CELEBRATING
CHRISTMAS, SPACE COAST STYLE!
APOLLO:
WHERE WERE YOU?
SPRING 2019
Florida’s Space Coast THIS SUMMER
From the air, Florida’s Space Coast shows off its many lakes and meandering waterways, not to mention its 72 miles of coastline. With over 20,000 acres of freshwater rivers and lakes and 170,000 acres of wetlands, outdoor enthusiasts love to explore by foot or boat. Summer is the perfect time to experience authentic Florida. From sea turtle nesting on the beach to bioluminescence kayaking, you will find experiences on Florida’s Space Coast that are found nowhere else.
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/ Florida's Space Coast 9/12/18 1:51 PM
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Executive Director
6
8
Meet the Team
Research 11
Visitation Report
16
2019 Florida Pro Surf
37
Celebrating Christmas, Space Coast Style!
42
One Lagoon
61
Apollo: Where Were You?
62
Sky & Sea
72
Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism 430 Brevard Avenue Suite 150, Cocoa, FL 32922 Phone: (877) 57-BEACH (2-3224) (321) 433-4470 Fax: (321) 433-4476
The Tourism Journal is the official tourism intelligence magazine of the Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism
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A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
As the new Executive Director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, I want to express how honored and excited I am to be back in Brevard County and promoting tourism for the place I love. The tourism industry on the Space Coast is continuing to grow and be strong. The last few years have seen stellar growth, thanks to strong economic conditions and a variety of positive factors. The Tourism Tax Collection revenue reached record levels in 2018, approaching $15.6 million. It is certainly a great time to live, work and play on the Space Coast and to be in the tourism industry. I am proud of what is happening here - from the beaches to the Indian River Lagoon projects and the hotel growth to the attractions and the space program; and from our beautiful wildlife and nature preserves to the arts and cultural scene. I could go on and on. I have been fortunate to travel all over the world and there is no place like Brevard and no place I’d rather be.
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The future is just as bright. While we may not see quite the level of growth as the past few years, steady growth is ahead. Hotel projects in 2019 and 2020 will see growth in room inventory. That increase in capacity leads to increases in bed tax collection which allows us to continue to market this great destination across the U.S. and the world, as well as fund more capital projects like beach renourishment and Indian River Lagoon (IRL) projects. Keeping the Indian River Lagoon healthy is of paramount importance to the community, including our tourism business, and all the positive economic impact tourists bring to Brevard County. So it was welcome news when it was announced in December that eight conservation-related projects focused on the IRL will receive grants from the Brevard County Tourist Development Council. Through a new Tourism + Lagoon Grant Program, a total of about $325,000 is being awarded to selected lagoon projects.
The projects include items such as habitat restoration, improved waterway access, shoreline litter control, and living shoreline protection. Eight projects were selected from among 20 submitted for review. The grants are funded from the five percent Tourist Tax Collection revenue on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals. It is activities such as these that make me proud to lead the Space Coast Office of Tourism team. I look forward to being a part of more programs like these and working with the tourism industry to make Brevard an even better place to live, work and play. Please feel free to reach out to me or our team if you ever have any ideas about growing and improving the tourism market on Florida’s Space Coast. I look forward to meeting and working with you in the coming months. n
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MEET THE
RESEARCH TEAM MIKE SLOTKIN, Ph.D. is Professor of Economics in the College of Business at the Florida Institute of Technology. Mike earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his scholarly activity surrounds the application of economics to the environment and to regional economies and industries. He regularly consults through FIT Consulting, and to date, has co-authored more than thirty economic impact or contribution studies. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Mike resides in the town of Grant-Valkaria with his life partner Karen and their three cats: Zippy, Curry, and Luna. He is a life-long supporter of his hometown Miami Dolphins.
ALEX VAMOSI, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business at the Florida Institute of Technology where he has been a faculty member since 2001. He also served as the Associate Dean of Academics at the College from 2007 to 2015. Alex completed his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and his undergraduate and master’s studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. His research interests involve statistical and quantitative analysis in the areas of environmental and regional economics, sustainability and ecotourism. Alex has collaborated actively on over thirty economic impact studies, and has presented papers on these topics both locally and internationally. He is an avid EPL fan and enjoys reading historical fiction, mystery and fantasy novels.
TIFFANY MINTON has served as the Marketing Director of Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism for three years. Tiffany was born in Florida and has lived on the Space Coast for 30 years. She is a graduate of Florida Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. Tiffany worked for Boeing and L-3 Communications and her last position was a Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist for Health First. She lives in Merritt Island with her husband and enjoys the beach, surfing, boating and practicing yoga.
DEBORAH WEBSTER was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, spending summers in Ocean City, New Jersey. She relocated to the Space Coast in the summer of 2015, after frequent visits to family over the past 20 years. In her role as Research and Analytics Director, she supports the Marketing team with data to best reach visitors to Florida’s Space Coast. Deborah is a graduate of Widener University and spent 15 years as an educator. She has two daughters; Anna Grace, 15 and Charlotte, 13 and lives in the Eau Gallie Arts District area.
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Contributors
Sources
Dr. Sherry Jensen
Tiffany Minton
is an assistant professor of economics in the College of Business at the Florida Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. from Clemson University. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked in the banking and automotive industries. Her research interests are focused on applied microeconomics, including labor economics, industrial organization, and the economics of education. Pages 62 - 69.
is the Marketing Director of Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism. Photo credit for pages 4, 8-9, 27 and 35.
Duane E. De Freese, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program and the IRL Council, an independent special district of the State of Florida. During his 4-dacade career, Duane has served in leadership positions in the public-sector, academia, non-profit organizations and industry. Dr. De Freese is a champion of science-based, common-sense ocean and coastal conservation in Florida. He is an avid surfer, traveler and clean-water advocate. Page 61.
& TREE TOP TREK
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NPI Productions,
Photo credit for
pages 16-17 and 36-39.
Liz Lind Editions Artwork, LizLindEditions.com, page 12.
CFLSurf.com, photo credit page 49 & the cover. Malcolm Denemark/FLORIDA TODAY, photo credit for pages 42-44, 47 and 57.
Flint Muhlausen, photo credit page 52. Images.nasa.gov, photo credit pages 64 - 66. Flickr.com, photo credit page 68.
RESEARCH UPDATES, PROJECTS & RESULTS BY DEBORAH WEBSTER
What is STR? Hotel industry performance metrics guide the daily deci-
in an effort to streamline our reports for greater efficiency.
sions of most lodging accommodations, particularly here on
At the present time we receive the Designation Report on a
Florida’s Space Coast. The company STR (pronounced as
monthly basis, and the Custom Forecast Report twice a year.
its spelled), formerly known as Smith Travel Research, was founded in1985 with the mission to track trends and performance metrics for lodging establishments. Within the tourism industry, STR is considered the source for hotel performance measurements. Carolyn and Randy Smith started the company by simply asking hotels to submit their performance measurements, with ultimate goal of selling data reports back to the lodging establishments. Currently, STR tracks about 60,000 hotels globally, housing over 8 million rooms.
The Designation Report is critical in that it showcases three important data points: 1) Occupancy Rate; 2) Average Daily Rate or ADR; and, 3) Revenue Per Available Room or RevPAR. The data is derived from the number of rooms available, rooms sold, and revenue accrued from the surveyed establishments. The data can be segmented by destination/locale, and we recently increased our local destination segments to better understand our market. Data is now available for the following
With nearly 35 years of experience, STR has created a vari-
Space Coast destinations: a) Cape Canaveral; b) Cocoa Beach;
ety of reporting options for purchase. The Space Coast Office
c) Titusville; d) Viera, Melbourne, Melbourne Beach; e) Palm
of Tourism (FSCOT) has recently re-organized their reporting
Bay; and, f) Brevard County overall.
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Additionally, within the larger Florida market we collect
ful Back to School Report. We utilize this report and the
data for destinations that we consider benchmark compar-
Visitor Market Study to identify areas within our larger
isons to the Space Coast. These cohorts include Jackson-
drive market that start school later than we do (i.e., late
ville Beaches, Daytona Beach, the West Palm Beach area,
August/early September) for a Back-to-School Visit Cam-
Fort Lauderdale Beaches, Orlando, Sarasota Beaches, and
paign. By targeting these zip codes through social channels,
Clearwater/St. Petersburg.
we’re able to encourage some remaining summer recess kids and their parents to visit the Space Coast during what
The twice yearly Custom Forecast Report is an 18-month
is typically a less busy time for our lodging establishments.
outlook on the three performance metrics (i.e., Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR) for Brevard County, Cocoa Beach and
The data from both reports, in their entirety, can be
Melbourne. These longer term snapshots greatly inform
found on the FSCOT dashboard’s Executive page. If you
FSCOT planning and marketing campaigns.
have any questions about the STR reports, need access to the FSCOT dashboard, or want to review the STR train-
In addition to the two reports mentioned, STR offers many other reporting tools, including the particularly help-
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ing video please email Deborah at Deborah.Webster@ VisitSpaceCoast.com. n
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TOURISM PERFORMANCE
SCORECARD
FLORIDA’S SPACE COAST OFFICE OF TOURISM Tourist Tax Collection Revenue ACTUAL
BUDGETED
LAST YEAR
$2M $1.75M $1.5M $1.25M $1M $750K $500K
J17 F17 M17 A17 M17 J17 J17 A17 S17 O17 N17 D17 J18 F18 M18 A18 M18 J18 J18 A18 S18 O18 N18 D18 J19 F19
Total Trips
Total Admissions
BIKESHARE
& TREE TOP TREK ZOO
60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0
TTT
TOTAL
400 300 200 100 MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
JAN
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
FEB
Total Guests Served
JAN
FEB
JAN
FEB
Total Surfboards Sold
Includes Grills Seafood Restaurants Port Canaveral & Melbourne, Florida
90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
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JAN
FEB
60 50 40 30 20 10
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Total Admissions
Total Downloads
MUSEUM OF DINOSAURS AND ANCIENT CULTURES 20,000 17,000 13,000 10,000 7,000 3,000 0
4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
JAN
FEB
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
JAN
FEB
Total Visitation*
5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0
JAN
FEB
JAN
FEB
JAN
FEB
Total Check-in Cookies (Melbourne)
Total Pints of Brew Sold in the Taproom
17,000 16,000 15,000 14,000 13,000 12,000 10,000
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
11,000 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
Total Deplaned Passengers
22,000 21,000 20,000 19,000 18,000 MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
JAN
FEB
17,000
MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
*The Barrier Island Center Total Visitation number is the combination of the following data: Barrier Island Trail use, K-12 School groups, Nesting Sea Turtle programs, Walk-in visitors, Family programs, and other.
The Tourism Performance Scorecard is a collection of metrics contributed by our local business partners to analyze trends by product, destination and season. We are grateful to those who shared data for this effort. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
15
Tourism
on the
Space
VISITATION REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 2017 AND 2018 BY ALEX VAMOSI, Ph.D.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Space Coast Office of Tourism (SCOT), in partnership with the Florida Institute of Technology, has been compiling a tourism database since 2017. One of the primary objectives of this project is to make annual comparisons of visitor profiles, spending patterns, and other trip characteristics of domestic visitors who purchased overnight lodging during their visit to the Space Coast. We refer to this market as domestic tourism, accommodations-based or DTAB. This report compares data for calendar years 2017 and 2018 for this economically important subset of the tourism market. A new survey collection process, implemented in 2018, yielded nearly 1,000 useable surveys for the most recent calendar year, more than 200 surveys greater than in 2017. This new methodology, however, does not capture visitors who live within a 100-mile radius of the Space Coast. As a result, the 2018 sample of visitor surveys produced a significantly different population mix than in 2017. The following items summarize the main findings of this report. • The proportion of parties that selected hotel/motel accom-
Coast
modations dropped from 72 percent in 2017 to about 53 percent in 2018. The exclusion from the survey pool of the greater Orlando drive market, visitors who are more likely stay at a hotel when purchasing lodging, is the likely reason for this large decrease. • DTAB parties reported significantly longer stays in 2018. The average length of stay was 0.3 nights longer at hotel/ motel accommodations, 1.1 night longer at short-term rentals, and between 2.5 and 3.0 nights longer for other accommodation types. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
17
• Spending per party decreased in 2018, primarily, be-
are required to pay Brevard County’s 5 percent bed tax.
cause of significantly lower estimates associated with
This DTAB segment is a large subset of the overall tourism
lodging expenses. In contrast, spending per person increased slightly in the overall DTAB market. • Satisfaction scores and participation rates increased for almost all Space Coast attractions in 2018; the weighted average satisfaction score rose from 4.28 to 4.39, while
market and the key economic driver of overnight visitation on the Space Coast. Every issue of the Space Coast Tourism Journal provides
the average number of activities rose from 4.80 to 6.03.
a 12-month snapshot of the DTAB market that is encapsu-
• Social media video has become the dominant market-
lated in a series of standardized charts, with detailed cap-
ing platform viewed by parties visiting the Space Coast;
tions, that appear in an appendix at the end of the report. By
billboards were the second most seen medium and the
coalescing these charts in one location, frequent readers of
strongest of the traditional marketing tactics used by advertisers.
INTRODUCTION
this publication can quickly compare results from one issue to the next. The written reports are primarily devoted to presenting an in-depth analysis of particular sub-markets that comprise the Space Coast tourism industry. In past
In partnership with the Florida Institute of Technology, SCOT has been compiling a tourism database since 2017. One of the primary objectives of this project is to make annual comparisons of visitor profiles, spending patterns,
issues, we have examined the cruise market, household income cohorts, and tourism groups consisting of first-time versus repeat visitors. Breaking down market segments in
and other trip characteristics of domestic visitors who pur-
this manner allows for a more granular analysis that often
chased overnight lodging in establishments that, by statute,
reveals details that can be masked by aggregate level data.
18 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
An important methodological change to the data collection process was implemented in spring 2018 by 321 the Agen-
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CALENDAR YEARS 2017 AND 2018
cy, one of SCOT’s marketing partners. The original process relied heavily on Facebook ads that were sent to users who
Introduction
had made a Visa card purchase in a Brevard County hotel. The flow of surveys, however, began to decrease rapidly after Labor Day, 2017, which necessitated a change in collection methodology. The new process greatly expanded the pool of individuals who received the ad by targeting all Facebook users who visited the Space Coast but were not from the local area. Nearly 1,000 useable surveys were collected in 2018, producing a sample size more than 200 surveys larger than in 2017. The revised collection process also produced more timely and accurate data because the ads were sent only to people within seven days of their visit to the Space Coast. By expanding the pool of recipients who received the Facebook ad, a much larger sample of surveys were collected from peo-
The analysis presented in the current report is devoted to comparing sample estimates of the DTAB market for calendar years 2017 and 2018. The revised survey collection process that was implemented in 2018 produced a much larger sample of useable surveys in 2018, especially during the 4-month autumn cycle. But it also produced a significantly different population mix in various sub-markets. Table 1 lists the sample sizes for 2017 and 2018 for the overall DTAB market and its two primary sub-markets. The total number of useable surveys collected in 2018 increased by a remarkable 28.6 percent. Despite this huge influx, the number of surveys collected from the cruise market actually fell, which subsequently lowered the proportion of cruise market surveys from 21.3
ple who chose non-hotel/motel accommodations for their
percent in 2017 to 9.2 percent in 2018. As described earlier,
overnight lodging, and from respondents who flew into one of
the collection process implemented in 2018 does not capture
the three regional airports that service Brevard County.
most visitors who live within a 100-mile radius of Brevard County; this is the most likely explanation for the observed
The one drawback of the revised collection process is
drop in cruise market surveys. The analysis that follows pres-
that most regional visitors who live within a 100-mile radius
ents estimates for all three markets; however, it should be
of the Space Coast were not sent the ad because of restric-
clear that the overall estimates and inferences that are made
tions placed by Facebook. This means that visitors from the
were driven primarily by observations that make up the non-
greater Orlando area are not being captured by the new col-
cruise market.
lection process. We suspect that the exclusion of these local, drive-market visitors is the primary reason for the drop in the
TABLE 1: SAMPLE SIZES BY MARKET
number of surveys collected from the cruise market as well as
Number of Surveys
parties that stayed at hotel/motel accommodations in 2018.
Percent of Total
2017
2018
2017
2018
Overall DTAB Market
761
979
100%
100%
sub-markets does not invalidate the estimates presented in
Non-Cruise Submarket
599
890
78.7%
90.9%
this report, but it does suggest that caution needs to be taken
Cruise Submarket
162
89
21.3%
9.2%
The smaller number of surveys collected from these two
in interpreting these estimates. It should also be noted that it is not uncommon for survey methodologies and collection processes to change over time, especially in the era of “big�
TAKEAWAY: While the total number of surveys collected increased significantly in 2018, the survey yield from the cruise submarket decreased.
data when new technologies are constantly changing both the ways that data can be collected, and what data can be collected. Although we do not anticipate any significant changes to the current collection process for calendar year 2019, readers should always anticipate adjustments in the population mix of surveys whenever there are notable changes in methodology. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
19
TABLE 2: TRIP PROFILE OF SPACE COAST VISITORS Overall DTAB
Cruise
Non-Cruise
Party Composition
2017
2018
2017
2018
2017
2018
# of Party's
761
979
162
89
599
890
Party Size
3.09
3.02
3.09
3.15
3.10
3.01
Adults
2.40
2.39
2.55
2.56
2.36
2.37
Children
0.69
0.63
0.54
0.58
0.73
Overall DTAB
Cruise
0.63 Non-Cruise
Lodging Profile
2017
2018
2017
2018
2017
2018
Rooms
1.26
1.12
1.27
1.21
1.26
1.11
Nights
3.62
5.19
2.70
3.97
3.86
5.31
Room Nights
4.62
5.68
3.25
4.46
4.99
5.80
People Nights
11.60
15.94
7.98
11.22
12.57
16.41
TAKEAWAY: The composition of a typical party has been relatively stable; however, visiting parties in 2018 had significantly longer stays and rented fewer rooms.
Trip Profiles of Space Coast Visitors
DTAB parties rented 0.13 fewer rooms in 2018 but the average number of nights they stayed was, amazingly, 1.6
Table 2 presents statistics on the trip profiles of parties
nights longer.
These figures translate to about 1.1 ad-
that visited the Space Coast in 2017 and 2018. The com-
ditional room nights per party and 4.3 additional people
position of a typical party has been relatively stable over
nights per party. There are several factors that contribut-
the two year period but with a few subtle differences. In
ed to the unusually large increase in the length of stay that
2018, the number of adults was virtually the same in all of
was reported by parties in 2018. Figure 1 shows that the
the markets reported, but a typical party was a bit smaller
average length of stay was 0.3 nights longer at hotel/motel
in size (3.02 people) and included slightly fewer kids (0.63).
accommodations, 1.1 nights longer at short-term rentals, and between 2.5 and 3.0 nights longer for other accommodation types. Figure 2 shows the proportion of parties that
FIGURE 1. LENGTH OF STAY BY ACCOMMODATION TYPE 10
FIGURE 2. ACCOMMODATIONS TYPE
8 6 4
8.0
6.8 5.7
5.1
7.0 4.4
100% 75% 50%
3.0 3.3
2
25%
0
0.0%
Hotel/Motel
2017
Short Term Rental
Condo & Other Lodging Types
RV Park or Campground
2018
TAKEAWAY: The average length of stay rose by more than 1.6 nights in the overall DTAB market with the largest gains occurring in non-hotel accommodations.
20 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
72% 53%
12%
22%
Hotel/Motel
Short Term Rental
2017
2018
12%
18%
Condo & Other Lodging Types
4% 7% RV Park or Campground
TAKEAWAY: The proportion of parties that selected non-hotel accommodations, primarily short-term rentals, also jumped markedly in 2018.
selected non-hotel/motel accommodations increased from
within an hour or two; moreover, visitors who stay longer are
28 percent (2017) to 47 percent (2018). Thus, the greater
more likely to purchase non-hotel/motel accommodations.
proportion of parties that purchased non-hotel/motel accommodations combined with the longer length of stay associat-
Trip Purpose
ed with these parties accounts for roughly 1/2 of the longer What is the primary purpose of DTAB trips? Not surpris-
stays that were reported in 2018.
ingly, the most cited reason given by survey respondents is Another reason for the longer length of stay is that Facebook
vacation/holiday. About 65 percent of visiting parties were
no longer sends ads about the survey to people who visited the
here on vacation/holiday in 2017. That estimate, however,
Space Coast but live within a 100-mile radius of the Brevard
dropped by about 10 points in 2018. Figure 3 shows that
County, in particular visitors who live in the greater Orlando
the proportion of parties that came to visit with family and
area. This means that a larger proportion of the 2018 sample is
friends grew by four points in 2018, while the remaining six
composed of people who live more than 100 miles away. Tour-
point increase was for “other� purposes. Business travel,
ists who travel farther distances to visit an area will, in gener-
rocket launch and private occasion together accounted for
al, stay longer than people who can easily reach a destination
19 percent of responses in 2018.
FIGURE 3. PRIMARY PURPOSE OF TRIP Vacation/Holiday 100% 80% 60%
2017
Visiting Family & Friends 2018
2017
Other
2018
2017
2018
78% 65% 61%
66% 55% 53%
40% 20%
11% 12%
7%
15% 16%
30% 31%
24% 27% 11%
15%
22%
0.0% Overall
Non-Cruise
Cruise
TAKEAWAY: In 2018, a greater proportion of respondents traveled to the Space Coast to visit with family and friends and for other non-vacation purposes.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
21
Air Travel
6 depict average expenditures in the overall market and the non-cruise and cruise sub-markets on a per-party and
Figure 4 presents statistics on air travel usage by visiting
per-person basis, respectively. Although per party expen-
DTAB parties. About 27 percent of respondents flew into
ditures were down by about $20 overall, per person spend-
one of the area’s three major airports in 2017, reinforcing
ing was modestly higher. The sample estimates, however,
the notion that the Space Coast is primarily a “drive market.”
reveal large decreases in both spending per party and per
In 2018, that figure jumped to about 41 percent. Again,
person in the cruise market.
some of this increase is attributable to the 100-mile radius restriction that Facebook places on ads that are sent to its users who have visited the Space Coast. The increased collection of surveys from air travelers will, in the future, allow
FIGURE 5. EXPENDITURE PER PARTY $2,000
us to conduct a more comprehensive analysis of this import-
$1,500
ant sub-market. The distribution of travelers to the three
$1,000
airports were similar across the two years. In 2018, about 78 percent of air travelers flew into Orlando International Airport (MCO), with the remainder split almost equally be-
$1,488 $1,467
$1,239
$1,036
$500 $0
tween Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB) and
Overall
2017
Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB).
FIGURE 4. AIR TRAVEL TO A MAJOR REGIONAL AIRPORT
$1,555 $1,510
Non-Cruise
Cruise
2018
TAKEAWAY: Spending per party decreased in each of the sub-markets, most notably in the cruise market.
100% 80% 78%
80%
FIGURE 6. EXPENDITURE PER PERSON
60% 40%
27%
$600
41%
$481 $486
20% 0.0%
Air Travel
Orlando (MCO)
2017
2018
10% 12%
11% 10%
Melbourne (MLB)
Sanford (SFB)
TAKEAWAY: A larger proportion of the air travel market was captured in 2018; the utilization of the three regional airports that service the Space Coast remained about the same.
Trip Expenditures – Visitor Spending Survey respondents were asked to estimate total dollar amounts spent by their party during their visit to the Space Coast. Spending was itemized by lodging, dining & beverages, retail, recreation & entertainment, gasoline, local transportation, and other services, and then aggregated to determine total expenses for each party. Figures 5 and 22 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
$502 $502 $402
$400
$329
$200 $0
Overall
2017
Non-Cruise
Cruise
2018
TAKEAWAY: Overall spending per person gained slightly but dropped by over $70 in the cruise market.
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24 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
FIGURE 7. EXPENDITURE BY MAJOR CATEGORY Lodging
$800
Restaurants & Drinking Establishments
2017
2018
$656 $688
$617 $635
$600
$538
2017
$439
$400
$339
$356
2018
$274
$336 $346
Recreation & Retail 2017
$394 $409 $242
2018
$405 $420 $337
$251
$200 $0 Overall
Non-Cruise
Cruise
TAKEAWAY: The decrease in per party spending observed in the 2018 sample is primarily attributable to lower estimates associated with lodging expenses.
It is perplexing to find that overall spending dropped by $21 per party when the average length of reported visits increased in 2018. To begin unraveling this apparent anomaly, we reviewed expenditures for the three major categories that account for the bulk of visitor purchases: 1) lodging; 2) restaurants and drinking establishments; and 3) recreation and retail purchases. Figure 7 clearly shows that the majority of the drop in per party expenditures occurred in the lodging
more equally dispersed in 2018. Lodging expenditures per night depend on two factors: the number of rooms purchased and the price per room. In 2018, the average number of rooms purchased by DTAB parties dropped by 0.13 rooms per party. This decrease translates into savings of $19.50 per night for a $150 room and $26 per night for a $200 room. To provide some perspective
category, by an average of $39 per party in the overall DTAB
about the amount of savings involved, consider that in 2017
market. A more muted response occurred with purchases
estimates of nightly lodging expenses were, $186 and $195,
from restaurants and drinking establishments, which account
respectively, for hotel/motel lodging and short-term rentals.
for a modest decrease of $3 per party. In contrast, recreation and retail purchase rose by $11 per party, while all other pur-
DTAB parties also reported significantly longer stays in
chases (not depicted in Figure 7) rose by about $10 per party.
2018. Basic economic principles predict that people have an incentive to economize on their expenses with longer visits by
The next step is to explain why estimates of lodging expen-
selecting less expensive substitute goods and services. To il-
ditures dropped so dramatically in 2018. Three reasons are
lustrate, findings from the “Fall 2018� visitation report clearly
offered to explain this decrease.
showed that parties began to economize on lodging expenses
1. The average number of rooms procured per party de-
after their second visit to the Space Coast. Parties can also,
creased in 2018. 2. Longer visits in 2018 created an incentive for parties to economize on expenses. 3. The monthly distribution of surveys collected was
quite easily, reduce their expenditures on meals by substituting to lower cost eating and drinking establishments, or by purchasing food and drinks at retail outlets and preparing their own meals.
Social media video has become the dominant marketing platform viewed by parties visiting the Space Coast. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
25
The third explanation is related to the different monthly distribution of surveys that were collected in 2017 and
distribution is preferred to one that is heavily weighted to a few months of the year.
2018. In 2017, about 85 percent of the useable surveys were collected from trips taken during the six month period, from February to July, while only 5 percent of the sam-
Activities/Attractions: Participation and Satisfaction
ple came from trips taken during the three month autumn season. In 2018 the survey collection process yielded a
Survey respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction
more uniform, month-to-month distribution of surveys. To
with several well-known attractions marketed by Space
see how differences in the distribution of surveys collect-
Coast tourism officials and stakeholders. The ratings scale
ed can impact lodging expenditures, we took 2018 data on
ranges from (1) very unsatisfied to (5) very satisfied. Table
Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) and calculated the
3 summarizes the satisfaction scores for 13 attractions,
weighted average RevPAR using the 2018 distribution of
including two new additions that were not listed on the
surveys, and then recalculated the weighted average using
2017 survey: Native Wildlife Viewing and USSSA Space
the 2017 distribution. The weighted average RevPAR was
Coast Complex. The participation rate – the percentage of
$4.18 lower when calculated using the 2018 distribution.
respondents who participated in a particular activity – has
This suggests lodging estimates were lower in 2018, in part,
also been tabulated and provides some context to the satis-
because a more uniform number of monthly surveys were
faction scores. The median scores for both satisfaction and
collected during the year. All else the same, a more uniform
participation are highlighted in color.
26 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
27
Two observations about the various satisfactions scores
a total of five attractions exceeded this threshold in 2018.
stand out. First, survey respondents have repeatedly re-
Moreover, 2018 survey respondents took part in 1.2 more
ported high satisfaction scores for all of the attractions sur-
activities (on average) than their 2017 counterparts. The
veyed. In the past two years, only one attraction received
higher participation rates that were observed in 2018 are
an average score below 4.00, while ten of the thirteen attractions produced a score of 4.30 or higher in calendar year 2018. The second finding is that satisfaction scores, since 2017, have increased for every attraction; some of the changes were small (and statistically insignificant) but many were noticeably larger. Collectively, these individual scores yielded an overall weighted average score of 4.39 in 2018.
consistent with longer visitations, which provided DTAB parties with more opportunities to engage in leisure activities. The importance of these satisfaction scores and participation rates for the long-term sustainability of Brevard County’s tourism sector cannot be overstated. In the Fall 2018 Visitation Report it was shown that the Space Coast attracts a high volume of repeat visitors. Almost 50 per-
Bicycling and Eau Gallie Arts District enjoyed the largest
cent of the survey respondents had visited the Space Coast
absolute gains in satisfaction score, rising by 0.39 and 0.32
two to four times within the last 24 months, while another
points respectively.
21 percent, remarkably, had visited more than four times. The large proportion of high frequency visitors is at least
Participation rates also increased for most of the attrac-
partially attributable to the variety of attractions that the
tions listed in Table 3. In 2017, only two activities experi-
Space Coast offers and the high level of satisfaction experi-
enced a participation rate of more than 50 percent, while
enced by its users.
28 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
TABLE 3: SUMMARY OF SATISFACTION SCORES AND PARTICIPATION RATES Satisfaction (5-point scale)
Participation Rate (Percent)
Attraction
2017
2018
2017
2018
Beach Activities
4.42
4.44
82.8
87.2
Bicycling
4.02
4.41
24.4
39.0
Brevard Zoo / Treetop Trek
4.35
4.50
20.9
35.0
Eau Gallie Arts District
3.93
4.25
21.2
30.5
Historic Cocoa Village
4.26
4.38
46.3
52.5
Historic Downtown Melbourne
4.17
4.34
35.1
45.7
KSC Visitor Complex
4.48
4.59
46.3
58.0
Native Wildlife Viewing
na
4.41
na
56.2
Orlando Theme Parks
4.27
4.45
33.1
36.7
Ron Jon Surf Shop / Cocoa Beach Surf Co.
4.26
4.33
59.0
57.0
The Cove at Port Canaveral
4.36
4.39
31.8
39.6
Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier
4.17
4.26
48.5
49.4
na
4.10
na
16.5
4.39
4.80
USSSA Space Coast Complex Summary Statistics
Weighted Avg. 4.28
Avg. # of Activities 6.03
TAKEAWAY: In the past year satisfaction scores and participation rates have increased for almost all Space Coast attractions.
Marketing Penetration
spondents have been asked to check off all of the types of marketing or advertising they have “specifically seen about
In the tourism industry, marketing and advertising is used to build a brand, attract first-time visitors and foster sustainable growth through the repeat visitor market. Space Coast
the Space Coast� in the past six months. Survey items include both traditional advertising tools as well as social media, in-
tourism staff utilizes several different marketing tactics to
ternet, and mobile platforms that make-up the modern digital
attract and engage visitors to the Space Coast. Survey re-
age of advertising.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
29
Table 4 summarizes the viewership (or penetration) of
ing mediums. It is likely that Space Coast tourism staff are
the 11 items that were surveyed. Social media video has be-
channeling resources away from the traditional outlets to
come the dominant marketing platform viewed by parties
the fast growing digital & mobile marketing pathways.
visiting the Space Coast; in 2018, social media videos about the Space Coast were seen by more than 50 percent of sur-
Interestingly, almost one out of every five survey respon-
vey respondents, up three points since 2017. Billboards
dents had not seen any type of marketing or advertising
were the second most seen medium and the strongest of
related to the Space Coast in the six months prior to their
the traditional marketing tactics used by advertisers. The
trip. This is likely because of the large proportion of high
other noticeable trend observed in Table 4 are the large de-
frequency visitors, people who have made more than four
creases in penetration for most of the traditional advertis-
trips in the past 24 months. As people become increasingly
TABLE 4. MARKETING AND ADVERTISING VIEWERSHIP Digital Marketing
2017
2018
Traditional Tactics
2017
2018
Social Media Video
48%
51%
Billboards
38%
30%
Website
29%
27%
Magazine Print Ad
24%
18%
Social Media Other
16%
21%
TV
25%
15%
FSC Vacation Planner
19%
17%
News Stories
23%
15%
YouTube
3%
5%
Airport Display
13%
14%
Did not see any in list.
18%
18%
Radio
11%
6%
Takeaway: Social media video has become the dominant marketing platform viewed by parties visiting the Space Coast; billboards were the second most seen medium and the strongest of the traditional marketing pathways used by advertisers.
30 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
familiar with an area, especially one that is frequently visit-
parties. Visitors from the local drive market, in particular
ed, diminishing returns to viewing advertising begin to set in.
from the greater Orlando area, are no longer being served
Diminishing returns may also be the reason why in 2018, the
advertisements about the Space Coast tourism survey from
average number of marketing or advertising types seen by re-
Facebook. It is likely that many of these central Florida vis-
spondents fell from 2.49 to 2.22.
itors book accommodations in hotel/motels for short stays.
Summary The 2018 sample of visitor surveys produced a significantly
A reduction in the proportion of surveys collected from this local drive market is consistent with the changing population mix observed in 2018.
different population mix than in the prior year. Perhaps the two most noteworthy differences, are the greater proportion
The following appendix of charts presents additional, more
of parties that purchased non-hotel/motel accommodations
detailed information about parties that visited the Space
in 2018, and the longer length of stay associated with these
Coast in 2018. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
31
Appendix FIGURE 1: ACCOMMODATION TYPE
Hotel/Motel 52.6%
Condo 16.1%
Vacation Rental 12.5% Other 2.0%
RV Park/ Campground 7.3%
Short-Term Rental 9.5%
More than 50 percent of visitors to the Space Coast choose hotel/ motel accommodations for their overnight lodging needs. Alternative modes of lodging, however, continue to rise in popularity. Condos, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO, and Homeaway) were procured by 38 percent of visiting parties, while another 7 percent stayed at campgrounds or RV parks.
FIGURE 2. LODGING PROFILE BY MARKET SEGMENT 20.7
19 17.5
16.4
15.9 14
13.9 11.2
10.5 7.0 5.2
5.7
5.3 5.8
4.0 4.5
3.5 1.1
1.2
1.1
6.4 6.7
5.1 5.5
1.1
1.1
0 Overall Rooms
Non-Cruise Nights
Room Nights
Cruise
3-Month Return
12-Month Return
People Nights
The number of rooms that a party typically rents for overnight lodging is about 1.1 rooms overall and across sub-markets. Over the past four months, the average length of stay rose from 4.8 nights to 5.2 nights overall. All four sub-markets showed increases, with the largest gains found in the cruise market (3.0 to 4.0 nights) and the 3-month return visit market (4.0 to 5.1 nights)
32 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
FIGURE 3. PARTY SIZE BY MARKET SEGMENT 7.0 3.5
2.4
0
3.0
2.6 3.1
2.4 3.0
Cruise
Non-Cruise
Overall Adults
2.3
2.8
3-Month Return
2.5
3.1
12-Month Return
Party Size
The makeup of a typical party visiting the Space Coast has seen little variation since we began collecting data in 2017: about 3.0 individuals, including 2.4 adults and 0.6 kids. Respondents from the cruise market report slightly higher numbers for both party size and adults. Conversely, visitors from the 3-month return market tend to travel in smaller sized parties with fewer adults.
FIGURE 5. PRIMARY PURPOSE OF TRIP: OTHER MOTIVATIONS 0.0%
3.8%
Overall 100% 75% 50% 25% 10% 0.0%
54.6% 15.3%
Non-Cruise 53.5% 15.7%
Cruise
Private Occasion
66.3% 11.2%
Public Event, Show or Festival Overall
Vacation/ Holiday
Visiting Family & Friends
When asked to identify the primary purpose of their visit to the Space Coast, about 53.5 percent of respondents in the non-cruise market report vacation/ holiday; this figure jumps to about 66.3 percent in the cruise market. The second most cited reason is visiting family and friends, which accounts for another 15 percent of reported trips.
15.0%
5.9% 6.4%
1.1% Rocket Launch
11.3%
11.0% 11.1% 10.1%
Other Business
FIGURE 4. PRIMARY PURPOSE OF TRIP: VACATION AND VISITS
7.5%
5.3% 5.4% 4.5% 4.9% 5.1% 3.4% 2.9% 2.8% 3.4% Non-Cruise
Cruise
Business, private occasion and rocket launch were other frequently cited reasons for visiting the Space Coast. Together, these three items accounted for about 16.1 percent of all visits. Public event, show or festival, job interview and convenient stop for drive travel account for only 5.4 percent of visits. In almost all cases, the proportion reported in the non-cruise market is greater than its corresponding value in the cruise market.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
33
Appendix continued FIGURE 6. CRUISE COHORT BY SELECTED CRUISE LINE NORWEGIAN 6.7%
OTHER 18.0%
DISNEY 11.2%
ROYAL CARIBBEAN 28.1%
CARNIVAL 36.0%
A total of 89 parties embarked on a cruise from Port Canaveral, which makes up about 9.1 percent of reported trips. Carnival and Royal Caribbean were the chosen carriers for 57 of these parties (64 percent). During the last four months, the proportion of travelers who selected Royal Caribbean rose by almost 8 points, while percentages for Carnival, Disney, and Norwegian all fell.
90% 90% 74%
FIGURE 7. WHAT TYPE OF MARKETING HAVE YOU SEEN? 0.0% Social Media Video Billboard Website Social Media Other Magazine Print Ad None of the Above FSC Vacation Planner TV News Stories Airport Display Radio You Tube
15.0%
30.0%
45.0%
60.0% 51.2%
29.7% 27.3% 20.8% 17.7% 17.6% 17.4% 15.3% 15.2% 14.3% 5.8% 5.1%
The strongest marketing platforms observed in the overall market continues to be social media videos (51 percent), billboards (30 percent) and websites (27 percent); almost all other platforms experienced exposure rates between 14 and 20 percent. The two least effective platforms (radio and YouTube) were seen by less than 6 percent of respondents, while more than 17 percent reported not seeing any of the marketing types that were listed.
Of those polled, would
Refer a Friend to Visit the Space Coast
Of those polled, would
Return to Visit the Space Coast Of those polled, expect to
Return to the Space Coast Within a Year of their Last Visit
FIGURE 8. HOUSEHOLD INCOME 30% 25%
22.0%
21.2%
20% 16.1%
15% 10% 0.0%
14.7%
12.7% 8.5%
4.8% Less than $25,000
$25,000 $49,999
$50,000 $74,999
$75,000 $99,999
$100,000 $124,999
$125,000 $149,999
$150,000 or more
The distribution of household income remains skewed towards higher end income brackets. The proportion of respondents, however, who reported a household income of less than $75,000 increased by 3 points (40 percent to 43 percent) since the last issue. The $75,000 median household income in our sample is about $14,000 more than the 2017 median estimate for all U.S. households reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
34 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
FIGURE 9. AVERAGE TRIP EXPENDITURE BY MARKET Overall
Cruise
$1600 $1,467 $1200 $1,036 $800 $486 $329 $400 0 Spending Per Party
Non-Cruise
3-Month Return
FIGURE 10. BREAKDOWN OF SPENDING, OVERALL
$1,648
$1,510
$1,243
$502
Lodging Restaurants Recreation
12-Month Return
$537
$446
$700 $500 $300 $100 0
Visitors to the Space Coast spent an overall average of $1,467 per party or $486 per person. Average trip expenditure in the cruise market was about $474 less per party and $181 less per person than expenditures in the non-cruise market; similarly, average spending in the 3-month return market was $405 less per party and $91 less per person than in the 12-month return market.
$700 $500 $300 $100 0
Restaurants
Recreation
Retail
Gas
$346 $115
Spending Per Party
$241 $80
$179 $60
$88 $29
$336 $204
$111
$233 $77
$171 $57
$87 $29
$22 $7
Spending Per Person
FIGURE 12. BREAKDOWN OF SPENDING, CRUISE MARKET Lodging
Restaurants
Recreation
Retail
Gas
Other
$73 $23
$32 $10
Other
$635 $211
Other
A breakdown of average trip expenditures in the overall market ($1,467 per party) shows that about 65 percent of spending was for lodging expenses, and food and beverages purchased at local restaurants and bars. Lodging expenses were almost twice the amount spent on food and beverages. Recreation expenses and retail purchases together accounted for another 27.6 percent of overall spending.
FIGURE 11. BREAKDOWN OF SPENDING, NON-CRUISE MARKET Lodging
Gas
$617
Spending Per Party
Spending Per Person
Retail
$21 $7
Spending Per Person
The average trip expenditure in the non-cruise market is about $1,510 per party or $502 per person. In comparison to the overall market, dollar expenditures are somewhat higher in each spending category; however, when dollar values are converted to percentages, the spending patterns in the two markets are generally similar.
$700 $500 $300 $100 0
$439 $140
$242 $77
Spending Per Party
$155 $49
$96
$30
Spending Per Person
The average trip expenditure in the cruise market was about $1,036 per party or $329 per person. In comparison to the non-cruise market, lodging was procured for about 1.3 nights less per party in the cruise market. As a result, expenditures in the cruise market were significantly lower in each of the four main spending categories: lodging, restaurants, recreation, and retail purchases.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
35
Appendix continued FIGURE 13. SATISFACTION WITH SELECT ACTIVITIES Beach Activities Bicycling Brevard Zoo/Treetop Trek Eau Gallie Arts District Historic Cocoa Village Historic Downtown Melbourne Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Native Wildlife Viewing Orlando Theme Parks Ron Jon’s/Cocoa Beach Surf Company USSSA Space Coast Complex The Cove at Port Canaveral Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier 1 = Very unsatisfied
4.44 4.41 4.50 4.25 4.38 4.34 4.59 4.41 4.45 4.33 4.10 4.39 4.26
FIGURE 14. SATISFACTION IN SELECT ACTIVITIES Beach Activities Bicycling Brevard Zoo/Treetop Trek Eau Gallie Arts District Historic Cocoa Village Historic Downtown Melbourne Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Native Wildlife Viewing Orlando Theme Parks Ron Jon’s/Cocoa Beach Surf Company USSSA Space Coast Complex The Cove at Port Canaveral Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier
87.2% 39.0% 35.0% 30.5% 52.5% 45.7% 58.0% 56.2% 36.7% 57.0% 16.5% 39.6% 49.4%
5 = Very satisfied
Survey respondents reported high satisfaction scores for many of popular destinations and activities marketed by the Space Coast. On a scale of (1) very unsatisfied to (5) very satisfied, the weighted average score for the 13 activities listed was 4.39. Ten of the thirteen activities earned scores above 4.30. USSSA Space Coast Complex had the lowest satisfaction score in the sample (4.10), but it is arguably the least well known of the items that were surveyed.
36 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Survey respondents engaged in an average of six activities while visiting the Space Coast. Beach Activities were the most popular attraction (87 percent), followed by several venues that had rates in excess of 50 percent: KSC Visitor Complex, Ron Jon/Cocoa Beach Surf Company, Native Wildlife Viewing and Historic Cocoa Village. USSSA Space Coast Complex was the sole venue that was experienced by fewer than 30 percent of respondents.
2019 FLORIDA PRO WINNER CAROLINE MARKS
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
37
Florida’s Space Coast is a mecca for world-class surfers.
surfers, Lisa Andersen dominated women’s surfing in
At some point in their lives, most die-hards have made the
the mid-1990s, winning 4 consecutive world titles from
pilgrimage to Sebastian Inlet’s iconic first peak as well as
1994-1997 and East Coast Surfing Hall of Famer Gary
historic Cocoa Beach.
Propper, who passed away earlier this year. And what do
these legends all have in common? The same surfing nurs-
Sebastian Inlet’s iconic First Peak wave has been one of
ery where the world’s current number one ranked female
the top producers of world champion titles, professional
surfer, Caroline Marks, cut her teeth - The Inlet.
surfers & legends in North America. The roster comprises
a who’s who of surfing dignitaries, including Kelly Slater,
Caroline won the 2018 & 2019 Florida Pro, elevating
who won 11 World Surfing League (WSL) Tour Champion-
herself onto the highest pantheon of women’s surfing.
ships between the years 1992 and 2011, and C.J. Hobgood,
In April 2019, Caroline won the Boost Mobile Pro Gold
WSL Champion in 2001. C.J.’s twin brother Damien and
Coast, beating 3-time World Champion Carissa Moore in
local shaper Matt Kechele also World Championship tour
the finals. Congratulations Caroline!
38 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
39
F
E
E
D
B
A
C
K
We captured 181 responses through an online survey for the Florida Pro Surf Competition event. The survey was available online through the Florida Pro Facebook and Instagram pages.
Florida rivals New South Wales and Queensland, Australia and Hawaii as the most successful competitive surfing state in the world, with 20 World Championships under its belt. The beach at Sebastian Inlet has developed surfing’s best for the last 30 years. Hosting a WSL Qualifying Series event to celebrate this championship legacy and provide opportunity for the next generation is a perfect fit. The Space Coast’s beaches and the community as a whole boast something special for surfers of all walks. With the spotlight of the World Surf League shining on this community as the annual tour kicks off, one of surfing’s greatest stories continues to be told. Florida’s champions.
2. Was the Florida Pro Surf Competition the primary reason for your trip to the Space Coast?
Yes
90.3%
No
9.7%
3. Was this your first time attending or participating in Florida Pro Surf Competition?
No
53.6%
YES
46.4%
–BRIAN ROBBINS, TOUR MANAGER - WSL N. AMERICA
4. Are you a... 1. How did you hear about Florida Pro Surf?
0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0%
Attended Last Year Billboard or Outdoor Advertisement Florida Pro Surf Website Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) TV, News Outlet or Newspaper VisitSpaceCoast.com Word of Mouth WSL None of the Above Other - Please Specify 40 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Overnight Visitor
18.2%
38.7% Brevard County Local Resident 39.8% Brevard County Seasonal Resident 3.3%
Day Trip Visitor
Of the 103 responses from Q4 that were Day Trip Visitors or Overnight Visitors, in Q2 90.3% said that the Florida Pro Surf Competition was their primary reason to visit the Space Coast.
88.4% Of Those Polled
When asked, the likelihood they will attend next year’s Florida Pro Surf Competition, said
“Yes, definitely!”
PHILADELPHIA, PA ARRIVED 11/07/2018 MCO
Visitor location analytics for the tourism industry. ATLANTA, GA ARRIVED 11/04/2018 FLL
ORLANDO, FL ARRIVED 11/06/2018 FL-528 E & I-95 S
For over 18 years, we’ve helped businesses understand their visitors. Contact us to start leveraging trillions of data points.
airsage.com
(404) 809-2499 / info@airsage.com
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41
Celebrating Christmas, Space Coast 42 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
SURFING SANTAS: CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS, SPACE COAST STYLE! BY MIKE SLOTKIN, Ph.D.
Take the time to imagine a beach tailgate party centered on Christmas themes, live entertainment, and surfers clad in Santa Claus outfits – then sprinkle in some charitable fundraising as well as a costume contest where the winner receives a Rickey Carroll surfboard – and you might just begin to grasp what Christmas Eve means in Cocoa Beach, Florida. What started as an epiphany by Brevard County’s George Trosset, Surfing Santas, in just one decade, has become a holiday tradition on the Space Coast and an event of international reputation. Images of Surfing Santas are now ubiquitous in print, social media, and television coverage, elevating the Space Coast brand to newer highs. In 2018, Surfing Santas ascended to the pinnacle of U.S. billboard space, the rarefied landscape of Times Square in Manhattan, where pedestrians in the hundreds of thousands bore witness to a grizzled, grey-beard in a red suit, riding waves on Space Coast beaches. It is self-evident that the millions of dollars in earned media that Surfing Santas bestows upon Brevard County is a godsend for Space Coast Tourism, and an amazing value proposition for its destination marketing organization. For the Space Coast Office of Tourism, the $3.53 million in total publicity value generated, detailed by Butin Integrated Communications in their “Surfing Santas – 2018 Updated Media Coverage Report,” is like pulling a Florida Lottery win on a one-dollar ticket. The
Style!
event capitalizes on intangibles like name recognition, person-to-person contact, and social media, and runs on very little operational expenditures and festival promotion. While it is a Space Coast Office of Tourism Signature Event, the promotional support provided is less than $25k for the type of brand exposure that other Florida counties look upon with envy. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
43
By way of illustration, the day after Christmas, Fox News Channel – “The Five,” based in New York City, provided video of the Surfing Santas as well as a description of the event, its Cocoa Beach locale, and fundraising objective. The story reached just under 2.5 million viewers, and had an
Which makes it all the more remarkable that this emergent Space Coast tradition had its antecedent in the form of a television commercial that George just happened to view post-Thanksgiving 2009. Honda’s Christmas ad campaign had a bunch of guys surfing with Santa outfits on, triggering a latent desire in George’s brain to become a Surfing Santa. So
equivalent buy value of $400k. Just two days earlier, The
he enlisted a partner in crime, his wife Nihla, who effectively
Washington Post’s story, “Hundreds of surfers in Santa suits
functioned as wardrobe creator in a brilliant but un-nomi-
ride waves in Florida”, found an audience to over 275,000
nated attempt at the Oscar for costume design. Just prior
readers. All across the United States – from KTLA 5 News
to his Christmas Eve Day ride-out, he also contacted his son
in Los Angeles to WGN Early Morning News in Chicago –
and daughter-in-law and asked them to join him, dressed as,
Surfing Santas saturated the airwaves and were recycled in
you guessed it, elves. Like dutiful children they did – osten-
print. The Butin report itemized a broadcast reach of 18.5 million views based on 370 mentions, with an earned media equivalency of about $3.04 million. This constituted just over 86 percent of the event’s total publicity value. But while broadcast dominates the publicity value gen-
sibly to keep Dad from drowning – with their 3-year old son in tow, who watched contentedly from the beach. A Florida Today photographer was there to capture the moment, and the rest, as they say, is history. The 10,000 spectators and 800 participants at the Cocoa Beach-Minuteman corridor are testament to the event’s growth.
erated, the nexus of the internet and social media heightens
In 2019, George and his crew will continue their Surfing
the event’s reach. News web sites, online print and broad-
Santas outreach, visiting children in regional hospitals as
cast, social networking sites and blogs combined to yield
well as appearances at local stops, and come the morning
1,257 mentions and a reach of over 803 million views. This
of December 24 at 8 a.m., surfboards will once again hit the
category provided the pathway for about 93 percent of the total reach, which amounted to some 862.5 million. Given the event’s history, Surfing Santas imagery has probably been viewed well over a billion times, to the joy of children
water for the 11th Annual Surfing Santas. A few notable accolades are also headed his way. The Hallmark Channel plans to run a Surfing Santas segment in their 2019 Holiday Special, and Parents Magazine, with a reach of 2 million, will run a Surfing Santas story in the context of grandparent ex-
and adults alike. McDonalds was known for their advertise-
cursions. But before we get there, the Space Coast Tourism
ment of the billions of customers they served, but George
Journal takes a look back at the 2018 event, its participants,
Trosset takes pride in the “billions of smiles” his Surfing San-
impacts, and an extended conversation with creator and
tas deliver. And his numbers are right on.
promoter George Trosset.
44 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Participant Demographics The heart and soul of Surfing Santas are the surfing enthusiasts who populate the shoreline and navigate the ocean break, providing Christmas imagery and joy to all those in attendance.
FIGURE 1. WHAT WAS YOUR PARTICIPATION ROLE AT SURFING SANTAS?
In order to find out more about these participants and specta-
0.0%
tors, an internet-based survey instrument was created under the auspices of the Space Coast Office of Tourism’s Research
Spectator
Director, and implemented through the Survey Gizmo web por-
Surfing Santa
tal. Utilizing social media and Facebook outreach, survey cap-
Volunteer/Exhibitor/ Other
ture was undertaken with an added inducement of select priz-
25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0% 77.8% 17.6%
4.7%
es, via a raffle. The purpose of the Survey Gizmo questionnaire was to explore the basic demographics of event attendees as
Figure 2 examines survey respondents by their visitor type
well as party size, lodging and accommodations, expenditures
– local vs. non-local. Both local and seasonal residents com-
made on the Space Coast, and key marketing related inputs. All
prise the population of Space Coast inhabitants who partook
told, approximately 377 usable surveys were submitted, repre-
in Surfing Santas, which amounted to about 72 percent of
senting about 3.5 percent of the event’s population.
surveyed parties. The actual tourist segment – almost equally split between overnight visitors (14.6 percent) and daytrip-
Figure 1 breaks down survey respondents by their participation role at the event, which is heavily weighted towards spectators. Given that both organizers and tourism officials estimated a beach-viewing population of about 10,000, and an overall surfing census of around 800 (excluding other
pers (13.3 percent) – amounted to just over one-quarter of the event’s participants.
FIGURE 2. ATTENDEES CHARACTERIZED BY VISITOR TYPE 0.0%
members of the surf participant parties), this distribution is
25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%
a reasonably accurate representation of the event. While the
Overnighter
14.6%
surveyed population, and the event itself, did contain a mod-
Daytripper
13.3%
est segment of volunteers/staff/exhibitors, the balance of this
Seasonal Resident
report will primarily focus on the two most significant atten-
Local Resident
5.3% 66.8%
dance drivers, the spectator and Surfing Santa cohorts.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
45
Detailing
attendee origin by zip code essentially
note that while both Surfing Santa and spectator parties
confirms this local vs non-local split. Approximately 29 per-
reveal modality in the 45-64 age bracket, Surfing Santa
cent of survey respondents called the Cocoa Beach/Cape
parties skew a bit older. In total, about 5 percent of Surfing
Canaveral area home, with another 46 percent residing in
Santa party members were 24 years of age or under, in com-
other parts of Brevard County (see Figure 3). About 18 per-
parison to about 26 percent of spectators.
cent of attendee parties arrived from other locales within the state of Florida, with the remaining 7-8 percent hailing
Gender distribution is detailed in Figure 5, which includes
from other regions within the U.S. It should be noted that
all members of the survey respondent’s party. While spec-
Figure 3 strictly focuses on survey respondents who were
tator parties tend to be weighted slightly towards females
primary purpose visitors, and thus, results in Figures 2 and 3
(55.3 vs. 44.7 percent), Surfing Santa parties are almost the
are not perfectly congruent.
mirror image, 53.6 percent male vs. 46.4 percent female. This result is likely attributable to the fact that the Surfing Santas themselves are skewed towards males at a greater
FIGURE 3. PRIMARY ATTENDEE ORIGIN BY ZIP CODE 0.0%
14.0%
28.0%
Cocoa Beach/ Cape Canaveral
42.0%
FIGURE 5. ATTENDEE DISTRIBUTION BY GENDER 45.7%
Other Florida
75.0%
17.6%
South (GA, NC, SC, TN, VA)
2.9%
Northeast (MA, NJ, NY)
2.6%
Other (CA, SD)
56.0%
29%
Other Brevard County
Midwest (IA, IN, OH)
than 60 percent weight.
50.0%
1.8%
55.3%
53.6%
46.4%
44.7%
25.0%
0.6%
Figure 4 highlights the age distribution of survey respon-
0.0%
Male
dent parties, inclusive of the ages of all participants as de-
Surfing Santas
Spectators
tailed in the age demographic question. It is interesting to
Female
FIGURE 4. AGE DISTRIBUTION - SPECTATORS AND SURFING SANTAS 48.0% 36.0% 24.0%
21.7%
19.0% 13.4%
12.0% 0.0%
33.8%
32.4%
1.5% 17 or younger Spectators
46 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
7.4% 2.9% 18-24 Surfing Santas
8.5%
22.3%
11.8% 7.0%
7.4%
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
10.3%
65-74
0.7% 0.0% 75 or older
Finally, survey respondents were asked how many times
FIGURE 6. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED SURFING SANTAS?
they had previously attended Surfing Santas, and while the modal answer was first-timer (27.4 percent), almost one in two indicated they had participated in the event 3 or more
30.0% 27.4%
times. It is somewhat obvious that Surfing Santas has inspired a core group of loyal fans who have made the event a regular
22.5%
feature of their holiday plans. 15.0% 13.4% 13.4% 11.6%
15.0%
Along with their event affiliation, these stakeholders also 8.5%
7.5% 0.0%
generate economic activity along the Space Coast through 3.9%
First Time
1
2
Spectators
3
4
5
6
their trip-related purchases. But before we examine the 2.3% 2.1% 2.3% 7
8
9
participant expenditure patterns by visitor type, the Space Coast Tourism Journal had the opportunity for an extended sit-down with Surfing Santa’s George Trosset, and an edited transcript of that conversation can be found on the pages which follow.
The heart and soul of Surfing Santas are the surfing enthusiasts who populate the shoreline and navigate the ocean break, providing Christmas imagery and joy to all those in attendance.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
47
AN INTERVIEW WITH
GEORGE TROSSET, C.F.O. (CHIEF FUN OFFICER) (GT)
Interviewer: Michael Slotkin, Space Coast
sold the business in 1998 to a national
more full time grandparents these days.
Tourism Journal and FIT (MS)
company called Marine Max. That in
What are some of the things that you do
itself was sort of unique because most
with your grandkids?
MS: Hi George, before we talk about this phenomenon you've created, I'd like to know more about George Trosset the person. Can you tell us about your background, family and professional life?
people get out of the boat business through bankruptcy court, and we ac-
GT: We do a lot of things closer to
tually made it through whole. Life’s
home. We've introduced them all to
been blessed. We have two kids, Trina and George, and over the years, our
surfing, and some of them like it, some of them don't (afraid of sharks and dif-
GT: Well, back in 1971 I married my
family has expanded with eight grand-
childhood sweetheart, Nihla, and I was
children to take care of, as well as run-
working for my dad’s boat business,
ning the Surfing Santas event. So now
But yeah, we spend a good deal of time
Brevard Boat Sales, in west Cocoa. By
we’re basically retired and trying to
with them. They're active in sports;
1979 I was lucky enough to take over
deal with kids and grandkids. We're
most of the boys are busy with base-
my dad’s business, so my wife and I
still active – going surfing in Costa
ball and soccer, so we go to their sport-
became the owners of Brevard Boat
Rica, skiing in Colorado – and we’re
Sales. It was definitely an adventure.
having the time of our lives.
We had our good years and bad, and
ferent things that float in the ocean).
ing events and just make sure we have a daily interaction with them in one
at times we really struggled with the
MS: When you're not working on the Surf-
way or another. We’re always toting
economy, but we stayed with it for
ing Santas event, or on the road actively
them somewhere in the car or just
a couple of decades and eventually
promoting it, I gather you're up to being
hanging out.
48 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
MS: So let’s go back in time a bit. It's 2009,
et. She sewed on some white Santa fur
ing. I was Santa, George and Brittany
and if you lived in this community, which
down the front, and made me a beard
were elves, and that was our first-ever
was definitely part of the housing bubble,
out of a white felt blanket. With the
Surfing Santas. Florida Today was there
things were quickly unraveling. And some-
outfit setup complete, I called my son on
to take a picture of us surfing. We had
how in the midst of all this turmoil, you
December 23, and said, “George, I need
one spectator, our 3-year-old grandson.
were inspired to create this idea of Surfing
you and Brittany (George Jr.’s wife) to be
But the picture carried the day. Some of
Santas. Please give us the backstory - how
at the beach house tomorrow morning
my friends saw it, and asked me about
did this happen?
at 9 o'clock, dressed as elves, and we're
it, and the next year, 19 people showed
going surfing.” My son had been doing
up to be Surfing Santas. Close friends,
GT: In November 2009, I saw a Honda
some late-minute shopping when he
people I've traveled with, people I knew
automobile commercial on television,
took my call, and he told me much lat-
well. The year after that, we had 84 San-
and it showed these guys surfing five, six
er on that when I made my request he
tas, and it was kind of like a Facebook
foot waves, dressed in full Santa suits,
basically looked down at his phone and
thing. It was friends of friends. I knew
getting tube rides and having a lot of
said, “Well, I thought dad had quit drink-
about half of the 84. The following year
fun. I immediately said to myself, “Well,
ing.” But being the good son that he is,
it was 150 or so, and I knew about 1/3
I want to be a surfing Santa.” So my wife
he bought a couple of elf outfits, came to
of those. Last year we had 837 Surfing
went to the thrift shop across from our
the beach house, and on Christmas Eve
Santas, and I probably know about 10 or
beach house and bought me a red jack-
day 2009 we paddled out and went surf-
15 percent of them.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
49
MS: That's amazing. George, I guess I
the same for the pants. We quickly re-
he went to the dollar store and bought
know enough about surfing to intuit that
alized it's probably not that great of an
a white mop, and it's all twisted like
doing it with a Santa Claus outfit on isn't
idea to surf in a real Santa suit. So for
Rasta hair. So he has this white mop
the easiest thing to perform. How'd it go
the next year we went to a T-shirt com-
he puts on his head, he's shirtless
the first time out - was there a learning
pany in Rockledge, and they actually
curve?
printed some rash guards – basically
GT: Oh absolutely! The second year, when we had 19 Santas, several of them had gone to TJ Maxx or wherever and bought real Santa suits. I mean fully decked out – velour, coat, and pants – and we had a couple of near drownings. It was just plain dangerous. When the event was over, we had a 50-gallon garbage can full of water that we were using to rinse the salt out of the suits, and I put some pants in and a shirt, and as I pulled the shirt
a nylon-kind of a shirt that doesn't retain water – and we put Santa Claus
with his Rasta rainbow color baggies, and he's one of the stand outs in the crowd. We have Frosty the Snowman – he should melt when he hits the water, but somehow he stays together.
fuzz down the front as well as a belt.
We've had Shark Surfing Santa, Ninja
From 50 feet it looked like a Santa suit,
Surfing Santa, Red Bikini Sexy Surfing
up close, not so much. But it worked
Santa, elves, reindeer, and I mean you
well, and since then, just all kind of
name it, if it's something in or around
crazy things have happened.
the theme of Christmas, we've had them. And the cool thing is, we have
MS: Through the years you must have seen some crazy, eye-opening variations of the Surfing Santa attire. Can you give us a few that really stick out to you?
a contest and the best costume wins a Ricky Carroll custom surfboard. We layer candy-canes all over it…it’s really a gorgeous board.
out I'm like, “Holy cow!” I mean it had
GT: Well, most years Rasta Claus
MS: Let's turn to the production cycle.
to weigh 50-60 pounds, and probably
comes. A friend of mine, Rick Wermuth,
It's hard to believe it's been less than a
50 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
decade since that Christmas in 2009 when just one Surfing Santa and two elves glided onto Cocoa Beach. It's expected that in the neighborhood of 1,000 surfers may participate in the 2018 edition. What is involved today in terms of managing and promoting the event?
with management and coordination.
Surfing Santas as anybody, and here this
And we're selling T-shirts. I think this is
nurse was talking to her daughter about
GT: Well over the years it has transi-
our fifth year selling T-shirts – with the
going while she's in this coma. Last year
tioned from a fun gathering to a more
gross profit from the shirts going to the
we were able to do hospital visits at
dedicated fundraiser. So there's some
Florida Surf Museum, and another char-
Florida Hospital and Nemours, and this
planning ahead of time, trying to figure
ity called Grind for Life, a small cancer
year we went to Florida Hospital and
out things – the first couple years we
charity in downtown Cocoa Beach. I fig-
Arnold Palmer, and it's pretty cool. We
didn't have a stage, now there's a stage
ured, there's a guy in Cocoa Beach, Ron
involved. We didn't have entertainment,
have this camera and a high speed print-
somebody, he sells a lot of T-shirts, and
now we have a band, Hawaiian dancers
I figured if he could sell some T-shirts,
and costume contests. Up until 2013
and make a living at it, then we could sell
we held it down in South Cocoa Beach
a few T-shirts too.
er, and the kids that are well-enough, they come to a visitation room and get a picture with Surfing Santa. We have a great set-up with a lifeguard chair, the
at the beach house. And there was very
umbrella and the surfboard and all that,
limited parking, so for the longest time,
MS: Can you tell us about your outreach
Surfing Santas was the best kept secret
activities? I know you made appearances
in Cocoa Beach. We wouldn't talk about
at the Florida Hospital and Nemours as
it other than if you had been there, or
well as a Ronald McDonald House in Or-
if you had a friend that had been there,
lando. Can you discuss your pre-event
then you knew about it. And it was al-
visitation schedule?
ways on December 24 at 8 o'clock. But
GT: Well, last year Deborah Webster at
at our beach house, there's no parking
the Space Coast Office of Tourism, her
on the ocean side of the road, the park-
daughter dealt with a severe medical is-
ing's all on the river side of A1A. So to
sue, and she spent a lot of time at Florida
get to the event was a little bit tricky,
Hospital, and Nemours. She told me this
and if you got a kid, surfboard, beach
story. Her daughter's in a medically in-
chair, cooler, whatever and you're try-
duced coma, and Deborah comes in the
ing to cross A1A with 50 miles an hour
room one day, and there's a nurse mea-
traffic, it's dangerous. We were for-
suring her daughter, like how long her
tunate in 2014 that the city of Cocoa
legs are, her body, etc. Deborah wasn't
Beach invited us downtown to host the
sure what was up, so she says to the
event in downtown Cocoa Beach right
nurse, “What's going on?” The nurse in-
MS: Most of the stories on the event focus
on Minutemen Causeway. At that point,
formed her that she goes to this event in
on Surfing Santas as a cultural phenom-
the Florida Surf Museum, which is a
Cocoa Beach called Surfing Santas, and
enon, but as we talked about earlier, the
501c non-profit in Cocoa Beach (they're
when her daughter gets better, “We're
marketing impact for the Space Coast is
in the Ron Jon complex of buildings),
taking her to Surfing Santas,” and Deb-
enormous. Can you review some of the
they took over the event as an event
orah almost fell out of her chair.
You
available statistics on the exposure our
sponsor, or production really, because
see, working at the Space Coast Office
community receives solely based on your
they had volunteers that could help
of Tourism, she knows as much about
event?
so it's kind of a nice diversion for the day. Then the kids that aren’t well-enough, we get pictures bedside with them, and then come back and print them and send them back to the room with little Christmas card we’ve put together. So it's one of those things that have evolved out of Surfing Santas that's pretty darn cool. Because what I’ve learned through the years is that Surfing Santas make people smile. When you talk about Surfing Santas, if you see a Surfing Santa, if you see a picture or a video of a Surfing Santa, it makes you get a little giggle, it makes you smile.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
51
GT: We get these wonderfully, crazy
ing at our website, so it's a good thing,
gether, they pushed the event out on
media stories. Let’s face it, it's a bit of a
and the concept has spread. A few
Facebook, and they had it at a differ-
quirky event, with great pictures, and
years back, I'm at a baseball game with
ent beach with no permit. They had 75
the story comes out on Christmas Day,
my grandson – he plays for Rockledge
people show up their first year. Later
typically a slow news day. We didn't
High – and my phone rings, and this
on, this group got together and de-
plan on Surfing Santas becoming some
guy introduces himself as Robin Van
cided they wanted to do a Guinness
global phenomenon, but it seems to
Der Creek from Australia. He tells
World Record for the World’s Largest
be going there. So far this year we've
me he makes these really cool surfing
Surf Lesson. Got the Guinness permis-
been in a Fodors.com article, 11 Things
Santa rash guards, and he would like
sion, put it all together, and they did it
to Do in Florida for Christmas, where
to arrange for us to sell them for him.
in Santa suits, just to get a rise out of
we're number two. Coastal Living pub-
It's kind of a nylon – cuts down on the
me. But hey, it’s ultimately a reflection
lished, 10 Things to Do on Christmas in
weight – it's even got the Ho-Ho- Ho
on us, and the concept we created.
Florida, we're number one. According
on the back. A guy from Australia is
The Australia event usually takes place
to the Space Coast Office of Tourism
calling me about our little Surfing San-
on December 22, and I’m glad they’re
who tracks all our media, during the
ta event. He tells me that one day he
doing well.
past two years we’ve had over one bil-
wants to start a Surfing Santa event,
lion media impressions, or as I like to
and I said, “Dude, what are you waiting
MS: It would be an understatement to say
say, “a billion smiles.” Heck, we’re even
for?” He went and asked for a permit
you’ve got something big coming up. On
up on a billboard in Times Square. We
at his favorite beach in Sydney, and
December 17 actually, Surfing Santas will
get the notoriety, and people are look-
was told no, so he got his friends to-
experience its next game changer with its
52 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
debut on a Hallmark Channel Christmas
zy things that happen, and they told us
MS: That’s wonderful news, George. Let
Special. What will we see, and how did
that we're on the show! And I’m just so
me wrap our conversation by asking
this foray onto cable television unfold
thankful for all the success we’ve had,
what's next for Surfing Santas? Any fu-
for you?
and all the folks who have taken an
GT: Last year, a guy calls from Houston and tells me they’re doing a Christmas special called Christmas Across America. They're going out and filming different events across the country, and they'd like to come and film Surfing Santas. I said, “So how does it work?” and he responds, “We send a production crew, and then we go try to sell this story to like Travel Channel or whoever.” And on Christmas Eve
interest in us and helped us along the
ture plans or wish list items?
way. Let me give you one example of
GT: Well, in 2015 a friend of mine said,
the type of interactions I’m blessed to
“Hey George! Let’s go to a Jimmy Buf-
receive. Last year, Florida Beer Com-
fet concert.” So we went to Paris to
pany decided they wanted to make a Surfing Santa beer. Well, in order for beer to go from a manufacturer to a bar, it has to go through a distributor. Their distributor is Carroll Distribut-
see Jimmy Buffet with my wife, Paul and his girlfriend, and another friend, Jack and his wife. I wore some Surfing Santa apparel at the concert, and we
ing in Rockledge, so I went there and
met Jimmy Buffet's pilot. I had some
met Ron Chabot, the marketing guy
Surfing Santa stuff with me, and I gave
at Carroll. They're the Budweiser dis-
last year, a crew shows up and I mean
it to the pilot to give to Jimmy. Then
tributor in town. We come back to this
they had a camera way nicer than any-
he reported back that he had given
little office to talk about Surfing San-
thing you see on the television news,
it to him, and said that he owed me a
tas, and before we even get started he
I mean it's this big around, it's got a
says, "I'm glad you found us. We were
lens like this, and they're down on the
looking for you. I just asked somebody
beach and they're interviewing peo-
to go find you." He goes on, "Yeah, we
ple on the beach, they're videoing the
know about your event. We love your
Christmas album that came out in
stage, videoing the surfers, the crowd,
event, and we want to get behind you
2016. And I'm pretty sure he's wear-
and it was pretty cool that someone
in a big way." I shared my pitch, showed
ing the shirt! It's one of those things,
thought enough of our event to put
him my pictures, and talked about ev-
you know, if you talk about it some-
us in a Christmas special, right? Well
erything. He goes, "Here's what we're
times it does happen. My goal is for
lo and behold, this Christmas Across
going to do for you - we're going to
America was bought from these guys
some day to have Jimmy Buffet write a
give you $2,000 for your event, and
in Houston by Hallmark, so divine in-
we're going to give you six digital bill-
tervention, I don't know. There’s just
boards across Brevard County, start-
a lot of cool things going on. It's a one
ing on December 1 through the end
hour show, and it's about how people
of the month." And he gave us six last
pen. Might not be this year or next, but
celebrate Christmas across America.
year and this year we got eight digital
it will happen!
I think there's Christmas in Indiana,
billboards. These things just keep hap-
maybe a town called Christmas or
pening for us, and we’re just incredibly
something, some light shows, and cra-
thankful.
picture of Jimmy wearing the Surfing Santa outfit. I didn't get the picture, but I kind of got it, because this is his
fun song about Surfing Santas, record it, and then come play it at our event. And one of these days, it's going hap-
(This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity) n VisitSpaceCoast.com |
53
Visitor Expenditures
Economic Impact
In addition to the pure joy and entertainment factor as-
lated for both the spectator and Surfing Santas cohorts, so
sociated with a holiday celebration, Surfing Santas partic-
that four color-coded data-points are provided. It should
ipants and spectators make expenditures on an array of
be noted that with any non-local visitation segment, only
goods and services, providing a boost to the Space Coast
primary attendees are tabulated, those respondents that
economy. Survey respondents were asked about the dollar
indicated that Surfing Santas was their primary reason for
purchases they transacted within the confines of Brevard
visiting the Space Coast.
County, along seven categories of expenditure: lodging, restaurants, recreation, retail purchases, gasoline, local transportation, and miscellaneous service purchases. With respect to overnight visitors, Figure 7 details this breakdown of categorical spending on a per person and per person per day basis. For completeness, these values are tabu-
FIGURE 7. OVERNIGHTERS SPENDING BY CATEGORY AND PARTICIPANT TYPE $0
$75
$225
$300
$82
$40
Lodging
$150
$60
eraged to about $173, which reduces to about $115 per day. For Surfing Santa participants and their party members, the associated values were $285 and $171, respectively. Though not depicted in Figure 7, overnight spectators had an average per party spend of about $575 for their trip, while the Surfing Santas cohort expended about $1,235 per party. The differences can, in good measure, be attributed to the fact that Surfing Santas participant parties were larger (4.33 vs. 3.31 persons), stayed longer (1.7 vs. 1.5 nights), and procured more rooms (2.3 vs 1.8 room nights). For both cohorts, dining and accommodations rep-
$137
resented in the neighborhood of 70 percent of their total
$42 $39
Restaurants
Examining the overnighters, spending per spectator av-
expenditures.
$69 $58
It should be intuitive that daytrip visitors, due to the absence of lodging expenditures and reduced restaurant
Recreation
$18 $10 $31 $16
party and per person averages are detailed in Figure 8, by
Retail
$14 $17 $23 $26
Gas
$6 $4 $10 $6
$0 $2 Local Transporation $0 $2 Other Expenses
$9 $4 $15 $6
Total
purchases, yield much lower spending propensities. For the Surfing Santas participant and spectator segments, per category of spending. The dollar value per person is also synonymous with an average daily spend due to the withSurfing Santa Daily Spending per Person Spectator Daily Spending per Person Surfing Santa Spending per Person Spectator Spending per Person
in day experience. Overall, spectator parties spent about $188 during their Space Coast visit, which on a per person basis translated into about $53. With respect to Surfing Santas participant parties, the numbers were very similar, averaging to about $203 and $48, respectively. For both segments, restaurant and retail purchases comprised a significantly large percentage of the total spend.
$115
Local attendees, due to the absence of lodging expen-
$171 $173
diture, reduced restaurant purchases, and the elimination $285
of non-applicable categories, typically generate the lowest level of spending. Overall, local spectator parties spent
54 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
FIGURE 8. DAYTRIPPERS SPENDING BY CATEGORY AND PARTICIPANT TYPE $0
$56
$113
$169
FIGURE 9. LOCAL ATTENDEES SPENDING BY CATEGORY AND PARTICIPANT TYPE $0
$225
Recreation
$0 $7
Retail $9 Gas
$85 $106
$20 $30 $2
$4 $4
Restaurants
$90
$120
$46 $47
$10 $13
$0 $0 Recreation $0 $0
$26
$31 $22 $18 $15
$92 Retail
Surfing Santa Spending per Party Spectator Spending per Party Surfing Santa Spending per Person Spectator Spending per Person
$6 $7 Local Transporation $1 $2 $0 $4 Other Expenses $0 $1 Total
$60
$0 $0 Lodging $0 $0
$0 $0 Lodging $0 $0 Restaurants
$30
$0 $0 Gas $0 $0
Surfing Santa Spending per Party Spectator Spending per Party Surfing Santa Spending per Person Spectator Spending per Person
$6 $5 Local Transporation $1 $1 $6 Other Expenses
$48 $53
$7 $10
$31 $36
$2 $6
$21
$88
$203 $188
Total
$20
$109
$30
about $109 during their excursion, which on a per person ba-
Orange County in January-February 2019 as the musical
sis translated into about $30. For Surfing Santas participant
“Hamilton” made its multi-week Orlando run. So to the extent
parties, the respective values were $88 and $20, respectively.
that an event deflects residents (and their $) from leaving the
A heathy and lively debate exists concerning the inclusion of local attendee spending in an economic impact assessment. Conventional wisdom amongst tourism officials is that resident spending is irrelevant, as within the context of a local economy, those dollars expended would have circulated (been spent) anyway. But that assumption may not be entirely valid. The absence of a spending opportunity within an area
home community, it can generate a “locals-based” economic impact. Invoking this assumption necessitates supportable reasons, whether logic or data-based. For Surfing Santas, while it is probably true that some local families remained in town for the event rather than taking an out-of-area excursion, the ef-
can facilitate the “leaking” away of local dollars by process of
fect is probably modest and so the ensuing analysis baselines
outward migration, as residents find non-local draws to sat-
with the exclusion of local spending impacts. However, we do
isfy their leisure and recreational tastes. To understand this
provide what those impacts would be so that the discerning
idea better one would only have to consider the volume of
reader can choose for themselves if they want to augment
Brevard County dollars that leaked out into neighboring
that baseline figure by some percent or factor. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
55
Economic Impact
Santas related purchases expend their earnings on an array
The economic impact of the 2018 Surfing Santas is an es-
of consumer goods and services, much of which occurs locally.
timate of the flows of spending associated with the event
Leakages out of the local economy occur in the form of
and their identified changes in sales, income, and employ-
taxes, savings, profits to out-of-area residents, and pay-
ment within Brevard County. Impacts are estimated via
ments for goods and services from outside the study region
input-output modeling, where an input-output model de-
(i.e., imports). These leakages are the foundational reason
scribes the flows of economic activity between production
why the multiplier process, rather than working in perpe-
sectors, capturing what industries must purchase from one
tuity, exhausts itself and terminates. Economic impacts are
another in order to produce goods and services.
stated in terms of sales, income, and employment. Income or value-added describes the payments made by industry
An input-output model for the economy of Brevard County
to wages, interest, profits, and indirect business taxes. It
was constructed using IMPLAN™ (www.implan.com), an inte-
is analogous to the gross domestic product estimates fre-
grated software and data package used by more than 1,300
quently cited in business/macroeconomic reports.
academic institutions, federal and state government agencies, and private consulting firms. Expenditures associated
In Figures 7 and 8 the spending per person for overnight
with Surfing Santas were then applied to IMPLAN’s™ social
and daytrip spectators and Surfing Santas were presented.
accounting model which factors in commuting, tax, and saving
Utilizing the estimates of 10,000 spectators and 800 surf-
behavior by households in establishing multiplier effects.
er/participants, the population counts for overnight and daytrip spectators and Surfing Santas participants can be
Due to forward and backward linkages within an econ-
established. By recognizing first that not all visitors to the
omy, a multiplier process unfolds whereby an initial round
area were there primarily because of Surfing Santas, and
of spending (the direct effect) generates secondary effects
second, that some of the members of Surfing Santa partic-
(both indirect and induced). Indirect effects are changes in
ipant parties were themselves spectators (this avoids dou-
production that occur along the supply-chain; for example,
ble-counting), it was estimated that a little over 500 over-
an increase in restaurant meal purchases triggers production
nighters and 850 daytrippers could be apportioned, in total,
responses from food and beverage vendors that supply eat-
to the respective cohort groups. These population counts,
ing and drinking establishments. In contrast, induced effects
combined with per person spending averages, inform the
represent changes in economic activity resulting from income
IMPLAN™ model, which implies that just under 13 percent
changes, or in other words, workers supported by Surfing
(i.e., 1,350/10,800) of the event’s census drives the analysis.
TABLE 1: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE 2018 SURFING SANTAS Direct Effect
Indirect Effect
Induced Effect
Total Effect
The Multiplier
Employment
2.7
0.4
0.4
3.6
1.33
Labor Income
$63,427
$15,057
$16,662
$95,146
1.50
Value Added
$87,075
$25,035
$29,978
$142,087
1.63
Output
$170,183
$47,640
$52,627
$270,451
1.59
56 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Table 1 unveils the 2018 Surfing Santas economic impacts,
effects were and how they led to a final total effect that was a
which includes the contribution from Surfing Santas modest
factor greater than the initial change in expenditure (i.e., the
operation budget (i.e., $9,000). All told, the expenditure flows
direct effect). The last column in Table 1 presents the employ-
associated with the event generated a total output (sales)
ment, income, and sales multipliers for this study, which are
effect of about $270,000, and a total income effect (i.e., val-
based on the composition of spending by industrial category.
ue-added) of about $142,000. Because some sales are actual-
Focusing on sales, in aggregate, each dollar of expenditure
ly inputs in the production of other final goods, income creat-
precipitated by the 2018 Surfing Santas generated an addi-
ed is always a subset of the sales impact. Income includes both
tional 59 cents of sales.
labor and non-labor compensation (i.e., dividends, interest, and rents); for convenience, the subset of total income gen-
Finally, while Table 1 excludes any impact from resident
erated that would accrue solely to labor is also provided (i.e.,
expenditures, it is stipulated here that the local contribution
$95,000). Finally, the level of sales activity produced by the
would have amounted to about $265,000 in output and about
2018 Surfing Santas would support 3.6 full and part-time jobs.
$143,000 in value-added. In essence, the local contribution would double the event’s estimated economic impact. Each
Earlier in this report, a discussion of the multiplier process was provided which explained what the indirect and induced
reviewer can decide for themselves whether or not to include any of the impact from locals.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
57
Surfing Santas – Final Perspectives We close this Surfing Santas report by examining a few internal marketing and promotion queries, indicative of the pathways by which people become familiar with the event
FIGURE 10. HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT SURFING SANTAS? 0.0%
and the brand loyalty it instills. For example, all survey re-
25.0%
spondents were asked how they heard about Surfing San-
I Attended in Prior Years
tas. Possible pathways included: I attended in prior years,
Social Media
saw a sign or billboard, National/International television, news outlet or newspaper, local newspaper, social media,
Surfing Santas Website or Facebook page
Surfing Santas website or Facebook page, word of mouth,
Word of Mouth
radio and, VisitSpaceCoast.com. Respondents did have the
Local Newspaper
ability to choose more than one answer. Figure 10 details
National/Int’l TV, News Outlet or Newspaper
6.5%
VisitSpaceCoast.com
4.9%
the distribution of responses, with the top three consisting of “I have attended in prior years” (63.6 percent), “Social Media” (42.9 percent), and the “Surfing Santas website or Facebook page” (37 percent). While the importance of social media is transparent, word of mouth contact is still a valuable contributor to the event’s support, and traditional newspaper coverage and television still plays a modest role.
50.0%
75.0% 63.6%
42.9% 37.0% 27.6% 11.4%
Saw a Sign or Billboard
2.1%
Radio
1.6%
organization which provides financial assistance to cancer patients. Revenue donation is derived via the proceeds from T-shirt and rash guard sales, and survey respondents
While Surfing Santas is revered as a festive, beach cele-
were asked about their purchasing activity and plans with
bration of surfing and Christmas imagery, it is also a fund-
respect to these items (see Figure 11). About half the re-
raiser for the Florida Surf Museum and Grind for Life, an
spondents indicated that they had purchased a T-shirt or
58 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
rash guard either at the event or online, and another 22 per-
FIGURE 12. WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD YOU’LL ...
cent intimated that they regret not doing so.
FIGURE 11. DID YOU PURCHASE A SURFING SANTAS T-SHIRT OR RASH GUARD? 0.0% Yes, I purchased one at the event
37.5% 29.2%
Yes, I purchased one at SurfingSantas.org
21.2%
No, I did not purchase one but wish I had!
22.2%
No, I did not purchase one
27.4%
100.0% 80.9% 82.7% 75.0% 50.0% 25.0% 3.9% 5.7% 0.0% 1.0% 1.3% 0.8% 1.0% 1 2 3 1 = Completely unlikely!
Refer a Friend to Surfing Santas?
13.4% 9.3% 4
5
5 = Already have done it! OR I will definitely be back!
Return to Surfing Santas?
Finally, Figures 12 delves in to the twin notions of referral and return, by ascertaining: 1) the respondent’s willingness to
It is self-evident that the marketing dynamo that is Surfing
endorse the event by encouraging friends to attend; and, 2)
Santas has at its core both a passion and loyalty engendered
the respondent’s likelihood of return visitation. When asked,
from its participants. Surfing Santas are now immortalized in
“Within the next two years, what is the likelihood you’ll:
song and on video, merchandised in stores and online, and are
a) refer a friend to Surfing Santas?” and “b) return to Surf-
cropping all over the globe. And why not? As our good friend
ing Santas?”, survey respondents clearly indicated both high
George Trosset reminds us, “Surfing Santas makes people
likelihoods of referral (81 percent have already done it!) and
smile!” Come 8 a.m., December 24, 2019, at the intersection
profound likelihoods of return (almost 83 percent report that
of Minuteman and AIA, we’ll see you on the beach! n
“[they] will definitely be back”).
For more information visit SurfingSantas.org.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
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60 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
FLORIDA’S SPACE COAST:
BY DUANE DE FREESE, Ph.D.
The Indian River Lagoon vital signs wheel is the heart of the new IRL Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan - “Looking Ahead to 2030”. Thirty-two vital signs align with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program Mission: “One Lagoon – One Community – One Voice”. Every citizen, scientist, local community, public agency, and stakeholder can view Vital Signs individually and collectively as an IRL “Call to Action.” All Vital Signs point inwardly towards the center of the wheel and a healthy lagoon. What is your role and opportunity to help restore and protect the IRL? Identify which Vital Sign(s) correspond to your responsibility, authority, or opportunity. If you are responsible or interested in solving a problem within a Vital Sign, take action to fix the problem.
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of 62 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF APOLLO 11: JULY 12-16, 2019 BY SHERRY JENSEN, Ph.D
This year Florida’s Space Coast finds itself included in CNN Travel’s 19 Places to Travel in 2019. Why is the 72mile Space Coast in the company of exotic locales such as Ancient Egypt, Peru, and the Grand Canyon? The answer: July 16, 2019. This date marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, the mission that landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon. This monumental moment in world history began at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The development of the space industry bestowed upon Brevard County the moniker of the Space Coast and provided fuel to its nascent tourism industry as visitors began to flock to the region to witness launches from Cape Canaveral. An estimated local audience of 1 million people, more than quadruple the population of Brevard County at the time, lined the beaches of the Space Coast to view the Apollo 11 launch. This summer, July 12-16, 2019, the Space Coast will once again
Apollo 11
welcome visitors for Apollo 11 in honor of the mission’s 50th anniversary celebration. With a packed itinerary spread over five days, the festivities will culminate with the Celebrating Apollo Gala, which will coincide to the day with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
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The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), along with the Aldrin Family Foundation, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism and a number of supporting sponsors, has organized the celebratory activities. Founded in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts (S. Carpenter, G. Cooper, J. Glenn, W. Schirra, A. Shepard and D. Slayton); Betty Grissom (wife of the 7th astronaut, G. Grissom); William Douglas M.D. (the Project Mercury flight surgeon); and Henri Landwirth (Orlando businessman and friend), the ASF was created as a non-profit organization with the founding principle of giving back. In 1986, ASF awarded seven scholarships to students of science; today it funds more than 50 scholarships each year to junior and senior level STEM majors, making it one of the largest private merit-based scholarships in the nation. But ASF scholars receive more than just financial support for their pursuit of scientific excellence. Laura Cutchens, ASF Executive Vice President, highlights that ASF scholars have a lifelong relationship with the Foundation fostered through a mentorship program. Both the mission and vision of the ASF are noble, “To aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in technology and innovation by supporting the very best and brightest scholars in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while commemorating the legacy of America’s pioneering astronauts” and “to inspire, encourage, and facilitate Astronaut Scholars to embody the highly respected astronaut characteristics, such as intelligence, ambition, self-motivation, high ethical standards, persistence, tenacity, adaptability, and a passion for science, exploration, and innovation.” Given its mission and vision, it is fitting that the ASF is one of the key players to organize the 50th anniversary festivities. With a combination of ticketed and free events, the multi-day schedule “has something for everyone,” says the ASF. The activities offer the opportunity for the entire community—Space Coast locals and visitors of all ages alike—to celebrate the space program and the accomplishments of the past while looking to the future. Cutchens stresses that by purchasing tickets to attend the celebratory events you are “helping our nation to remain on the forefront of science and technology…and continuing the mission started by the Mercury 7 astronauts.” 64 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Astronaut Golf Tournament
Astronaut Walking Pub Crawl
The celebration will begin with the Astronaut Golf Tour-
Historic Cocoa Village, the downtown scene of Cocoa,
nament on Friday, July 12. The tournament will take place at
is proud host the Astronaut Walking Pub Crawl on Friday,
Drive Shack Orlando, the only site in the line-up located in-
July 12. Visitors are welcome to walk along the historic,
land from the Space Coast. The connection of golf to space
tree-lined streets and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the
exploration has a humorous and well-publicized background.
riverside community. For the pub crawl, stroll from venue to
On February 6, 1971, about a year and a half after Neil Arm-
venue while socializing with astronauts and fellow space en-
strong’s first steps on the Moon, Alan Shepard, as described
thusiasts. Don’t take yourself too seriously though. The best
by the American Physical Society, “became the first man to experimentally investigate the ballistic properties of textured polymer spheres in non-terrestrial gravitational fields.” In layman’s terms, he hit a golf ball on the Moon. The first shot may have landed in a crater, but Shepard is said to have claimed his second shot traveled for “miles and miles.” While Shep-
space-themed attire will win you a prize! Plus, the astronauts are sure to share stories, both profound and comedic, of their time in space. Ticketed participants will enjoy this evening reminiscent of nights from decades ago when astronauts and celebrities frequented Space Coast establishments.
ard likely exaggerated, astrophysicist and blogger Ethan Siegel reports a perfect shot on the Moon could travel 2.5 miles. Three hours of tournament play will begin at 10 a.m. with the skills competition commencing at 12:30 p.m. The add-on of a Moon Ticket provides you the chance to swing with a replica of Shepard’s club. You can rival that 2.5 mile shot for the longest drive competition and vie for closest to the pin! VisitSpaceCoast.com |
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Astronaut Parade The Space Coast community will show its support for our nation’s astronauts on Saturday, July 13 during the Astronaut Parade. The parade will both begin (9:30 a.m.) and end (11:30 a.m.) at the intersection of N. 4th Street/N. Brevard Avenue/N. Orlando Avenue in the city of Cocoa Beach. Traditionally, Corvettes transported our heroes in the astro-
reports that participants will have the opportunity to be up close and personal with parade floats.
Celebrating Apollo Outdoor Concert Sponsored by Delaware North, Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism, and Deuterman Productions, the community at large will be treated to the Celebrating Apollo Outdoor Concert. Edison’s Children, of whom Neil Armstrong’s
naut parades of the past. Today, Teslas will share the hon-
son Rick Armstrong is a member, will be the opening band
or with the local Cape Kennedy Corvette Club. The club
for this free concert featuring Alan Parsons. Parsons’ ca-
was established in 1967 and many of its original members
reer began at Abbey Road Studios during the Apollo age,
worked at Kennedy Space Center. At the time of publica-
and through the ensuing decades he enjoyed commercial
tion, astronauts Scott Altman and Jeff Hoffman are slated
success as an audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and
to participate in the parade with more names to come. Me-
producer. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy this concert by
lissa Byron, Director of Marketing and Economic Develop-
Grammy-nominated Parsons at Cocoa’s Riverfront Park in
ment for the City of Cocoa Beach, is excited for the city to
Cocoa Village. The venue opens at 5 p.m. on the evening of
sponsor the parade and the street festival that will com-
July 13, and the show starts at 6 p.m. Want a VIP experi-
mence after the parade’s conclusion. In addition to enjoying
ence? Purchase an advance ticket for access to the VIP tent
the food and fun offerings of Cocoa Beach’s vendors, Byron
and reserved seating with food and drink.
66 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
The Families of Apollo—Brunch & Panel Discussion, Women in Space Panel, & Future of Space Panel
(KSCVC). Share the room with astronauts and stand beneath the 363 feet Saturn V rocket, the largest rocket ever flown, as the newly renovated attraction is revealed for the first time at this grand re-opening. Therrin Protze, Chief Operating Officer
A series of panel discussions will be hosted at the Courtyard
of KSCVC, reports that the Apollo Saturn V Center Complex is
by Marriott Cocoa Beach on Sunday, July 14. The day begins
“all new—inside and out—with new exhibits, a new layout, and
with the Families of Apollo panel discussion at 10:30 a.m. At
new highlights that celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo
this ticketed event, children of Apollo astronauts will share
11.” Every astronaut who embarked on the Moon’s surface,
their perspectives on the Apollo era while attendees enjoy
beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, was launched
brunch. The second panel of the day at 1:30 p.m. will discuss
atop a Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center.
Women in Space. Composed of astronauts and NASA employees, the panel will highlight women’s contributions to space
Celebrating Apollo Gala
exploration. Concluding the panel series, both astronauts and industry leaders will discuss the Future of Space in the final discussion at 3 p.m. Both Women in Space and the Future of Space panels are free and open to the public.
Hosted by the Aldrin Family Foundation, the Celebrating Apollo Gala, Space for a Better World, will be held at the Apollo Saturn V Center on Tuesday, July 16, exactly 50 years to the day of the Apollo 11 launch. The Aldrin Family Foundation
VIP Private Viewing of Apollo Saturn V Center
“strives to cultivate the next generation of space leaders, en-
After an informative day of panel discussions, there is the
tribute to humanity’s (seemingly) impossible achievement of
opportunity to attend a VIP private viewing of the Apollo Sat-
reaching the Moon, from our first steps to tomorrow’s giant
urn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
leaps in space.”
trepreneurs and explorers who will extend human habitation beyond the Earth to the Moon and Mars.” The gala will “pay
VisitSpaceCoast.com |
67
The Foundation
will host 500 guests in a theme
Commemorative Coin
of golden galactic attire beneath the Saturn V rocket, the power of which launched our astronauts to the lunar sur-
The Apollo 11 golden anniversary has also been com-
face, to “not only celebrate the historic accomplishments of
memorated by the United States Mint with the issuance of
the past, but also examine how Planet Earth benefits from
the Apollo 11 Commemorative Coin. The domed coin’s ob-
the world’s common interest in making giant leaps in tech-
verse side is marked by the inscriptions “MERCURY,” “GEM-
nology and engineering.” Attendees are assured a memora-
INI” and “APOLLO,” separated by the phases of the Moon,
ble evening with the promise of future connections forged
and a footprint on the lunar surface. The reverse side of the
among like-minded space enthusiasts. The gala is bookend-
coin features a representation of the iconic image of Neil
ed by additional events: the prior night’s sponsor dinner at
Armstrong, the American flag, and the lunar lander reflect-
the Heroes and Legends Exhibition Space inside the KSC
ed in Buzz Aldrin’s visor.
Visitor Complex; the After-Show; and a VIP breakfast the following morning.
In his letter to Congress to support the passage of the 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act, Michael
The Aldrin Family Foundation identifies notable attend-
Collins, Apollo 11’s command module pilot, wrote, “This
ees including: “Apollo, shuttle and International Space Sta-
[bill] highlights the significant impact of 300,000 men and
tion astronauts, flight directors and space legends, Apollo
women across the U.S. who directly contributed to the suc-
families, NASA executives, celebrities and global movers
cess of the Apollo mission and celebrates our nation’s en-
and shakers, international media, space collectors and edu-
during commitment to space discovery.”
cators.” Guests will be privileged to hear never-before-told onstage stories from space legends and former Christie’s
Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin also wrote
auctioneer, Charles Antin, will facilitate the night’s live auc-
Congress stating, “The Apollo 11 50th anniversary coin cel-
tion featuring coveted Apollo memorabilia that once trav-
ebrates American ingenuity and our spirit of space explora-
eled to the Moon and bears the signature of astronauts.
tion. Moreover, these coins will support college scholarships
Not a lucky gala ticket holder? A silent auction goes live
for future scientists, engineers, and astronauts; benefit the
on July 1, 2019 with items available for viewing in June at
National Air and Space Museum’s new Destination Moon
501Auctions.com/Apollo50thGala. Proceeds from the Cel-
exhibit; and honor astronauts who have fallen in the line of
ebrating Apollo Gala will raise funds for STEAM education,
duty.” Purchasing a coin allows you to not only honor this im-
benefiting both the Aldrin Family Foundation and the As-
portant achievement in American history but to contribute
tronaut Scholarship Foundation.
to future successes in science and space exploration.
68 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
The People’s Moon Finally, The People’s Moon (ThePeoplesMoon.com) invites participants to celebrate this golden anniversary of the Moon landing by contributing photos, videos, and stories to a live gallery feed. From these public submissions, an enormous mosaic will reveal an iconic Apollo 11 image at locations across the globe on July 20, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing. This unique project is a partnership among the
ter renovations will be complete this summer. KSCVC’s new
People’s Picture, Lunar Window, and the Aldrin Family Foun-
marketing campaign encourages us all to “Look Up,” and there
dation. The People’s Moon reminds us, “No matter where you
will surely be activity in the sky this year with the projected
are in the world, no matter how much or how little money you
number of launches from the Space Coast.
make, no matter where you grew up, we all share the same Moon to dream upon.”
Ben Malik, Mayor of Cocoa Beach, readily identifies that his city is benefiting from the resurgence of the space indus-
Dreams of space exploration continue to flourish here on
try and the return to manned space flight. “It has sparked
Florida’s Space Coast. On January 11, 2019, a Washington
increased interest in tourism to view the launches and en-
Post headline proclaimed, Why 2019 is Shaping Up to be
joy our beaches. Visitors may soon be able to book an outer
a Stellar Year for Space Exploration. Christian Davenport
space flight instead of a cruise,” he mentioned.
wrote, “Though the prospect of the return of human spaceflight from U.S. soil has at times seemed like a mirage, NASA’s astronauts could this year return to space from Florida’s
“The space race drove America to shoot for the Moon, but the spirit that came out of the Apollo missions was ‘We Came
Space Coast...” He continued, “If successful, it would punc-
in Peace for all Mankind.’ Space unites us in a way that nothing
tuate a year that government and industry officials believe
else can and provides endless inspiration for people all over
could mark a turning point in the U.S. space program, which
the world,” declares the Aldrin Family Foundation. On July
could see all sorts of new milestones as NASA celebrates the
20, 1969 an estimated 530 million people were witness to the
50th anniversary of the lunar landing.”
television broadcast of Armstrong’s infamous phrase, “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Jennifer Sugarman, President of the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, says the excitement is “palpable.” It
“All of our barriers in the world went down, and everyone
resonates from the members of her organization from across
celebrated that moment in history,” said Protze. It is in the
all industries, not only hospitality and tourism, and extends
spirit of global harmony that the Space Coast welcomes vis-
beyond the 50th anniversary events to the entirety of 2019.
itors from near and far to the beachside community where it
“The world is watching us once again,” states Sugarman. Her
all started. Join us for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and
office has fielded more international inquiries this year than
may you enjoy a renewed sense of unity and inspiration.
in the previous years of her tenure at the chamber. As sending humans back into space is quickly approaching, Sugarman sees this as an opportunity for a connection to be fused between the current generation and the generations who were witness to the Apollo missions.
For more information and up-to-date details, visit the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation at AstronautScholarship. org/CelebratingApollo. n The author would like to thank Melissa Byron, Laura Cutchens,
Therrin Protze, COO of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor
Rusty Fisher, Hugh Harris, Jim Lewis, Ben Malik, Therrin Prot-
Complex, is looking forward to a “phenomenal” summer at
ze, and Jennifer Sugarman for their contributions to the article.
KSCVC. Over the past year, upgrades have enhanced KSCVC
Quoted material from the Aldrin Family Foundation was gathered
and given the main complex a new look. The Saturn V Cen-
from AldrinFoundation.org and Apollo50thGala.com. VisitSpaceCoast.com |
69
Sunday, July 14, 2019 SATURN 5K RUN/WALK &
Friday, July 12, 2019 ASTRONAUT GOLF TOURNAMENT - 10:00am Have you ever golfed with an astronaut? Do it at Drive Shack Orlando. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets.
SPACE PUB CRAWL 6:00-10:30pm Join some astronauts as we visit local spots in Cocoa Village and sample a few libations at each venue. Dress in your favorite space outfit and win a prize for the Best Space Dressed. Costume contest winner and raffle winners will be announced at the Bier Garten at 10 pm. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets.
Saturday, July 13, 2019 ASTRONAUT PARADE 9:30–11:30am See our heroes as they ride through the city of Cocoa Beach atop convertible corvettes. After the parade, join the Street Party in downtown Cocoa Beach. FREE. Visit Apollo50.us for more information.
CELEBRATING
APOLLO
OUT-
APOLLO 11K–8:00am Saturn 5K Run/Walk and Apollo 11K will be held on Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. For more information and to register visit Apollo11K.com
THE FAMILIES OF APOLLO 10:30am–1:00pm Brunch and Panel discussion- Enjoy brunch while listening to the wives and children of Apollo astronauts as they tell what it was like as a family member during the Apollo era. Courtyard by Marriott, Cocoa Beach. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets.
WOMEN IN SPACE PANEL 1:30–2:30pm Listen to astronauts and NASA employees discuss the space industry and how women have contributed to space exploration. Courtyard by Marriott, Cocoa Beach. Visit Apollo50.us for more information. FREE.
APOLLO EXHIBIT GRAND
FUTURE OF SPACE PANEL -
OPENING - 11:00am
3:00–4:00pm
Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space
Listen to astronauts and industry leaders discuss the future of the space industry. Courtyard by Marriott, Cocoa Beach. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets. FREE.
Center Visitor Complex. Visit Apollo50.us
DOOR CONCERT- 6:00pm
VIP PRIVATE VIEWING OF NEW
Alan Parson’s Project and opening band- Edison’s Children featuring Rick Armstrong (Neil Armstrong’s son); Bring your own chair. Cocoa Riverfront Park, Cocoa. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase VIP tickets with tent access. General admission is FREE.
APOLLO SATURN V CENTER -
70 | VisitSpaceCoast.com
Monday, July 15, 2019
7:30–9:30pm Join the astronauts and be one of the first to see the new Apollo Exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets.
to purchase tickets.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019 CELEBRATING APOLLO GALA 5:00-10:00pm The gala will pay tribute to humanity’s (seemingly) impossible achievement of reaching the moon, from our first steps to tomorrow’s giant leaps in space. Visit Apollo50.us to purchase tickets. n
COUNTDOWN TO LAUNCH
With more launches happening now than ever before, there's a buzz in the air here on Flor ida's Space Coast - and it has hit the air waves with "R ocket Talk ," a show all about rockets and more. Tune into YouTube to watch Ro cket Talk!
L E T S TA L K R O C K E T S . C O M VisitSpaceCoast.com |
71
S
K
Y
&
3...2...1... Liftoff! with Jon Cowart
S
E
A
and goals (i.e., International Space Station supply mission, an interplanetary mission, a space telescope bound for a Lagrangian point, etc.) Other factors include the type of rocket and the desired trajectory. Not only do these variables influence the preferred launch time, but also the overall length of the launch window, which can vary from one second to several hours. A day or two before a launch, the team starts to look at weather and then THAT becomes a factor – the launch might slip a day or more to avoid bad weather. There’s no sense in tanking up with explosive propellants if the launch team doesn’t think there’s a good chance of flying that day. Unfortunately, you cannot request that a launch be moved. (Well, that’s a little harsh: You can request
Jon Cowart
it, but you can also rest assured it will not be listed as a launch constraint.)
Viewing Locations Types of Rockets Q: Where can I watch a rocket launch on
Q: Are all rockets launched on the Space Coast
Florida’s Space Coast? - Kelly
SpaceX rockets? - Deborah
A: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
A: Heck no, SpaceX isn’t the only company
is the spot that first pops into mind as the
launching from here! United Launch Alliance
number-one way to get the full launch
and SpaceX are currently the two biggest
experience. However, there are dozens of
competitors for payload missions to the
places throughout the area that provide
International Space Station. We have even
stellar views. Turn to page 83 to see more.
launched a Delta 4 rocket (a BIG Rocket). Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems
Scrubbed Q: What causes launches to be scrubbed? - Tyler A: A lot of factors go into the safe and timely launch of a rocket, so when a launch is scrubbed, it just means the conditions were not perfect for takeoff. Launches can be scrubbed due to bad weather conditions. The weather has to be good from ground level up through the atmosphere and downrange if it is a human launch. Launches might also be
(formerly Orbital ATK) also launches from here, and Blue Origin is expected to launch sometime before 2020. There are more than 20 rockets scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center in the first three quarters of 2019.
Launch Schedule
Astronauts Q: Are there astronauts on board the rockets launching from the Space Coast? - Eric A: At this time, there are no astronauts on board these rockets. However, in summer 2018, NASA announced the names of the astronaut test pilots who will be the first to fly SpaceX and Boeing capsules when they are launched from the Space Coast sometime in 2019. Have no fear, when humans launch from here for the first time since the end of the shuttle program, it will be a big event in the news and it’s likely you’ll be hearing about it. Those of us who live around here are already getting excited, and those of us working on these missions are pumped up and working extra hours getting these rockets and spaceships ready.
Q: How does the launch schedule get determined, and can I request a launch date
f Jon Cowart has worked for NASA for 30
scrubbed due to technical glitches (like slow
be moved so I can see it during my trip? - Danny
valves or odd temperatures). If a launch is
A: There are a lot, and I do mean a LOT, of
scrubbed, don’t be disappointed! A scrub usually
factors that determine the launch window.
gets rescheduled for the next available launch
Sadly, none of those include your trip plans and
Integration Office of NASA's Commercial
date – typically within a few days, depending on
the dynamics change from mission to mission.
Crew Program.
the reason why it was scrubbed.
The team has to assess the spacecraft’s target
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years. For the last seven years, he has been working in the Mission Management and
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C.J. Hobgood
5 Minutes with C.J. Hobgood Satellite Beach native and professional surfer C.J. Hobgood grew up on Florida’s Space Coast and has surfed since the age of six. He spent 16 years on the World Tour, winning one world title, four Elite Tour victories and many others before he hung up his jersey in 2015. C.J. has since embarked on a new career that’s filled with dropping kids off at school, working with
Q: What was it like growing up in Satellite
are my favorite without a doubt. Café
Beach?
Surfinista in Indialantic is rad, and they also
A: Looking back, surprisingly simple. The
have one in downtown Cocoa Beach. I love
area is family-friendly, and I could get to
stopping by Indialantic Seafood Company
school and the beach on my bike. Having
and grabbing fresh fish from there. But
my twin brother, Damien, doing the same
honestly, I love trying different places, and
thing, the buddy system was intact. Our
there are a lot of new places popping up
parents gave us a pretty long leash, and
that I can’t wait to try.
that freedom was all we really cared about.
Q: Outside of surfing, what are some of
Q: Where’s your favorite Space Coast surf spot? A: Growing up, it was without a doubt Sebastian Inlet, but getting there was probably our biggest hurdle. Our older friends who could drive would get out of school before us, and more times than not, were frothing so hard they would take off without us (or the space would fill up!). I remember a few times being like, “Man, I would have loved to surf the inlet today!” It’s still one of my favorite places. Q: Name your top three restaurants on the
Salty Crew clothing brand, and occasionally
Space Coast.
catching a wave or two back home on
A: Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar at
Satellite Beach.
Port Canaveral and the Riverside location
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your go-to Space Coast activities? A: Fishing out of Port Canaveral or Sebastian Inlet is world-class. Diving offshore is another activity I highly recommend. I still get out and play tennis every so often, but hanging with the kids at the beach is always a favorite. Q: What’s next for you? A: Damien and I are so excited to get on the road with our documentary, “And Two If By Sea.” It’s finally done after about five years. What a project! It was worth all the time, energy and financials that went into it. I hope it inspires people to go live out their dreams.
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VISITATION REPORT
ECONOMIC IMPACT
FEATURE
The Summer 2019 Visita-
Celebrating it’s 22nd year, the
old! The Zoo is located on 75
tion Report will feature a
Space Coast Birding & Wild-
beautiful acres and is home to
12-month trailing review an-
life Festival is way more than
more than 900 animals. The
alyzing visitor spending and
spying for birds! We learned
Brevard Zoo and TreeTop Trek
preferences on the Space
a lot about this very popular
is one of the Space Coast’s
Coast. Data is captured from
festival and the attendees
popular attractions for both
our ongoing visitor survey
who come from near and far
visitors and residents. Come
that is pushed out through our
to participate.
celebrate and learn about
paid social channels.
The Brevard Zoo, is 25 years
the cool things going on with Keith Winston.
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Don't worry about missing your ight or getting stuck in trafďŹ c. Arrive early and start your cruise vacation walking down the beach. Port Canaveral is a world-class cruise port located 45 minutes from Orlando, laid-back and best of all, uncongested.
VisitSpaceCoast.com
/ Florida's Space Coast
/ Florida's Space Coast
Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism VisitSpaceCoast.com
Florida’s Space Coast