ANNUAL REPORT
A LETTER FROM OUR CEO WELCOME TO 2022!
Partners, Stakeholders and Community Members, As we near the second anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic, we continue to be amazed by the tenacity and persistence of our hospitality and local business community through what continues to be uncertain times. 2021 brought with it much optimism and encouraging signs, but as the year came to a close, we soon realized that more challenges lie ahead. We are much better at navigating the unknown, but we are fatigued. Our community has become more resourceful and closer in many ways, as organizations across all spectrums continue to partner and work together for the betterment of Stockton. In Stockton, our hotel community has seen one of the best years ever, but normal is still out of sight. While 2021 saw most months with occupancy and average rates above those in 2019, the entire hospitality community is still challenged with labor shortages, increasing costs, and supply chain issues. Many have not returned to offering the same level of service and amenities from before the pandemic. The continued loss of group and corporate business has been replaced by a robust leisure travel market and our youth and amateur sports market. As groups and companies adapt to the realization that the virus is here to stay, travel and conferences are returning safely. We are, again, optimistic about the year ahead. Our team continues to work hard on behalf of the citizens of Stockton and the hospitality and small business community. As the year ended, I felt a sense of excitement as the team we have built and the organizational culture at Visit Stockton has never felt so solid. We are laser focused on supporting each other, our community, and our mission to this city. We also are thrilled to lead the efforts to return a signature food festival to Downtown Stockton with the Stockton Flavor Fest, May 14 & 15. Some of our highlights from 2021 include: • Wrapping up the Stockton Healthy Pledge in June, after a year of serving over 300 businesses with resources and PPE. • City of Stockton Small Business Relief Grant Program concluded after distributing $3.15 million dollars in funds over two years to our local small businesses through a partnership with the City of Stockton. • Our first live event in two years, Stockton Brew Fest, was a great success at our new location, the Weber Point Events Center. • The Stockton Experience Trails, including the Stockton Taco Trail, the Stockton Arts Trail, and the San Joaquin County Farm Trail were all well received and successful, and complement our existing Savings Pass well. • We are learning a lot from the results of our Stockton Resident Sentiment Survey, including insights into our community shared values, and feedback from our citizens about festivals, events and priorities moving forward. • Continuing to support our small business community through our efforts coordinating Stockton Small Business Week and the Virtual Downtown Stockton Investor Summit, both in partnership with the City of Stockton Economic Development Department; our hospitality job board; and the work to support our local farm stands and markets and the Stockton airport through the San Joaquin County Tourism Recovery Grant. While we do not know everything 2022 will bring, we are hopeful that the year ahead is brighter and safer than the one before. The team at Visit Stockton is proud to be a part of, and serve, the Stockton community. We wish each of you a safe and healthy 2022. Regards,
Wes Rhea, CEO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS George Kaplanis, CTA President Omega Hospitality
Wes Yourth, CTA Vice President University of the Pacific Susan Obert, CTA Treasurer, Haggin Museum Alex Munro, CTA Hilton Stockton
Rhona Miles, CTA University Plaza Waterfront Hotel Isadora Harness, CTA Marriott Properties
MEET THE TEAM
Wes Rhea, CTA CDME, CHIA Chief Executive Officer
Amy Alpers, CTA Director of Marketing & Communications Anthony Esteves, CTA Social Media Manager
Jai Patel Red Roof Inn
Christa Griffith, CTA Office Manager & CTA Program Manager
Christina Fugazi Council Appointee Councilmember, District 5, City of Stockton
Rebecca Scharmann, CTA Director of Sports & Tourism Development
Wesley Sosa Graphic Designer & Brand Manager
Nicholas Ramirez Events Services Manager
Diana Nuño Events & Community Engagement Manager
Jesse Salazar, CTA Video Production Manager
THE TOURISM EFFECT 2021 With the reintroduction of leisure and business travel, the opening of local attractions, and stay at home orders lifted, Stockton saw the positive economic impact that tourism and visitors have on our community.
LODGING STATS 2021 AVERAGE HOTEL OCCUPANCY
3 7 .4%
2021 DEMAND (ROOM NIGHTS)
OF STOCKTON HOTEL ROOMS WERE SOLD EACH 2021NIGHT IN 2021.
2021 HOTEL REVENUE GENERATED FROM OVERNIGHT VISITS:
$80,676,104
2020 REVEN$6U2E:,161,172 2019 REVENU$6 E:9,423,227 2018 REVEN$6 U6,E: 351,097
764k 668k
2020 2019 2018
765k 746k
2021 AVERAGE DAILY RATE (IN DOLLAR 2021 2020 2019 2018
105.53 93.02 90.69 88.88
Lodging Data Source: Smith Travel Research (STR), December 2021.
RESIDENT SENTIMENT SURVEY
In partnership with University of the Pacific marketing students, Visit Stockton conducted a resident sentiment survey to identify the community shared value of Visit Stockton, including the awareness of the organization, our efforts, and local programming. This was an opportunity for residents to share what they would like to see from our organization, and for us to determine their understanding of local tourism and the positive impact tourists make in our community. The survey was deployed through August 31, 2021 and our goal was to collect 1,000 responses from zip codes across the city. We did reach our goal of collecting over 1,000 completed survey results, and over 2,000 partially competed. Those results are currently being reviewed and analyzed by the University of the Pacific Marketing Department, and we expect to have completed reporting early 2022.
STOCKTON AMBASSADOR PROGRAM The Stockton Ambassador Program is a multifaceted program that serves to increase tourism by inspiring front-line employees and community members to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience by highlighting the quality of life in our city.
AS OF 12/31/2021 WE HAVE CERTIFIED
733
STOCKTON CTAS!
IN 2021...
19 CTAS WERE CERTIFIED
2
CERTIFICATION CLASSES WERE HELD
2
CTA EVENTS WERE HELD
RECOVERY OVER EVERYTHING
Destination Marketing Organizations bring valuable visitor dollars to our community which in-turn improves and enhances the quality of life for the residents in our community. For Visit Stockton it is not only the place in which we work, but also where we live. Stockton is
a community filled with loved ones, friends, families, and life long memories. Our priority in 2021 was to support our community and our partners during these unprecedented times. Read on to learn more about our efforts to support our community during the pandemic:
STOCKTON HEALTHY PLEDGE
In June, the Stockton Healthy Pledge program was concluded after 14 months of supporting small businesses and their recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic. Businesses signed on to the pledge, affirming their commitment to creating a clean, safe, and healthy environment for residents and visitors. With the help of grant funding from the City of Stockton, Visit Stockton provided 333 businesses with marketing support, PPE, hand sanitizer stands, posters, window clings, floor decals, and more.
IN 2021 WE DISTRIBUTED: STOCKTON RESTAURANT WEEK
In order to comply with state mandates and support our local restaurant community, Stockton Restaurant Week 2021 shifted to a focus on take-out and waived participation fees. With the help of the Dine Pass, a digital mobile passport program which allowed users to check-in at restaurants to win prizes, the event saw great success and we were grateful to provide support to our community during such a difficult time.
STOCKTON TACO TRAIL
Launched as a means of economic recovery for our restaurants and a way to highlight the diversity of cuisine in our community, the Stockton Taco Trail launched in April 2021. The mobile passport saw nearly 3,000 sign-ups and 2,200 restaurant checkins in 2021.
SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY GRANTS The team assisted the City of Stockton with processing federally funded small business grants to local recipients. At the conclusion of the program, our team processed over three million dollars in grant funds directly to the Stockton small business community.
STOCKTON SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
Our office was contracted by the City of Stockton to coordinate the marketing and programming of Stockton Small Business Week in May. The event, through online digital trainings, mixers, and toolkits, provided support to our business community as they navigated through their reopening process.
69,510 MASKS
31,600 GLOVES
1,266 BOTTLES HAND SANITIZERS
VIRTUAL DOWNTOWN STOCKTON INVESTOR SUMMIT
For the second year, the City of Stockton contracted our office to coordinate and host their Virtual Downtown Stockton Investor Summit. With nearly 200 registrants, the half-day program featured presentations from City leadership, Economic Development professionals, and the business community and highlighted why investors should choose Downtown Stockton for their next project.
HOSPITALITY JOB BOARD
As a response to the ongoing struggle of staffing shortages, our office created the Hospitality Job Board. We reached out to our hotel, restaurant, and attraction partners and gave them the tools to post their open positions on our compiled listing platform, and we promoted the job board on our website and social media pages.
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY TOURISM RECOVERY GRANT
Our office applied for and received a $80,526 grant from the San Joaquin County Tourism
$80,526 grant received from San
Joaquin County Tourism Recovery Fund Recovery Grant Fund. Our grant focused on two main areas, Stockton Metropolitain Airport promotion and the revamping of the San Joaquin County Farm Stands and Markets Guide. In coordination with the guide, we also launched our third experience pass, the San Joaquin County Farm Trail.
131 BOTTLES DISINFECTANT
1,367 SOCIAL DISTANCING FLOOR DECALS
BACK IN ACTION
Live events are back, and Stockton was ready. 2021 welcomed the optimism we had been hoping for, and the economic recovery seen from reopening was welcomed with open arms. From disc golf championships to beer festivals, there was no shortage of things to do in Stockton. • OTB Championships In May the Open Disc Golf Pro and Amateur Tours were hosted at Swenson Park Golf Course. Our office was integral in the soliciting, planning, and executing of the multi-weekend event, which welcomed dozens of athletes from across the nation and hundreds of spectators. We are proud of the success brought from the event and are excited to welcome it back in 2022. • Stockton Brew Fest: Our first hosted live event in 2021, Stockton Brew Fest welcomed 30 breweries and 1,100 guests at its new home at the Weber Point Events Center. The event featured live music, beer sampling, food trucks, an artist market, yard games, and lots of fun in the sun! • Stockton Flavor Fest: In coordination with the City of Stockton, our office has started the planning of the inaugural Stockton Flavor Fest, hosted at the Weber Point Events Center May 14 & 15, 2022. We have contracted with Goodstock Productions as our event management team, and together we are creating the next great destination driving festival for the economic prosperity of our community.
DIGITAL MARKETING
This data includes Social, Web, Display, and Connected TV which promotes videos, blog content, special events, initiatives, and landing pages.
SOCIAL MEDIA
VISITSTOCKTON.ORG 2021 SNAPSHOT
SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS:
TOP 10 PAGES OF 2021
1. Event: Stockton Asparagus Festival 2. Events 3. Stockton Taco Trail 4. Homepage 5. Blog: Top Things to do in Stockton According to Trip Advisor 6. Stockton Restaurant Week 7. Event: Stockton Con 8. Annual Events Listings 9. Pixie Woods Amusement Park 10. Free Things to do in Stockton
871,403 VISITS
664,414
UP
UP
USERS
1,386,249 PAGEVIEWS
UP
19.82% 20.80% 25.44%
EXPERIENCE PASSES
Visit Stockton began working with experience pass producer Bandwango in 2015 by launching our inaugural Stockton Savings Pass. The success of the pass, which provides discounts and coupons across the city for local businesses, spurred us into creating more passes for visitors and residents alike. Our mobile passports are used as tools for visitors and residents alike to incentivize getting out and exploring the city. An added plus- users might even find a new favorite shop or restaurant along the way! Below is a highlight of the passes launched in 2021: • Stockton Taco Trail - The Stockton Taco Trail features over 50 restaurants, taquerias, and trucks participating along the tasty trail, all while celebrating the diversity of cuisine in our community. Participants are rewarded for checkins with stickers, t-shirts, and trucker hats.
58.3K 22.6K 3.5K 1.1K
19,570,576 TOTAL IMPRESSIONS
795
1,670,989
TOTAL ENGAGEMENT
PAID SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONS:
16,100,355 IMPRESSIONS 1,544,524 ENGAGEMENT
YOUTUBE VIDEO STATS:
1,627 262.1K 151.3K WATCH TIME VIEWS
(in hours)
IMPRESSIONS
DIGITAL MARKETING UPDATE Visit Stockton increased our social media presence by activating both Pinterest and TikTok in 2021. We worked with a digital marketing agency in Q4 to amplify our Pinterest program, and in Q2 we started our TikTok page. We look forward to continuing to invest in TikTok as video is a dominant marketing platform for 2022. We were also able to increase our digital marketing budget by $80,000 due to the San Joaquin County Tourism Recovery Grant program, increasing CTV and display campaigns.
• Stockton Art Trail - Beautiful spaces are all around us, and the Stockton Art Trail helps highlight the artistic gems across the city. From large-scale installations, sweeping painted murals, to carved storm drain covers, explore Stockton’s offerings for a chance to claim an “I Love Stockton Arts” mug. • San Joaquin County Farm Trail – Farmers’ Markets, roadside stands, estate distilleries, and community gardens are just a sample of the locally-grown experiences to explore along the San Joaquin County Farm Trail. Check in to win an exclusive “Greatness Grows Here” tote.
WHO WE ARE
Visit Stockton is the official destination marketing organization for Stockton, California and as such, is charged with the promotion and marketing of the City of Stockton as a leisure travel, sports, events, and meetings destination. Founded in 1979 as a 501(c)6, non-profit corporation, Visit Stockton is dedicated to positively impacting the local economy through its programming and elevating civic pride while highlighting the Stockton community as a positive place to work, live, and visit. Visit Stockton is funded in partnership with local hotel properties through the Stockton Tourism Business Improvement District.
Mission Statement Visit Stockton is dedicated to enhancing the region’s Quality of Life by collaboratively leading the promotion of our richly diverse community and advocating for initiatives that will enhance the city’s Quality of Place.
Vision Statement Stockton is widely respected as a diverse and welcoming community, providing unique and authentic experiences and opportunities for all.
Our Organizational Values
ACCOUNTABILITY • HAVE FUN EXCELLENT SERVICE • GIVING BACK LEARN AND IMPROVE