2 0 1 0 a nnual r eport - samceda...clif clark, san francisco airport marriott waterfront larry...
TRANSCRIPT
INCOMING CHAIR’S MESSAGE
By Ken Landis, OwnerLandis Shores Oceanfront Inn
It is an honor to have been selected by my fellow Board
members as your Chairman of the Board for 2008. We
will be building upon our successes and expanding
our programs this year. Due to the enormous success
2 0 1 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T
Congratulations to our Incoming Officers and Board of Directors:
INCOMING OFFICERS FOR 2011Chairman of the Board
Scott VandenBerg, Hyatt Regency San Francisco AirportChair Elect
Barry Ongerth, San Francisco Airport South Travelodge
Immediate Past ChairRudy Ortiz, Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport
(South San Francisco) Secretary
Derek Hudson, Hilton Garden Inn (San Mateo)
TreasurerDana Dahl, Beach House Hotel
Vice ChairsLen Almalech, Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Kandace Bender, San Francisco International AirportJohn Hutar, Sofitel San Francisco Bay
Mitch Postel, San Mateo County History Museum
ADDITIONAL DIRECTORS FOR 2011
Jeff Bass, Hiller Aviation Museum Darrell Buettner, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (Belmont)
Marty Cerles, Best Western Lighthouse Hotel Clif Clark, San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Larry Ivich, Hillsdale Shopping Center Ken Landis, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn Ryan Laskey, The Westin & Clarion Hotels San Francisco Airport Roger Life, Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport Jim McGuire, Best Western Grosvenor Hotel Tracy Mercer, Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley Wayne Meyer, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Stan Moore, Marriott International Tom Moss, Bay Landing Hotel Sandra O’Toole, South San Francisco Conference Center Jim Rebosio, Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel
THANK YOU
Our thanks to Rudy Ortiz of Embassy Suites San Francisco AirportSouth San Francisco for serving as chair of the organization in 2010. His dedication and leadership are appreciated.
BUREAU TBID FUNDS GENERATE ECONOMIC IMPACT
In 2010, the Bureau generated 414 “leads” for county properties andassisted in booking 85,302 definite room nights, with an estimatedeconomic impact from these bookings of $30,528,782. This representsan increase of 7.8% in the number of leads generated over last yearand an increase of 7.7% in room nights booked. Of the potentialroom nights for our area, 72.7% were booked. (This total does NOT include individual corporate, leisure, or international nights generated through advertising and promotion.) In addition, our advertising reached over 12.5 million readers in 2010, and over 31 million read about our area, thanks to our extensive editorial outreach.
SPECIAL AWARDS Awarded “Best Destination Marketing Organization(CVB) in Northern California 2010” by NorthernCalifornia Meetings + Events magazine readers.
Website won North American Travel Journalist AssociationAward of Merit for “Destination Website”.
INCOMING CHAIR’S MESSAGEBy Scott VandenBerg, General Manager
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEBy Anne LeClair
SMCCVB STAFF
� Anne LeClair, President & CEO� Gina Allhands, Vice President & CFTO� Nina Ramos, Director of International Market & Tourism Development� Teipo Brown, Director of Group Sales� Karalee Adams, Senior Sales Manager � Adrienne Nudo, Sales Manager (Midwest)� Artrice Smith, Sales Manager (East Coast)
� Elaine Rothenhaus, Regional Sales Manager� Jaclyn Babcock, Convention & Leisure Services Manager� Brena Bailey, Film Commissioner� Stephanie Fermin, Publications Manager� Carole Self, Executive Assistant & Project Manager
� Mary De Rosa, Part-Time Administrative Assistant� Cynthia Garcia, Special Project Intern
� Lisa Kesler, Executive Sales Assistant� Jessica Campbell, California Welcome Center Manager
& Special Project Coordinator
� Yolanda Bonilla, Part-Time Administrative Assistant
San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
650.348.7600/[email protected]
ACCOMPLISHMENTS INMEETING PLANNER OUTREACH
To generate leads for our area in 2010, the Bureau:� Participated in nearly 50 trade shows;��Conducted three-day familiarization (“fam”) tours for meeting planners from the Midwest, East Coast, Sacramento, and western states, as well as small fams for sporting event planners;����������sales “blitzes” in Sacramento, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, and the immediate area (South, East and North Bay areas);������receptions/events for planners in Chicago and Washington DC to introduce our area to planners;
Thank you to Rudy Ortiz, our outgoing Chairman, on behalf of our entire board of directors. While managing his own hotel and, later, an additional hotel, Rudy oversaw numerous Bureau accomplishments. Under his leadership, the Bureau officially added the properties of Palo Alto to our Tourism Business Improvement District, allowing us to effectively market the Peninsula from Stanford University, north.
In addition, during Rudy’s term, the properties in Pacifica wereadded to the district, completing our representation of the PacificCoastside.
A key event during Rudy’s term was securing approval to open anofficial California Welcome Center at Hillsdale Shopping Center,allowing us to capture not only drive-in visitors, but fly-ins, aswell, keeping them in our area for additional days. Ourparticipation in the program also gives us increased representationin the numerous promotions of the California Travel andTourism Commission.
We have weathered some tough years in the hospitality industry,but things are steadily improving. I look forward to serving asBureau Chair as we build on our successes and actively pursuegroup meetings, sporting events and leisure stays. We aredetermined to continue to increase our bookings, making a namefor our entire area among meeting planners and leisure travelers. We are pleased and honored to have been selected by NorthernCalifornia Meetings + Events Magazine as the Best DestinationMarketing Organization (CVB) in Northern California for 2010,and I congratulate the Bureau team on this prestigious award.
Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will make2011 a banner year for the hospitality industry.
“Success is not final…it is the courage to continue that counts.”Winston Churchill verbalized what hospitality people know sowell. We have fought through the economic downturn togetherand become stronger than ever. When meeting cancellations werecommon and business not easy to find, your Bureau Board andstaff kept plugging away, remaining optimistic and focused.
We are happy to say that definite room night bookings and conversionrates are not only up over last year, but are continuing to improve.Occupancy and rate are climbing. We are all optimistic.
We thank you, our members and our Board members, for your couragein hanging in there, working hard and supporting our team all the way. Your Board members had challenges of their own, yet remained dedicated, showing strong support for our team and the area we represent.
As we move into 2011, we will continue to actively pursue group andleisure business. We will move toward the creation of our own SportsAuthority, starting by hosting the highly visible Peninsula Sports Hallof Fame induction banquet, honoring athletes and coaches fromSan Mateo County and Palo Alto. The San Mateo County Event Center,San Mateo County Times, and John Horgan, past organizer of theSan Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame, are all generously assistingwith the event.
To the hardworking Bureau team members goes a big “thank you”for their enthusiasm and determination to make the organizationbetter and better. They make it all happen for you on a daily basiswith unparalleled courage and heart.
� Angelina Preza, Regional Sales Manager
Chris Carpenter, San Mateo County Event Center
111 Anza Blvd, #410Burlingame, CA 94010
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITYSan Mateo County as a Culinary Destination
FILMING OUTREACHMEDIA OUTREACH� Conducted joint sales calls/visits with hotel reps to clients in Sacramento, the Chicago area and Washington, DC;� Conducted numerous individual client site visits to close business opportunities;� Continued our hot dates/hot rates notification program, sending last minute deals out to key meeting planners to assist area properties with filling in “need” dates and offering our members the opportunity to list their short-term “need” dates on a national hot dates site;� Conducted numerous targeted outreach campaigns to various market segments such as medical meeting planners, fraternal groups, religious organizations, sporting event planners, and association, corporate and government meeting planners;� Created strong ties with numerous Bay Area sports-related groups, generating thousands of definite room nights in that category, from professional events to youth activities;� Continued outreach to third party meeting planners and meeting management companies, making presentations and securing listings in their directories;� Remained actively involved in numerous professional meeting planner organizations;� Continued outreach in the U.S., building relationships and an identity with association, corporate and SMERF meeting planners; � Created “Extend Your Stay” PDFs, promotional flyers and DVDs for several booked clients to enhance attendance; � Used testimonials our team received from planners, writers and production companies to attract new business; � Participated as a member of California Society of Association Executives’ Seasonal Spectacular Committee.
OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUAL LEISURE /INTERNATIONAL / CORPORATE
TRAVELERS
�� Opened an official California Welcome Center, exponentially expanding our reach via the California Travel and Tourism Commission’s (CTTC) outreach efforts;� Placed thousands of visitor guides in California Welcome Centers around the state to encourage drive-in business; � Participated in Visit USA/CTTC sales mission to Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney);� Participated in CTTC Euro sales mission to Germany, Dublin and London, conducting one-on-one appointments with key buyers in these markets. Worked with Discover America and U.S. Commerce departments disseminating information on our area internationally;� Conducted fam tours for top travel agents and key travel trade media from Germany, the UK, and Australia;� Worked with CTTC International offices in the UK, Australia/New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Mexico, China, France and India, providing information for distribution and participating in promotional opportunities;
�� Sent monthly e-newsletter to several thousand prospective visitors in our database, listing special events, “What’s New” packages, and special rates to encourage visits;�� Provided links for member properties, with website averaging over 1.6 million hits and over 30,000 unique visitors per year;�� Placed ads aimed at individual/leisure travelers in: CA Visitor Guide (750,000 copies); Sunset Magazine (two issues); Discover America (print and online and one month “Great Escapes” mail marketing campaign); California co-op featured in Travel + Leisure (two inserts), Budget Travel (two inserts), Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Food & Wine, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, and Toronto Star and 1.5 million geo-targeted emails of the digital magazine, distributed on zinio.com and smartphone app, coverleaf.com; Society of America Travel Writers Directory; Students & Faculty Annual Directory (print and online); Destination Palo Alto (online); The California Leaguer (four issues); and fostertravel.com (online travel guide). Total readership for all leisure travel ads alone was well over 10.8 million;�� Responded to thousands of requests for local lodging and area information;�� Conducted one-on-one appointments in: the international tradeshow Pow Wow (tour planners from all over the world), the international Go West Summit (international tour and travel buyers), NTA Annual (domestic travel buyers), and the Student Youth Travel Association (tour operators/buyers in the student travel industry);�� Maintained a visitor center in Palo Alto and a visitor kiosk at Hiller Aviation Museum; �� Continued discounted car rental program with Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Dollar Rent-a-Car, offering deep discounts to those coming to San Mateo County and Palo Alto.
� Continued campaign to position and market San Mateo County as a top culinary tourism destination;�������“SMC: As Fresh as it Gets” awards were given to 83 restaurants/caterers/hotels;� Created a second “As Fresh as it Gets” cookbook with all new recipes featuring local produce, seafood, wine, beer, and cheese;�� Built upon partnerships with San Mateo County Farm Bureau and San Mateo County Harbor District to encourage SMC restaurants, hotels and caterers to buy and serve the freshest local produce, seafood, wine, beer and goat dairy products;�� Generated additional prospective business from food-related and agricultural groups;�� Delivered fresh local products to meeting planners to call attention to the high quality of our cuisine;�� Promoted farm, dock, winery, goat farm, and brewery tours to groups on an ongoing basis.
� Attended two travel writer shows in 2010, the Society of American Travel Writers and Travel Media Showcase, meeting in a marketplace setting with over 100 travel writers and pitching a wide variety of stories;� Developed strong relationships with, and writer interest in, prospective articles about San Mateo County/Silicon Valley;� Conducted multiple individual fam tours for travel writers from throughout the country;� Conducted a successful media tour of the area for travel writers from across the U.S., which has already resulted in multiple articles in the New York Times travel section, Examiner.com, CNN Money online, and Coastal Living magazine;� Customized stories to fit needs of extensive media calendars we have purchased, sending numerous “made to fit” pieces out monthly;� Generated over 52 articles (some published in multiple newspapers) in addition to several inclusions in CTTC releases, which are distributed to hundreds of public relations and media outlets worldwide;� Followed up on hundreds of requests from travel writers for information for specific stories;� Made presentations on the area before the Bay Area Travel Writers and North American Travel Journalists Association, and assisted in booking their monthly meetings in interesting SMC venues to enhance their knowledge of the area;� Worked closely with the CTTC team, responding to all publicity leads that came in to the state from international and regional publications;� Continued to build our media database. In the last year, we have emailed editorial ideas on our area to several hundred travel editors each month, and continued to participate on Facebook and Twitter, with travel editors following our members’ posted events;� Advertised in publications directed at meeting planners and tour group operators, including ads in the following publications: Student Traveler, Meetings West (four editions and online), Successful Meetings, ASAE online/e-newsletter, Group Tour Magazine (three editions), Smart Meetings, Northern California Meetings + Events (two editions), Small Market Meetings (three editions), The Tour Operator (online and print directory), RCM–Religious Conference Manager (two editions, online and email blast), and MPINCC Perspectives;� Featured in editorial in Meetings West, Smart Meetings, and Northern California Meetings + Events.
� Continued active recruitment of all types of filming;� Targeted professional location scouts and location managers, sending out monthly email updates of new/interesting filming locations to the Northern and Southern California Location Scouting/Managers Internet Lists;� Provided ongoing script breakdowns for proposed film projects, matching them with available San Mateo County locations and sending appropriate images of venues from our digital library;� Continued to increase the number of photographs in digital library for use in promotion to film industry;� Handled average of 20 requests per week for filming/permitting assistance to make production easier for film crews;� Participated in film industry trade shows, including the “Locations” Trade Show, put on by the AFCI (Assn. of Film Commissioners Int’l); � Assisted the online SF Bay Area Filming Resource Guide "Propville," with a fam tour of our area’s filming venues and resources for 50 film professionals; � Showcased San Mateo County in the Creative Handbook, the Reel Directory and Propville (industry publications distributed to film industry professionals).
ADDITIONAL OUTREACH
� Continued to work closely with team at SFO, welcoming new airlines to our area;� Met with multiple arts organizations, to assist with promotion to visitors;� Gave numerous speeches and presentations in Bay Area in effort to get local assistance with meeting recruitment;� Continued to work with the Cow Palace, South San Francisco Conference Center and San Mateo County Event Center to bring leads and assist in closing business;� Worked with SFO, SamTrans, Caltrain and BART to promote our area as easily accessible;� Continued outreach to chambers and cities in county, in order to include key area events in our calendar and to maximize our searches for filming venues.
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITYSan Mateo County as a Culinary Destination
FILMING OUTREACHMEDIA OUTREACH� Conducted joint sales calls/visits with hotel reps to clients in Sacramento, the Chicago area and Washington, DC;� Conducted numerous individual client site visits to close business opportunities;� Continued our hot dates/hot rates notification program, sending last minute deals out to key meeting planners to assist area properties with filling in “need” dates and offering our members the opportunity to list their short-term “need” dates on a national hot dates site;� Conducted numerous targeted outreach campaigns to various market segments such as medical meeting planners, fraternal groups, religious organizations, sporting event planners, and association, corporate and government meeting planners;� Created strong ties with numerous Bay Area sports-related groups, generating thousands of definite room nights in that category, from professional events to youth activities;� Continued outreach to third party meeting planners and meeting management companies, making presentations and securing listings in their directories;� Remained actively involved in numerous professional meeting planner organizations;� Continued outreach in the U.S., building relationships and an identity with association, corporate and SMERF meeting planners; � Created “Extend Your Stay” PDFs, promotional flyers and DVDs for several booked clients to enhance attendance; � Used testimonials our team received from planners, writers and production companies to attract new business; � Participated as a member of California Society of Association Executives’ Seasonal Spectacular Committee.
OUTREACH TO INDIVIDUAL LEISURE /INTERNATIONAL / CORPORATE
TRAVELERS
�� Opened an official California Welcome Center, exponentially expanding our reach via the California Travel and Tourism Commission’s (CTTC) outreach efforts;� Placed thousands of visitor guides in California Welcome Centers around the state to encourage drive-in business; � Participated in Visit USA/CTTC sales mission to Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney);� Participated in CTTC Euro sales mission to Germany, Dublin and London, conducting one-on-one appointments with key buyers in these markets. Worked with Discover America and U.S. Commerce departments disseminating information on our area internationally;� Conducted fam tours for top travel agents and key travel trade media from Germany, the UK, and Australia;� Worked with CTTC International offices in the UK, Australia/New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Mexico, China, France and India, providing information for distribution and participating in promotional opportunities;
�� Sent monthly e-newsletter to several thousand prospective visitors in our database, listing special events, “What’s New” packages, and special rates to encourage visits;�� Provided links for member properties, with website averaging over 1.6 million hits and over 30,000 unique visitors per year;�� Placed ads aimed at individual/leisure travelers in: CA Visitor Guide (750,000 copies); Sunset Magazine (two issues); Discover America (print and online and one month “Great Escapes” mail marketing campaign); California co-op featured in Travel + Leisure (two inserts), Budget Travel (two inserts), Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Food & Wine, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, and Toronto Star and 1.5 million geo-targeted emails of the digital magazine, distributed on zinio.com and smartphone app, coverleaf.com; Society of America Travel Writers Directory; Students & Faculty Annual Directory (print and online); Destination Palo Alto (online); The California Leaguer (four issues); and fostertravel.com (online travel guide). Total readership for all leisure travel ads alone was well over 10.8 million;�� Responded to thousands of requests for local lodging and area information;�� Conducted one-on-one appointments in: the international tradeshow Pow Wow (tour planners from all over the world), the international Go West Summit (international tour and travel buyers), NTA Annual (domestic travel buyers), and the Student Youth Travel Association (tour operators/buyers in the student travel industry);�� Maintained a visitor center in Palo Alto and a visitor kiosk at Hiller Aviation Museum; �� Continued discounted car rental program with Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Dollar Rent-a-Car, offering deep discounts to those coming to San Mateo County and Palo Alto.
� Continued campaign to position and market San Mateo County as a top culinary tourism destination;�������“SMC: As Fresh as it Gets” awards were given to 83 restaurants/caterers/hotels;� Created a second “As Fresh as it Gets” cookbook with all new recipes featuring local produce, seafood, wine, beer, and cheese;�� Built upon partnerships with San Mateo County Farm Bureau and San Mateo County Harbor District to encourage SMC restaurants, hotels and caterers to buy and serve the freshest local produce, seafood, wine, beer and goat dairy products;�� Generated additional prospective business from food-related and agricultural groups;�� Delivered fresh local products to meeting planners to call attention to the high quality of our cuisine;�� Promoted farm, dock, winery, goat farm, and brewery tours to groups on an ongoing basis.
� Attended two travel writer shows in 2010, the Society of American Travel Writers and Travel Media Showcase, meeting in a marketplace setting with over 100 travel writers and pitching a wide variety of stories;� Developed strong relationships with, and writer interest in, prospective articles about San Mateo County/Silicon Valley;� Conducted multiple individual fam tours for travel writers from throughout the country;� Conducted a successful media tour of the area for travel writers from across the U.S., which has already resulted in multiple articles in the New York Times travel section, Examiner.com, CNN Money online, and Coastal Living magazine;� Customized stories to fit needs of extensive media calendars we have purchased, sending numerous “made to fit” pieces out monthly;� Generated over 52 articles (some published in multiple newspapers) in addition to several inclusions in CTTC releases, which are distributed to hundreds of public relations and media outlets worldwide;� Followed up on hundreds of requests from travel writers for information for specific stories;� Made presentations on the area before the Bay Area Travel Writers and North American Travel Journalists Association, and assisted in booking their monthly meetings in interesting SMC venues to enhance their knowledge of the area;� Worked closely with the CTTC team, responding to all publicity leads that came in to the state from international and regional publications;� Continued to build our media database. In the last year, we have emailed editorial ideas on our area to several hundred travel editors each month, and continued to participate on Facebook and Twitter, with travel editors following our members’ posted events;� Advertised in publications directed at meeting planners and tour group operators, including ads in the following publications: Student Traveler, Meetings West (four editions and online), Successful Meetings, ASAE online/e-newsletter, Group Tour Magazine (three editions), Smart Meetings, Northern California Meetings + Events (two editions), Small Market Meetings (three editions), The Tour Operator (online and print directory), RCM–Religious Conference Manager (two editions, online and email blast), and MPINCC Perspectives;� Featured in editorial in Meetings West, Smart Meetings, and Northern California Meetings + Events.
� Continued active recruitment of all types of filming;� Targeted professional location scouts and location managers, sending out monthly email updates of new/interesting filming locations to the Northern and Southern California Location Scouting/Managers Internet Lists;� Provided ongoing script breakdowns for proposed film projects, matching them with available San Mateo County locations and sending appropriate images of venues from our digital library;� Continued to increase the number of photographs in digital library for use in promotion to film industry;� Handled average of 20 requests per week for filming/permitting assistance to make production easier for film crews;� Participated in film industry trade shows, including the “Locations” Trade Show, put on by the AFCI (Assn. of Film Commissioners Int’l); � Assisted the online SF Bay Area Filming Resource Guide "Propville," with a fam tour of our area’s filming venues and resources for 50 film professionals; � Showcased San Mateo County in the Creative Handbook, the Reel Directory and Propville (industry publications distributed to film industry professionals).
ADDITIONAL OUTREACH
� Continued to work closely with team at SFO, welcoming new airlines to our area;� Met with multiple arts organizations, to assist with promotion to visitors;� Gave numerous speeches and presentations in Bay Area in effort to get local assistance with meeting recruitment;� Continued to work with the Cow Palace, South San Francisco Conference Center and San Mateo County Event Center to bring leads and assist in closing business;� Worked with SFO, SamTrans, Caltrain and BART to promote our area as easily accessible;� Continued outreach to chambers and cities in county, in order to include key area events in our calendar and to maximize our searches for filming venues.
INCOMING CHAIR’S MESSAGE
By Ken Landis, OwnerLandis Shores Oceanfront Inn
It is an honor to have been selected by my fellow Board
members as your Chairman of the Board for 2008. We
will be building upon our successes and expanding
our programs this year. Due to the enormous success
2 0 1 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T
Congratulations to our Incoming Officers and Board of Directors:
INCOMING OFFICERS FOR 2011Chairman of the Board
Scott VandenBerg, Hyatt Regency San Francisco AirportChair Elect
Barry Ongerth, San Francisco Airport South Travelodge
Immediate Past ChairRudy Ortiz, Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport
(South San Francisco) Secretary
Derek Hudson, Hilton Garden Inn (San Mateo)
TreasurerDana Dahl, Beach House Hotel
Vice ChairsLen Almalech, Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Kandace Bender, San Francisco International AirportJohn Hutar, Sofitel San Francisco Bay
Mitch Postel, San Mateo County History Museum
ADDITIONAL DIRECTORS FOR 2011
Jeff Bass, Hiller Aviation Museum Darrell Buettner, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (Belmont)
Marty Cerles, Best Western Lighthouse Hotel Clif Clark, San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront Larry Ivich, Hillsdale Shopping Center Ken Landis, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn Ryan Laskey, The Westin & Clarion Hotels San Francisco Airport Roger Life, Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport Jim McGuire, Best Western Grosvenor Hotel Tracy Mercer, Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley Wayne Meyer, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company Stan Moore, Marriott International Tom Moss, Bay Landing Hotel Sandra O’Toole, South San Francisco Conference Center Jim Rebosio, Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel
THANK YOU
Our thanks to Rudy Ortiz of Embassy Suites San Francisco AirportSouth San Francisco for serving as chair of the organization in 2010. His dedication and leadership are appreciated.
BUREAU TBID FUNDS GENERATE ECONOMIC IMPACT
In 2010, the Bureau generated 414 “leads” for county properties andassisted in booking 85,302 definite room nights, with an estimatedeconomic impact from these bookings of $30,528,782. This representsan increase of 7.8% in the number of leads generated over last yearand an increase of 7.7% in room nights booked. Of the potentialroom nights for our area, 72.7% were booked. (This total does NOT include individual corporate, leisure, or international nights generated through advertising and promotion.) In addition, our advertising reached over 12.5 million readers in 2010, and over 31 million read about our area, thanks to our extensive editorial outreach.
SPECIAL AWARDS Awarded “Best Destination Marketing Organization(CVB) in Northern California 2010” by NorthernCalifornia Meetings + Events magazine readers.
Website won North American Travel Journalist AssociationAward of Merit for “Destination Website”.
INCOMING CHAIR’S MESSAGEBy Scott VandenBerg, General Manager
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEBy Anne LeClair
SMCCVB STAFF
� Anne LeClair, President & CEO� Gina Allhands, Vice President & CFTO� Nina Ramos, Director of International Market & Tourism Development� Teipo Brown, Director of Group Sales� Karalee Adams, Senior Sales Manager � Adrienne Nudo, Sales Manager (Midwest)� Artrice Smith, Sales Manager (East Coast)
� Elaine Rothenhaus, Regional Sales Manager� Jaclyn Babcock, Convention & Leisure Services Manager� Brena Bailey, Film Commissioner� Stephanie Fermin, Publications Manager� Carole Self, Executive Assistant & Project Manager
� Mary De Rosa, Part-Time Administrative Assistant� Cynthia Garcia, Special Project Intern
� Lisa Kesler, Executive Sales Assistant� Jessica Campbell, California Welcome Center Manager
& Special Project Coordinator
� Yolanda Bonilla, Part-Time Administrative Assistant
San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
650.348.7600/[email protected]
ACCOMPLISHMENTS INMEETING PLANNER OUTREACH
To generate leads for our area in 2010, the Bureau:� Participated in nearly 50 trade shows;��Conducted three-day familiarization (“fam”) tours for meeting planners from the Midwest, East Coast, Sacramento, and western states, as well as small fams for sporting event planners;����������sales “blitzes” in Sacramento, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, and the immediate area (South, East and North Bay areas);������receptions/events for planners in Chicago and Washington DC to introduce our area to planners;
Thank you to Rudy Ortiz, our outgoing Chairman, on behalf of our entire board of directors. While managing his own hotel and, later, an additional hotel, Rudy oversaw numerous Bureau accomplishments. Under his leadership, the Bureau officially added the properties of Palo Alto to our Tourism Business Improvement District, allowing us to effectively market the Peninsula from Stanford University, north.
In addition, during Rudy’s term, the properties in Pacifica wereadded to the district, completing our representation of the PacificCoastside.
A key event during Rudy’s term was securing approval to open anofficial California Welcome Center at Hillsdale Shopping Center,allowing us to capture not only drive-in visitors, but fly-ins, aswell, keeping them in our area for additional days. Ourparticipation in the program also gives us increased representationin the numerous promotions of the California Travel andTourism Commission.
We have weathered some tough years in the hospitality industry,but things are steadily improving. I look forward to serving asBureau Chair as we build on our successes and actively pursuegroup meetings, sporting events and leisure stays. We aredetermined to continue to increase our bookings, making a namefor our entire area among meeting planners and leisure travelers. We are pleased and honored to have been selected by NorthernCalifornia Meetings + Events Magazine as the Best DestinationMarketing Organization (CVB) in Northern California for 2010,and I congratulate the Bureau team on this prestigious award.
Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we will make2011 a banner year for the hospitality industry.
“Success is not final…it is the courage to continue that counts.”Winston Churchill verbalized what hospitality people know sowell. We have fought through the economic downturn togetherand become stronger than ever. When meeting cancellations werecommon and business not easy to find, your Bureau Board andstaff kept plugging away, remaining optimistic and focused.
We are happy to say that definite room night bookings and conversionrates are not only up over last year, but are continuing to improve.Occupancy and rate are climbing. We are all optimistic.
We thank you, our members and our Board members, for your couragein hanging in there, working hard and supporting our team all the way. Your Board members had challenges of their own, yet remained dedicated, showing strong support for our team and the area we represent.
As we move into 2011, we will continue to actively pursue group andleisure business. We will move toward the creation of our own SportsAuthority, starting by hosting the highly visible Peninsula Sports Hallof Fame induction banquet, honoring athletes and coaches fromSan Mateo County and Palo Alto. The San Mateo County Event Center,San Mateo County Times, and John Horgan, past organizer of theSan Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame, are all generously assistingwith the event.
To the hardworking Bureau team members goes a big “thank you”for their enthusiasm and determination to make the organizationbetter and better. They make it all happen for you on a daily basiswith unparalleled courage and heart.
� Angelina Preza, Regional Sales Manager
Chris Carpenter, San Mateo County Event Center
111 Anza Blvd, #410Burlingame, CA 94010