HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-15-2023 TBID Agenda Packet - Special MeetingCity of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission
Agenda
TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD
SPECIAL MEETING
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 City Hall – Council Chambers
10:00 AM 990 Palm Street
Public Comment during the meeting:
If you would like to provide public comment during the meeting, you must attend in person.
Public Comment - Public comment can be submitted in the following ways:
• Mail or Email Public Comment
o Received by 8:00 AM on the day of meeting - Can be submitted via email to
advisorybodies@slocity.org or U.S. Mail to City Clerk at: 990 Palm St., San Luis
Obispo, CA 93401.
o Emails sent after 8:00 AM – Can be submitted via email to
advisorybodies@slocity.org and will be archived/distributed to members of the
Advisory Body after the meeting. Emails will not be read aloud at the meeting.
• Verbal Public Comment
o Received by 8:00 AM on the day of the meeting - Call (805) 781-7164; state and
spell your name, the agenda item number you are calling about and leave your
comment. The verbal comments must be limited to 3 minutes. All voicemails will be
forwarded to Advisory Body Members and saved as Agenda Correspondence.
Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
All comments submitted will be placed into the administrative record of the meeting.
If you have questions, contact the office of the City Clerk at
cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
CALL TO ORDER Chair Clint Pearce
ROLL CALL : Chair Clint Pearce, Vice Chair LeBren Harris, Members Pragna Patel-
Mueller, Lori Keller, Megan Taylor, Lydia Bates and Prashant Patel
PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the
agenda. Persons wishing to speak should come forward and state their name and address.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are generally referred
to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be scheduled for a future meeting.
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Special Agenda for March 15, 2023 Page 2
CONSENT ITEMS
C.1 Minutes of TBID Meeting on February 8, 2023
C.2 Smith Travel Report (STR)
C.3 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Report
C.4 SLO Chamber Public Relations Monthly Report
C.5 SLO Chamber Guest Services Monthly Report
C.6 Noble Studios & DCI Marketing Monthly Report
C.7 Badger Branding Organic Social Report
PRESENTATIONS
1. CITY OF SLO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE 15 mins
Staff will present information on the City’s work effort to update the Economic Development
Strategic Plan.
2. SLO CAL FESTIVAL AND EVENT STRATEGY UPDATE 15 mins
Melissa Murray from Visit SLO CAL will present the SLO CAL Festival and Events Strategy.
3. WEBSITE PROJECT: MOOD BOARD PRESENTATION 15 mins
For the Board’s awareness, representatives from Noble Studios will present the VisitSLO.com
mood board as approved by the website task force and staff.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. SLO TBID APPOINTMENTS 10 mins
The Board will appoint the TBID Board Chair and Vice Chair with appointment terms
commencing in April 2023. The Board will also approve the TBID Liaison assignments to the
PCC, and the Visit SLO CAL Board.
2. FY 23-25 BUDGET PROCESS 20 mins
Staff will discuss the timeline and process for the development of the 2023-25 TBID budget.
3. SLO FILM FESTIVAL MARKETING & MEDIA PLAN 10 mins
Representatives from Noble Studios will present the outlined marketing and media plan for
the SLO Film Festival sponsorship for the Board’s review and input.
4. CENTRAL COAST PRIDE SPONSORSHIP 15 mins
The Board will consider the funding request from GALA for sponsorship support of Central
Coast Pride Festival.
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Special Agenda for March 15, 2023 Page 3
TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
1. HOTELIER UPDATE – Liaison Reports
2. PCC UPDATE – Liaison Report
3. VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – Liaison Report
4. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Staff Report
ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular M eeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board is
scheduled for April 12 , 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible to the
public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to
persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or
accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to the City Clerk’s
Office at (805) 781-7114 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (805) 781-7410.
Meeting audio recordings can be found at the following web address:
https://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=152891&dbid=0&repo=CityClerk&cr=1
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Special Meeting of 02/8/2023 Pg. 1
Minutes
TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District
Board was called to order on January 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. by Chair Clint Pearce.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Clint Pearce, Vice Chair Harris, and Members Lydia Bates, Prashant
Patel, Lori Keller and Megan Taylor
Absent: Members Pragna Patel-Mueller
Staff: Tourism Manager Molly Cano
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
--End of Public Comment--
CONSENT ITEMS
ACTION: MOTION BY VICE CHAIR HARRIS AND SECONDED BY MEMBER PATEL
CARRIED 6-0 (With Members Patel-Mueller absent) to approve the Consent Agenda
Items C.1 through C.7.
C.1 Minutes of TBID Meeting on January 11, 2023
C.2 Smith Travel Report (STR)
C.3 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Report
C.4 SLO Chamber Public Relations Monthly Reports
C.5 SLO Chamber Guest Services Monthly Reports
C.6 Noble Studios & DCI Marketing Monthly Reports
C.7 Badger Branding Organic Social Reports
PRESENTATIONS
1. MIDWEEKEND PROMOTION UPDATE
Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented an update to the Board on the status of the
Midweekend Promotion which launched on February 1, 2023.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of 02/08/2023 Pg. 2
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. VISITSLO.COM REDESIGN KICKOFF
Hayley Corbett and Stephanie Gonzalez, Noble Studios presented the website
redesign process, timeline, and strategic brief with the Board to kick off the project.
Public Comment
None
--End of Public Comment--
ACTION: By consensus, the Board appointed Vice Chair Harris, Members Patel and
Bates to a task force to work with staff and the consultants.
2. SLO FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP
Skye McLennan, SLO Film Festival presented a funding request from the SLO Film
Festival for sponsorship support.
Public Comment
None
--End of Public Comment--
ACTION: MOTION BY MEMBER KELLER AND SECONDED BY MEMBER VICE
CHAIR HARRIS, CARRIED 6-0 (With Member Patel-Mueller absent) to approve a
$10,000 budget to fund lodging and a not to exceed $10,000 budget for hotel
packages and promotions.
3. VISIT SLO CAL IPW CO-OP CONSIDERATION
Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented a co-op opportunity for participation in IPW
May 20-24 in San Antonio, Texas in partnership with Visit SLO CAL and within the
available TBID tradeshow budget.
Public Comment
None
--End of Public Comment--
ACTION: MOTION BY VICE CHAIR HARRIS AND SECONDED BY MEMBER
TAYLOR CARRIED 6-0 (With Members Patel- Mueller absent) to approve a budget
of $11,000 for participation in the IPW in San Antonio, Texas.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of 02/08/2023 Pg. 3
4. SLO TBID FUND BALANCE & BUDGET UPDATE
Jacob Nunez, Financial Analyst and Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented the
SLO TBID Fund Balance for the Board’s review and allocation.
Public Comment
None
--End of Public Comment--
ACTION: MOTION BY MEMBER BATES AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR
HARRIS CARRIED 6-0 (With Members Patel-Mueller absent) to approve increasing
the fund reserve to $200,000 from the available fund balance, $25,000 for printing
from the available fund balance.
5. SUPPLEMENTAL ASSETS
Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented a proposal to acquire general photography
and videography assets capitalizing on the natural landscapes.
Public Comment
None
--End of Public Comment--
ACTION: MOTION BY MEMBER KELLER AND SECONDED BY MEMBER PATEL
CARRIED 5-0 (With Members Patel-Mueller absent) to approve a budget of not to
exceed $50,000 to acquire general photography and videography assets.
TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
1. HOTELIER UPDATE – None.
2. PCC UPDATE – Tourism Manager Cano provided an update on PCC activities.
3. VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – Tourism Manager Cano provided an update.
4. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Tourism Manager Cano provided an update on the
tourism program.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:06 p.m. The next regular Tourism Business
Improvement District Board meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. held
at City Hall.
APPROVED BY THE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/XX
February 2023
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 63.92 64.20 64.00 179.46 177.70 178.96 114.72 114.09 114.54 14.09 -7.45 6.96 11.52 -19.60 -1.03 27.24 -25.59 5.85
City of Paso Robles 63.88 75.75 67.27 132.20 179.11 147.29 84.45 135.67 99.09 12.96 -4.29 6.77 13.60 -3.76 4.17 28.32 -7.89 11.22
City of Pismo Beach 56.18 69.02 59.85 154.44 231.69 179.89 86.76 159.92 107.66 8.39 -11.41 0.95 3.40 -10.34 -5.47 12.07 -20.57 -4.57
City of San Luis Obispo 57.91 76.66 63.27 132.24 186.37 150.98 76.58 142.87 95.52 11.88 1.42 8.02 5.33 3.42 3.62 17.84 4.89 11.93
City of Morro Bay 50.87 61.36 53.87 107.86 139.39 118.12 54.87 85.53 63.63 6.12 -10.39 0.12 10.21 -3.78 2.75 16.95 -13.78 2.87
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 62.26 79.92 67.31 177.44 205.18 186.85 110.48 163.97 125.76 3.81 -0.23 2.40 5.21 5.67 5.24 9.22 5.42 7.77
City of Paso Robles 58.94 90.37 67.92 130.52 237.28 171.10 76.93 214.42 116.21 4.35 -0.63 2.40 4.49 0.16 1.38 9.03 -0.47 3.81
City of Pismo Beach 58.83 86.71 66.80 158.40 272.36 200.67 93.19 236.16 134.04 2.28 -1.17 0.98 -7.75 -12.52 -10.66 -5.64 -13.53 -9.79
City of San Luis Obispo 58.28 88.82 67.01 133.72 224.16 167.97 77.93 199.11 112.55 11.71 -1.51 6.30 4.18 4.66 2.77 16.38 3.07 9.25
City of Morro Bay 52.77 80.43 60.67 106.71 176.19 133.03 56.31 141.71 80.71 -3.93 -5.99 -4.72 4.45 -1.07 1.31 0.35 -6.99 -3.48
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 67.74 70.60 68.56 184.22 188.82 185.57 124.79 133.31 127.22 2.64 -4.74 0.35 10.27 3.93 8.14 13.17 -1.00 8.52
City of Paso Robles 67.86 73.98 69.61 142.18 194.10 157.95 96.48 143.60 109.94 -4.49 -11.81 -6.84 4.49 -5.12 -0.06 -0.20 -0.20 -6.90
City of Pismo Beach 66.26 64.91 65.87 185.16 221.87 195.49 122.68 144.01 128.78 -10.22 -20.73 -13.45 -10.38 -16.04 -12.85 -19.54 -19.54 -24.57
City of San Luis Obispo 68.47 77.85 71.15 150.87 181.56 160.46 103.30 141.34 114.17 -7.06 -5.55 -6.59 2.27 -12.44 -3.35 -4.95 -4.95 -9.72
City of Morro Bay 58.68 58.93 58.75 120.19 139.88 125.83 70.52 82.43 73.93 -9.64 -23.37 -14.06 2.61 -5.99 -1.16 -7.28 -7.28 -15.05
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 64.42 72.17 66.64 176.55 186.80 179.72 113.74 134.81 119.76 5.51 -0.56 3.55 12.76 3.60 9.44 18.97 3.02 13.33
City of Paso Robles 55.58 76.83 61.65 128.72 196.59 152.89 71.54 151.04 94.25 -11.34 0.53 -7.45 -1.76 -0.68 -0.05 -12.90 -0.15 -7.49
City of Pismo Beach 45.17 65.38 50.95 148.99 241.29 182.84 67.30 157.77 93.15 -13.62 -6.05 -10.99 -7.56 -6.15 -6.00 -20.15 -11.82 -16.33
City of San Luis Obispo 57.27 81.80 64.28 138.22 191.61 157.63 79.16 156.73 101.32 7.08 8.71 7.66 4.87 -5.88 -0.01 12.29 2.32 7.65
City of Morro Bay 45.12 64.66 50.70 109.74 152.74 125.41 49.51 98.77 63.58 -13.71 -14.13 -13.86 6.68 2.32 4.66 -7.94 -12.14 -9.85
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
City of Paso Robles 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
City of Pismo Beach 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
City of San Luis Obispo 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
City of Morro Bay 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR
0
For the Week of February 26, 2023
to March 04, 2023
For the Week of February 19, 2023
to February 25, 2023
For the Week of February 12, 2023
to February 18, 2023
For the Week of February 05, 2023
to February 11, 2023
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
Change +/- to
previous FY
July 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 844,845$ 877,391$ 861,241$ 884,317$ 913,019$ 530,064$ 1,214,080$ 1,298,959$ 7.0%
August 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 774,501$ 765,232$ 728,932$ 775,513$ 826,465$ 623,523$ 992,620$ 1,089,326$ 9.7%
September 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 643,127$ 650,117$ 693,704$ 682,810$ 720,414$ 660,405$ 965,595$ 1,101,237$ 14.0%
October 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 642,221$ 628,049$ 601,208$ 650,101$ 711,393$ 632,733$ 889,485$ 986,882$ 10.9%
November 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 468,016$ 497,162$ 513,487$ 556,885$ 593,403$ 422,488$ 722,487$ 772,110$ 6.9%
December 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 429,600$ 434,836$ 473,701$ 488,296$ 488,757$ 236,391$ 638,253$ 630,527$ -1.2%
January 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 387,304$ 396,559$ 415,690$ 465,547$ 520,813$ 302,621$ 557,369$ 463,013$ -16.9%Missing 5 Hotels
February 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 466,915$ 439,735$ 503,451$ 524,327$ 596,021$ 426,144$ 716,045$
March 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 559,235$ 549,642$ 577,285$ 602,781$ 268,458$ 614,973$ 820,473$
April 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 609,439$ 708,724$ 641,919$ 741,364$ 69,184$ 742,477$ 1,057,524$
May 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 601,614$ 598,093$ 645,114$ 630,820$ 665,603$ 174,982$ 760,006$ 909,549$
June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 796,899$ 835,727$ 409,945$ 973,975$ 1,100,000$
Total/Average 4,478,481$ 4,859,400$ 5,249,181$ 5,578,460$ 6,059,758$ 6,803,224$ 7,154,334$ 7,357,923$ 7,438,338$ 7,873,272$ 6,292,853$ 6,925,799$ 10,583,480$
2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-
July 82.2 82.9 0.9%226.69 231.16 2.0%186.23 190.97 2.5%
August 71.9 74.6 3.8%213.77 208.57 -2.4%153.67 155.58 1.2%
September 70.9 71.9 1.4%214.67 212.43 -1.0%152.30 152.78 0.3%
October 68.1 69.6 2.2%200.80 202.21 0.7%136.81 140.73 2.9%
November 63.10 62.1 -1.6%182.97 185.60 1.4%115.47 115.19 -0.2%
December 53.50 54.2 1.3%175.56 167.13 -4.8%93.90 90.6 -3.5%
January 51.0 50.4 -1.2%137.26 136.70 -0.4%70.00 68.90 -1.6%
February 64.9 173.07 112.37
March 65.2 175.65 114.49
April 72.6 211.24 153.43
May 63.9 197.13 125.94
June 76.8 220.40 169.19
Total/Average 65.63 67.01 66.53 0.01 194.10 191.97 -0.01 131.98 130.68 Updated: 3/10/2023
Occupancy ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
February 2023
PR ACTIVITY
Implementation/Proactive Work
Pitched Midweekend to local and regional media
Hosted freelancer Kristi Eaton on her visit to SLO
Began planning Transformative Travel FAM with DCI
Continued planning Arts + Culture FAM with Hotel SLO
Helped edit emails and blogs for overall tourism marketing campaign
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/DCI on overall tourism marketing campaign
Responsive leads
Pitched Highwater SLO for a Juneteenth article in Essence Magazine through DCI
Partnerships
Attended Dallas Media Mission in partnership with SLO CAL and other Central Coast partners
Attended CCTC PR committee meeting
Continued planning freelancer Johnny Motley's visit with Highway 1 Road Trip
Continued planning Caitlin Moore's Gold Pass visit with Visit Oxnard and SLO CAL
Pitched "Sustainable Wine Country" story ideas to Visit California
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM AD VALUE PILLARS RESULT OF
AN EMERALD CITY LIFE An easy weekend getaway from Seattle to the Central California Coast 1,000 $0.15 Cultural MEDIA HOSTING PARTNERSHIP
AN EMERALD CITY LIFE A family travel idea for San Luis Obispo: connecting rooms at the Wayfarer (especially with teens!1,000 $0.15 Family MEDIA HOSTING PARTNERSHIP
KEYT City of SLO “Buy and Eat Local Bonus” programs generated over $950k into the local economy 62,000 $14.21 Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
THRILLIST These Are the Most Popular Themed Hotel Rooms You Can Book Right Now 3,610,000 $829.63 Cultural
STUFF San Luis Obispo, California: 'The happiest town in America' is one most visitors miss 1,840,000.00 $423.09 Cultural
AFAR MAGAZINE These 11 Revamped Californian Motels Are Totally Worth a Road Trip 643,000 $147.96 Cultural
WINERIST MAGAZINE 2022 SLO Cal Luxury Forum 10,000.00 -Support Local
WOMAN'S WORLD The Madonna Inn Is a Kitschy, Retro Paradise — Here’s What Makes It So Unique 250,000 $57.51 Cultural
TRAVELLER AUSTRALIA San Luis Obispo, California: The idyllic town most Australian visitors miss 314,000 -Cultural
TRAVEL BEGINS AT 40 Head to SLO CAL for a Foodie Adventure 1,000 -Culinary
KEYT City of San Luis Obispo distributes $40,000 in grants to local organization’s upcoming events 62,000 $14.21 Support Local
PAPERCITY HOUSTON An Insider's Guide to San Luis Obispo, California's Best Kept Secret 69,000 $15.92 Cultural
TOTALS
16 6,863,000 $1,502.83
TOTAL YTD
135 747,089,023 $288,342.40
151 753,952,023 $289,845.23
Report to City of SLO – TBID
Guest Services Contract
February 2023
Response to TBID Advertising Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Feb.
2022
Feb.
2023
Calls to
1-877-SLO-TOWN
38 27 17 10 133 92
Hotel Availability Tracker Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Feb.
2022
Feb.
2023
Email Response 34 20 12 25 93 91
Phone Calls to
Hotels
58 65 85 78 318 286
Hotel Referrals Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Feb.
2022
Feb.
2023
Visitors Served
(walk-ins)
1,379 1,253 1,587 1,276 5,178 5,495
Guests Served
(via phone and
digitally)
453 409 341 259 1,706 1,460
Hotel Rooms
Referred
298 261 201 176 1,559 936
Agency Report · February 2023
SLO-TBID
Agency Repor t
February Activity & Performance
What’s Ahead:
●Quarterly Marketing Plan FY22-23:
Copy of Jan-March Visit SLO - 30/60/90 Marketing Plan - FY22-23
Paid Media
Paid search drove 27,293 impressions (a 14% decrease YoY), 3,131 clicks , a 11.47% CTR, a
34.36% conversion rate (102% increase YoY) and 3,226 sessions (42% decrease YoY)while driving
49 Book Now conversions, 979 hotel referrals (101% increase YoY) and 42 homestay referrals at
26% increase in cost YoY.
Paid social drove 1,106,434impressions, 359,363 users reached and 14,352 clicks across
Facebook and Instagram with a 1.30% CTR for FB/Insta (a 82% increase YoY)for 5,811 sessions (a
101% increase YoY)while driving 6 hotel referrals at a 12% increase in cost YoY.
Display drove 4,097,941 impressions (a 263% increase YoY), 13,448 clicks, a .33% CTR, a 0.42%
conversion rate (62% increase YoY) and 11,714 sessions while driving 34 hotel referrals, 12
homestay referrals and 8 things to do referrals at a 217% increase in cost YoY.
Discovery drove 112,127 impressions, 1,856 clicks,a 2.27% CTR, a 2.63% conversion rate and 829
sessions while driving 37 hotel referrals, 3 Book Now conversions and 3 things to do referrals at a
33% decrease in cost YoY.
Video drove 419,545 impressions (a 207% increase YoY),21,183 views, 2,069 clicks, a 5.05% view
rate and 1,579 sessions while driving 2 Book Now conversions,8 hotel referrals and 4 homestay
referrals.
An eblast was sent out from Sunset on 2/23. The open rate was above average at 55% with a strong
CTR at 1.78%. There were 75,107 delivered and 41,554 opened.This drove 611 sessions and 126
hotel referrals at a 20.62% conversion rate!
Expedia started running in February, we are waiting for the vendor to send performance details. We
will include in next month’s report.
2
●Proactively monitored and optimized paid media placements ($61,542 spend)
Email Marketing
This February, we focused our emails on MidWeekend promotions.
General Email:41.6% open rate (11.2k+), 1.4% click rate (409)
Cal Poly Email: 68.9% open rate (93), 18.5% click rate (25)
2 more emails are scheduled to send for continued promotion of the MidWeekend deal.
For context, with our past strategy, our single newsletter to all audiences received a 30% click rate
on average and 2% click rate on average over the year.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Creation
Organic search traffic increased 12% period-over-period and decreased 4% year-over-year.
Organic hotel partner referrals increased 52% (385 vs 253), Book Now decreased 45% (51 vs 93)
and homestay referrals increased 37% (40 vs 27) year-over-year (February 1-28, 2023 vs February
1-28, 2022). We saw a 5% increase in avg. session duration, 2% increase in bounce rate and steady
pages per session PoP and 2% increase in bounce rate, 2% decrease in pages/session and a 1%
increase in avg. session duration YoY for organic search.
Page 1 keywords increased by 7% and overall keywords increased by 5%, compared to the previous
period. In February, we saw additional positive PoP growth of ranked keywords for many of the
pages we have optimized including: a 3% increase to the Happy Hour page, a 175% increase to the
Outdoor page, a 36% increase to Attractions page, a 66% increase to the Find a Hotel page, a 16%
increase to Shopping page and a 25% increase on Trains to SLO.
●SEO Optimizations created:
○Page Optimization: Shopping
○Page Optimization: Places to Eat
Blog Posts (2 per month)
Status:
●Blog #1: Cool, Cozy and Captivating Date Night Spots in SLO (completed)
●Blog #2: 5 Women-Owned Businesses We Love in SLO (completed)
Website
3
The website saw a 70% increase in sessions period-over-period (February 1-28, 2023 vs January
4-31, 2023)and a 32% increase YoY; for a total of 60,034 sessions and 50,563 new users in
February. From an engagement perspective, bounce rate increased by 6% and pages/session
decreased by 11% and average session duration decreased by 23% YoY. PoP, we also saw a 10%
increase in bounce rate with a 10% decrease in avg. pages per session and a 24% decrease in avg.
session duration. The largest increases in traffic PoP came from Paid Search, Display, Email and
Referral. YoY, the largest increases in traffic came from Display, Referral and Email.
●Monthly Web Maintenance Items
○WordPress and Plugin Updates
○Continued SLO Chamber Member Updates
○Homepage Banner Update for MidWeekend Promotion
○Zoho Support
○Image Updates to Hotel Stakeholder Page
PR, Media, And Influencer Relations
Proactive Pitch Development:
●Wine + Wellness (Complete)
●Food + Wine (Complete)
●Arts + Culture (In Progress)
●The Art of SLO (To Come)
Ongoing Media Conversations:
●Matt Alderon, USA Today, Sustainable Travel
●Robert Curley, AAA Magazine, TV & Movie Destinations
●Lauren Dana, Viator, Seasonal Blooms
●Alesandra Dubin, Insider, Eco-Friendly Things to Do on Vacation
●Christian Gollayan, Men’s Journal, Men’s Journal Travel Awards
●Britney Eschelman, Hotels Above Par, Where to Visit in April
●Molly O’Brien, Fodor’s, General Travel Story
●Harriet, Baskas, NBC, Keys For Trees
●Neal Boverman, The Advocate, LGBTQ Travel
●Janet O’Grady, Architectural Digest, Mission/Spanish Designs
Hosted Media Visit or Influencer Partnerships (6-9 visits/partnerships in 2022-23)
●Individual Media Visits - 3 Completed, 1 To Come
○Scott Smith, Adelante Magazine (Sept 26-28 - COMPLETED)
○Astrid Taran, Tripsavvy (November 9-11- COMPLETED)
○Kristi Eaton, freelance, CNT February 6-9 (COMPLETED)
○Johnny Motley, Matador, March (part of 101 road trip story)
4
●Food + Wine Group Press Trip Spring 2023 - To Come
○Rebecca Deurlein, Travel + Leisure, Fodors Travel (Confirmed)
○Alexa Mallardo, Eat This, Not That (Confirmed)
○Lizbeth Scordo, AAA Westways (Confirmed)
○Jeremy Long, Matador, (Tentative)
DCI’s All Client Pitch Initiative
Proposed:(4-6 pitches throughout 2022-23)
Progress:
4 Completed, In Progress: Completed: Fall Destinations (Aug 2022) Halloween
Experiences (Sept 2022) Holiday Destinations (Nov 2022), Where to Go in 2023
(Nov 2022), Where to Celebrate Your Divorce (Feb 2023)
DCI 2022-23 SLO Coverage Grid:
●https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X5vv8eqMyV4HSLq4nod-fio_XtbqSyap54Hau1w
V7yY/edit#gid=1486951543
5
February 2023
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 03/15/23
Page Fans: 96,211 ( 0%)
Total Posts: 23
Total Impressions: 2,665,957 ( 108.8%)
Total Organic: 39,089 ( 12%)
Total Engagements: 82,641 ( 82.5%)
Engagement Rate: 3.1 % ( 12.6%)
FACEBOOK
Top Posts:
Followers: 23,653 ( 1.3%)
Total Posts: 31
Total Impressions: 687,854 ( 164.6%)
(includes both organic & paid)
Total stories: 56
Average Reach per Story: 598
Total Engagements: 11,108 ( 88.4%)
Engagement Rate: 1.6%
INSTAGRAM
Top Posts:
WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
- Promoted the MidWeekend via :
- Our promotional reel went viral and currently has
over 175,000 views!
- Reached over 154,000 non-follower accounts
- Has been shared over 6,000 times and saved 1,400
times
- Celebrated Black History Month by featuring a roundup of
events through Race Matters SLO and 3 black-owned
businesses (Renoda Campbell Photography, Ebony
Restaurant, and A Satellite of Love retail store)
- Began partnership featuring the Arts in SLO (funded
through PCC, executed through Verdin)
MARCH’S FOCUS:
- Promote MidWeekend Campaign through the end of March (or when all are sold)
- Feature Women’s Month and women-owned businesses
- Scheduling Content Creator visit for March/April
- Spring Break Road trip - Spring Rebirth, Super Bloom
- Feature Arts and Culture in partnership with Verdin
- The Wall That Heals - Opening city for the tour, March 16-19
3/1/2023
Dear Tourism Business Improvement District Board,
The Gala Pride and Diversity Center lives by our mission: to support and empower people of all
sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. As the largest LGBTQIA+ support
organization on the Central Coast we strive to uplift our mission in a multitude of ways, from
facilitating over 50 social and support groups, to local, regional, and state advocacy, and to
hosting small and large scale events centered on uplifting and celebrating the LGBTQIA+
community. The Gala Pride and Diversity Center ’s signature event continues to be Central Coast
Pride.
Pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of
LGBTQIA+ people as a social group and as a historically marginalized community. Pride, as
opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBTQIA+
rights movements. Pride is an uplifting opportunity to be seen, celebrated, and recognized as
valuable members of the greater community. Our event, Central Coast Pride, has been
delivering on that uplifting message and celebration since the very first time it was held in San
Luis Obispo in 1997, growing from humble roots of a few hundred people gathering for an
afternoon, to now a signature event that spans an entire weekend, drawing in close to 10,000
people from all over California, and beyond.
With over 25 years of producing this iconic San Luis Obispo event, we are taking all the lessons
learned over that time and pairing it with the vision of expanding its reach and impact even
further. We aim to attract even more visitors from outside our area for our annual Pride
celebration, cementing it as part of the greater Pride circuit of California, a circuit that sees
thousands of LGBTQIA+ families and allies travel from Pride celebration to Pride celebration.
Queer travel, or the Pink Dollar as it’s called, accounts for over $65B being spent by an
audience with a high disposable income. With San Luis Obispo’s perfect position as an easy
drive from the Bay Area, Los Angeles area, and the Central Valley, we are primed to be a
destination event, capturing those Pink Dollars for the betterment and promotion of San Luis
Obispo. We have a vision of San Luis Obispo becoming the next big queer destination.
The theme for Central Coast Pride this year is “We Are Family”, invoking a funky 70’s vibe as
well as the recognition that beyond being connected to each other, LGBTQIA+ people are also
part of the fabric that makes up the greater San Luis Obispo family. For 2023, Central Coast
Pride will be our largest event ever. With a month of lead-up partner events and activations, it
will culminate in a dynamic weekend at the beginning of June. The highlights of the Central
Coast Pride weekend will be an amazing drag and burlesque show at the Fremont Theatre, a
fun-for-all-ages family day at Laguna Lake Park, our first ever Pride Parade through Downtown
San Luis Obispo, and culminating in the signature element of Pride in the Plaza led by a
legendary entertainment headliner, in keeping with the funky 70’s energy this year we will be
featuring The Family Stone.
With a specially curated weekend of entertainment and celebration, paired with the support of a
partnership with Visit San Luis Obispo, we seek to create an ongoing win-win relationship,
bringing in a larger out of area audience to Central Coast Pride staying in our lodging properties
for the course of the Pride weekend, and growing a lucrative audience that will continue to come
back to San Luis Obispo again and again. We know the value that tourism and hospitality brings
to building a more diverse and inclusive community, and we know the value that our local
tourism and hospitality industry places on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Sincerely,
Dusty Colyer-Worth
Executive Director, The Gala Pride and Diversity Center
dcolyerworth@galacc.org
EVENT NAME: CENTRAL COAST PRIDE
EVENT DATES: June 2-4th, 2023 Lead-up events and activations will be scheduled throughout
May, and follow-up events and activations in the greater County will take place later in June.
EVENT VENUE LOCATION:Various San Luis Obispo locations including The Fremont Theatre,
Laguna Lake Park, downtown San Luis Obispo, and specifically Mission Plaza
WEBSITE:www.galacc.org,www.slopride.com
EVENT ORGANIZATION:THE GALA PRIDE AND DIVERSITY CENTER
NON-PROFIT:YES
PHONE NUMBER:805-550-2166
POINT OF CONTACT:Dusty Colyer-Worth
EMAIL:dcolyerworth@galacc.org
SPECIFIC EVENT NEEDS:
-$15,000 to support the cost of The Family Stone as the headliner for Central Coast
Pride’s “Pride in the Plaza”. This value covers half of the total associated expenses with
bringing in the talent, including booking, travel, and lodging, and we would honor this
contribution with advertising the act as exclusively sponsored by Visit San Luis Obispo.
-Up to an additional $15,000 in direct marketing support through the TBID’s marketing
agency to attract our out of area audience in a format that honors the integrity of Visit San
Luis Obispo’s brand, and supports mutual diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities.
HISTORICAL EVENT ATTENDANCE:
Last year's Pride saw 2,000 attendees on the Friday of the event, 5,000 attendees on the
Saturday of the event, and 3,000 attendees on the Sunday of the event.
HISTORICAL PERCENTAGE OF IN-COUNTY VERSUS OUT-OF-AREA EVENT ATTENDEES:
70% - Local / In-County Event Attendees
30% - Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+ miles outside of San Luis Obispo)
EXPECTED TOTAL NUMBER OF EVENT ATTENDANCE:
For 2023 we are expecting over 10,000 in-person attendees over the course of the Central
Coast Pride weekend, and additional varying attendance at lead-up events.
HAVE YOU REQUESTED FUNDING FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS/ENTITIES:
Yes, the total event planning has a budget of over $180,000 that will largely be covered by
individual and corporate sponsorships/donations to the 501c3. However, the Pride in the Plaza
Presenting Sponsor would be exclusive to Visit San Luis Obispo.