Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
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WISCONSIN DELLS VISITOR & CONVENTION BUREAU ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1 June 2018 HELLO BUREAU PARTNERS: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” E. E. Cummings It’s a good quote to open an annual report, because it speaks to having a big vision even when it may seem unconventional to others. It’s about knowing your strengths and doing something that’s never been done before. That’s Wisconsin Dells, isn’t it? From the time of pioneering landscape photographer H.H. Bennett to modern day waterpark visionaries to everyone in between, we have stayed true to who we are. And that “who” is a destination of remarkable natural beauty and family fun, helmed by entrepreneurs who balance innovative thinking with old-fashioned hospitality. What we’ve created here is unique to the world. As we celebrate another year of growth – traveler spending was up 2.6% to $1.16 billion in 2017 - it’s a good time to remind ourselves to continue to be who we really are. After all, that is what connects us, year after year and generation after generation, to visitors from around the globe! Sincerely, Jill C. Diehl President Romy A. Snyder Executive Director 2 MISSION STATEMENT CONTENTS The WDVCB is the official destination marketing organization for the Wisconsin Dells area whose mission 2 Letter from President & is to grow the economic impact of tourism through Executive Director marketing, public relations and development efforts that benefit our visitors and members. 3 Vision & Mission Statements Economic Impact VISION STATEMENT 4 Our vision is to secure the Wisconsin Dells area as a Financials national year-round tourism destination by providing 6 visitors with a unique and diverse recreational experience Performance Report unsurpassed in quality, which offers the WDVCB 8 membership and staff a framework for growth and Marketing economic opportunity. 9 Public Relations WDVCB members understand the commitment and 11 dedication it takes to build a successful destination. In Meetings, Conventions, Wisconsin Dells, membership means more than signing a 12 Sports & Groups contract and paying membership dues. WDVCB members write bylaws, set policy and give direction to Bureau staff. Festivals & Events More importantly, they volunteer their time, talent and 13 resources to contribute to the success of Bureau events and programs. As leaders in the tourism industry, they are 14 Board of Directors also active in statewide tourism issues and policies. 15 Committees & Staff NUMBER OF WDVCB MEMBERS BY DIVISION 2016 2017 Accommodation 91 91 Attraction 86 87 Associate 102 106 Campground 21 21 Restaurant 101 104 Shopping 63 67 Visitor Services 29 33 TOTAL 493 509 3 2017 ECONOMIC IMPACT EST. VISITOR SPENDING 2016 2017 % Change Direct Impact* $1,134,560,300 $1,164,081,413 2.6% Total Impact** $1,521,698,428 $1,575,238,453 3.5% * Travelers create direct economic value within a discreet group of sectors (e.g. recreation, lodging - de- tails on page 5.) This supports a relative proportion of jobs, wages, taxes and GDP within each sector. ** Each directly affected sector also purchases goods and services as inputs (e.g. food wholesalers, utilities) into production. These impacts are called indirect impacts. Lastly, the induced impact is generated when employees whose incomes are generated either directly or indirectly by tourism, spend those incomes in the state economy. EST. VISITOR EXPENDITURE COMPARISON BY SEASON $500,000,000 2016 $400,000,000 2017 $300,000,000 $200,000,000 $100,000,000 $0 Winter (Dec - Feb) Spring (Mar - May) Summer (June - Aug) Fall (Sept - Nov) TOTAL JOBS SUPPORTED (FULL-TIME JOB EQUIVALENTS) 2016 2017 % Change Direct Impact 12,436 12,568 1.1% Total Impact 15,898 16,020 0.8% 4 EST. VISITOR EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY Lodging $414,988,037 Food & Beverage $309,193,672 Retail $211,980,508 Recreation $146,071,063 Transportation $81,848,133 TOTAL GOVERNMENT REVENUES GENERATED 2016 2017 % Change State $44.9 million $44.9 million - 0.1% Local $54.3 million $54.3 million 0.0% The data above is from “The Economic Impact of Tourism in Wisconsin Dells – 2017” and was prepared by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company located in Philadelphia, PA, dedicated to providing high value, robust and relevant analyses of the tourism sector that reflects the dynamics of local and global economics. The research model used for this year’s data is an Input-Output (IO) IMPLAN model that profiles an economy by measuring the relationships among industries and consumers. The model calculates three levels of impact – direct, indirect and induced. Direct Impact: Visitor’s expenditures on attractions/recreation, lodging, food & beverage, retail and transportation. Indirect Impact*: The flow of visitor’s expenditures as it is traced to food wholesalers and farmers, utilities, marketing, publishing and so on. Induced Impact*: The benefits to the economy as tourism employees spend their wages in the local economy, generating additional output, jobs, taxes and wages. * The combination of Indirect and Induced Impact creates the Total Impact. 5 2017 BUREAU FINANCIALS TOTAL INCOME: $13,938,449 Room Tax $11,752,141 Membership $1,415,022 Program Income $644,878 Other Income $126,409 ROOM TAX INCOME: $11,752,141 Nov/Dec - Prior Year $1,138,694 1st Quarter (Jan - Mar) $2,078,297 2nd Quarter (Apr - Jun) $2,613,267 3rd Quarter (Jul - Sep) $4,406,124 Oct - Current Year $485,813 Room Tax - Development Fund $1,029,946 MEMBERSHIP INCOME: $1,415,022 Attraction Division $565,300 Accommodation Division $381,009 Restaurant Division $289,323 Associate Division $64,900 Campground Division $36,490 Shopping Division $63,150 Visitor Services Division $14,850 6 TOTAL EXPENSES: $11,914,110 Marketing $9,712,317 Administration $2,049,956 Membership* $118,054 Development $33,783 *Annual meeting, seminars, member directory, etc. MARKETING EXPENSES: $9,712,317 Summer Leisure Winter/Spring $5,972,092 Leisure $891,328 Convention Sales Fall Leisure $434,625 $302,218 Public Relations Sports $90,120 $161,394 Year-Round Winter Holiday $1,638,270 $222,269 7 2017 PERFORMANCE REPORT wisdells.com 2016 2017 Total Site Visits 3,110,724 3,090,606 Unique Visits 2,328,311 2,363,218 Facebook 2016 2017 Users Reached New metric 22,450,665 Engagements categories were 178,203 Link Clicks established 143,302 Current Total Fans in 2017. 335,876 Eguide E-Newsletter (Monthly) 2016 2017 Subscribers 42,822 32,903 Deals E-Newsletter (Weekly) 2016 2017 Subscribers 18,232 19,132 Visitor Inquiries/Contacts 2016 2017 Calls 9,204 9,098 Emails ([email protected]) 3,338 1,816 Chat Sessions 999 874 Walk-ins Downtown 36,313 37,247 Walk-ins Lake Delton 7,498 4,932 Vacation Guide Distribution 2016 2017 1-24 Guides/order 179,642 40,891 25+ Guides/order (included above) 49,154 Racks (In-area) 76,625 80,350 Racks (Out-of-area) 41,000 37,500 Direct Mail 0 50,000 Total 297,267 257,895 8 2017 MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS When we market Wisconsin Dells, we do so with measurable science, deep strategy, leading edge technology, behavioral insights, and, of course, engaging creative. Think of it this way: Our marketing plan is where science and art intersect…so fitting, given the Dells is where manmade fun and natural beauty intersect too. Here are a few marketing highlights from 2017: • Research: To better understand the impact of our marketing dollars on the market of St. Louis, which is in its third year as an emerging market for us, and Omaha, we conducted an Ad Awareness and Effectiveness study and directly compared against the 2016 study. The research shows $14.9 in influenced visitor spending in those two markets – up from $7.3 in 2016, that is over 100% increase. Not only did influenced visitor spending increase significantly, but so did our return on investment - $27.60 from $15.12 in 2016. • Our Tubie television campaign is in the second year as the loveable physical embodiment of the Wisconsin Dells brand. The campaign includes seven TV spots including both winter and summer scenarios. Television impact ratings continue to remain high, Tubie, messaging resonates with the consumer and the destination attributes are clearly defined and well represented. • In addition to traditional television, we continue to increase our streaming TV campaigns to ensure we are reaching our target demographic as viewing habits continue to change. • Tubie statues were installed at Noah’s Ark & Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park last summer (first statue installed in Wild Water Dome) and visitors love to share their photos with Tubie. • Wisconsin Dells brand is definitely social on social media. Over 336k fans and 1.3 million video views alone on FB. Engagements with those fans were up 105% in 2017. Swiping over to Instagram, those increases continue with 25% increase in followers and a 528% increase in engagement. Of course, Tubie is a social media darling and helps us to showcase all the fun to be had in Wisconsin Dells. • Tubie was at the ballpark! Last year we took over Miller Park for a Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs game. 50 Tubie-wearing ambassadors distributed sunglasses and Vacation Guides to those tailgating in the parking lot before the game. We also had booths and messaging inside the stadium throughout the game. • In May 2017, we launched a new comprehensive technology called Arrivalist. This technology measures the influence of online media (owned & paid) on arrivals to Wisconsin Dells. In short, it helps us identify which markets our visitors are coming from – how many days between when a visitor is exposed to our online advertising/website and their arrival – and, which of our messages/content is the most effective in influencing visitation.