBALL • GOLF • GRAPPLING • GYMNASTICS
JET SKI • KICKBALL LACROSSE • MIXED MARTIAL ARTS • MOTOCROSS
MOUNTAIN BIKING • PENTATHLON ROAD RACE/RUNNING • RUGBY
SKATEBOARDING • SOCCER • SOFTBALL • SPIKEBALL TAEKWONDO
TENNIS • VOLLEYBALL • WAKEBOARD • WRESTLING
ADAPTIVE SPORTS
ARCHERY • GOALBALL • SWIMMING • TRACK & FIELD
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL • BEEP BASEBALL
* Sports the CSA worked with in FY23 *
CHECK OUT OUR SWEET STATS:
100+
Million Sq. Ft. of space dedicated to sports
Trillion Gallons of water available for sports
166+
1.4+ Miles of Trails available for biking & running
MARKETING
Cobb Travel & Tourism continued to stay ahead of the curve in FY23 by redesigning and refreshing the website homepage, writing six new evergreen blog articles, and installing a new software called AudioEye to put a major focus on equal web accessibility for everyone.
273,033
WEBSITE USERS
TOP 5 STATES
WEBSITE GEOREACH
324,398
467,891
WEBSITE SESSIONS WEB PAGE VIEWS
DEMOGRAPHICS
LET’S GET SOCIAL
159,000 SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS
7,155
INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS
FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS 14,460 TIKTOK FOLLOWERS
4,413
2,295 X FOLLOWERS
909
LINKEDIN FOLLOWERS
10,899 ENEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
TOP BLOGS BY CLICKS
TOTALINCREASEIN FOLLOWERS
ADVERTISING
TOP MEDIA MENTIONS
15 Best Places to Visit in Georgia
Publication: Travel + Leisure
Media Type: Digital Reach: 14 Million
Date: 5/10/23
25 Must-Try Atlanta Restaurants
Publication: Southern Living
Media Type: Digital
UMV: 15 Million
Date: 6/28/23
The Best Attractions in Atlanta
Publication: Time Out Atlanta
Media Type: Digital
Reach: 18 Million
Date: 2/21/23
In FY23, Cobb Travel & Tourism & its programs were mentioned 102 times by media This had a potential reach of 843 million and $7.74 million ad value equivalency.
$7.74M AD VALUE EQUIVALENCY
EXPEDIA I October 2022 - April 2023
Cobb Travel and Tourism leveraged $100,000 investment into $26 Million in hotel revenue
3,945,336 IMPRESSIONS
13.7K ROOM NIGHTS $2.6M GROSS BOOKINGS
GOOGLE ADS I Year-Round
New visitors were driven to travelcobb.org by strategically focusing on keywords such as "things to do near Atlanta this weekend."
61,998 IMPRESSIONS
5,230 CLICKS 8.44% CTR
SOCIAL MEDIA ADS I Year-Round
In FY23, $10,000 was spent in social media advertising to promote community initiatives, itineraries, and blogs The average cost per click was $.09.
1,947,981 IMPRESSIONS
114,774 CLICKS 5.89% CTR
REGIONAL CAMPAIGN I Year-Round
Cobb Travel and Tourism’s messaging reached beyond state borders, targeting key markets within a 300 mile driving range.
RADIO BROADCAST I April 2023 - October 2023
In FY23, Cobb Travel & Tourism worked with 680 The Fan to develop attention-grabbing radio ads that captured the diversity of Cobb’s cities and attractions More than 28,000 radio spots aired across the entire Braves Radio network, reaching Atlanta Braves fans around the Southeast. These 30-second ads also received 700,000 impressions on the Braves Radio Network Podcast.
COBB ARTS VIBE
Since 2018, Cobb Arts VIBE has worked to amplify the arts in Cobb by forming a collective vision for Cobb's creative community. In FY23, Cobb Arts VIBE continued to facilitate invaluable connections between organizations from all areas of the arts in Cobb and acted as a critical resource for education, engagement, and awareness
COBBUNITY
Launched in FY23, “Cobbunity” was created to celebrate Cobb’s diverse visitors, residents, and tourism assets Cobbunity.org is the hub for inclusive events, accessible attractions, and sensory-friendly spots. The Cobbunity Changemaker Award recognizes those that further Cobb’s inclusivity, equity, and celebrations of diversity.
FILM COBB
Multiple strikes brought the film industry to a halt for much of 2023. Even so, CT&T responded to 60+ location requests, showcasing all parts of the county. Cobb’s downtowns, courthouses, jails, ballrooms, and private residences continued to be popular settings for blockbusters like Bad Boys 4 and Places, Please.
COBB FOODIE WEEK
In FY23, 56 restaurants across Cobb County offered meal deals' during Cobb Foodie Week, making it the largest restaurant week in metro Atlanta. Ten influencers were enlisted to cover 18 restaurants. Their posts had 2,361 engagements and reached 39,598 people 2,023 visitors and residents signed up for a digital pass
19,580 19,580
WEB PAGE VIEWS
HOLIDAYS IN COBB
216,314 216,314 AD IMPRESSIONS 335 335 PASS CHECK-INS 56% moredigital sign-ups
HolidaysInCobbcom serves as Cobb County’s festive headquarters, featuring information on Christmas light displays, visits with Santa, and seasonal events. In 2022, we collaborated with Hyatt House Atlanta Galleria, Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta Ballet, and Sports & Social to offer a Holiday Getaway Giveaway for one lucky family of four
28,908 28,908
WEB PAGE VIEWS
398,150 398,150 AD IMPRESSIONS
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
1,663 1,663 GIVEAWAY ENTRIES
The sixth annual Cobb Hospitality Outlook brought more than 115 Cobb hospitality representatives together to gain insight on economic development trends for the coming year. Speakers included:
Dr. Roger Tutterow, Kennesaw State University
Dr. Leonard Jackson, Kennesaw State University
Lauren Abernethy, Braves Development Company
Stephanie Cox, Cobb Chamber
Jeremy Gilston, R.M. Woodworth & Associates
BUBBLES & BREWS
For the fourth year, Cobb County raised a glass to the thriving beverage scene during Bubbles & Brews, Cobb's Craft Beverage Month. In FY23, 18 participating breweries, wineries, and distilleries handed out 2,500 physical BrewPasses. 739 suds-lovers signed up for a digital pass and 281 redeemed their passes for prizes!
19,731
WEB PAGE VIEWS
AD IMPRESSIONS
427
102,459 PASS CHECK-INS
2023 BEST OF BUBBLES & BREWS WINNERS:
BestBubbles&BrewsBeverage:GloverParkBrewery–FrozenOrangeCreamsicle
BestFlagshipBeverage:DryCountyBrewing–DryCountyIPA
MostCreativeBeverageName:BrokenAnchorWinery–TipsyLeprechaun
BestPatioVibes:SkintChestnutBrewingCompany
BestLiveMusic:RedHare–TheStillonTheSquare
SweetestGameSpot:SchoolhouseBrewing
MostLikelyToGetYouIntoAnUberorLyft:LazyGuyDistillery
MostInstagrammable:GloverParkBrewery
MostLikelyToMakeYourFacebookFriendsJealous:RedTopBrewhouse
MostKid-Friendly:SchoolhouseBrewing
MostDog-Friendly:RedHareBrewing&Distilling
SweetestBrewTeam:RedTopBrewhouse
first look at the “Cobbunity” campaign, and a presentation of the Spot-On Awards for exceptional support of Cobb Travel & Tourism and the hospitality community
HOTEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR
HyattHouseAtlanta/CobbGalleria
RESTAURANT PARTNER OF THE YEAR
PieBar
ATTRACTION PARTNER OF THE YEAR
TheMariettaHistoryCenter
EVENT OF THE YEAR
BringingtheSeatotheSpringsFestival
COBB SPORTS ALLIANCE EVENT OF THE YEAR
TheBigPeachSlamJamWheelchairBasketballTournament
HOSPITALITY HERO OF THE YEAR
ConnieSutherland-GonewiththeWindMuseum
FY23 OPERATIONS BUDGET
Since its inception, Cobb Travel & Tourism has managed its budget efficiently and effectively, always with a strategic eye toward the future The FY23 Budget ran from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.
Operating Revenues
FAVORABLE TO BUDGET BY 8.4%
$3,506,958.89 $4,390,404.42 $883,445.53
Operating Expenses
FAVORABLE TO BUDGET BY 13.41%
Net Income
SAVINGS USED TO HELP SUPPORT FUTURE COMMITMENTS
