HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-09-2023 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Wednesday, August 9, 2023, 10:00 a.m.
Embassy Suites, 333 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo
The Tourism Business Improvement District Board holds in-person meetings. Zoom participation will
not be supported at this time.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment prior to the meeting (must be received 3 hours in advance of the meeting):
Mail - Delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Address letters to the City Clerk's Office at 990
Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.
Email - Submit Public Comments via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. In the body of your
email, please include the date of the meeting and the item number (if applicable). Emails will not
be read aloud during the meeting.
Voicemail - Call (805) 781-7164 and leave a voicemail. Please state and spell your name, the
agenda item number you are calling about, and leave your comment. Verbal comments must be
limited to 3 minutes. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.
*All correspondence will be archived and distributed to members, however, submissions received
after the deadline may not be processed until the following day.
Public Comment during the meeting:
Meetings are held in-person. To provide public comment during the meeting, you must be
present at the meeting location.
Electronic Visual Aid Presentation. To conform with the City's Network Access and Use Policy,
Chapter 1.3.8 of the Council Policies & Procedures Manual, members of the public who desire
to utilize electronic visual aids to supplement their oral presentation are encouraged to provide
display-ready material to the City Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting. Contact
the City Clerk's Office at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-7114.
Pages
1.CALL TO ORDER
Chair Pearce will call the Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board to order.
2.PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda.
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.
3.CONSENT
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JULY 12, 2023 5
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)9
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 11
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 13
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 15
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & DCI MARKETING MONTHLY REPORT 17
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 21
3.h CAL POLY ATHLETICS YEAR END REPORT 29
4.BUSINESS ITEMS
4.a MARKETING SERVICES YEAR END REPORT
Agency representatives from Noble Studios and DCI will present the Q4
and year-end activity highlights and results data for the 2023-24
marketing agency contracted work.
4.b CONTINUATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE AG EXPO EVENT
SPONSORSHIP CONSIDERATION
51
The Board will continue with the consideration the funding request
received during the July 12 meeting from the Vineyard Team for
sponsorship support of the Sustainable AG Expo on November 13-15,
2023.
4.c HARVEST ON THE COAST EVENT SPONSORSHIP 59
The Board will consider the funding request from SLO Coast Wine
Collective for sponsorship support of Harvest on the Coast.
4.d VISITSLO.COM POST LAUNCH UPDATE
The Board will receive a post launch update from staff and the agency
team on the redesigned VisitSLO.com site.
4.e FY 22-23 TBID ANNUAL REPORT PREPARATION AND TIMELINE 65
The Board will direct staff on development of the TBID’s written annual
report to the City Council to be presented on October 17, 2023. The
Board may review the 2021-22 report as an example of the format.
5.TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
5.a HOTELIER UPDATE – LIAISON REPORTS
5.b PCC UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT 101
5.c VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT
5.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – STAFF REPORT
6.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
is scheduled for September 13, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room
at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
LISTENING ASSISTIVE DEVICES are available -- see the Clerk
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.
Agenda related writings or documents provided to the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board are available for public inspection on the City’s
website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page:
https://www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-
minutes. Meeting video recordings can be found on the City’s website:
http://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=61016&dbid=0&repo=CityCl
erk
1
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes
July 12, 2023, 10:00 a.m.
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
Tourism Business
Improvement District
Board Present:
Committee Member Winston Newland, Committee Member
Prashant Patel, Committee Member Sandy Sandoval, Chair
Clint Pearce
Tourism Business
Improvement District
Board Absent:
Committee Member Lori Keller, Vice Chair Lydia Bates
City Staff Present: Tourism Manager Molly Cano, Tourism Analyst Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth, City Clerk Teresa Purrington
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on July 12, 2023 at 10:0 1 a.m. in the Council
Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Pearce.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
5. BUSINESS ITEMS (first item pulled out of order)
5.a SUSTAINABLE AG EXPO EVENT SPONSORSHIP
Beth Vukmanic presented the proposed project and responded to
questions about funds for marketing and advertising allocation.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 5 of 105
2
Action on this item was continued to the next meeting due to Member
Pearce needing to recuse himself and subsequent lack of quorum.
3. CONSENT
Motion By Committee Member Sandoval
Second By Committee Member Newland
To approve Consent Calendar Items 3a to 3g.
Ayes (4): Committee Member Newland, Committee Member Patel, Committee
Member Sandoval, and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Committee Member Keller, and Vice Chair Bates
CARRIED (4 to 0)
3.a MINUTES OF TBID SPECIAL MEETING ON JUNE 28, 2023
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & DCI MARKETING MONTHLY REPORT
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a PUBLIC RELATIONS & GUEST SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce representative Hollie West
presented the Q4 and end-of-year activity highlights and results data for
the 2022-23 Guest Services and Public Relations contracted work.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
No Action taken on this item.
4.b CONTENT MARKETING ANNUAL REPORT
Page 6 of 105
3
Badger Branding representative Molly Burchett presented the Q4 and the
end of year activity highlights and results data for the 2022 -23 content
marketing contracted work.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
No Action taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS (continued)
5.b MIDWEEKEND PROMOTION RECAP
Tourism Analyst Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth, and Haley Corbett, Danni
Winter, and Gabbi Hall from Noble Studios as well as contractors Hollie
West and Molly Burchett presented the report and responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
No Action taken on this item.
5.c WEBSITE STATUS UPDATE
Hayley Corbett, Senior Client Success Manager, and Breanne
Standingwater, Senior Project Manager, with Noble Studios provided an
update on the status of the new VisitSLO.com website.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By Committee Member Patel
Second By Committee Member Sandoval
To approve the allocation of $5,000 from the website contingency budget
to create the neighborhood map interactive functionality.
Ayes (4): Committee Member Newland, Committee Member Patel,
Committee Member Sandoval, and Chair Pearce
Absent (2): Committee Member Keller, and Vice Chair Bates
Page 7 of 105
4
CARRIED (4 to 0)
6. TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE – LIAISON REPORTS
6.b PCC UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT
Chair Pearce provided an overview of the PCC agenda for tonight.
6.c VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT
Tourism Manager Molly Cano provided an update from the Marketing
Committee for SLO CAL and noted that Mark Eads the General Manager
at Embassy Suites SLO is the new board chair. Alyssa Mano, Partner
Engagement Manager at SLO CAL shared the organization’s sponsorship
of the Mid-State Fair and that the resident sentiment survey results will be
released soon.
6.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – STAFF REPORT
Tourism Manager Molly Cano and Tourism Analyst Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth provided an update on the tourism program.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for August 9, 2023 at
10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis
Obispo.
APPROVED BY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/202X
Page 8 of 105
July 2023
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 62.81 72.42 65.55 189.51 204.37 194.20 119.02 148.00 127.30 -1.46 -3.59 -2.15 -0.73 -3.73 -1.80 -2.18 -7.19 -3.90
City of Paso Robles 72.44 80.36 74.70 168.63 244.61 191.98 122.15 196.57 143.41 -6.47 -1.70 -5.06 5.56 -0.85 3.46 -1.27 -2.54 -1.77
City of Pismo Beach 76.45 82.33 78.13 317.02 357.36 329.16 242.37 294.23 257.19 4.05 -2.78 1.90 -0.26 -3.69 -1.64 3.78 -6.37 0.23
City of San Luis Obispo 77.45 84.44 79.45 174.13 245.86 195.91 134.87 207.62 155.65 9.59 -2.94 5.46 -2.98 -4.69 -4.61 6.32 -7.49 0.60
City of Morro Bay 68.91 81.78 72.59 166.03 225.21 185.08 114.41 184.17 134.34 -2.71 -2.60 -2.67 2.43 1.26 1.98 -0.34 -1.37 -0.75
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 72.22 82.02 75.02 198.01 223.88 206.09 143.00 183.63 154.61 -2.17 1.73 -0.98 0.16 1.55 0.72 -2.01 3.31 -0.26
City of Paso Robles 73.83 84.19 76.79 163.78 254.67 192.26 120.92 214.42 147.63 -6.29 -1.99 -4.99 10.88 5.82 9.28 3.90 3.72 3.83
City of Pismo Beach 73.03 90.70 78.08 264.09 371.23 299.65 192.86 336.72 233.96 -7.74 2.09 -4.69 1.39 -3.46 0.25 -6.45 -1.45 -4.46
City of San Luis Obispo 78.29 90.14 81.67 172.91 250.52 197.39 135.37 225.82 161.21 -2.98 0.53 -1.90 -0.01 -4.43 -1.49 -2.99 -3.92 -3.36
City of Morro Bay 73.04 88.89 77.57 153.98 229.42 178.68 112.47 203.93 138.60 -5.68 3.36 -2.90 1.22 -0.03 1.57 -4.53 3.33 -1.38
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 74.40 82.21 76.63 198.70 226.41 207.19 147.83 186.14 158.78 -1.72 -0.59 -1.38 -1.97 -2.64 -2.16 -3.66 -3.21 -3.51
City of Paso Robles 77.38 82.56 78.86 194.17 273.30 217.84 150.25 225.62 171.79 -9.02 -12.44 -10.07 9.13 -12.51 -0.63 -0.71 -0.71 -10.64
City of Pismo Beach 79.86 91.44 83.17 269.98 378.42 304.04 215.60 346.03 252.86 -4.29 1.75 -2.47 1.44 -6.27 -1.15 -2.91 -2.91 -3.59
City of San Luis Obispo 83.79 90.85 85.81 176.65 252.63 199.63 148.02 229.52 171.31 0.39 -1.63 -0.23 -0.77 -9.08 -4.32 -0.38 -0.38 -4.54
City of Morro Bay 80.19 87.54 82.29 158.09 238.13 182.42 126.77 208.46 150.11 -2.25 -1.00 -1.87 1.79 3.12 2.43 -0.50 -0.50 0.52
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 75.71 82.15 77.55 197.97 222.21 205.31 149.88 182.54 159.21 -0.14 -1.64 -0.60 -0.58 -2.08 -1.12 -0.72 -3.68 -1.71
City of Paso Robles 80.70 83.57 81.52 201.44 271.50 221.96 162.55 226.88 180.93 -2.56 -5.21 -3.35 0.33 -3.55 -1.30 -2.24 -8.58 -4.61
City of Pismo Beach 81.81 91.82 84.67 261.08 377.04 297.01 213.58 346.21 251.47 -3.87 2.12 -2.09 -5.02 -6.63 -5.16 -8.69 -4.65 -7.14
City of San Luis Obispo 85.29 92.28 87.29 178.05 269.58 205.69 151.86 248.77 179.55 1.34 1.13 1.28 -0.04 4.44 1.67 1.29 5.62 2.96
City of Morro Bay 81.06 87.18 82.81 161.14 233.37 182.86 130.62 203.44 151.42 -3.99 -2.02 -3.41 1.91 0.85 1.68 -2.16 -1.19 -1.79
For the Week of July 23, 2023 to
July 29, 2023
For the Week of July 16, 2023 to
July 22, 2023
For the Week of July 09, 2023 to
July 15, 2023
For the Week of July 02, 2023 to
July 08, 2023
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Page 9 of 105
Page 10 of 105
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$ 1,300,061$ 7.1%
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$ 1,040,391$ 7.7%
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$ 526,691$ -5.5%
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$ 718,467$ 0.3%
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$ 805,947$ -1.8%
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$ 1,068,408$ 1,057,701$ -1.0%
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$ 919,831$ 910,264$ -1.0%
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$ 1,141,242$ 978,962$ -14.2%missing 5 hotels
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$ 10,645,888$ 10,817,329$ 1.6%
2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-2021-22 2022-23 Change +/-
July 82.2 82.9 0.9%227.27 231.16 1.7%188.03 190.97 1.6%
August 72.0 74.6 3.6%213.99 208.57 -2.5%154.03 155.58 1.0%
September 71.0 71.9 1.3%214.82 212.43 -1.1%152.41 152.78 0.2%
October 68.1 69.6 2.2%200.98 202.21 0.6%136.94 140.73 2.8%
November 63.30 62.1 -1.9%183.50 185.60 1.1%116.19 115.19 -0.9%
December 53.50 54.2 1.3%175.62 167.13 -4.8%93.96 90.6 -3.6%
January 51.0 50.4 -1.2%137.26 136.70 -0.4%70.00 68.90 -1.6%
February 64.0 66 3.1%156.82 157.11 0.2%100.36 103.64 3.27%
March 65.8 64.1 -2.6%157.09 159.05 1.2%103.40 101.91 -1.43%
April 74.2 74.0 -0.2%188.24 191.02 1.5%139.61 141.32 1.23%
May 64.8 67.5 4.1%180.74 181.38 0.4%117.11 122.36 4.48%
June 76.3 74.2 -2.8%198.37 206.77 4.2%151.27 153.52 1.49%
Total/Average 67.18 67.62 0.01 186.23$ 186.59$ 0.00 126.94$ 128.13$ 0.01 Updated: 08/04/2023
Occupancy ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 11 of 105
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Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
July 2023
PR ACTIVITY
Implementation/Proactive Work
Continued planning for travel writer Eileen Ogintz's upcoming visit in partnership with DCI
Continued planning for travel writer Lina Lecaro's upcoming visit in partnership with DCI
Sent out a press release to regional media announcing Visit SLO's website redesign
Added new images to Visit SLO media library
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/DCI on overall tourism marketing campaign
Responsive leads
Pitched "Barbie-Inspired Trip Idea" to CCTC
Contributed photos to AAA Westways for an apple picking-themed story
Pitched "National Red Wine Day" and "Vino Vibes: Wine Pairings for Each California Destination" story ideas to Visit California
Partnerships
Met with new DCI PR representative Siobhan Chretien
Met with Visit SLOCal's temporary PR/media coordinator
Attended a Noble/SLO City training on uploading events to the new Visit SLO website
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM AD VALUE PILLARS RESULT OF
AFAR The 8 Best Things to Do, Eat, and See in and Around San Luis Obispo, California 1,300,946.00 $12,022.00 Cultural HOSTING IN PARTNERSHIP W/DCI
MATADOR In San Luis Obispo, Come For the Fine Wine and Stay For the Arts and Outdoors 1,300,000.00 $408.93 Cultural FAM HOSTING IN PARTNERSHIP W/DCI
SWIRLSTER Visit These 5 Places In California If You'd Like To Live Out Your Barbie Fantasy 166,000.00 -Cultural RESPONSIVE PITCHING
NEWS BREAK San Luis Obispo: Why you should visit California's last sleepy stretch of coast, hidden in plain sight 1,490,000.00 $343.68 Cultural
NEWS BREAK 32 Central Coast restaurants listed in 2023 MICHELIN Guide. Here's who made the cut.1,490,000.00 $343.68 Culinary
MSN CANADA These Weird Tourist Attractions Should Be on Your Bucket List 67,150,000.00 $15.444.86 Cultural
MSN 12 West Coast small towns you should visit 67,150,000.00 $15.444.86 Cultural
MICHELIN GUIDE MICHELIN Guide Hotels as Stylish as the MICHELIN Guide Restaurants Inside 1,240,000.00 $285.61 Culinary
WOODSTOCK SENTINEL-REVIEW California coast offers beaches, vineyards and natural wonders 8,000.00 $1.80 Outdoor
KEYT New community grant application window opens in San Luis Obispo 38,000.00 $8.80 Support Local
KEYT Visit SLO’s updated website allows visitors to “live the SLO life”38,000.00 $8.80 Support Local
TOTALS
11 141,370,946.00 $13,423.30
TOTAL YTD 141370946 13423.2
11 141,370,946.00 $13,423.30
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Report to City of SLO – TBID
Guest Services Contract
July 2023
Response to TBID Advertising Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
July
2022
July
2023
Calls to
1-877-SLO-TOWN
13 24 36 9 130 82
Hotel Availability Tracker Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
July
2022
July
2023
Email Response 45 41 34 21 97 147
Phone Calls to
Hotels
83 90 94 101 397 368
Hotel Referrals Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
July
2022
July
2023
Visitors Served
(walk-ins)
1,481 1,691 1,922 1,692 6,877 6,786
Guests Served
(via phone and
digitally)
443 426 358 417 1,546 1,644
Hotel Rooms
Referred
216 193 235 220 1,627 864
Page 15 of 105
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Agency Report ·July 2023
SLO-TBID
Page 17 of 105
Agency Repor t
July Activity &Performance
What’s Ahead:
●Quarterly Marketing Plan FY23-24:
Visit SLO - 30/60/90 Marketing Plan - FY23-24
Paid Media
Paid search drove 16,704 impressions (-55%decrease YoY),2,366 clicks (-65%Decrease YoY),a
14.16%CTR (-23%decrease PoP),a 17.71%conversion rate (-25%decrease YoY)and 2,721
sessions (80%decrease YoY)while driving 475 hotel referrals,80 homestay referrals,and 175
book now referrals at 45%decrease in cost YoY.
Paid social drove 612,719 impressions,273,428 users reached and 9,410 clicks across Facebook
and Instagram with a 1.54%CTR for FB/Instagram (a 40%increase YoY)for 3,644 sessions (a 29%
decrease YoY)while driving 10 hotel referrals,7 homestay referrals,and 5 book now referrals at a
65%decrease in cost YoY.
Display drove 973,370 impressions (a 36%decrease YoY),5,163 clicks (a 35%decrease YoY),a
0.53%CTR (a 1%increase YoY)and 3,268 sessions (a 38%decrease YoY)while driving 16 hotel
referrals,3 homestay referrals and 4 book now referrals at a 44%decrease in cost YoY.
Video was turned off for the month of July.We were running midweekend last year which is why
you see larger YoY decreases this month.
Proactively monitored and optimized paid media placements ($12,830 spend).
Email Marketing
As you know,we switched up our approach to reporting last quarter to tie back our email strategy to
our analytics goals on VisitSLO.com—essentially to understand how email impacts hotel and other
stakeholder referrals.
Total emails sent:1
2
Page 18 of 105
Audiences reached:Monthly Newsletters
Number of Website Sessions:681
Average Session Duration:2:46
Pages /Session:2.81
Average Bounce Rate:42.88%
Total Hotel Referrals:22
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)&Content Creation
Organic search traffic increased 12%period-over-period and increased 18%year-over-year.
Organic hotel partner referrals decreased 20%(359 vs 458),Book Now increased 91%(149 vs 78)
and homestay referrals increased 182%(31 vs 11)year-over-year (July 1-31,2023 vs July 1-31,
2022).We saw a 6%increase in Avg Session Duration,bounce rate decreased by 7%and a 6%
increase in pages per session YoY and 5%decrease in bounce rate,4%increase in pages/session
and a 5%decrease in avg.session duration PoP for organic search.
Page 1 keywords decreased by 2%PoP and total keywords remained steady.In July,we saw
additional positive PoP growth of ranked keywords for many of the pages we have optimized
including:a 30%increase to Movie Theaters page,a 77%increase to the Things to Do page,a 6%
increase to the Wineries page,a 14%increase to Shopping and a 37%increase to the Home page.
●SEO Optimizations completed
○Page Optimization:Breakfast
○Net New Page/Prompt:Coffee
Blog Posts
Created new pages on the site:
●Cal Poly Landing Page
●MidWeekend Itinerary
Website
The website saw a 3%decrease in sessions period-over-period (July 1-31,2023 vs May 31-June 30,
2023)and a 28%decrease YoY;for a total of 41,309 sessions and 33,375 new users in July.From
an engagement perspective,bounce rate decreased by 4%,pages/session increased by 14%,and
average session duration increased by 16%YoY.PoP,we also saw a decrease of 8%in bounce rate
with a 15%increase in avg.pages per session and an 18%increase in avg.session duration.The
3
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largest increases in traffic PoP came from Email and Social.YoY,the largest increases in traffic
came from Organic,Email and Social.
●Monthly Web Maintenance Items
○Site was launched with up to date plugins
○Core web vitals work to improve the overall performance of the site
■Mobile Hero Image Size Optimization
■Web P Image Updates
PR,Media,And Influencer Relations
Proactive Pitch Development:TBD (Siobhan to discuss on Immersion trip)
Proactive/Reactive Pitching and Outreach:
●Carmen,San Diego Magazine
●Emily Kaufman,The Travel Mom (GMA,KTLA,Kelly Clarkson Show)
●Carmen Varner,All Getaways
●Rich Thomaselli,TravelPulse,U.S.Wine Destinations
●Scott Hartbeck,TravelPulse,Summer Destination Standouts
●Elaine Glusac,AARP,Affordable Labor Day Getaways
Hosted Media Visit or Influencer Partnerships (5-6 visits/partnerships in 2023-24)
●Individual Media Visits -0 Complete
●Upcoming Individual Media Visits
○Lina Lecara,LA Weekly,August 2-4
○Eileen Ognitz &Andrew Yemma,Taking the Kids,August 9-11
DCI’s All Client Pitch Initiative
Proposed:(4-6 pitches throughout 2023-24)
Progress:
1 Complete:Ar t Travel (July 2023)1 In Progress:What’s New in 2024 (August
2023)
DCI 2022-23 SLO Coverage Grid:
●https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X5vv8eqMyV4HSLq4nod-fio_XtbqSyap54Hau1w
V7yY/edit?usp=sharing
4
Page 20 of 105
July 2023
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 08/09/23Page 21 of 105
Followers: 25,221 ( 2.5 %)
Total Follower Gain: 610 ( 126%)
Total Posts: 138
Total Impressions: 304,126 ( 14.3%)
(includes both organic & paid)
Total stories: 117
Total Engagements: 11,430 ( 36.5%)
Engagement Rate: 3.76% ( 19.3%)
INSTAGRAM
TOP POSTS:
In July, Instagram thrived due in part to Ticket Tuesdays (raising engagement per impression / engagement rate),
Collaborations (extending reach), and Viral Reels (higher impressions).
Page 22 of 105
Page Fans: 97,386 ( .1%)
Total Net Audience Growth: 77 ( 63.3%)
Total Posts: 22
Total Impressions: 683,942 ( 50.2%)
Total Organic: 38,039 ( 23.2%)
Total Engagements: 14,365 ( 49.9%)
Engagement Rate: 2.1 % ( 6.2%)
FACEBOOK
TOP POSTS:
Our impressions have grown organically, along with the engagement rate. That means that followers viewing the content
are also liking, commenting, and sharing more. The paid content was down this month, which affected the total
impressions and and number of engagements.
Page 23 of 105
Followers: 52 ( 0%)
Total Posts: 3
Total Impressions: 1.01K ( 30%)
Total Saves: 2 ( 33%)
Engagements: 54 ( 254%)
Total Audience: 557 ( 24%)
Engaged Audience: 29 ( 190%)
This month, our engagements are higher due to reactions, saves, and link clicks. Sharing links on pinterest pins increases
engagement and we are molding our strategy around this.
TOP POSTS:
PINTEREST
Page 24 of 105
Total Audience: 156 ( 4%)
Total Posts: 4
Page Views: 31 ( 210%)
Impressions: 620 ( 258%)
Engagements: 49 ( 250%)
Engagement Rate: 7.9% ( 2.3.%)
LINKEDIN
TOP POSTS:
This month we had a huge increase in all analytics, which means more people are seeing, sharing, liking, and sending our
content. The Mid-State Fair draw was our most clicked link this month.
Page 25 of 105
WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
- Family Friendly Highlights (Aligned with SLOCAL)
- Kid-Friendly Spots in SLO reel (12.2k views)
- Traveling to SLO with kids grid post
- Summer Season To Dos / Events
- Concerts in the Plaza, Wine Tasting, Drive-In, Old SLO Trolley,
Ren Faire
- Ticket Tuesday Giveaways (Mid-State Fair Concert / Admission x2,
Festival Mozaic, SLO Brew Concert))
- Continue Shift in Concentration back to Reels
- “Breweries in SLO” (46.2k Views)
- ”Pizza in SLO” (19.9k views)
- Still Growing:
“Wes Anderson Trend “ (71.2k current views, last month: 63.4k )
- San Luis Obispo Weekly Events Snapshot Story
-Collaborations with @SLOCAL, Content Creators work roll-out Page 26 of 105
AUGUST’S FOCUS:
- Outdoor / Sustainable SLO
- Keys for Trees, Farmers’ Market, Picnic Spots, Hidden Gem Hike in SLO
- Sustainable/Local Back to School Shopping
- Content Creators Work Roll-Out (Best Ways to Explore the Outdoors in SLO,
Hidden Gem Hikes in SLO, @santacruzbucketlist)
- Ticket Tuesday Giveaways (shifting to every other Tuesday)
-The Pad SLO, Sunset Drive-In, Rep Theatre
- Collaborations with @SLOCAL
-Plant Based Food in SLO Reel
-Tacos in SLO Reel
- Reel Heavy Content (Unique Date Ideas, Breweries in SLO Part 2, etc. (11 total)
- Art Starts With Family Campaign (Verdin)
- Continue current event story round-up (San Luis Obispo Snapshot)
Page 27 of 105
Page 28 of 105
City of Slo recap 21-22Page 29 of 105
PARTNERSHIP
OBJECTIVES
review
All City of SLO - TBID benefits on the Cal Poly Athletics advertising platform link back
to fulfill your marketing objectives for the partnership. Our efforts are to generate
awareness to entice our visiting teams and fans to Visit SLO, showing the areas beauty,
small town charm, diverse activities, all to put hearts in beds.
heighten shareslo brand
After a years absence, the ShareSLO brand will be reintroduced to fans in and out-of-
market with an integrated digital and traditional approach in several media channels.
reach out-of-market fans
New, innovative digital reach will help ShareSLO reach out-of-market to attract visitors
and heads in beds as the brand promotes the #SLOReady messaging to Cal Poly fans.
drive team & alumni visits
MSP will pro-actively promote the city hotels through visitors guides sent to all visiting
coaches/operations personnel in the Big Sky and Big West Conferences. Additionally,
messaging can direct visits by out-of-town Alumni by emphasizing specific times of
year - Homecoming and Open House - to entice them to return to SLO.Page 30 of 105
BRAND AWARENESS Page 31 of 105
IP RIGHTS
MARKS & LOGOS
Cal Poly's most valuable asset to the partnership is the use of
its intellectual property. Fans connect with a partner through
the school and co-branding can lift affinity for a product or
ser vice significantly. (Please see next slide).
Page 32 of 105
WHEN VIEWING CO-BRANDED ADVERTISING ASSETS, COLLEGE SPORTS FANS ARE:
ip use increases fan engagement
2x
55
4x
%33 %
Source: Learfield/Turnkey Intelligence, Intellectual Property Study, 2017
Page 33 of 105
BE SEEN IN A
BI G WAY
videob oard BANNER
Prominently displayed on the large videoboard in the south
endzone, where all eyes navigate during a game, the San Luis
Obispo logo, along with the website VisitSLO.com was seen by
football and men's and women's soccer fans throughout the
fall. The San Luis Obispo brand is front-and-center, fans from
out-of-market included parents and Alumni during Parent's
and Homecoming weekends, as well as visitors/boosters from
Montana, South Dakota, Eastern Washington, San Diego,
Oregon and Idaho.
Total attendance football games: 39,759
Total attendance men's and women's soccer: 27,968
Total ESPN+ Football Views: 152,663
Page 34 of 105
COURTSIDE
ACTION
MOTT courtside
LED ROTATIONAL
Showcased in (4) fall and winter sports, the ShareSLO brand
was front-and-center to fans in Mott Athletic Center, as well as
those tuning in from out-of-market on the ESPN+ live stream
of games. This year the motion graphic colors were changed
out to Cal Poly green and gold to make more of a connections
with our fans. Out-of-market teams included: South Carolina,
Sacramento, San Jose, Michigan, Northern Arizona, Hawaii,
Idaho, Los Angeles, Oregon, Utah, San Diego, Minneasota and
Arkansas.
Total Fall/Winter Sports Attendance: 62,978
ESPN+ Views for men's and women's basketball/volleyball:
197,990
Page 35 of 105
TAKE ME OUT TO
THE BALLGAME
BAGGETT STADIUM
OUTFIELD BANNER
Extending brand awareness into the spring and Cal Poly's most
popular sport, the large outfield San Luis Obispo sign heighten
awareness in-stadium and to out-of-market to fans watching
games in-stadium and on the ESPN+ live stream. Out-of-market
market reach included: Missouri, Oregon, Ohio, Los Angeles, San
Jose, Hawaii, San Diego, Irvine, Riverside, Sacramento, and Fresno.
Total Baseball Attendance: 54,554
ESPN+ Viewership Total: 66,332
Page 36 of 105
COLLEGE SPORTS FANS ARE A FIT
SOURCE: CAL POLY FANBASE DASHBOARD 1.24.23 TOTAL FOLLOWERS ACROSS PRIMARY ATHLETICS SOCIAL MEDIA (FB, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER) .
YOUGOV PROFILES, 1.15.23 A COLLEGE SPORTS FAN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS AN ADULT 18+ WHO HAS AN INTEREST IN COLLEGE SPORTS & RESIDES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
207,000+
CAL POLY FANBASE RECORDS
ACROSS CALIFORNIA
Page 37 of 105
GROW WITH US DIGITALLY
SOURCE: CAL POLY FANBASE DASHBOARD 1.24.23 TOTAL FOLLOWERS ACROSS PRIMARY ATHLETICS SOCIAL MEDIA (FB, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER). GOOGLE ANALYTICS, GOPOLY.COM, JULY 2021 – JUNE 2022
103,000+
FOLLOWERS ACROSS ALL
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
2,100+
NEW FOLLOWERS IN THE LAST
90 DAYS
Page 38 of 105
ALWAYS BE PRESENT
FAN365
The City of SLO - TBID created powerful connections with fans
across websites they visit every day via Fan365, the Cal Poly re-
targeting platform. Campaigns were conducted in fall, winter and
spring and targeted to out-of-market fans. This kept the San Luis
Obispo brand and VisitSLO.com web address front-and-center as
fans surfed the Internet.
Fan365 Features:
proprietar y 1st party audience - fed to Cal Poly fans directly
co-branded ads - would like to see co-branded ads this coming
year to compare results
reach the right fan, at the right time with your custom message
Turnkey media activation from our team of digital marketing
experts with no hidden fees
Page 39 of 105
.68% avg.
CTR
697
Clicks
101,992
Impressions Delivered
Total CAMPAI GN
HIGHLI GHTS
The overall partnership goal was to heighten the San Luis Obispo
brand after a years absense from fans and drive traffic to the
VisitSLO.com website. Fans out-of-market were targeted in order to
spur registrations and put heads in beds.
CAMPAIGN FLIGHTS: Fall 2022
KPI: Guaranteed 100,000 impressions
TARGET: Out-of-Market fans, primarily in the great Los Angeles and San
Francisco Bay Area
CAMPAIGNs
SPOTLIGHT
Delivered average of 101,992 impressions delivered
Used Cal Poly Colors in ad to connect the brands
Ads delivered to primary data (fans), highly targeted
Avg. CTR of .68% is 10X better than average display ads
Winter campaign dropped down to .24% CTR
Recommend changing creative each season
FAN 365 case study
ENGAGE FANS DIGITALLY
Page 40 of 105
.24% avg.
CTR
248
Clicks
105,039
Impressions Delivered
Total CAMPAI GN
HIGHLI GHTS
The same creative was used for the Winter campaign
and it saw a drop in click-throughs. Freshening up ads
each campaign gives fans a "new look" in visiting SLO.
CAMPAIGN FLIGHTS: Winter
KPI: Guaranteed 100,000 impressions each campaign
TARGET: Out-of-Market fans, primarily in the great Los
Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area
CAMPAIGNs
SPOTLIGHT
Delivered average of 105,039 impressions
Ads delivered to primary data (fans), highly targeted to
the LA and San Francisco markets
Avg. CTR of .24% is 4X better than average display ad
campaign
FAN 365
ENGAGE FANS DIGITALLY
Page 41 of 105
.21% avg.
CTR
217
Clicks
105,001
Impressions Delivered
Total CAMPAI GN
HIGHLI GHTS
New creative was used for the Spring campaign, but it
saw a drop again in CTR. It could be subject matter of
action shots of active people vs. static shots.
CAMPAIGN FLIGHTS: Winter
KPI: Guaranteed 100,000 impressions each campaign
TARGET: Out-of-Market fans, primarily in the great Los
Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area
CAMPAIGNs
SPOTLIGHT
Delivered average of 105,001 impressions
Ads delivered to primary data (fans), highly targeted to
the LA and San Francisco markets
Avg. CTR of .21% is 3X better than average display ad
campaign
FAN 365
ENGAGE FANS DIGITALLY
Page 42 of 105
City of SLO - TBID spread awareness, drove traffic, and
captured data all year with a dynamic presence on the
official website and App of the Cal Poly Mustangs.
STRATEGIC PLACEMENTS:
GoPoly.com. and Cal Poly App
The City of SLO - TBID ads were run-of-site on both GoPoly.com
and the Cal Poly App. GoPoly.com and the App generated over
4.66 million pageviews and we anticipate growth by the end of
the 22-23 season.
GoPoly.com reached over 1,090,369 unique users and the Cal
Poly App has 5781 subscribers to date, with 4125 active users,
who use the App throughout the year. We anticipate adding
more downloads to the App as a Rewards Program gets
integrated within the App.
WEBSITE & App
EXTEND BEYOND GAMEDAY
Page 43 of 105
TRAFFIC DRIVERS Page 44 of 105
REACH FANS
DIRECTLY
LIVE STREAMING COMMERCIALS
on espn+
The "SLO Ready" 30 sec. commercial aired on the new ESPN+ live streams or Cal Poly
stream during home games for football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball,
men's soccer and baseball. With the switch to the ESPN+ platform, the viewership
online jumped significantly. Here are overall numbers and highlights of 22-23:
Total ESPN+ Football Reach:
Total Reach (Home and Away games): 152,663 Unique Views. Montana Game 33,000+
Unique Views.
Men's Basketball Reach:
6735 Average Viewers per game, 107,756 Unique Viewers in season. Second highest in
Big West. 20K unique views vs. Mt. Saint Mary's and UC Irvine.
Women's Basketball Reach:
51,376 Unique Views, 3425 Avg. Views, 31K Views vs. #1 South Carolina
Baseball Reach:
66,322 Unique Views, 3317 Avg. Views, 9K views vs. USC
The City of SLO was grandfathered in cost for spots for the past 2-year contract. Spot
costs have increased exponentially from the previous stream. Thus, for 23-24 season,
City of SLO will receive a 30 sec. spot in football, men's basketball and baseball only.
Page 45 of 105
visiting team
guides
tbid hotel information
sent directly to coaches &
operations staff
To encourage visiting teams to book stays in TBID hotels, each coach
or operations manager for football, men's and women's soccer,
men's and women's basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball
visiting teams were sent an email and the TBID hotel graphic - a
total of 35 coaches from around-the-country and California.
Page 46 of 105
SUMMARY Page 47 of 105
SUMMARY
PARTNERSHIp
All Cal Poly Athletics marketing assets were focused on fulfilling the primary City of SLO - TBID Objectives of heightening brand awareness of the
brand and ShareSLO, reaching out-of-market fans, driving traffic to the VisitSLO.com website and, ultimately putting hearts-in-beds.
Cal Poly Athletics created hundreds of thousand digital impressions with ESPN+ Broadcasts, retargeting ads and GoPoly.com ads. All ads linked
back to VisitSLO.com site to start fans through the discovery process and sales funnel.
The partnership dollars given to the department went back to booking TBID hotel rooms for visiting teams, officials of games and official
department visits. In all, (23) total hotels responded to RFP emails (Up from 15) and (23) TBID hotels were booked for the season. These hotels were
chosen as they expressed interest in hosting the guests. The department will make an effort to utilize as many TBID hotels that expressed interest in
hosting for 23-24.
To improve affinity and brand lift, we would recommend that all ads be co-branded with the inclusion of the Cal Poly logo in broadcast and digital
efforts. We also have seen that changing up creative, messaging and photos will also cause a lift.
23-24 to 24-25 Sponsorship Package includes:
Spanos Signage - on new large scoreboard
IP Usage - Logos and Marks
Mott Scrolling LED
Baggett Stadium Outfield Sign
(1) 30 sec. spot on the ESPN+ broadcasts of football (home and away games), men's basketball (home) and baseball (home) games
Fall, Winter and Spring Fan365 retargeting ads focusing on out-of-market fans
Investment: $65,000 per year
Page 48 of 105
THANK YOU!
HEATHER
HELLMAN
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF A PARTNERSHIP
WITH CAL POLY ATHLETICS/RODEO
Heather Hellman
General Manager
Mustangs Sports Properties
hhellman@mustangssportsproperties.com
Phone: 805-215-8545
Page 49 of 105
Page 50 of 105
SLO Happenings Event Promotion Sponsorship
APPLICATION
EVENT NAME: Sustainable Ag Expo
EVENT DATE(S): November 13-15, 2023
EVENT VENUE LOCATION: Madonna Inn Expo +
Center of Effort
EVENT WEBSITE URL: sustainableagexpo.org
EVENT ORGANIZATION: Vineyard Team
X NON-PROFIT ___FOR-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION ADDRESS:_5915 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422
ORGANIZATION’S WEBSITE URL: vineyardteam.org PHONE NUMBER: 805.466.2288
POINT OF CONTACT: Beth Vukmanic POSITION/TITLE: Executive Director
PHONE NUMBER: 805.466.2288 EMAIL: beth@vineyardteam.org
IS APPLICATION WRITER DIFFERENT FROM LISTED POINT OF CONTACT: ___SAME ___
*Please add application writer’s contact information here if different:
_________________________________________________________________________________
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Application Date: Application Status:
Committee Review Date: Total Net Score:
Estimated # of Room Nights:
Committee Notes:
Page 51 of 105
EVENT QUESTIONS
1. Event Description:
The Sustainable Ag Expo (Expo) is a two-day, mid-week, off-season educational symposium and
tradeshow attracting wine industry professionals to San Luis Obispo. This is the 18th year of the Expo
which is back to a fully in-person format for the second year. The Expo has expanded to include
national speakers, enticing attendees from all parts of California as well as other states.
2. Describe how you track your event, success and attendees (ticket sales, actual event attendance,
attendee demographics, survey of event satisfaction, etc.)
We track our event through attendance. Tickets are sold through a CRM system that captures the
attendee’s address so we can identify what area they are visiting from. A post-event survey is sent to
all attendees to evaluate event satisfaction. Survey responses as well as verbal feedback during the
event are recorded and saved internally to review annually.
3. Describe your event’s target audience (including but not limited to age, interests, area of residence,
household income, families/couples, etc.)
The audience is agriculture stakeholders: farmers, pest control advisors, researchers, government, ag
vendors, press, and university. In 2022, the first time back in-person in two years, 64% of participants
were non-local.
4. Historical event attendance (n/a if first time or startup event. An annual event with a new series, speaker, team,
musician or show does not constitute as a new event)
In 2022 with a total attendance of 565, assuming a $143 ADR and 4-night stay ($572 per person), the
value of non-local visitors was $206,835.
5. Historical percentage of in-county versus out-of-area event attendees (must equal 100%)
a. _36% of Local/In-County Event Attendees
b. _64% of Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+ miles outside of San Luis Obispo)
c. _ n/a of New startup event
6. Expected total number of event attendees:
With two years virtual in 2020 and 2021, attendees are still excited to be back in-person. We expect
participation to maintain at the successful 550 attendees reached in 2022. The event will continue to
appeal to non-local attendees with two days of specialized seminars featuring national speakers on
sustainable winegrowing practices, an expanded press plan, expanded digital advertising, and brand-
new Monday night launch event.
7. Expected percentages of in-county and out-of-area event attendees
a. _35% of Local/In-County Event Attendees
b. _65% of Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+ miles outside of SLO)
8. Provide information on event ticketing (ticket requirement, price range, ticket platform used, etc.)
Event passes range from $225 to $545 depending on the package. Tickets are sold through our
website.
Page 52 of 105
9. Have you requested funding from other organizations/entities: ___Yes _X_No
a. If yes, please provide the names of these organizations and funding entities:
10. What are you willing to offer the City and TBID members in exchange for the sponsorship funds for
your event. SELECT ALL That APPLY
___ Exclusive lodging partnership
_X_ Promotion for event attendees tied to SLO lodging
___ Complimentary tickets for additional promotional use
___ Other:
11. Please provide any additional information on what sets your event apart from others taking place in
San Luis Obispo:
The Sustainable Ag Expo is the premiere educational event for the wine industry, attracting attendees
from outside of San Luis Obispo County. In 2023, we are launching a completely new Monday evening
kick-off event – Why Precision Farming is the Future: A Conversation with Terry Bates, Cornell
University. This engaging evening will give attendees the opportunity to learn about the future of
precision agriculture in winegrape growing from the nation’s preeminent researcher.
This event takes place mid-week in November, during the off-season for travel. The Expo has an 18-
year track record and has successfully executed incremental expansion.
The actual ADR in November 2022 was $185.50. For this year, based on that rate, with an anticipated
attendance of 550, 65 percent non-local staying for four nights will bring in $265,265 into San Luis
Obispo. This has increased from the expected $143 ADR in 2022, meaning more income to the area.
In addition to lodging revenue, the positive economic impact to the city includes dining and food
dollars spent in the city. The kick-off event is located at SIP Certified sustainable vineyard and winey,
Center of Effort, located right in the Edna Valley. The main event is contained at the Madonna Inn
Expo facility so there is no stress to community resources.
550 attendees x 65% non-local x 4 nights x $185.50 = $265,265
“While virtual conferences are a convenient and inexpensive option, a recent survey from PromoLeaf
revealed that over 70 percent of participants prefer to attend conferences in-person.” Additionally,
the rise of remote work has created a culture of “bleisure travel” where business travelers add
components of leisure to their work trips. The Sustainable Ag Expo takes place Monday through
Wednesday, creating an ideal opportunity for attendees to extend their time in San Luis Obispo
through the previous weekend or even through the entire week.
The promotional plan includes targeted digital advertising in trade press, radio, social media, and
other digital ads to generate pre-event press coverage promoting the benefits of attending the
Sustainable Ag Expo and staying in Beautiful San Luis Obispo.
Page 53 of 105
PROMOTIONAL PLAN –Please provide a promotional plan containing a detailed strategy outlining
the below:
1) Media Plan. Out-of-area advertising/marketing sponsorship of the event including where, when,
and how often advertisements will be placed. If available, it is strongly encouraged to include
specific details on media placement (print, radio, tv, out of home media, social media,
programmatic advertising, etc.) with projected reach, engagement and ROI of media tools.
Must be included in media plan, but not limited to:
• Media outlet
• Target audience
• Media placement
• Media timing
• Media cost
• TBID Stay in SLO Messaging
Sustainable Ag Expo Media Plan:
Media Type Target
Audience
Media Placement Media
Timing
Media Message Media Cost
Digital Trade Facebook, Google Ads, Ag Net
West radio, Wine Business
Monthly, etc.
Fall Attend Expo – Stay
in Beautiful SLO
$6,300
Print Trade Postcards (10K mailed in 2022) Fall Attend Expo – Stay
in Beautiful SLO
$1,700
Digital Trade Event website and event
promotion of Discover SLO (see
2022 website image below)
Summer -
Fall
Attend Expo – Stay
in Beautiful SLO
$0
Total $8,000
Sustainable Ag Expo Program Funding:
Out-of-area attendees are drawn to attend the Sustainable Ag Expo for the opportunity to learn from and
interact with national experts in-person. The event team has already secured highly sought-after experts
from Cornell and Oregon State University and plans to bring in four total researchers to present
throughout the two-day event.
4 expert researchers x 2-3 nights x $185.50 = $2,000
Total Grant Requested: $10,000
Page 54 of 105
2) Event Budget. Please provide a detailed event budget listing all available support and income
sources. Budgeted marketing dollars should be included in your event budget.
Budget Plan:
Item Income Source Estimated
Amount
Partners and Sponsors Vineyard Team Partners $85,000
Attendees Event Income $115,000
TBID Grant $10,000
Total $210,000
Page 55 of 105
2:08 PM
06/05/23
Accrual Basis
Vineyard Team
Expo Profit & Loss 2022
January through December 2022
Ordinary Income/Expense
Income
EXPO 214,597.75
Total Income 214,597.75
Cost of Goods Sold
Credit Card Processing Fees 5,447.52
Total COGS 5,447.52
Gross Profit 209,150.23
Expense
Payroll Expenses 5,189.87
Events Expenses 84,094.04
Insurance Expense 805.89
Licenses & Fees 270.00
Professional Fees 12,805.00
Software Expenses 4,227.00
Website, Internet, Network 690.40
Staff/Volunteer Reimbursements 344.02
Total Expense 108,426.22
Net Ordinary Income 100,724.01
Net Income 100,724.01
Page 1 of 1Page 56 of 105
Staff
• Beth Vukmanic, Executive Director
• Hayli Macomber, Outreach & Education Coordinator
• Whitney Brownie, SIP Certified Coordinator
Board of Directors
• Katie Bruce, Niner Wine Estate (Secretary)
• Carter Collins, Viticulture Management Inc.
• Paul Crout, Helena (Treasurer)
• Joe DeClue, JUSTIN (President)
• Fintan du Fresne, Phase 2 Cellars
• Sara Frazer, Monterey Pacific
• Gregory Gonzalez, Foley Family Wines (Vice President)
• Oliver Matthews, Vineyard Professional Services
• Lauryn Meissner, Treasury Wine Estates
• Zachary Merkel, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
• Matt Merrill, Mesa Vineyard Management
• Denise Shurtleff, Cambria Wines
• Dave Terry, Talley Vineyards
Page 57 of 105
Page 58 of 105
SLO Happenings Event Promotion Sponsorship
APPLICATION
EVENT NAME: Harvest on the Coast
EVENT DATE(S): Saturday, November 4, 2023
EVENT VENUE LOCATION: Chamisal Winery
EVENT WEBSITE URL:
www.slocoastwine.com/event
EVENT ORGANIZATION: San Luis Obispo Coast Wine Collective
_X_NON-PROFIT ___FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ADDRESS: PO Box 607, Pismo Beach, CA
ORGANIZATION’S WEBSITE URL: slocoastwine.com PHONE NUMBER: 805-550-2506
POINT OF CONTACT: Kathleen Naughton POSITION/TITLE: Executive Director
PHONE NUMBER: 559-977-6768 EMAIL: kathleen@slocoastwine.com
IS APPLICATION WRITER DIFFERENT FROM LISTED POINT OF CONTACT: _X_SAME ___DIFFERENT
*Please add application writer’s contact information here if different:
_________________________________________________________________________________
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Application Date: Application Status:
Committee Review Date: Total Net Score:
Estimated # of Room Nights:
Committee Notes:
EVENT QUESTIONS
1. Event Description:
Grand Tasting: Saturday, November 4, 2023, 1 pm – 5 pm (335 attendees). This will be the first time in
11 years that we are bringing the event back to the wine region. In scaling down the event from
previous years, we can create a more intimate, elevated, and educational experience for guests. The
main event will be held outdoors at Chamisal Winery. We will utilize tents and a stage for musical
Page 59 of 105
entertainment. The event will feature 30 member wineries, Santa Maria BBQ food pairings, live music,
and a barrel toasting demonstration.
A “Rare and Reserve” tasting experience for up to 200 guests will be held before the main event begins
from 1 pm – 2 pm. This experience is reserved for those who book a stay with our “Stay” sponsor and
can be purchased as an add on ticket for the enophiles looking for something a little more unique.
Winemakers pour their best reserve and library wines in a more intimate environment, and includes
cheese and charcuterie.
We are working with local hoteliers on a Friday evening winemaker dinner and/or Sunday Sparkling wine
event to encourage additional night stays. Details are TBD.
2. Describe how you track your event, success and attendees (ticket sales, actual event
attendance, attendee demographics, survey of event satisfaction, etc.)
Tickets will be sold through Eventbrite. Home address information is collected at the time of ticket
purchase. We also include custom questions including that can be modified to include information
requested by the sponsors. Sample questions include: Where are you staying? How many nights are you
staying? How did you hear about the event?
A post event survey is mailed to attendees one week after the event to gather satisfaction information
and review through our event committee. Attendee information can be requested by the sponsor at the
conclusion of the event.
3. Describe your event’s target audience (including but not limited to age, interests, area of
residence, household income, families/couples, etc.)
Our target demographics are divided equally between males and females 35 + years old and who are
wine enthusiast, enjoy wine travel and fine dining experiences, and are educated on wine varieties. They
tend to be couples with a household income of $150K+ per year. The regions we will be targeting are
residents in Los Angeles/Orange County, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, and SLO County. The marketing
agency will create “look alike” audiences based on information from previous event attendees, website,
and social media data.
This year we will advertise on Trip Advisor and target couples in our target markets that are searching
about San Luis Obispo.
4. Historical event attendance (n/a if first time or startup event. An annual event with a new series, speaker,
team, musician or show does not constitute as a new event)
In 2019 we were able to raise the percentage of out of area attendees to between 60-70%. Since
bringing back the event in 2022, we saw our out-of-area attendance drop to about 50%. We expect to
increase our out-of-area attendees this year, and in the years to come as people begin to travel more
and we promote the region through our CDFA grant in the target market of Los Angeles.
5. Historical percentage of in-county versus out-of-area event attendees (must equal 100%)
a. 50% of Local/In-County Event Attendees
b. 50% of Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+ miles outside of San Luis Obispo)
6. Expected total number of event attendees: 335 (35 media)
7. Expected percentages of in-county and out-of-area event attendees
a. 50% of Local/In-County Event Attendees
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b. 50% of Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+ miles outside of SLO)
8. Provide information on event ticketing (ticket requirement, price range, ticket platform used,
etc.)
Tickets are required. We are expecting a total of about 335 attendees. There will be two ticket tiers
including General Admission and Early Entry – Rare and Reserve.
General admission tickets are $125 (early bird discount with promo code $105). The Grand Tasting will
be 2 pm – 5pm.
Early Entry – Rare and Reserve tickets are $175 (early bird discount with promo code $150). Early Entry
will run from 1 pm – 2 pm and will be complimentary for attendees that stay with our “Stay” sponsor. A
limited number of tickets will be sold. Total attendance for early entry is 200.
9. Have you requested funding from other organizations/entities: _X_Yes __No
a. If yes, please provide the names of these organizations and funding entities:
We will be presenting the same proposal to SLO Wine Lodging for exclusive, or shared
sponsorship.
10. What are you willing to offer the City and TBID members in exchange for the sponsorship funds
for your event. SELECT ALL That APPLY
___ Exclusive lodging partnership
_X_ Promotion for event attendees tied to SLO lodging.
_X Complimentary tickets for additional promotional use
_X_ Other: Complimentary Early Entry – Rare and Reserve
* Promotion includes “Stay” links and information included on the Eventbrite page, email
communications to our consumer list of 18,000 and the SLO Coast Wine event page on the
website. An event branding toolkit will be provided to all member wineries to promote the
event to their constituents which includes details and information on where to stay. We
encourage you as a partner to share the toolkit with your constituents to help promote the
event.
HERE is a link to a video from the 2022 event which shows additional branding promoting the
sponsors throughout the event.
*8 Complimentary tickets for full sponsorship/ 4 tickets for shared sponsorship.
* Complimentary Early Entry – Rare and Reserve access for guests who stay in San Luis Obispo.
11. Please provide any additional information on what sets your event apart from others taking
place in San Luis Obispo:
This event has an incredible history in the region and is the only wine event that gathers all of the
wineries of the SLO Coast in one place for consumers to enjoy. We have scaled down the event from
years past to create a more intimate, educational, and elevated wine experience for attendees.
12. PROMOTIONAL PLAN –Please provide a promotional plan containing a detailed strategy
outlining the below:
1) Media Plan. Out-of-area advertising/marketing sponsorship of the event including where,
when, and how often advertisements will be placed. If available, it is strongly encouraged to
Page 61 of 105
include specific details on media placement (print, radio, tv, out of home media, social
media, programmatic advertising, etc.) with projected reach, engagement, and ROI of media
tools.
2) Event Budget. Please provide a detailed event budget listing all available support and
income sources. Budgeted marketing dollars should be included in your event budget.
The advertising budget for this event is $7,800. Total spent out of market will be $6,300, and $1,500 will
be spend in San Luis Obispo County.
Media Type
(visitors)
Target Audience Media Message Estimated
Amount
Social Media San Jose,
Fresno/Bakersfield,
LA/OC
Visit SLO Coast Wine region
and experience all SLO has to
offer.
$3,000
Trip Advisor California – Couples
searching San Luis Obispo
$3,000
Posters and postcards Tasting rooms and visitors’
centers
Full event details, suggested
itineraries and where to stay,
QR codes
$300
Targeted Email All previous event
attendees
Full event details, suggested
itineraries and where to stay
$0
100% of funds from the SLO Coast Wine Collective G&A budget would go towards locals ($1,500)
Media Type (locals) Target Audience Media Message Estimated
Amount
Social Media SLO County Celebrate the 2023 Harvest
with SLO Coast Wineries
$500
Local Radio SLO County Winemaker interviews and
event updates
$1,000
$0
● Media Release will be sent to 200 PR contacts within driving distance of San Luis Obispo. The
contacts include all forms of media, including print (newspapers, magazines), local television
and radio, digital media (Instagram influencers and digital content creators in wine, food, travel,
and lifestyle categories) and wine educators.
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● Print material related to Harvest on the Coast will be created for use at each winery site and this
will be branded with logos of our partners and QR code directing them to the event page and
“Stay” partner website.
● Marketing Toolkit will be distributed to all winery members, associate business members,
participating businesses, local hoteliers and stay partners which includes details of the event,
sample consumer emails, sample social media posts, photo assets, sponsor links and details.
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Page 64 of 105
SLO TBID ANNUAL REPORT
2021-2022 Page 65 of 105
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Advisory Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Advisory Body Bylaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
2021-22 Year By The Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Strategic Plan Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Constituent Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Research Takeaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Visit San Luis Obispo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Marketing Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Branding & Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Digital Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Email Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Print Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Guest Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Strategic Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Industry Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
2021-22 Awards & Accolades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Financial Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Looking Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
TOT Chart For 2021-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
TOT Distribution For 2021-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
TOT Month To Month 2021-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
OCC Month To Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
ADR Month To Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
REVPAR Month To Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Strategic Imperatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
CONTENTS
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 3
In June 2008, the City Council adopted Ordinance 1517 establishing the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) in the City of
San Luis Obispo as requested by the local lodging industry . The assessment of two percent of gross receipts for the district became
effective on October 1, 2008 and the use of funds was defined in Section 12 .42 .030 of the Municipal Code as follows:
“This ordinance is made and enacted pursuant to the provisions of the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989
(Sections 36500 et . seq ., of the California Streets and Highways Code) . The purpose of forming the district as a business
improvement area under the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989 is to provide revenue to defray the costs of
services, activities and programs promoting tourism which will benefit the operators of hotels in the district through the promotion
of scenic, recreational, cultural and other attractions in the district as a tourist destination .”
The use of the assessment fund is based on the recommendation of the Tourism Business Improvement District advisory board (TBID
Board) that is staffed by City of San Luis Obispo hotel owners, operators, and/or managers . The board members are appointed by the
City Council and serve for an initial term of four years with the opportunity to serve a second term for a maximum of eight years .
2021-22 Tourism Business Improvement District Board
BACKGROUND
ADVISORY BODY
NAME PROPERTY STATUS TERM CONCLUDES
Clint Pearce ** * Madonna Inn Appointed May 2022 3/31/2026
David Smith* Hotel SLO Resigned June 2022
John Conner *Petit Soleil Resigned April 2022
LeBren Harris **Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton 3/31/2025
Lori Keller Apple Farm Inn Appointed June 2022 3/31/2026
Matthew Wilkins La Cuesta Inn Resigned March 2022 3/31/2025
Megan Taylor The Kinney SLO Appointed June 2022 3/31/2024
Natalie Ward Hotel Cerro Resigned May 2022
Pragna Patel-Mueller Hotel Buena Vista 3/31/2023
Stephanie Bolles Courtyard Marriott Resigned April 2022
* Served as Chair for a portion of FY 21-22
** Served as Vice Chair for a portion of FY 21-21
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 4
In addition to the governing City ordinance, the TBID Board established its advisory body bylaws and further defined its role and
functions as:
The functions and duties of the TBID Board shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
A . Planning a comprehensive program to promote tourism to the City of San Luis Obispo and prepare an annual marketing program
consistent with industry goals and objectives .
B . Develop advertising and promotional programs and projects to benefit the lodging industry in San Luis Obispo .
C . Present an annual assessment report to the City Council regarding the implemented promotional programs and projects .
D . Perform any other lawful tasks as directed by the Council .
The TBID Board meets monthly on the second Wednesday at 10 a .m . for its regular board meeting . In fiscal year 2021-22 (FY 21-22)
the TBID Board began holding a monthly special meeting in addition to the regular board meeting . In total the Board met a total of 17
times for regularly scheduled monthly board meetings and special board meetings during the fiscal year, representing more than 34
volunteer hours annually per board member .
ADVISORY BODY BYLAWS
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 5
In the 2021-22 fiscal year, the City of San Luis Obispo collected a record breaking $10 .6 million dollars in transient occupancy tax (TOT) .
This number represents more than a 54% increase in revenue compared to FY 20-21, when the City began to experience the initial
economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic . The actual collected TOT revenue in FY 21-22 exceeded the City’s initial adopted
budget by over $3 .4 million dollars, as well as exceeded the revised budget adopted at supplement by over $1 .5 million dollars . This
contribution of TOT revenue into the City’s General Fund is one of the direct benefits from tourism for the City, as the full collection of
TOT revenue is retained by the City .
Separately, the TBID retains the revenue collected through the TBID special assessment of 2%, which in FY 21-22 resulted in over
$2 million dollars, nearly $700,000 more than projected . While this growth can in part be attributed to the success of the marketing
programs performed by the TBID, there are a number of factors that positively impact this figure . One of those factors include the
success of the two luxury properties in Downtown that appeal to a new level of visitor and price range for the community, as well as in
December 2022 the City welcomed another new property which added an additional 112 new rooms into the marketplace .
The fiscal year 2021-22 occupancy for the city experienced a great increase compared to the 2020-21 fiscal year, with the average
annual occupancy rate at 67% for the 2021-22 year . While this growth of 15% year-over-year illustrates the continued recovery of
visitors returning to travel with overnight stays in San Luis Obispo — when compared to occupancy pre-pandemic, it is still more than
3% below the 2018-19 fiscal year when annual average occupancy for the city exceeded 70% for the year .
In addition, the results of the Average Daily Rate (ADR) in San Luis Obispo continue to set record breaking trends . In 2021-22 the
annual ADR was approximately $193, which is almost $38 dollars more than the previous year, and $41 dollars more than the pre-
pandemic year of 2018-19 for comparison .
The last key indicator used by the TBID to gauge impact is RevPAR, defined as Revenue Per Available Room . In the 2021-22 fiscal year,
the annual average RevPAR was up an incredible 41% from the prior year at the rate of $132 .57 on average .
While these numbers present a snapshot of the status for the lodging properties, the TBID Board also tracks the visitation into the
downtown Visitor Center to represent the foot traffic . In FY 21-22 the Visitor Center served 102,000 guests, which is up by nearly 14%
compared to the previous fiscal year .
2021-22 YEAR BY THE NUMBERS
MEASUREMENT FY 2021-22 RESULT % CHANGE FROM FY 2020-21
TOT $10,623,916 .63 54%
TBID $2,124,783 .33 54%
Occupancy 67%15 .2%
ADR $195 .36 24 .1%
RevPAR $132 .57 41 .4%
See the appendix for complete graphs (Graphs for TOT/ADR/RevPAR/OCC)
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 6
The TBID Strategic Plan serves as one piece of the framework for the direction and decisions made by the TBID Board for the tourism
program this fiscal year . As defined within the plan, the TBID continues to focus on the fulfillment of five Strategic Imperatives:
• Elevate the SLO Brand and Experience
• Deliver Smart Growth
• Build Meaningful Partnerships
• Ensure Operational Excellence
• Foster Destination Resilience
Each of these imperatives contain objectives and initiatives that the TBID Board strives to achieve in the life of the plan .
CHECK THE APPENDIX TO VIEW THE FULL STRATEGIC PLAN MATRIX
This fiscal year, the TBID Board focused on the following strategic imperatives and initiatives in the execution of the work program:
Elevate the SLO Brand and Experience
• Identify the core SLO identity and develop a plan to market it
• Develop a TBID Destination Stewardship approach
Deliver Smart Growth
• Develop an approach to monitoring local sentiment related to tourism
• Identify structure & budget allocation for mid-week
The examples of the accomplishments pertaining to these focus areas are highlighted throughout the annual report .
STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 7
As a commitment to the imperative to “Ensure Operational Excellence,” the TBID Board continued to support constituent relations
efforts in 2021-22 . To keep the lodging constituency abreast of all TBID business, the TBID Board was assigned properties to laisse .
Each board member was responsible for communication with their respective group of hotels and then asked to report their findings
during the “Hotel Update” portion of each Board meeting agenda .
The TBID also leveraged the outreach support of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce's contracted services to perform weekly
lodging call arounds and quarterly hotel visits . This resulted in 5,538 touch points with San Luis Obispo hotels through phone calls,
emails and property visits to distribute important visitor serving collateral and PPE to all lodging properties in the City of SLO . This was
an 11 .5% increase in connections compared to last fiscal year .
CONSTITUENT RELATIONS
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 8
Over the past year, the TBID Board completed a variety of brand research programs through self-directed and co-op commitments .
These studies helped to increase the TBID’s knowledge and ability to have specific data and valuable insights to help further guide
the efforts to develop program actions . This information is increasingly important because the trends, behaviors, preferences and
motivators of travelers have changed as a result of the pandemic . By investing in this research, the TBID is now better prepared to
respond to those changes via adjustments to San Luis Obispo promotional strategies .
The research areas included:
BRAND HEALTH & EQUITY RESEARCH (FALL 2021)
• This study was an analysis of the San Luis Obispo destination brand from a qualitative and quantitative perspective .
• These insights and takeaways continue to guide TBID marketing efforts .
SLO CAL DEI RESEARCH (SUMMER 2021)
• Through this co-op with Visit SLO CAL, the TBID gained essential DEI insights that helped to implement new strategies and expand
diversity within TBID-owned assets .
BRAND TRACKER & LOCAL SENTIMENT (WINTER 2021/SPRING 2022)
• This Brand Tracker research has allowed the TBID to set a baseline and trackable measure of sentiment towards SLO as a branded
destination, among locals and prospective visitors .
• TBID will continually use these baselines in order to measure progress in key areas .
As a result, these findings are reflected in the 2022-24 TBID Strategic Marketing and Business Plan and serve as a guide to the
approach to the TBID work moving forward .
RESEARCH
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 9
San Luis Obispo as a destination has a lot of opportunity to position itself in the competitive set, since it has low levels of brand
awareness. The lack of an emotional connection through advertising has resulted in a familiarity, trial and conversion issues for
overnight stays.
• Takeaway: The newly established brand platform provides a successful foundation we can continue to improve upon in order to
create emotional connections through the “Live the SLO Life” brand .
SLO as an activities hub for a weekend getaway (or longer) is a strong message that resonates with our audience.
• Takeaway: The “Homebase Away from Home” positioning, which focuses on SLO being an activities hub, is a strong messaging
strategy that resonates with travelers .
SLO embodies what people love about California, while avoiding much of what people dislike about it.
• Takeaway: The “small-town California” positioning provides a great opportunity to highlight the variety of boutique shops, history,
art, culture, restaurants, the outdoors and more that SLO has to offer within our messaging strategies .
SLO has an opportunity to own the following destination features: Food & Beverage; A Happy Feel-Good Community; Ultra-
convenient hiking/biking.
• Takeaway: By continuing to focus on these three destination features, we can work to establish a stronger brand awareness tied
to SLO’s unique destination offerings . We’ll want to emphasize Food & Beverage especially as SLO has a real opportunity to truly
own this destination feature by highlighting the Farmer’s Market, the abundance of great farm-to-table restaurants and impressive
wineries .
RESEARCH TAKEAWAYS
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 10
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The TBID shares in the global mission for inclusion and change . Along with partner destination marketing organizations like Visit SLO
CAL, the TBID is committed to spreading the message that San Luis Obispo is a welcoming and safe destination for all . As an ally, the
TBID listens and continuously reflects to fully understand that demand for more direct action so that all people can unequivocally feel
welcomed here . It is in the TBID organization’s DNA to treat all persons equally, with dignity and respect, regardless of race, religion,
creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability status . The TBID is committed
to sharing these values with everyone who travels to San Luis Obispo .
The TBID’s commitment to advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the tourism efforts was addressed in a few of the highlighted
program areas this year:
• EDI Audience & Asset Alignment Study in partnership with Visit SLO CAL: The study was designed to help Visit SLO CAL and
the TBID identify gaps in product offerings to inform tourism development initiatives . It also provided direction to the images
and messaging that will enable the TBID to effectively communicate the leisure product and invitation to these audiences . A few
takeaways from the report included: The City of San Luis Obispo has a relatively high level of familiarity among diverse travelers,
especially those in California . Additionally, the city is seen as safe, welcoming and tolerant by a strong majority of travelers in every
segment . The destination is also seen as a place where people feel like they belong . The strongest marketing positions for the city
are Small Town Charm and Dining & Drinking .
• Expansion of diversity within TBID-owned marketing assets: the TBID completed an analysis of the marketing assets used for TBID
promotion and based on the information resulting for the EDI study the TBID invested on the production of photo assets to support
the findings .
• Targeting more diverse audiences through paid media and public relations .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 11
SUSTAINABILITY
For the TBID, being good stewards of the destination and promoting conscientious travel is a responsibility . The TBID continues to
educate travelers on how to enjoy SLO responsibly by supporting the local community, protecting culture and heritage and leaving as
light of an environmental footprint as possible . Although tourism will never be completely sustainable, the TBID does its part to protect
and preserve beautiful San Luis Obispo .
This year the TBID made new commitments to advance sustainability and climate action within the tourism efforts . A few program
highlights included:
• Creation of identity for the sustainability efforts of the TBID called Sustainable SLO which included sharing the Sustainable SLO
message through marketing efforts including public relations and owned content .
• Development of a carbon offset program in the form of Keys for Trees . Through this program 1% of the TBID’s projected revenue was
directed to planting trees in San Luis Obispo as part of the Office of Sustainability and Natural Resources’ program with EcoSLO .
• Promoting off-season and mid-week travel which took the form of a new TBID promotional campaign called The MidWeekend .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 12
VISIT SAN LUIS OBISPO
Over the 13 years that the TBID has been in operation, the organization has struggled with the public-facing identity . As part of the
strategic plan work to Elevate the SLO Brand and Experience, the Board undertook the effort to address this issue . Based on the
findings of the research study, the opportunity for repositioning following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new approach with the
marketing agency - in the winter of FY 21-22 the TBID Board directed the marketing agency to establish a brand book to describe what
the destination marketing organization stands for, how it benefits travelers and locals and why it stands out . Through this project, the
Board defined the identity of the TBID from a naming standpoint within the Visit San Luis Obispo brand, the TBID organization and the
San Luis Obispo destination . As a result, the TBID adopted a new approach to the identity:
• The formal, public-facing name for the brand and organization is Visit San Luis Obispo . The organization should be referred to that
way in all marketing materials . This helps distinguish us from Visit SLO CAL, plus the name “San Luis Obispo” is distinct, memorable
and known far and wide–while “SLO” is more familiar to those within close proximity to San Luis Obispo . It’s okay to refer to us as
Visit SLO in conversation and and casual non-public uses . (It's only natural!)
• We are structured as a TBID (Tourism Business Improvement District), which is also how we are legally named, but that is different
than our public facing brand .
• Since San Luis Obispo is known as being an amazing community and university town, but is less known for being a vacation
destination, it’s important that we use “Visit” on our website and marketing materials . While some destinations drop the “Visit” when
marketing, for us, this will clearly signify we’re a tourism entity inviting people to come pay a visit and Live the SLO Life .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 13
MARKETING ACTIVITIES
To ensure that the TBID's marketing programs are intercepting travelers at all stages of the traveler’s journey, the TBID's and the
team of agencies utilized different marketing levers across that journey . This multi-pronged approach drove an efficient and effective
conversion strategy . The SLO brand messages and the areas of opportunity were adapted to tease potential travelers across the
journey . In addition, looking across the travelers’ journey also helped the TBID's incorporate and account for the fluctuations in the
travel behavior .
To implement the complex marketing programs, the TBID's Board and staff worked closely with the team of contractors including the
marketing agency-of-record Noble Studios, PR agency DCI, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce for Public Relations and Guest
Service initiatives, and the new Content Marketing contractor Badger Branding for organic social media content and management .
• Aim to create
brand awareness &
connection
• Create shareable
content that inspires
travel
• Bring prospects to the
website to encourage
research and
discovery about what
makes the destination
special and unique
• Help prospective
travelers plan with
destination-specific
content
• Encourage travelers to
visit key stakeholder
pages to book & plan
their trip
SERVICES
• Organic Social
• Paid Social
• Display Ads
• Email
• PR
• Influencers
SERVICES
• Website Experience
• Organic Search
• Paid Search
• Organic Social
• Paid Social
• Display Ads
• 3rd Party Ads
• Email
• PR
• Print
SERVICES
• Organic Search
• Paid Search
• Paid Social
• 3rd Party Ads
• Website Experience
• Email
SERVICES
• Website Experience
• Email
• Organic Social
SERVICES
• Organic Social
• Keep the conversation
going to amplify our
message
• Utilize website to
plan in-destination
moments and
activities
• Find up-to-date safety
information
DREAMING PLANNING BOOKING EXPERIENCING SHARING
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 14
POSITION
(Distinctly stand out
among competition)
PROMISE
(Clear messaging and
identity that connects)
PURPOSE + PERSONALITY + PRINCIPLES
(United brand & culture)
BRANDING & CAMPAIGN
The TBID, known as Visit San Luis Obispo, manages the tourism brand for the destination of San Luis Obispo, delivering balanced
growth of tourism with creativity and integrity . The Visit SLO brand supports the TBID’s initiatives to share the abundance of SLO, drive
the lodging economy and serve as the voice of the TBID stakeholders .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 15
PURPOSE
HEARTS IN BEDS
If putting “heads in beds” is our business purpose, putting
“hearts in beds” is our brand purpose . We live to share all that
San Luis Obispo stands for so we can emotionally connect with
and welcome people who will fall in love with our community in
such a way that they actually become part of it, caring for it like
they live here and returning time and time again .
PROMISE
A CHANCE TO LIVE THE SLO LIFE
The “SLO Life” is a deep breath that releases life’s pressures .
It’s a change of pace . It’s a fresh take . It’s a warm embrace . It’s
a feeling of comfort and calm in a welcoming place filled with a
special energy, connection, creativity and a wholehearted spirit .
You can feel the “SLO Life” wrap its arms around you and pull
you close . It’s tangible . And you’ll never want to let that feeling
go, so you live the “SLO Life” to its fullest while you’re here and
take a piece of it with you when you head back home .
POSITION
HOMEBASE AWAY FROM HOME
You don’t just visit SLO on vacation, you become part of our
community and culture, an honorary local . The welcoming waves
hello, neighborly nods and small-town California charm instantly
make you feel comfortable and allow you to start living the “SLO
Life .” As you immerse yourself in our city, you bond with it and
start to feel a sense of belonging that blends with the beauty of
life’s stresses being released because you’re away–it truly feels
like a home away from home . And with the beaches, iconic sites
and stunning beauty of the world-class Central Coast nearby, it’s
also an incredible homebase during your vacation . SLO is the
ideal homebase away from home .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 16
In FY 21-22, the new brand platform gave rise to the brand line, “Live the SLO Life”—a call to action to not just visit, but embrace the
bright, laid-back, welcoming, progressive and fresh lifestyle of San Luis Obispo . For the TBID’s brand campaign, it was important that
the brand was flexible enough to allow for crafted messaging to align with our target audiences and their unique interests in things like
outdoor adventure, wine and family vacations . With this foundation in place, a fully integrated marketing campaign was launched in
October 2021 with a friendly invitation to new and returning visitors to, “Say Hello to the SLO Life .”
BRANDING & CAMPAIGN
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 17
WEBSITE
SEO
↑
51%
Overall Traffic YoY
↑
95%
Organic Traffic
↑
6%
Bounce Rate
↑
205%
Organic Hotel Referrals
↑
62%
Organic Pageviews to Optimized Pages
↑
51%
New Users YoY
↑
207%
Things to Do Partner Referrals YoY
↑
205%
Hotel Partner Referrals YoY
VisitSLO .com is the City’s official tourism website and the primary marketing tool used to represent the destination . It is designed
mainly for consumers, but also serves the travel trade, meeting planners, TBID members and media .
The website is the cornerstone of all our marketing efforts — everything flows to or from the website . Because of its paramount
importance, the TBID continued to improve upon its stability and user experience throughout the year . As a result, during the FY
21-22 and through the overall marketing efforts, the website saw increased traffic as well as lodging and things to do conversions .
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ensures the relevancy and success of the TBID’s website . Build website authority to improve
VisitSLO .com’s positioning and findability on search pages . By developing depth of content and optimizing existing content, VisitSLO .
com saw increased organic traffic to optimized pages and encouraged users to engage with the website by improving user experience .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 18
DIGITAL MEDIA
The digital media efforts in FY 21-22 were focused on driving overnight stays . Using up-to-date research surrounding traveler
sentiment, media consumption patterns, and booking behavior as a guide, the media was continually evaluated and shifted . The goals
were to:
• Deliver a paid media strategy that focuses on converting potential travelers with lower funnel tactics .
• Strategically manage spend to be efficient and effective to maximize the budget .
As a result, when compared to the same channels in FY 20-21, VisitSLO .com saw growth in awareness, traffic and engagement with
a 39% increase in budget . This year, the TBID also introduced TripAdvisor, Connected TV and paid advertisements on TikTok as
channels into the digital media mix .
↑
20%
Paid Traffic YoY
30.9 MIL
Paid Impressions
13.20%
Paid Search CTR Benchmark 4 .68%
0.99%
Paid Social CTR Benchmark 0 .90%
↑
241%
Paid Homestay Referrals YoY
↑
207%
Paid Hotel Referral YoY
EMAIL MARKETING
The TBID continued to utilize email marketing activities through the newsletter to communicate regularly with potential visitors on
activities in SLO to build brand loyalty and encourage repeat visitation and an extended length of stay . Send timely and relevant
newsletters to Visit SLO subscribers to keep San Luis Obispo top of mind as a destination and keep them educated on the changing
travel landscape in the city . As a result, the TBID saw increases in open rate and click rate in the emails sent this year which is
attributed to A/B testing, and more personally relevant and engaging emails .
↑
30%
Avg . Newsletter Open Rate
↑
2%
Avg . Click Rate
11
General newsletters sent
17
Emails sent in total
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 19
PRINT ADVERTISING
Limited print advertising placements were continued in the TBID’s media mix for FY 21-22 . Traditional print campaigns are an important
tool to reach niche market visitors primarily in the mature demographic and to reinforce travel inspiration while building brand
awareness for the destination .
Placements Included:
• Visit SLO CAL Visitors Guide
• SLO Chamber Visitors Guide
• Cal Poly Program Ad & Visiting Teams Guide
• Central Coast Tourism Council Map
• SLO Life Journal
HELP KEEP OUR HILLS GREEN & SKIES CLEAN
SLO LIFE TIP #23
Every hotel night booked in SLO gets
us one step closer to our city’s goal of
being carbon neutral by 2035.
Did you know that Visit San Luis Obispo’s Keys for Trees program
donates a portion of all local hotel room charges to plant trees
in our community? This is one of the ways SLO visitors can travel
sustainably and help support our city’s vision to be carbon neutral
by 2035. Learn about our goal to plant 10,000 trees and our other
sustainable tourism initiatives at VisitSLO.com/Sustainable-SLO
Book your stay at VisitSLO.com/Find-a-Hotel
WE’RE SAN LUIS OBISPO.
THINGS TO DO
The city of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding region stun
365 days a year. The good times roll year round in Mustang
Country. When you’re not on the field or the court, there’s
so much to enjoy:
• Find local goods and enjoy live entertainment at the
Downtown SLO Thursday Night Farmers’ Market
• Explore historical sites like Hearst Castle and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
• Taste libations from more than 250 wineries across
the county
• Go beach tasting at iconic California beaches
• Have a slice of pink champagne cake at the Madonna Inn
• Hike and bike around the Nine Sisters
• Catch a show at the Fremont Theater
1-877-SLO-TOWN • VisitSLO.com Follow us: @ShareSLO QEAP
Terrace Hill
Lucy’s Coffee
Ginos Pizza
Bubblegum Alley
Downtown SLO
Farmers’ Market
But you can call us SLO. We’re small-town California with big-time charm. And, of course, we’re
home to the Cal Poly Mustangs. We can’t wait to welcome your team!
Located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo sets itself apart as the
ultimate homebase for exploring California’s Central Coast. It’s the perfect place to lay your head
after a long day of athletic competition, exploration, celebration and more.
To get here, take Highway 1 or 101—we’re right off the road whether you’re coming from north or
south. We’re also easily accessible if you need to fly in. San Luis Obispo Regional Airport puts
you just 10 minutes from Cal Poly.
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 20
SOCIAL MEDIA
The goal of the TBID’s social media channels — ShareSLO — is to continue to engage locals and visitors alike while optimizing the
TBID’s efforts and further establishing a clear value to follow ShareSLO on organic social media . As a new direction in FY 21-22, the
TBID retained a new contractor, Badger Branding, to specialize in this work effort .
Some of the dedicated highlighted work included:
• Increased video content via Instagram Reels resulting in over 157,000 views
• Maintained consistent story posting/sharing tagged stories
• Continued use of user generated content via CrowdRiff
• Increased giveaways on Instagram
• Created four Guides on Instagram: SLO Hikes, SLO Coast Wine Region, SLO Sweet Treats, Coastal BBQ
• Changed look and content of Instagram Highlights
• Phased out Twitter platform
• Created LinkedIn Profile
QEAC
Visit San Luis Obispo Social Media Channels
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 21
PUBLIC RELATIONS
In FY 21-22, the TBID continued the approach to Public Relations contract efforts which included a joint contract between the TBID and
Promotional Coordinating Committee (PCC) with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce for Public Relations efforts, plus the TBID
continued with the national Public Relations agency, DCI . On behalf of the City’s Community Promotions program, the SLO Chamber
is responsible for establishing professional relationships with media outlets and journalists in various markets to build and maintain
awareness of San Luis Obispo as a travel destination . Then to further expand the proactive destination Public Relations efforts, DCI is
responsible for national media relations and influencer management .
In the spirit of building a resilient program and through the cooperative effort, the TBID established a Most Wanted Media List that
will continued to be used to target top tier media and influencers to tell the unique stories that SLO can offer which were also defined
through the development of the TBID’s Story Idea database . The City’s core values of sustainability and DEI are both lead focuses in
that work .
The goal for PR in FY 21-22 was to curate foundational aspirational content to keep people inspired and excited about travel,
generating and securing media leads for the City of SLO that speak to our targeted audiences — including drive markets — and
building and strengthening relationships with target media and digital influencers who are the catalyst to generating awareness of the
destination and its diverse experiences .
As an indicator of the going COVID-19 recovery, in April 2022 the TBID hosted the first media group familiarization or press trip
(FAM) since before the start of the pandemic . The FAM included five media representatives invited to San Luis Obispo for four-days
to experience the destination and write stories related to sustainable travel in SLO . The journalists represented publications like
SmarterTravel, Travel Noire, The Daily Beast, TravelAwaits, and TravelPulse . Within a month of the trip every journalist published at
least one story related to the trip .
Overall, as a result of the overall Public Relations efforts, in FY 21-22 San Luis Obispo received over 270 mentions in media articles, of
which 91 placements were attributed to the proactive work . Top media coverage included: the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and CNN
Travel .
643 MIL
Circulation
25 MIL
Media Impressions
$5.9 MIL
Ad Equivalency
606/910
Qualitative Score
91
Total Number of Placements
22 OUTLETS
29% MWM List Penetration
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 22
PROMOTIONS
In FY 21-22 and with the recovery of the travel landscape, the TBID reintroduced the concept of seasonal promotional campaigns into
the marketing mix . The purpose of the promotions is to drive visitation during a targeted need time by incentivizing the traveler to
book in San Luis Obispo . This year the approach was to drive midweek stays which support the TBID’s strategic imperative to Deliver
Smart Growth, as well as align with the destination stewardship and sustainability efforts by encouraging travel outside peak periods .
The MidWeekend
Why should weekends get all the fun? When you Live the SLO Life, every day feels like Saturday . We call it the MidWeekend . In the
spring of 2022, the Midweekend promotional campaign was launched to help drive midweek stays in the City of San Luis Obispo . To
help sweeten the deal, visitors were offered a $100 gift card bundle to use at local businesses when they booked two nights between
Sunday and Thursday . The promotional campaign was integrated into the existing paid media plan with a focus on reaching our
outdoor, relaxation, wine and dine and remarketing audiences in order to send potential travelers to the MidWeekend landing page to
get direct access to information on the special offer .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 23
GUEST SERVICES
Through a dedicated contract with the TBID, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce provides a suite of guest services to
the TBID . In FY 21-22, the SLO Chamber was contracted for the Visitor Center to answer each call made to the TBID’s 1-877-SLO-
TOWN number, which serves as a response tool to the TBID’s advertising efforts and digital presence . This creates the option for a
“real person” to assist in trip planning, ensuring that travelers seeking personal guidance have a friendly, live voice to shape their
experience of San Luis Obispo before even arriving . The telephone number, 1-877-SLO-TOWN, is a separate line that rings in the
Chamber and is used solely to refer TBID properties and promote San Luis Obispo as a destination . During FY 21-22 nearly 1,500 calls
were answered on the 1-877-SLO-TOWN line . The Guest Services also included the Live Chat widget on VisitSLO .com that received
hundreds of conversations throughout the year .
New this year, the Visitor Center also provided response and fulfillment for all the direct or consumer sales support . This support
extended the phone and digital support which served nearly 25,000 customers in FY 21-22 . However, with this direct-to-consumer
support, new information packets were created and mailed to meet the requests of over 750 potential visitors .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 24
EVENTS
In FY 21-22, destination events began to return to San Luis Obispo . While the recovery is still in progress, the TBID Board considered
the funding for these events on a case-by-case basis using the general application established in FY 19-20 .
Events Sponsored:
• Spartan Race in partnership with Visit SLO CAL
• Roll Out the Barrels Weekend with SLO Coast Wine Collective
• Funding toward the return of the in-person Sustainable AG Expo with Central Coast Vineyard Team
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
The TBID collaborates with numerous community partners and industry nonprofit organizations in marketing San Luis Obispo as
a destination which makes the TBID more efficient in promotional activities . The TBID’s strategic partnerships allow the marketing
agencies to build relationships with the organizations below, elevating the destination as a whole . Promotional opportunities with each
organization give the TBID new platforms and audiences to build brand awareness .
This year the TBID leveraged partnerships to share updates on destination information . In particular, the partnership with Cal Poly’s
Office of Student Affairs was extremely valuable this year with the virtual presentations to Cal Poly Parents and Supporters during the
virtual SLO Days . As the on-campus event returned, the TBID also participated in Mustang Family Weekend and Open House .
In FY 21-22 the TBID also brought back the partnership with Cal Poly Athletics and Mustang Sports . This partnership included the
sponsorship of the athletic program in exchange for marketing benefits and the hosting of the rooms using the sponsorship fee in SLO
TBID properties .
Top partnerships included:
• SLO Coast Wine Collective
• Cal Poly’s Office of Student Affairs – New Student & Transition Programs and Parent Program
• Cal Poly Athletics – Mustang Sports
• ECOSLO with Keys for Trees
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 25
INDUSTRY RELATIONS
CALIFORNIA HOTEL & LODGING ASSOCIATION (CHLA)
The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) protects the rights and interests of the California lodging industry . Legislative
advocacy, educational training, communication and cost-saving programs are provided for all segments of the industry . Through the
TBID, all lodging properties in the City of SLO are members of CHLA and can utilize the services offered . In FY 21-22, CHLA continued
to partner with the TBID to provide PPE for all lodging properties in San Luis Obispo .
VISIT CALIFORNIA
The Visit California partnership has been critical in the growth of the TBID’s brand within the California Tourism product . San Luis
Obispo has received coverage through the marketing activities performed by Visit California including travel trade, press and industry
outreach . Monthly submissions are uploaded to Visit California for media outreach, trade contacts and newsletter content . In FY 21-22
the TBID was also a Poppy Award Nominee .
CENTRAL COAST TOURISM COUNCIL
The Central Coast Tourism Council (CCTC) is an organization of tourism and hospitality professionals whose marketing efforts
accomplish collectively what no single tourism entity can do alone — promote the entire California Central Coast as a destination and
maximize our members’ tourism revenue . The CCTC serves as the Central Coast's voice in Sacramento, and partners with California
Tourism's global marketing and advertising campaigns . The TBID is actively involved in CCTC with the Tourism Manager as the Past
President and Regional Board Member . In FY 21-22, the TBID leveraged the CCTC activities through media and trade leads, blog and
social presence, as well as cooperative participation marketing campaigns . The TBID also leveraged CCTC to participate in the 2021
IPW international trade conference held in Las Vegas in September 2021 .
VISIT SLO CAL
The TBID maintains participation with Visit SLO CAL by having a representative on the Board of Directors and the Tourism Manager on
the Marketing Committee . The TBID Board leverages the partnership with Visit SLO CAL to promote San Luis Obispo on a national and
international level — beyond the local and state reach the TBID’s marketing plan focuses to achieve . The TBID’s participation in Visit
SLO CAL also encompasses group sales, film commission, countywide public relations and countywide special events like Restaurant
Month and Wine Month, not to mention inclusion in countywide strategic planning efforts, Destination Management efforts and the
renewal of the Tourism Marketing District — to name a few . The TBID also leveraged Visit SLO CAL partnership to participate in the
2022 IPW international trade conference held in Orlando in June 2022 .
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 26
2021-22 AWARDS & ACCOLADES
This year, we won several awards for our brand and campaign work done in conjunction with Noble Studios
AAF RENO ADDY
Gold for copywriting
AAF RENO ADDY
Silver for corporate social responsibility collateral (brand elements)
AAF RENO ADDY
Silver for online film, video and sound in a campaign
COMMUNICATOR AWARDS
Award of Excellence for a B2C campaign
AAF RENO ADDY
Silver for an online/interactive campaign
HERMES CREATIVE AWARDS
Gold for a social media campaign
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 27
2021-22 FINANCIAL STATEMENT
INCOME SOURCE 2021-22
2021-22 TOT Revenue Assumption * $7,213,000
2021-22 TBID Assessment Revenue Assumption * $1,442,600
Fund Balance Transfer $285,190
Fund Reserve $100,000
2021-22 TBID Program Budget $1,727,790
EXPENDITURE ALLOCATED
Operations/Staffing
Administration Overhead (2% of TBID Assessment) $28,852
Staffing (FTE & .75 FTE) $228,000
Contracts & Marketing Services
Marketing Contract - Noble Studios/DCI $1,017,190
Chamber of Commerce - PR $45,000
Chamber of Commerce - Guest Services $47,500
Co-Op Program Funding $30,000
Content Marketing Services - Badger Branding $86,000
FAM Trip Hosting $5,000
Partnerships & Promotions
SLO Coast Wine Collective Associate Membership $5,000
Sustainability Initiative- ECOSLO $15,000
Event Sponsorship $14,500
Tradeshows
Tradeshows $15,000
Tourism Conferences $8,000
Tourism Organizations
CCTC Dues $1,000
Smith Travel Report $3,500
CalTravel Membership $1,000
California Hotel & Lodging Association $27,286
Research + Program
Research + Program Development $80,000
Support / Meetings
Tourism Program Expenses $5,000
Services/Online Tools/Fulfillment (Dropbox, Crowdriff, Survey Monkey) $5,500
Contingency
Contingency Fund $31,440
Totals Commited $1,699,768
Funds Remaining $28,022
Total Allocated Expenditures ** $ 1,727,790
* This figure was not adjusted within the TBID operating program budget following the Adopted Supplement Budget
** This figure represents the total allocated expenditures. The difference will be available for carryover to the 2022-23 program budget.
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 28
LOOKING AHEAD
As the TBID moves into FY 22-23, the key focus areas that remain top of mind for the work of the Board in the next fiscal year:
• Continued conscious approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in all TBID programs
• Expanded Destination Stewardship through the Sustainable SLO program for visitors
• Establishing the Visit San Luis Obispo brand
• VisitSLO .com redesign
While these are not the only subjects that the TBID Board will be focused on, these four will influence the approach to all TBID related
work efforts .
In 2022-23, the Board is committed to the continued implementation of the TBID Strategic Plan and the newly adopted two-year
2022-24 TBID Strategic Marketing & Business Plan . These plans provide a foundation for building the Visit San Luis Obispo brand and
establishing real tactics for consistently improving tourism in the City of San Luis Obispo now and into the future .
LOOKING AHEAD
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 29
APPENDIX
TOT CHART FOR 2021-22
TOT DISTRIBUTION FOR 2021-22
12,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
$615,972 .30
$10,031,635 .32
0
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2013-14 2015-16 2016-17 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-222017-18
Homestay Hotel
Page 93 of 105
SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 30
TOT MONTH TO MONTH 2021-22
2,000,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
July Aug .Sept .Oct .Nov .Dec .Jan .Feb .Mar .Apr .May June
Page 94 of 105
SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 31
OCC MONTH TO MONTH
100
50
25
0
2019-20 2020-21 2021-22
Oct .Sept .Aug .July JuneMayApr .Mar .Feb .Jan .Dec .Nov .
Page 95 of 105
SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 32
ADR MONTH TO MONTH
190+
120(Revenue $)150
90
0
2019-20 2020-21 2021-22
JuneMayApr .Mar .Feb .Jan .Dec .Nov .Oct .Sept .Aug .July
Page 96 of 105
SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 33
REVPAR MONTH TO MONTH
190+
120(Revenue $)150
90
0
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
Oct .Sept .Aug .July JuneMayApr .Mar .Feb .Jan .Dec .Nov .
Page 97 of 105
SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 34
SLO TBID STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES - FY 19-24
IMPERATIVE OBJECTIVES INITIATIVES
Elevate the
SLO Brand and
Experience
• Increase visitor
awareness in target
markets
• Increase positive
visitor perception
PRIORITY 1:
• Integrate the City’s priorities into the execution of the TBID’s
marketing strategies
• Identify the core SLO identity and develop a plan to market it
PRIORITY 2:
• Develop a TBID Destination Stewardship approach
PRIORITY 3:
• Identify opportunities to influence community placemaking and
destination management efforts
Deliver Smart
Growth
• Exceed California’s
RevPAR growth over
FY21 baseline
• Year-over-year
growth in ratio of
weekday to weekend
occupancy
PRIORITY 1:
• Develop an approach to monitoring local sentiment related to tourism
PRIORITY 2:
• Influence the SLO conference center development plan and effort
• Identify structure and budget allocation for midweek and group
business
PRIORITY 3:
• Develop a local business travel program to drive visitation
Build Meaningful
Partnerships
• Increase average
Earned Partnership
Value score over
2022 baseline
• Grow economic
impact of tourism in
SLO by 2024, over
2017 baseline
PRIORITY 3:
• Identify and develop BOLD partnerships that generate overnight
stays
• Create a partnership management plan using measurable goals that
are in line with our TBID mission
Ensure
Organizational
Excellence
• Growth in member
newsletter open rates
• Growth in
stakeholder
satisfaction score on
survey
PRIORITY 1:
• Establish and document a process to execute, evaluate and track
strategic plan
PRIORITY 2:
• Identify opportunities to streamline governance and leverage
constituency of TBID
Foster
Destination
Resilience
• Year-over-year
growth in TOT over
FY21 baseline
PRIORITY 1:
• Implement COVID-19 Response Plan
PRIORITY 2:
• Document lessons learned from COVID era to feed resilience
assessment
PRIORITY 3:
• Perform a destination resilience assessment
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SLO TBID Annual Report 2021-22 35Page 99 of 105
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1
Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes
July 12, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
Promotional
Coordinating
Committee Present:
Committee Member Clint Pearce, Committee Member John
Thomas, Committee Member Anni Wang, Committee Member
Robin Wolf, Vice Chair Lori Lerian, Chair Samantha Welch
Promotional
Coordinating
Committee Absent:
Committee Member Maureen Forsberg
City Staff Present: Tourism Manager Molly Cano, Tourism Analyst Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth, City Clerk Teresa Purrington
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Promotional Coordinating Committee
was called to order on July 12, 2023 at 5:28 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Welch.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By Committee Member Thomas
Second By Committee Member Wang
To approve Consent Items No. 3a. through 3g.
Ayes (6): Committee Member Pearce, Committee Member Thomas, Committee
Member Wang, Committee Member Wolf, Vice Chair Lerian, and Chair Welch
Absent (1): Committee Member Forsberg
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2
CARRIED (6 to 0)
3.a MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 14, 2023
3.b 2022-23 COMMUNITY PROMOTION BUDGET REPORT
3.c 2023-24 COMMUNITY PROMOTIONS BUDGET REPORT
3.d SLO CHAMBER MONTHLY PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT
3.e SLO CHAMBER VISITOR CENTER REPORT
3.f SLO CHAMBER GIA SUPPORT REPORT
3.g TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a SLO CHAMBER FY 22-23 ANNUAL REPORT
SLO Chamber representative Hollie West presented the Q4 and annual
report on the Public Relations, Visitor Services and GIA contract activities
during FY 22-23.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
No Action taken on this item.
4.b SUPPORT LOCAL PROGRAM FY 22-23 ANNUAL REPORT
Verdin representatives Allie Rohlfs and Ashley Scarcella presented the Q4
and FY 22-23 year-end report on the Support Local marketing activities,
and the scope of work for the FY 23-24 program.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
No Action taken on this item.
4.c PUBLIC ART PROMOTION QUARTER REPORT
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3
Verdin representatives Allie Rohlfs and Ashley Scarcella presented the
Public Art Promotion activities for the quarter, and updates on the next
quarter activities.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
No Action taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a CULTURAL GIA GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Tourism Manager Molly Cano and GIA subcommittee member(s)
presented the grant recommendations for the committee's review and
responded to questions. There was extensive discussion by the committee
on various pending grant recommendations from the subcommittee.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By Committee Member Wolf
Second By Committee Member Pearce
Approve the Cultural Grants in Aid funding recommendations outlined
below:
Organization
Name Event Name PCC
Decision
RACE Matters SLO County Belonging 2023: Braiding Water Yes
Central Coast Shakespeare Festival Love's Labor Lost Yes
Orchestra Novo
Orchestra Novo Goes Hollywood, Pops ON
The Sequel Yes
SLO Symphony SLO Symphony 2023-2024 Classics Season Yes
Festival Mozaic Mozart in the Mission Yes
Central Coast Roller Derby (CCRD, Inc.)
Central Coast Roller Derby 2023 Home
Bouts Yes
Downtown SLO 27th Annual Concerts in the Plaza Yes
San Luis Obispo Master Chorale
Chants Encounter; Holiday Festival; All-
Night Vigil Yes
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4
SLO Overdose Awareness Day SLO Overdose Awareness Day Yes
Hospice SLO County Light Up A Life Yes
NAMI - SLO County Chapter Community-Based Policing Forum No
The SLORoll Community Initiative, Inc. Community Skate Park No
Five Cities Diversity Coalition Dba Diversity
Coalition SLO County Fostering Understanding No
San Luis Obispo County Arts Council Open Studios Art Tour No
Lumina Alliance
Lumina Alliance's Fall Family Festival &
Walk for Survivors No
Meals That Connect Summer Smash for Seniors No
5.b CULTURAL ARTS & COMMUNITY PROMOTIONS GRANT PROGRAM
Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented the final documents and timeline
for the CACP Grant Program. It was decided the score card will go to the
review subcommittee first and then the full committee. The review
subcommittee consists of Chair Welch, Vice Chair Lerian and Member
Thomas.
No formal action taken.
5.c PCC ANNUAL PROGRAM PLANNING
The committee reviewed projects, timeline and priorities for the coming FY.
There is the potential to create a new banner for Independence Day as
part of the banner project program. Staff will bring back more information
at a future meeting.
No formal action taken.
5.d ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH PLANNING
Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented background on Arts and
Humanities Month in October and the opportunity to create a program that
will engage locals and visitors with various arts and cultural experiences.
In addition to the program, there is an opportunity to bring back a version
of Plaza Pop-Ups with a piano in the Plaza for the duration of the month.
Motion By Vice Chair Lerian
Second By Committee Member Wolf
To allocate up to $25,000 for the passport program and allocate up to
$10,000 for the Piano in the Plaza activation.
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5
Ayes (6): Committee Member Pearce, Committee Member Thomas,
Committee Member Wang, Committee Member Wolf, Vice Chair Lerian,
and Chair Welch
Absent (1): Committee Member Forsberg
CARRIED (6 to 0)
6. PCC LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
6.a GIA LIAISON REPORT – Liaison Assignments
Member Wang attended the Climate Action meeting.
6.b COMMITTEE OUTREACH UPDATE – Committee Report
None
6.c TBID BOARD REPORT – TBID Special Meeting Minutes: June 28, 2023
Member Pearce provided an update on the TBID meetings on June 28,
2023 and July 12, 2023
6.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Staff Report
Tourism Manager Molly Cano provided an update on the Tourism program.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:49 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Promotional Coordinating Committee is scheduled for September 13, 2023, at
5:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis
Obispo.
_________________________
APPROVED BY PROMOTIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE: XX/XX/202X
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