2017 Annual Report Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau FROM THE BOARD CHAIR MISSION WHAT WE DO It has been another highly successful tourism year here in the Iowa City area. Our community experienced unprecedented growth in both visitor expenditures and employment. We ended the year in these areas second The Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Our objective is to increase visitor volume and spending to only Des Moines and now rank 3rd in the state in total visitor expenditures. Just short of $400 million dollars Bureau is the official area destination management by bringing conferences, meetings, leisure travel and was spent by visitors to our community last year which adds substantially to the quality of life we all enjoy. organization for Johnson County. Our mission is to special events to our community and to enhance our advance the economic vitality and quality of life for quality of life. We achieve this by While our special events and sales teams continued to generate headlines with the return of the UCI Cyclocross residents and visitors as Iowa’s premier destination. World Cup, the booking of the UWW World Cup, and the development of a first ever corridor marathon, there a) Attracting conventions and events were many other organization milestones of note. b) Incubating and supporting area festivals and special events This past year we began the very grassroots rollout of our new regional and national Think Iowa City brand c) Assisting and leading growth of quality of life strategy with the launch of thinkiowacity.com. While we are still working through our best use practices, the infrastructure Dale Arens, Board Chair brand has been received very well throughout CVB and our partner agency campaigns. As part of this new STAFF brand rollout we expanded our operation to include a downtown Iowa City location. Opening this past July, we were delighted to join our good friends at ICAD and the University of Iowa at MERGE. Our Director of First Impressions can be Donna Jondle, Visitor Services Assistant found here each weekday ready to assist both visitors and our fellow residents. Nick Kaeding, Vice President of Finance & Operations Clarissa Kane, Director of Creative Services I would encourage you to take the time to review this report and then connect with me, Josh, or his team to learn more about the ways Lyndsey Kent, Director of Sales the CVB can better assist your business, organization or efforts. Addison Mittelstaedt, Digital Media Coordinator Thank you for your commitment to bettering our community through your continued support of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Monica Nieves, Director of Special Events Convention & Visitors Bureau. It is been my pleasure to follow Ritu and serve as the FY18 Chair to this very important economic and Nick Pfeiffer, Director of Marketing & Communications community development organization. Michael Rooney, Manager of Sports Development Michele Rutt, Director of Partner & Sponsor Development Josh Schamberger, President Kate Wilson, Director of First Impressions BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dale Arens, Chair Dave Davis Mike Carberry, Ex-Officio 2017 ACCOLADES University of Iowa Athletics Radisson & Hampton Inn Johnson County Board of Supervisors • North Liberty #75 of Best Places to Live 2017, Money Magazine Chris Hoffman, Vice Chair Deb Dunkhase Josh Schamberger, Ex-Officio • Iowa City one of the Midwest’s Best Budget Destinations, BudgetTravel.com North Liberty City Council The Iowa Children’s Museum Iowa City/Coralville Area CVB • North Liberty named a Playful City for the sixth time, Playful City USA • Iowa City named #2 for the “Top 100 Best Places to Live 2017” with population 20,000 and 350,000, Livability Matt Traetow, Treasurer Brian Flynn Steve Smyka Homewood Suites & Comfort Suites 30hop, Joe’s Place, Tin Roost Graduate Iowa City & hotelVetro • Iowa City ranked #4 of Best Places to Retire in the U.S., NBC’s Today Show • Iowa City ranked #4 of 21 “Coolest cities in America,” Expedia Viewfinder Mark Ruggeberg, Secretary Tom Gill Laura Soride • Iowa City ranked #1 for Best Small Metro to live after College Graduation, America Institute for Economic Research Brown Street Inn Coralville City Council Re/Max: The Laura Soride Team • Iowa City ranked #4 for Mid-Size City for Most Volunteers, Corporation for National and Community Service Ritu Jain, Past Chair Peter Matthes Jim Throgmorton Textiles, Inc. University of Iowa City of Iowa City Mayor Layout and editing by Clarissa Kane Editing by Nick Pfeiffer 2 2017 Annual Report Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau 3 TRAVEL IMPACT FY17 VISITOR INQUIRIES Travel Employment Increase Travel Expenditure Increase Top 4 Interests (Top 5 Counties, 2015-2016) (Top 5 Counties, 2015-2016) Attractions 2.8% increase 3.8% increase 3.5 4 Restaurants $399.6 mil (2016) 3,800 (2016) Welcome Center Services 26% 3 3.5 Festivals/Events 46% 2.5 3 <1% 2 2.5 Top 4 States for Inquiries - <1% 41 States Represented 1.5 2 28% 1 2.5 Iowa Percentage Increase (%) Increase Percentage Illinois Percentage Increase (%) Increase Percentage Polk Linn Scott Johnson Blackhawk Wisconsin Polk Linn Scott Johnson Blackhawk Minnesota County County Source: U.S. Travel Association Source: U.S. Travel Association Comparison of Travel Expenditures (15-16) Comparison of Travel Employment (15-16) 2017 VISITOR GUIDE State of Iowa $8.2 billion State of Iowa 69,500 Polk County $1.9 billion Polk County 17,200 46,350 11,000 4,500 Johnson County $399.6 million Johnson County 3,800 total copies copies provided shipped to info & produced to the university welcome centers INDUSTRY TRENDS Travel expenditures include those made in Jobs include executive, managerial and service-oriented 58% of consumers prioritized spending on experiences accommodations, auto and public transportation (the positions, both full-time and seasonal/part-time positions. 3,096 33,760 7.8 min rather than possessions while traveling in 2017. highest spending category at 36.4%), travel arrangement, Statewide, the foodservice sector provided more jobs than delivered to total digital avg time spent per entertainment and recreation, food and retail industries. any other industry sector (37.4%). partner hotels pageviews digital issue visit The majority of domestic travelers consider trips three or more hours from their home for a long weekend and most plan to make it a road trip. Local Visitor Tax Revenue (Johnson County) Consumers typically plan quick getaways $4,128,615 WEBSITE LAUNCH two months in advance. 4.0 Within the fi rst 30 days, thinkiowacity.com had 15,098 In the last fi ve years, people 50+ years old have 3.7 $6.5 mil $24.3 mil $64.4 mil page views with an average session duration of 3:29. increased their travel spending by 23%. 3.4 Johnson Co Iowa tax Johnson Co Total page views in the fi rst four months were equal to tax receipts *Source: Meredith Travel Marketing 3.1 receipts payroll more than 73% of the total views of our former site in a year. Greater usability, larger photos and more 2.8 Source: 2016 Domestic Travel Impact, fl exibility have contributed to this increased traffi c. 2.5 U.S. Travel Association Dollars (in millions) 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 Fiscal Year 4 2017 Annual Report Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau 5 OCCUPANCY REPORTS SPORTS SALES DEVELOPMENT FY17 Local and State Hotel ADR Occupancy: Rooms sold divided by rooms available multiplied by At the beginning of January, we created a new position 100. Occupancy is always expressed as a percentage of rooms occupied. of Manager of Sports Development to meet the growing opportunities for sporting events and tournaments. Michael Average Daily Rate (ADR): Room revenue divided by rooms sold, Rooney, previously Special Events Assistant for the CVB, was displayed as the average rental rate for a single room. selected to lead the bureau’s sports sales eff orts. In this role, Michael’s focus will be bringing new sporting events to the area Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR): Room revenue divided by and helping existing events in the area grow and develop. rooms available. Michael hit the ground running in 2017 by taking on leadership FY17 Local and State Hotel Occupancy roles with the Johnson County Cycling Committee and Iowa FY17 Local and State Hotel RevPAR Arena project. The CVB had the opportunity to apply for the Regional Sports Authority District (RSAD) state grant for the 2017-18 fi scal year beginning July 1. This grant funds districts that actively promote nonprofessional sporting events in Iowa. With this grant, the Iowa Economic Development Authority certifi es up to 10 districts each year to receive $50,000. Events listed within the RSAD application: Armbruster Open *The state of Iowa represents top 10 county hotel markets (includes Johnson) In July 2017, the our communities were awarded the grant Creekside Cross money of $50,000 to be distributed amongst Johnson County granGABLE nonprofessional events. This grant money has strengthened 13 Hawkeye Open – UI Club Table Tennis area sporting events while providing important seed money to create three new events for the area. Essentially, eligible existing ICGravel STAFF LOCAL INVOLVEMENT expenses have been cut in half for events listed within the grant. Iowa Best Dam Triathlon Our staff is committed to our communities within and beyond our CVB business relationships. This is how we stay connected to maintain and Iowa State Road Race Championship enhance the quality of life in the area. Below is a list of the organizations CVB staff is personally involved in: This incredible opportunity has helped create new marketing Iowa State Road Time Trial Championships opportunities, increased room nights, and helped grow events Iowa State Gravel Time Trial Championships 100+ Men and Women Who Care International Welcoming Committee Promote Iowa City Area, Inc.