Annual Report

Experience Columbus’ vision is to be the leading force in creating and revealing the best of the Columbus experience to the world.

Brian Ross, CTA President and CEO

LETTERFrom the President and CEODear Community Partners,

Columbus is thriving! And so is our local tourism economy. Fresh new attractions and events help raise Columbus’ profile as a national meetings, convention, sports, trade show and leisure visitor destination.

In 2017, we cut the ribbon on the new American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Gallery at COSI and were galvanized by the renovation and expansion of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. In the fall of 2018, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum will be the only place in the country where travelers can honor the stories of veterans across all branches of service and all eras of conflict. The forthcoming Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and LEGOLAND® Discovery Center at Easton will help spur family visits to the city.

We were proud hosts of the NCAA Women’s Final Four at the end of March and are gearing up for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition in 2019. And while the enhancements to the convention center helped us land ASAE, to fully capitalize on that unprecedented opportunity and others in the future, we must continue to invest wisely in strategic development projects. The proposed expansion of the Hilton Columbus Downtown will be critically important as we focus on keeping the current momentum alive and continuing to grow the tourism economy.

Bed tax collections hit another all-time high in 2017, at $46.8 million, a 5.25 percent increase over 2016. In addition to funding the work of Experience Columbus, this means historic levels of visitor-spend dollars going towards the Convention Facilities Authority, the arts and vital human services for the community. The outlook for 2018 is strong as well. We anticipate welcoming 28 large citywide conventions to Columbus in 2018, a 17 percent increase over 2017.

Visitors represent a multi-billion-dollar industry and Columbus still has room to grow, which we can only do by continuing to work closely together. We know we could not accomplish all that we do to sell and market the city without the steadfast support of the City of Columbus and Franklin County, as well as our corporate partners and 1,000+ members. Thank you to everyone invested in our mission.

Sincerely,

CONTENTS

Since 2012, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission have worked collaboratively with community partners to implement and update a destination-wide strategic framework to enable the city to compete in attracting new visitors. With cities across the country upping their game to lure billions of dollars in visitor spending, we must create national awareness of all Columbus offers. By capturing a larger share of the tourism market, our entire community will benefit through additional visitor revenue that supports jobs, businesses, the arts, human services and overall quality of life.

The framework is based on two major Strategic Initiatives:

Increase the Economic Impact and Local Jobs from Travel and TourismEven with record gains, Columbus remains in the middle to lower tierwithin our competitive peer set. By engaging more business, convention,sports and leisure visitors, and getting them to stay longer and do more,we increase spending and positive ROI.

Showcase Authentic, Creative Columbus to Reveal Our PulseIncreasing national awareness that Columbus is a vibrant city with manythings to do reduces a significant barrier to the sales process (whichimpacts everyone who sells the city for education, talent recruitment,business relocations, etc.).

Key Focus Areas:

Growing sales and new markets

Continuing strategic development and connectivity

Telling the Columbus story through collaborative marketing

Assuring quality visitor experiences

Increasing partnership and membership

A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKFor Columbus’ Economic Growth: 2017–2020

Columbus Wins Big: ASAE 2019

By the Numbers: 2017 Production OverviewPage 1 / Page 2

Visitor Experience Pays Big Dividends

National Research Underscores Fierce Competitive Environment

Experience Columbus Board of Directors

Experience Columbus StaffPage 1 / Page 2

Make it Columbus

Greater Columbus Lodging Overview

Annual Impact of the Travel EconomyAnother Record-Breaking Year for Bed Tax

Experience Columbus 2017 Budget Overview

ANNUAL IMPACT OF THE TRAVEL ECONOMY IN COLUMBUS AND FRANKLIN COUNTY

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS 2017 BUDGET OVERVIEW

Visitors directly spend

$6.4 billion in Columbus annually,

a $9.7 billion economic impact

$13.6M Actual Income

Bed Tax - 70.7%Franklin County - 14.6%Member Dues - 6.8%Programs - 6.0%Contributed Services - 1.3%Miscellaneous - 0.6%

$13.6M Actual

Expenditures

*Greater Columbus Sports Commission

Sales and Marketing - 77.8%Administrative - 9.0%Support to GCSC* - 7.1%Member Services - 4.5%Facilities - 1.1%Business Development - 0.4%Outside Consulting - 0.1%

ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR BED TAX

City of Columbus bed tax generated another record amount in 2017.

Bed tax funds support not only Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, but also cultural and arts programs, social services, affordable housing programs and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority.

$46.8 million bed tax revenue

from 2016

Visitors pay

$1.13 billion in local, state and federal taxes to support the arts, human services

and economic development in Franklin County

39.9 million visitors

Great

er C

olum

bus Welcomes

each year

Tourism supports

one in every 12 jobs in Franklin County

SOURCE: Tourism Economics an Oxford Economics Company, The Economic Impact of Tourism in Columbus, 2015

The visitor industry is big business in Greater Columbus, and it continues to grow. In 2016, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission were responsible for booking 508,859 room nights. Credit for that success must be shared with our partners at local businesses and organizations who worked with us to bring their meetings and conventions to Columbus. Since 2012, the Make it Columbus initiative has resulted in bookings that represent more than 438,300 hotel room nights and an estimated $316 million in visitor spending.

GREATER COLUMBUS LODGING OVERVIEW

Total Hotels303

Citywide Downtown

Total Rooms28,652

Total Hotels16

Total Rooms4,250

Occupancy65.8%

0.2%

Occupancy69.1%

1.8%

Average Daily Rate

$149.25

3%

Average Daily Rate

$103.63

1.9%

COLUMBUS WINS BIG: ASAE 2019Columbus is emerging as the next big destination for meetings, conventions, sporting events and trade shows. One major proof point of our success is being awarded the 2019 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition.

The annual conference will draw more than 5,000 attendees to the newly renovated and expanded Greater Columbus Convention Center Aug. 10-13, 2019, filling 16,800 hotel rooms and generating more than $16 million in direct visitor spending.

Hosting ASAE puts Columbus on the map with key decision makers and influencers planning meetings for their national associations. While the immediate impact of hosting ASAE is great, the ongoing impact is even greater, because most of the attendees are final decision makers or have significant influence on the location of future meetings. Past host cities of the ASAE Annual Meeting found that 20 percent of association executives who attend the Annual Meeting will book their own meeting in the host city in the next five years, representing $500 million in revenue for the host city.

This large gathering of influential meeting professionals will provide a tremendous amount of exposure to all the great assets of Columbus. This is a big win as we aggressively work to raise Columbus’ profile.

total attendees (includes 3,200+ association professionals)

5,300-5,750

$16M in visitor spending during the Annual Meeting

of association executives attending ASAE’s Annual Meeting will book their own meeting in the host city in the next five years, representing

$500Min revenue for the host city.

20%

COLUMBUSproud host 2019

are the final decision makers or have 79%significant influence on the location of future meetings

16,800Room Nights:

ASAE members plan 376,000 meetingsthat reach 200 million attendees

BY THE NUMBERS: 2017 PRODUCTION OVERVIEW

107% of Quota

114% of Quota

102% of Quota

120% of QuotaTOTAL

PRODUCTION

508,859GROUP TOUR

26,201CONVENTION

SALES/SERVICES

356,651GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION

126,007

Visitors engage with us on: instagram.com/experiencecolumbus facebook.com/experiencecolumbus facebook.com/columbusfoodscenetwitter.com/expcols

ROOM NIGHTS

ANNUAL MEETING

THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

870 Attended

640 VIP Guests Hosted

342Booked Conventions,

Meetings, Trade Shows and Events

67Industry Trade Shows,

Events and Sales Missions Attended

56Meeting Professionals

Serviced While Holding Events In

ColumbusRoom Nights

Site Visits with Meeting Professionals

Representing

68

156,148

143

12

Prospective Clients Hosted During

FAM Tours

CERTIFIED TOURISM AMBASSADORS:

New624

Active2,333

Trained (to Date)

3,8731,118

TOTAL MEMBERS186

NEW MEMBERS

14

1,345EVENTS WITH

ATTENDEESMEMBERSHIP

experiencecolumbus.com/blog

83.9% Retention

4Media FAM

Trips

67Writers Hosted

LEISURE CAMPAIGN LIFEINCBUS IMAGE CAMPAIGN

45,290 Visitor Center

Guests

9,679Volunteers

90Registered

groups/events for volunteers

1,280Redemptions

2,311Redemptions

204Redemptions

Inst

agra

m

followers53,600

interactions330,000

35% Face

bo

ok

followers100,300

interactions131,483

196%

Twit

ter

followers103,863

interactions59,399

28%

(experiencecolumbus.com)

Web

site

1.644M

18.6%

visits

COLUMBUS TRAILS

771M Impressions

55.9M Impressions

176M Impressions

1.4M Impressions

85M ImpressionsLEISURE

MEDIA CLIPS

491MEETINGS

MEDIA

63LOCAL

MEDIA CLIPS

185

PUBLIC RELATIONS

VISITOR SERVICES

INTERACTIVE

According to the latest Columbus visitor research, visitors directly spent $6.4 billion in 2015, supporting $9.7 billion in overall economic impact. The tourism sector provides 75,000 jobs in Columbus and Franklin County. That’s one out of every 12 jobs. And through state, local and federal tax revenue, tourism generates $1.13 billion to support the arts, human services and economic development in Franklin County. All of this represents a significant return on dollars invested in attracting visitors to our city.

In 2016, Greater Columbus welcomed 39.9 million visitors, and 23 percent of them stayed at least one night. Visitors who stay overnight generally spend about three times more than someone who visits just for the day. Overnight stays were predominantly for leisure purposes (86 percent), and the remainder for business or a mix of business-leisure.

The top five sectors that benefit from all this visitor spending are:

24% of tourism sales

$1.55 B24,160 jobs

18% of tourism sales

$1.16 B8,993 jobs

13% of tourism sales

$823 M8,142 jobs

15% of tourism sales

$950 M10,321 jobs

29% of tourism sales

$1.89 B9,447 jobs

SOURCE: Longwoods International, Columbus 2016 Visitor Report

VISITOR EXPERIENCE PAYS BIG DIVIDENDS

RETAIL

ENTERTAINMENT

LODGING

FOOD &BEVERAGE

TRANSPORTATION

SOURCE: Tourism Economics an Oxford Economics Company, The Economic Impact of Tourism in Columbus, 2015

Cities across the nation and world are competing for tourists, talent and investment. Increasingly, community leaders are recognizing the connection between their cities’ reputation and its attractiveness as a place to visit, live, work and raise a family.

One of Experience Columbus’ key strategic initiatives is to help tell the Columbus story through marketing. As we aggressively market, sell and promote Columbus on a national scale, it’s important that we assess the prevailing attitudes so we can effectively position the city. To that end, Experience Columbus worked with GfK, one of the world’s leading research firms, in 2014 and again in 2017 to understand what people

PLACE: • Quality of the Environment • Physical Attractiveness of the City • Amount of Green and Public Park

Space

PREREQUISITE: • Ease of Getting Around the City • Ease of Finding Satisfactory,

Affordable Hotels • Standard of Public Amenities

PEOPLE: • Warmth and Friendliness of the

Locals • Would Find People with whom I

Could Fit In • Safety of the City • Great Place to Raise a Family

PULSE: • Amount of Nightlife and Urban

Vitality • Ease of Finding Things to Do if

Visiting • Ease of Finding Things to Do if

Resident

POTENTIAL: • Quality of College Education • Ease of Finding a Job in the City • Good City for Starting or Growing

a Business • City Provides Opportunities for

Ordinary People to Get Ahead

PRESENCE: • Familiarity with City • Importance of Contribution to the

United States

across the country think about Columbus and to gauge any shifts in that perception over time.

In the 2017 study, Columbus maintains or improves its scores from core audiences. For instance, we have made significant improvement in increasing recognition of our Pulse (nightlife and urban vitality), particularly among Columbus residents, visitors, and Washington, D.C. residents.

NATIONAL RESEARCHUnderscores Fierce Competitive Environment

However, consistency and improvement in our scores does not safeguard Columbus’ standing when ranked against competitive cities, underscoring the fierce competition Columbus faces and the importance of continued investment in building our profile. The reputation hexagons above illustrate the difference between Columbus’ scores (left) and its ranking against competitive cities (right).

2014-2017 COLUMBUS REPUTATION HEXAGON

Based on Scores

Presence

Place

Prerequisite

People

Pulse

Potential

National Travelers 2017 National Travelers 2014Columbus Visitors 2017 Columbus Visitors 2014Columbus Residents 2017 Columbus Residents 2014

Based on Rankings

Presence

Place

Prerequisite

People

Pulse

Potential

National Travelers 2017 National Travelers 2014Columbus Visitors 2017 Columbus Visitors 2014Columbus Residents 2017 Columbus Residents 2014

Jerry O. Allen * Bricker & Eckler LLP

Jane Grote Abell, CTA Donatos

Beau Arnason, CTA Steiner + Associates, Inc.

Dirk Bengel, CTA * Columbus Hospitality

Frederic Bertley, CTACOSI

Chris Coffin, CTA Hilton Columbus Downtown

Janelle N. Coleman L Brands, Inc

Greg Davies City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office

Brian J. Ellis, CTA * Nationwide Realty Investors

Lisa Garner, CTA Marriott & Residence Inn Columbus University Area

Mike Gonsiorowski, CTAPNC

Bruce Harkey, CTA Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens

Erik Janas, CTA Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Tom Katzenmeyer, CTA * Greater Columbus Arts Council

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS BOARD OF DIRECTORSJames E. Kunk, CTA * Retired – Huntington National Bank

Cathy Lyttle, CTA * Worthington Industries

Bruce A. McPheron, Ph.D.The Ohio State University

Karen J. Morrison J.D., M.S. OhioHealth Foundation/OhioHealth

Ken Paul, CTA City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office

Joel Pizzuti The Pizzuti Companies

Edward Roberts Columbus City Council

Joe Savarise, CTA Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association

Robert Shenton, CTA * (Chair) Plante & Moran, PLLC

Himbert J. Sinopoli, CTA Penn National Gaming/Hollywood Casino

Steve Stewart, CTA Hyatt Regency Columbus

W. Curtis Stitt, CTA Central Ohio Transit Authority

Doug Ulman Pelotonia

Katie Wolfe Lloyd The Dispatch Printing Company

* Denotes Executive Committee Member

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORSSteve Lyons The Columbus Partnership

Don Brown, CTA Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority

Elaine Roberts, CTA Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Guy Worley, CTA Columbus Downtown Development/ Capitol South Urban Redevelopment Corp.

DIRECTORS EMERITIJoseph Alutto Fisher College of Business

Sandy Harbrecht Paul Werth Associates

Douglas F. Kridler The Columbus Foundation

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS STAFF

Brian Ross, CTAPresident & CEONicole Ayala, CTASenior Executive Assistant

ADMINISTRATIONJodi Beekman, CPA, CTAVice President, Finance & AdministrationDave Burgan, CTA Director, Information TechnologyRoberta Stewart, CTAAccounting Administrator Dwight Farve, CTASupport Services Coordinator

CONVENTION SALESDan Williams, CTAVice President, SalesAngela Hammond, CASE, CTADirector, Convention SalesArtrice McNeil, CTADirector, Washington D.C. Regional SalesAmy Frazer, CTADirector, Chicago Regional SalesKalee Barnhardt, CTANational Sales ManagerArica Billing, CMP, CTANational Sales Manager Celia Anderson, CTANational Sales Manager

Leah Zender, CTANational Sales ManagerGina Predovich, CTASales Manager Kerri Pollet, CASE, CTASales ManagerTaylor Savage, CTA Sales ManagerMaggie Hester, CTA Market AnalystCrystal Hurley, CTA Sales AssistantAmanda Chiodo, CTASales AssistantAbby Rampe, CTASales Assistant

CONVENTION SERVICESBill Behrens, CMP, CTA Director, Convention Services Sharon Levine, CMP, CTAConvention Services Manager Diane Share, CMP, CTAConvention Services Manager Renee Scott, CTAHousing Coordinator Hannah Henthorne, CTAConvention Services ManagerZach Warmouth, CTAConvention Services Assistant

TOURISMKari Kauffman, CTAVice President, Tourism Robbie Banks, CTASenior Visitor Experience ManagerRoger Dudley, CTASenior Tourism Sales ManagerAlexis Perrone, CTASenior Visitor Services ManagerSarah Doodan, CTATourism CoordinatorLauren Herring, CTAVisitor Information Specialist Maureen Emoff, CTAVisitor Information SpecialistSamantha Frew, CTA Visitor Information SpecialistMarie Medford, CTA Tourism Assistant

MARKETINGAmy Tillinghast, CTAVice President, Marketing Amee BellWanzo, CTA Director, Marketing Beth Ervin, CTADirector, CommunicationsMegumi Robinson, CTAAssociate Director, Public Relations

Joe Vargo, CTADirector, Interactive MarketingLexi Sweet, CTAPublic Relations ManagerMichelle Ford, CTAMarketing ManagerEmily Hanson, CTAMarketing ManagerAudrey Hall, CTAGraphic DesignerKazmir Dinse, CTAMarketing Assistant

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTMichael Brown, CTAVice President, Strategic DevelopmentCarol Allerding, CMP, CTADirector, Events/SponsorshipKatie Suty, CMP, CTAEvents ManagerKatie Croysdale, CTA Events ManagerMaggie Mecklenborg, CTA Membership Manager Alexis Caldwell, CTA Membership Services CoordinatorCasey Brown, CTA Development/Sales Coordinator

Continued...

Staff list as of December 31, 2017

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS STAFF

VISITOR CENTER STAFF Aimee Briley, CTA Destination Specialist/Easton Trish Wirt, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Jessica Brewer, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Nicholas Steinbrecher, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Ryan Carrier, CTADestination Specialist/Easton TJ KlopsfsteinDestination Specialist/Easton Alia Evans, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Dave Cater, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Lauren Dugal, CTADestination Specialist/Easton Lou Tucci, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Stephen LaVelle, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Susan Pocta, CTADestination Specialist/Arena District Carolyn Williams, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC Kiersten Curtis, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC Marceline Dyer, CTA Destination Specialist/GCCC

GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION Linda Shetina Logan, CSEE, CTAExecutive Director Brenda Carter, CTAExecutive AssistantBrian Timm, CSEE, CTADirector, Corporate PartnershipsJeremy Leifel, CTADirector, Business DevelopmentLauren McNerney, CTABusiness Development ManagerMichelle Mercer, CTABusiness Development CoordinatorEric Archibald, CTADirector, EventsAriana Tyler, CTAEvents ManagerErica Cornell, CTAEvents AssistantBruce Wimbish, CTASenior Communications ManagerJenn Cartmille, M.S., IMC, CTAMarketing Manager Laura Brown, CTA Marketing CoordinatorAmy Card, CTAReceptionist/Office Manager

Staff list as of December 31, 2017

277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 125Columbus, OH 43215

experiencecolumbus.com

Financial support provided by the City of Columbus and Franklin County

Experience Columbus Corporate Partners