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Home My WebLink About01-10-2024 TBID Agenda Packet Tourism Business Improvement District Board AGENDA Wednesday, January 10, 2024, 10:00 a.m. City Hall, 990 Palm Street, 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 SPECIAL MEETING ON DECEMBER 18, 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 27 4.PRESENTATIONS 4.a PUBLIC RELATIONS & GUEST SERVICES QUARTER REPORT Representatives from the SLO Chamber will present the second quarter report on the Public Relations and Guest Services contract activities with the SLO TBID. 4.b CONTENT MARKETING QUARTER REPORT Representatives from the Badger Branding will present the second quarter report for the content marketing support and organic social media activities with the SLO TBID. 5.BUSINESS ITEMS 5.a MARKETING SERVICES QUARTER REPORT + Q3 MEDIA PLAN REVIEW & APPROVAL Representatives from Noble Studios and DCI will present the second quarter report for the marketing activities for the SLO TBID in addition to presenting the Q3 media plan for review and approval. 5.b MIDWEEKEND ASSETS & PLAN APPROVAL Representatives from Noble Studios will present the MidWeekend promotion creative assets and media plan for the Board’s approval. The Midweekend promotion will run February 1 – March 31. 5.c ETOURISM CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION Staff will present a commitment to participate as a presenter in the eTourism conference in Las Vegas on April 2. 6.TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION 6.a HOTELIER UPDATE – LIAISON REPORTS 6.b PCC UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT 6.c VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT 6.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – STAFF REPORT 7.ADJOURNMENT The next Special Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for January 24, 2024 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 December 18, 2023, 10:00 a.m. City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo TBID Board Present: Member Lori Keller, Member Winston Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant Patel, Vice Chair Lydia Bates, Chair Clint Pearce TBID Board Absent: Member Sandy Sandoval City Staff Present: Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano, Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark- Charlesworth _____________________________________________________________________ 1. CALL TO ORDER A Special Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District Board was called to order on December 18, 2023 at 10:00 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-- 3. CONSENT Motion By Member Patel Second By Member Keller To approve Consent Items 3a to 3g. Ayes (6): Member Keller, Member Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel, Vice Chair Bates, and Chair Pearce CARRIED (6 to 0) Page 5 of 34 2 3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON NOVEMBER 8, 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. BUSINESS ITEMS 4.a MARKETING SERVICES RFP APPROVAL Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented the staff report and responded to inquiries. Public Comment: Kristen Carlson, Visit SLOCAL --End of Public Comment-- Motion By Member Keller Second By Vice Chair Bates To approve the draft RFP as discussed and changed, with content marketing services removed and proactive public relation to additional service. Ayes (6): Member Keller, Member Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel, Vice Chair Bates, and Chair Pearce Absent (1): Member Sandoval CARRIED (6 to 0) 4.b MIDWEEKEND PROMOTION Hayley Corbett, and Dani Winter, Noble Studios presented the report and responded to inquiries. Public Comment: None --End of Public Comment-- Page 6 of 34 3 Motion By Vice Chair Bates Second By Member Nipool Patel To approve the Midweekend Promotion campaign with the inclusion of $11,500 for paid media with Travelzoo. Ayes (6): Member Keller, Member Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel, Vice Chair Bates, and Chair Pearce Absent (1): Member Sandoval CARRIED (6 to 0) 4.c PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth presented the staff report and responded to inquiries. Public Comment: None --End of Public Comment-- Motion By Member Keller Second By Vice Chair Bates To approve funding additional work with Brittany App in an amount not to exceed $20,000. Ayes (6): Member Keller, Member Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel, Vice Chair Bates, and Chair Pearce Absent (1): Member Sandoval CARRIED (6 to 0) 4.d VISIT SLO CAL IPW CO-OP Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano presented the staff report and responded to inquiries. Public Comment: None --End of Public Comment-- Page 7 of 34 4 Motion By Member Newland Second By Member Nipool Patel To approve the budget for the Visit SLO CAL IPW Co-op. Ayes (6): Member Keller, Member Newland, Member Nipool Patel, Member Patel, Vice Chair Bates, and Chair Pearce Absent (1): Member Sandoval CARRIED (6 to 0) 5. TBID LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION 5.a HOTELIER UPDATE – LIAISON REPORTS 5.b PCC UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano provided a brief update on PCC activities. 5.c VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – LIAISON REPORT Chair Pearce provided a brief update on Visit SLO CAL activities. 5.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – STAFF REPORT Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano provided a brief update on the tourism programs. 6. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 a.m. The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for January 1 0, 2024 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 34 January 2024 WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total California 62.53 66.09 63.55 174.86 182.79 177.22 109.35 120.80 112.62 -0.92 0.20 -0.59 3.25 6.44 4.21 2.30 6.65 3.59 City of Paso Robles 51.16 55.53 52.41 130.17 176.20 144.10 66.60 97.85 75.52 -0.55 -15.05 -5.44 3.87 3.06 2.42 3.30 -12.44 -3.15 City of Pismo Beach 44.16 55.44 47.38 146.63 199.56 164.32 64.74 110.64 77.86 -11.00 -3.12 -8.51 0.97 -2.49 0.21 -10.14 -5.53 -8.33 City of San Luis Obispo 50.74 61.94 53.94 126.16 160.26 137.35 64.02 99.27 74.09 0.92 0.90 0.91 -3.19 -10.11 -5.96 -2.30 -9.30 -5.11 City of Morro Bay 44.98 52.80 47.22 107.32 137.20 116.87 48.28 72.45 55.18 4.46 8.72 5.78 0.16 1.65 0.93 4.63 10.52 6.76 WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total California 58.81 58.78 58.80 171.52 162.60 168.97 100.87 95.58 99.36 5.46 -0.84 3.58 8.34 -1.50 5.39 14.26 -2.32 9.17 City of Paso Robles 46.74 49.65 47.57 127.61 167.78 139.59 59.64 83.31 66.40 -2.43 -16.15 -6.97 2.28 3.80 1.92 -0.21 -12.96 -5.19 City of Pismo Beach 40.30 52.85 43.89 146.80 198.06 164.44 59.17 104.68 72.17 8.28 8.65 8.41 6.25 -4.77 1.42 15.05 3.46 9.95 City of San Luis Obispo 51.18 52.62 51.59 130.30 156.51 137.94 66.69 82.35 71.16 15.65 2.79 11.58 4.96 -1.90 1.92 21.39 0.83 13.72 City of Morro Bay 41.37 48.29 43.35 104.10 127.36 111.50 43.07 61.50 48.33 2.41 -2.24 0.88 -1.43 -3.38 -2.38 0.94 -5.55 -1.52 WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total California 45.07 51.16 46.81 146.32 163.40 151.65 65.94 83.60 70.99 -4.91 -3.51 -4.48 -1.27 -1.65 -1.36 -6.12 -5.10 -5.78 City of Paso Robles 39.28 48.43 41.89 129.72 163.83 140.99 50.95 79.35 59.06 -22.05 11.17 -13.52 5.72 0.90 6.09 -17.60 -17.60 -8.25 City of Pismo Beach 39.09 58.13 44.53 150.79 209.86 172.82 58.94 121.99 76.95 -21.19 7.66 -12.44 -6.97 -7.65 -4.97 -26.68 -26.68 -16.79 City of San Luis Obispo 46.35 54.09 48.56 131.11 159.69 140.20 60.78 86.37 68.09 -1.43 5.37 0.63 -0.11 1.00 0.57 -1.54 -1.54 1.20 City of Morro Bay 39.00 52.28 42.80 102.26 131.26 112.38 39.88 68.63 48.10 -17.50 1.22 -11.81 -1.26 -4.99 -1.50 -18.54 -18.54 -13.13 WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total California 57.04 62.84 58.70 173.84 198.07 181.25 99.15 124.47 106.39 -3.41 -1.76 -2.91 -0.32 -3.60 -1.38 -3.72 -5.30 -4.26 City of Paso Robles 64.82 71.71 66.79 165.11 193.97 173.96 107.02 139.10 116.18 -12.22 3.69 -7.88 1.35 7.62 3.77 -11.04 11.59 -4.41 City of Pismo Beach 73.67 74.82 74.00 211.91 252.43 223.62 156.11 188.87 165.47 5.27 25.33 10.38 -6.57 -7.25 -6.18 -1.65 16.25 3.55 City of San Luis Obispo 70.06 70.98 70.32 159.42 181.84 165.89 111.69 129.08 116.66 -2.21 11.63 1.41 -2.85 -0.33 -1.79 -5.01 11.26 -0.40 City of Morro Bay 66.44 65.11 66.06 129.18 150.02 135.05 85.83 97.68 89.21 -2.14 17.64 2.72 -1.70 -2.45 -1.36 -3.81 14.75 1.32 Current Week Totals Percent Change Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Current Week Totals Percent Change Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar RevPar Current Week Totals Percent Change Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Current Week Totals Percent Change Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADRFor the Week of December 24, 2023 to December 30, 2023 For the Week of December 17, 2023 to December 23, 2023 For the Week of December 10, 2023 to December 16, 2023 For the Week of December 03, 2023 to December 09, 2023 Page 9 of 34 Page 10 of 34 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 2023-24 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$ 1,244,066$ -4.3% 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$ 1,035,032$ -5.0% 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$ 1,006,918$ -3.2% 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$ 986,381$ -0.1% 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$ 620,039$ -19.7%missing 7 hotels 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$ 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$ 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$ 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$ 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$ 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$ 910,444$ June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 796,899$ 835,727$ 409,945$ 973,975$ 1,100,000$ 1,147,826$ 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$ 10,604,646$ 10,986,373$ 4,892,437$ 2022-23 2023-24 Change +/-2022-23 2023-24 Change +/-2022-23 2023-24 Change +/- July 82.6 83.5 1.1%206.04 199.85 -3.0%170.2 166.97 -1.9% August 75.8 74 -2.4%191.58 190.04 -0.8%145.18 140.59 -3.2% September 72.7 71.2 -2.1%192.94 194.69 0.9%140.26 138.57 -1.2% October 69.9 70.1 0.3%182.95 184.24 0.7%127.88 129.19 1.0% November 61.6 62.7 1.8%168.42 164.58 -2.3%103.79 103.23 -0.5% December 54.2 167.13 90.6 January 50.4 136.70 68.90 February 66 157.11 103.64 March 64.1 159.05 101.91 April 74.0 188.24 141.32 May 67.5 181.38 122.36 June 74.2 206.77 153.52 Total/Average 67.75 0.00 178.19$ -0.01 122.46$ -0.01 Updated: 1/04/2024 Occupancy ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel Research Report TOT Comparison Page 11 of 34 Page 12 of 34 Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC Public Relations Contract December 2023 PR ACTIVITY Implementation/Proactive Work Hosted travel writer Erica Zazo Continued planning for travel writer Matthew Meltzer's upcoming visit Continued planning for travel writer E'Louise Ondash's upcoming visit Implemented communications/PR copy and strategy for Buy Local Bonus Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/DCI on overall tourism marketing campaign Responsive leads Pitched "Best Trails in California" and "Zero-Kilometer Culinary" story ideas to Visit California Pitched "Off Season Road Trips", "Holidays", "Shop Small" and "Food & Drink" to Central Coast Tourism Council Partnerships Continued planning for SoCal Spring Media Mission with DCI Continued planning for group FAM during the Film Festival with DCI and SLO International Film Festival Coordinated with the City and Downtown SLO on holiday happenings and local promotions Attended a Visit SLO CAL regional PR mixer Continue planning for Eat Local Bonus in partnership with the City, Verdin and Badger Branding Continue planning for Restaurant Week in partnership with the City, Verdin and Badger Branding PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM AD VALUE PILLARS RESULT OF ESSENCE 9 New Black-Owned Restaurants To Visit In 2024 3,520,000 $660.54 Culinary PROACTIVE PITCHING IN PARTNERSHIP W/DCI VISIT CALIFORNIA Zero Kilometer Culinary Experiences 230,243.00 Culinary PROACTIVE PITCHING VISIT CALIFORNIA Best Culinary and Outdoor Trails in California 230,243.00 Outdoor PROACTIVE PITCHING TRAVEL + LEISURE These Are the Best New Places to Eat Drink, and Stay in California Wine Country 11,990,000.00 $2,285.81 Beer/Wine AFAR 8 Unmissable Places in California to Make the Most of Your Trip 1,430,000.00 $94.94 Cultural WORLD ATLAS 11 Most Underrated Towns In California To Take A Trip To 5,080,000.00 $305.33 Cultural CALFORNIA UNPUBLISHED Best Stops on the Pacific Coast Highway: A Friendly Guide 14,000.00 $0.68 Cultural CALFORNIA UNPUBLISHED San Luis Obispo County Wineries: A Guide to the Best Tasting Experiences 14,000.00 $0.68 Beer/Wine TRAVEL DREAMS MAGAZINE The Best Travel Stories Throughout the U.S. and the World 8,000.00 $0.22 Cultural MUSTANG NEWS SLO becomes one of 119 cities on global 'A List' for climate action 7,500.00 $303.57 Sustainability THE TRAVEL 10 Scenic Train Trips To Take From Los Angeles 2,670,000.00 $97.51 Sustainability A-Z ANIMALS Discover a Place in the U.S. Known as 'Bubblegum Alley'1,650,000.00 $379.04 Cultural VACATION IDEA 25 Best Small Town Weekend Getaways 879,000.00 $184.43 Cultural KSBY Community members head to downtown SLO for last-minute holiday shopping 478,000 $19.77 Support Local TOTALS 14 28,200,986.00 $4,332.52 TOTAL YTD 848,536,692.00 $508,968.31 84 876,737,678.00 $513,300.83 Page 13 of 34 Page 14 of 34 Dec Nov Dec 2022 2023 2023 Asia 0% Walk‐ins 14,602 6,242 14,148 Europe 45% Phone Calls 1,215 173 563 Australia/NZ 3% Emails & Digital 1,524 1,389 2,073 UK 27% N. America 18% C. America 0% Dec Nov Dec S. America 0% 2022 2023 2023 Calls 72 26 20 West Coast 18% Southwest 11% Midwest 21% Dec Nov Dec South 21% 2022 2023 2023 East Coast 29% Referrals 986 56 39 Northern CA 29% Central Coast 41% Dec Nov Dec Central Valley 4% 2022 2023 2023 Desert 0% Email 62 154 81 Southern CA 25% Phone Calls 224 211 101 Dec Dec Dec 2022 2023 2023 YTD Fulfilled N/A 18 VisitSLO.com 12 306 VISITOR CENTER ACTIVATIONS No external activations VISITOR CENTER HIGHLIGHTS 1) Buy Local Bonus Program ‐ full tilt! 3) Lots of visitors beyond the Buy Local Bonus customers 2) Qualifying businesses and getting those gift cards INFORMATION REQUESTS EVENTS SHARED REPORT TO CITY OF SLO ‐ TBID & PCC GUEST SERVICES CONTRACT DECEMBER 2023 DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT International Travelers VISITOR INTERACTION CALLS TO 877‐SLO‐TOWN HOTEL REFERRALS HOTEL AVAILABILITY TRACKER Domestic Travelers California Travelers Page 15 of 34 Page 16 of 34 Agency Report ·December 2023 SLO-TBID Page 17 of 34 Agency Repor t December Activity &Performance What’s Ahead: ●Quarterly Marketing Plan FY23-24: Visit SLO - 30/60/90 Marketing Plan - FY23-24 Paid Media Paid Search In December,paid search drove 15,715 impressions (+7%YoY),2,004 clicks (+13%YoY),12.75% CTR (+13%YoY),a 45.20%conversion rate (+71%YoY),a $3.04 average CPC (+11%YoY)and 2,138 sessions (+14%YoY)while driving 632 hotel referrals (+55%YoY),60 homestay referrals (+29% YoY),and 114 things to do referrals (+65%YoY)at a 26%increase in cost YoY.The board’s additional investment in paid search has been paying off as our paid search ads are showing to more people,converting at significantly higher rates,and being clicked on more than in previous years,resulting in large increases in partner referrals.Additionally,in the last year,our paid search impression share has increased by over 100%which puts our ads ahead of our competitors to reach more potential visitors and drive more travel to San Luis Obispo. In December,we ran an experiment on the Boutique Hotels campaign which tested changing the ad copy to be more boutique-centric and highlighting the unique benefits of the boutique hotels in SLO and also changed the landing page to lead to the boutique hotels page.This experiment resulted in a +63.95%increase in conversion rate and a +0.42%increase in CTR.The Boutique Hotels experiment campaign ran the highest conversion rate of all of our paid search campaigns for the month of December at 118.95%,followed by the Pet-Friendly Hotels campaign at 91.05%. Next Steps:We will implement the changes to the regular Boutique Hotels campaign and continue to test for new opportunities and optimizations that improve campaign performance. 2 Page 18 of 34 This graph shows PoP data as YoY comparisons within the GA4 dashboard are not available,as GA4 was implemented less than one year ago. Paid Social Paid social campaigns were paused for the month of December. Display Display campaigns were paused for the month of December. Video Video campaigns were paused for the month of December. Proactively monitored and optimized paid search placements ($6,092.63 spend). Email Marketing Monthly Newsletter In December,we sent a monthly newsletter to all subscribers with featured content around the new direct flight from Las Vegas to SLO,a custom-curated Spotify playlist,the Buy Local Bonus, 3 Page 19 of 34 upcoming events,and cozy hotels.This newsletter was just shy of our average open rate for emails, but the click rate was slightly lower than our last several monthly newsletters.While the average session duration saw a dip PoP,the December newsletter had a higher conversion rate resulting in nearly double the hotel referrals compared to the November newsletter,and more website sessions. December Newsletter Snapshot ●Email Campaigns Sent:1 ●Audience Reached:All Newsletters Subscribers ●Recipients:29,226 ●Open Rate:39.9% ●Click Rate:1.4% ●Number of Website Sessions:445 (+144%PoP) ●Average Session Duration:2:21 (-32%PoP) ●Pages /Session:1.97 (-29%PoP) ●Engagement Rate:55.06%(-7%PoP) ●Total Hotel Referrals:21 (+91%PoP) ●Total Homestay Referrals:4 (No Change PoP) ●Total Things to Do Referrals:7 (+250%PoP) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)&Content Creation Organic search traffic increased 36%period-over-period and increased 64%year-over-year. Year-over-year organic hotel partner referrals increased 215%,homestay partner referrals decreased 27%,and things to do referrals increased 65%.YoY Average Session Duration increased 91%and pages per session increased 12%. Page 1 keywords increased by 6%PoP,and total keywords increased by 3%.We are continuing to monitor SEO performance across all of our pages since our new website launched in July,and are seeing good organic improvements across the board. ●SEO Optimizations ○Audit SGE Appearance of 100 keywords in Google Search Console ○Featured Image Audit Website The website saw a 51%decrease in sessions period-over-period which is mostly due to an 84% decrease in paid media spend PoP.Despite the PoP decrease,YoY paid sessions continued to show growth with a 22%increase YoY.The engagement rate averaged 61%(+27%PoP),with the highest engagement coming from paid search,organic search,and organic social.Pages per session 4 Page 20 of 34 increased by 14%PoP,and average session duration increased by 31%with an average duration of 2:25.The largest increases in traffic PoP came from organic search.In December we saw 1,417 Hotel Referrals (+87%YoY),112 Homestay referrals (+22%YoY),and 1,875 Things to Do referrals (+35%YoY). ●WP core updated to 6.4.2 ●Plugins: ○Events Calendar and Events Calendar Community Events ○Gravity Forms ○ACF ○WP SMTP Mail ○Yoast ○WPS Hide Login ●Theme Updates ○Added color theme support to Featured Events block ○Added re-ordering support to repeater field used to set several block values 5 Page 21 of 34 Web Retainer Monthly Progress Task Hours Accomplishments Monthly Maintenance, Coordination,and Management 3.25 Film Fest Page updates,Blog Implementation,and Video swaps on the Neighborhood page 6 Page 22 of 34 Creative Services Monthly Progress Task Hours Accomplishments Monthly Maintenance, Coordination,and Management 6 CCTC Ads 7 Page 23 of 34 PR,Media,And Influencer Relations Proactive Pitch Development: ●One Town,Many Flavors (Wine,Farmers’Market,Public Market)-In Progress ●SLOMA After Dark -Monitoring for Coverage ●SLO Named an ‘A List City’by the Carbon Disclosure Project -Monitoring for Coverage Proactive/Reactive Pitching and Outreach: ●Lola Mendez,SLO Recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project ●USA Today’s 10 Best,Wine Country Hotels,Tamara Gane ●Sucheta Rawal,Thrillist,Under-the-Radar Romantic Destinations ●Travel Awaits,Art-filled Cities,Sheryl Nance-Nash ●Anonymous HARO,Eco-Friendly Travel ●Travel +Leisure,Black Friday and Cyber Monday ●Wealth of Geeks,Eco-Friendly Travel ●The Discover,Film Festivals ●Noreen L.Kompanik,Rovology,Best U.S.College Towns ●Elaine Glusac,AARP,Where to go in 2024 ●Elaine Glusac,NYT,Black Friday/Cyber Monday ●GoBanking Rates,Affordable Destinations ●Bon Appetit,Dining Diaries Hosted Media Visit or Influencer Partnerships (3-5 visits/partnerships in 2023-24) ●Individual Media Visits -4 Complete ○Lina Lecara,LA Weekly,August 2-4 ○Eileen Ognitz &Andrew Yemma,Taking the Kids,August 9-11 ○Susan Lanier-Graham,North Peoria Lifestyle,October 26 ○Erica Zazo,Backpacker Magazine,Dates December 6-9 ●Upcoming Individual Media Visits (Confirmed) ○Matt Meltzer,Fifty Grand (canceled) ○Alexa Mellardo,Eat This,Not That,March 5-8 DCI’s All Client Pitch Initiative Proposed:(4-6 pitches throughout 2023-24) Progress: 5 Complete:What’s New in 2024 (July 2023),Hispanic Heritage Month (August 2023),Foodie Destinations (September 2023),Babymoons (October 2023), Accessibility (November 2023) 8 Page 24 of 34 DCI 2023-24 SLO Coverage Grid: ●https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X5vv8eqMyV4HSLq4nod-fio_XtbqSyap54Hau1w V7yY/edit?usp=sharing 9 Page 25 of 34 Page 26 of 34 December 2023 ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT Date: 1/10/24Page 27 of 34 Followers: 28,232 ( 2.4%) Total Follower Gain: 655 Total Posts: 133 Total Impressions: 376,249 ( 1.1%) (includes both organic & paid) Total stories: 110 Total Engagements:19,688 ( 82.5%) Engagement Rate: 5.2% ( 80.5%) INSTAGRAM TOP POSTS: In December, we saw an increase across the board with more impressions and engagements than in November. We saw an over 80% increase in engagements which attributes to our engagement rate being well above industry standard. Additionally, we gained over 600 new followers. Page 28 of 34 Page Fans: 98,183 ( 0%) Total Net Audience Growth: -11 Total Posts: 23 Total Impressions: 293,186 ( 80%) Total Organic: 40,910 ( 0.1%) Total Engagements: 3,411 ( 85%) Engagement Rate: 1.16 % ( 25.7%) FACEBOOK TOP POSTS: In December, we saw a decrease in impressions, engagement, and engagement rate due to not running paid advertising. Despite our lower analytics overall, our organic impressions showed only a slight decrease of 0.1%. Page 29 of 34 Followers: 57 Total Net Growth: 2 Total Impressions: 1.9k ( 107%) Total Saves: 30 ( 383%) Engagements: 94 ( 102%) Total Audience: 915 ( 42%) Engaged Audience: 47 ( 56%) In December, we saw a big increase in followers, impressions, engagements, audience, and engaged audience. With our best performing pins being about brunch spots in SLO and sustainable SLO, we can see we are inspiring more users to interact with our page when planning a trip. TOP POSTS: PINTEREST Page 30 of 34 Total Audience: 200 Total Net Growth: 12 Total Posts: 5 Impressions: 359 ( 38%) Engagements: 31 ( 7%) Engagement Rate: 8.6% ( 72.4%) LINKEDIN TOP POSTS: In December, we stayed way above the industry standard in engagement rate. We had a boost in our viewership again and engagements continue to grow – this means that we are intriguing old and new followers alike. We changed our weekly posting day to our highest engagement day, this seems to have benefitted us so far. Page 31 of 34 Total Posts: 2 Story Views: 89 ( 40%) Story Impressions: 7.2k ( 22%) Story Clicks: 5 ( 25%) Interaction Rate: 67.4% ( 12.3%) (Average Rate: 67%) Completion Rate: 50.3% ( 4.7%) (Average Rate: 52%) CA Travel Stories - Crowdriff POSTS THIS MONTH: In December, we started to compare analytics of the last few months of CA Travel Network Stories and can share some insights from what we’ve learned so far. These stories are entirely exposure-based and depend on high quality images, clear content including SEO, and short duration. We saw an increase in story views, clicks, and interaction rate. This means when patrons are seeing our content they are clicking to learn more or head to the website. Page 32 of 34 WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH: - Buy Local Bonus / Shop Local -Slocally Made Feature, 4 Last Minute Gifts Reel - Holiday Content - Stocking Stuffers in SLO, Ornament Hunting Downtown SLO, Downtown SLO Light Activation, Nature Nights - Hopped on a Trend & Went Viral - “We’re in SLO” Reel - 156k impressions and 10.5k+ engagements; still growing - Collaborations with @downtownslo, @littleeyes.bigworld & @slocal - Outdoor SLO -Night Hike Madonna Mountain Reel (53.5k+ impressions) - New Businesses in SLO -Ticket Tuesday Giveaways -SLO Rep Theatre, SLO Brew NYE Bash Page 33 of 34 JANUARY’S FOCUS: - Eat Local Bonus, SLO Restaurant Week -Drinkeries & Restaurant Features -Brunch Round-Up, Dry January - New Year’s Resolutions, Self-Care -Yoga Giveaway, Guide to Keeping Resolutions in SLO - Outdoor Experiences -SLO Botanical Garden -Farmers’ Market - Sustainable SLO, Guide to SLO Travel -Experiences in SLO -Escape Room, 4 Quirky Experiences in SLO (Barcade, Bubblegum Alley, etc.) -Arts & Culture -SLOMA feature, 4 New Murals in SLO, Page 34 of 34