HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 TCC
2023 Request for Proposal Packet
Lodging Tax/Tourism Promotion
This packet is for the2023TOURISM PROMOTION SERVICEPROPOSALS
to be funded by the Jefferson County Lodging Tax. Under Jefferson
County guidelines, you must be a NON-PROFIT or GOVERNMENTAL
AGENCY to be eligible to be funded by the Jefferson County Lodging Tax.
The Jefferson CountyLodging Tax Advisory Committee will only consider
complete and signed proposals that include all of the requested
information and documents, and that are submitted by the deadline:
OCTOBER 15, 2022 by 4:30 pm
Digital Delivery only for Proposals to afmcknight@co.jefferson.wa.us
2023 Proposal Guidelines: Tourism Promotion Activities
The Jefferson CountyLodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) is accepting proposals from
government agencies and non-profit organizations for tourismpromotion to be provided during
calendar year 2023 and paid for from the County’s lodging tax fund. The Committee will make
recommendations to the Jefferson County Commissioners within one month following the proposal
deadline. All decisions for use of the lodging tax will be made by the Jefferson County
Commissioners.
Proposals from government agencies or non-profit organizations are to be for tourism
promotion during calendar year 2023. Please refer to Section 1 of this packet for
examples of eligible tourism promotion activities for this funding round.
At the time of implementation, tourism related activities within proposals must comply with
federal, state, and county laws and requirements, including county Public Health
direction. NOTE: Jefferson County may not use public funds in any way that can be construed
as a gift to an individual or organization.
Proposals must completely address the questions, and all requested supplemental information
must be provided. Incomplete proposals will not be considered by LTAC.
To be considered, a fully completed and signed digitalapplication (digital signatures
acceptable) must be received at afmcknight@co.jefferson.wa.us by the deadline listed above.
The preferred format for a digital application is a single PDF file attached to an email. If
necessary, multiple files in either PDF or Microsoft Word may be attached to a single email as
a complete digital application.
All documents filed with the County are public records, potentially eligible for release.
Jefferson County is committed to the non-discriminatory treatment of all
Persons in the employment and delivery of services and resources.
2023 Proposal Checklist for Tourism Promotion Activities
Jefferson County - Tourism Coordinating Council
Organization Name
TCC (Tourism Coordinating Council)
Event Name, if different
295,000
Proposed Contract Amount: $
Proposals must completely address the questions, and all requested supplemental
information must be provided. Incomplete or late proposals will not be considered by the
Jefferson County LTAC.
To be eligible for consideration, your application must be signed, dated, and include the following
items in the listed order.
Check each item submitted:
_______ Signed and Dated Proposal Summary Sheet
_______ Section 1 - Itemized list of proposed services and estimated costs.
_______ Section 2 - Proposal Questions.
_______ Section 3 - Proposed 2023 promotion, facility, event or activity budget.
_______ Section 3 – 2022 budget and year-to-date income and expense statement(s).
_______ Section 3 - List of names and addresses of the organization’s current Board of Directors.
Name and contact information for event chairperson, if applicable.
_______ Section 3 - Optional work samples such as season brochures, promotional materials,
reviews, news/magazine articles, etc. (maximum of 5 separate pieces)
To be considered, a fully completed and signed original application with supporting documents
must be received and date stamped at the Jefferson County Administrator’s Office, 1820 Jefferson
Street, P.O. Box 1220, Port Townsend, WA 98368 by October 15, 2022.Courthouse is closed
Saturday
Documents submitted to the County are public records, potentially eligible for release.
2023 Proposal Checklist for Tourism Promotion Activities
Proposal Deadline: October 15, 2022 at 4:30 pm (received, not postmarked) Courthouse is
closed Saturday
Address To: Jefferson County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee
Mailing Address:P.O. Box 1220, Port Townsend WA 98368
Delivery Address:Jefferson County, County Administrator’sOffice,
1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Email Address:afmcknight@co.jefferson.wa.us
Please type (10 point or larger) or legibly print in ink.To be considered: all questions must be answered; all
requested documents provided; this form must be signed and dated.
Organization Name
Jefferson County - Tourism Coordinating Council
Organization Address
2023 E. Sims Way - Suite 308, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Contact Name
Steve Shively
Contact Address
Same
Day PhoneEvening or Cell Phone
360-440-7006360-440-7006
E-Mail Address
tcc@enjoyolympicpeninsula.com
Facility/Event (if applicable)
Total Lodging Tax Request:$:
295,000
Estimated 2023 org.operating
295,000
budget (Incl. Lodging Tax funds) $:_________________
If asking for funds for a specific Dollar Amount
event, list other cash funding
$
sources and dollar amounts
$
budgeted for this project.
$
Note: This section is only due for
$
specific event and festival
$
funding requests.
$
Total Project Revenue Budget $
Did your organization receive Lodging Tax Funds from the County in 2022? _____yes _____ no
I understand that if my organization’s proposal for tourism promotion activities is approved by the County that my
organization will enter into a contract with the County to provide the contracted services up to the maximum contract
amount. I understand that the proposal herein is a public record potentially eligible for public release.
October 11, 2022
Sign Name:Date:
Steve Shively, Marketing Coordinator
Print Name and Title:
1.Itemized List of Proposed Tourism Promotion Services
Jefferson County - Tourism Coordinating Council
Organization (or Event) Name: ________________________________________
In the following space or on a separate sheet of paper, please specify each proposed tourism
promotion, facility, event or activity, including quantities and costs (see examples at bottom of page).
Examples of how to list your proposed tourism promotion servicesor event(please be as specific AS
POSSIBLE about the services, quantities, the tourism market, distribution method, and cost):
10,000 promotional rack cards for I-5 corridor from Portland to Bellingham, April - June 2018…………$1,835
The rack cards will promote an event/hotel/restaurant promotional package.
Design and printing……………………………………………………………….…. $1,250
Distribution by XYZ Company……………………………………………………… $ 500
5 hours of staff time at $17.00 per hour to write copy, edit and proof the cards…...$ 85
1/3 page black and white event promotional advertisement in XYZ Magazine, July 2018 edition.……. $1,500
XYZ Magazine has 250,000 subscribers in western and northwest states. This 1/3-page ad
will be part of a full-page advertisement being coordinated by the VCB. XYZ Magazine will match
the value of the advertisement with a feature article on Jefferson County and the event in the same edition.
2023 LTAC funding request from TCC the Tourism Marketing Coordinating Council operating under
authorization of Jefferson County, Washington.
1. Tell us about your promotion, facility, event or activity and why you think it will
increase tourists traveling to and staying in Jefferson County.
Fulfilling County Ordinance 02-0622-98 Jefferson County TCC is the sole, year-round, tourism
promoter utilizing Lodging Tax revenues to strategically target regional and global tourism promotions
on behalf of the
maintenance, and dedicated operations
promotional entity not limited by membership status.
As we continue the transition from post COVID pandemic into endemic TCC will continue to message
best practices related to #RecreateResponsibliy and #StaySafeWA as we strive to remain in a space of
sustainable tension between successful hospitality economics and public health.
Due in a large part to creative and consistent marketing, Jefferson County continues to enjoy record
LTAX receipts throughout most of 2022. As of the end of September the $599,609.20 in DOR (Dept.
of Revenue) Hotel/Transient Accommodations revenues for Jefferson Co. have already surpassed
-water full-
year level from 2019 of $568,587.21. We
estimate that 2022 will finish 5 -7% ahead of 2021 and as much as 65% beyond the established budget
goal.
It is with these strengths that we feel confident in requesting the same $295,000* tourism marketing
funding awarded in 2022 for our - current - 2023 operations.
TCC continues working strategically, and collaboratively, to safely and sustainably inspire and
welcome visitors throughout these unprecedented pivots this post-pandemic continues challenging
us all by. If fully funded, TCC will continue to play a significant role in guiding sustainable recovery of
the essential tourism industry to our county, region and state.
* As noted, our tourism marketing approach depends on collaboration. There are foundational shifts
occurring at Olympic Peninsula Gateway VIC and other Jefferson Co. tourism partners. TCC is actively
monitoring the development of these anticipated transitions and is formulating proposed responses
designed to keep our Jefferson Co. tourism marketing and visitor hospitality efforts going forward.
2. If this is a continuing promotion, facility or event, how is it different than in the past?
establishments through the depths of COVID. In
2023 we will continue offering up the #StaySafe and #RecreateResponsiblity messaging alone with
s navigation being required by extensive WSDOT construction projects.
Throughout 2022 TCC has nimbly responded to the unprecedented COVID restrictions of 2021 and
the emerging visitors pent-up demand for travel. Coupled with record rates of inflation, and staffing
shortages especially within the service level staffing sectors so vital to our restaurants and
lodging operations.
The resulting demands have been unlike any prior period in tourism and hospitality history. Coupled
with these strains has been scheduled maintenance closures of much loved Olympic NPS
destinations Ruby Beach and Hurricane Ridge. TCC messaging has responsively changed to keep
pace with every new twist and turn, carefully and strategically delivered in collaboration with state
and regional tourism partners. Fortunately introducing visitors to Olympic Peninsula alpine access
via Duckabush and Dosewallips, and west end beach alternatives via Kalaloch, Beaches 4, First
Beach, Second Beach and Beach 2 have joined our recommended Bogachiel, Queets and Quinault
alternatives to the often-over-loved Hoh Rainforest as part of the well laid messaging from the
earliest days of COVID, i.e. #RecreateResponsibly, and the calls for visitors to
throughout all their travels.
TCC continues the role of industry advocate and educator, through various conversations and
messaging campaigns with various state and local officials and elected representatives. Providing
interpretation and offering training tips to hospitality professionals throughout various sectors of
the industry.
During 2022, unlike pre-pandemic years, we continued to welcome largely the regional drive market
visitors over the mix of traditional domestic, international travel markets.
Added shifts from in--from-anywhere
online schooling has resulted in a dramatic shift in travel patterns. Digital Nomads are helping
increase the average LOS (Length of Stay), and both Olympic National Park Ranger Stations and
Information Centers) are noting that Friday-Saturday has been replaced by
Wednesday-Thursday as the Olympic Peninsula
This is further evidenced when viewing 2022 lodging tax revenues in light of net zero increase in
inventory across the county, and RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) has only increased modestly
throughout Jefferson in comparison to elsewhere in the Pac NW.
2023 operating plan if fully funded includes:
1. Lead visitors and hospitality operators alike through the maze of WSDOT 2023 bridge, round-about,
and fish barrier construction projects planned throughout East Jefferson County. Renewing calls to
2. Continued county, region, and state-wide leadership in promoting Jefferson County visitations as
we also continue helping the hospitality industry navigate the
impacts of inflation, labor scarcity, lasting COVID endemic, and the growing impacts of climate
change. All bundled with strategic messaging to consumers regarding where and how best to safely
and sustainably Enjoy the Olympic Peninsula.
3. Collaborative promotion of emerging and on-going tourism events, facilities, and activities by
government or non-profit agencies to attract and draw tourists to unincorporated Jefferson County
from outside Jefferson County. Our primary feeder market remains the I-5 corridor from Vancouver
BC through Seattle/Bellevue Tacoma & Olympia, south into Portland. Secondary visitor
audience, as determined by analytics
California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon.
4. Deep participatory partner collaboration will continue with the Olympic Peninsula Tourism
Commission (OPTC), a robust tourism marketing and promotion organization, with enormous state
and regional influence
seasonal marketing campaigns for these past one and one-half years.
Inspire visitors to outstanding Jefferson County front-country experiences by partnering with top-
tier influencers as well as local guides & outfitters and culinary leaders. All making our destination
the exceptional leisure and hospitality experience we are proud to call home and to welcome
visitors to ENJOY.
5. Restart the COVID shelved North Olympic Peninsula lead - strategic process of developing a long-
range plan for sustainable tourism and hospitality throughout the Olympic Peninsula.
/ğƓğƌ Ʒƚ /ƚğƭƷ ε {Ļğ Ʒƚ The Jefferson County tourism message is as broad and
diverse as our County is. From Marrowstone Island, to Kalaloch, to Brinnon to the fertile Chimacum
Valley. TCC remains active in guiding, amplifying, and where needed coaching or incubating - these
tourism focused conversations directly to the ears, eyes and even mouths of our equally diverse and
active travelers.
Our success is best known when our visitors convert our marketing messages of Enjoy
Olympic Peninsula into heads in beds, feet on the ground, and dollars in the cash
registers, of Jefferson County hospitality and lodging partners. This is the primary work
of the TCC (Tourism Coordinating Council of Jefferson County). The power of these
strategically curated tourism messages is directly evident in the confidence that there
will be ongoing success of the overall Olympic Peninsula Tourism message and product.
Despite the unpresented impacts of a global pandemic, and through strategic decision
making, collaborative partnerships, and very hard work, TCC has helped continue
returning lodging tax revenues into ever increasing - record setting levels.
3.Describe how you intend to market/promote your promotion, facility, event or activity to potential
tourists who reside outside Jefferson County.
The current 2023 marketing plan for TCC is to transition from the inspirational good news delivered
from our collaborative into a new campaign.
Most likely one which will complement the State of Washington ue to
and leveraging our additional local content to the official state TREAD app.
Messaging themes will include:
-end between Forks and Kalaloch
Traveling along the Hood Canal through Quilcene and Br
y and the coastal luxury of Port Ludlow TCC
continued to actively lead the tourism marketing conversations across the Puget Sound region during
2023.
April visits. With emphasis
on carless travel via both the Jefferson-Kitsap express-foot ferry from Seattle to Port Townsend, as well as
the Straight Shot line 123 from the Bainbridge Ferry through Discovery Bay into Port Angeles.
many partners, including:
OPTC (Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission) Whole Peninsula focus and exposure as state, national
and international fronts. Including hosting both domestic and international travel partners, tour
operators and media journalists through facilitating FAM (Familiarization and Marketing) tours
originating from Visit Seattle and the Port of Seattle as conduits of cruise, foreign and domestic visitation
initiatives.
OCL (Olympic Culinary Loop) the Hood
-to-
Brinnons ShrimpFest, and Apple & Cider Fest.
STW (State of WA Tourism) Has launched the TREAD app along with existing seasonal (spring and fall)
state-wide marking initiatives on behalf of all of Washington.
has renewed TCCthe
OA
(Ocean acidification) and resource preservation is essential to the Washington coast and
the visitor experience, as are other National Resource Managers (stewards of County, State and Federal
Forests and Parks)
Exciting new JeffCo. lodging Worthington Park, Paradise Heights Bed & Breakfast and Marrowstone Inn.
Olympic Peninsula Gateway VIC Bill and his dedicated team of volunteers provide essential year-
round -
4.How will you measure the effectiveness of your promotion, facility, event or
activity?
The JeffCo. Treasurer says it best regarding Hotel/Motel Lodging Tax Fund 125 $100,707 including
interest (August 2022 Revenue Report). This is 71% over budget for the month, 69% over budget year to
date (YTD) and 5.4% more than 2021 YTD.
TCC, in collaborative with our marketing partners at OPTC, has enhanced and expanded distribution of a
very successful fall into winter and winter into
campaigns. With special impact thanks to digital and TV commercial marketing throughout the Seattle
and Portland metro areas.
goal is to inspire, education and issue the CTA (Call To Action) to plan or book an Olympic
Peninsula visit. Our analytics measured from campaigns study focused market penetration (via total
estimated impressions) and engagement (via open rate, page views and/or total time on site vs. more
traditional conversion studies which result in direct sales) Example from our Spring 2022 Campaign:
Focused Market penetration:
TV COMMERCIALS
17,586,000 total estimated campaign impressions
94.5 reach & 11.3 frequency
409 total spots
Engagement as measured via GOOGLE & MICROSOFT ADS:
23,142 clicks to OlympicPeninsula.org
2,142,174 impressions
32.30% search conversion rate (8.2X industry average)
6.77% display conversion rate (17.4X industry average)
5,568 highly qualified conversions
Time on Site (more than 2.5 minutes): 2,469
Pages per Session (more than 3): 3,007
5.What economic impact can we expect in Jefferson County from your proposed promotion,
facility, event or activity?
In Fall 2019 Commissioner Greg Brotherton and TCC were part of an Ad-Hoc work group formed by
Clallam County Commissioner Randy Johnson, with the goal of developing an RFP for a regional
Destination Management Plan. This much needed framework towards sustainable tourism development
was shelved due to COVID. This initiative has been resurrected for 2023, with the added value of the
maturity of Sustainable Tourism management and additional data points such as the recently completed
ASAP (Area Sector Analysis Process)as pass-through
funding in support of this
Tourism is good business for Jefferson County!
According to figures from Tourism Economics, visitor spending in the state was $13 billion in 2020, a 41
percent drop from . Tourism is the fourth largest industry in Washington State,
employing more than 182,700 workers. Spending increased in 2021 to $17.7 billion but remained below
pre-pandemic levels. Data shows that Jefferson Co. received $142.8 M in direct visitor spend,
compromised of almost 50% of revenue from lodging ($69.6 M), and employing 1,154 tourism related
workers, nearly 8% of all county employment.
In 2021 tourism resulted in a $805 per county household offset in general Jefferson Co. taxes paid. Once
the 2022 year has closed, and the research numbers totaled, we are confident that TCC has continued to
deliver a high ROI for the Jefferson County Lodging Tax Advisory Councils investment.
As illustrated, TCC is the only Jefferson County appointed Tourism Marketing Council. TCC operates 12-
months of each year, collaboratively promoting all of Jefferson County as a visitor destination of the
broader Olympic Peninsula. TCC uniquely knows and leverages
the Chimacum Valley and coastal environs of both the Hood Canal and the Kalaloch coast.
We strongly urge LTAC to fully fund the requested 2023 tourism promotion and marketing allocation
request of TCC.
Thank you for your continued support! Jefferson Co. Washington - Tourism Coordinating Council
Examples of display (print and digital) TCC ads from 2022
Background Information about Your Organization
Port Ludlow Discovery Bay, Gardiner
Port Ludlow Diana Smeland - alt. Dan Ratigan (collector)
70 Breaker Ln, Port Ludlow, WA 98365
Gateway VIC TCC Chair Bill Roney - alt. Shelly Leavens (activities)
93 Beaver Valley Rd, Port Ludlow, WA 98365
Quilcene Brinnon Hood Canal
Quilcene Coyle Cleone Telling - alt. Brian Cullin - alt. Larry McKeehan (collector)
181 Leland Valley Rd E, Quilcene, WA, 98376
Brinnon & Hood Canal Christina Maloney (activities)
251 Hjelvicks Rd., Brinnon, WA, 98320
West End
Kalaloch West end Amy Neil (collector)
157151 US-101, Forks, WA 98331
Forks Marsha Massey (activities)
618 S Peabody St Suite F, Port Angeles, WA 98362
Tri-Area Chimacum Valley & Marrowstone Island
Fort Flager & Marrowstone Is. Aaron Terada (collector)
10541 Flagler Rd, Nordland, WA 98358
Chimacum Crystie Kisler (activities)
124 Center Rd, Chimacum, WA 98325
Contract Marketing Coordinator
Steve Shively S3 Solutions
2023 E. Sims Way, #308, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Phone 360.440.7006