CH-OCVB minutes 011817 - Laserfiche WebLink

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their members as it relates to the "weaponization" of travel through boycott. Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) and US Travel have made a commitment to fund a communications strategy and work with governors and legislatures that have these bans in place. Twenty -three states have federal court issues with LGBTQ rights. NC is not unique in "bathroom bills." Laurie Paolicelli asked Mark Sherburne to speak about the trends in the market. Looking forward from about the time HB2 was passed and Huron completed their work at UNC you could see the market softening and cracks beginning in the system. April and October should be by far the busiest months of the year and in 2016 they were not. To increase market share a hotel will lower their rates and then everyone else must follow suit. This past October hotels were charging shoulder rates and some of this has improved post - election as people seemed uneasy during that period. He shared that looking into the future, occupancy seems to be growing but rates are not. Chair Waldorf introduced Kristi Kais, Sales Manager for the Hyatt Place which will open this spring. Chair Waldorf recognized Andrew Strickland who has recently moved from the Residence Inn to the new AC Marriott, opening in mid - October 2017. Modular rooms will be built in PA and shipped here two at a time. It is a new Marriott lifestyle product incorporating 123 rooms and lots of communal space. Guest /host speakers Laurie Paolicelli introduced Stephanie Brown from the Ashville /Buncombe CVB who reported that they have a staff of twenty -five and a budget of $14.5 million. They were established in 1983 by state legislation to administer the occupancy tax and are mandated to generate room nights; creating a sustainable investment to grow the tourism economy. There board is comprised of 9 members appointed by the City, County and Chamber of Commerce with Buncombe County being the fiscal agent and focus being on destination promotion. Their occupancy tax is 6% with % of that dedicated to sales and marketing and % for Tourism Product Development, which they accomplish through grant awards. They have experienced a 17.6% increase in taxable lodging sales in the last ten years. Eighty -three percent of the lodging revenue comes from Hotel /Motel with the remainder coming from vacation rentals and B &Bs. As a result of their PR and marketing endeavors they have had 746 targeted pitches, 204 media site visits and 3.8 billion impressions. Their video assets have experienced 6 million views. Their new website ExploreAshville.com has 120 pieces of new content, 100 navigation pages, 4 million user sessions and 72% new site visits. Their most recent expansion markets being: Washington DC metro, Florida — Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Miami. Broadcast focus is on networks that reach at least 10% of the target which provides brand - suitable alignment. Print advertising is in premium national titles that reach an upscale, travel- minded audience via a blend of travel and lifestyle content layered with regional buys that reach travel intenders such as Garden & Gun, Traveler, Our State, Atlanta Magazine, National Geographic Traveler and Travel + Leisure. One of their focuses is on establishing Asheville as a top music town. New on their music website is: explore Asheville radio, comprehensive live music calendar, streaming video with IAMAVL and editorial content and an advertising campaign targeting music enthusiasts, music culture PR and content push and music sizzle radio. A tourism market development fund was established in 2001 which established a committee to evaluate applications and recommend projects to the BCTDA for funding. This grant program provides a funding stream for capital development projects what will significantly increase patronage of lodging facilities in Buncombe County. TPDF has awarded $27 million to 32 projects since the fund's inception. George Cianciolo asked about the success rate they have experience after making 32 grants totaling $27 million for tourism market development and she replied that, overall yes, and somethings have added value in a less conventional manner and have added things to do that ultimately enhance a visitor's experience and create assets a small business can use. 2 1 P a g e CHOCVB BOD Meeting January18, 2017