HomeMy WebLinkAboutWooden Boat Foundation $33,000 RECEIVED
SEP 0 7 2023
JEFFERSON COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
2024 Proposal Checklist for Tourism Promotion Activities
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Organization Name u -initilAdA (A(..2
Event Name, if different oodebt_ Edd / U L i
Proposed Contract Amount: $ SS i 000 ` 4222-
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 2024 promotion, facility, event or activity budget.
`- Section 3 -2023 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 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2023.
Documents submitted to the County are public records, potentially eligible for release.
2024 Proposal Checklist for Tourism Promotion Activities
Proposal Deadline: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 at 4:30 pm (received, not postmarked)
Address To: Jefferson County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1220, Port Townsend WA 98368
Delivery Address: Jefferson County, County Administrator's Office,
1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Email Address: afmcknightco.iefferson.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 Jt,i
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Organization Address I �a St t1 ; '{ /AM(ROI w
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Contact Name CIII/latft
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Contact Address
Day Phone 3(00 3 gc 3f020 Evening or Cell Phone D_c(0 -73 4 ftri
E-Mail Address a t w vr‘' vie o r'
Facility/Event (if applicable) � � nn
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Total Lodging Tax Request: $: �3 00 0
Estimated 2024 org. operating
budget (Incl. Lodging Tax funds) $: (o p e r 000
If asking for funds for a specific Dollar Amount
event, list other cash funding — --
sources and dollar amounts ` bum d ' �"`V"t' $ 22 oo a
budgeted for this project.
c aovt�V.Lc,ns ,,M.Q,, -14A-..sli? i i A. k.uat $
Note: This section is only due for -a?ay `^1--C1 ^a-t- $ 11 5 0 i C o O
specific event and festival ( ckc-e
funding requests. Spd\A_se•rd '19 1 $
Total Project Revenue Budget $ S 12 ood
Did your organization receive Lodging Tax Funds from the County in 2023? 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.
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Sign Name: It l ' 1#"- Date: 7— d Lem"/44°1 Z?
Print Name and Title: Orne.. CH OHi Orogi?4 j� OFF(ceg-
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WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 14
WOODEN
Port Townsend, Washington
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LODGING TAX/TOURISM PROMOTION SERVICE PROPOSAL
10 September 2023
1. Itemized List of Proposed Tourism Promotion Services
This year we are requesting support for a suite of promotional services specifically targeted
to reach out-of-town cultural tourists, family visitors, and individual explorers to Wooden Boat
Festival and to our community year-round. These efforts are outlined below.
If these promotional efforts can be supported at the level noted below,this year we are also
hoping LTAC will consider supporting a one-time investment to benefit a number of
tourist-oriented events in our community beyond Wooden Boat Festival:the purchase of a
trailer to enable more efficient community use of WBF's perimeter fencing. This resource is
already made available free-of-charge to Port Townsend Film Festival and to The Production
Alliance for several events, but without a safe and secure method of transport, its usability is
limited. We hope LTAC will support this investment that will help us share this resource
throughout our county.
Item Expense
Write,edit,design,and proof promotional materials $16,500
Print&distribute promotional materials along 1-5 corridor-Victoria,B.C.to Portland,OR $22,000
2 Full-page color ads in 48 North magazine(Oregon to BC distribution) $1,650
Summer PDN Visitor's Guide-full page $1,760
WoodenBoat Magazine full page ad $1,650
Social Media Advertising $2,200
Google Ads/Digital Advertising $1,320
Keep Posted- poster service in stores and restaurants around Seattle and Eastside $880
KUOW public radio underwriting-14 spots per week,2 during drive time $4,587
Total promotional expense
for out-of town visitors (local advertising excluded) $52,547
Total LTAC request for promotional support $25,000
Special request:Trailer for Festival Fencing to enable use by other local organizations $8,000
Total LTAC Request $33,000
woodenboat.org
431 Water Street,Port Townsend,WA 98368
4111
WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL lyv
Port Townsend, Washington
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2. Proposal Questions
2.1. Tell us about your promotion, facility,event,or activity and why you think it will
increase tourists traveling to and staying in Jefferson County.
From its founding in 1977, Wooden Boat Festival has drawn visitors from around the world to
Jefferson County. As the world's second-largest wooden boat festival (the largest is in
Tasmania!),we welcome visitors from as close as Seattle and as far as Japan.
Overnight visitors are the lifeblood of the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival - without them,
the Festival would wither and die. We must continually work to promote the event outside of
Jefferson County to sustain and grow the visitation and economic impact that WBF brings to
our county.
Wooden Boat Festival celebrates the craft, culture, and community of wooden boats and the
people who steward them. It honors Jefferson County's rich legacy of marine trades
excellence, it encourages environmental stewardship, it highlights diverse cultures and
backgrounds, and above all - it shows people a darn good time. Wooden Boat Foundation,
established in 1978 to run the Festival, has a 45-year track record of producing a well-run,
world-class event with a global reputation.
What's more, many out-of-towners discover Jefferson County for the first time by coming to
Wooden Boat Festival. They join us for the weekend, and then return in the off-season for
more overnight stays: weekend getaways, lifelong learning courses,weddings and
celebrations,and more. Our anecdotal data show that many of NWMC's hotel and event
attendees in fall,winter,and spring were first drawn to the community by the promotional
efforts of Wooden Boat Festival.
2.2. If this is a continuing promotion,facility,or event,how is it different than in the
past?
As of this writing, Wooden Boat Festival 2023 has not yet begun, and themes for 2024 are still
in the works. However,we know that in 2024:
• We will be collaborating closely with regional partners working to improve diversity
and inclusion in the maritime field to draw more racially and culturally diverse
audiences to WBF, and to platform their voices in our programming. These partners
include Highline School District, SEASTR, Maritime Inclusion Partners, and others. This
will impact our promotions budget and strategy, and will be informed by NWMC's work
with consultants to solicit feedback from historically marginalized communities about
access to the maritime field.
woodenboat.org
431 Water Street, Port Townsend,WA 98368
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WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
Port Townsend, Washington
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• As part of WBF,we will promote a series of "Stay& Learn" classes in the NWMC
boatshop, in partnership with the Swan Hotel. These classes,designed specifically for
out-of-town visitors, would occur throughout the fall/winter/spring months, and
would last from 3 to 5 days each.
• We will have fresh results from our 2023 promotional strategies in the 15 corridor,
including program distribution from Portland to Victoria,frequent NPR radio ads, and a
postering service in Seattle. We piloted all these programs for Festival 2022,and 2023
is the first year where they have been fully in-force. For 2024,we will use the 2023 data
to refine our approach to maximize our reach to people likely to stay overnight in
Jefferson County.
2.3. Describe how you intend to market/promote your promotion, facility,event,or
activity to potential tourists who reside outside Jefferson County.
Wooden Boat Festival will be held September 6-8, 2024. Our tourism promotion goes
year-round,as we always encourage visitors to one Festival to book hotel rooms right away
for the next one! Over the winter, our WBF-related promotions continue,with the objective of
keeping out-of-town audiences engaged and connected to Jefferson County& our maritime
community. Things ramp up considerably starting in May/June,when early-bird WBF tickets
go on sale.
Our target audiences for our out-of-town promotional efforts include:
• Cultural tourists - those who are motivated to learn,discover, experience,and
consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism
destination. Often couples seeking high-end restaurants, retail, and lodging.
Geography: worldwide
• Young families - parents and caregivers with kids who want to emphasize family
togetherness, creating memories,and want things to do that are wholesome and
enriching. These families seek mid-range restaurants, retail,and lodging. Geography:
Seattle + 15 corridor
• Individual explorers - people who want to drink life to the lees and enjoy events and
experiences deeply. For us,these range from lifelong wooden-boat afficionados to
event volunteers who travel hundreds of miles to join us for the weekend. We engage
more and more of these each year, and they are often singles or small groups seeking
affordable to mid-range restaurants, retail, and lodging throughout Jefferson County.
Geography: WA,OR, ID, & BC.
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431 Water Street, Port Townsend,WA 98368
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WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL l��i
Port Townsend, Washington
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Our promotion methods and partnerships for out-of-town audiences include:
• Paid print advertising to reach our target audiences
• Summer Visitor's Guide (Peninsula Daily News publication)
o WoodenBoat Magazine
48°North Magazine
• Social media promotion, including our Instagram & Facebook channels with 21,500
followers combined. Our social media campaigns in 2023 reached over 400,000
people. Woodenboat.org saw over 43,000 views with over 51,000 unique users. We
anticipate exceeding these numbers in 2023.
• A special postering campaign in Seattle via Keep Posted. This service distributes WBF
posters in neighborhood locations from Edmonds to Tacoma,and from Madrona to
Issaquah, reaching new audiences in these locations.
• A paid radio campaign on KUOW, Seattle's NPR station. NPR is a highly effective way to
engage cultural tourists, lifelong learners, and people who are curious about the world
around them. This channel reaches more than 400,000 listeners per month.
In 2024, continuing conversations we have begun in 2023,we will be working with Fort Worden
Hospitality to explore how to leverage their group lodging (not available to individual
travelers) to expand the number of beds available during Festival weekend, and encourage
more people to stay over. This could mean dozens of new bed-nights that have not
previously been accessible, and more people creating economic impact in Jefferson County.
2.4. How will you measure the effectiveness of your promotion,facility,event or
activity?Describe how you will document and report to the County the economic
impact from your event/facility.
We maintain detailed records of ticket sales for WBF attendees.Through fall 2023,we will be
compiling and analyzing data from this year's Festival,which will help drive and shape our
marketing and promotion efforts for next year.
We will be able to provide the County sales information for 2024 Festival,which will help
estimate the percentage of attendees from outside of Jefferson County. While we are unable
to directly track the number of attendees who stay in local lodging, Festival weekend sees a
sell out of lodging in both Port Townsend as well as surrounding Jefferson County. Festival
weekend is the highest number of hotel bookings in our area and is the weekend when
lodging facilities charge their highest rates.
We will measure the effectiveness of our promotional efforts by:
woodenboat.org
431 Water Street, Port Townsend,WA 98368
lisp'
WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
Port Townsend, Washington
• Meeting or exceeding ticket sales goals,and growing out of town visitation
• Debriefing with staff across departments to share feedback from participants and
other business impacted by Festival weekend
• Inviting all vendors to debrief with us so we can learn what worked well and what can
be improved in the future. We strive to ensure that Wooden Boat Festival is just as
effective for our partners as it is for us
• Reviewing visitor feedback, including how they heard about Festival,with the
possibility of a 2024 visitor survey,funds permitting.
2.5. What economic impact can we expect in Jefferson County from your proposed
promotion,facility,event, or activity?
Since its inception, WBF has brought a huge number of out-of-town visitors to Jefferson
County each September, and has been a key driver of economic impact in the area. It is the
largest single event in all of the Olympic Peninsula,and overnight visitation spans into the
week leading up to WBF and for several days thereafter,with restaurants & bars abuzz
starting Tuesday or Wednesday prior. These visitors'primary purpose is to come to Wooden
Boat Festival - it is not something that they choose to do having already planned a trip to
Jefferson County.
We anticipate welcoming more than 15,000 attendees in 2023, and estimate that more than
75% are from outside Jefferson County. In 2024,we hope to increase the percentage of out of
town visitors as well as improve our reporting through our ticket sales system.
Economic impact for this event is difficult to calculate,as there are so many different ways
that people engage in WBF, and economic impact is complicated by including both direct
and indirect impacts. The largest category of economic impact for WBF is visitor spending,
including lodging, meals, retail, and local transportation. We know that a limiting factor for
lodging revenue is the number of hotel rooms, so a baseline economic impact is all County
lodging full to capacity at their maximum rate - likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in
revenue just for the weekend. We conservatively estimate that each out-of-town visitor to
WBF (whether they stay overnight or not) spends at least $100 at local restaurants, bars,and
businesses through the weekend, likely much more. The kinds of visitors that WBF attracts,
especially cultural tourists, are known to spend more than other travelers ($1000+) and to
stay longer in a destination than other travelers.
2.6. Describe your organization's area of expertise.Do you provide a unique service?
Putting on Wooden Boat Festival is a complex year-round effort that requires a deep
connection to the global maritime community, close collaboration with local and regional
businesses and vendors, coordination with local government and regulatory agencies, and
woodenboat.org
431 Water Street, Port Townsend,WA 98368
WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL9 1404
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Port Townsend, Washington '�'
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oversight of staff and volunteers numbering more than 600. It truly takes a village to put on
this event,and Wooden Boat Foundation is uniquely positioned to sustain and grow it.
3. Background Information about Your Organization
3.1. Proposed 2024 promotion, facility,event,or activity budget including income and
expenses
Our 2024 Wooden Boat Festival Budget has not been finalized for 2024. Below is an estimate
that will be informed by 2023 performance.
Revenues
Contributed (donations, membership,in-kind) $22,000
Earned (tickets, merchandise,sponsorships) $490,000
Total revenue $512,000
Expenses
Cost of Goods Sold $44,000
Occupancy,Technology,&Insurance $67,000
Program &Event Supplies&Expenses $120,000
Advertising& Promotions $36,000
General Expense $40,000
In Kind Expense $18,000
Allocated expenses (including marketing) $135,000
Payroll $140,000
Total expense $600,000
Trailer for Fencing- one time $8,000
3.2. 2023 budget and actual income and expense YTD statements
See attached
woodenboat.org
431 Water Street, Port Townsend,WA 98368
Wooden Boat Foundation
Northwest Maritime Center
All Currency in US Dollars
Description 7 Mo Act Annual Bdgt
Contributed Revenue
Donations 2,500
Membership 12,500
In-kind Contributions 6,500
Total Contributed Revenue 21,500
Earned Revenue
Events 408,632
Product Sales 25,000
Sponsorships 12,075 38,051
Total Earned Reveue 12,075 471,683
Total Income 12,075 493,183
Cost of Goods Sold -2,207 -43,850
Gross Profit 9,868 449,333
Expense
Occupancy 40,000
Technology 326 16,500
Program Expense 168 24,650
Events Expense 3,667 92,650
Marketing 10,058 21,682
General&Misc Expense 3,975 45,735
In-kind Expense 5,000 17,300
Insurance 9,172 8,466
Allocated Operating Expenses 76,011 134,545
Staff Support Expense 81
Payroll 73,955 141,617
Total Expense 182,413 543,145
Net Income -172,545 -93,812
WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 6 Tyr
Port Townsend, Washington I,
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Event&Promotion Leads
Barb Trailer, Wooden Boat Festival Director barb@nwmaritime.org
Molly McCarthy, Communications Director molly@nwmaritime.org
Board of Directors
431 Water Street
Port Townsend,WA 98368
Lynn Terwoerds, President Jon Lamperth
Scott Vokey,Vice-President Harium Martin-Morris
Bruce Jones, Secretary Alyssa Moir
Kristin Sandaas, Treasurer Ron Moller
Alex Adams Stuart Mork
Mark Bunzel Caitlin Olmstead
Sally Goetz Shuler Steve Oliver
Jeanne Goussev LeeAnne Schirato
Daniel Hawkins Sarah Scherer
David King Luke Strong-Cvetich
3.3. Samples of promotion materials
Below are a few examples of our print ads, social media posts, and posters.
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woodenboat.org
431 Water Street,Port Townsend,WA 98368