2014 ANNUAL REPORTIGNITING GLOBAL PASSION FOR KANSAS CITY

WHO WE ARE

VISIT KC IS … • A nonprofi t, 501(c)6 organization.• Committed to promoting and elevating Kansas City’s status as a prime spot for conventions, meetings, tour groups, business travel and leisure travel.• Directed by a board comprised of up to 30 civic and business leaders. • Supported by a full-time team of 41 employees and an on-call registration assistance staff of 30.• Supported by membership of more than 2,000 businesses involved in the local hospitality community. Visit KC members represent a variety of businesses including convention services, hotels, attractions, restaurants, transportation companies and others.

HISTORYOur organization was initially formed in 1918 as the hospitality arm of the Chamber of Commerce. On June 20, 1966, the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City became independently incorporated as a not-for-profi t corporation under the laws of the State of Missouri. Engaged on an annual basis by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Visit KC is a marketing and service organization charged with promoting existing convention, meeting and hotel facilities and to market related services and area attractions to association and corporate meeting planners, to individual business travelers and to the leisure travel market. In 2014, we adopted the name of Visit KC.

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, Missouri. The ordinances creating the tax provide that the proceeds are to be used for marketing and opera-tions of Visit KC. The organization’s budget is greatly enhanced by private funds raised through a variety of sources including membership subscriptions, advertising participa-tion and in-kind services.

VISIT KC VISIONTo serve as a primary catalyst for extraordinary and continuous economic growth of the Kansas City region convention and visitor industry.

MISSIONIgnite global passion for visiting Kansas City.

WHAT WE DO

SELL 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• A new offi ce for fi lm and emerging media, representing the region’s fi lm community

WELCOME & CONNECT TRAVELERS• Assist with the successful execution of more than 200 meetings and conventions each year• Maps, guides, apps and other visitor resources to help guests discover all there is to do in Kansas City

PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSESDrive traffi c to local hotels, attractions, restaurants and more than 2,000 businesses involved in the local community

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

ECONOMIC IMPACT• Visitors generate new money for our economy. • The economic impact of tourism on our region is more than $4.6 billion annually, including indirect and induced impact.

TOURISM MEANS JOBS• Visitors support 1 in every 19 jobs in our region. • This amounts to 45,107 jobs and $1.48 billion in wages.

TAX REVENUE• Visitors save residents money. Taxes paid by visitors save the average Kansas City household $490 in taxes annually.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT • Research shows that cities with strong visitor economies tend to grow faster than their peers. • A 10% increase in a destination’s visitor-related employ- ment relative to the U.S. average tends to be followed by a 1.5% rise in broader employment in the community.

Sources: Tourism Economics, Longwood International, U.S. Travel Association

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

2014 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS• Executed $1 million destination advertising campaign that generated 202,000

incremental hotel room nights and $71 million in incremental economic impact. The fi ve-state campaign realized a $73 return on investment for every Visit KCmedia dollar spent.

• Recorded Visit KC’s best year ever in terms of earned media coverage for the fi fth consecutive year—producing an estimated 161 million brand impressions for Kansas City. National exposure included major features by Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, NBC’s Today Show and Condé Nast Traveler.

• Unveiled a new-and-improved VisitKC.com, featuring a responsive design and improved navigation. The site witnessed 10 million page views in 2014, a new record.

• Generated 131 million brand impressions for Kansas City through social media cam- paigns, while surpassing 100,000 Likes on Facebook and 50,000 followers on Twitter. • Implemented integrated marketing campaigns to maximize publicity and interest in

events such as the 2014 MLB World Series, Kansas City Restaurant Week, March basketball, Downtown Dazzle and KC Streetcar Open for Business campaign.

• Amassed 32 million impressions for convention audiences through advertising in trade publications, earned media, social media and e-mail marketing.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

LEISURE MARKETING 2012 2013 2014

Media Budget $1,192,200 $1,095,165 $1,050,000

Local Media Partner Investment $625,000 $545,000 $490,000

State of Missouri Investment $420,680 $419,700 $411,668

Advertising Impressions 162,650,000 153,702,625 157,168,958

ROI per Media Dollar $75 $65 $73

CONVENTION MARKETING 2012 2013 2014

Advertising Impressions 2,479,281 2,081,965 6,653,837*

Convention Page Views 177,594 53,589 99,455

COMMUNICATIONS 2012 2013 2014

MEDIA RELATIONS

Journalists Hosted 57 97* 81

Stories in Target Markets 149 174 171

Publications Assisted 486 460 427

Earned Media Circulation 145,185,621 148,542,661 161,713,997

SOCIAL MEDIA

Total Followers 83,558 124,705 169,187

Impressions 42,197,229 82,745,475 131,553,449 * Includes 29 writers hosted during the fall 2013 MTWA meeting

INTERACTIVE MARKETING 2012 2013 2014

WEB TRAFFIC

Web Visits 2,142,776 2,505,697 2,792,696

Page Views 8,399,419 9,187,169 10,334,042

E-MAIL MARKETING

E-mails Delivered 1,768,379 1,473,346 1,116,503

E-mails Opened 211,345 233,362 241,920

MOBILE APPLICATION

Total Downloads 13,028 9,141 7,643

Mobile Application Sessions 48,851 48,301 23,810

* Increased online impressions

CONVENTION SALES

2014 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS• Achieved 98% of Visit KC’s room-night production goal—generating 333,923 room

nights and 309 bookings (both the highest totals since 2010). Convention Center bookings also rebounded, totaling 36 (a 10-year high).

• Hosted 111 personalized site visits to Kansas City, resulting in 64 new bookings that will generate $71 million in economic impact.

• Increased awareness and visibility of Kansas City by attending 23 industry tradeshows, representing 640 customer interactions.

• Showcased Kansas City to 36 clients during four themed familiarization trips through-out the year.

• Conducted 12 personalized sales trips to key markets, calling on 103 prospective buyers.

MEETINGS HELD IN KC 2012 2013 2014

Conventions 227 183 253

Room Nights 269,882 275,036 295,920

Attendance 331,925 313,977 342,115

Economic Impact $222,016,225 $229,917,338 $282,784,939

CONVENTION SALES ACTIVITY 2012 2013 2014

Meetings Booked 210 232 309

Defi nite Room Nights 236,343 305,869 333,923

Leads Generated 669 654 763

Tentative Room Nights 1,054,258 1,122,161 1,205,209

Site Visits 100 119 111

Convention Center Bookings 31 30 36

Convention Center Room Nights 158,744 202,398 203,883

Educational Testing Service Advanced Placement Reading June 2019 • 26,957

Cerner Annual Health Conference October 2015 • 14,654

Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine National Convention August 2017 • 14,622

Junior Volleyball Association World Challenge April 2016 • 10,870

NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship & American Volleyball Coaches Association Annual Meeting December 2017 • 10,578

NeighborWorks America National Training Institute May 2018 • 9,735

National Title I Association Annual Conference January 2019 • 9,032

National Soccer Coaches Association of America Annual Convention January 2019 • 8,740

Evangelical Free Church of America National Youth Conference July 2018 • 8,010

WorldVentures United April 2015 • 7,772

CVC Kansas City August 2016 • 7,165

National Square Dance Convention Annual Convention June 2018 • 6,650

Merck & Co. Insomnia Product Launch February 2015 • 6,278

North American Christian Convention Annual Summer National Gathering June 2017 • 5,730

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World National Summer Convention August 2016 • 5,640

International House of Prayer Onething Conference December 2016 • 5,445

United Pentecostal Church International General Conference September 2017 • 5,155

MAJOR BOOKINGS IN 2014ORGANIZATION --- MEETING DATE --- ROOM NIGHTS

NOTEWORTHY RANKINGSTop 10 U.S. Destinations for 2014 – Lonely Planet

America’s #1 Affordable Getaway – Travel + Leisure

Best Affordable Destinations in the USA – U.S. News & World Report

5 Up-and-Coming Tourism Cities - ShermansTravel.com

7 Off-the-Grid Travel Destinations Defi nitely Worth a Visit – Huffi ngton Post

America’s Most Underrated Cities for Millennials – Condé Nast Traveler

Best World Series City for Baseball Travel – Mapquest

Top Five Cities to Keep On Your Radar – Huffi ngton Post

Friendliest Cities in America – Men’s Health

6 Underrated American Cities For LGBT Travelers – Condé Nast Traveler

Five Emerging Food Towns – Celebrated Living

7 Underrated but Intriguing U.S. Cities You Need to Visit – Yahoo! Travel

America’s Safest Cities for Drivers – Allstate

Top Five Cities with Up-and-Coming Downtowns – Fortune

America’s Leading Design Cities – The Atlantic

Top 20 Cities to Find a Job – wallethub.com

10 High-Tech Cities You’ll Want to Call Home – PC Mag

Top 5 Cities for Holiday Travel – Orbitz, NBC’s Today Show

DESTINATION SERVICES

2014 ACCOMPLISHMENT• Assisted with the successful execution of 253 meetings in Kansas City, including 19 citywide conventions. • Maintained Kansas City’s position as the second-largest membership-based CVB in the country at 2,012 partners. Maintained a membership retention rate of 91 percent. • Generated more than $242,000 in revenue through convention housing reservations. • Presented the fi fth annual KC Restaurant Week in partnership with the Greater Kansas

City Restaurant Association, raising a record-breaking $275,000 for three local charities.• Assisted with promotions and support of the MLB World Series, American League Champion Series, the Republican National Convention bid and other major events throughout the year. • Hosted the 8th Annual Visitors’ Choice Awards, a program that recognizes traveler

favorites in 50 categories.

MEMBERSHIP 2012 2013 2014

Corporate 83 82 84

Community Partnerships 27 29 35

All Dining 708 712 677

Retail 479 514 533

Downtown 471 498 409

All Other Categories 362 226 274

Total Membership 2,130 2,061 2,012

Retention 95% 93% 91%

PARTNER REVENUES 2012 2013 2014

Membership Dues $221,355 $222,800 $267,900

Hotel Lead Share $186,052 $209,014 $252,616

Web/Collateral Advertising $48,939 $58,856 $42,090

Marketing Campaign Partners $625,000 $545,00 $473,500

TOTAL $1,081,346 $1,035,670 $1,036,106

TOURISM AMBASSADORS 2012 2013 2014

Certifi ed Tourism Ambassadors 585 602 356

CTA Renewals 216 237 183

Retention Rate 62% 53% 45%

2014 KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS• Generated more than $6.4 million in tax revenue for the city, following the successful

passage of legislation to lift the Convention/Tourism Tax exemption allowed for non-profi ts.

• Orchestrated the lease and construction of Visit KC’s new downtown headquarters, opening in March 2015.

• Continued evaluation and update of staff programming/development in support of “igniting passion for Kansas City.”

• Facilitated a company-wide update of CRM and CMS platforms. • Updated network infrastructure to accommodate increased web traffi c demand tied to multiple projects, including Kansas City Restaurant Week. • Maintained the Visit KC’s successful college internship program.

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

2014 REVENUES

Net Convention Tourism Tax $6,496,537

Arena Business Fees $1,1,79,539

Advertising Participation $540,178

State Co-Op Marketing $422,565

Membership Dues $267,900

Hotel Consumption Program $252,616

Convention Services Revenue $134,026

Advertising Sales $42,090

Other Revenues $1,449,190

TOTAL REVENUE $9,615,239

2014 EXPENDITURES BY TARGET AUDIENCE

33%

44%

18%

5%

Convention Sales - $4,252,500 • 44%

Destination Marketing - $3,147,565 • 33%

Operational - $1,722,193 • 18%

Local Projects - $ 492,980 • 5%

AWARDS HONORSMEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MAGAZINE• Gold Service Award, Visit KC

FACILITIES & DESTINATIONS MAGAZINE• Prime Site Award, Kansas City Convention & Entertainment Facilities

CORPORATE & INCENTIVE TRAVEL MAGAZINE• Award of Excellence, Visit KC

CVENT• Top 50 Meeting Destinations – Kansas City, MO

PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF AMERICA, KANSAS CITY• Gold PRISM Award – Best Special Publication, Visit KC Magazine• Gold PRISM Award – Best Social Media Campaign, Kansas City Restaurant Week

SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB OF KANSAS CITY• Silver AMP Award – Real-Time/Event Based Social Media Campaign, 2014 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship

KC BUSINESS MAGAZINE• Rising Stars of Kansas City Business – Derek Klaus

The Visit KC team is dedicated to the industry—100% of our team members are Certifi ed Tourism Ambassadors and more than 1/3 hold additional accreditations in industry programming.

2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIR Brenda Tinnen, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Sprint Center/AEG

VICE CHAIR Gayle Holliday, Ph.D., President, G & H Consulting, LLC

TREASURER Kevin Pistilli, President, Raphael Hotel Group

• Vic Allred, President, Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen

• Kay Barnes (Ex Offi cio Board Member); Director/Distinguished Professor

for Public Leadership, Park University

• Grant Burcham, President & CEO, Missouri Bank & Trust

• Cindy Circo, Mayor Pro-Tem; Councilwoman, Fifth District At-Large,

City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Mark Donovan, President, Kansas City Chiefs Football Club

• Arzelia Gates, Corporate Secretary, Gates Bar-B-Q Corporation

• Bill George, President, Kansas City Transportation Group

• Steve Klika, Commissioner, Third District, Johnson County, Kansas

• Mike Klingensmith, General Manager, Embassy Suites KCI

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

• Bill Lucas, President, Crown Center

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

• Jan Marcason, Councilwoman, Fourth District, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Bradley McCormack, Partner, The Sader Law Firm

• Oscar McGaskey, Jr. (Ex Offi cio Board Member); Department of Convention

and Entertainment Facilities, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• Rachel Merlo, Community Manager, Kansas City, Google Fiber

• Jeanette Prenger, President, ECCO Select Corporation

• Clayton Reid, President, MMGY Global

• CiCi Rojas, President & CEO, Central Exchange

• Rosemary Salerno, General Manager, Zona Rosa Development, LLC

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

• Steve Shalit, Complex General Manager, Westin Crown Center/Sheraton Kansas City

Hotel at Crown Center

• Angie Stanland, Vice President of Associate Services & Recruiting, Cerner Corporation

• Jon Stephens, President, Rockhill Strategic

• Troy A. Stremming (Immediate Past Chair); Executive Vice President of Government

Relations & Public Affairs, Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.

• Scott Wagner, Councilman, First District At-Large, City of Kansas City, Missouri

• 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

All Seasons Party Rental, Inc. • American Academy of Family Physicians • Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City • Anderson Restaurant Group • Aramark Sports & Entertainment

Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa • Arrow Stage Lines • Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City • Boulevard Brewing Co. • Brancato’s Catering • Briarcliff Village

Brookside Shopping District • City Center Square Food Gallery • The College Basketball Experience • Conference Center & Town Pavilion Rotunda • Corinth Square Shops

Country Club Bank, N.A. • Crossroads Arts District • Crown Center • Downtown Overland Park • Enterprise Rent-A-Car • Excelsior Springs Area Chamber of Commerce

Fern • Gates Bar-B-Q • Greater Kansas City Attractions Association • Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association • Harrah’s Casino and Hotel

Harvest Productions, Inc. • Highwoods Properties, Inc. • Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway • Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Kansas City

Image Technologies Corporation • Independence Events Center • Isle of Capri Casino • JE Dunn Construction • Johnson County Community College

Kansas City Area Transportation Authority • Kansas City Aviation Department • Kansas City Chiefs • Kansas City International Airport • Kansas City Power & Light District

Kansas City Royals • Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation • Kansas City Star Company • Kansas City T-Bones Baseball Club • Kansas City Transportation Group

Kansas City Zoo • Kauffman Stadium • KC Live! Block • KCI Expo Center • Lathrop and Gage • Legends Outlets Kansas City • Liberty Exposition Services, Inc.

Main Street Parkville Association • Miami County, KS • Mid-America Minority Business Development Council • National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art • Overland Park Convention Center • Park Place • Pepsi Beverage Co. • Pizza Hut • Prairiefi re • Pro Staff • The Roasterie, Inc.

Sarpino’s Pizzeria • Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark • Sprint • Sprint Center • The Village Shops • Town Center Plaza • University of Missouri-Kansas City

Urban League of Greater Kansas City, The • Vista Productions, Inc. • Waldo Area Shops & Nightlife • Weston Chamber of Commerce • Westport • Worlds of Fun • Zona Rosa

CORPORATE CIRCLE PARTNERS

1321 Baltimore AvenueKansas City, MO 64105816-691-3800 • 800-767-7700

VISITKC.COM