LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIRMAN As the official tourism promotion agency for Visitors from every state and Washington, D.C., Allegheny County, VisitPITTSBURGH works closely stopped by our Welcome Centers – 23 percent with hotels, restaurants, attractions, sports teams, were international visitors, coming from as far venues and meeting suppliers – and we salute all away as China, Australia and New Zealand. of the partners for the tremendous work they do to Now, with a new Welcome Center in a much- support the tourism and meetings industry. improved Pittsburgh International Airport location, visitors arriving by plane receive friendly and It is also key that the area’s stakeholder base is knowledgeable assistance literally right out strong and cohesive. Corporations, foundations, of the gate. small businesses, economic development agencies and government officials have made a monumental Pittsburgh is being recognized for the mighty, investment to improve Pittsburgh’s quality of life. beautiful destination that it is. We can now proudly They, too, have a vested interest in our industry as claim that tourism is a driving economic force in a significant economic driver. our city. Certainly the contributions of many of these As a full-service, award-winning sales and organizations make Pittsburgh a mighty, beautiful marketing organization, VisitPITTSBURGH place. Our collective self-esteem and the prestige continues to help build this region by attracting of the region get a tremendous boost when we host visitors, meetings and conventions to spur high-profile events. We’ve had many moments in economic growth. And this is something that I the international and national spotlight – thanks am proud of – both personally and professionally. to events like the USA Gymnastics P&G National I offer my deepest congratulations to the Championships and the Travel Media Association VisitPITTSBURGH team and their supporting of Canada, both held in Pittsburgh in 2014. We partners and stakeholders for an amazing and use these opportunities to build synergy with our exceptional year. regional partners and stakeholders that continue to pay dividends. Jaime Campolongo 1 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO What a remarkable year 2014 was for Pittsburgh But it’s not a dream that Pittsburgh is garnering and VisitPITTSBURGH! People from around the these eye-opening accolades. In and of themselves, world are recognizing the wonderful assets we they make for wonderful bragging rights. Together, have here, starting with our unique neighborhoods, they work brilliantly to promote Pittsburgh as an championship sports teams, unparalleled ideal destination for meetings, conventions and attractions and exhibitions, new trendsetting hotels leisure travel. and highly acclaimed restaurants. And people are coming! In 2014, the hotel tax Now Pittsburgh is known as being “hip.” Business collection amount in Allegheny County was Insider placed Lawrenceville among the “26 Most more than $31.6 million. This represents a nearly Hipster Neighborhoods in the World,” alongside 5 percent increase over 2013 and a whopping neighborhoods in Toronto, Brooklyn and Rio 77 percent increase since 2005. de Janeiro. A Huffington Post writer declares Large groups and events like the American Pittsburgh “the coolest city in America.” And, Trucking Associations National Truck Driving perhaps best of all, The Travel Channel named Championships, Anthrocon’s Annual Convention, Pittsburgh as one of the best all-American Quilts, Inc.’s International Quilt Market and other vacations for 2014, recognizing Pittsburgh again as large bookings contributed significantly to the “one of the hippest cities in America.” region’s economy. The accolades just keep coming: Conde´ Nast It’s clear that Pittsburgh’s time has indeed come. Traveler ranks Pittsburgh third in its “Top 15 And now it’s time for everyone who is working so Places to Go in 2015.” Esquire magazine notes that hard to make this such a great place in which to “Pittsburgh is definitely a must-visit.” Pittsburgh live, work and visit, to celebrate the city for what it makes USA Today’s list of “America’s most stunning is today: Mighty. Beautiful. Recognized. views.” The American Planning Association designates the newly revitalized Point State Park as one of the “10 Great Public Spaces” for 2014. TripAdvisor names PNC Park “the top ballpark in the country.” And, The Atlantic ranks Pittsburgh near the top of the list of the “10 best places to Craig T. Davis pursue the American dream.” 2 Effectively selling Pittsburgh as a perfect meeting, convention and sporting events destination RESULTS LODGING RANKINGS • Booked 533 meetings and conventions worth • Booked 50,744 value season (slower season) • Pittsburgh market experienced second-highest an estimated direct spending of $218.2 million room nights for 2014 and the future average daily rate – $116 vs. $99 average – • Sold 271,022 room nights for 2014 • Exhibited in 14 trade shows among competitive set and future years • Continued the “Bring It Home” Campaign, • Pittsburgh market ranked second in overall • Contributed 228,660 rooms to the overall designed to encourage local members Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) among room night consumption for Allegheny County of associations to bring their national meetings competitive set – $79 vs. $65 average in 2014 to Pittsburgh – assisted in booking • Pittsburgh market had third-highest hotel 293 meetings • Hosted 487 meetings and conventions, occupancy rate – 68 percent vs. 65 percent attracting 254,431 convention attendees • Initiated SportsPITTSBURGH sub-brand in average – among competitive set marketing and sales efforts Source: Smith Travel Research and VisitPITTSBURGH • Hosted 37 events in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, accounting for • Hosted 240 customers through individual site 190 usage days visits and three group familiarization tours 3 CONVENTION SALES CONTINUED SPORTS MARKETING “Pittsburgh is a lovely city to visit! • Hosted Connect Sports Advisory Committee for a three-day familiarization tour which included an international soccer Numerous attractions for all ages match and discussion on best practices in the sports travel industry and interests for a vacation • Facilitated nine-month project to develop a strategic plan for hosting major sports events in the Pittsburgh area or business trip.” • Partnered with CONSOL Energy Center to book the Atlantic 10 – Paula Smith, Event Planner Conference Men’s Basketball Championships in 2017 Lionel Operating Train Society NOTABLE GROUPS BOOKED IN 2014* GROUP EVENT NAME ATTENDANCE ROOM NIGHTS 2016 Congress of Cities National League of Cities 5,000 16,791 and Exposition National Society of Black Engineers 2018 Annual National Convention 9,525 10,750 Emergency Nurses Association 2018 Annual Conference 5,550 9,885 Geological Society of America 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo 6,500 7,973 Anthrocon 2017 Annual Convention 5,800 6,365 American Trucking Associations 2019 National Truck 2,500 5,540 Driving Championships Catholic Charismatic Renewal 2017 Catholic Charismatic 10,000 5,400 Renewal Conference 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s National Collegiate Basketball Championship – 18,000+ 3,808** Athletic Association 1st/2nd Rounds *By room nights **Not including fan room block 4 THREE-CITY PARTNERSHIP Since 2004, Pittsburgh, Portland and Milwaukee have enjoyed a close partnership, in which the three cities refer convention business to each other, cross-promote our cities, and exhibit together at industry trade shows and events. By offering East/Central/West locations, this alliance provides meeting planners with ideal destinations in almost any geographic rotation. This partnership is unparalleled in the CVB industry in terms of length of cooperation, and numbers of conventions booked. • Total numbers of conventions booked: 86 • Total room nights booked: 270,814 TRADE SHOW & CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION Amateur Athletic Union National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners Fall Meeting American Bus Association National Sports Forum American Society for Association Executives Annual Meeting NCAA Convention Association Forum Chicagoland Nursing Organization Alliance Holiday Showcase Olympic SportsLink Collaborate Marketplace Pennsylvania Society of Association Conference Direct Annual Meeting Executives, Educational Summit & Expo Connect Pennsylvania Building Trades Council Council on Engineering and Scientific Professional Conference Management Studies Executives (CESSE) Mid-Winter Meeting Association Annual Meeting Destination Marketing Association Rejuvenate Show International Destinations Showcase Religious Conference Green Meetings Industry Council Management Association Annual Conference Springtime in the Park Hospitality Performance Network’s Global Annual Partners Conference TEAMS Conference & Expo IMEX National Association of Sports Commissions 5 “The natural light in the convention center is great for our quilt trade show. The light really helps show off the fibers and textures. The convention center was located in a nice spot with surrounding hotels… Everyone at the convention center was easy and great to work with as we prepared for our trade show.” – Ruth Polanco, Show Director, Quilts Inc. 6 Committed to excellent service to ensure successful events and repeat business HIGHLIGHTS • Actively serviced 13 city-wide conventions and 144 smaller meetings and events • Exceeded client expectations, demonstrated by a 95 percent service score on evaluations • Managed hotel reservations for four city-wide conventions