Igniting global passion for Kansas City

Best Trips 2019 – National Geographic Traveler

“Worth a closer look …” – Vogue

“Kansas City doesn’t disappoint.” – Forbes

“More museums than you would expect” – USA Today

“Kansas City is so hot right now.” – Condé Nast Traveler

“A happy state of mind” – The New York Times

11 Cities on the Rise – Smart Meetings

“More than barbecue and jazz … but those parts are stellar” – New York Magazine

“America’s newest boozy boomtown” – Food & Wine

“Book your tickets” – Food & Wine

“Miraculous …. A phenomenon” – The New York Times

“A historic hub.” – CNN

15 Best Places to Move to in the U.S. (Before They Get Too Crowded)

– Reader’s Digest

America’s Art Scenes Off the Beaten Track – The Wall Street Journal

Best Places to Travel – USA Today

12 of the Best Places to Visit if You’re Planning a Vacation – Business Insider

10 Lesser-Known Black History Month Sites Across America – CNN

Best Places to Live and Work – MovieMaker

“An unexpected travel surprise.” – National Geographic Traveler

WHAT THE WORLD IS SAYING

{ Noteworthy Rankings from 2018 }

#HowWeDoKC

ABOUT US WHO WE ARE

HISTORYFormed in 1918 as the hospitality arm of the KC Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City became independently incorporated on June 20, 1966, as a not-for-profit corporation. Now known as Visit KC, the marketing and sales organization is engaged on an annual basis by the City of Kansas City, Mo., and is responsible for promoting the region as a top-of-mind travel destination for the leisure, convention and group tour audiences.

FUNDINGVisit KC’s primary source of funding is a tax on hotel/motel occupancy and a business license fee within the incorporated boundaries of Kansas City, Mo. The ordinances creating the tax provide that the proceeds are to be used for marketing and operations of Visit KC. The organization’s budget is enhanced by private funds raised through a variety of sources including partnership dues, advertising opportunities and in-kind services.

VISIONVisit KC will serve as a primary catalyst for extraordinary and continuous economic growth of the Kansas City region's convention and visitor industry.

MISSION Ignite global passion for Kansas City.

WHAT WE DO

MARKET & PROMOTE KANSAS CITY• Destination branding to position Kansas City as a vibrant, creative community

• Convention sales efforts to attract conventions, meetings and sporting events to Kansas City

• Integrated marketing campaigns to drive visitors to KC through advertising, PR and social media

• Home to the KC Film Office, representing the region’s film community

• Economic development for the region through job creation and tourism revenues

WELCOME & CONNECT TRAVELERS• Assist with the successful execution of close to 300 meetings and conventions each year

• Create maps, guides, content and other visitor resources to help guests discover all there is to do in Kansas City

PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSESDrive traffic to local hotels, attractions, restaurants and more than 1,000 businesses involved in the local hospitality community

SUPPORT LOCAL EVENTSOrganize and support major events like Kansas City Restaurant Week and the Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship, to name a few

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACTTourism generates $5.5 billion in economic impact for the region annually, including indirect and induced impact. Moreover, taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $550 in taxes each year.

LOCAL JOBSOne in 19 jobs in the region are sustained by tourism either directly or indirectly. That amounts to 48,000 jobs and $1.7 billion in wages.

INFLUX OF VISITORSKansas City hosts 25.2 million visitors each year. Of these, 47% (or 12 million) stay overnight. For more information about KC’s annual visitation, such as demographics and points of origin, go to VisitKC.com/research.

Sources: Tourism Economics, Longwoods International, U.S. Travel Association, 2016

CONVENTION SALES & SERVICES2018 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Achieved 105 percent of Visit KC’s room-night production goal—generating 295 bookings and 444,763 room nights for future meetings. This accounts for more than $330 million in future economic impact.

• Assisted with the successful execution of 290 meetings in Kansas City, including 21 citywide conventions.

• Coordinated 13,765 reservations through convention housing, generating more than $210,000 in invoiced revenue.

• Increased awareness and visibility of Kansas City by attending 25 industry tradeshows.

• Enhanced Kansas City’s exposure to the international tour market through operator missions, 115 appointments at three tradeshows and a new strategic partnership with Icelandair.

• Hosted 42 clients during three dynamic sales missions to the markets of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Dallas.

• Hosted 94 personalized site visits to Kansas City, as well as three KC Experience familiarization trips, which cumulatively attracted 60 clients.

• Maintained a record 96-percent rating for Visit KC’s convention services through client satisfaction surveys, with 100 percent of clients indicating they would recommend Kansas City as a meeting location.

MEETINGS HELD IN KC 2016 2017 2018

Conventions 279 275 290

Room Nights 325,874 376,390 354,113

Attendance 334,083 *512,972 366,607

Economic Impact $246,564,131 *$295,651,841 $275,099,523

CONVENTION SALES ACTIVITY 2016 2017 2018

Meetings Booked 294 264 295

Definite Room Nights 362,305 381,194 444,763

Leads Generated 862 769 847

Tentative Room Nights 1,981,314 1,775,689 1,566,391

Site Visits 114 92 96

Convention Center Bookings 44 34 53

Convention Center Room Nights 222,177 243,659 329,274

*Enhanced by major events such as U.S. Figure Skating, NCAA Volleyball & Men’s Basketball

MAJOR BOOKINGS IN 2018

ORGANIZATION/MEETING DATE(S) ROOM NIGHTS

Destination Imagination MayGlobal Finals 2019; 2020 30,166/YR

Educational Testing Service JuneAdvanced Placement Reading 2023 29,197

USA Volleyball AprilASICS Show Me National Qualifier 2022 17,679

National League of Cities November City Summit 2022 15,480

Cerner Corporation OctoberAnnual Health Conference 2019 14,400

National Society of Black Engineers MarchAnnual Convention 2023 14,355

American Occupational Therapy Association AprilAnnual Conference & Expo 2023 13,372

Big 12 Conference MarchPhillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship 2021 10,600

Midwest Sports Productions World Fastpitch Championships presented by JulyUSA Elite Showcase 2018 9,911

Kubota Tractor Corporation SeptemberNational Dealer Meeting 2023 7,869

UBM Animal Care AugustFetch dvm360 Conference 2020 7,385

United Church of Christ JulyGeneral Synod 2021 7,110

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine AprilAnnual Meeting 2025 6,970

Mennonite Church USA JulyBiennial Convention 2023 6,415

National Association of Credit Management MayCredit Congress & Expo 2021 6,020

Big 12 Conference Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's MarchBasketball Championship 2020; 2021 5,900/YR

USA Gymnastics AugustU.S. Gymnastics Championships 2019 5,770

Building Owners & Managers Association JuneInternational Annual Conference & Expo 2023 5,455

National Precast Concrete Association MarchThe Precast Show 2022 5,147

American Railway Engineering & Maintenance-of-Way Association SeptemberAnnual Conference & Exposition 2026 4,967

Grain Elevator & Processing Society FebruaryGEAPS Exchange 2023; 2024 4,859/YR

PARTNERSHIPS & SPECIAL EVENTS2018 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Eclipsed 1,000 active industry partners, including 137 new partnerships through-out the region.

• Hosted the 9th Annual Kansas City Restaurant Week, featuring 10 days of special, multi-course menus at 193 restaurants and raising more than $455,000 for local charities.

• Oriented and trained 278 frontline hospitality workers, community partners and proud Kansas Citians during 18 Visitor Influencer Program (VIP) sessions. Participants learned the ins and outs of KC, how to interact with visitors and other hospitality essentials.

• Achieved more than 8,300 interactions through the Visitor Information Center, welcoming travelers from 18 different countries and 47 different states. More than 8,400 referrals were made to partner businesses.

• Produced the second season of KC Tap Tour, a self-guided experience driving visitation to 19 local breweries. More than 3,675 Guidebooks were sold, and more than 1,000 participants completed the entire tour.

• Continued to enhance Visit KC’s presence at community events, engaging with 10,319 people at 10 unique festivals.

• Commemorated National Travel and Tourism Week by recognizing frontline hospitality personnel through an awareness campaign and an ice cream social at Barney Allis Plaza.

• Produced Downtown Dazzle in partnership with the City of Kansas City and Downtown Council, promoting more than 60 Downtown events, pop-ups and programs, bringing thousands to the area during the holiday season.

• Hosted quarterly Partner 2 Partner networking events with more than 550 attendees to help engage partners and offer valuable industry networking opportunities.

• Welcomed more than 550 industry partners to the 2018 Visit KC Annual Meeting at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which featured keynote speaker Evita Turquoise Robinson and an experiential reception of KC’s makers and doers.

PARTNERSHIP COMPOSITION 2016 2017 2018

Accommodations 129 119 115

Arts and Culture 44 139 126

Attractions 35 193 189

Breweries 10 19 18

Casino/Gaming 5 5 5

Convention Services 73 182 181

Dining 201 194 249

Entertainment 17 74 68

Organizations 55 55 55

Shopping 156 121 124

Sports & Recreation 37 115 115

Tours & Sightseeing 11 41 37

Transportation 33 29 28

TOTAL 806 1,286 1,310

PARTNER REVENUES 2016 2017 2018

Partnership Dues $310,532 $325,219 $401,869

Hotel Lead Share $333,667 $425,822 $349,083

Web/Collateral Advertising $85,498 $144,207 $123,106

Marketing Campaign Partners $517,906 $847,993 $799,921

TOTAL $1,247,603 $1,743,241 $1,673,979

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS & FILM2018 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Executed an integrated marketing campaign in partnership with agency of record MMGY Global, generating 292,000 incremental hotel room nights and $73 million in economic impact. Reaching seven media markets in six states, the campaign generated a new record return on investment of $99 for every dollar spent by Visit KC.

• Increased meeting planner interest in KC, amassing 29.5 million impressions in convention marketing through trade advertising, earned media, e-mail marketing, paid search and social media.

• Generated 540 articles about Kansas City through public relations—accumulating a record 207 million impressions in publications such as National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and more.

• Realized significant growth in Visit KC’s social influence, securing 438,000 referrals to VisitKC.com and a record 1 million brand engagements through social media.

• Assisted 222 productions through the KC Film Office, including the local filming of the third season of Netflix’s high-profile series Queer Eye and HGTV’s Bargain Mansions.

• Partnered with the Kansas City Area Development Council to stage a national media mission in New York City, which attracted more than 100 high-profile members of the media, including representatives from The New York Times, CBS News, Saveur and Delta Sky.

• Earned industry honors—including a U.S. Travel Association Destiny Award and an HSMAI Gold Adrian Award—for the 2017 Chicago Speakeasy Activation, in collaboration with agency of record MMGY Global.

• Launched a new experiential marketing program, the KC BBQ Experience app, with a corresponding web platform to enhance Kansas City’s position as the Barbecue Capital of the World. The app amassed 6,000 downloads in its first month.

• Secured substantial marketing funds for the destination ($325k) through the Missouri Division of Tourism matching grant program for fiscal year 2019.

• Reinforced Visit KC’s social media advocacy platform for team members, amassing an additional 203,000 impressions for the brand through employees’ personal networks.

NEW YORK MEDIA MISSION

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

LEISURE 2016 2017 2018

Media Budget $1,036,559 $1,121,461 $1,300,000

Local Media Partner Investment* $475,000 $613,500 $590,962

State of Missouri Investment $399,137 $382,699 **$217,075

Paid Media Impressions 171,800,577 170,298,229 165,645,436

Campaign ROI (per media dollar) $93 $85 $99

CONVENTION 2016 2017 2018

Advertising Impressions 23,697,660 20,129,613 29,494,840

INTERACTIVE MARKETING 2016 2017 2018

Web Visits 3,231,489 3,784,244 4,082,033

Page Views 13,181,165 13,596,969 14,095,913

Unique E-mail Opens 279,389 381,724 512,425

E-mail Signups 27,162 30,845 42,269

COMMUNICATIONS

MEDIA RELATIONS 2016 2017 2018

Publications Assisted 379 405 410

Earned Media/PR Impressions 181,159,090 205,566,216 207,329,799

SOCIAL MEDIA

Total Followers 291,461 366,288 404,772

Engagements 383,347 757,353 1,026,179

KC FILM OFFICE 2016 2017 2018

Productions Assisted 251 220 222

*Partner investment less membership dues **Reflective of Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) mid-year budget cut

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE2018 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Facilitated the recruitment and onboarding of several key positions in the organization, including a new President & CEO, Chief People Partner, a new Vice President of Partnerships & Events and two new National Account Managers for the Sales team.

• Integrated new organizational systems to enhance processes dedicated to payroll, paid time off, 401K contributions, HSA/FSA services and expense reports.

• Automated the employee benefits open enrollment process, allowing for a seamless and convenient selection of healthcare and financial protections.

• Oversaw the reconfiguration of the lobby and Visitor Information Center, as well as other office renovations and facility updates to improve workflow and productivity.

• Updated network security and firewall infrastructure and oversaw the installation and implementation of a new node-based cluster server.

• Negotiated a one-year extension of the existing customer relationship management (CRM) software and began the RFP process.

2018 REVENUES

Convention Tourism Tax $9,778,679

Arena Business Fees $1,299,788

Marketing Campaign Partners $847,255

State Co-op Funding $154,927

Partnership Dues $376,678

Hotel Lead Share $349,083

Convention Services Revenue $210,156

Web/Collateral Advertising $123,168

Promotional Participation Revenue $509,607

Film Office $47,167

TOTAL REVENUE $13,696,508

TIF Expenditures ($1,504,944)

REVENUE (NET OF TIF) $12,191,564

Destination Marketing Audience > 44% • $5,305,944

Sales Audience > 37% • $4,369,601

Operational > 13% • $1,493,922

Local Audience > 6% • $728,267

Total Expenditures > $11,897,734

2018 EXPENDITURES BY TARGET AUDIENCE

44%

37%

13%

6%

2018 EXECUTIVE OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORSCHAIR / CiCi Rojas, President, Tico Productions & Tico Sports

VICE CHAIR / Cindy Circo, Public Affairs Manager, Kansas City Power & Light

TREASURER / Jim Snow, Complex General Manager, Westin Crown Center/Sheraton KC Hotel

SECRETARY / Jeanette Prenger, President, ECCO Select Corporation

• Vic Allred, President, Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen

• Lee Barnes, Jr., Councilman, 5th District At-Large, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Nick Benjamin, Executive Director, The Cordish Co.

• Carla Chavarria, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, AMC Entertainment

• Dan Fowler, Councilman, 2nd District, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Arzelia Gates, Corporate Secretary, Gates Bar-B-Q Corp.

• Belinda Harrison, Attorney at Law, B.L. Harrison Law, LLC

• Gloria Jackson-Leathers, Director of Kansas City Civic Engagement, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

• Bob Kendrick, President, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

• Jenny Kincaid Julian, Owner, Socialworx PR

• Steve Klika, Commissioner, Third District, Johnson County

• David Lopez, General Manager, Manny’s Mexican Restaurant

• Riccardo Lucas, President & CEO, N.STRIDE Consulting, LLC

• Pat Macdonald, Senior Philanthropic Advisor & Executive, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

• Rachel Merlo, Community Manager, Kansas City, Google

• Stacey Paine, President, Crown Center Redevelopment Corp.

• Kevin Pistilli (Immediate Past Chair), President, Raphael Hotel Group

• Rosemary Salerno, VP/General Manager, The City Market

• Troy Schulte, City Manager, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Angie Stanland, Vice President of Association Services & Recruiting, Cerner Corp.

• Jon Stephens, President & CEO, Port KC

• Philip Strnad, General Manager, Hilton President Kansas City

• Keli Wenzel, President/Managing Partner, O’Neill Marketing & Event Management, Inc.

• Randy Wisthoff, Executive Director/ CEO, Kansas City Zoo

• Amy Jordan Wooden, President & CEO, AJW Consulting

Ex Officio Members

• Pat Klein, Director, Aviation Department, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Kurt Mayo, Executive Director, Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City

• Oscar McGaskey, Director, Convention & Entertainment Facilities

• Kathy Nelson, President/CEO, Kansas City Sports Commission

• Clayton Reid, President, MMGY Global

• Jeffrey Stewart, Senior Advisor to Chairman & CEO, Loews Hotels & Co.

Executive Committee Ex Officio Members

• Bill George, President, Kansas City Transportation Group

• Kevin Pistilli (Immediate Past Chair), President, Raphael Hotel Group

• Troy Stremming, President & CEO of AdAstra Strategies

• Brenda Tinnen, General Manager & Senior Vice President, AEG-Kansas City, Sprint Center

AWARDS & HONORS

#HowWeDoKC Brand Activation in Chicago – Destiny Award, U.S. Travel & ESTO

#HowWeDoKC Brand Activation in Chicago – Gold Adrian Award, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International

Top 50 Convention Destination – Cvent

“KC on KC: Thrills” – Emmy Nomination, Mid-America Emmys

Cori Day – Executive Excellence Award, Event Service Professional Association

Cori Day – 100 Women Who Inspire Us, Smart Meetings

Derek Klaus – 40 Under 40, Association Forum/USAE Magazine

Derek Klaus – Centurions Leadership Program Class of 2020, Kansas City Chamber

Ashley Patton – 30 Under 30, Destinations International

Ashley Patton – The New Faces of Destination Marketing, Northstar Meetings Group

1321 BALTIMORE AVENUE, KANSAS CITY, MO 64105 VISITKC.COM • 816-691-3800