Between the federal government shutdown in October and the loss of Arizona Cardinals Training Camp in August, the Flagstaff tourism industry tackled many challenges during 2013. However, when the BBB tax revenues were tallied through November and added to the total receipts for the year, those challenges didn’t prove to make an impact. In fact, the 2013 figures show that BBB revenues are up 5.11 percent over 2012, for a total collection of $6,031,231.
The Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Flagstaff’s department responsible for promoting the city as a premier travel destination, took many proactive steps to manage the challenges that came our way throughout the year. The following is a review of the work and accomplishments of the bureau for calendar year 2013.
The CVB began the year with efforts to educate city residents and local businesses on the impact tourism has on our community and how the Flagstaff Visitor Center is a resource for all. The CVB created and distributed bookmarks with local tourism statistics, presented to community groups and began posting tourism-themed window clings.
In June, the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a new marketing campaign and redesigned website after months of research, planning and creating new imagery. Highlights of the campaign include an updated logo with a stamp effect, a distinct color palette to represent each season of the year and photo-rich advertisement design featuring catchy headlines. On Wednesday, June 5, the campaign literally rolled out around Phoenix in the form of light rail train and city bus wraps – an outdoor advertising format that was unlike anything the CVB had done before.
A goal of the new marketing campaign is to drive more potential visitors to the www.flagstaffarizona.org website. Since the website is the primary call to action in the campaign’s advertisements, the site received a fresh look and increased functionality so it can serve as the premier resource on visiting Flagstaff. The redesigned website’s content is more dynamic and features frequently changing homepage highlights and four unique pages that explain the Flagstaff visitor experience in each of the four seasons.
The CVB Creative Services team also integrated a social media component into the tracking of fan interaction with the marketing campaign with the “I Found Flagstaff” Facebook sweepstakes and “I Found Flagstaff: Visitor Stories” submissions to the website. These social media promotions encouraged fans to find and photograph the new Flagstaff advertisements and share their stories about visiting Flagstaff. In June 2013 alone, the Visit Flagstaff Facebook page gained 1,399 new fans and 100 new followers on Twitter.
This year, the CVB meetings and events specialist secured three international conferences to be held in Flagstaff during 2014, which will bring an average of 500 attendees for each conference and an estimated $1 million in lodging revenues. The 50th anniversary Ford Mustang Pony Ride was also booked this year to come through Flagstaff during shoulder season with an estimated $40,000 economic impact.
In 2013, the CVB tour and travel specialist led two sales missions to Europe and met with 70 travel trade professionals in nine cities in addition to meeting with more than 80 domestic receptive operators. Early results of these meetings have resulted in four new fly-drive itineraries, and a group tour with 10 departures that stay for two nights in Flagstaff.
In early 2013, the Flagstaff Visitor Center began participating in First Friday Artwalk, giving local artists and crafters a place to sell during this monthly event. This year, the Visitor Center added a popular souvenir to the gift shop with the penny press machine. Each month, the Visitor Center’s customer service satisfaction ratings continue to be at 98 percent.
With 2014 underway, the CVB continues to extend the usage of the new marketing campaign. The 2014 Official Flagstaff Visitor Guide underwent a complete redesign to match the new campaign and several more pieces of marketing collateral are scheduled for redesign this spring.
On Feb. 1, the CVB kicked off a year-long Visitor Intercept Study, which will provide current information for a Flagstaff Visitor Profile and provide necessary data to continue to further hone the bureau’s sales and marketing efforts. FBN
Joanne Hudson is the public relations specialist for the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau.