ANNUAL REPORT fy
2020
VLN BOARD OF DIRECTORS NORTH CAROLINA
tourism facts • In 2019, domestic visitors spent a record $26.75 billion statewide, an increase of 5.6% from 2018. • Visitor expenditures directly supported 235,703 jobs across NC. • NC continues to be the 6th most visited state in the nation with 48 million person-trips in 2019. Source: NC Dept. of Commerce
Randy Marion
Randy Marion Auto Group Chairman
Joe Kindred
Kindred/Hello, Sailor Restaurants
Thurman Ross
Cornelius Commissioner
Woody Washam United Bank Vice-Chairman
Joe Harwood
The JHS Group, Inc. Community Affairs
Barbara McCall Ladd, McCall & Associates, CPAs Treasurer
Cathy Bentz
Robbins & Bentz, PLLC Assistant Treasurer
Jeanna Hoffman Daly Seven, Inc.
Joe Douglas
Captiva Restaurant Group, LLC
Andrew Durstewitz
D9 Brewing Company
Jim Fuller
Davidson Commissioner
Boris Bunich
Beacon Investment Management Group (IMG)
Cissi Lyles
Davidson College
Diana Merrifield At-Large
Nick Walsh
Huntersville Commissioner
Vinay Patel SREE Hotels
Michael Jaycocks Huntersville Parks & Recreation EX-OFFICIOS:
Ryan McDaniels LNREDC
Bill Russell
LN Chamber of Commerce
RETURN ON
inve ment
ACCOMMODATIONS FUNDING
$863,931.90
In FY 2020
VLN affiliated events brought in
vs.
ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT
$16,131,844.17
90,855 attendees
who spent
$16,131,844
That means...VLN returned
to the community per every dollar funded
Carolina Cones
RECRUITING
the fans...
THE LAKESIDE OF CHARLOTTE
CHARLOTTE CYCLEBOATS
Website FY Comparison:
Your Adventure Awaits at the Lake
CORNELIUS 6 DAVIDSON 6 HUNTERSVILLE
CAROLINA RAPTOR CENTER
VISITLAKENORMAN.ORG
Fiscal Year
User Sessions
Page Views
2019
405,066
847,782
2020
424,177
868,249
4.7%
2.4%
LAKE NORMAN’S UPCOMING FALL EVENTS
DOWNTOWN DAVIDSON
@VisitLakeNorman
amazing maize maze
laketoberfest
sheepdog trials
americarna live
sept 7-nov 3
Oct 12
nov 9-10
nov 30
% Change
RAMSEY CREEK PARK
get your tickets now at carolina.renfestinfo.com
VisitLakeNorman.org (704) 987-3300
www.visitlakenorman.org
@visitlakenorman
Digital advertising efforts reached over 26,849,504: • VisitNC.com • CharlottesGotALot.com • Carolina Renaissance Festival
• Google Paid Search • OurState.com • Plus More Media Sites (regional)
Print advertising included NC Travel Guide, Charlotte Visitors Guide, Parents Magazine, Garden & Gun Magazine, Our State Magazine, Outside Magazine, Carolina Panthers Yearbook and several other printed publications reaching 4,050,408.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): VLN website rankings from the 5 major engines based on search term “Lake Norman”. (Non-sponsored, non-advertised results - content driven ranking)
VisitLakeNorman.org Rank
Bing/MSN
Yahoo
Ask
AOL
#1
#1
#1
#2
#1
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook 14,812 Likes
Instagram 5,156 Followers
Twitter 4,545 Followers
Pinterest 905 Followers
YouTube 46,395 Views
Trip Advisor 4.5/5 rating
AUDIENCE
demographics
[
GENDER
age distribution
]
7.06%
18-24
23.2%
25-34
19.35%
35-44
19.89%
45-54
18.08%
55-64
41.6%
male
58.4%
female
12.42%
65+ 0
5
10
15
20
25
audience WITH
THE RIGHT
Visitor proďŹ ling assists in providing the appropriate services for guests & in determining potential markets to target. VLN uses demographic analyses to create an accurate picture of our audience.
Currently, families make up the largest part of our visitor base, followed by groups.
Average Visitor Walk-Ins Per Day March - October: 9 people | November - February: 6 people
WEB AUDIENCE | Top 10
VISITOR CENTER | Top 10
METRO AREAS | Top 10
1
North Carolina
1
North Carolina
1
Charlotte, NC
2
Georgia
2
Ohio
2
Raleigh-Durham, Fayetteville, NC
3
South Carolina
3
Pennsylvania
3
Atlanta, GA
4
Virginia
4
New York
4
Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, NC
5
Florida
5
Florida
5
New York, NY
6
Illinois
6
New Jersey
6
Chicago, IL
7
New York
7
Virginia
7
Washington, DC/Hagerstown, MD
8
Ohio
8
Michigan
8
Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, SC/Asheville, NC
9
Pennsylvania
9
Illinois
9
Nashville, TN
10
Tennessee
10
Maryland
10
Philadelphia, PA
VLN aff
AMBASSADORS & INTERNS
Sally Ashworth, CDME Executive Director ashworth@lakenorman.org
During FY2020, 22 ambassadors and 10 interns worked a total of 3,692 volunteer hours. The independent sector’s estimated value for volunteer time is $25.43 per hour for 2019. The total volunteer time value equates to $93,888. The VLN Ambassadors & Interns contribute a tremendous amount of time, energy, skill sets, & support services - all of which are paramount to VLN’s success. These ultimate team players help operate our Visitor Center, man event booths, respond to inquiries, provide assistance with VLN initiatives & act as personal tour guides.
Cyndi Bartley Operations & Marketing Director bartley@lakenorman.org Travis Dancy, CDME, CSEE Director of Sales tdancy@lakenorman.org Rodrigo Carreon Visitor Services & Marketing Coordinator rcarreon@lakenorman.org
AWARDS Gold Award Best Community Relations | Ambassador & Internship Program
Platinum Awards Best Meetings & Convention Marketing | Meetings Venue Guide
TESTIMONIALS
T
“The staff at Visit Lake Norman is always exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable about the exciting happenings here in our town!” - Case Warnemunde
“What a fabulous welcome! Being so very recent in our arrival we learned so much about our “new home.” The resources, the people, and the beautiful area are a great asset to the community.” - Joyce Benes
“I am glad that we stopped at the Lake Norman visitor center. The staff was extremely helpful and informative and gave us all of the information that we needed.” - Ken Fasone “I always shop here for friends and family who are moving away from the area. The staff are always friendly and very helpful.” - Shannon VanCleve
“I’m so grateful for the service Visit Lake Norman provides. We have been able to pull together so many resources for my upcoming wedding, and the team takes genuine delight in helping us any way they can. I appreciate their courtesy and professionalism. What a way to welcome others to Lake Norman!” - Amanda Isaacs
“Love this page! I’m Italian, spent a couple weekends there a few years ago... definitely in love! No such enchanting place... have many beautiful pics I look at often... hope to go back soon!” - Jessica Kruger
“I love this page. Lived here 15 years and it’s my go to when I want to know what is really going on in town. So many great events that you can miss if you don’t check!” - Robin Broker
MISSION STATEMENT Visit Lake Norman is a non-profit organization dedicated to positively impacting our local and regional economies through tourism. We are committed to generating economic benefits for our towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville by bringing national and regional events to the area and by marketing our destination to the broadest base of potential visitors possible.
ORGANIZATION VISION Visit Lake Norman is the destination marketing leader of the Lake Norman region, representing all communities through the promotion and development of our resources for the maximum economic benefit to our towns, businesses, and residents.
19900 West Catawba Avenue Suite 102, Cornelius, NC 28031 VisitLakeNorman.org
@VisitLakeNorman