2017 ANNUAL REPORT

WHAT YOU UNEXPECT

From the Director...Once again, the past year at the Convention and Visitors Bureau flew by and 2018 has arrived after a busy and productive year.

2017 was a year of large projects here at the CVB. The team worked diligently to secure new and existing Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) events, which bring thousands of visitors to our destination each year. We also planned and unveiled our new CoMo retail operation, which will allow visitors to take a piece of Columbia home with them. Finally, the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st brought visitors from around the world to experience one of Columbia’s most incredible events in its history.

We welcomed two new team members this year. Ashley Otte, a former CVB intern, joined our team as Services Manager this spring. We also added Zach Franklin, a recent Mizzou graduate, to our roster as Sports Sales Manager this fall. They’ve already accomplished great things and I’m excited to share their continued success with you as they take on new projects.

As we move into 2018, we’re excited to build on our past successes and to continue moving Columbia forward as a destination. It’s important to remember what a vital role tourism plays in our area. When a community invests in tourism, it invests in talent and business in all sectors. This “Halo Effect” demonstrates that tourism promotion doesn’t just create visitation for a destination, it also improves public perception regarding that city as a place to live, attend school or start a business. Maura Gast, a fellow CVB director in Irving, Texas, says it best:

I hope you’ll join us in 2018 and beyond as the CVB continues with the important work of destination sales, marketing and management. When we work together to increase our quality of place, we create public good for the benefit and well-being of everyone in our community.

Sincerely,

Amy Schneider, CTA

“If you build a place where people want to visit, you’ll build a place where people want to live. And, if you build a place where people want to live, you’ll build a place where people have to work. If you build a place where people want to work, you’ll build a place where business wants to be. It all starts with a visit and the visit starts with us.”

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a department of the City of Columbia and serves as the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Boone County.

The CVB is solely funded by the 5% lodging tax collected on hotel and motel rooms in the city of Columbia. This 5% tax is divided in the following way:

• 1% - Operations and Staff

• 1% - Tourism Development Program

• 2% - Destination Marketing, Sales, Services, etc.

• 1% - New Terminal Project at the Columbia Regional Airport (COU)

The CVB promotes Columbia and Boone County as an entire tourism product. This includes dining, outdoor recreation, festivals and events, sports, shopping, arts and culture, history, and anything else that might persuade a visitor to travel to the area.

Once a visitor chooses Columbia, we depend on our tourism industry partners to give them an exceptional experience. This is vital in creating new and repeat visitorship. During their time in our destination, visitors spend money staying in hotels, eating in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, using our airport, fueling at our gas stations and more. The CVB uses the small portion of that spending to continue our destination marketing and sales to bring in more visitors. The rest of the spending goes to support local businesses, jobs and quality of life.

CVB Overview

Your CVB Team

Amy SchneiderDirector

Terra CraneConvention Sales

Manager

Beth MeadTourism Sales

Supervisor

Julie AusmusTourism Administrative

Supervisor

Zach FranklinSports Sales

Manager

Andrea Quiroz JiraIndustry Relations

Specialist

Rachel GrantCommunity Relations

Specialist

Megan McConachieStrategic Communications

Manager

Ashley OtteServices

Manager

Sandi PetersSenior Administrative

Support Assistant

Year-End MeasuresTDP Funds Breakdown

In FY2017, $141,700 was awarded to 25 tourism development applications.

Additionally, the CVB contracted $14,908 with the University of Missouri Office of Research to conductan economic impact study of the Missouri State High School Activities Association State BasketballChampionships, as well as a visitor profile study of the MU Concert Series.

• $75,000 to seven Signature Series events: - $12,500 to True/False Film Fest - $12,500 to Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival - $12,500 to Show-Me STATE GAMES - $10,000 to Art in the Park - $10,000 to MU Concert Series - $10,000 to Citizen Jane Film Festival - $7,500 to the Heritage Festival

• $10,000 to one Festival & Events Fund application: We Always Swing Jazz Series

• $10,000 to one Sports Development Fund application: Columbia Swim Club - SPEEDO Sectional Championships

• $46,700 to 16 Community Sponsorship applications: - Fire in the Sky - 9th Street Summerfest - Unbound Book Festival - MO Symphony’s Hot Summer Nights - Splat Jr. Mud Run - Bike Missouri - Boone Dawdle - Missouri River Relief Wild & Scenic Film Festival - Teen Masters Bowling Tournament - New Year Festival - Family Fun Fests - 33rd Annual Disc Golf Class - SEC Beer Fest - Boone County Horse Stable Tours - MO Press Association Photojournalism Hall of Fame

FY16 FY17

Hotel Tax Revenues**

$2,563,551 $3,107,578

Occupancy 58.50% 60.77%

Average Daily Rate (ADR)

$87.56 $88.42

Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR)

$51.39 $54.08

Tourism Related Spending - Boone County

$412,739,156 $420,784,514

Tourism Related Employment - Boone County

11,871 12,272

FY16 FY17

TDP Applications Received

31 25

TDP Funds Awarded

$160,240 $149,108

Promote Missouri Funds Awarded

$113,679 $61,575**

Visitor Guides Printed

80,000 80,000

Funding and Publications Revenues, Occupancy & Spending

**Note: Award was reduced after Missouri Division of Tourism budget was reduced

**Note: Please note the lodging tax increased from 4% to 5% in January 2017

• $46,700 to 16 Community Sponsorship applications: - Fire in the Sky - 9th Street Summerfest - Unbound Book Festival - MO Symphony’s Hot Summer Nights - Splat Jr. Mud Run - Bike Missouri - Boone Dawdle - Missouri River Relief Wild & Scenic Film Festival - Teen Masters Bowling Tournament - New Year Festival - Family Fun Fests - 33rd Annual Disc Golf Class - SEC Beer Fest - Boone County Horse Stable Tours - MO Press Association Photojournalism Hall of Fame

FY16 FY17

Leads Sent 68 123

Attendees 131,398 207,910

Room Nights 21,456 48,477

Economic Impact $8,292,489 $55,064,213

MeetingsServiced

325 285

FY16 FY17

Columbia Activities

Dining, Shopping, Parks & Trails, Historic Sites, Nightlife

Dining, Shop-ping, Sporting Events, Festivals & Special Events, Nightlife

Overnight Visitors 84% 80%

Stayed in a Hotel 73% 65%

Average Nights Stayed

2.3 2

Overall Satisfaction

4.08/5 4.14/5

Feel Safe inColumbia

4.00/5 4.10/5

Columbia isWelcoming

4.03/5 4.10/5

Average HH Age 30 30

Average HH Income

$67,000 $63,100

FY16 FY17

Visits/Sessions 242,066 425,685

Users 184,295 335,624

Page Views 726,941 971,494

Time on Site 2:06 1:27

Top Pages Events, Home, What to Do, Where to Eat, Request Visitor Guide

Events, Request Visitor Guide, Home, Eclipse Event Page, What to do

FY16 FY17

Awareness 34% 32%

Campaign ROI (includes PR)

$93 $92

Households Reached

2,400,000 2,300,000

Incremental Trips 39,800 46,600

Incremental Spending

$21.3 million $23.2 million

Incremental Room Nights

118,000 100,000

Average Party Spend

$537 $498

FY16 FY17

Certified in the Year

178 134

Active CTAs 327 253

FY16 FY17

Sales Staff Attendee Generation

75,800 96,200

Incremental Travel Revenue

$21,000,000 $27,000,000

Convention Marketing Attendee Generation

21,700 27,500

Convention Marketing ROI

$94 $126

FY16 FY17

Facebook Fans 6,159 7,113

Twitter Followers 7,278 7,803

Instagram Followers

4,473 6,005

Website Stats

Advertising Effectiveness Study

Columbia Tourism Ambassadors

Social Media Stats Convention Sales and Services

Visitor Profile

Meeting Planner Conversion Study

What We’ve Been Up To

CTA Update

The CVB’s Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) program continues to be a very important part of the CVB’s mission to create memorable experiences for the city’s visitors. CTAs help to increase awareness of Columbia’s tourism products and how important it is to the area along with keeping up with the new and exciting changes in the destination. They come from a wide range of backgrounds and business sectors.

During Fiscal Year 2017, six classes were held and 63 new ambassadors were certified. At the end of the year there were 261 active CTAs. Annual renewals begin in October and continue for six months. As of December 2017, the renewal rate was 53%.

There were seven different networking events for our tourism ambassadors throughout the year, including tours of the J.W. ‘Blind’ Boone Home, the MU Art & Archaeology Museum, the Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson Farm & Gardens, and Logboat Brewing Company. Fun and interactive events included a Public Art Walking tour and a Scavenger Hunt in downtown Columbia.

2017 Sales and Sports Update

The CVB sales team had a successful year in 2017, working directly with more than 300 groups booking meetings and events in Columbia. Working extensively with the hotel community and business community, the sales team submitted proposals to the Missouri State High School Activities Association to host the State Music Festival, State Speech and Debate Championships, State Cross Country Championships, State Volleyball, StateFootball and State Wrestling Championships. Columbia was awarded State Music, Wrestling and Cross Country; with Speech and Debate, Football and Volleyball to be decided later in January 2018. For the first time in more than 25 years, the University of Missouri’s Fire and Rescue Training will hold Summer Fire School in Columbia. We look forward to welcoming this group back to Columbia. Additionally, Mizzou Arena will host a new citywide event, “Living Proof Live with Beth Moore,” in July 2018. The Community Development Society, which formed on the University of Missouri campus in 1969, has chosen Columbia to celebrate their 50th Anniversary in 2019. This booking was confirmed in 2017 and is the result of a cooperative process initiated five years ago by University of Missouri Extension and CVB sales team. The Sports market has benefited from the addition of a full-time sports sales manager. In 2017, the CVB submitted bids for a range of sports events, including disc golf, softball, baseball, eSports, biking and running events. The CVB looks forward to more successes in 2018 by working closely with our partners in the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department as well as local sports organizations. The new cross-country course at Gans Creek Recreation Area will provide opportunities to host a variety of events, including high school, collegiate, and amateur youth and adult runs. Harmony Bends, Columbia’s newest disc golf course, is currently ranked as the top disc golf course in the world by DG Course review. The CVB and Columbia Parks and Recreation will continue to work with the Columbia Disc Golf community to place high caliber disc golf events in Columbia.

Solar Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, millions of people across the United States put on their special glasses and looked to the sky for an incredible astronomical event...the total solar eclipse. As a destination fortunate enough to be in the Path of Totality, the Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department and Off Track Events along with many other City of Columbia departments to execute two days of eventscommemorating this occasion.

Sunday events at Cosmo Park included musical acts all afternoon and evening, lending a festival atmosphere to the open green spaces, food trucks and other activities. Monday was the big event, with parking at both Cosmo Park and Gans Creek Recreation Area filling up in time for thousands of spectators to see the clouds clear and the sun completely obscured for over two and a half minutes.

Columbia CVB staff had the opportunity to speak with visitors from across the country and even around the world, including Japan, Italy, Norway and Canada. Along with the two City viewing events, other City parks were full of observers, and private viewing events were held at businesses and homes all over Columbia. Conservatively, Columbia hosted 32,419 visitors, resulting in spending over $17.4 million. Thisonce-in-a-lifetime event will have an impact on our destination and our community for many years to come.

Press Trips

The Columbia CVB hosted over 15 travel, film and music writers throughout the year in 2017. The largest scale press trips took place during the True/False Film Fest and the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival, with additional writers attending the Citizen Jane Film Festival. These writers were published in a wide variety of traditional and online publications, generating a great deal of earned media for our destination. Writers representing outlets including IndieWire, AAA Magazine, AXS.com, Paste, Screen International, Variety, AV Club, Chicago Journal & Topics, The News-Herald & Morning Journal (Cleveland area), Binge Media Podcast, Indianapolis Monthly Magazine, MotorHome Magazine, Wannabe Music Blog, Salon.com and American Blues Scene were all in Columbia during 2017 as guests of the Columbia CVB.

Star Night 2017

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau in partnership with the ColumbiaHospitality Association presented Columbia’s 13th Annual Hospitality Star Night at the Courtyard by Marriott. Star Night serves to recognize members of our local lodging community who go above and beyond and truly define the word “hospitality” in their work. In addition to the 39 individual star performers from Columbia hotels, the ceremony also recognized five ‘of the year’ award winners:

Star Performer of the Year: Tony Richards - Holiday Inn Executive Center

Rising Star of the Year:Cania Sims - Hampton Inn

Salesperson of the Year:Blair Lucas - Hampton Inn & Suites

General Manager of the Year:Brandon Boyer - Courtyard by Marriott

Hospitality Star of the Year: Kevin Garner - Missouri State High School Activities Association

Each year, the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Columbia HospitalityAssociation take an evening to honor employees who go above and beyond in their work.

2017 Tradeshows

March 7, 2017: Columbia Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase

--March 12-15, 2017:

Travel South - Branson, MO--

April 25-26, 2017: Missouri Bank Travel Exchange - Saint Charles, MO

--August 1, 2017:

Missouri Event Summit - Jefferson City, MO--

August 17, 2017:Missouri Travel Council’s Leisure Travel Trade Show - Sedalia, MO

--August 21-23, 2017:

Connect - New Orleans, LA--

September 26-28, 2017:Small Market Meetings Conference - South Bend, IN

Coming in 2018

New Leisure Campaign

In FY18, the Convention and Visitors Bureau will be refreshing its leisure marketing with a new campaign. The CVB marketing and communications team along with its creative agency, Woodruff, will begin the process in early 2018 with the goal of unveiling the new campaign creative concepts in the spring. The new campaign will be used for all of the destination’s traditional, digital and outdoor media placements.

New Strategic Plan

The current Strategic Plan for the Convention and Visitors Bureau runs through the end of FY18. This spring, the CVB team will begin the background work to start building the 2019-2021 CVB Strategic Plan and planning will be facilitated by an external party to ensure the entire team can participate and contribute ideas. The CVB has made great progress on its current Strategic Plan and looks forward to moving the organization into the future with its new plan.

Healthcare Destination

Throughout 2017, the Convention and Visitors Bureau continued to work on theHealthcare Destination initiative first established by the Mayor’s Task Force on Medical Tourism. The task force was disbanded in the summer of 2017, with the CVB assigned to carry actions forward. In 2018, the CVB will explore the option of a feasibility study to obtain an objective perspective on the potential of Columbia as a healthcare destination. The CVB will also continue to involve partners in the healthcare and hospitality industry to determine the direction for this initiative.