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COMMUNITY SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION REPORT

Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau (RCVB)

May 2018

Tracking TOT

Lodging property revenue reported in May was $4,521,595.00, which is the actual lodging business revenue for April, generating $452,159.50 for the City of Redding. This is a 4.2 percent increase over May of 2017, for a fiscal year-to-date increase of 7.0 percent.

Turtle Bay Numbers

Turtle Bay Visitor Desk – year-to-year comparison for Visitor Statistics:

May – 2017 May – 2018 Directions 71 39 RV Info 2 15 Hotel Info 5 9 Marina/Camping 20 24 Food 47 34 Shopping 31 23 Activities/Maps 331 309 Total Visitor Requests 507 453

Marketing and Advertising:

1. The RCVB has several e-newsletters that generate both exposure and interest for travel to Redding, and Hot Spot Travel is one of those e-newsletters. The May edition focused on Redding’s summer water recreation (see right) driving 1,011 clicks to the Visit Redding website, of which 1,007 were new users. The newsletter accounted for nearly 17 percent of the website traffic to VisitRedding.com from May 16-19.

2. An interactive trails map was implemented on the Visit Redding site, replacing the old static photo of the Trails Map Brochure. The new map allows for users to see where Redding’s trails are located, zoom in and out, and click on individual trails for more information, photos, and directions. The map is a big improvement over the previous display and received more than 500 views within the first week of going live.

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3. The RCVB decided to do an editorial takeover with Weekend Sherpa, a popular site for weekend travelers, for the week of April 23. The Weekend Sherpa e-newsletter is targeted toward and reaches 219,000 readers who are interested in outdoor adventure. The April e-newsletter (see right) consisted entirely of four different articles on the Redding area, and a short video they filmed highlighting activities in the Redding area such as biking the Sacramento River National Recreation Trail, kayaking on Whiskeytown Lake, and hiking in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. The editorial takeover had a 12 percent click through rate (CTR), which was a 10 percent increase from Weekend Sherpa’s average CTR.

Public Relations:

1. The RCVB continues to promote Redding by hosting travel writers and influencers to inspire consumers to visit the area. During May, the RCVB hosted three media trips: Maya Stanton of Budget Travel, influencer and blogger Marissa Pedersen of Postcards To Seattle, and family travel influencer and blogger Karilyn Owen of No Back Home. Hosting Budget Travel was a result from a personal deskside meeting in January; Postcards To Seattle was from a deskside in November; and No Back Home was a contact made from Visit California’s Los Angeles Media Reception in April. In addition to those three visits, 10 earned media articles (or free media which refers to publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid media advertising), were published in May about Redding for a total reach of 43.4 million. See the table below for the links to the articles:

Publication Article Reach ShermansTravel Redding, CA: A Budget-friendly Alternative to Tahoe

this summer 1.8M UMV

ShermansTravel 7 Underrated Northern California Wonders for less than $50: In photos

1.8M UMV

ShermansTravel 6 Underrated Northern California Wonders for less than $50

1.8M UMV

Visit California How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Shasta Cascade 200K UMV Visit California 8 Things You May Not Know About CA National Parks 200K UMV Postcards To Seattle A Guide to Redding, California’s Outdoor Paradise 146K UMV Postcards To Seattle Where to Hike in the Shasta Cascade 146K UMV Postcards To Seattle Social Media: 24 posts, plus Instagram Story 129K UMV What A Trip How to Fly Fish the Sacramento River in Redding, CA 37K UMV Cheapism 20 Summer Weekend Getaways for Travelers on a

Budget 119K UMV

USA Today 100 Ways to Savor Strawberries in May (Plumas Pines) 37M UMV TOTAL 43.4M UMV

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2. A three-month social media campaign to inspire hotel stays and travel to Redding concluded in April with strong results in YouTube, social media (Facebook and Instagram), and Google AdWords. YouTube served pre-roll ads that generated 103,321 views out of 204,850 impressions for a 50.4 percent video view rate. The travel and hospitality industry average is 29.9 percent with the Mayor’s MTB Challenge video garnering the most views. On the social media campaign, five different carousel ads were served to a targeted audience about family travel, things to do, national and state parks, waterfalls, and upcoming annual events. Visit Redding generated 30,180 link clicks on its 946,611 impressions for a CTR of 3.22 percent, which is triple the national average of 0.94 percent for the travel and hospitality industry for social media campaigns. In the Google AdWords/Search campaign, Visit Redding’s 4.8 percent CTR was more than double the national average for the industry (2.18 percent) and cost $3.44 per click, proving the campaign delivered relevant search results to the targeted audience. This campaign was planned in December and implemented February through April.

3. Four new articles were posted to the Visit Redding blog: 3 Scenic Drives Around Redding You Should Treat Your Car To, the 5 Waterfalls in a Day: Redding's Waterfall Loop, The Perfect Pairing: Tots & Craft Beer at Woody's Brewing Company, and the Trails Galore: Mountain Biking Culture Rising in Redding. A promotional boost of the Waterfall article (see right), reached 17,269 people and had a 3.1 percent CTR.

International:

1. Laurie Baker and Lisa May conducted 47 in-person meetings at International PowWow (IPW) in May with international tour operators, receptive operators, and the media in 20-minute appointment sessions. In each appointment, Laurie and Lisa shared information on the attractions and natural wonders in and around Redding with a goal of getting new tour operators to add Redding as a destination to visit for their international clients and for the media to give exposure and inspiration to future travelers. Due to those meetings, the office has already started on the following: campaigns in China, Mexico, the UK, Canada, and with Priceline. Plans were made for edits to the international brochure with language translations in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and French. Future meetings were established with many operators and media publications covering the motorhome industry, motorcycle industry, military, national parks, rafting, fishing, and breweries, all creating itineraries of the Redding area to sell to their clientele.

2. The RCVB and Shasta-Cascade Wonderland Association’s (SCWA) partnership in a Chinese e-marketing campaign continues to show growth with our WeChat followers in China and increased visits to our Chinese webpage. This is a one-year campaign from June 2017 to May 2018. The campaign includes a Chinese webpage, WeChat, and our Chinese video on YouKu. Results through March 2018 are: 3,205 WeChat followers with 12 articles posted on WeChat from

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January through March 2018 with 18,915 reads. The campaign increased web traffic to our Chinese webpage by 41 percent from January through March with 18,279 visits to our webpage. The majority webpage visitors are from mainland China with the breakdown as follows: 82 percent from mainland China, eight percent U.S., six percent Canada, and four percent from other countries.

Conferences/Meetings/Conventions/Trade Shows Attended:

1. California Film Commission Board meeting: May 1, 2018; Sacramento, CA; Sabrina Jurisich

2. Film Liaisons In California Statewide Board Meeting: May 4, 2018; Los Angeles, CA; Sabrina Jurisich

3. Film In California Conference: May 5, 2018; Los Angeles, CA; Sabrina Jurisich

4. Amgen Tour of California: May 17, 2018; Elk Grove, CA; Sabrina Jurisich

5. International PowWow (IPW): May 20-23, 2018; Denver, CO.; Laurie Baker and Lisa May

6. Smart Meeting West National: May 23-25, 2018; Phoenix, AZ; Jennifer Fontana

Shasta County Film Commission Sports Commission & Local Event Coordinator:

Generating new group business for sports, local festivals, and/or film activity:

1. Film Shasta continues to saturate social media with targeted ad placements directed at industry professionals and by providing relevant material on a regular basis to followers. Our Facebook page surpassed the 2,000 “Likes” threshold this month. In May, Film Shasta highlighted Subway

Cave and Shasta Caverns in an e-newsletter as well as on social media. The Film Commissioner attended the Film In California Conference, which provided direct access to decision-makers for the purpose of sharing that Shasta County is a film friendly destination. The event had 499 attendees and several location managers expressed interest in participating in a Film

familiarization trip to explore the diversity of locations available. In addition to these new contacts, the film office responded and assisted nine productions with permit, location, and scouting support. Top locations included Lassen, Lake Shasta Caverns, Shasta Lake, Whiskeytown, French Gulch, county roads, Lakehead, Bella Vista, Cottonwood, Simpson University, Subway Cave, Turtle Bay, Sheraton, Mosaic, Sundial, Hedge Creek, Burney, and downtown Redding businesses. In addition, three productions were hosted for a total of three prep days and 14 days of filming in the following locations: Lassen, Burney, Hat Creek, Subway Cave, Gold Hills, Oak Bottom, Whiskeytown, Diestelhorst Bridge, Cascade Theatre, several downtown Redding businesses, BLM trails, county roads, Historical Society, and

Promotional Shoot in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Commercial Shoot Scout at Hat Creek Rim

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Lower Springs for a total of 112 room nights. Estimated economic impact for these productions is $115,500.

2. Due to ongoing follow-up from the National Association of Sports Commissioners Symposium, GWN Dragon Boat, National Softball Association, Baseball Players Association; SCRIPPS, Spartan Race, Powerboat Nationals, MLS Soccer, American Lacrosse, CAN-AM Police Fire Games, American Junior Golf Association, PRO Watercross, National Beep Baseball Association, Adrenaline Sports – Santa Hustle, Fundracer, U.S. Flag & Touch Football League, all are showing a strong interest in bringing their events to Redding. We are working with local organizations on details and logistics to determine viability of these events for Redding.

3. The RCVB agreed to support the Cascade Theatre as part of our commitment to the Redding Cultural District and its mural project. This project will highlight various attractions and businesses within the district and will feature Visit Redding contact information in the final rendering. Another local event the RCVB is partnering with is the Shasta County Mini Maker Faire which had 2,800 attendees in 2016 and is expected to generate more than 300 room nights. The RCVB also will provide support to the Niner Empire Nor Cal BBQ, which is expected to generate 150-300 room nights.

*As an affiliation with California Film Commission and Film Liaisons in California Statewide (FLICS), and as a standard of good Film Office procedure, we are commonly obligated to conform to privacy laws and to keep filming information provided by filmmakers, producers, and location managers private. The relationship of trust built with filming organizations encourages an open dialogue which allows us to be more capable of offering services to them, enticing them to bring their projects to us.

Local Collaborative Events:

1. 49er Originals; June 23, 2018, Enterprise Park;

2. Shasta County Mini Maker Faire: Sept. 15, 2018, Shasta District Fairgrounds;

3. Manhattan Short Film Festival: Sept. 28, 2018; Cascade Theatre;

4. Firereel Film Festival: October 2018, Cascade Theatre;

5. Shasta Trail Runs: Multiple Events 2018-19, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area;

6. CASA Superhero Run: Nov. 4, 2018, Redding Civic Auditorium;

7. Classic Film Series; Spring 2019, Cascade Theatre;

8. Shasta Mud Run; May 11, 2019, Ross Ranch.

Industry Relations & Group Coordinator:

Generating new group business for meetings and conventions:

1. During the Smart Meetings West National Conference, 21 appointments were conducted with new contacts, 15 of which showed interest in scheduling a future site visit to discover what Redding can offer to their clients and attendees. During the conference, keynote speakers focused their presentations on how planners can create new experiences for attendees inside the

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conference room and provide opportunities for activities outside the conference room. This concept gave the perfect opening for conversations with meeting planners about how Redding is the ideal location for unique outside experiences. (Redding’s ad header has been “What’s on The Outside Counts Too”) As an added bonus, the RCVB Group Coordinator was interviewed by Smart Meetings TV on Facebook Live (see right) to discuss why planners should bring their meetings to Redding. The interview was posted to Smart Meetings’ Facebook page with more than 5,000 followers. Only 10 interviewees were chosen during the three-day conference and the RCVB interview had the most views with more than 1,400.

2. After the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS) Annual Training Institute Conference was held in April, the RCVB gathered responses from a survey about the attendee’s perspective of their Redding conference experience. In leading up to the conference date, the RCVB encouraged attendees to register for excursions around Redding; what they shared about the experience was informative.

• The survey received responses from 38 percent of the 307 attendees; • Of those who provided feedback, 65 percent had never been to the Redding area; • 93 percent visited an attraction or restaurant separate from the conference; • 73 people shared open-ended feedback about their experience in Redding away from the

conference, 60 percent of which supplied positive comments about the mountains and scenery, amazing weather, clean air, friendly people, and outdoor excursions or attractions. Negative feedback was received from 17 responses, nine about travel difficulties and six about racial discrimination from community members.

Groups, Conventions, Sports and Festivals:

In Proposal:

1. United Post Master and Managers Convention: April 2019, for an estimated 200 room nights.

2. National Tour Association – Third Quarter Board of Directors Meeting: August 2018, for 43 total room nights. (Redding was not chosen for lack of international airport).

3. Annual Rotary District Conference: May 2020, for approximately 400 attendees*

4. Amateur Sports Alliance of North America: Big League Dreams and the California Soccer Park are being considered for this event, which anticipates between 500 and 750 room nights.

5. BASS Nationals Fishing Tournament: 2019, Shasta Lake is being considered for a return event with an anticipated 300 room nights.

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6. Fishing League Worldwide (FLW): Shasta Lake is being considered for the 2018 or 2019 annual tournament. This three-day event has an average of 356 anglers. Following the tournament, FLW is looking to host a single-day high school fishing event to introduce the next generation to fishing. FLW was last in Redding in 2016 and the event rotates between various locations in California.

7. Fishers of Men: Legacy Series Championships fishing tournament in 2018 or 2019. There is also the possibility of its 2019 Team Series National Championship at Shasta Lake depending on if the RCVB can find a local coordinator. These are multi-day events that average between 147 and 460 room nights.

8. Fundracer Events: Great Inflatable Race in 2018/2019. The event organizer is preparing to submit an application for use of Enterprise Park.

9. International Slow Pitch Softball (ISPS): Big League Dreams is being considered for the NorCal and State Championship site for 2018. This three-day event would yield approximately 600 room nights and has the potential to become an annual event.

10. National Youth Sports Association: Foothill High School is in discussion with the event organizer to determine viable dates for Summer Champion Tour Series. This event would bring in 50 to 100 teams for each of the three tournaments, estimating 450 room nights. (Dates would not work with high schools).

11. Tough Mudder: Nash Ranch is being considered for this event, which has the potential to bring 1,500 to 2,500 room nights.

12. USA Cycling: Mt. Shasta Ski Park is being considered for a 2019 event, anticipating at least 5,000 room nights.

Upcoming:

1. California State Association of Counties Training Institute for Excellence in County Government: January through October 2018 (one day trainings every month for 50 attendees); Best Western Plus Hilltop/CR Gibbs – estimated 100 total room nights.

2. Joy Holiday Tour Bus – multiple trips from May to October 2018.

3. Making Memories Tours: August 21, 2018; Red Lion – 27 room nights.

4. Lions Council of Governors Annual Conference: Aug. 1-3, 2018; Red Lion – estimated 160 room nights.*

5. Good Times Travel Tour Company: September 2018; Hampton Inn & Suites – 64 room nights.

6. National Softball Association: Nov. 3, 2018; Big League Dreams – anticipating 1,500 room nights.

7. Wild West Bass Tournament: January 11-13 & February 2-3, 2019; Shasta Lake – anticipating 300 room nights

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8. USA Softball 2019 National Championships for girls U14; U16 & U18 B divisions for softball. Tentative dates for this tournament are scheduled for July 23-28, 2019, with a potential of 1,900 room nights.

9. California Nevada Hawaii State Association Emblem Club (CNHSAEC) Annual Convention: May 1-4, 2020; Holiday Inn – estimated 500 room nights.

10. The Western Section of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting: February 3-7, 2020; Red Lion & Holiday Inn, with an expected attendance of 500 people, and the possibility of more than 1,000 total room nights.

Recent:

1. Kool April Nites: April 21-29, 2018; Redding Civic Auditorium; Final report summary to be included in June monthly report after its wrap-up meeting.

2. Never Forgotten Games: May 5, 2018; Shasta High School; This event had a 50 percent increase in participants from last year and the RCVB offered marketing support, which included development of marketing materials to promote the event moving forward, mainly with a highlight video of the event and a social media campaign. The social campaign was delivered 40,504 times to 21,619 people and had a cost-per-click (CPC) to read about the event of $0.71.

3. Shasta Mud Run: May 12, 2018; Ross Ranch; Shasta Mud Run (see right) held another successful event with 1,648 total participants of which 155 were from more than a one-hour drive away, resulting in 55 room nights. The social campaign for the Shasta Mud Run was delivered 86,541 times to 48,831 people and generated 702 link clicks to the registration page of the event for a CPC of $0.62. * Denotes a joint effort of Redding Convention and Visitors Bureau and lodging facilities with client communication.