2016-326-E Visitors Bureau - Conventions Sports & Leisure for feasibility study of potential new convention center, etc. in OC

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DocuSign Envelope ID: 137AC14B-6250-4081-9084-0BF0B086A047 Ms. Laurie Paolicelli June 3, 2016 Page 4 of 13 the associated development scenarios, financial operations, and economic and fiscal impacts of future development scenarios. Step 4. Analysis of Industry Trends The convention, tradeshow and visitor-oriented event facility industries have undergone significant change recently and over the past decade. Issues impacting the industries, including changing demand for event space, technological amenities, hotel availability, service levels and other such characteristics, have been joined by recent, and sometimes dramatic, fluctuations in event activity due to nationwide economic conditions and travel costs. In addition, supply growth has impacted demand levels in individual markets. Further, meeting planner site selection and decision making processes have evolved somewhat in recent years. For example, meeting planners are increasingly focused on factors that impact the experience of the event attendee, including access to hotels, restaurants and entertainment. Many planners have also placed greater importance on the issue of environment sustainability of a facility in terms of selection criteria. CSL understands these and related important characteristics and how they have and will continue to affect the industry. Our understanding of industry trends and their implications on specific markets is something that we take very seriously, as demonstrated by our ongoing dedication of significant staff resources to important industry research efforts. We are constantly researching the industry from the perspective of event planners, conducting upwards of a thousand individual meeting planner interviews on an annual basis. We will evaluate how the local market may be impacted by emerging industry trends, summarizing the potential impact on the expansion and improvements to area visitor-oriented event facilities, and the potential for creative development characteristics tailored to the demand unique to the market. An evaluation of these trends will be important in placing overall market demand estimates into the context of the industry, presently and into the foreseeable future. Step 5. Market Demand/Survey Research The purpose of this step is to develop primary industry research highly specific to the visitor- oriented event facility market within the Orange County destination. In-person, one-on-one interviews and/or focus groups with key local individuals and business leaders are conducted near the outset of the study to gain an understanding of the community's attitude toward the market potential for new Orange County visitor-oriented event facility development. These interviews could include individuals such as CHOCVB representatives, County officials, City officials, management and staff of existing event facilities, hotel and other visitor industry representatives, business/Chamber of Commerce leaders, downtown organizations, government officials, public sector staff and other civic and visitor industry representatives. Beyond these local interviews, we interview (via telephone) a large sample of past and potential future users of a new visitor-oriented event facility from a state, regional and national basis. Such interviews allow us to go beyond simply relying on competitive and comparable facility data in order to develop market demand findings. In addition, this type of direct outreach to event planners can support our analysis of emerging industry trends from a demand perspective and in terms of the unique facility features that may provide a future competitive advantage to any new visitor-oriented event facility in Orange County.