Visit Buffalo Niagara Annual Business Review 2009

A R A IAG N LO A F UF B T I VIS

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0 0 0 0 0 0W 0 0 0 0 0 0 N EW YORK American Masters f American Treasures

Is the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitor Bureau’s ongoing Architecture and Art Marketing Initiative working? In a word, yes. And the proof was abundant in 2009.

44 Places

To Go in 2009

The year began with The New York Times selecting Buffalo as one of The 44 Places to Go in 2009, placing our city alongside destinations like Stockholm and Vienna. The story highlighted the opening of the Burchfield Penney Art Center and Buffalo’s wealth of art and architecture.

Next, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced Buffalo as one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2009. This designation recognizes Buffalo’s dynamic neighborhoods, rich architectural heritage, authentic sense of place, cultural diversity and strong commitment to historic preservation and revitalization. The marketing department leveraged this title throughout the year in all its messaging.

Third, new research by ArtsMarket, Inc. confirmed that the CVB’s consistent arts and architecture messaging since 2006, coupled with new assets like the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, has attracted visitors of all ages, from a broader geographic range, and for longer periods of time. While visitors had once seen Buffalo as an add-on to a trip to Niagara Falls, Buffalo is now their primary destination.

ARA BUFFALO NIAG Future Envisioninggthe s Achievin Succes

Five Yearc Strategi Plan 2009-2013

But 2009 wasn’t only about arts and culture. In the spring, the CVB implemented its new five-year strategic plan. The plan clarifies the CVB’s role in the community as an external marketing organization and helps bureau staff to establish priorities, solve organizational issues, define metrics and build teamwork and expertise.

Change came to the CVB at the end of May, when the organization’s Board of Directors agreed to a separation of service with Richard Geiger, who had served as the organization’s president and CEO since 1995. The Board then appointed Drew Cerza, president of RMI Promotions Group and creator of the National Buffalo Wing Festival,

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0 0 0 0 0 0W 0 0 0 0 0 0 as interim president and CEO. Cerza guided the organization for the next eight months, while the board conducted a national search for the position.

In September, the CVB rolled out its Buffalo Ambassador program, which encourages Buffalonians to use their professional affiliations or connections with religious organizations, sports leagues, alumni associations, and hobby and affinity groups to steer a meeting, convention or sporting event to Western New York.

By working with the CVB staff, these ambassadors can help to influence the selection process in favor of Buffalo.

BUFFALO AMBASSADOR

Buffalo Niagara continued to be at the front of the green movement within the hospitality industry. In 2009, the CVB introduced its Green and Mean (it) self-certification workbook, a tool that allows hotels and attractions to measure and track how eco-friendly their practices are.

The workbook is the first of its kind in New York State to be developed for and by a specific municipality and it gives Buffalo a competitive advantage relative to other cities, as many conferences now have sustainability requirements.

The CVB also strengthened its e-marketing efforts, with an expanded social media presence, a new email newsletter service and additional Web site content, highlighted by a fast-paced video tour of the region’s culinary options, from winemaking to the Anchor Bar, titled Buffalo, You’ll Eat It Up!

The CVB continued to drive dollars and future tax revenue into the Buffalo Niagara region. The sales team had another record-setting year, with 296 advance convention and event bookings that will result in more than 130,000 hotel room nights and more than $75 million in economic impact.

Buffalo once again drew the attention of the movie and television industries, thanks to the work of the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission. More than 50 projects were filmed in 2009, highlighted by an episode of NBC’s The Office and a film by Keanu Reeves.

The Buffalo Niagara Convention Center hosted 151 events in 2009, including the American Solar Energy Society, the NYS Board of Law Examiners and the New York State United Teachers, drawing more than 277,000 people to Buffalo.

Please read on to learn more about the CVB’s accomplishments in 2009.

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Who’s Coming to Buffalo?

000 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hotel/Motel Market Segmentation The chart below outlines the allocation of hotel rooms occupied in Erie County in 2009.

Approximately 45 percent of all the room nights consumed in 2009 were generated by corporate transient visitors, 27 percent by leisure visitors, 23 percent by conventions, meetings and amateur sports groups, and 5 percent by group tour visitors.

Erie County Hotel/Motels

(Total Room Nights Reported 861,164) Leisure (non-group) 27%

Conventions/Meetings/ Amateur Sports (Group) 23%

Group Tour 5%

Corporate Transient 45%

NOTE: The survey results compiled above were based on a sample of 861,164 room nights

reported by participating properties, which accounts for approximately 41 percent of the total room nights consumed in Erie County during 2009.

Smith Travel Research Erie County Hotel Report

O cc u pan cy

Average REVENUE R ate PA R * *

H ote l R evenues

2009

63.30%

$87.09

$55.09

$181,443,399*

2008

68.70%

$89.62

$61.14

$191,157,208

2007

68.60%

$85.09

$58.34

$182,245,659

2006

65.80%

$78.45

$51.62

$162,301,073

* The decline in occupancy, rate, RevPar, and revenues was a reflection of the decline of the overall economy. The travel and tourism industry was particularly hard hit as consumers turned a cautious eye towards discretionary spending. ** Revenue PAR = Revenue Per Available Room

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Convention Sales

ANGEL ART LTD.

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The process of landing a convention or sporting event can be challenging and extensive – several years can elapse from initial sales contact to hosting the event.

The convention sales and services staff at the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau works tirelessly to promote our city as a destination to convention, meeting and amateur athletic planners. Typically the sales process begins with phone calls, meetings and correspondence to the potential client. In the meantime, local hotel and attraction partners collaborate with the CVB to assemble a proposal and presentation to the organization. Before producing a signed contract, meetings, discussions, site visits and negotiations regularly take place.

The sales department had a record-breaking year for advance convention and event bookings in 2009 that resulted in 528 new sales leads. During 2009, the sales department booked 296 future conventions, meetings and events. As a result, 139,689 hotel room nights were booked in Erie County hotels. While this represents a significant “win” for the CVB, the real impact will be seen in coming years in our local restaurants, hotels, stores and entertainment venues, where out-of-town visitors will make expenditures of more than $75 million.

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CO N V E N T I O N S B Y T H E N U M B E R S

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1,  Booked 296 conventions, meetings or events  Generated 528 new sales leads Conducted 43 site inspections for convention 

and event planners Attended 20 trade shows promoting

0 Buffalo Niagara

Booked 139,689 hotel room nights

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Amateur Sports

000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Buffalo has an excellent reputation within the amateur athletics world as a community that can host large-scale events. Amateur athletics and special events are a source of considerable revenue for our region’s hotels, restaurants and other service providers. Among site selectors, event planners and sports officials, Buffalo is known for its outstanding venues, commitment to service and community hospitality. In 2009, 95 amateur sporting events had a $19 million total impact on our economy. More than 68,000 athletes and spectators consumed more than 50,000 hotel room nights due to competitions held in Buffalo.

The CVB’s sports department was instrumental in hosting the North American Prospects Showcase Hockey Tournament, New Era Cap Classic Tournament, and the Atlantic 10 Swim Championships.

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A M A T E U R S PO R T S B Y T H E N U M B E R S

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Amateur sporting events

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Attendance

Hotel room nights

Direct spending

H igh l ight E V E N T S

A tten d an c e

International Bowhunting Organization World Championships

6,000

North American Prospects Showcase Hockey Tournament Series

5,000

New Era Cap Classic Tournament

3,500 1,500 1,200 1,000

USA Sled Hockey National Disabled Festival USA Taekwondo National Qualifier Atlantic 10 Swim Championships All numbers represent out-of-town attendees

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Buffalo Earns Points for Being Green Hotels and Attractions Have a New Green Self-Certification Workbook

People are paying closer attention to how green their lives are – from the food we eat, to the products we buy, to the size of the carbon footprint we’re leaving behind. And Buffalo Niagara’s hotels and attractions are in synch with this trend by becoming greener with the CVB’s Green and Mean (it) initiative.

Developed by CVB Director of Services Cheryl Zanghi in 2007, the Green & Mean (it) program serves to develop and maintain environmentally responsible practices in the Erie County hospitality industry, promote a green experience for travelers and conventioneers in Western New York, and improve sustainable business practices and education throughout the community.

The initiative took a giant step forward in 2009, when Zanghi, the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning and a team of five sub-committees created a self-certification hospitality workbook, which helps properties assess how green their practices are in 11 categories: Administrative Offices; Conferences, Meetings, and Marketing; (it) n a e & T n T THE GREEN CARPE Waste Management; Landscaping and Building Mainteree ROLLING OU BUFFALO IS nance; Swimming Pools and Spas; Energy; Kitchen and Purchasing; Housekeeping; Rooms; Transportation; and Education.

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Each category includes a list of initiatives, with a point value assigned to each one, based on the difficulty of its implementation. For example, hotels can earn 3 points for placing recycling bins in guest rooms, while they can earn 10 points for using solar panels, fuel cells or wind turbines to generate electricity or hot water.

After a property completes the workbook, it tallies up its point score and compares it against the required score for certification. A verification team then confirms that the property has completed the assessment correctly.

Properties that score below the passing mark are paired with a Green and Mean (it) team member, who assists them in improving their performance. nized as a GREE

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“The Green and Mean (it) workbook is the first of its kind in New York State to be developed for and by a specific municipality,” says Zanghi. “This program is designed to encourage properties to steadily expand their green efforts, as we’re asking them to reapply annually, with the minimum certification score increasing each time.”

Being green is more than just good for the environment – it also helps strengthen Buffalo’s economy. As more and more conferences require sustainable practices to be part of bids, cities with green initiatives have a competitive advantage. Due to Buffalo’s green efforts, our region has recently booked the NYS Wetlands Forum, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, the National Brownfield Association, and the North American Association for Environmental Education, for a total economic impact of $1.7 million.

Director of Services Cheryl Zanghi

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Superior Service Pays Off After 16 Years, NYSUT Has a New Perception of Buffalo

When the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) held their Annual Representative Assembly & Local Presidents Conference in Buffalo in 1993, they had safety, security and hotel concerns. These and other issues kept the organization from returning to Buffalo for the next decade and a half.

So when CVB Director of Sales and Government Relations Linda D’Agostino convinced the organization to hold its 2009 conference in Buffalo, it was a big deal.

“With 3,000 people, 4,000 room nights and an economic impact of $2.4 million, this was a major piece of business for Buffalo to win,” says D’Agostino. “But that was just the start of the work. I knew my next step was to provide NYSUT with a more safe and enjoyable experience than their 1993 conference.”

To help, she assembled a team that included the CVB’s Vice President of Sales, Mike Even, and Convention Services Coordinator, Karen Cox, as well as the Convention Center’s Facility Director, Paul Murphy, Director of Sales and Marketing, Melissa Burke, and Director of Convention and Event Service, Ryan Coate.

“ Everyone at the CVB and at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center went above and beyond the call of duty to make our experience a positive one.”

The group spoke with parking garages to explain the past security concerns, met with the Buffalo Police Department to ask for additional police coverage during the convention, held a series of meetings with the nine conference hotel partners, and had conversations with the Mayor’s office regarding safety issues and cleanliness.

They even worked with the owners of empty storefronts downtown to allow pictures to be placed in vacant windows.

Julie Ann Price, NYSUT

Knowing that the entire delegation would exit the convention center at lunch time, the team met with area restaurants to ensure that they were properly staffed to handle the crowds. In addition, the CVB staff was all hands on deck during the lunch break, handing out restaurant guides, directing attendees and manning a table with information about evening dining and activities. In the end, the conference was a rousing success, thanks to a complete team effort.

“Overall, everyone at the CVB and at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center went above and beyond the call of duty to make our experience a positive one,” said NYSUT’s Manager of Travel and Conference Services, Julie Ann Price. As a result, NYSUT has already signed contracts to return in 2012 and there’s a strong chance that they’ll come in 2015, as well.

Director of Sales and Government Relations Linda D’Agostino

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Buffalo Niagara Convention Center

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ANGEL ART LTD.

The cornerstone of the region’s conventions and trade show market is downtown Buffalo’s 110,000 square-foot Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Each year, the facility hosts a wide array of public events, trade shows, conventions and meetings. In 2009, the Center was the site of many large events, including the American Solar Energy Society (3,500 attendees), the NYS Board of Law Examiners (3,000 attendees), CSEA (1,600 attendees), Mary Kay Inc. (700 attendees), the New York State United Teachers (2,800 attendees), the American Association of Airport Executives (700 attendees) and the NYS Foreign Language Teachers (500 attendees).

Some of the annual events the convention center hosts include: the Buffalo Home & Garden Show, Buffalo Auto Show, UB Dental School Buffalo Niagara Dental Meeting, Brides World, Teacher Recruitment Days, I-Day and the World’s Largest Disco. In total, the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center was responsible for attracting more than 277,000 people to downtown Buffalo.

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CO N V E N T I O N C E N T E R B Y T H E N U M B E R S

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,

The convention center hosted 151 events 11

Nights the convention center was occupied  30,000 hotel room nights were utilized due to ,

events at the center 277,550 people attended events at the convention center



The Year in Pictures Scenes From a Very Successful 2009

Õ CVB interim President and CEO Drew Cerza, Erie County Executive Chris Collins and members of the CVB staff kick off the Buffalo Ambassador program at the Embassy Suites.

Õ CVB Multicultural Sales Manager Dionne Williamson (second from left) enjoys dinner with group tour leaders during a Travel Professionals of Color FAM tour in May.

Õ Actor Keanu Reeves spent a good part of his summer

Õ Former CVB president Richard Geiger, County

scouting and shooting his film “Henry’s Crime” in Buffalo. He’s seen here clowning around with a Buffalo Police officer assigned to the movie detail.

Exceutive Chris Collins, Mayor Byron Brown and Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant announced Buffalo’s selection as one of the National Trust’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2009. 

The Year in Pictures Scenes From a Very Successful 2009

Õ The Convention Center hosted the New York State Bar Exam in July. CVB staff and volunteers were on hand to answer questions and provide visitor information.

Õ CVB Director of Services Cheryl Zanghi, Erie County

Õ Garden Walk Buffalo has grown into the largest

Õ CVB Vice President of Sales Mike Even at the National

Õ CVB Director of Sales and Government Relations

Executive Chris Collins and CVB interim President and CEO Drew Cerza announce the Green and Mean (it) initiative at the Hyatt Regency.

event of its kind in the country and it’s attracting rave reviews from the national media. Here, Stacey Hirvela (left) of Martha Stewart Living Magazine visits the Erie Basin Marina test gardens.

Preservation Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Buffalo hosts the conference in 2011.

Linda D'Agostino and several Buffalo hotel partners got all dressed up for the Empire State Society of Association Executives Annual Conference and Expo in Albany.

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Tourism Development

000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 The CVB sales staff utilizes a variety of tactics and communications tools to gain the interest of group tour decision makers. In May 2009, the CVB hosted familiarization tours for 120 tour planners who attended the Travel Professionals of Color Annual Conference. CVB staff also attended seven travel trade shows, such as the American Bus Association Conference and the Heartland Travel Showcase.

In an attempt to reach the leisure travel market, the CVB advertised in Better Homes & Gardens, Family Circle, Ladies’ Home Journal, Midwest Living, More, Preservation Magazine and History Channel Magazine. The CVB once again partnered with Southwest Airlines to be their Featured Destination from August 4 to 10. Southwest sent an email to their 6.8 million subscribers, resulting in 7,881 additional passengers to Buffalo Niagara compared to the same week in 2008.

The CVB also ran a pair of contests to increase awareness of Buffalo Niagara’s Win THE attractions and drive e-newsletter subscriptions: Ultimate Sho pping Sp e  Win a Frank Lloyd Wright AT Macy’s IN Buffre alo!

Weekend in Buffalo – The CVB’s advertisements in Preservation, History Channel Magazine and others resulted in 5,000 entries, with 20% subscribing to the CVB’s newsletter on Buffalo art and architecture.  Win the Ultimate Shopping Spree Weekend in Buffalo – Advertised across Canada in publications like CAA Magazine and Toronto Life, this contest attracted 7,000 entries, with 20% of them signing up for the CVB’s Nearest Faraw ay shopping e-newsletter.

The CVB targeted shoppers by attending the National Women’s Show in Toronto to promote Girlfriend Getaway packages and provide information about Buffalo Niagara’s malls and retail districts. The CVB also continued to partner with the Walden Galleria Macy’s department store to operate a visitor center and assist Canadian and other out-of-town shoppers.

More than 400,000 Buffalo Niagara Visitors Guides were distributed to visitor inquiries, meeting planners, group tour operators, international receptive operators, convention delegates, business travelers, visitor centers, New York State Gateway Centers, rest stops and American Automobile Association (AAA) and Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) offices. The CVB also had 23 visitor guide racks at local attractions and sports venues.

An integral part of the CVB’s ongoing effort to re-brand Buffalo Niagara as a destination rich in culture, heritage and family entertainment, the 64-page Visitors Guide serves as the primary tool utilized by staff to tell the Buffalo story to potential visitors.

In 2009, the CVB responded to a total of 75,132 visitor inquiries.

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Arts & Culture: If You Have It, They Will Come Southern California Tour Group Takes High-End Trip to Buffalo

Each year, a group of about 30 docents from the Banning Museum in Los Angeles takes a trip to a cultural tourism destination. In the past, they visited cities like Chicago, Boston, Savannah, Ga. and Charleston, S.C.

And in 2009, Buffalo joined that list.

In the fall of 2008, the group’s tour leader, Rita Koch, discovered Buffalo’s cultural riches online. While she was intrigued by the city’s architecture, she hadn’t yet decided to bring the group to Buffalo – she first needed to find out if Buffalo had enough attractions to keep her group occupied for a five-day trip.

Koch’s search for information began with a call to Kathleen Peterson with the Parkside Tour of Homes. Once Peterson recognized how involved Koch’s request was, she asked CVB Tourism Sales Director Leah Mueller to take charge of the project.

KC KRATT

“This is an excellent example of how the CVB and members of our community can work together to bring groups to Buffalo Niagara,” says Mueller. “I invited Rita Koch to fly out and take a familiarization tour of Buffalo’s art and architecture sites. As I took her around, she was surprised and extremely impressed by what our region has to offer and we began planning her group’s tour immediately.”

Mueller had a keen understanding that cultural tourists tend to have more disposable income and seek a higher-end experience, so she arranged for the group to tour some of Buffalo Niagara’s finest cultural attractions, including the Darwin D. Martin House, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Graycliff, the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, the Nash House and Museum, the Guaranty Building and the Roycroft Campus.

She also built in excursions to Lockport’s Erie Canal Locks, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

In addition, Mueller booked rooms for the group at the Hyatt Regency and set up meals at restaurants like the Stillwater and E.B. Green’s Steakhouse.

The tour group members were enamored by their experience in Buffalo and many vowed to return to explore more of what our region has to offer. Koch was even inspired to compose a poem expounding the high quality of Buffalo’s attractions.

“The CVB has been working diligently to spread the word that Buffalo Niagara has an uncommon concentration of arts and culture assets,” says CVB Vice President of Marketing Ed Healy. “This group, which came across the country from Southern California, is evidence that our message is reaching our target market.”

Tourism Sales Director Leah Mueller

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Marketing & Communications

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Each year, the marketing department sets its sights on creating high impact advertising, marketing collateral, multimedia materials and press opportunities that touch the hearts and minds of prospective visitors. The goal is to move the needle with creative, innovative and dynamic outreach efforts that generate buzz and get the attention of the traveling public.

Everything the CVB does is designed to get customers to say “yes” to Buffalo.

In 2009, a resounding “Yes!” was heard from points near and far in response to the CVB’s marketing efforts. In fact, it might be fair to say that 2009 was the year that we finally and unequivocally let Buffalo’s light shine.

The New York Times got the year off to an exciting start when it named Buffalo one of its “44 Places to Go in 2009”. The Times endorsement was quickly followed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation naming Buffalo one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2009. Just a few short years ago the granting of these accolades would have been considered a questionable, even preposterous, decision. But in 2009, opinion makers across the country began to recognize Buffalo as an emerging capital of culture and a destination that would hold strong appeal for their culturally inclined readers and members.

These unabashed kudos for Buffalo as a cultural and heritage tourism destination were seconded in the pages of a customer research study conducted by the ArtsMarket consulting firm. Employing zip code analysis and on-site interviews with visitors that were tape recorded and transcribed, ArtsMarket was able to draw some very encouraging conclusions, which they summarized as follows: “Keep it up. You have started something important here.

We can see the difference. Stick to it, and pretty soon Buffalo’s image as a Mecca for arts, architecture and history visitors will be secure.”

With a feeling of gathering momentum, the marketing department team went on to execute an ambitious plan that continued to raise our community’s profile as the year went on.

The department hosted press trips for writers and 9 9 producers a d e 9 the spring and summer and watched n d mthroughout 9 9 9 a H e d a m Ha n d in with great satisfaction as stories appeared in media outlets in ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Newsweek, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Metropolis, National Public Radio, that Western tedly discovered have undoubMagazine, ure Architect Destinations of the World Magazine, architect e to world-class New York is hom and 20th itects of the 19th arch nt ifica sign the most Out New York, d Time York, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, by sureamNew cy includes trea extraordinary lega centuries. This d Wright by frank Lloy homes designed ks such asYork ora. wor New Magazine, the New York Post and the Architect’s Aur pus in East lar roycroft Cam aralleled and the spectacu es incorporate unp se historic structur The ing Newspaper. skilled artisans work craftsmanship by ip erials. Craftsmansh in a number of mat y of this memorable year included toda

Other highlights well and alive of that caliber is y opportunities and there are man visit an Handmade in Buffalo brochure, the publication ofto the available for you king view them wor artisan’s studio, item dcra a guide to artisans offted the highest caliber who are keeping han a er and purchase/ord the est standards of worthy of the high , hure This broc the tradition ofement.handcrafted excellence alive in our Craftsman mov centering raphical clusters organized into geog community.

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Visitors from over 2,900 zip codes and 350 foreign postal codes came to Buffalo in July 2009

The CVB also continued to expand its online multimedia content by partnering with Buffalo-based Paget Films to produce an exciting overview of the local culinary scene. “Buffalo: You’ll Eat It Up!” made its debut at a special screening at the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre and has subsequently been seen online by thousands of viewers.

2009 was also the year the CVB launched a series of highly targeted e-newsletters that spoke to diverse audiences with customized copy and special offers.

Our subscriber database grew substantially throughout the year and our open and click through rates far exceeded industry averages. The growth of our e-newsletters – and an ongoing investment in search engine optimization – helped to increase unique visits to the CVB’s visitbuffaloniagara.com Web site by 40 percent over the previous year.

More traditional advertising in newspapers and magazines was highlighted by two extremely successful contests. Promoting Buffalo as a girlfriends’ getaway destination in Canadian publications, we were able to attract more than 7,000 entries to our “Win the Ultimate Buffalo Shopping Spree” contest. Another promotion inviting cultural tourists to “Win a Weekend in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo” proved equally successful.

Overall, the bar was raised in 2009 and a standard of excellence achieved that will serve to inspire the marketing department team to continue to embrace the challenge of letting Buffalo’s light shine in the years to come.

0 $.8 million

MARKETING BY THE NUMBERS

0

P ublicity value of out-of-town media coverage

1 News releases  Local print placements

1 Speaking engagements and presentations  E-mail newsletters  Out of town print media hits

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Buffalo Online CVB Expands and Refines Its Electronic Presence The CVB put a great deal of energy into expanding and refining its electronic presence in 2009.

The organization continued to embrace social media. The CVB added 113 posts to its visitor blog (http://visitbuffaloniagara. wordpress.com/) and, in May, it built on the successes of its Facebook, Flickr and YouTube efforts by creating a Twitter account, @BuffaloNiagara. The CVB posts information about Buffalo’s events and attractions, and contributes to the following forums: #Buffalo, #Franklloydwright and #Travel. The marketing staff also participates in a biweekly Twitter Tourism Chat with 25 other CVBs, in which various marketing topics are discussed.

The CVB added new, attractive content to its two Web sites, visitbuffalo niagara.com and wrightnowinbuffalo.com. Most notably, it expanded its online library of videos and slideshows, with additions such as an audio slideshow about architect Toshiko Mori’s Greatbatch Pavilion at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House, an interview with National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe, and a video overview of the Western New York culinary scene, “Buffalo: You’ll Eat It Up!” The videos complement the CVB's insider guides, digitized visitors guide and downloadable podcasts – all of which contribute to an engaging online experience.

The CVB adopted Google Analytics, the industry standard, as its primary Web site statistics tool in 2009. According to Google, online visitors are responding well to the new content on visitbuffaloniagara.com. In 2009, the average time spent on the site was 4 minutes, 32 seconds, up from 3 minutes, 54 seconds in 2008. The site’s page views also climbed 19% to more than 1.46 million.

In June, the CVB engaged email newsletter service provider Exact Target to assist with its e-marketing efforts. This new service allows the CVB to segment its customers and provide them with messages tailored to their specific interests. The CVB now authors seven different newsletters with themes such as art and architecture, food and shopping.

Members of the CVB marketing staff took part in continuing education to remain up-to-date with the latest electronic trends and best practices. Marketing Manager Karen Huefner attended the Destination Management and Marketing Institute Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., in which marketing professionals from 72 mid-size CVBs met to discuss e-marketing successes and challenges. Director of Creative Services Matt Steinberg attended the E-Tourism Conference in New York City, which featured discussions on social media, video, mobile phone applications and online advertising.

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Buffalo Niagara Film Commission

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The Buffalo Niagara Film Commission facilitates on-location filmmaking within the region by offering production companies a complete range of pre-production services through a central contact. This office provides information regarding local film procedures, permits and guidelines; serves as liaison with governmental departments; and arranges for filming on public property. The film commission also serves as a general resource and clearinghouse for The Travel Channel was one of many television networks that visited Buffalo in 2009. The show “Food Wars” featuring information throughout the region and host Camille Ford shot scenes in downtown Buffalo. assists with the following services: site location photography, a location library, regional scouting services, liaison with government departments and agencies, and logistical information regarding crew, talent, facilities, stages, equipment and support services.

The commission partners with the NYS Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development to encourage film making in upstate New York.

The office maintains a Web site (FilmBuffaloNiagara.com) to provide information about Buffalo Niagara’s filmmaking resources. It is routinely updated to provide production news and an ever-changing resource list and crew base list.

The office interacts with location executives and studio executives from around the world to showcase the many assets that our community has to offer the movie and television industry. In addition, the office advertises in several high profile production guides and magazines.

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F I L M CO M M I S S I O N B Y T H E N U M B E R S

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15 13 3 1

1

$10.1 million

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Total production days with direct film commission involvement

Completed location scouts

Total projects shot including:

TV shows/episodes Commercials

Still shoots

Music video

Student film

13 3 2 1 1

Feature films Corporate films Documentaries Short film Other film

Estimated economic impact on the region

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Heavy Lifting Strong teamwork brings Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association to Buffalo – in January!

Prime time for meetings and conventions in Buffalo corresponds with our most comfortable seasons – late spring through the fall. The winter months tend to be slower, as events gravitate toward warmer climates.

So when CVB National Sales Manager Chuck Giglia approached the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association (EATA) to bid for their Annual Convention in January 2013, he knew he had his work cut out for him.

The EATA includes all athletic trainers in the northeast U.S., with most of its membership falling in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New England and New York State.

The organization held its 1998 convention in Buffalo, but poor attendance at that event discouraged them from returning to the city.

As Giglia researched the EATA, he discovered that one of its board members, Bob O’Malley, was a Buffalo resident. O’Malley, who also happened to be the organization’s convention site selection committee chairman, agreed to help. After a great deal of persistence, Giglia, Lori White from the Hyatt Regency and Paul Murphy from the convention center were given permission to give a presentation at an EATA board meeting.

Buffalo would be vying against Boston, Philadelphia and Valley Forge, Pa. to host the convention.

“Without Bob O’Malley’s assistance, we may not have been allowed to bid,” says Giglia.

“He also gave us valuable insight regarding the types of objections EATA had about coming to Buffalo, and we were able to address each of these concerns in our presentation.”

For example, Giglia learned that the EATA board believed Buffalo wasn’t easily accessible for their members, so the team provided data that showed average transportation times and airfare costs to Buffalo to be comparable to the other competing markets. They also played video testimonials from Western New York athletic trainers, who explained why Buffalo would be an excellent host city and pledged to attend and support the conference.

The EATA was highly impressed with the presentation. They scheduled a site visit to Buffalo and Giglia and his team pulled out all the stops to welcome them. When the committee arrived at the convention center, they were met by the full staff, a team of cheerleaders and a key to the city, delivered by a man who descended from the convention center ceiling by cable. The committee also toured some of Buffalo Niagara’s impressive meeting facilities and took part in a community breakfast with Erie County Executive Chris Collins and a reception at the Hyatt with local athletic trainers.

That sealed it for the EATA. Their 2013 convention will feature 500 attendees, 1000 hotel room nights and an estimated economic impact of $814,000.

“It certainly was a long shot to bring this conference to Buffalo – especially in January – but our team responded wonderfully to each challenge we faced,” says Giglia. “This was one of the most gratifying bid processes I’ve worked on.”

National Sales Manager Chuck Giglia

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2009 CVB Board of Directors

Donald K. Boswell

Mr. Dennis P. Murphy

Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

InnVest Lodging Services, Inc.

President & CEO

President

Gary D. Praetzel, Ph.D.

Drew J. Cerza

Dean

President

national buffalo wing festival

College of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Niagara University

Jonathan A. Dandes

Rudi Rainer

Rich Baseball Operations

SUPER 8 MOTEL

Betty Jean Grant

Brian Reilly

President

OWNER

Erie County Legislature

Chief Economic Development Officer City of Buffalo

C. Douglas Hartmayer

Mary F. Roberts

Director of Public Affairs Niagara Frontier

Executive Director

Transportation Authority

Martin House Restoration Corporation

Kathy Konst

Andrew J. Rudnick

Department of Economic Development, Environment & Planning

President & CEO

Buffalo Niagara Partnership

County of Erie

James T. Sandoro

Florine Luhr

Executive Director

Executive Director Advancing Arts and Culture

The Buffalo Transportation/ Pierce Arrow Museum

Michael Marsch

Holly A. Sinnott

General Manager

Planning Works International, LLC

Hyatt Regency Buffalo

Mark Stadler

John J. Mills

Chief Executive Officer

Erie County Legislature

BAVServices, Inc.

Mark Mortenson

Patrick W. Welch

Buffalo Museum of Science

Erie County Veterans Services Agency

President & CEO

Director

The Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau sells and markets our assets and attractions to visitors outside of the Buffalo Niagara region as a convention, tourism and leisure destination for the economic benefit of the community.

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617 Main Street Suite 200 Buffalo, NY 14203 716 852 0511 www.visitbuffaloniagara.com