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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/06/2024 00. Misc Distributed at the Meeting Distributed at theilT, Meeting 0,2/06,/ Oaq 14* wood 1011.--ard-no- ',4 • • , , .• e I - ''.if e.i I,,,... r• ..,i 4:. , ^4...,. ,4- , *". 4.4".1t , •1 ... a' -lia ii 4. , ..„.„.,, ir A ,.7 , 1 ...•,t/t,„ . ___ .,! •4 '___, f'- jor 93..- . - . 7 fr 1 t V:1,`: ; •:1. -s•z-''.:0; -e . •.4,,,..... 4t: _ • 7t, , it- , _ ,,,, &fAL,-„;:4 :4, '— WAD . 0..,x . .- ‘,4,:roT------ " ' .., .st 7 ,s r ,' --4" ,' - .—' ‘.-. •-:-7.1‘':.14.. - (1-Z . fi '0 . .,. . *", ,.,_, , _ ,: _ ..„,... • :4, , .. —, ' ---4, eiNighlr;"' 6A4,. 2Uneeisogn sTAT , STATE Zd ,k. . I 5., iri•4 ti"?.'''- .''..ail . .. . ------- 1111166-- __,• ,, _____----------------- .--- „....:A01,...._,...- *tot'e5. P" ' .-4:... _ -.'• ,..... YAKIMA • '.-- :____ _. VALLEY , • , ?' ' TOURISM ' ,,, ,,,',n?:; ,,, ,-.,,. -,,,,/ /,,, - ,- , ' _ ,, .. ./- _.. ,,..-. .• . _..s, - - ‘ : .,,, ' )0 v / „,' ,....'' ,,-- ,,/ •, / . •- ,..-- i „,- )- ...,.• ,,, ,, ANNUAL REPORT _ Working with our partners, communities and businesses we continued our mission to build the tourism economy, help small businesses and serve our residents. MOVING ,, 0;0 MATT JOHN FORWARD MARTINKUS f i et . •-• `, COOPER YVT Board President Chair S CEO Most tourism sectors have recovered from the pandemic, yet the economy suffered from other issues such as inflation and workforce challenges. Even so, tourism is vital to our region.The most recent data shows: ) r , " $ MILLION MILLION LOCAL JOBS MILLION TAXES VISITS SPENT SUPPORTED Of GENERATED More than 2.4 Travelers spent Visitors support $38 million in million visits came $385 million in 5,130 jobs for state and local tax to our community Yakima County our residents revenue generated Beyond the numbers, tourism contributes to our quality of life, supports small businesses and provides HIGHLIGHT tax revenues for public services we all enjoy like parks, roads, social services and public safety. State of Washington Tourism Conference ► A highlight of 2023 was the hosting Ili! "''"...° of the State of Washington Ag T°urism Break°ut )'� Tourism Conference and State of WashingtonTourism Conferencelirjan _ '� Responsible Outdoor Travel — `'`''''' '" ti � SummitattheYakimaConvention & Event Center in October. More = `- "`� .r i • IL than 300 tourism and outdoor \ Opening Reception professionals from Washington and State of Washington ^;,, Tourism Conference • ' ._ • the Western U.S. convened to learn ..- . .�. r and discuss the future of travel and _ recreation for our state. . ., .ON CENTER YAKIMA . .2023 NUMBER CONVENTION , . & EVENT CENTER 1 352 EVENT DAYS HELD 22% increase The Yakima Convention & Event Center is the premier meeting over 2022 and event facility in Yakima and Central Washington.The facility generates significant economic activity for Yakima while being a showcase for the community. - , _ In 2023 the Center made - . :__ great improvements across all 559 ` , .� —__ categories, with increases FUTURE DAYS _- ""` in revenue, bookings and BOOKED , R VIIIINT titw i . attendance growth ranging ,; from 18% to 67%. Numerous 1ci' regular conventions and one day 23% increase r , events returned in full force. In over 2022 �`"` addition, groups that had not met here in a long time or have never - been here included the State of Washington Tourism Conference, ' Washington Realtors Fall Business 69K . Conference, Responsible Outdoor ... ,' � Travel Summit,Washington State CONVENTION ' .,," '- �. . .1 . , ., ; GIS Conference and Washington �_ • �- g ATTENDEES 4 , �440 1 -,;4, � `,' ' State Fish and Wildlife to name - � 4 1 , y r a few. The Center received very high accolades on service and the 42% increase ite LISA KRUSE quality of the facility. over 2022 Tourism Developement Manager State of Washington Tourism I want to congratulate the team at Yakima Valley Tourism. I have attended many conferences over the years and the State of Washington Tourism Conference was well- 242 organized, educational, and productive. Every person I encountered in Yakima was friendly and engaged in making ONE YEAR OUT a sincere effort to provide excellent customer service. BOOKING PACE Please extend my gratitude to your team at the convention and event center.They were phenomenal! 67°/o increase over 2022 CONVENTION & MEDIA & GROUP SALES TRAVEL TRADE Recruiting and serving the needs of Yakima Valley Tourism invites and hosts conventions, tradeshows and other events travel media, content creators, influencers to our community is a major charge for and travel trade members for tours of Yakima Valley Tourism. Yakima and the Yakima Valley.We hosted several individual travel writers, content creators, social media influencers and tour operators who explored the valley. OUR EFFORTS GENERATED FEATURES 32775 ,NMEU,A 159 MILLION OUTLETS POTENTIAL VIEWERS FUTURE HOTEL ROOM NIGHT LEADS An increase of 73%over 2022 MEDIA COVERAGE Our efforts garnered positive media coverage for the region in many channels.We built new relationships with social influencers, content SOLID RECOVERY creators and editorial partners to stay top-of-mind With the Center expansion attracting new and for future coverage and provided content and larger groups, 2023 was a solid recovery year for imagery to media. groups.Although some cancellations occurred, FEATURED 2023 MEDIA OUTLETS the conventions held, as well as those holding future dates, grew significantly. Plus, the Sales WINE ENTHUSIAST THE EPOCH TIMES Department was also able to generate more leads. . FORTUNE TRAVEL AWAITS roOt UPROXX 84 46 TRAVEL TRADE FUTURE CONFERENCE FUTURE EVENTS In 2023, three travel media trade events were TOTAL LEADS CONFIRMED attended: International Media Marketplace (IMM), GoWest Summit and IPW. In total, staff met with 147 content creators and tour operators to pitch In May, the Convention Sales stories about our region. In addition,YVT hosted team hosted the Spring Client its first media mission in Portland where 35 travel Event at the Tacoma Rainiers. writers, bloggers, content creators and influencers Twenty-eight meeting planners got to sample the cuisine of the Yakima Valley YAYOURVLLEY attended with hotels partners, with food prepared by Dan Koommoo of Crafted PRIVATE PARTY Sodexo Live! Catering as well as restaurant paired local beverages.These events the Yakima Convention & Event helped us build connections, showcase the area Center team. and secure media coverage. F 1 $ S�7 ' rYAKIMA VALLEY . . ,....,,r.... ) .,k SPORTS COMMISSION k 1 atAR Sports tourism is vital to the economy and quality of life in .:.... the Yakima Valley, providing significant economic benefit ici( , and exposure for our community.The Yakima Valley Sports Commission works to enhance existing sporting events, attract new events and promote the region as the premier sports destination in the Pacific Northwest. The sports marke i continued to grow back to pre-COVID levels SIGNATURE EVENTS WIAA PARTNERSHIP The Sports Commission hosts The Yakima Valley hosts several signature events to several WIAA state bring visitors to the Yakima championships each school 479 Valley and serve the residents year. Last year, 20 WIAA of our community.They include state events were held in FUTURE SPORTING the Yakima Valley Sports our community. For the first EVENTS BOOKED Awards, the Dye Hard 5K, the time in more than 30 years, Hot Shots 3-0n-3 Basketball the Yakima Valley hosted the Tourney, and the SunDome WIAA State Track & Field Volleyball Festival. In Championships, held on the addition,the staff partnered with campus of Eisenhower High a local lacrosse organization School, in the 1 B, 2B and 1 A on the Duel in The Desert classifications for both boys ROOM NIGHTS Lacrosse Tourney. and girls.Track & Field is a huge event, bringing in an FROM SPORTING estimated 1,500 participants EVENTS r Ittfrom around the state. The - `. Sports Commission has a very strong relationship 1 y a k with the WIAA, its staff $38 and executive board - ` j and continues its efforts -, to bring more WIAA MILLION IN FUTURE Tournaments to the EST. ECONOMIC TED ROBERTSON Yakima Valley. IMPACT COMMUNITY AWARD MICK HOFFMAN In 2023, Rich Austin of our ‘ i sports commission joined Dr. executive°'re`t°r,wiaa Gayle Brewer and Phil English The Yakima Valley Sports Commission continues to exceed in being recognized for their expectations regarding our WIAA partnership.Their service to the community innovative concepts and exceptional hospitality creates through sports with a Ted positive lifetime memories for our student participants. Robertson Community Service Award. MARKETING , & PROMOTION 500 , 318• 2023 was a year of growth through new SESSIONS ON OUR WEBSITES strategies and tools. Our partnership with A 23%INCREASE OVER 2022 Datafy provided new insights into our valley-wide visitor trends to reveal areas of • opportunity.We continued to apply solutions from our comprehensive digital audit by TwoSix Digital, incorporating new tactics and solutions. l� A FEW 2023 SUCCESSES: TACO & TAMALE s t +�" • Notable growth in traffic to TRAIL ,, VisitYakima.com, exceeding 2022 • sessions by 23%. • Recorded 10 out of 12 months with the highest number ever of monthly 011.11MMOWHIT THE • ONLY web sessions. . , OP I AT, • Saw a 23.5% increase in social '' :' -, ✓ media impressions, with a 50% � .,f . increase in social engagements for an 1r..:, _ . 3 f engagement rate increase of 21%. -I' .I ' ',• Z . • Completed Datafy programmatic ;r' advertising campaign, yielding 8.5 rs x. ........ million impressions and 802,527 video ` a • completions, exceeding our goals forVIA I VAA MA NM *� *-• the projects. • Launched a new digital passport for Looking forward, we're excited to make the most of the Yakima Valley Taco &Tamale Trail in what we gained in 2023. Community and industry partnership with the Central Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. partnerships and collaborations will play a key role in future strategies.As technology advances, we will take • Completed a social media campaign time to learn and evaluate new digital applications for that grew our opt-in marketing email promoting the destination. list by 33%. • Launched a new email marketing strategy with a redesign of consumer i i EDUARDO OLIVEIRA emails, increasing the open rate by 19% Owner,Freehand Cellars • Released three additional videos in Yakima Valley Tourism has a beautiful a brand new five-part "Come to the website, runs great campaigns and has a Source" series: Beer & Hop Country, committed and talented staff.They're a real Wine Country and Farm Fresh Fun. asset to the tourism industry in the Valley. Launched a YouTube ad campaign to promote the videos. MEMBERSHIP VISITOR SERVICES SERVICES Visitor information centers (VICs) have 100 , 000 i a proven record of serving visitors and inspiring them to extend their stays.They also serve residents. -.TRAVEL GUIDES PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED - Of < MOSTLY THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST -jam `r01.2 -Tu�� C �i1 AND KEY METROPOLITAN AREAS { ".� ,H�I\IIv FY I c! Mf-� .r- IR r YAKIMA VALLEY { ",,x`sr ff ` , ,,.' ' l► EL GUIDE e �` . a �,-=- TRAVEL 4 At the 4 �I '.4.._ ` end of the �� . � r' ' year, 296 -- .;:,; ` businesses and �! ; E organizations i ;� '�' le'° ®UICE were members ' ,r YAKIV S • of Yakima Valley ""� _ Tourism. Ourilk, members include restaurants, hotels, attractions, wineries, breweries, community organizations and more. In partnership with them, we worked to improve tourism in the Yakima Valley.Through member benefits that included1t6 , 904 website, travel guide, map, event promotion, brochure distribution and networking and , education opportunities, we increased visits to the ,r, ,_ PEOPLE SERVED Valley and generated exposure to potential visitors. With new travel guide distribution areas, as well IN-PERSON,BY PHONE,EMAIL&MAIL as advertising in new markets, we will see greater An increase of 73% over 2022 return on investments in the year ahead. Thirteen e-newsletters informed members about 2023 was a year of more activity and new ideas for tourism news and trends, marketing, sales tips and the Visitor Services Department, including pop-up opportunities.The popular Yakima Valley Official info booths at the Downtown Yakima Farmers Travel GuideTM and Yakima Area Map will return in Market and other locations.The main VIC remained 2024 with new featured listings, updated text and open with longer hours, allowing us to serve more refreshed photos. In addition, staff worked with guests and to be open more days of the week. In members on marketing opportunities via online addition to serving walk-in visitors, the main VIC advertising, our award-winning website and the handled hundreds of e-mail and mailed inquiries, Yakima Area, Craft Beverage and Farm Fresh maps. phone calls and relocation requests. WHAT ' S YAKIMA VALLEY STORE FOR 2024 Yakima Valley Tourism 10 North 8th St. • Yakima, WA 98901 Here are a few highlights from our 2024 Business Plan to 509.575.3010• VisitYakima.com grow tourism and improve our community: COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS YAKIMA VALLEY SPORTS COMMISSION • Continue to implement DestinationNEXT Strategic efforts, • Continue the strong relationship with the WIAA. including partner development,industry and staff training. • Build relationships with local and regional sporting • Pursue projects with our new Craft Beverage Committee. organizations,tournament directors and venues. • Develop new tourism products,facilities and • Continue to build awareness of the sports commission opportunities county wide. and the benefits of sporting events. • Build awareness of tourism's value to community • Promote better sportsmanship through the Know Your leaders and the public. RoleTM program. YAKIMA CONVENTION CENTER • Promote new and renovated sporting facilities to recruit sporting events. • Continue to showcase the 18,300-square-foot expansion and new amenities. DESTINATION MARKETING & PROMOTION • Pursue capital projects for the Center including • Implement data-driven strategies and brand practices. increased parking, a new headquarter hotel plus • Elevate the destination by promoting the four core restroom and audiovisual upgrades. pillars to attract visitors year-round. • Continue efforts to meet or exceed requirements of the • Foster industry and community partnerships to build Clean Building Law. collaborations and support our industry stakeholders. • Maximize Center use to meet budgeted income • Continue to advance the digital and social promotion and expenses. of the Yakima Valley, optimizing current strategies and CONVENTION & GROUP SALES developing new tools. • Generate sales leads and book conventions and room MEMBERSHIP SERVICES nights. Utilize the "Bring It Home" website program • Provide support and services to members, helping to as one tool. build their businesses. • Showcase the community via sales calls and meeting • Meet and solicit 100 potential members. planner events. • Build membership to 350 members and sustain a high • Work with the Yakima Convention & Event Center to level of retention. pursue conventions and events that meet criteria for the • Update, create and distribute the 2024 Official Yakima expanded facility. Valley Travel GuideTM. • Attract planners to the region for site tours and • Plan programs to boost business for community members. professional development. MEDIA & TRADE RELATIONS VISITOR & COMMUNITY SERVICES • Create and send pitches to travel media and to • Provide exceptional customer service at the two VIC influencers/content creators for partnerships. locations plus pop-up booths at select events. • Secure travel and lifestyle features of the Yakima Valley • Respond to more than 10,000 parties in person, mail, in a variety of media outlets. email and by phone. • Develop or support niche products and services that • Develop ways to bring new visitors and locals into attract and assist visitors. the information centers. Encourage travelers to • Attend industry trade and media shows, showcasing key extend their stay. attractions and events to attract visitors. • Assess the long-term needs for services,partners and locations. • Connect film production crews with local community • Continue to get the Mobile Info Center Kiosk (M.I.C.K.) assets and act as a liaison for other film production needs. at local events and attractions.