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Home My WebLink About2021 TCC Supplemental RECEIVED JUL p 2021 2021 Supplemental Request for JEFFERSON COUNTY Lodging Tax/Tourism Promotion Funding COMMISSIONERS Name of Organization:Jefferson Co. Washington -Tourism Coordinating Council (TCC) Web Site: www.EnjoyOlympicPeninsula.com Mailing Address: 2023 E Sims Way#30,8, Po t Townsend, WA 98368 Contacts:Steve Shively _ TCC Chair Bill Roney E-Mail:TCC@S3solutions.biz Phone:360-440-7006 Funding Title:Jefferson County Tourism Marketing Coordinating Council Funding Dates:August 15-December 31, 2021 Amount Requested: $ 60,000 TYPE OF PROPOSAL:TOURISM PROMOTION/MARKETING In order to help ensure continuation of robust tourism in the Fall and Winter TCC(Jefferson County Tourism Marketing Coordinating Council), requests$60,000 in supplemental LTAC funding,so as to continue to aide promotion of post pandemic on-going tourism events and activities by so as to continue to attract and draw tourists to unincorporated Jefferson County from outside Jefferson County. TCC feels it successfully continues to meet the LTC mandates of successfully promoting tourism activities that: • Promote Jefferson County and/or events, activities, and places in the County to potential tourists from outside Jefferson County. • Have demonstrated potential or high potential from the Committee's perspective to result in overnight stays by tourists in lodging establishments within the unincorporated areas Jefferson County. • Have demonstrated potential or high potential from the Committee's perspective to result in documented economic benefit to Jefferson County. • Having demonstrated history of success in Jefferson County, or are proposed by a group with a demonstrated history or high potential of success with similar activities. • Minimize duplication of services where appropriate and encourage cooperative marketing and/or includes an element of cooperation or partnership. These successes are well illustrated by the narrative of Jefferson County Treasurer, Stacie Prada, Jefferson County Budget Committee's June 2021 Revenue Report; "Fund 125 Hotel/Motel Lodging Tax (generated) $69,468 in June.This puts it 145%over budget for the month.Year to date, revenue is 70% over budget and more than double for this time last year. If it holds,the projection is to come in $240,000 over budget for the year." Two efforts are focused in this request for supplemental funding: 1. Fall"You Can't Get Any More Northwest"marketing campaign The Fall/Winter Marketing Campaign will build off of the very successful Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 Campaigns that TCC ran in partnership with OPTC(Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission).Working with Black Ball Marketing,this campaign will once again target in-state and regional markets, primarily drive markets,to inspire non-peak season travel to the Olympic Peninsula. The 2021 Spring Marketing Campaign resulted in: • Over 39,625,416 overall campaign impressions • 205%increase in website sessions translates to 2.7%-5.5%of revenue due to fall/spring campaign • 41%increase in lodging tax revenue vs 2019 record year The planned marketing campaign features multiple destinations across the Olympic Peninsula,all under the banner message, "You Can't Get Any More Northwest."The call to action is to send visitors to OlympicPeninsula.org for additional information.There is a lodging booking widget right on the home page (and on the "Lodging" pages)to encourage visitors to book their stays. In 2021,January through May,Jefferson Co. lodging tax revenue grew by 41%,over the same time period in 2019 (our last "normal"-and record setting-year for lodging tax revenue). While no doubt a result of multiple factors,we feel confident that the strong,focused marketing campaign was a major contributor. This fall marketing campaign will continue to build on the message, "You Can't Get Any More Northwest,"appealing to that true, sometimes quirky, Northwest spirit—adventuresome, outdoors focused, ready to go rain or shine. Our campaign will be multi-dimensional, utilizing digital marketing,targeted research and content—ads, outdoor advertising(transit)and selected television. We will support this with print advertising in selected travel and lifestyle publications, as well as with a digital/social media contest. The target audience for this campaign is very specifically off of the Olympic Peninsula. It includes the 1-5 corridor markets from Bellingham to Eugene, OR,and east to the Yakima/Wenatchee area. Additionally,we will increase our outreach to the greater Portland area. At this time,for this campaign,we will not be reaching out to significant out-of-state visitors(except regionally) nor to the international markets. As this is primarily off-season and drive-market focused,our target audiences live within a 250-300-mile radius. All of our messaging and communications are aimed at encouraging overnight visits. Promotion of lodging is achieved primarily through the lodging section of our website,the lodging grid provided in our digital and print Activity planner, and through the monthly OPTC e-newsletter. In mid-spring helped OPTC's launch of a new"Book>Now" booking tool on the website,which is steadily gaining traction. We will be actively promoting this in the fall, as we move out of peak season. The proposed Fall campaign will build upon the success of the Spring campaign featuring high-impact, multi-dimensional media distribution.Total collaboration impressions from Spring include: TV COMMERCIALS • 17,586,000 total estimated campaign impressions • 94.5reach & 11.3 frequency • 409 total spots shown on live programming BUS ADS • 19,463,417 total estimated campaign impressions • 90 King&Tail ads throughout Seattle, Pierce County& Portland GOOGLE & MICROSOFT ADS • 21,280 website clicks • 2,213,999 impressions • 43.76%search conversion rate (11.08X industry average) • 17.85%display conversion rate (45.77X industry average) • 7,576 highly qualified conversions PRINT ADS • NW Travel 1/2 page ad: 225,000 estimated impressions • 1889 Magazine 1/2 page ad: 137,000 estimated TCC is requesting these funds from the Jefferson County LTAC in order to be added to funding recently awarded to OPTC for a "DMO Tourism Recovery Grant" received from the Washington Tourism Alliance in conjunction with Washington's Department of Commerce. These funds are part of the state's American Recovery Act funds and specifically established to help the state's destination marketing organizations recover from COVID-related losses. TCC,as an OPTC funding partner, is requesting supplemental marketing funds specific to supporting this fall campaign. Unconfirmed currently,the following fellow-OPTC partners are planning similar requests from their respective LTAC organizations:City of Port Angeles,City of Sequim,City of Forks,Clallam County(OPVB), Port Ludlow. Our goal is to fund a—$200,000 fall campaign. This additional funding would nearly double the previous campaign budgets,allowing the Olympic Peninsula to have additional media and significant marketing penetration in a concentrated period of time,thus"owning"the market. (The below assumes full funding with supplemental lodging tax funds.) Anticipated Expenses Television $100,000 Outdoor Advertising $ 30,000 Digital Marketing $ 20,000 Print Advertising $ 10,000 Social Media/Contest $ 1,500 Agency and Creative Services $ 30,000 Administration $ 7,500 $199,000 • 2. "The Art of Hospitality"—A consumer and industry focused fall effort to communicate patience Consumer outreach—partnering with OPTC,TCC will develop and distribute "Share..." buttons and stickers to front-line hospitality staff and visitors.These "Share..." messages will illustrate a native Olympic Peninsula animal,e.g. Marmot—"Share Kindness", Heron -"Share Patience", Orca "Share Joy" and build on a visitors awareness campaign that everyone needs to "pack patience" as service offerings and staffing are not—currently-at pre-pandemic levels. Digital and social media messaging will support this"Share..." emphasis and campaign. Industry and community—partnering with the Olympic Culinary Loop,TCC will co-sponsor and promote an October 19 professional development event titled "The ART OF HOSTING and Harvesting Community Well Being"calling all to conceive of a hosting community instead of a tourism community: "...if tourism is truly to be of net benefit—if it is to contribute to healing of people and place— then the sector will need to reconnect with its roots in the vocation of hosting. If tourism authorities, in particular, are to respond appropriately and sufficiently to the challenges humanity faces, then they will need to develop the skill set not of"marketing and managing the tourist destination"but of"connecting and cultivating the hosting community."They will need to "host the hosts..." This training primer will be facilitated by a Seattle based practitioner,stewarding The Art of Hosting curriculum:www.artofhosting.org Jefferson County LTAC Supplemental funding will enable TCC to underwrite Jefferson County hospitality industry and interested community participation in this important event. Conclusion—March 2020—June 2021 served up the challenges of a global COVID-19 pandemic,deep racial unrest in our metro communities, unpresented climate related smoke,wildfire and heat waves. Any of one of these would typically challenge tourism. All three combined resulted in sever and lasting impacts upon our regional hospitality industry. Thanks to TCC's hard work and collaboration,Jefferson County has quickly recovered in 2021's Fund 125 Lodging Tax revenue figures, and is on pace to potentially break 2019's all-time revenue records. Funding TCC's requested 2021 supplemental will help provide a strong fall into winter marketing campaign, based on a proven formula for success.And spread both knowledge and empathy to consumers and visitors alike towards the sustainable "Art of Hospitality" needed now, and required to strategically,and sustainably, navigate forward. Thank you for your consideration.