Report to the Community 2014/2015

Report to the Community 2014/2015

Visit Fort Wayne

The Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau, dba Visit Fort Wayne, is a community and economic development organization. We are governed by a 20-member, all-volunteer board of civic leaders, staffed by 12 professionals and financed by both public entities and private sector businesses to attract more visitors to our destination.

Our mission is to promote our city as a destination for conventions, trade shows, leisure visitors and sports tournaments. We do this so every business and resident can enjoy the economic and social benefits of a prosperous tourism industry.

Each year, visitors spend $497 million dollars in Allen County and contribute $28 million to our local tax base. This infusion of new dollars increases commerce for hundreds of businesses, while helping to sustain over 8,500 jobs. It also enhances everyone’s quality of life by generating new customers and admissions for places that residents get to enjoy, like attractions, arenas, ballparks, malls, restaurants and festivals.

Visit Fort Wayne does much more than serve as the community’s “advertising agency.” We also operate the Visitors Center to ”Welcome the World to Fort Wayne,” help businesses attract new employees, and help new residents get acquainted with their new home.

To view Fort Wayne from a visitors’ perspective, we encourage you to visit our website at www.VisitFortWayne.com. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram too.

Please enjoy reading more about our accomplishments and plans for the future in this report. Thank you to all our industry partners and stakeholders for their support.

Sincerely, Gary Shearer Dan O’ConnellOld National Bank, Wealth Management President/CEOChair, Visit Fort Wayne Board of Directors Visit Fort Wayne

Gary Shearer

Dan O’Connell

Our MissionVisit Fort Wayne conducts marketing and sales programs to attract visitors to our destination’s convention and tourism facilities so that our community can derive the economic and social benefits of a prosperous tourism industry.

Our VisionFort Wayne is the best destination in the Midwest for conventions, trade shows, sportstournaments and fun, family get-away trips. Visitors enjoy their stay because of the famous“Hoosier Hospitality” they experience during their visit to Fort Wayne.

Our Goals• Conduct sales and marketing programs to attraction convention, meetings and tournaments to Fort Wayne• Produce advertising campaigns to attract leisure visitors and travel media attention• Provide visitor information services to promote our community and industry partners• Provide the leadership to grow our community’s economy and its tourism industry

Our strategic plan goals: 2015-2018

• Increase Community Support in order to make Fort Wayne a Better Visitor Destination

• Advocate for Visitor-Oriented Development to Improve and Enhance the Destination

• Increase the competitiveness of Visit Fort Wayne

Number of Annual VisitorsFort Wayne Visitors ...................................................................5.8 millionPass Through Visitors ................................................................2.1 millionRepresents a 1.7% increase over 2009 study.

Visitor ExpendituresVisitor Expenditures in Allen County ...................................$496,700,000Represents an annual growth of 2.3%.

Total EmploymentDirect Jobs (sustained by visitors) ....................................................8,495Over 1/3 of jobs were in high wage occupations, 4.85% of all Allen County jobs. Tourism is Allen County’s 6th largest employer.

Wages and SalariesDirect Wages and Salaries ..................................................$173,853,000Represents a 1.6 % increase over 2011 study.

Taxes GeneratedLocal Taxes (hotel, food & beverage, property) ......................$28,334,800State Taxes (sales, income, gas) ............................................$38,958,100Represents a 2.1% increase over 2011 study.

Where Visitors Come FromAccording to VisitFortWayne.com visits, Visitors Center inquiries and ad responses, visitors come to Fort Wayne from the following states:Indiana .............................................................................................54%Ohio ...................................................................................................9%Illinois .................................................................................................8%Michigan .........................................................................................7.5%Other ............................................................................................ 21.5%

Visitors by Trip CharacteristicsTypical Travel Party ...................................................................3.2 peopleAverage Stay............................................................................... 1.8 daysFirst Visit to Fort Wayne ................................................................. 44.2%

Expenditures by Visitor Type Per DayLodging Guests ...........................................................................$133.29Visiting Friends & Relatives ...........................................................$70.87Day Trip Visitors .............................................................................$29.47

Visitors by Travel Type

Lodging Guests .......................... 44%

Day Trip Visitors .......................... 25%

Visiting Friends and Relatives ..... 20%

Pass-Through Visitors ................. 11%

Expenditures by Type

Food & Beverage .......................35%

Shopping ...................................21%

Lodging .....................................14%

Transportation ............................15%

Attractions/Entertainment ..........12%

Souvenirs .....................................3%

Economic Impact of Visitors

Visitor and Travel Characteristics

Group Sales

2014 Accomplishments

• Hosted the Indiana Society of Association Executives in Fort Wayne in July 2014. Referred to as the “Convention of Convention Planners,” we shared our city’s hospitality and convention facilities with this important group

• Exhibited at Rejuvenate, a tradeshow for religious convention planners in Daytona Beach, FL

• Exhibited at inaugural Great Lakes Meeting Professionals International in Merrillville, IN

• Produced 45 leads for future conventions, meetings and sports tournaments

• Conducted 13 personal site visits tours with convention planners considering Fort Wayne

• Presented 15 customized bid books and presentations for clients

• Exhibited at Heartland Showcase, a tradeshow for bus tours in Toledo, OH

Visit Fort Wayne’s Group Sales team works to solicit and secure conventions, meetings, trade shows, and sports tournaments to convene in Fort Wayne and Allen County facilities.

Our sales staff attends five major trade shows and marketplaces around the nation to meet with convention planners and sports event organizers. On average they book 25 groups per year, which bring about 35,000 visitors and $12 million to Fort Wayne annually.

2015 Goals

• Exhibit at six tradeshows around the nation to attract conventions, tournaments and bus tours to Fort Wayne

• Utilize our new CRM software to better market to planners

• Generate 40 leads, conduct 10 site tours, and book 25 events that will bring 35,000 more visitors to Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana

ReligiousPostcard2014.indd 1 10/8/14 10:38 AMRejuvenate Invite

Working our Tradeshow Booth with our Fort Wayne Sales Team

Fort Wayne is close.

ISAE_Card.indd 1 6/13/14 10:13 AMISAE Invite

Bus Tours bring groups to Fort Wayne

32nd Annual Tactical Conference and Trade Show

Presented By:

Proposal To Host:

National Tactical Offi cers Association

Our Customizable Bid Book

Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

DeBrand Fine ChocolatesTake a tour of DeBrand’s factory and get a behind-the-scenes lookat the secrets of chocolate making!

Northeast Indiana WineriesNortheast Indiana features several outstanding wineries!Private tastings and tours are available for groups.

Boutique ShoppingIn addition to Fort Wayne’s two destination-style malls, we offer group-friendly boutique shopping with custom tours of olive oil tasting shoppes, custom gift items and so much more.

Spas and PamperingFort Wayne knows how to treat a group of girlfriends! Enjoy Cali Spa, where you can enjoy 30 pedicures at a time, or individual spa services packages - we’ll recommend the right treat for your group.

Neighboring CommunitiesJust outside Fort Wayne you will find the Amish community of Grabill to the north and the upscale community of Roanoke to the south. Each one offers shopping, dining, and trip additions to cherish!

April 8-12, 2015April 6-10, 2016Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Mark your calendar for Fort Wayne’s#1 Group Tour event of the year!

Plan a girlfriend getaway around the amazing Vera BradleyOutlet Sale, where you will find 40-60% off retail prices!

Additional Girlfriend Getaway Ideas

Bring Your Group Tour to Fort Wayne, Indiana

Excellent Hotel Packages Available!

Bus Tour Flyer

Leisure Marketing and Communications

2014 Achievements

• Advertised Fort Wayne using traditional advertising (TV, radio, newspaper, web) in 30 cities between 50-200 miles from Fort Wayne to encourage family getaways and overnight stays built around the many attractions and amenities in our community

• Worked extensively with travel media including hosting them on FAM tours and garnering free earned media from many regional magazines and newspapers

• The summer’s campaign was a huge success with web traffic up 24% and Visitors Center inquiries up 70%, which directly contributed to area attractions reporting their admissions increased between 3-9% over the previous year

• Our social media and digital marketing efforts were expanded in 2014, resulting in a 73% increase in Facebook fans, 59% increase in Twitter followers, and 264% increase in Instagram followers. These results, and our increased web presence, resulted in our Marketing Department being awarded the “Digital Marketers of the Year” award from Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

• Organized several local community relations programs including “Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown” which had over 28,000 people participate, to create more awareness and appreciation for our tourism industry partners and our organization

Visit Fort Wayne uses advertising, marketing, public relations and social media activities to attract leisure visitors to Fort Wayne.

We promote Fort Wayne as a high-quality, low-cost family destination for getaway trips. Our goal is to produce 30 million exposures

and generate 2 million visitors to our website to encourage their families to visit Fort Wayne.

2015 Goals

• Early 2015 will see a re-launch our VisitFortWayne.com website with even more functionality and responsive capabilities for visitors using mobile devices

• Launch of a new campaign, “Host Them Here,” designed to encourage Fort Wayne residents to invite their friends and family to visit Fort Wayne. This multimedia campaign will not only provide residents with tips and tools to use when they host their guests, but also increase their civic pride in Fort Wayne’s many offerings

• We will also continue to build on our successful advertising and social media campaigns to promote our city to as many potential visitors as possible

• In 2015, we are also increasing our emphasis on working with the Travel Media to secure more articles, blogs and stories about our city as a leisure destination

Travel Writer FAM Tour visits the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

Host Them Here Ad Campaign

You know she’s been DYING to visit.

We’ll help make it as painless as possible.Visit Fort Wayne has the planning tools to help you know where to go,

what to do, and how to make it a visit to remember.

AUNT_HTH_FWM_FullPageBLEED.indd 1 10/15/14 2:16 PM

Start Planning a Great Family Getaway That They’ll Love!

VisitFortWayne.com • 1-800-767-7752

Just two hours north of Indianapolis, a heart-warming getaway awaits. Reconnect with your family this summer in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Big City.Bigger Heart.

You'll love family getaways in Fort Wayne!

®

VFW_IndyMonthly3.5x4.5.indd 1 4/24/13 4:40 PM

Digital Marketers of the Year Award

VisitFortWayne.com

2014 Achievements

• Responded with friendly, helpful assistance through the Visitors Center – walk-ins were up 15%. In addition, new merchandise sales were up approximately 11%

• Populated our Calendar of Events to grow its reputation in the community as the best resource to learn about events

• Increased the distribution of brochures by 170%

• 2014 was the first year we used DMAI’s economic impact calculator for sports, which assisted our efforts to quantify the value of sports groups in our community

• Assisted over 100 groups from family reunions to State GOP convention with helpful planning assistance for their gatherings. We also made custom websites, special arrangements at restaurants, and provided friendly, informed staff at their information tables while distributing thousands of brochures for many of our city’s attractions, festivals and entertainment venues

Visitor Services

The Visitors Center Welcomes Guests

The Visitors Center celebrated our 65th Year with the installation of a Pinwheel sculpture

The Visitor Services Department acts as the primary point of contact for planners and visitors interested in Fort Wayne as a destination

for their convention, tournament or family getaway trip. We provide advice and information in many forms to assist in the planning of

a Fort Wayne visit.

2015 Goals

• Continue to increase effectiveness and value of the Visitors Center by utilizing our new staff and web tools to help planners and visitors

• Continue to emphasize good customer service and personalized attention, and respond to inquires in a timely manner

• Upgrade souvenir and merchandise offerings for visitors and residents

• Create a research plan to develop visitor profiles to improve our marketing

• Help planners make their events in Fort Wayne successful, so that their success will encourage them to return to our city in the future

Welcome to Fort Wayne!2014 Indiana Republican Party State Convention

®

VFW_RepublicanConventionAd_.indd 1 6/3/14 2:29 PMRepublican Party Welcome Flyer

New Visitors Center Merchandise

Special Projects

2014 Achievements

• Installed new digital welcome screens at Fort Wayne International Airport, welcoming visitors with news of attractions, events and favorite Fort Wayne images. The signs are a partnership with the airport, and allow special timed messages for large convention groups, special dignitaries and business leaders

• Launched the inaugural Savor Fort Wayne restaurant week, a great success for businesses and customers alike

• Provided training to front line employees of the hospitality industry to better assist and serve visitors during Tourism Week event

• Published the Official Fort Wayne Visitors Guide, maps and more

The Special Projects Department serves our Industry Partners by helping them to promote their business to visitors. We produce a

Visitors Guide, website, information kiosks and maps which provide opportunities for Industry Partners to advertise their businesses.

The Special Projects staff also works on a wide variety of community-oriented projects with the City, County, Airport, Downtown

Improvement, Three Rivers Festival, NE Indiana Partnership and others to improve Fort Wayne/Allen County.

2015 Goals

• Expand on the success of Savor Fort Wayne, adding more restaurants and community partnerships

• Expand Frontline training program to offer two sessions a year

• Grow opportunities for members to market to visitors through our publications and online offerings

2014 Accomplishments

• Fully integrated “checks and balances” into our financial activities to ensure that all the dollars provided the organization are spent correctly

• Updated the Bureau’s three-year Strategic Plan• Served on three mayoral committees and collaborated with other

community and economic development organizations including Greater Fort Wayne, Inc, NE IN Partnership, Arts United, DID, IPFW, Sports Corp and Cultural District to make Fort Wayne and Allen County a better destination for both visitors and residents alike

The Administration Department insures the organization is operating efficiently and effectively in all its operations, utilizing

the leadership of the Board, skills of the staff and resources provided to us by stakeholders and industry partners. We are also

responsible for community relations, industry leadership and growing our community’s economy through tourism.

2015 Goals

• Implement our Strategic Plan with the Board of Directors• Create new reporting and networking meetings called “Connect”

to help our industry partners and stakeholders learn more about our activities

Administration Department

Front Line Training Educates our Industry Partners2014 Visitors Guide

927 S. Harrison Street, Suite 101, Fort Wayne, IN 46802

1-800-767-7752 • 260-424-3700

www.VisitFortWayne.com

Learn more on our organizational website: FortWayneCVB.com or on our consumer site: VisitFortWayne.com

Gary Shearer, Old National Bank Board Chairperson

Mike Nutter, Fort Wayne TinCaps Vice Chairperson

Michael Sperry, Gordon Food Service Treasurer

Dawn Rosemond, Barnes & Thornburg Secretary

Board Members

Jim Anderson, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo

Tim Beere, DeBrand Fine Chocolates

Randy Brown, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Sharon Feasel, City of Fort Wayne

Danette Fitzgerald, Parkview Health

Steve Gard, The Oyster Bar

Tim Hall, Don Hall’s Guesthouse

Scott Hinderman, Fort Wayne/Allen County Airport Authority

Don Osika, 21 Alive/NBC 33

Mac Parker, Faegre Baker Daniels

Nelson Peters, Allen County Commissioner

John Sampson, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

Melissa Schenkel, Vera Bradley

Bart Shaw, Grand Wayne Convention Center

Lisa Starks, Barnes & Thornburg

Kelly Updike, Embassy Theatre

Irene Walters, Community Leader

Management & Finance

Dan O’Connell, President/CEODennis Robinson, Director of Industry Partner RelationsBeth Monn, Bookkeeper/Administration Assistant

Marketing

Kristen Guthrie, Director of MarketingDan Kinnaley, Digital Marketing ManagerJohn Felts, Marketing and Communications Specialist

Group Sales

Josie O’Donnell, Senior Group Sales ManagerEmily Ecenbarger, Group Sales Assistant

Visitor Services/Visitors Center

Megan Flohr, Director of ServicesStephanie Coleman, Receptionist/Visitor InformationMegan Butler, Receptionist/Visitor Information

Board of Directors - 2015 Staff