VISIT CHEYENNE OVERVIEW Visit Cheyenne Audited Financials – Fiscal Year 2012 (July 2011 - June 2012) Visit Cheyenne is the official tourism Mission promotion organization for Laramie REVENUES County. It is governed by the Laramie Visit Cheyenne provides leadership in Lodging Tax $1,357,7753 developing, promoting, and protecting County Tourism Joint Powers Board Other Revenues* $1,567 which includes members appointed the Cheyenne area’s travel industry. TOTAL $1,359,320320 by Laramie County (3), Cheyenne (3), Visit Cheyenne strives to attract visitors to the FULLFULLLL TITTIMEI Pine Bluffs (1), Burns (1), and Albin (1). Cheyenne area by capitalizing on Cheyenne’s STAFF legendary history and image, thereby EXPENDITURES The Laramie County lodging tax increasing visitor spending in the county. is the primary funding source for Leisure Marketing $551,991 Visit Cheyenne . The tax is paid by Convention $207,403 President & CEO visitors who stay in Laramie County 2012 Visit Cheyenne Expenditures Sales/Services* lodging establishments, not Laramie Group Tours $74,022 Darren Rudloff County residents. Laramie County Administration Public Relations $73,432 (20%) Director of Operations voters first approved the tax in 1987 Leisure Visitor Services $194,057 and have renewed it every time since. Marketing Jill Pope (40%) Administration $274,811 Visit Cheyenne TOTAL $1,375,716 Director of Convention Sales promotes and Visitor develops the Cheyenne area through Services *Does not include registration fees Visit Cheyenne Shantelle Dedicke paid advertising, visitor guides (14%) collects and disperses for local conventions. and websites, social media, public Convention Services relations, convention and bus tour Public CHEYENNE STREET RAILWAY TROLLEY Lisa Maney Relations solicitation, trolley tours, and the Revenues $79,191 (5%) Group Customer Service operation of two visitor centers. Tours Convention Sales/Services Expenditures $73,731 (5%) (15%) Lisa Kindel Auditor: Auer Woodley & Ostlund CPA’s LLC Laura Levi RESEARCH DATA DID YOU KNOW?

Cheyenne’s Lodging Customer Mix If the travel industry were a single business, it would rank as the Convention/ Meetings/Groups Other county’s 3rd largest employer behind (5%) 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 (19%) F.E. Warren Air Force Base and the State of Wyoming. Occupancy Rate 62.2% 65.3% 63.8% 55.3% 59.3% Leisure Average Room Rate $77.75 $75.64 $71.95 $71.65 $74.21 Visitors (20%) Visitors pay Laramie County and Wyoming taxes that support local Source: Smith Travel Research schools, roads and other services. For instance, visitors pay 9.3% of the sales tax collected in Corporate/Individual Business Travelers (56%) Laramie County. Cheyenne Lodging Occupancy Rates, 2012 Laramie County Lodging Tax Collections Source: Visit Cheyenne, 2011 Lodging Survey

100% Trip Purpose for LEISURE Visitors In 2012 Cheyenne Frontier Days™ 82 82 FY 2012 received the Professional Rodeo 78 $1,357,753 to Laramie County 75% 69 70 Cowboys Association “Large Shopping/Dining/ 61 60 Group Tour (4%) Outdoor Rodeo of the Year” award 57 FY 2011 $1,402,518 53 Entertainment 48 (6%) for the 9th straight year. 50% 48 39 FY 2010 $1,122,706

25% Visiting Laramie County has the 2nd highest FY 2009 $1,074,076 Friends/ Relatives level of traveler spending among (22%) all Wyoming counties, behind only 0% JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 0 500,0001,000,0001,500,000 DOLLARS Teton County. Source: Smith Travel Research Vacation (68%) Visitors to Cheyenne Frontier Days spent approximately $25 million in Laramie County during the Travel Spending in Laramie County Laramie County Travel Spending Primary Destination for Visitors 2012 event. by Business Sector, 2011 to Laramie County

Other Mt. Rushmore/ 2011 Eating/Drinking (20%) $333.2 million Accommodations Black Hills Cheyenne’s year-round lodging (12%) (22%) (13%) occupancy rate is 62.2%, which 2010 $299.6 million Grand means approximately 1,500 hotel Tetons (6%) rooms are booked every single night 2009 Retail of the year. $264.3 million Sales Denver (15%) (11%)

2008 $321.1 million Yellowstone Without the tax contribution of (9%) Cheyenne 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Entertainment Transportation (59%) tourists, each Laramie County (10%) (41%) MILLION $ household would pay an additional Includes multiple responses, so total exceeds 100%. $400 in taxes to maintain existing government services. Employment Generated by Tourism State and Local Tax Receipts Where Our LEISURE Visitors in Laramie County Generated by Travel Spending Come From (top states)

Local State TOTAL More than three-quarters (78%) 30% of Frontier Days attendees traveled 2011 3,110 2011 $5.9 $8.6 $14.5 from outside of Laramie County to attend. 20% 2010 3,130 2010 $5.5 $8.3 $13.8 CO 13% NE 2009 2,890 2009 $4.7 $8.3 $13.0 CA The Frontier Days pancake breakfast 10% 8% 7% TX WY record of 16,897 people occurred 5% 5% 5% on the Wednesday of the 1996 2008 2,900 2008 $4.8 $8.7 $13.5 “Daddy of ‘em All”®. 0% 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 036912 15 JOBS MILLION $ International visitors account for approximately 5% of Cheyenne’s total visitation. Sources: Smith Travel Research; Dean Runyan Source: Wyoming Office of Tourism and Dean Runyan Associates Source: Randall Travel Marketing Associates; Cheyenne Frontier Days VISIT CHEYENNE 2012 ACTIVITIES

Leisure Travel Marketing & Public Relations Visit Cheyenne placed paid advertising in numerous publications and websites (often in Visit Cheyenne awarded marketing grants to: Sherman Hill Model Railroad Show, Art partnership with Frontier Days or the Wyoming Office of Tourism) and responded to Design and Dine, Depot Summer Events, Cheyenne International Film Festival, ShootOut 50,029 resulting travel inquiries in 2012 (+46% from 2011). Cheyenne Filmmaking Contest, Hell on Wheels Shootout, Prairies to Peaks Plein Air Event, 17th Street Arts Festival, New Year’s Eve Ball Drop, Frontier Days Hall of Fame Ceremony, Visit Cheyenne produced and distributed its main Visitor Guide, the and to Burns, Albin, Pine Bluffs, Cheyenne, and Laramie County. Cheyenne Museum Passport brochure, and a downtown discount brochure with the Downtown Development Visit Cheyenne managed a strong social media effort, providing updates on Laramie Authority (DDA). County attractions, events, and other news through Facebook (16,266 fans) and Twitter (2,111 followers). Visit Cheyenne’s website hosted 385,769 user Cheyenne Frontier Days™ www.cheyenne.org ~ 800-426-5009 July 19-28, 2013 Old West Museum and Store Visit Cheyenne Historic Cheyenne Depot sessions in 2012 (+23% from 2011) and booked provided Cheyenne Visitor Wyoming State Capitol and State Museum Nelson Museum of the West Big Boy Steam Engine 189 room nights (+5%) worth $28,918 on the Guides and targeted emails to more Terry Bison Ranch Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley Bit-O-Wyo Horse Barn site. Traffic to Visit Cheyenne’s mobile website on than 100,000 visitors planning trips to Dinner Show Plus There’s So Much More! handheld devices increased drastically, up 202%. Yellowstone National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Visit Cheyenne ran a major internet advertising campaign targeting consumers within Visit Cheyenne advertised in various group approximately 500 miles of Laramie County. tour publications and promoted the area at Cheyenne, Wyoming! At the Crossroads of I-80 & I-25 The campaign resulted in 7,290 Visitor Guide 4 group tour trade shows. www.cheyenne.org ~ 800-426-5009 inquiries, 4,241 e-newsletter subscribers, and Visit Cheyenne 8,865 new Facebook fans. hosted 13 travel writers hailing from Los Angeles, New York City (2), Council Bluffs (IA), Boulder (CO), Beaver In addition to its year-round marketing efforts, Creek (OR), California, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, and Norway. Visit Cheyenne ran several summer promotions. Visit Cheyenne responded to media inquiries for photos and information from both ÝÛ TV ads in South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, & Wyoming, using new commercials, national/international media (115 contacts, +31% from 2011) and local media (75 ÝÛ A direct mail promotion to 5,000 previous Cheyenne visitors, and contacts, -6% from 2011).

ÝÛ Regional radio ads highlightling summer events.

Visit Cheyenne ran an integrated marketing campaign to attract winter weekend visitors. The campaign used radio advertising, social media, billboards, targeted emails, and web advertising to promote event-filled winter weekends. Area lodging properties offered special winter rates for the promotion.

Visit Cheyenne added 2 billboards west of Laramie to its outdoor advertising campaign and leveraged this media buy to acquire 4 complimentary billboards in northern Colorado to promote seasonal events.

: Visit Cheyenne earned the top visitor bureau accreditation from Washington : Visit Cheyenne was nominated by the readers of Groups Today magazine (a group tour D.C.-based Destination Marketing Association International. Visit Cheyenne publication) as one of the top 5 Visitor Bureaus in the entire western United States along with met 82 industry standards on governance, finance, management, marketing, Dallas, Boise, Sacramento, and Central Oregon. Dallas eventually won this honor. sales, and more. Only 148 visitor bureaus worldwide have earned this : accreditation, with Visit Cheyenne being the only Wyoming bureau. CEO Darren Rudloff was appointed to the Wyoming Office of Tourism Board of Directors by Governor Matt Mead. : Visit Cheyenne and its public relations firm Tucker & Associates earned : the Adrian Bronze Award from Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association Director of Convention Sales Shantelle Dedicke earned the Certified Meeting Planner

KUDOS International. The honor came for Visit Cheyenne’s recruitment of Salt Lake City designation — the top certification of the meeting’s industry, sponsored by the Conventions Tribune travel editor Tom Wharton who wrote a great Cheyenne article with a Industry Council. public relations value of $252,000. PROUD MEMBER/ Convention Marketing & Services Community & Industry Efforts PARTNER Visit Cheyenne provided 31 bids for new convention Visit Cheyenne continued working in partnership with the business to lodging partners (+29% from 2011). Winning City of Cheyenne and WY Department of Transportation bids included an estimated 3,967 room nights, $846,000 to create a “quiet zone” for the South West Drive train Cheyenne LEADs in visitor spending, and $67,000 in local taxes. crossing located near many of Cheyenne’s hotels. The Greater Cheyenne project is expected to be complete in 2013. Chamber of Commerce Visit Cheyenne continued providing extensive services to the organizers of two major conventions – the WY Visit Cheyenne held a training session on new Americans Greater Cheyenne Governor’s Tourism Conference and WY Business Alliance Governor’s Fall Forum. These with Disabilities Act rules affecting hoteliers and Foundation two conventions were responsible for an estimated 1,480 hotel room nights, $394,000 in developed a “green lodging practices” guide for local Wyoming Travel Industry visitor spending, and $31,000 in local taxes. hoteliers. Coalition Visit Cheyenne Visit Cheyenne addedd provided its National Tour a colorful, branded annual hospitality trolley tours Association registration desk to itsitts to hotel staff so they are better convention services prepared to recommend the American Bus Association arsenal which trolley and area attractions to already included hotel guests. Destination Marketing online registration, Visit Cheyenne Association International onsite registration worked closely Meeting Planners staffing, a mobile with Lights On! and other International meeting website, community partners to convention organize and promote the American Society of materials, and 2nd annual New Year’s Eve Association Executives welcome receptions.. Ball Drop in the Depot Plaza, (WY & CO chapters) which included fireworks and a laser light show. Society of Governmental Meeting Professionals Professional Convention Visit Cheyenne assisted 148 conventions with brochures, coupons, planning, and Visitor Services Managers Association registration help (+1% from 2011). Visit Cheyenne operated Hospitality Services and Visit Cheyenne worked with industry partners to create new evening year-round visitor centers Meetings Associations event options for convention groups and bus tours. The WY State in Pine Bluffs and the Industry Museum held a successful “Night at the Museum” event for a Cheyenne Depot. In partnership with the Visit Cheyenne 2012 medical convention, and the Old West Museum’s new Cheyenne Depot Museum, added “Frontier Nights” event has three tentative bookings for 2013. two electronic kiosks in the Depot lobby to better direct people and provide information about area attractions and events.

VisitV Cheyenne operated 3 Cheyenne Street Railway trolleys, providing summer historic tours, Halloween and Christmas specialty tours, and transportation “The Round Up Your Knowledge Conference was a huge success, bringing fire prevention professionals from across the United States to Wyoming for a for conventions and events like the WWII Veterans Honor Flights. More than one-of-a-kind fire prevention conference. Without the support and services 14,000 total passengers rode the trolleys in 2012. provided by Visit Cheyenne, we would not have been able to hold such a Visit Cheyenne provided a coupon program at no cost to participating hospitality successful event. It was a pleasure working with Visit Cheyenne.” businesses, available via a coupon book and Visit Cheyenne’s websites.

Byron Mathews Visit Cheyenne produced a daily/weekly fax of local events for area hoteliers to CHEYENNE FIRE AND RESCUE provide to their guests.

: Bob Harmon, Cheyenne hotelier Visit Cheyenne research reveals that Cheyenne is a magical western name to and Visit Cheyenne Board member, was WHY THE people throughout the United States and world. Cheyenne conjures up classic named 2012 Person of the Year by the Greater Cheyenne Chamber COWBOY western images of cowboys, Indians, steam engines, and big skies. This brand of Commerce. in Visit has been built by years of movies, TV shows, novels, comic books, and music. As a result, Visit Cheyenne showcases cowboy and train imagery in most of its Cheyenne : Darren Rudloff made a presentation on advertising messages because it is what consumers are expecting to experience Visitor Industry Development at the annual advertising? in a Cheyenne trip. convention of Destination Marketing Association International in Seattle in July. Visit Cheyenne Board Members in 2012 Steve Farkas René Baker University of Wyoming Town of Pine Bluffs VISIT CHEYENNE The Convention & Visitors Bureau Rick Keslar Jim Osterfoss 121 W 15 th St, Suite 202 Wyoming Dept. of Nagle Warren Mansion B&B Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 Transportation and 307-778-3133 Cheyenne Frontier Days Amiee Reese 800-426-5009 Old West Museum WWW.CHEYENNE.ORG Bob Nelson Nelson Museum of the West Scott French Little America Hotel & Resort Bob Harmon Holiday Inn Frank Harris Little America Hotel & Resort Judy Johnstone Mayor of Burns Mike Godown Pine Bluffs Visitors Center Texas Roadhouse I-80 at Pine Bluffs Exit 401 Pine Bluffs, Wyoming 82082 Jim Brown (ex officio) Cheyenne City Council Diane Humphrey (ex officio) 307-245-3695 Laramie County Commissioner 307-245-3746

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