C en t r al Penn sylvania Co nven t i o n & Vi s i to r s Bure au
Annual Report F IS C AL YEAR 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4
2013-2014 CPCVB Annual Report LETTER FROM THE board president and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR On behalf of your Board of Directors, we are proud to share with you the Central PA Convention and Visitors Bureau Annual Report, which showcases our accomplishments and progress in marketing Centre County during Fiscal Year 2013-2104. We also celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2013 – 50 years of marketing and growing travel spending in Centre County! But we didn’t accomplish this growth alone. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and commitment to the CPCVB as well as to the Travel and Tourism Industry. We look forward to continuing to work with you to grow travel spending and provide greater value and service to our visitor’s travel experience. Times have changed and we are in the midst of an era that calls for unprecedented collaboration and unites our community partners to tell the world that Centre County is a great place to live, work, visit and play. The CPCVB is on a mission to sell and market the best of our area. By attracting conferences, meetings, sports groups and leisure visitors, we help to infuse more than $654,000,000 into our local economy. Travel and Tourism = Economic Solution and Strength. The travel and tourism industry is a critical economic driver for Centre County and Pennsylvania because it generates tax revenue and creates jobs. We extend our sincere thanks to the Centre County Board of Commissioners and the over 400 members/partners who continue to support our efforts. We pledge to continue our mission to brand and promote Centre County as a premier leisure, sports and business destination. Best regards,
Mike Szczesny Betsey Howell CPCVB Board President Executive Director
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Marketing YOU!
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Marketing YOU! What’s NEW?
Centre County is First to Launch Google Virtual Area Guide in Pennsylvania Google Virtual Area Guide connects local businesses to give visitors a 360 degree view of their facilities. A total of 51 businesses jumped on board to showcase their locations. There have been nearly 3,000 views since the launch of the Google Virtual Area Guide.
VisitPennState’s Fun Pass and Visitor Guide Now Digital In response to a growing demand, the 2014 Central PA Visitors Guide and 2014-2015 Central Pennsylvania Fun Pass both became available online during 2014. The digital edition of the Visitor Guide launched in January 2014 and has received over 3,000 unique views. The Fun Pass digital edition launched in June 2014 with 140 unique views in the first month alone.
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Marketing YOU! Who is Our Visitor Target Market?
Top 10 States on VisitPennState:
Where Are They Coming From?
1. Pennsylvania 2. New York 3. New Jersey 4. Virginia 5. Maryland 6. Ohio 7. Florida 8. California 9. Michigan 10. Massachusetts
Top 10 Cities on VisitPennState: 1. State College, PA 2. Philadelphia, PA 3. New York, NY 4. Altoona, PA 5. Pittsburgh, PA 6. Scott Township, PA (Allegheny County) 7. Paulsboro, NJ 8. Lancaster, PA 9. Bowling Green, OH 10. Alexandria, VA 5
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Marketing YOU! What Device Are They Using to Find Us? 60.83% Desktop/Laptop Computer (73.23% in 2012-2013) 26.54% Mobile (17.62% in 2012-2013) 12.63% Tablet (9.15% in 2012-2013)
When Are They Online?
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Marketing YOU! VisitPennState.org
Performance 301,239 Website Visitors (269,433 in 2012-2013)
11.8% increase
1,001,827 Page Views (927,729 in 2012-2013)
7.9% increase
3.33 Pages/Session (3.44 Pages/Session in 2012-2013)
00:02:53 Average Visit Duration (00:03:04 in 2012-2013)
Top 10 most visited pages on VisitPennState 1. Home Page 2. Hotels 3. Activities 4. Calendar of Events 5. Attractions
6. Lodging Availability 7. Events 8. Restaurants 9. Family Attractions 10. State College, PA
Social Media Influence Facebook: 10,404 (9,189 fans in 2012-2013) Twitter: 926 (750 followers in 2012-2013) Pinterest: 164 followers
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Marketing YOU! Visitor Guide 46,301 Print Guide Requests (51,492 in 2012-2013)
CPCVB advertised with the following publications in 2013-2014:
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24-7 Website
GuestQuest
Recreation News
America’s Best Vacation
Ladies Home Journal
Redbook
Association News
Meetings Focus
Small Market Meetings
Audubon
Oprah
Southern Living
Better Home and Gardens
PA Travel Guide
Sports Events
Family Circle
People
USA Weekend
Great Vacation Getaways
Readers Digest
Where and When
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Marketing YOU! Centre County stories appeared in : ABC News
Group Tour Northeast
Pennsylvania Magazine
Amateur Wrestling News
GuestQuest
Recreation News
American Institute of Economic Research
Hotel Online
Small Market Meetings
Keystone Edge
Sports Event Magazine
Meetings Focus East
Sunshine Artist
Movoto
Thrillest Trekaroo
Bon Appetit Magazine
National Bicycle Dealers Association
Business Insider
National Geographic
USA Today
Buzzfeed
NerdWallet
USA Today Travel
CNN
On the Tee Magazine
VentureBeat
CNN Money
Pennsylvania & Beyond Travel
VisitPA
Frederick Magazine
Pennsylvania Ag Connection
Where & When
Beerfinity Bloomberg Business Week Blue Ridge Outdoors
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Trib-Live
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Marketing YOU! Applicant
Tourism Grant Recipient List
American Philatelic Society
Total Award
Publicity/Marketing
$6,500.00
Marketing
$2,500.00
Capital Improvement
$2,500.00
Center for the Performing Arts
Marketing
$5,000.00
Central PA Festival of the Arts
Marketing
$35,000.00
Art Alliance of Central PA Bellefonte American Legion Baseball
Central PA 4th Fest Marketing $15,000.00 Capital Improvement Centre County Grange Fair
Marketing
$10,000.00
Centre County Historical Society
Marketing
$10,000.00
Capital Improvement
$5,000.00
Centre Region Parks & Recreation Authority
Marketing
$2,500.00
Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania
Marketing
$5,000.00
Downtown State College Improvement District
Marketing
$5,000.00
First Night State College
Marketing
$1,500.00
Friends of the Pennsylvania Military Museum
Marketing
$4,000.00
Historic Bellefonte Inc.
Marketing
$20,000.00
Jazz Pa
Marketing
$2,500.00
Lemont Village Association, Inc.
Marketing
$1,500.00
Music at Penn’s Woods/School of Music
Marketing
$1,500.00
Nittany Valley Symphony
Marketing
$5,000.00
Penn State Centre Stage
Marketing
$5,000.00
The Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra
Marketing
$5,000.00
Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation/ Heritage Days Festival
Marketing $5,000.00
State College Community Theatre
Marketing
$3,500.00
The State Theatre
Marketing
$10,000.00
Centre County Library and Historical Museum
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Type of ProjecT
TOTAL $168,500.00
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Sales Outcomes
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Sales Outcomes 2013-2014 Fiscal Year Sales Meeting / Convention / Sports / Group Tour Business Convention / Sports Sales Leads Tour & Travel Leads Total Leads Convention / Sports Sales Lead Room Nights Tour & Travel Lead Room Nights Total Lead Room Nights Convention / Sports Sales Bookings Tour & Travel Bookings Total Bookings
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2013-2014 2012-2013 109 80 01 13 110 93 45,901 20,944 630 1,366 46,531 22,310 75 58 01 23 76 81
Convention / Sports Sales Booked Room Nights Tour & Travel Booked Room Nights Total Booked Room Nights
29,190 630 29,820
16,532 2,463 18,995
Total Pick Up Room Nights
20,098 18,355
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Sales Outcomes Trade Shows, Hosted Meeting Planner Events - Fam Tour ** Co-op with Regional Partners
AAA Offices – Harrisburg, Hershey ABA** American Bus Association, TN ASA** (Sports) Amateur Softball Association, SC Heartland Travel **, OH Maryland Bus Association MPI (PA Chapter) Meeting Planners International Board Retreat** NASC** (Sports) National Association of Sports Commissions, OK PA Bus Association, Valley Forge. PA PA Meeting Planner Breakfast Bedford Springs, PA
PA Meeting Planner Luncheon Harrisburg, PA PA Park & Rec** – Seven Springs, PA PA Society of Association Executives Trade Show** – Gettysburg, PA PA Welcome Centers-FAM Tour Centre County TEAMS** (Sports) Travel, Events and Management in Sports, UT USSSA** (Sports) United States Specialty Sports Association, FL USOC** (Sports) United State Olympic Committee, CO
Sales Missions/Direct Sales Colorado Springs, CO** Harrisburg-Hershey-Pittsburgh-Washington DC-York
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Membership
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Membership CPCVB Membership Centre County is very fortunate to have businesses that believe in the power of tourism and the economic impact of the tourist dollar. The CPCVB currently has 417 Members and Member Businesses who are investing in promoting tourism to Centre County.
Member Events: In 2013-14, the CVB hosted events to give members networking and educational opportunities: • We celebrated our 50th Anniversary with a reception at Tussey Mountain Resort. The evening recognized our 50 year members. Activities included fun with Wink Photo Booth, Nittany Entertainment provided music, and Richard Benninghoff entertained with magic tricks. • Our e-Learning U offers a wide range of online courses, focusing on topics such as internet marketing, sales, and business growth with an emphasis on the needs of the tourism industry.
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Membership • New and long-time members are encouraged to attend our Quarterly Membership Refresher and New Member Orientations. • Lodging partners continue to receive Front Line Training focusing on frequently asked questions about visiting Centre County. • Penn State University Police along with Penn State Federal Credit Union offered members and the community a free seminar on Identity Theft Prevention.
Community Outreach • Information Specialists from the Front Desk participated in tours of area member businesses • Working with Intern Jay McIntyre, we created a mapping tool for the Central PA CVB/DID Booth at the Arts Festival to track where our visitors are coming from • The Centre County/Penn State Visitors Center hosted students and families as the location for awards for Vocational Mentoring Day. A collaborative project between PSU and school districts in Centre County designed to bring high school students with disabilities into the workplace. • The Central PA CVB sponsored Easter Seals Walk With Me kick-off at the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center. • We partnered with Nittany Lion Radio for live broadcasts from the Centre County / Penn State Visitor Center on PSU home football weekends. • Boy Scouts of America sold popcorn at the Centre County/Penn State Visitors Center during home football games. • The Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center was a drop-off location for Toys For Tots and Food Drive.
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Visitor Centers Centre County/Penn State Visitor Information Center Visitor Information Services plays a key role in the CPCVB offerings by: • Assisting visitors with free information on food/lodging, arts/culture, tours, recreation, and more • Providing and updating a calendar of events on the www.visitpennstate.org website • Boosting the local economy by directing visitors to local businesses • Assembly of welcome bags, fun passes and visitor guides • Providing full and part-time staff and volunteers at the Centre County/ Penn State Visitor Center and the Bellefonte Satellite Visitor Center
Visitor Center Amenities include: • Information Specialists at the Visitor Center Front Desk • Old State Clothing Gift Shop • Interactive Exhibit Area with Complimentary Wi-Fi and Touch-Screen Kiosks
• Penn State Parking Permits • Conference rooms and Auditorium Rentals • ATM • Restrooms
Hours of Operation: * 7:30am - 6:00pm Monday through Friday 9:00am - 6:00pm Saturday and Sunday
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• Local Business Gift Certificates available for purchase • Maps and Brochures • Pet Friendly
Winter Hours (December 1 - March 31) 7:30am - 5:00pm Monday through Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday
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Visitor Centers Satellite Visitor Center – Train Station, Bellefonte Hours of Operation: * 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday through Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm Saturday and Sunday
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* Both Visitor Centers are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday.
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CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2014-2015 Mike Szczesny, President HFL Hotels Bob Ricketts, Jr., Vice-President Fasta & Ravioli Company Darlene Confer, Secretary/Treasurer Centre County Grange Fair Dottie Yukish, Past President Boalsburg Village Conservancy Steve Dershem Centre County Commissioner
Gary Hoover Bellefonte Intervalley Area Chamber of Commerce Gail Jones Penn State Federal Credit Union Debra Leithauser Centre Daily Times Ken Martin American Philatelic Society Mary Sorensen Centre Furnace Mansion Historic Site
Joe Thomas Mountain View Country Club Edward Tubbs Days Inn Penn State Scott Walker State College Spikes Aaron Weyman Tussey Mountain All Seasons Betsey Howell CPCVB Executive Director
CPCVB STAFF 2014-2015 Betsey Howell, Executive Director Andy Rupert, Director of Marketing & PR Shirley Smith, Director of Sales Brenda Hall, Sales Manager Lori Miller, Director of Visitor and Member Services
Centre County / Penn State Visitors Center Staff
Bellefonte Satellite Visitor Center Staff
Corena Breon
Barb Bair
Renee Brown
Renee Brown
Esther DelRosso
Toni Patterino
Kate Kawulich
Kevin Breon, Finance/Housing Bureau Manager
Joyce Matis
Kate Khoury, Creative Design & Technology Manager
Katrina Shope
Judy Maurer, Receptionist/Fulfillment Coordinator
VOLUNTEER
Ben Pelipesky Deborah Wilson Patsy Cullen
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AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Financial Statement
Fiscal Year: July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 Agency: Centre County Lion Country Visitors and Convention Bureau, Inc.
dba Central Pennsylvania CVB REVENUES AND GAINS
County Hotel Room Tax $ 1,499,471 Cooperative Advertising $ 108,089 County Brochure $ 100,387 Membership Dues $ 78,728 Investment Income $ 34,952 Event Revenue and Sponsorship $ 19,518 Retail Space $ 7,500 Web Marketing Photos $ 560 Total Revenues: $ 1,849,205 Unrealized Gain on Investments $ 68,559 Total Revenues and Gains: $ 1,917,764
EXPENSES AND LOSSES Promotional:
Advertising Grants to Other Organizations Promotion Salaries and Wages Postage Employee Benefits Travel and Entertainment Regional Printing
$ 529,248 $ 124,361 $ 119,895 $ 99,115 $ 40,805 $ 20,938 $ 9,608 $ 6,527 $ 2,926 Total Promotional: $ 953,423
General and Administrative: Salaries and Wages $ 395,494 Occupancy $ 217,474 Employee Benefits $ 78,379 Depreciation $ 44,120 Special Events $ 31,157 Professional Fees $ 13,831 Grants to Other Organizations $ 12,500 Office Supplies $ 6,328 Total General and Administrative: $ 799,283
Total Promotional & General and Administrative Expenses $ 1,752,706 Realized Loss on Sales of Investments
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$ 10,197
Total Losses $ 10,197
Total Expenses and Losses $ 1,762,903 INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS $
154,861
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800 East Park Avenue State College, PA 16803 800.358.5466 www.visitpennstate.org