Grcvb 2014 annual report

2014 Annual Report & 2015 Outlook

RomeGeorgia.org

Photo Credit: RFPRA

Photo Credit: Doug Walker

Georgia

ROME

GreaterRome SPORTS convention & visitors bureau

Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau

Economic Impact 2013 Total Impact of Travel & Tourism in Rome & Floyd County:

129,046,000

$

Trends

Tourism Expenditures Local Tax Generated Tourism Jobs Supported 2004 $92,720,000 $2,790,000 1,160 2005 $100,690,000 $3,000,000 1,210 2006 $109,180,000 $3,240,000 1,250 2007 $112,200,000 $3,280,000 1,250 2008 $113,920,000 $3,380,000 1,230 2009 $107,560,000 $3,280,000 1,210 2010 $110,120,000 $3,270,000 1,150 2011 $117,220,000 $3,380,000 1,160 2012 $125,090,000 $3,630,000 1,190 2013 $129,090,000 $3,800,000 1,210

% Change from 2004 to 2013 39.23% increase

* 2013 estimates provided by US Travel Association. 2014 estimates will be available in Fall 2015.

2014 Economic Impact

of Sports, Groups & Events:

17,255,433

$

GRCVB Impact

Events: Sports Events: Meetings & Conventions: Weddings: Reunions: Films: Group Travel (Overnight): Group Travel (Day):

Local Tax Generated State Tax Generated People serviced: Groups:

Films .01% Weddings 4% Meeting & Conventions 5%

Estimates include travel expenditures, travelgenerated employment and payroll income, as well as tax revenues for state and local government.

In Floyd County, the tourism industry supported 1,210 jobs throughout the service and hospitality industries. Travelers to Rome & Floyd County generated $4.62 million in state tax revenue and $ 3.8 million in local tax revenue. Each Floyd county household received $234.34 in tax relief per household as a result of taxes generated by tourism economic activity. * Group - Overnight .01%

Group - Day .08%

Reunions 6%

$9,119,554 $5,464,646 $840,590 $787,226 $1,027,064 $1,160 $2,079 $13,114 $517,663 $690,217

Events 53% Sports Events 32%

206,659 171

Impact numbers represent only events, conventions, meetings and other activities the GRCVB was directly involved in planning, coordination, or assistance.

2014 Major Sports, Groups & Events Event Wings Over North Georgia Air Show

Counterpoint Music & Arts Festival

100th Anniversary Mountain Day

Georgia Junior Open Tennis

USTA Adult League State Tennis Championships

NCCAA National Track & Field Championships

Atlanta Braves Exhibition Game

Going Caching! Geocaching Mega Event

US Fastpitch Association Softball Tournament

Chiaha Arts Festival

Peach State Marching Festival

Georgia State Junior Challenger

Apocalyptic Block Party

Peach Belt Conference Track & Field Championships Berry Mountain Day Football Game

USTA Southern Closed Doubles Championship

Berry Half Marathon

Date October April October July May May March October April October October June October April October August March

Estimated Impact $4,800,640 $2,055,800 $717,300 $667,852 $507,500 $501,009 $419,000 $405,650 $386,370 $345,000 $345,000 $274,164 $206,500 $204,891 $204,750 $194,828 $186,000

The events listed above are not a complete listing of all events assisted or planned by the GRCVB and includes only events that the GRCVB actively worked with and generated at least $100,000 of economic impact or more.

Marketing & Public Relations Advertising

RomeGeorgia.org

International Travel Market - Print Selling Long Haul (UK/Ireland) Leisure Travel Market - Internet Facebook Advertising Leisure Travel Market - Print Discover Georgia Outdoors Georgia Travel Guide Historic High Country Travel Assoc.

Rome News-Tribune Southern Living

Leisure Travel Market - Radio WLAQ Leisure Travel Market - Television WTVC NewsChannel 9 Chattanooga Small Meetings/Conventions Market Print ConventionSouth Sports Events Market - Print SportsEvents Magazine

2015 Marketing Share of Spend

Metrics 2014 Visits: 175,408 2014 Page Views: 474,005 2013 Visits: 84,535 2013 Page Views: 315,679

Percentage Changes: 2012-2013 Visits: Marketing Outlook 107% Increase Page views: 50% Increase

Search/Social 13%

Print 19%

Mobile & Social Media Myrtle Hill Cemetery App Tour Total Downloads: 449 (Jan - Dec 2014)

Georgia’s Rome Facebook

2014 Total Likes: 17,211 Social Reach: 3,992,696 2013 Total Likes: 13,110 2012 Total Likes: 11,471

Mobi App Apple - 1,340 Android - 1,007

Online 21%

Last Stop Gift Shop

2014 Total Likes: 1050 2014 Reach: 139,924

Online/Print 47%

2013 Total Likes: 575 2012 Total Likes: 395

GRCVB Top Achievements Marketing & Public Relations

• Published 52 Press Releases • Recognized the customer service of four nominated individuals with Superstars of Service award program • Utilized reader board/marquees to welcome groups • Revamped Visitor Guide and Outdoor Guide • Developed new relationships with media

Rome Sports Commission

• Rome Sports Commission nominated for SportsEvents Magazine Reader’s Choice Award • Served as event director for the inaugural USTA Clocktower Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament • USTA Clocktower Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament awarded the USTA GA Wheelchair Tennis Tournament of the Year for 2014.

• Attended SPORTS conference and national meeting of National Association of Sports Commissions to meet with sports and event planners • Selected as member of NASC Professional Development Committee; appointed Vice Chairman in an additional term with USTA Georgia Wheelchair Tennis Committee • Selected to serve on USTA Southern Wheelchair Tennis Committee and the USTA National Wheelchair Tennis Committee for respective two year terms.

Leisure Travel

• TripAdvisor awarded Myrtle Hill Cemetery four and a half stars out of 5 • Awarded ConventionSouth South’s Best Destination Apps/Mobile Sites

Religious/Meetings/Group Travel

• Rome selected for ConventionSouth’s Top 10 List of “Rising Destinations For Meetings” • Attended Rejuvenate to begin building new relationships with religious event meeting planners

Film & Television

• Worked with Tyler Perry to bring exterior shots and extras for scenes of “If Loving You is Wrong”

Product Development

• Last Stop Gift Shop partnered with Three Rivers Garden Club for installation of Blue Star Marker • Sulzbacher Roman Holiday excursion boat completed 67 cruises, a 56% year over year increase, comprising over 402 captain/crew hours, 3,393 total people served.

• Downtown Welcome Center officially opened as a satellite office and was the first 2013 SPLOST project completed.

• Continued development of SPLOST funded Tennis Center of Georgia • Collaborated with Samual Douglas (as part of an Eagle Scout Project) to install trail markers on Jackson Hill • Helped implement the publishing, marketing and sales of Brownie the Depot Dog to benefit Claws for Paws

Last Stop Gift Shop & Rome-Floyd Visitor Center Metrics

• Total visitation for 2014: 3,161; 59% were out-of-state, 1770 visitors from the states and 98 international visitors from 19 different countries • Brochures distributed: 43,761

Gift Shop Sales and Marketing

• Reinvested in Georgia Made, Georgia Grown to include 94 local artists, 16 cottage industries, and 9 homegrown wholesellers resulting in a 13% increase in sales • Added 19 new consignment artists to expand product line • Local artists represented include 19 local authors • Updated apparel line with new T-shirts and sweat shirts and continued work to flush out dated inventory • 75 local vendors participated in Spring and Winter Art Markets attracting over 2,400 people • Hosted two open houses, four book signings, seasonal farmer’s market, three

2015 Outlook GRCVB Staff Lisa Smith, Executive Director Kathy Mathis, Deputy Director Kendra Falcitelli, Sales & Customer Service Shelby Farrer, Sales/Marketing Coordinator Debbie Galloway, Sales Coordinator Ann Hortman, Rome Sports Commission Director Kristi Kent, Communications Director Debbie Law, Visitor Center Assistant Manager Charlene Mathis, Visitor Center Manager BeBe Smith, Customer Service Specialist

2015 Board of Directors John Spranza, Chair, Georgia Highlands College Chris Darwin, Vice Chair, Comfort Suites Larry Arrington, Shorter University Elaine Abercrombie, Greene’s Jewelers Kevin Aronhalt, Rome-Floyd Parks & Recreation Jennifer Beard, Berry College Tina Bowling, Wings Over North GA Harry Brock, Appraisal Associates of Rome Mike Burnes, Hillshire Brands Erin Elrod, Rome Braves Vickie Hill, Synovus Mortgage Sandra Lindsey, Community Volunteer Jamie McCord, Floyd County Manager Gay Nichols, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Anil Patel, Country Inn & Suites/Holiday Inn Express Sammy Rich, City of Rome Manager Milton Slack, Rome City Commission Joyce Smith, Fairview/E.S. Brown Heritage Corporation Alice Stevens, Oak Hill & The Martha Berry Museum Rhonda Wallace, Floyd County Commission Tannika Wester, Darlington School

The Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) and Rome Sports Commission is the official destination and sports marketing organization of Rome and Floyd County, Georgia.

2015 Program of Work Overall • Grow economic impact dollar amount generated into Rome-Floyd sales tax coffers • Focus on sales objectives that increase hotel room nights • Strengthen staff skill sets with cross-training on sales, retail and finance

Marketing & Public Relations • Create marketing plan to meet business goals of Tennis Center of Georgia • Update and market expanded offerings for meetings, reunions and other special events • Create and promote new amenities for sports, group tour and meeting planners • Develop staff marketing skill sets and expand marketing department • Continue to leverage social media in all marketing efforts and test advertising campaigns to drive event traffic and promote product launches • Work with Stonebridge golf course on marketing efforts to increase visits • Focus marking efforts to trackable search and online platforms • Update marketing brochures to include Civil War, Eco Center, Roman Holiday, Visitor Guide, Spring & Fall Calendars Meetings, Conventions & Groups • Aggressively market The Forum to new and returning meeting groups for 2015 and multi-year contracts • Remarket to groups that have visited in the past leveraging local organizations and their affiliations to attract new conventions/events • Develop expanded itineraries for group tours using existing tourism product tools • Launch “Knock, Knock”, an opt-in text alert notification system announcing anticipated event traffic to prompt businesses to prep for increased traffic • Host a fam tour for group meeting planners Rome Sports Commission • Oversee Special Events Review Committee • Continue developing partnerships within Rome/Floyd County

• Expand partnerships and develop connections with regional and national sports organizations • Develop Sports specific calendar for ALL sports events in Rome/Floyd County • Increase the number of adaptive sports and events as well as participation

Product Development • Partner with Downtown Development Authority and other affiliated organizations to create a gamification tourism app to engage visitors at meetings and events to explore all Rome has to offer • Increase awareness and continue developing new Downtown Welcome Center as a resource for tourist information • Work with developers of the Tennis Center of Georgia to ensure compliance with standards • Partner with Rome Tennis Academy & RFPRA of promote Rome Tennis Month • Establish a dock for the Sulzbacher Roman Holiday at the Lock & Dam Park • Increase awareness of hospitality association and expand by broadening into retail • Establish a serenity garden at Myrtle Hill Cemetery through the Myrtle Hill/Oak Hill Memorial Association • Continue to grow Roman Holiday bookings through partnership with ECO Center and attract new captains • Increase event offerings for special populations • Increase visibility of local trails through inclusion in new trail app to launch 2015 • Expand membership of the the free Paws Permitted program and increase program visibility Last Stop Gift Shop & Rome-Floyd Visitor Center • Revamp online store for signature Georgia’s Rome souvenirs • Continue growth of annual events including trunk shows, book signings, farmer’s market, art market • Increase gift shop sales through new consignors, unique products, special events and social media expansion • Continue building relationships with local book clubs, garden clubs and art clubs

2015 Events Booked January Southern Closed 16 Team GA Wrestling February Winston Churchill Art Exhibit at Martha Berry Museum Confluence Conference March

Leprechaun-athon Big Fibbers Contest - Civic Center & Berry College Wyoming Main Street Motorcoach (pre-fam trip for National meeting in ATL) Berry College Half-Marathon/10K/5K USAG GA Level 7 & 8 Gymnastics State Meet April Ga State Spring Jr. Open Championship Fouche Gap Road Race Atlanta Steeplechase Child Abduction Response Team Training Clocktower Classic Handcycle Race NCCAA Track & Field National Championship May Roman Roast on the River USTA Adult League Tennis State Championships Up the Creek without a Pedal CounterPoint Music Festival - Kingston Downs North GA Jr Open (Robert Sasseville) June IAC East Coast Championship - Int’l Aerobatic Competition

Georgia State Junior Challenger Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses July Salute to Honor America Color Me Free Run Georgia Junior Open Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses Rome 5V5 Soccer YMCA 50-100 teams 400 players regional August Clocktower Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Gary Tillman Memorial Clocktower Run Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses- Forum Southern Closed Doubles Championship Ken Freeman – Big Catfish Quest Tournament & Cast for Kids September Rome International Film Festival Rome River Jam October Wings Over North Georgia Air Show Berry Mountain Day Junior Tennis Fall Championships RACE Rome Inaugural Corn Hole Tournament Trout Unlimited Chili Cook-Off Going Caching! Mega event Zombie-thon and Apocalyptic Block Party November NCCAA Victory Bowl