2011 Annual Report

Merriam Visitors Bureau

Have you ever heard the saying, “if you don’t like the weather in

Kansas, come back tomorrow?” It’s true. The weather can change

in a moment’s notice here in our beautiful state, and apparently, so

too can the changing tide of this unpredictable economy. Moving

beyond the recession proved to be an enormous challenge for

destinations across the globe. Fortunately for Merriam, the 2011

tourism economy fared remarkably better than in recent years’ past.

In fact, according to Smith Travel Research, Merriam hotel revenue

increased 8.6% over 2010 earnings. Although we were able to see a

positive shift on the horizon early in the year, history has also taught

us to tighten our belts in preparation of those uncertain rainy days

which can come in a flash.

Due in no small part to the operational efficiencies of our part-time

staff and the combined efforts of numerous beneficial partnerships,

the Bureau was once again able to complete the year in a positive

financial position without compromising our unparalleled service to

those who choose to visit our community.

We recognize that visitors are faced with millions of travel decisions

every single day. From where to go and what to do, to how to get

there and where to sleep, we appreciate and are humbled by those

who include Merriam, Kansas in their itineraries. Whether on

business or pleasure here in Merriam, we thank you for your

continued patronage of our community and welcome you back again

and again. Thanks for making 2011 a refreshing year.

-- Karen Crane CTA KDS

Director, Merriam Visitors Bureau

Weathering the storm…

• Merriam generated 114, 487 hotel room nights

• Johnson County ranks 1st amongst 25 Kansas counties in hotel

demand and revenue

• One in every nine Kansas citizens work in travel and tourism

which makes the industry the 3rd largest employer in the State

• These numbers equal $800 in tax savings per Kansas household

• The top six markets to the Kansas City region are:

Missouri (27.2%) Kansas (20.2%)

Oklahoma (6%) Nebraska (5.1%)

Iowa (5.1%) Texas (4.8%)

• 63% of overnight leisure guests to Kansas City came to visit

friends and relatives (VFR). Over half these guests stay in hotels.

• Top 10 Activities include:

• Visitors to KC’s 5-county region spent a total of $2.567 billion: Lodging (26.4%)

Food & Beverage (22.8%)

Shopping (19.4%)

Local & Air Transportation (18.4%)

Recreation (13.0%)

2011 numbers at a glance

Shopping (40%)

Fine Dining (21%)

Casino (15%)

Museum (13%)

Swimming (10%)

Nightlife (10%)

Business Meetings (9%)

Theme Park (6%)

Pro/College Sports Events (6%)

Without cooperative partnerships and valuable connections, Merriam would not be able to reach near the market, nor mass number of people that we can by working with others in the industry. From packaged travel options to shared advertising, we closely consider every opportunity to reach out to our target markets with partners in our region.

• Year two, in-market “visiting friends and relatives” campaign which encourages residents in the regional Kansas City area to invite friends and family to come for a visit, stay longer and do more.

• TourKANSAS “Meet Me in St. Louis” Group Travel Showcase. Twenty-five vendors, one day, one room and tons of itineraries for the group travel planner to consider in Kansas. Merriam attended and confirmed a booking on-site, plus over 30 new planners now have detailed access to Merriam’s tour product and offerings.

• Hosted a morning coffee break with the chamber while local business K.C. Strings provided breakfast and a tour of their retail space, wood shop and music conservatory. Chamber members learned about the explosive impact of travel and tourism while getting a sneak peek at this exclusive and preferred tour stop in Merriam.

• During National Tourism Week, welcomed thousands of baseball fans to Kauffman Stadium during the “Hospitality & Tourism Day at the K” event.

• Met with 88 association executives during the annual Kansas Society of Association Executives expo to share meeting space and service options in Merriam.

• Hosted a hospitality service training (Certified Tourism Ambassador) which awarded six new CTA’s from Merriam hotels.

• Presented “Tourism IS Economic Development” to the 2011 Leadership Northeast Class and a Merriam Historic Plaza welcome and guest presentation to the Merriam Homemakers Club.

• Welcomed residents and visitors to Merriam Historic Plaza’s five-year open house anniversary!

Partnerships, Events & Training

• Merriam Visitors Bureau launched 19 print and online

marketing messages reaching over 1.9 million people in

2011.

• Merriam (in partnership with the I-35 Tourism Coalition)

launched a “Road trip Along I-35 Contest” through the Kansas

Tourism e-blast program which hits 10,000 inboxes.

• Merriam spiked our social media postings in 2011 engaging

over 56,000 annual impressions through all social media

outlets. By offering fan contests, specials offers and value-

added posts, engagement increases which ultimately helps

spread our messages even further, for FREE!

• Reaching out to local member businesses, Merriam

participated in the Chamber’s annual directory and map of the

region with our offer to assist with company meeting planning

requests and/or incoming client needs.

• Voted the #1 destination in the state of Kansas, Kansas City,

Kansas was a new ad placement for Merriam in 2011.

Distributed to 50,000 people, the KCKS visitor guide offered

both exposure and affordability for Merriam.

• Group tours are always popular in Merriam, especially since

our itinerary includes the world renowned K.C. Strings Violin

Shop, Guitar Lamp and Georgetown Pharmacy Soda Shop.

• KC Map in My Pocket (new map and text offer program)

provided Merriam with exposure to 100,000 people and

limitless text offers at a cost of 0.005/impression – this new

map flies off the shelves at the Bureau office.

Marketing

• Partnering with the Parks & Recreation Department to

showcase meeting facilities in our city, Merriam advertised in

the Kansas City Meetings Industry Council 2011 Speaker’s

Showcase event program. This ad targeted an exclusive group

of meeting planners we typically do not have access to.

• AAA advertisements are continually effective for Merriam

because our message is targeted to four of the biggest state

markets to our community (Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and

Missouri).

• Continual exposure in the Kansas Travel Guide and online at

www.travelks.com keeps Merriam front and center to

travelers looking at Kansas City as a destination or stopping

point en-route to another location. Merriam CVB maintains

over 15 listings of Merriam hotels, events, attractions and

recreation so travelers can easily find us within the state’s

website,--which by the way, generates 45,000 page views per

day.

• Geocaching remains a strong activity in Merriam with over

300 cache finds in 2011 (of those reported). Cachers find and

log their successful (and sometimes not) finds on our cache

list. This outdoor eco-friendly tourism activity is a great way

to involve the entire family and often yields gifts, kind words

and photos of cachers with their geocache loot.

• Got Cheer? was the theme of the 2011 holiday contest as we

sent our visitors on a hunt to find an ornament placed in

Merriam. Those who found it had the chance to answer the

trivia question to receive a prize and a chance to win an

overnight package in Merriam!

More Marketing (it’s what we do)

Geocacher Rob W. says: Found this cache on an awesome Sunday afternoon! This is a really nice visitors center, and the bears were really neat! We didn't have to worry about any muggles. Took wooden nickel, left trackable. Thanks for the cache, and thanks for bringing us here!

General Manager Monica M. says: The Hampton Inn & Suites is proud to be a partner with the Merriam CVB over the last few years. The hard work and dedication shown by the bureau in creatively promoting the hotels and businesses in Merriam is instrumental in bringing travelers to our area. Karen and her team are amazing ambassadors for tourism in Merriam Kansas.

Showcase attendee Connie S. with AAA says: I just got back to the office from attending. It was awesome! I learned so much and gathered some great information and ideas for group trips. I manage 17 Independent Travel Agents that work out of their home and many of them plan group trips. I plan to share the information with them and will also share it with our Group Meetings/Incentives department. Thank you again!

Merriam Visitors Bureau 6304 E. Frontage Road

Merriam, KS 66202

P: 913.403.8999 | F: 913.789.0961

www.exploremerriam.com

Thank You!

On behalf of the Merriam Visitors Bureau, we thank you for supporting our community and the travel and tourism industry. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance “down the road.” Best wishes in 2012!