2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS
Review
GRANT TAYLOR
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
Dear friends in tourism, As we turn the page on a new decade in Buffalo, it’s worth reflecting on our past progress – and future opportunities for our destination. In the last 10 years, our waterfront developed into a top attraction that draws more than one million visitors annually. Architectural landmarks like the Martin House Complex and Richardson Olmsted Campus transitioned from states of disrepair into shining examples of restoration and adaptive reuse. Dozens of new hotels, restaurants, breweries and shops opened, reinvigorating once-ailing neighborhoods and providing visitors with a host of new amenities. Our destination’s transformation has enabled Visit Buffalo Niagara to drive more visitation here than ever before. The growth of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus prompted VBN to launch its Medical Meetings Initiative in 2019, as our state-of-the-art facilities make Buffalo a more enticing destination for medical association meetings. Our destination’s development helped our sales staff convince more international group tour operators to include time – and overnight stays – in Buffalo on their itineraries. And the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission continued to build on our reputation as a top-tier destination for college and amateur athletics by ensuring the success of signature events like last spring’s NCAA Frozen Four.
than one million views on our social media channels and website. And we told richer and deeper stories along our Buffalo Wing Trail by launching the “Lord of the Wings” podcast series in 2019. We’ve come so far in the last 10 years, but the work has really only just begun. The unprecedented public health crisis we’re currently facing has ground the travel industry to a standstill as we collectively do our part to end this global pandemic. When this crisis eases, VBN will be on the front lines of getting our regional tourism industry moving again, launching marketing campaigns, generating out-of-town media coverage and booking meetings, conventions, group tours and amateur athletic events that put heads in beds and generate tens of millions of dollars for the local economy.
Our destination’s transformation has enabled Visit Buffalo Niagara to drive more visitation here than ever before.
VBN’s marketing department continues to find creative ways to share Buffalo’s story with a growing audience around the world. Our media relations team hosted a record 53 travel writers in 2019 who generated travel coverage in more than 200 regional, national and international media outlets, from The Globe and Mail and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to Men’s Journal, AFAR and The Telegraph. VBN’s marketing staff produced more than 50 original pieces of video content in 2019 that generated more
In the years to come, we’re looking forward to the expansions of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, as well as the proposed new Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Each project presents incredible opportunities for us to bring new meetings, conventions and leisure visitors to Buffalo. If any city knows a thing or two about resilience, it’s Buffalo. We’ll come back from these current challenges stronger than ever, and Visit Buffalo Niagara will be there every step of the way to share Buffalo’s story with the world, drive visitation here and build on our collective progress. Very truly yours,
PATRICK J. KALER President and CEO Visit Buffalo Niagara
JUST THE FACTS: 2019 AT A GLANCE VBN CONVENTION, SPORTS & GROUP TOUR SALES
$124 million
742
495
Conventions, meetings, amateur athletic events or group tours booked
sales leads
166,140 Hotel room nights booked
BUFFALO NIAGARA CONVENTION CENTER
249,975
138
People attended events at the Convention Center
Events hosted
265
Days the Center was occupied
25,000
Hotel room nights utilized due to events at the Center
BUFFALO NIAGARA SPORTS COMMISSION
100,120 Attendance
Attendees serviced
Hotel room nights
73
Amateur sporting events serviced in 2019
VBN CONVENTION SERVICES
44,692 Hotel room nights booked
108
Meetings and conventions serviced
VBN MARKETING
228
Out-of-town media placements
95,290
Facebook followers
3
1,603,317 Unique sessions to the website
28,741
Twitter followers
53
press visits
34,724
Instagram followers
$4.8
million Media value of out-of-town media coverage
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
40,500
97,800
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
Future economic impact
BUILDING THE BUFFALO BUZZ Visit Buffalo Niagara ended the decade with another one of its strongest years for media relations. VBN hosted a total of 53 travel media in 2019 that helped generate more than 225 stories about Buffalo worldwide in publications like Men’s Journal, The Associated Press, AFAR, The Globe and Mail and The Telegraph. VBN’s presence at media shows like the International Media Marketplace in New York City, ongoing work with MuchPR public relations firm and relationships with the Travel Media Association of Canada and I Love New York helped cultivate the media’s interest in Buffalo’s ongoing transformation. VBN capped the year with Lonely Planet designating Buffalo one of its “Best in Travel” destinations around the world in 2020, an accolade earned through VBN’s ongoing outreach efforts. •••
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VISITING U.K. MEDIA ENJOY DUFF’S WINGS
THE LORD OF THE WINGS Visit Buffalo Niagara is always exploring new and inventive ways to tell the Buffalo story. In 2019, the team added podcasting to its storytelling arsenal, launching the “In the BUF: The Lord of the Wings” series. Communications Manager Brian Hayden and Director of Creative Services Matt Steinberg collaborated on the five-episode podcast. Hayden wrote and hosted the series, which outlined his quest to find the best wings in Buffalo along VBN’s Buffalo Wing Trail, and featured interviews with restaurant owners and wing experts along the way. Steinberg produced and edited each episode. The team created a rich, engaging audio experience that let listeners accompany Brian on his journey throughout Buffalo. The podcast is available at BuffaloWingTrail.com, or search In the BUF on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. •••
INSPIRING PEOPLE TO VISIT
BUFFALO
We made an investment in equipment.
viewed videos as our most effective storytelling tool
We bought a state of the art Sony camera, along
and we have made a major commitment over the
with a steadicam, tripod and other tools of the trade
years to producing videos with engaging stories,
and challenged Marketing Manager Drew Brown and
dazzling imagery and high production values.
Creative Services Director Matt Steinberg to become
In 2019, we took that commitment to another level,
our in-house production team, with Drew assuming
producing 53 pieces of original video content that generated more than one million views across our social channels and website. Here’s how we did it.
the role of videographer and Matt doing the editing and post-production tasks. Among the highlights of their 2019 productions are “East Aurora: A WellDesigned Destination,” which received more than 90,000 views, and a pair of videos celebrating the
We continued our partnership with Paget Films.
Buffalo Bills road to the playoffs that attracted nearly
Working with talented local filmmaker John Paget,
150,000 views.
we produced a pair of stellar videos devoted to music
Communications Manager Brian Hayden contributed as
and food. “Buffalo: Come Out Tonight” is a fast-paced look at Buffalo’s eclectic music scene. “Buffalo: One of the Great Eating Cities” captures the creativity and inventiveness that’s found in Buffalo’s contemporary culinary scene. It’s another example of the quickcutting, dynamic style of storytelling that we feel is best suited to the short attention spans of Facebook and Instagram. Together, these videos garnered more than 70,000 views across our social channels.
host to our successful “Buffalo Live!” video series. Brian puts his training as a journalist to work as he comes well prepared to every interview (which are done in one take) with an opening monologue and questions that help put interviewees at ease and help to inform our viewers. The highlight of our 2019 Buffalo Live productions was Brian’s interview with legendary Buffalo Bills’ fan Pinto Ron, which was viewed nearly 70,000 times. •••
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VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
The Visit Buffalo Niagara marketing team has long
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
PAGET FILMS
CURATING THE BUFFALO STORY In 2019, Visit Buffalo Niagara engaged CrowdRiff, a social media software company, to help us distribute usergenerated imagery across our marketing channels. CrowdRiff enables VBN to find photos shared by its fans and followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. VBN then uses this imagery in our blog posts, newsletters, contests and image galleries on across our site. The Crowdriff platform also allows third-party media to seamlessly find, download and distribute our photographic assets in stories about Buffalo. •••
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FINDING SOCIAL SUCCESS #INTHEBUF Visit Buffalo Niagara encouraged visitors and residents
VBN rounded up gifts from nearly 50 of Buffalo’s most
alike in 2019 to post their beautiful images of Buffalo on
iconic restaurants, shops and attractions, including $716
social media using the new hashtag #InTheBUF.
in gift cards to Walden Galleria stores, a Ted’s Hot Dogs
User generated photos shared by VBN’s fans and
“Golden Keychain” that provides lifetime discounts to
followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram reach a wider audience on social media than VBN could ever achieve alone. To incentivize more photo submissions,
the restaurant, a free walking tour for 10 people from Explore Buffalo, free ice cream every day for two months from Churn Soft Serve, and even two cases of Chiavetta’s
Visit Buffalo Niagara launched the Ultimate Staycation
chicken marinade.
#InTheBUF contest. Throughout May, June and July,
By the time the contest finished in August, more than
VBN selected weekly winners from the pool of all
7,000 images of the destination had been posted using
#InTheBUF photo submissions and entered them to win
the #InTheBUF hashtag. To date, more than 12,000
a $5,000 Buffalo-themed prize package – perhaps the
images have been uploaded using #InTheBUF and the
largest prize package of its kind ever created in Buffalo.
hashtag continues to assist VBN in amassing usergenerated imagery. •••
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
7
Websites are the most critical part of any destination
embarking on this process. A total of 190,000 additional
marketing strategy, yet they invariably become out-
visitors came to the website (16% percent increase year
of-date and need to be refreshed and updated. In 2019,
over year) and time on Page increased almost 10 percent.
Visit Buffalo Niagara engaged Madden Media to assist
The re-design of VisitBuffaloNiagara.com will continue
us with re-designing our website using an innovative
in 2020 with additional sprints designed to upgrade the
process Madden calls “Growth-Driven Design.” This
look and feel of the site.
approach calls for continual, incremental improvements
VBN also brought digital advertising opportunities
to be made to a website on an ongoing basis. Instead of completely redesigning the entire site in 2019, we identified 20 “sprints” that would immediately improve the aesthetics, content and performance of pages of visitbuffaloniagara.com that experience high traffic. VBN achieved a number of measurable results since
back to VisitBuffaloNiagara.com in 2019. Working with Destination Travel Network, we implemented ad-serving technology that allows advertisers to target their best prospects and tap into the buying power of the more than one million visitors to our site. •••
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
THE NEXT GENERATION OF VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
PLANNING MADE EASY It’s never been easier for tour operators who plan group trips to Buffalo to organize a visit here, thanks to the new digital Visit Buffalo Niagara Trip Planner. The trip planner replaced the printed Product Guide VBN used to produce and provides a dynamic, easy-touse experience for group tour operators considering Buffalo. The planner allows customers to create a “choose your own adventure” Buffalo experience – enabling group tour operators to select from a variety of group-friendly venues, hotels, events, restaurants and attractions. The digital planner then plots their selections on an itinerary and map than can be emailed, printed and shared to social media. VBN staff have shared the planner with hundreds of contacts since its launch and received positive feedback. The Trip Planner received more than 3,500 web hits in 2019. •••
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VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA LAUNCHES
MEDICAL MEETINGS INITIATIVE
Buffalo’s recent transformation has presented
of-the-art meeting
new opportunities for Visit Buffalo Niagara’s sales
facilities with cutting
team to bring additional meetings and conventions
edge technology at
to our destination. The expansion of the Buffalo
the medical campus,
Niagara Medical Campus – including the University
and the hundreds
at Buffalo’s new medical school, the Jacobs School
of medical experts
of Medicine – has made Buffalo a more attractive
working in Buffalo
destination for hosting meetings for medical groups
that can serve as
and associations.
guest speakers and
Visit Buffalo Niagara worked to maximize this
panelists. The VBN team has developed printed
opportunity in 2019 by launching the Medical Meetings Initiative. The initiative touts Buffalo’s
collateral and launched a microsite promoting these assets, and is actively pursuing leads for future
many assets to medical groups and associations who
medical meetings.
might consider our destination for their meetings
The groundwork VBN laid in 2019 will pave the way
and conventions. These assets include the state-
for future success in the medical meetings market. •••
BRINGING THE BEST TO BUFFALO The Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission held its inaugural Speakers Series in April to coincide with the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament that took place in Buffalo. The panel discussion at Canisius College’s Montante Center focused on the economic and community impact of amateur and collegiate hockey tournaments in Buffalo. Panelists included veteran ESPN Anchor John Buccigross, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Commissioner Rich Ensor, and NCAA Director of Championships and Alliances Kristin Fasbender. The Speakers Series will continue in the future as an opportunity to bring some of the best and brightest in amateur athletics to Buffalo, and to build community awareness of the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission’s role in making Buffalo a top-tier destination for collegiate and amateur sports. •••
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
DREW BROWN
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THE FUTURE OF THE
In 2019, Erie County continued to move forward with planning for a new Buffalo Niagara Convention Center after previously determining that the 42-year-old current center was “functionally obsolete” and in need of replacement. By early 2020, the county determined that a new site bound by Delaware Avenue, West Huron, West Mohawk and Franklin Streets was the best location for a state-of-the-art 450,000 square foot facility that could generate an additional $30 to $35 million in annual economic impact for Buffalo’s hospitality industry. The new facility’s completion is at least a few years away, so the current center’s staff continues to do its
best to attract meetings, conventions and events to downtown Buffalo. In 2019, the center hosted 138 events that occupied the facility on 265 days. These events drew nearly 250,000 attendees to the center, generated 25,000 room nights at downtown hotels and created $34 million in economic impact for the surrounding area. Erie County also continues to update its existing facility – including new lighting, renovated bathrooms, and other improvements – to ensure it continues to remain a hub for meetings, conventions and events until the completion of a new center. •••
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
BUFFALO NIAGARA CONVENTION CENTER
SHOWING OFF BUFFALO ON FAM TOURS JUNE 2019 FAM TOUR
Visit Buffalo Niagara’s sales team employs a variety of strategies for bringing meetings, conventions, and group tours to Buffalo. But to seal the deal and make the sale, nothing beats the opportunity to bring clients and customers to Buffalo for a familiarization tour to experience our destination firsthand. Last June, VBN hosted 20 meeting planners and group tour operators for a three-day tour that highlighted unique venues around Buffalo and the walkability of the downtown business district surrounding the Buffalo
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Niagara Convention Center. Highlights included an evening walking tour around downtown that included dinner at the Curtiss Hotel and entertainment at Hatchets and Hops axe throwing bar before returning to the Hyatt Regency, the host hotel. These familiarization tours provide an invaluable opportunity for Visit Buffalo Niagara to build relationships and generate future business for Buffalo. •••
GROWING BUFFALO’S INTERNATIONAL TOURISM Each year, a high volume of Asian tour groups arrive regularly for overnight stays in our region on their way to Niagara Falls. But they’re often on a tight itinerary – getting here late at night, leaving the next morning, and not seeing much of Buffalo. Visit Buffalo Niagara, seeing an opportunity for Buffalo tourism, has continuously worked to change that – and those efforts paid off in 2019. Director of Tourism Sales Leah Mueller met with officials from Mayi Tours in New York City last summer, then hosted a group of several VBN’S LEAH MUELLER TOURS company representatives on a familiarization BUFFALO WITH MAYI TOURS STAFF tour that showcased many of our attractions and assets. The initiative was successful; Mayi then altered its itineraries to include sightseeing time in Buffalo, and attractions like the Double Decker Bus Tours noted a resulting uptick in business. Visit Buffalo Niagara is eager to continue building international visitation to our destination once the current global public health crisis eases. •••
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
DREW BROWN
The tournament, which brought the top four collegiate hockey teams in the United States to Key Bank Center, generated 5,300 hotel room nights in downtown Buffalo and created approximately $3.9 million in economic impact. In between games, VBN President Patrick Kaler and other staff members visited a number of restaurants surrounding the arena and worked with their staffs to identify patrons at each location who were visiting from out of town. The VBN team then stepped in to pay for those visitors’ meals. This unexpected hospitality and the goodwill it creates will help ensure that signature athletic events like the Frozen Four keep returning to our destination for years to come. •••
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
Visit Buffalo Niagara launched its Random Acts of Kindness program several years ago as part of our larger effort to leave a lasting positive impression of Buffalo with visitors during key meetings, conventions and amateur sporting events. The NCAA Frozen Four Tournament held in Buffalo last April provided VBN and the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission with the perfect opportunity to once again implement the program.
DREW BROWN
11
Visit Buffalo Niagara staff went above and beyond to give back to the community they help promote in 2019. VBN staff raised more than $3,000 in 2019 for a variety of charities through a new, optional payroll deduction system. The beneficiaries included Upward Design For Life, which helps furnish the homes of Buffalo’s economically disadvantaged; the Kevin Guest House, which serves as a home for families whose loved ones are patients in Buffalo hospitals, and Journey’s End, which assists recently resettled refugees in Buffalo. More than half of VBN’s staff also participated in the United Way’s annual Day of Caring last August by painting the offices of the Buffalo Urban League in downtown Buffalo. •••
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
VBN GIVES BACK
BEING PREPARED Visit Buffalo Niagara invited representatives from across Buffalo’s tourism industry to attend an active threat preparedness workshop in October. Recent active shooter incidents across the United States underscored the need in Buffalo for a coordinated prevention and response effort between the private and public sectors. VBN organized the workshop at the request of a number of employees in Buffalo’s tourism industry; the three-hour presentation was an opportunity for more than 100 attendees to hear from law enforcement experts on how to respond to active threats. Presenters at WNED studios included the Buffalo Police Department’s SWAT team, the Department of Homeland Security, Border Community SERVICE of Niagara University, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Events/Mass Gathering department. The workshop was made possible by our sponsors Bond Schoeneck & King attorneys, with media support from The Buffalo News. •••
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INFORMING OUR PARTNERS Visit Buffalo Niagara continued to build on its destination development program in 2019. The initiative keeps VBN’s coalition of tourism industry partners who directly interact with visitors – from front desk staff at hotels to restaurant employees and personnel at local attractions – informed of upcoming events, new developments and other information about our destination through a series of e-communications, training sessions and networking opportunities. Attendance at VBN’s 26 collective industry meetings, networking nights at local attractions, training sessions, and Beacon Awards exceeded 1,500 in 2019. And Buffalo Niagara This Week, a weekly email with event recommendations, has nearly 1,000 subscribers; the e-newsletter made more than 1,250 recommendations of things to do last year. Frontline staff members who receive these newsletters can then relay this information directly to visitors, helping create a positive first impression of Buffalo. •••
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
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Buffalonians celebrated National Travel and Tourism Week with Visit Buffalo Niagara’s “Be a Tourist in your Own Hometown” promotion: a buy one, get one free promotion at 15 Erie County attractions from May 4 to 11. The promotion provided local residents the perfect opportunity to go to museums, galleries and other cultural amenities they had never experienced before, and to revisit old favorites. The promotion’s timing – just before the beginning of high tourism season – provided Buffalonians with ideas and inspiration for upcoming visits from out-of-town friends and family. VBN announced the promotion as a part of its weeklong celebration of tourism’s contribution to the Buffalo economy. Other highlights included the annual Beacon Awards, which celebrate excellence in Buffalo’s tourism industry; a delivery of sponge candy packs to airline and airport employees that contained fun facts about Buffalo; and lighting prominent Buffalo buildings red, the color of hospitality. •••
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
BEING A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN HOMETOWN
A BEACON OF EXCELLENCE
14
TRAV EL
&
TO
ISM UR
In May, we celebrated National Travel and Tourism Week, bringing attention to the economic impact of tourism in Erie County. Activities included our 9th annual Beacon Awards luncheon, attended by more than 400 industry partners, elected officials, volunteers and local vendors.
Working with the former WNY Hospitality Association, we continued the Hospitality Scholarship – the 2019 recipient was Jackson Richert, a graduate of Springville-Griffith High School. The 2019 Beacon Award recipients are in the chart below.
P R E S E N T E D
B Y
OUTSTANDING LODGING EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
OUTSTANDING TOURISM VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Elizabeth Pietrzak Red Roof Inn Buffalo Airport
Cindy Gorski Explore Buffalo Tours
Dave Myers Girls Fastpitch, Aunt Rosie’s Tournament
OUTSTANDING LODGING MANAGER OF THE YEAR
OUTSTANDING TOURISM INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
BRING IT HOME AWARD –
La-Toya Williams Hyatt Place Buffalo/Amherst
Sarah Nichter Shop, Rock-n-Stroll & Halloween on Hertel
OUTSTANDING LODGING G.M. OF THE YEAR
Karen Oleszak Reikart House
OUTSTANDING TOURISM EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Beverly Halligan Buffalo Niagara International Airport
BRING IT HOME AWARD – SPORTS
CONVENTIONS
Ingram Micro Annual US Kickoff, President’s Club Awards RESTAURANTEUR OF THE YEAR
Louis John and Mary Beth Billittier Chef’s Restaurant
BUFFALO AMBASSADOR(S) OF THE YEAR
NYS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION WNY CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Helen Brady
Lena Zmijewski, Phoebe Beiter, Steven Williams, Shayann Caber, Nadiera Sanders, Bobby Strait
Explore Buffalo Tours
John Dubreville
Hale Northeastern
Tim Tielman
Campaign for Greater Buffalo
PRESENTED IN HONOR OF PETER LONGO, TWO-TIME PRESIDENT OF THE NYS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION WNY CHAPTER AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF LOCAL RESTAURANT WEEK
ALL BOOKED UP! MONTHLY OCCUPANCY PERCENTAGE
Buffalo’s hotel industry had another strong year in 2019,
2019
according to key indicators compiled by Smith Travel Research. The average daily rate of $106.92 remained near
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
an all-time high, while total revenue at hotels countywide set a new record, at $266,269,853.
SMITH TRAVEL RESEARCH ERIE COUNTY HOTEL REPORT OCCUPANCY
AVERAGE RATE
HOTEL REVENUES
2019 61.7%
$106.92
$266,269,853
2018 61.9%
$107.10
$257,343,449
2017 63.7% $104.32
$249,243,982
$102.74
$239,710,239
2016 61.7%
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TOP MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS IN BUFFALO Below are major conventions and events that came to Buffalo in 2019, in order of the most significant economic impact. NAME
ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT DATE
$4.7 million
July 28
New York State Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
$3.3 million
New York State Board of Law Examiners
$3.2 million
National Association for Campus Activities - NACA American Legion, State of New York
6,200
3,000
October 22
1,555
2,000
February 24
3,800
1,800
$1.9 million
October 15
1,000
1,200
$1.8 million
July 15
1,852
1,500
American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)
$1.5 million
April 26
1,550
800
M.W. Hiram Grand Lodge Ancient Free & Accepted Masons
$1.5 million
August 8
2,209
400
Church of God and Saints of Christ
$1.4 million
April 9
1,923
800
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) $1.1 million
September 2
1,847
1,100
Delaware North
$1.0 million
November 10
1,620
500
National Star Route Mail Contractors Association
$998,699
August 1
605
500
New York State Elks Association
$935,740
May 13
968
650
Nickel City Con
$762,041
May 16
110
5,000
Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association
$734,830
September 10
843
500
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
New York State Board of Law Examiners
ROOM NIGHTS ATTENDEES
DREW BROWN
2019 VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
16
Cindy Abbott-Letro
Law Offices of Francis A. Letro
John O’Connell
Hyatt Regency Buffalo
Jonathan A. Dandes
Rich Products Corporation
Edward A. Rath, III
Erie County Legislature
Dottie Gallagher
Buffalo Niagara Partnership
Mary F. Roberts
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House
Lesley Haynes
Erie County Legislature Appointment
James T. Sandoro
The Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum
Donald Spasiano
Trocaire College School of Hospitality and Business
Huseyin Taran
Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER
Toni L. Vazquez
Urban Family Practice
Gail Wells
Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor
Leslie H. Zemsky
Larkin Square
Thomas R. Hersey, Jr Erie County Commissioner of Environment & Planning
Patrick J. Kaler
Visit Buffalo Niagara
Randall Kramer
MusicalFare Theatre
Thomas M. Long
The Westin Buffalo
Michael G. Murphy
Shea’s Performing Arts Center
Bridget Niland
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
2019 COMMITTEES Executive Committee CHAIR:
Mary F. Roberts
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House
SECRETARY:
COMMITTEE MEMBERS VICE CHAIR
Cindy Abbott-Letro PRESIDENT & CEO:
Patrick Kaler
TREASURER :
Huseyin Taran Toni L. Vazquez
Law Offices of Francis A. Letro Visit Buffalo Niagara
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR:
Jonathan A. Dandes
Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER Urban Family Practice Rich Products Corporation
Budget/Finance/Audit Committee CHAIR:
Huseyin Taran STAFF: Patrick Kaler
David Marzo
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER
Donald Spasiano
President & CEO
Trocaire College School of Hospitality and Business
Toni L. Vazquez
Urban Family Practice
Chief Financial Officer
CHAIR: Thomas Long The Westin Buffalo
Matthew Freeman Tru by Hilton Williamsville Buffalo Airport
STAFF: Mike Even VP of Sales
Olivia Galante
Candlewood Suites
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Melissa Harrison
Mansion on Delaware
Clorissa Bapst
Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER
Thomas Keane
Hart Hotels
Chrystie Barker
Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC
Kimberly Kelly
Hampton Inn by Hilton Buffalo Hamburg
Marni Bator
Radisson Hotel Niagara Falls-Grand Island
Kaila Kise
Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC
Kim Bauer
Residence Inn Buffalo-Galleria Mall
Thomas Molenda
Ellicott Hotels
Sarah Bishop
Ellicott Hotels
Jen Noble
Mansion on Delaware Avenue
Mark Brown
Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC
Russ Papia
The Westin Buffalo
Melissa Burke
Buffalo Niagara Convention Center
Susan Pieri
Holiday Inn Buffalo Airport
Missy Byrne Doctor Ellicott Hotels
Megan Porter
Millennium Buffalo
Laurie Carroll
Reikart House
Monica Rapini
Embassy Suites by Hilton Buffalo
Mark Cornwell
Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center
Shannon Ruth
Hart Hotels
Joyce Curry
Buffalo Niagra Marriott
Jennifer Sparcino Curtiss Hotel
Linda D’Agostino Aloft Buffalo Downtown @ 500 Pearl
Renee Stupski-Pundt Wyndham Garden Buffalo Downtown
Dierdre Dieter
Visions Hotels
Steve Walsh
Michael Dobell
Hyatt Regency Buffalo
Courtney Weiser
Ann Dugan
Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Buffalo Airport
Elvira FortunatoLashomb
Mansion on Delaware Avenue
Danielle Zoyhofski Hyatt Place Buffalo/Amherst
Kelly Fox
Aloft Buffalo Airport
Hotel @ The Lafayette
Hilton Garden Inn Buffalo Downtown
Marketing Committee CHAIR: Leslie Zemsky
Larkin Square
Maria Morreale
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
STAFF: Ed Healy
VP of Marketing
Michael G. Murphy
Shea’s Performing Arts Center
Diana Principe
Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center
Mary Roberts
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
James Baker
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Jim Charlier
Gardens Buffalo Niagara
Jill Clark
Canalside Buffalo
Joel Dombrowski
Buffalo Double Decker Bus Tours
Dora Kukuliatas- Wisniewski
Tom’s Restaurant
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James T. Sandoro Buffalo Transportation/ Pierce-Arrow Museum
Renata Toney
Burchfield Penney Art Center
Sandy White
Freelance Writer
VISITBUFFALONIAGARA.COM
Sarah Zeis
2019 ANNUAL BUSINESS REVIEW
Sales Committee
2019 BUFFALO NIAGARA SPORTS COMMISSION ADVISORY COUNCIL CHAIR: Bill Maher
Canisius College
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ann Brooker Buffalo News Mike Buczkowski Buffalo Bisons Stephen Butler Niagara University Charlie Cannan Pegula Sports & Entertainment Chris Catanzaro Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. Brian Cavanaugh D’Youville College Drew Cerza National Buffalo Wing Festival Rob Crean Pegula Sports & Entertainment Stephanie Crockatt Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Jonathan A. Dandes Rich Products Corporation TJ Day STAR Swimming Therese Forton-Barnes Events to a Tee Sean Green Buffalo RiverWorks Kathleen Gregoire Skating Club of WNY Eric Guzdek Northtown Center at Amherst Thomas Hersey County of Erie
Perry Jenkins Peter Jerebko D’Ann Keller Tom Koeller John Lambert Joe Lojacono John Maddock Lynn Marinelli
USATF Erie Community College University at Buffalo Buffalo State College SUNY at Buffalo Valmark Associates
Canisius College
Empire State Development Corporation
Tracy Murphy Daemen Collage Ron Raccuia AdPro Team Sports Edward Rath, Jr. Erie County Legislature Nicholas Salvatore Salvatore’s Hospitality Bob Schell Amherst Youth Hockey Lisa Scherer Scherer Event Management Timm Slade Section VI Charles C. Swanekamp Bond, Schoeneck & King
2019 VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA STAFF 18
Kathy Benzel Drew Brown Michele Butlak JoAnn Blatner Karen Cox Denise Drews Michael Even Karen Fashana Charles Giglia Jennifer Gregory Pete Harvey Brian Hayden
Information Technology Manager Marketing Manager Accounting and Benefits Manager Industry Relations Assistant Convention Services Manager Visitor Center Manager Vice President of Sales & Services Director of Marketing Director of Sports Sales National Sales Director Director of Sports Development Communications Manager
Ed Healy Vice President of Marketing Patrick Kaler President & CEO Cindy Kincaide Director, Industry Relations and Destination Development
Tracy Martell David Marzo Leah Mueller Heather Nowakowski Judy Smith Matt Steinberg Lauren Vargo Dionne Williamson Meaghan Zimmer
Convention Services Manager Chief Financial Officer Tourism Sales Director Administrative Assistant Director of Administration Director of Creative Services Sports Services Manager National Sales Director National Sales Manager
2019 BUFFALO NIAGARA CONVENTION CENTER STAFF Richard Arnold Sous Chef Melissa Bean Convention & Event Service Manager Tom Beiter Controller Melissa Burke Senior Director of Sales and Marketing Lorna Cullen Executive Assistant Andre Callus Food & Beverage Manager Susan Kimmins Sales & Catering Manager Nicole Lysek Loading Dock Attendant MaryAnn Martin Accounting & Benefits Manager Paul Murphy General Manager
Terry O’Brien Heather Petrino Keith Pitman Kenneth Sandford Raymond Thom Amy Trautman Lisa Vega Cory Watson Michael Will Danielle Winiarski
Director of Operations Sales & Service Coordinator Electrician Chief Engineer Executive Chef Convention Sales Manager Lobby Receptionist Banquet Manager Assistant Operations Manager Convention & Event Service Manager
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT BUFFALO CHECK OUT SOME OF BUFFALO’S ACCOLADES AND OUT-OF-TOWN MEDIA COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2019:
Best in Travel 2020: Top 10 Value LONELY PLANET
“After so much time flying under the radar, the city is undergoing a slow, steady, and altogether remarkable transformation.” FOOD & WINE
“This under-appreciated, marvelous city is filled with unexpected surprises for the whole family—add to that its affordability and Buffalo can’t be beat for a family adventure.” FORBES.COM
“A road trip to a revitalized Queen City yields warm hospitality, rich heritage, vibrant art and landmark architecture.” IN MAGAZINE
“Refurbishing old buildings for some newfangled purpose, called adaptive reuse, is a trendy term these days. But few places are pulling it off as seamlessly—and charmingly—as Buffalo.” Men’s Journal
“Canadians who think Buffalo is only good for cross-border shopping and watching sports have got it all wrong. I’ve been going since the early 2000s for completely different reasons. Architecture is a big one. Micro museums. Memorable meals. Waterfront innovations. Quirky Americana. Grain silos. Let me count the ways that I love our American neighbor.” O.CANADA.COM
403 Main Street
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Suite 630
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Buffalo, New York 14203
VisitBuffaloNiagara.com
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716.852.0511