LOOKING BACK… Looking Forward
Hotel Lodging Tax Increase • Ordinance 1 of 2019: 2.5% to 5% • Opened Opportunity for Advancing the Centre County Tourism Industry • Allowed Grant Program increase in 2019: CPCVB awarded $725,000 to more than 45 organizations for marketing or asset improvements
Board for 2019-2020 FY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Edward Tubbs, Chairman / Chief Operating Officer at Hospitality Asset Management Company Scott Walker, Vice-Chairman / State College Spikes Tom Neely, Secretary/ Treasurer / Nittany Lion Inn Joe Thomas / Mountain View Country Club Bob Ricketts, Jr., Past President / Fasta & Ravioli Company Tom Fountaine / State College Borough Manager * Stefan Cherinka / Toftrees Golf Resort Jennifer Corman / Fullington Bus Company Darlene Confer / Centre County Grange Fair Mark Higgins / Centre County Commissioner Gary Hoover / Bellefonte Intervalley Area Chamber of Commerce Vern Squier / Chamber of Business & Industry Centre County * Tim Bowser / Elk Creek Café * Ken Martin / American Philatelic Society Jim Pollock/ Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership * Ja Nae Wian / Seven Mountains Media Charima Young / Director Local Government and Community Relations, Penn State Fritz Smith / CPCVB President and CEO * Indicates new board members
Executive Committee for 2019-2020 FY • • • •
Edward Tubbs - Chairman Scott Walker – Vice Chairman Tom Neely - Treasurer Bob Ricketts, Jr. – Past Chairman
STAFF for 2019-2020 FY • • • • • • • • • • • •
Fritz Smith, President and CEO Tim Boyde, Chief Administrative Officer Dave Gerdes, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing Lori Miller, Director of Visitor and Member Services Lesley Kistner, Public Affairs Director Ed Stoddard, Communications Director Andy Rupert, Director of Digital Strategy & Metrics Shirley Smith, Director of Sales (retiring 12/2019) Jennifer McConnell, Regional Sales Manager Kevin Breon, Finance/Housing Bureau Manager John Pratt, Creative Design and Tech Manager Judy Maurer, Receptionist/Fulfillment Coordinator
STAFF for 2019-2020 FY Centre County/Penn State Visitors Center Staff • Corena Breon • Renee Brown • Esther DelRosso • Kate Kawulich • Pablo Lopez* • Debbie Lyons* • Jeff Nelson • Brenda Zucco Bellefonte Satellite Visitor Center Staff • Barb Bair • Toni Patterino • Laura Nastase*
New Bureau Staff Hired Dave Gerdes, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing
Lesley Kistner,
Public Affairs Director
Tim Boyde,
Chief Administrative Officer
Ed Stoddard,
Communications Director
Jennifer McConnell,
Regional Sales Manager
Debbie Lyons
Visitor Information Specialist
Pablo Lopez
Visitor Information Specialist
Laura Nastase
Visitor Information Specialist
Shirley Smith is Retiring
We wish Shirley the best for the future and to have many adventures during her well-earned retirement
• Retiring Director of Sales • With CPCVB since 1998 • 35 Years in the Tourism Industry • Respected Throughout the Industry
4.3 Million Visitors Centre County Visitation Millions and percent of total
1.60m overnight visitors
2.70m day visitors
63%
Source: Tourism Economics
4.30m visitors
37%
About our 4.3 Million Visitors $101 per visitor per day spending 1.85 average length of stay 1.68 average travel party size Regional strengths: value-for-the money; safe, worry-free; relaxing and laid back; good variety of lodging, food and beverage options; easy to get around; good historical and cultural attractions • Come from an average of 172 miles away • Average household income of $80,000 • Higher Educational Achievement than Average • • • •
Source: DK Shifflett and H2R research
Visitor Home Location Top Counties outside PA 1) Bergen, NJ 2) Montgomery, MD 3) Fairfax, VA 4) Nassau, NY 5) Suffolk, NY 6) Monmouth, NJ 7) Fairfield, CT 8) Morris, NJ Home Location, at the 9) Somerset, NJ county level, for visitors 10) Burlington, NJ seen at State College
AirSage, Inc. • 1350 Spring Street, Suite 475, Atlanta, GA 30309 • www.airsage.com
Visitors by points of interest (poi) Total number of visitors seen in August 2018 at each Point of Interest (POI)
129,291
62,848
43,613 37,211
16,130
Bellefonte
Boalsburg
Centrehall
Philipsburg
AirSage, Inc. • 1350 Spring Street, Suite 475, Atlanta, GA 30309 • www.airsage.com
StateCollege
VisaVue Top 10 Spending By Originating metropolitan statistical area (MSA] Spend Amount for 2018 1. Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City 2. Altoona 3. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island 4. Pittsburgh 5. Washington-Baltimore 6. Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle 7. Williamsport 8. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton 9. Lancaster 10. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Destination Next Destination Strength Report Card
Digital Metrics • 609,067 Web Sessions (+21.05% over previous fiscal year) • 34,463 Facebook Users (+10.6%) • 34 stories written about the region
Spring & Summer Campaigns • TravelZoo (16,829 visits) • Retargeting (8,033) • Display Advertising (2,507) • Native Ads (2,166) • E-mail Newsletter/Direct (1,648) • AAA Mid-Atlantic (708) • Organic (554) • Facebook (218) • Roadtrippers (167) • Other Sources (415)
Expedia Campaigns
•Investment: $33,867 •Revenue: $712,858 •Estimated hotel tax Generated $34,509 •Room Nights: 4,585 rooms •Average Daily Rate: $155.48
CBICC Partnerships • Direct Air -- Created to Enhance Travel Options to and from Centre County • Happy Valley AgVentures -- Designed to Capitalize on Agriculture Business & Tourism Opportunities in Centre County
New Initiatives • Sports Group Forming • Centre Region Parks & Recreation Whitehall Facility (outdoor) • C3 & Nittany Valley Sports Centre (indoor) • Gamble Mill • B&B Committee • PSU Hoteliers Group • CDT Monthly Column • Advertising Co-ops
Events Successes w/ Meeting Planners • PASAE • March 11-13, 2020 • Wrestling Olympic Trials • April 3-5, 2020 • Weightlifting Olympic Trials • April 3-5, 2020
• • • • • •
“Live The Stream: The Story of Joe Humphreys” movie premiere Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic (returned 2019) 3 Crossover Hoop tournaments in April, May, and June, 2020 at C-3 Middle School Basketball Championships (returning 2020) 46th Annual Yuengling Open Slow Pitch Tournament w/ Centre Region Parks & Rec July, 2020 Luke Combs – Sold Out Concert February, 2020 at Bryce Jordan Center
Available Co-Ops for Members WTAJ • 20 commercials towards the beginning of each month on WTAJ 10 county footprint • Jan., Feb., March, May, June 2020 are still available • 1 partner per month • Production, with advertising agreement is additional $250
CoolPixx Media • Professional :30-:45 second videos of your business • Videos added to CVB member page and our YouTube channel • Perfect for social media, your website, sales pitches • Limited to first 20 members
Additional co-ops in development with WPSU and Where & When magazine
Westbound Rt. 322 General Potter Highway Billboard • 10 minutes before State College near #1 Cycle Center Harley Davidson dealership
Infrastructure developments
New Hotels Under Construction • Holiday Inn, College Twp (101 rooms) • Scholar, State College (72 rooms) New Hotels in Development • Patton Crossing, North Atherton St. • Bellefonte Waterfront Hotel • Pine Hall, Blue Course Drive, State College
Infrastructure developments
New Tourism Developments • Harvest Fields Trail • Ongoing Renovations at Boal Estate • Axemann Brewery • Nittany Valley Sports Centre (Phase 2) • Walking Trails in Development with National Travel Center New Air Service Routes at University Park Airport • Allegiant from Orlando & Clearwater opens up new inbound markets for Happy Valley