HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-2024 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 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. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to
receive one hour of complimentary parking; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for
more details.
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 must 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 Bates 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 OCTOBER 9 & SPECIAL
MEETING ON OCTOBER 28
5
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)11
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 13
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 15
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 17
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
19
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 31
4.PRESENTATIONS
4.a 2025-2027 COUNCIL GOAL SETTING PROCESS (15 MIN)
The City's Principal Budget Analyst, Riley Kuhn, will present the 2025-
2027 Financial Planning process including instructions for Advisory
Body input for the City Council goal-setting portion of the effort.
4.b CONTENT MARKETING QUARTER REPORT (15 MIN)
Representatives from the Badger Branding will present the first quarter
report for the content marketing support and organic social media
activities with the SLO TBID.
5.BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a SLO FILM FEST SPONSORSHIP PROPOSAL (20 MIN)41
The Board will consider the funding request from SLO Film Fest for
sponsorship support of the 2025 Film Festival.
5.b TOURISM ECONOMICS ECONOMIC IMPACT & FORECAST STUDY
(15 MIN)
The Board will consider a co-op opportunity with Visit SLO CAL and
Tourism Economics for an Economic Impact Study and Lodging
Forecast.
5.c IPW PARTICIPATION (10 MIN)
Staff will present a co-op commitment for participation in IPW, June 14-
18 in Chicago in partnership with Visit SLO CAL and funded through the
available TBID tradeshow budget.
6.TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.d PCC UPDATE 49
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
7.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
is scheduled for December 11, 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
October 9, 2024, 10:00 a.m.
Embassy Suites, 333 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo
TBID Board Present: Member Lori Keller, Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant
Patel, Vice Chair Clint Pearce, Chair Lydia Bates
TBID Board Absent: Member Winston Newland, Member Sandy Sandoval
City Staff Present: Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano,
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on October 9, 2024 at 10:09 a.m. at the
Embassy Suites, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Bates.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By Member Keller
Second By Vice Chair Pearce
To approve Consent Items 3a to 3g.
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON AUGUST 14 &
SPECIAL MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
3.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORTS (STR)
3.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORTS
Page 5 of 51
2
3.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORTS
3.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORTS
3.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORTS
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORTS
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a MARKETING SERVICES QUARTER REPORT (20 MINUTES)
Hayley Corbett, Drew Uhrig of Noble Studios and Yanick Dalhouse with
Uniquely Driven presented the first quarter report for the marketing and
public relations activities for the SLO TBID.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
4.b PUBLIC RELATIONS & GUEST SERVICES QUARTER REPORT (15
MINUTES)
Jim Dantona, and Hollie West, SLO Chamber provided the first quarter
reports for Public Relations and Guest Services contracts.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
4.c CONTENT MARKETING QUARTER REPORT (15 MINUTES)
This item was continued to a future meeting.
4.d SUMMER MIDWEEKEND RECAP (15 MINUTES)
Representatives from Noble, SLO Chamber and Badger Branding
presented the Board with the results from the Summer Midweekend
promotion.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 6 of 51
3
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a MISSION PREP CHRISTMAS CLASSIC (15 MINUTES)
Terrance Harris and Darnell Harris of Mission College Preparatory
Catholic High School presented the sponsorship opportunity and
responded to inquiries.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
Motion By: Member N. Patel
Second By: Member P. Patel
To approve the funding request at $15,000 to come from the General
Events Promotion line item of the budget.
Ayes (4): Member Lori Keller, Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant
Patel, Vice Chair Clint Pearce, Chair Lydia Bates
Absent (3): Member Winston Newland, Member Sandy Sandoval
CARRIED (4 to 0)
5.b SLO LIFE COACH BRAND CAMPAIGN (20 MINUTES)
Hayley Corbett, Gabbi Hall and B.C. LeDoux from Noble Studios provided
an overview of the campaign and funding options, responding to inquiries.
There was extensive discussion about the level of exclusivity for talent the
Board should invest in as well as updating the complete media mix for the
campaign, which will come back to the Board for consideration.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
Motion By: Member Keller
Second By: Vice Chair Pearce
To allocate an additional $125,000 from available fund balance to
supplement the already allocated $75,000 to support the creation of the
SLO Life Coach brand campaign.
Page 7 of 51
4
Ayes (4): Member Lori Keller, Member Nipool Patel, Member Prashant
Patel, Vice Chair Clint Pearce, Chair Lydia Bates
Absent (3): Member Winston Newland, Member Sandy Sandoval
CARRIED (4 to 0)
5.c STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE (5 MINUTES)
Due to lack of time, this update was provided to the Board in an email.
6. TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
Due to lack of time, these updates were provided to the Board in an email.
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
6.d PCC UPDATE
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Tourism Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for November
13,2024 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 51
1
Tourism Business Improvement District Board Minutes
October 28, 2024, 9:00 a.m.
Hotel San Luis Obispo, 877 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
TBID Board Present: Member Lori Keller, Member Winston Newland, Member
Prashant Patel, Member Sandy Sandoval, Vice Chair Clint
Pearce, Chair Lydia Bates
TBID Board Absent:
City Staff Present:
Member Nipool Patel
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 October 28, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in the Boa rdroom at
Hotel San Luis Obispo, 877 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
3. BUSINESS ITEMS
3.a STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP
Consultants Stacy Humphrey and Matthew Landkamer from Whereabout led the
TBID in a workshop to update their 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 9 of 51
2
Action: None taken.
4. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 4 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism
Business Improvement District Board is scheduled for November 13, 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 10 of 51
October 2024
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 65.62 79.56 69.61 178.72 200.91 185.97 117.28 159.84 129.45 -7.26 -5.74 -6.77 -5.82 -8.01 -6.55 -12.66 -13.29 -12.88
City of Paso Robles 61.37 83.52 67.69 165.53 284.02 207.30 101.58 237.20 140.33 -8.20 -0.57 -5.65 -4.21 -6.50 -4.30 -12.07 -7.03 -9.71
City of Pismo Beach 61.14 88.26 68.89 191.85 305.90 233.60 117.29 269.98 160.91 -13.37 -2.66 -9.74 1.65 -3.05 0.78 -11.95 -5.63 -9.03
City of San Luis Obispo 63.36 86.44 69.95 143.92 234.73 175.98 91.19 202.91 123.11 -4.92 -3.46 -4.41 -6.89 -5.09 -5.89 -11.47 -8.37 -10.04
City of Morro Bay 59.23 84.99 66.59 128.62 188.72 150.54 76.19 160.39 100.25 -2.85 -0.74 -2.09 2.88 -8.71 -2.51 -0.05 -9.39 -4.55
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 69.55 79.92 72.51 185.04 202.09 190.41 128.70 161.50 138.07 -0.27 0.13 -0.14 -1.53 -3.86 -2.31 -1.79 -3.74 -2.45
City of Paso Robles 66.81 85.29 72.09 177.37 290.84 215.72 118.50 248.06 155.52 -4.68 9.63 -0.28 1.89 -0.83 2.37 -2.88 8.71 2.08
City of Pismo Beach 69.49 88.80 75.01 197.31 302.74 232.97 137.11 268.84 174.75 3.06 12.70 6.13 0.11 -0.13 0.91 3.17 12.55 7.10
City of San Luis Obispo 68.70 86.50 73.79 153.04 242.95 183.16 105.14 210.16 135.15 -3.95 5.47 -0.99 -4.56 6.43 0.79 -8.34 12.25 -0.21
City of Morro Bay 60.75 84.83 67.63 128.64 197.10 153.18 78.14 167.21 103.59 0.55 6.47 2.59 3.04 5.77 4.86 3.61 12.61 7.58
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 70.00 80.81 73.09 191.57 204.85 195.77 134.11 165.54 143.09 0.92 1.95 1.24 0.37 -0.58 0.07 1.29 1.36 1.32
City of Paso Robles 64.08 84.33 69.87 174.23 292.42 214.99 111.65 246.61 150.21 -5.90 -2.27 -4.68 4.32 -7.03 -0.76 -1.84 -1.84 -5.40
City of Pismo Beach 65.40 82.72 70.35 197.32 295.03 230.14 129.04 244.04 161.90 1.55 -7.52 -1.69 2.12 -10.07 -4.65 3.70 3.70 -6.27
City of San Luis Obispo 65.50 81.00 69.93 146.77 230.31 174.42 96.14 186.56 121.97 -3.51 -11.30 -6.24 -6.44 -22.17 -15.13 -9.73 -9.73 -20.42
City of Morro Bay 59.23 81.52 65.60 126.57 191.09 149.48 74.97 155.78 98.06 -1.38 -5.08 -2.73 -0.10 -7.22 -3.90 -1.48 -1.48 -6.51
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 70.92 80.20 73.57 192.26 205.23 196.30 136.35 164.60 144.42 4.66 8.12 5.71 0.38 4.21 1.62 5.06 12.68 7.42
City of Paso Robles 67.93 84.74 72.74 175.95 284.36 212.04 119.52 240.98 154.22 -4.35 15.43 1.43 1.81 3.65 4.70 -2.62 19.64 6.20
City of Pismo Beach 65.37 82.10 70.15 188.53 267.98 215.09 123.24 220.01 150.89 3.61 9.02 5.36 0.39 4.32 2.37 4.01 13.73 7.85
City of San Luis Obispo 69.05 80.90 72.43 155.86 233.89 180.76 107.62 189.21 130.93 8.14 2.92 6.42 -0.04 11.68 4.14 8.10 14.95 10.82
City of Morro Bay 57.93 80.07 64.26 126.45 175.58 143.95 73.25 140.59 92.49 5.46 19.49 10.06 3.80 5.85 5.63 9.46 26.48 16.25
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
California 60.24 70.64 63.21 176.18 188.17 180.00 106.13 132.92 113.78 5.88 -6.60 1.54 2.76 -8.56 -1.83 8.80 -14.60 -0.32
City of Paso Robles 52.71 76.83 59.60 160.81 271.26 201.49 84.76 208.40 120.09 -11.47 -6.28 -9.63 0.98 -6.95 -2.30 -10.60 -12.80 -11.71
City of Pismo Beach 47.73 80.33 57.04 169.48 299.74 221.89 80.89 240.77 126.57 -2.17 -6.03 -3.76 4.40 15.07 9.42 2.14 8.12 5.31
City of San Luis Obispo 53.12 88.01 62.97 140.01 281.98 196.02 74.37 248.19 123.43 -3.62 -0.29 -2.51 -3.88 16.89 7.12 -7.36 16.55 4.44
City of Morro Bay 47.43 82.61 57.48 118.42 186.41 146.34 56.17 153.99 84.12 5.54 1.83 3.98 4.26 5.82 4.66 10.03 7.75 8.83
For the Week of October 27, 2024
to November 02, 2024
For the Week of October 20, 2024
to October 26, 2024
For the Week of October 13, 2024
to October 19, 2024
For the Week of October 06, 2024
to October 12, 2024
For the Week of September 29,
2024 to October 05, 2024
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
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Page 11 of 51
Page 12 of 51
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 2024-25
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$ 1,297,863$ 1,245,883$ 1,296,720$ 4.1%
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$ 1,057,478$ 1,037,434$ 1,118,496$ 7.8%
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$ 1,039,589$ 1,024,869$ 914,463$ -10.8%missing 3 hotels
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$ 993,400$ 986,681$
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$ 770,599$ 757,010$
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$ 628,735$ 628,344$
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$ 554,408$ 621,595$
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$ 735,450$ 687,480$
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$ 807,997$ 850,157$
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$ 1,056,663$ 1,018,242$
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$ 910,508$ 972,774$
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$ 1,160,330$ $1,046,749.00
Total/Average 4,478,481$ 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$ 11,013,020$ 10,877,218$ 3,329,679$ -69.4%
2023-24 2024-25 Change +/-2023-24 2024-25 Change +/-2023-24 2024-25 Change +/-
July 83.4 83.3 -0.1%200.16 203.25 1.5%166.97 169.32 1.4%
August 73.8 77 4.3%190.51 194.49 2.1%140.61 149.82 6.6%
September 71 70 -1.4%195.47 184.04 -5.8%138.84 128.89 -7.2%
October 70.1 184.24 129.19
November 62.7 164.58 103.23
December 56.5 149.65 84.56
January 54.3 139.69 75.79
February 59.7 152.68 91.2
March 67.9 160.49 108.93
April 72.1 187.59 135.30
May 70.9 180.85 128.17
June 75.1 211.41 158.76
Total/Average 68.13 76.77 0.009 176.44$ 193.93$ -0.007382 121.80$ 149.34$ 0.00 Updated: 11/07/2024
Occupancy ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 13 of 51
Page 14 of 51
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
October 2024
PR ACTIVITY
Implementation/Proactive Work
Hosted travel influencer Karina Henry
Began planning for SoCal Media Mission writer Chanin Victor's upcoming stay
Began planning for travel writer Martie Bowser's upcoming stay
Began planning for travel writer Meghan Rose's upcoming stay
Began planning for travel writer Noel Burgess's upcoming stay
Met with Charlotte Alexander, founder and manager of SLO Review
Continued planning for SoCal Media Mission writer Brandon Hernandez's upcoming stay
Continued working with the City and Noble Studios/DCI on overall tourism marketing campaign
Responsive leads
Pitched "Alternative Road Trips" and "Professional Meetings and Events: Team Building for Sunseekers" story ideas to Visit California
Partnerships
Hosted travel influencer Corey Marshall in partnership with Petit Soleil
Began planning for Buy Local Bonus
Participated in Visit SLO Vision strategic planning meeting
Implemented PR efforts for ARTober
Attended and hosted ARTober media at the grand opening of The SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre
Continued working on PR transition and onboarding of Uniquely Driven
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM AD VALUE PILLARS RESULT OF
YAHOO LIFESTYLE Perfect 3-Day Weekend in San Luis Obispo: Hiking, Wine Tasting, and Cal-Coasting 420,280,000.00 $34,344.70 Cultural MEDIA HOSTING
MEN'S JOURNAL Perfect 3-Day Weekend in San Luis Obispo: Hiking, Wine Tasting, and Cal-Coasting 5,667,362.00 $2,406.24 Cultural MEDIA HOSTING
INSTAGRAM @karinahenry SLO Instagram Story 130,000.00 $1,300.00 Cultural MEDIA HOSTING
YAHOO NEWS ARTober in SLO highlights 5 different non-profit arts and culture organizations 180,340,000.00 $156,947.30 Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KSBY ARTober in SLO highlights 5 different non-profit arts and culture organizations 478,000.00 $39.54 Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KRUSH ARTober: SLO Rep Theatre Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KRUSH ARTober: SLO County Arts Council Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KRUSH ARTober: San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KRUSH ARTober: History Center of San Luis Obispo County Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KRUSH It's ARTober in SLO!Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
KCBX SLO highlights National Arts and Humanities Month with series of ARTober events 22,000.00 $1.21 Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
MUSTANG NEWS ARTober invites you to a month-long celebration of the arts and humanities 1,000.00 $0.12 Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
SLO REVIEW ARTober Kicks Off in SLO Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
SLO REVIEW October Newsletter Beer/Wine PROACTIVE PITCHING
SLO REVIEW A Scary (But Cool!) Good Time Support Local PROACTIVE PITCHING
YAHOO NEWS SLO has one of the coolest film festivals in the world, magazine says. Here's why 180,340,000.00 $156,947.30 Cultural
TIMES OF INDIA Coastal Getaways: A scenic road trip through California's Central Coast 31,130,000.00 $2,007.63 Outdoor
WTOP NEWS 22 Top Romantic Getaways in California 4,150,000.00 $203,504.00 Cultural
MICHELIN GUIDE A Guide to California's Central Coast 3,600,000.00 $285.61 Cultural
FODOR'S TRAVEL The 15 Best Drive-In Movie Theaters in America 1,920,000.00 $509.88 Family
TOP5 Top 30 Colleges for Students Who Love the Outdoors 1,370,000.00 $79.56 Cal Poly
TOTALS
20 829,428,362.00 $558,373.09
TOTAL YTD 1,510,593,563.00 $192,780.70
68 2,340,021,925.00 $751,153.79
Page 15 of 51
Page 16 of 51
Oct Sep Oct
2023 2024 2024 Asia 0%
Walk-ins 6,719 5,011 5,893 Europe 39%
Phone Calls 116 190 297 Australia/NZ 10%
Emails & Digital 1,079 1,136 751 UK 25%
N. America 21%
C. America 0%
Oct Sep Oct S. America 5%
2023 2024 2024
Calls 14 23 52 West Coast 11%
Southwest 18%
Midwest 37%
Oct Sep Oct South 13%
2023 2024 2024 East Coast 22%
Referrals 63 46 58
Northern CA 22%
Central Coast 54%
Oct Sep Oct Central Valley 3%
2023 2024 2024 Desert 0%
Email 127 178 186 Southern CA 21%
Phone Calls 281 153 167
Oct Oct Oct
2023 2024 2024 YTD
Fulfilled 10 44 VisitSLO.com 33 392
VISITOR CENTER ACTIVATIONS
None
VISITOR CENTER HIGHLIGHTS
1) Directing folks to available hotel rooms in front of Mustang Family Weekend
3) Cal Poly Experience Industry Management class tour
2) Hired our new Visitor Center Manager
INFORMATION REQUESTS EVENTS SHARED
REPORT TO CITY OF SLO - TBID & PCC
GUEST SERVICES CONTRACT
OCTOBER 2024
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
International Travelers
VISITOR INTERACTION
CALLS TO 877-SLO-TOWN
HOTEL REFERRALS
HOTEL AVAILABILITY TRACKER
Domestic Travelers
California Travelers
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Agency Report ·October 2024
SLO-TBID
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Agency Repor t
October Activity &Performance
What’s Ahead:
●Quarterly Marketing Plan FY24-25:
Visit SLO - 30/60/90 Marketing Plan - FY24-25
YTD KPI Performance
Paid Media
In October,Noble Studios proactively monitored and optimized paid media placements while
managing a total monthly spend of $77,200.
Paid Search
In October,paid search drove 38,762 impressions (+59%YoY),4,549 clicks (+57%YoY),11.74%
CTR (-1%YoY),a 52%conversion rate (-2%YoY),a $3.76 average CPC (-19%YoY)and 10,709
sessions (+74%YoY)while driving 1,978 lodging referrals (+30%YoY)and 262 things to do
referrals (+176%YoY)at a 10%increase in cost YoY.
Paid search campaigns in October delivered significant year-over-year improvements in key metrics.
Campaigns in October generated more impressions,clicks and referrals,demonstrating improved
efficiency and effectiveness.This is largely attributable to factors like optimized ad copy,refined
keywords,and improved landing pages.
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Paid Social |Evergreen Brand Campaigns
Paid social drove 1,190,764 impressions (-43%YoY),586,565 users reached (-27%YoY),and
24,818 clicks (-16%YoY)across Facebook and Instagram with a 2.08%CTR for FB/Instagram
(+48%YoY)for 13,246 sessions (+15%YoY)while driving 52 lodging referrals (+93%YoY),and 43
things to do referral (+1,300%YoY)at a 10%decrease in spend YoY.
Paid social campaigns in the past year saw a decrease in impressions but an increase in sessions,and
referrals,indicating improved targeting and engagement.While the overall spend decreased slightly,the
optimized targeting and use of lookalike audiences contributed to higher conversion rates and positive
engagement metrics.Last year,we launched a “Harvest on the Coast”event-specific campaign which
did not return this year and likely contributed to the decrease in impressions.
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Display |Evergreen Campaigns
Display drove 1,271,551 impressions (-39%YoY),7,997 clicks (-14%YoY),a 0.63%CTR (+41%
YoY),a 0.96%conversion rate (+39%YoY)and 2,704 sessions (-65%YoY)while driving 28 lodging
referrals (-20%YoY)and 14 things to do referrals (+133%YoY)at a 49%decrease in cost YoY.
This graph shows PoP data as YoY comparisons within the GA4 dashboard are not available,as GA4 was
implemented less than one year ago.
Performance Max (PMAX)|Evergreen Campaigns
Performance Max campaigns drove 41,256 impressions,3,447 clicks,an 8.36%CTR,a 32.24%
conversion rate and 3,777 sessions while driving 120 lodging referrals and 550 things to do partner
referrals at a total spend of $1,196.
PMAX Ad Examples:
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Demand Gen |Evergreen Campaigns
Demand Gen campaigns drove 120,393 impressions,1,866 clicks,a 1.55%CTR,a 3.81%conversion
rate and 1,120 sessions while driving 48 lodging referrals and 14 things to do partner referrals at a
total spend of $2,207.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)&Content Creation
Organic search traffic increased 3%period-over-period and increased 12%year-over-year.
Organic search generated 803 hotel partner referrals (+37%YoY),67 homestay partner referrals
(-25%YoY),and 1,960 things to do referrals (+37%YoY).YoY Average Engagement Time increased
by 18%,and pages per session increased by 24%.
Page 1 keywords increased to 5K (+25%YoY),and total keywords increased to 30.6K (+50%YoY).
In October we performed a full technical audit and prompted a new page for San Luis Obispo Pizza.
We are continuing to monitor SEO performance across all of our pages and are seeing great organic
improvements across the board.
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Website
In October,the website saw 72,372 total sessions (+17%YoY).The highest engagement rates came
from organic search,cross-network traffic,and referral traffic.Across the website in October we saw
an average of 1.99 pages per session (+9%YoY)and an average engagement time of 0:37 (+12%
YoY).In October we saw 3,573 Hotel Referrals (+39%YoY),234 Homestay referrals (-34%YoY),and
3,279 Things to Do referrals (+92%YoY).
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MRO Updates:
○Plugins and Updates
■ACF Pro
■Gravity Forms
■Permalink Manager
■Events Calendar
■Events Calendar Pro
■Community Events
■WPS Hide Login
■Yoast SEO
○Theme Updates
■Featured events block rebuilt in react
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■Block previews/icons added
■Fixed bug where in some inner blocks,the add before/after buttons did not
show up when editing
Web Retainer &Creative Services Monthly Progress
Task Hours Accomplishments
Monthly Maintenance,
Coordination,and
Management
1.75 Arts and Culture page updates,Mustang Weekend updates
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Creative Services
With our new FY24-25 Retainer in place,a new budget of 150 hours of Creative Services for any ad
hoc request will be available.Additionally,Noble Studios has rolled over 70h from FY23-24.
Monthly Progress
Task Hours Accomplishments
Monthly Maintenance,Coordination,
and Management 0 n/a
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PR And Media Relations
In October,our pitching efforts centered on maximizing exposure for the new Alaska Airlines direct
flights from Las Vegas to San Luis Obispo,highlighting SLO’s standout attractions,including
Michelin-recognized dining,premier wine tasting experiences,and exceptional accommodations.
Through targeted outreach,we sparked interest among diverse media outlets eager to showcase
the accessibility and appeal as a premier destination for Las Vegas travelers.This strategy has
effectively elevated awareness of the new route,positioning SLO as an attractive and convenient
getaway.
Below is a breakdown of media efforts,including proactive pitching,ongoing media conversations
and other activities for October:
●Las Vegas Review-Journal en Español –UVM 26,800
○Sandy Sandoval,Area Director of Sales &Marketing,Windsor Hospitality was
featured on Las Vegas Review-Journal en Español.
■The segment was over 1 minute and featured b-roll of the destination.
■Interview segment highlighted:
●The direct flights from Las Vegas to SLO
●Tips for planning a trip to SLO
●Michelin-recognized restaurants and Michelin-Keyed hotels
○A link to the segment can be found here.
●Channel 13 Morning Blend –UVM 575,142
○SLO was featured on Channel 13 Morning Blend and ran live on October 28.
■The segment was over one minute and featured b-roll of the destination.
■The segment highlighted:
●The direct flights from Las Vegas to SLO
●SLO named one of the Best Towns to Visit in 2024
●The easy access from Las Vegas to SLO
○A link to the segment can be found here.
●AARP –UVM 15,386,008
○SLO was featured in an AARP article.
■The article highlighted:
●Avila Valley Barn
●The wineries along the Avila Beach Wine Trail
●SLO being a perfect fall getaway
○A link to the article can be found here.
●Sacramento Bee –UVM 2,185,317
○SLO was featured in a Sacramento Bee article.
■The article highlighted:
●SLO being a perfect fall getaway
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●The SLO farmers market
●SLO Coast Wine Collective
○A link to the article can be found here.
○Please note that our team shares credit for this media placement with the SLO CAL
PR team who we learned also worked with this repor ter.
Proactive Pitch Angles:
●“New Direct Flights from Vegas,2024 Michelin Recognized Restaurants and Hotels,and
Passionate Winemakers in SLO”
●“Now Boarding:Direct Flights from Las Vegas to San Luis Obispo,Michelin Recognized
Dining &Wine Adventures Await”
●“This Overlooked CA City is the Ultimate Silent Travel Destination for 2025”
●“Winter Escape to the Central Coast”
●“Get Away and Unwind from Stressmas”
●“Christmas in SLO”push San Luis Obispo being the central point of all the other experiences
●“Why Wait until Spring Break,Take Advantage of Winter Break with Kids”
Current Media Conversations:
●DETOUR Magazine,UVM 16,718,008 –FAM trip confirmed for November 19 –22.The
reporter will publish an ar ticle highlighting SLO’s arts,history,dining,unique attractions,and
wine.
●PopSugar,UVM –3,752,358 –FAM trip confirmed for January 26 –29.The reporter will do
social media coverage highlighting culinary,beer +wine,arts +culture,and outdoor
adventures.
Pending Press Trips:
●Christina Silvestri,Arizona Foothills Magazine:UVM -26,039 -History,dining,SLO life
○TBD;travel dates for the end of January or early February 2025.
●Rosa Gamazo,Telecinco Spanish media:UVM -4,976,592 -Luxury hotel and destination
feature
○Setting up a visit in 2025.
●Ronny Maye,Essence:UVM –2,035,079 /Fodor’s Travel:UVM –2,641,983 –Arts &Black
culture,history and culinary
○TBD;requesting a March 2025 press trip.
●Stephanie Gravalese,Forbes:UVM –99,621,955 /Slow Living Kitchen:UVM –5,370
○TBD;will confirm travel dates in early November for a trip early 2025.
●Noel Burgees,Forbes:UVM –99,621,955
○TBD;a January or February 2025 press trip.
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October 2024
SLO TBID - SHARESLO
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 11/13/24Page 31 of 51
Followers: 35,115 ( 1.5%)
Total Net Growth: 551
Total Posts: 300
Total Impressions: 1,105,372 ( 24%)
(includes both organic & paid)
Total stories: 156
Total Engagements: 11,741 ( 16%)
Engagement Rate: 1.1% ( 0%)
INSTAGRAM
TOP POSTS:
In October, we saw an increase in followers, impressions, and total engagements. Our engagement rate stayed the same as the
previous month and remains within the standard of success on this platform. We saw great success in reels this month with top
performers being Pasta in SLO, Sunset Spots in SLO, and Boomer Guide to SLO.
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Page Followers: 97,078 ( .1%)
Total Net Audience Growth: 128
Total Posts: 19
Total Impressions: 715,584 ( 27%)
Total Organic: 34,180 ( 49%)
Total Engagements: 898 ( 36%)
Engagement Rate: .1% ( 0%)
FACEBOOK
TOP POSTS:
In October, we saw less success with video content than with still photo grid posts. We focus on video on Instagram and
mirror to Facebook, which doesn’t always perform with the same success for video content. New businesses and itinerary-
event based content is among the top performers, which is typical for this platform. We saw slight decreases in impressions
and engagements this month, although our engagement rate stayed the same.
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Followers: 1,379 ( 1.8%)
Followers Gained: 27
Impressions: 5,128 ( 61%)
Engagement: 220 ( 25%)
Engagement Rate: 4.3% ( 91%)
Video Views: 5,128 ( 61%)
In October, we increased our followers by 27 new users. Our impressions and engagements decreased as we are still testing what
performs best for us on this platform. Our engagement rate shot up by 91% which shows that even though fewer people this
month saw our posts, the people who did engaged (liked, shared or commented) more than ever. We plan to keep testing out what
style content will perform the best.
TOP POSTS:
TIKTOK
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Total Audience: 398 ( 2.3%)
Total Net Growth: 10
Total Posts: 4
Impressions: 469 ( 20%)
Engagements: 39 ( 23%)
Engagement Rate: 8.3% ( 4%)
LINKEDIN
TOP POSTS:
In October, we shared seasonal content and supported our ARTober program. We saw an increase in followers. We saw a
slight decrease in impressions and engagements. Our engagement rate is 8.3% and the industry standard of success on
this platform is 3%, so here we see great success. We plan to pivot to sharing mostly business travel-related content as
suggested by City staff and see how it performs.
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Total Posts: 2
Story Views: 1,012 ( 1.7%)
Story Impressions: 1.4k ( 40%)
Interaction Rate: 75% ( 7.4%)
(Average Rate: 67%)
Completion Rate: 67 % ( 8%)
(Average Rate: 52%)
CA TRAVEL STORIES - CROWDRIFF
TOP POSTS:
In October, we saw the video content that did not perform well last month performed the best this month. We are learning
that video may actually be successful, but may take more time to gain traction. We saw an increase in story views,
impressions, interaction rate, and completion rate. We also gained @Crowdriff as an Instagram follower which shows we
have gotten their attention.
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Total Posts: 2
Impressions: 796 ( 51%)
Engagements: 33 ( 52%)
Outbound Clicks: 1 ( 50%)
Saves: 7 ( 50%)
Total Audience: 541 ( 49%)
Engaged Audience: 21 ( 58%)
PINTEREST
In October, we posted twice on Pinterest. As stated in our annual report, we are considering a recommendation to remove
this platform network as a result of low ROI. Over the next few weeks we will be testing out new options to improve this
platform’s success. This month we supported ARTober and a seasonal local event. We saw decreases in activity so we are
shifting into more inspirational/idealistic content on this platform to see how it performs.
TOP POSTS:
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WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
-ARTober, Arts & Humanities Focus
-Art Event Round-Ups, Art After Dark Finale
-Family Friendly ARTober, 3 Ways to Experience ARTober Reel,
Museums in SLO Reel
-Seasonal / Autumn To-Dos
-Fall Events in SLO, A Fall Day in SLO Reel
-Lodging-Specific Posts
-Hotels w/ Restaurants Reel
-Hotels w/ Cal Poly Discounts
-Boomers’ Guide to SLO Reel, Sustainability is Stylish Reel
-Ticket Tuesday
-Autumn Soiree & Night Owl Pottery Class
-Hosted an Influencer (@karinaworldwide)
-International Women in Small Business Month Feature
-Coffee in SLO Reel, Pasta in SLO Reel, Spartan Race Page 38 of 51
NOVEMBER’S FOCUS:
-Cal Poly Parents Weekend Itinerary
-Influencer Content Roll-Out (@karinaworldwide)
-Sustainability
-Keys for Trees Video, Sustainable Ways to Explore SLO Reel
- Ticket Tuesdays
-Ivory Yoga Studio, The Carissa Christmas Parade Reservation
-Lodging Specific Content
-Business Travel / Meeting Spaces in SLO Reel
-Food / Bev
-Cozy Cafes in SLO, Fine-Dining in SLO Part 1
-National Take a Hike Day Reel, National Espresso Day Reel
-POV: You’re a Dog in SLO Reel
-New Businesses in SLO, Upcoming Local Events
-Maintaining Highlights
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November 5,2024
Dear San Luis Obispo Tourism Board,
This year the SLO Film Festival celebrates its 31st annual festival where it will continue to
be an exciting community and cultural event.After celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2024,
we received two 2025 prestigious honors.We are now distinguished as an Academy Award®
Qualifying Festival for Documentary Short Films and have been named one of the Top 25
Coolest Film Festivals worldwide by MovieMaker Magazine.With this renewed spirit for
showcasing the best,most relevant and fresh independent films of the year,the upcoming
2025 SLO Film Fest is shaping up to be an outstanding event.We believe these new
accolades will create further exposure for the festival and increase its legitimacy within the
industry at large.
As the SLO Film Fest steadily expands its reach within our community and solidifies its
place as a premiere regional destination event,each year we ask how we can grow and
improve.Our ultimate goal is to continuously offer an elevated experience to our attendees
and filmmakers as we work to position San Luis Obispo county as a thriving hub for arts and
culture between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Storytelling is the foundation of what we do.Our festival offers a unique and inclusive
platform for filmmakers,tourists,local attendees,and businesses alike to all connect with one
another.Through our platform,not only can we uplift the many voices of our community,but
we also grant access to new perspectives to our audiences that they may have otherwise
never discovered through our international film programming,thus ushering in a broader
collective voice within our community.It’s a powerful platform that we don’t take for granted.
A marker of a healthy community is a thriving arts and culture and our organization is
committed to playing a larger role in supporting that.In July 2024,we took over the operations
of the Palm Theatre,establishing it as the SLO Film Center.By offering programming
throughout the year outside of our annual festival,we aim to create more opportunities for
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collaboration and partnerships in local hospitality,tourism,and the expansive wine industry in
the area.With the goal to bring more opportunities for tourists and residents alike to engage
with the transformative power of film,we’ll be supporting the cultural and economic growth
within the area.
The 31st annual SLO Film Festival will take place over six days and will include
independent films from various categories presented at our participating venues exclusively in
downtown San Luis Obispo.In addition to showcasing insightful movies and collaborating with
other organizations and industries in our community,we plan to offer added networking and
educational opportunities through more panels,workshops,mixers and filmmaker Q&As,along
with hosting exciting film competitions throughout the year.
We aim to attract visitors from outside our immediate area for our annual event and
throughout the year as we continue to grow our new venture as the SLO Film Center with daily
screenings,quarterly events and an expanding event calendar.In targeting Los Angeles,San
Francisco and other cities with direct flights to SLO,we aim to expand our reach and
encourage more visitation to our area to attend our festival and stay for local activities and
wine tasting.
Similarly to our partnership last year we plan to offer the TBID an exclusive pass that will
incentivize visitors to “See+Stay”in San Luis Obispo.Through a more direct marketing
approach,we aim to create a destination experience for visiting guests and introduce them to
all that our county has to offer.The goal is to increase tourism,support our hotel partners and
contribute to local economic growth.
This initiative will be cross-promoted through participating partners via social and email
campaigns,advertised through traditional marketing initiatives and made available through
various online portals.Our hotel package initiative will be available through the VisitSLO
website and advertised on our website as well.
It is our goal to provide all festival attendees a thoughtful experience that encourages them
to return year after year as we showcase the very best of what our county has to offer.Our
festival lounge is the perfect place for attendees,filmmakers,sponsors,and media to engage
with participating local businesses and networks.Our relationship with our area is top of mind
within this overarching goal,as we hope to grow and expand our relationship this year and
years forward.Your generous support would directly benefit the economic recovery of the local
businesses we plan to partner with by aiding us in providing our community with an experience
that unites and empowers us through the power of film.
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Much like years past,we plan to survey our attendees in order to obtain useful data and
feedback about our audience.This allows us to measure our marketing outreach.Last year we
had over 8,000 attendees with a steady increase each year.Folks that surveyed were asked
how they heard about the festival,their demographics,residence information,and where they
were lodging if not from the area.This offers us insight on our lodging impact where we’ve
determined that our visitors stay an average of 2.5 nights,which we hope to increase this year
with more marketing assistance.
We hope these initiatives will offer you and others a deeper connection to everything we
strive to do as the region’s main resource for independent cinema and education.We couldn’t
succeed without you and are most grateful for your past generosity.We hope that you will help
us continue our vital mission.
Sincerely,
Skye McLennan
Executive Director of SLO Film Festival
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EVENT NAME:SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SLO FILM FESTIVAL)
EVENT DATES:April 24 -29th,2025 in downtown San Luis Obispo
EVENT VENUE LOCATION:Exclusively Downtown San Luis Obispo,Fremont,The Palm
and Downtown Centre Cinemas
WEBSITE:www.slofilmfest.org
EVENT ORGANIZATION:SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL,LLC
NON-PROFIT:YES
ORGANIZATION URL:www.slofilmfest.org
PHONE NUMBER:805-546-3456
POINT OF CONTACT:Skye McLennan
EMAIL:skye@slofilmfest.org
FESTIVAL NEEDS:
●$15,000 to support filmmaker,journalist and industry professionals lodging
during the Festival at SLO partner hotels,specifically on Thursday,Friday and
Saturday nights.We are looking for at least 150 hotel nights (please note this
number may change depending on filmmaker,journalist and industry professional
attendance.)We currently have 50 complimentary nights donated with various hotel
partners around the county.This concept would act similarly to that of the Cal Poly
Athletic program.Hoteliers would opt in to participate and be reimbursed for the
nights using this funding.
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●$10,000 to support getting the Variety marketing package.
○Variety would be our lead media partner
○The package includes a curtain raiser on the festival in the issue leading up
the festival
○Variety editor would attend and present the award and moderate a
conversation for our celebrity awardee.
○Variety would have the video conversation and recap on Vairety.com.
○Package includes a full page ad in Variety magazine that can be used to
promote VisitSLO.Having Variety as a media partner would help secure
talent,legitimacy and exposure of the festival
.
Examples:
30k packages samples:
Recap Deck SCAD
Sun Valley Film Festival to Spotlight Variety's 10 Producers Annoucement
Recap:At the Sun Valley Film Festival,Variety’s 2023 Producers to Watch
10 Artisans at SCAD Panel Convo
Rian Johnson and Editor Bob Ducsay to Receive Variety’s Creative Collaborators Award
at Middleburg Film Festival
Sofia Coppola and Costume Designer Stacey Battat to Receive Variety’s Creative
Collaborators Award at Middleburg Film Festival
15k/10k package samples:
Geena Davis Reflects on Bentonville Film Festival’s Legacy Amid 10th Anniversary:‘ It
Really Has Surpassed Our Expectations’
●Marketing support and paid media based on a strategic campaign outlined by
Noble Studios and projected at a $6,750 budget.
●See +Stay Package,similar to last year but with a few extra perks!To qualify you
must book a minimum of two nights at any hotel in San Luis Obispo and will receive
two "See +Stay"passes that each include four regular screening tickets,access to
special events,and access to our festival lounge.This year we are not asking the
TBID to reimburse us for the value of the tickets,but would appreciate help
promoting the package.
EVENT DESCRIPTION
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The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is a non-profit organization centered around
celebrating independent films and filmmakers.With a six-day highly regarded annual event,a
week-long virtual festival,and other exciting events and screenings throughout the year,the
SLO Film Festival is a pillar of the arts in our community,and provides a year-round destination
for international independent cinema promoting diversity,understanding,education,and
inclusion through engaging storytelling to an ever-expanding range of audiences to new ideas
and experiences.Exciting,fun,and impactful the SLO Film Festival screens over 100 films
throughout the week,hosts a VIP Festival Lounge,Red Carpet events,live music,educational
conversations with filmmakers and industry leaders,and capstone events each night to bring
the community together,celebrate the arts,and expose our audience to important topics
around the world.
DESCRIBE HOW YOU TRACK YOUR EVENT,SUCCESS AND ATTENDEES
(Ticket Sales,event attendance,attendee demographics,event satisfaction results,etc.)
Our organization utilizes a few different metrics and platforms to measure and track success.
Our ticketing database allows us to track ticket and pass sales and redemption uses.It
captures our audiences'residences,gives insight on their interests,if they are a returning
customer and also measures which events are most successful.We also circulate surveys to
attendees throughout and after the festival that help us retrieve feedback about the event as
well as demographic information,where out of town attendees are lodging,the length of their
stay,if they’ve traveled to the area before,etc.
DESCRIBE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCES
Our festival has two branches it must market to:the audience and the filmmakers.From there
we can break down our key target audiences.Historically (before Covid),festival attendees
have primarily been highly educated,50+year olds,with a salary range between $75k -$300k.
Since Covid,while continuing to attract this same demographic,we have begun to engage and
grow an audience that skews younger between 25-34 as well as 35-44 also making between
50k to 300k.We anticipate this demographic to grow with us year after year as we focus on
strategically targeting folks with interests in the arts,travel,food and wine,in both Los Angeles
and San Francisco,as well as in areas that have direct flights to the area such as Dallas,
Phoenix,and Seattle.
HISTORICAL EVENT ATTENDANCE
Between 2020-2022 we had between 5,000 to 15,000 in-person admissions per year with an
additional 8,000-16,000 virtual viewers.For 2024 we had 7,189 in-person and 1,560 virtual
admissions.Folks that surveyed were asked how they heard about the festival,their
demographic information,and if they are from outside SLO County they were asked where
they are from and where they were staying.This offers us insight on our lodging impact,where
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we’ve determined that visitors stay an average of 2.5 nights which we hope to increase this
year with more marketing assistance.
HISTORICAL PERCENTAGE OF IN-COUNTY VS OUT-OF-AREA EVENT ATTENDEES
●75%-Local /In-County Event Attendees
●25%-Out-of-Area Event Attendees (Resides 50+miles outside of SLO)
EXPECTED TOTAL NUMBER OF EVENT ATTENDANCE
For 2025 we are expecting to return to between 8,000 to 10,000 in person attendees
IN-PERSON FILMMAKER ATTENDANCE
-161 total films shown across 151 screenings and events
-We had special guests and filmmakers in attendance from 67 main competition films,bringing
in over 192 guests from the filmmaking teams to San Luis Obispo,with an average stay of 2.75
nights.This data is not including any family or partners that came with them -strictly the
reported filmmaking team personnel in attendance.
RESULTS OF TBID SUPPORT:
VIPS:$12,091.17 was used to help support filmmakers and journalists attending the festival
($10,000 reimbursed through TBID funding).Using these funds,these guests were booked at
The Best Western,Hotel Buena Vista,Hampton Inn and La Quinta Inn and Suites based on
the lowest offered rates available.
Total Rooms Booked for the Festival:138
Rooms Donated:75 ($30,675 Donation Value /$409 average rate)
Rooms Booked Through TBID Funding:63 ($12,091 Spend /$191 average rate)
-Hotel Buena Vista:19 room nights
-La Quinta Inn:16 room nights
-Best Western:13 room nights
-Hampton Inn:15 room nights
SEE +STAY PACKAGE:17 qualified stays
$14,003.90 hotel revenue,average 2-3 nights
LESSONS LEARNED:
●Toolkit for hotels to easily use on their website about the See +Stay package
●More promotion earlier on through SLO Film Festival and Visit SLO
●Reduce clicking and easier access to booking hotel
●Ease of use of the pass and how to pickup/use
PROVIDE INFORMATION ON EVENT TICKETING
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We use the ticketing platform Eventive.Eventive attendees are able to purchase passes,
packages and individual tickets in advance or through our Box Office if more help is required.
Eventive allows us to scan (passes and tickets,each attached to a customer profile)and track
the attendance and attendees of each event.The following is a breakdown of our available
passes and tickets for our annual film festival event.
PASSES +TICKETS
●MOGUL+ALL ACCESS PASS ($350 Value)Grants one person access to all
in-person screenings,special events,festival lounge,and encore screenings.Plus,
in-person priority line access.
●MOVIE STAR+PASS ($225 Value)Grants one person access to all in-person
screenings.Includes daytime access to the festival lounge.Does NOT include
access to special events such as Surf nite,King Vidor,Opening and Closing night.
Also includes priority line access at in-person screenings.
●FAN PACK 6 ($80 Value)A ticket package of six individual general admission
tickets for in-person and virtual regular screenings.Does NOT grant access to
special screenings,special events,red carpet events,or priority line access.Brings
each ticket down from $15 to $12.
●RED CARPET EVENT TICKET ($25 Value)Grants one person attendance to one
Red Carpet Event or Special Presentation Screening
●ADMIT ONE GENERAL ADMISSION TICKET ($15 Value)General admission
tickets for in-person and virtual regular screenings.Does NOT grant access to
special screenings,special events,red carpet events,or priority line access.
HAVE YOU REQUESTED FUNDING FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS/ENTITIES?
Yes
PLEASE PROVIDE THE NAMES OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND FUNDING ENTITIES:
Yes.We receive funding and in-kind support from the County Board of Supervisors,City of San
Luis Obispo,The Community Foundation and Visit SLOCal.
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1
Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes
October 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
PCC Members
Present:
Committee Member John Thomas, Committee Member Anni
Wang, Vice Chair Lori Lerian, Chair Samantha Welch
PCC Members Absent
Committee Member Lydia Bates, Committee Member Maureen
Forsberg, Committee Member Robin Wolf
City Staff Present:
Economic Development & Tourism Manager Molly Cano,
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-
Charlesworth
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Promotional Coordinating Committee
was called to order on October 9, 2024 at 5:33 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 Agenda Items 3a. to 3f.
Ayes (4): Committee Member Thomas, Committee Member Wang, Vice Chair
Lerian, Chair Welch
Absent (3): Committee Member Bates, Committee Member Forsberg, Committee
Member Robin Wolf
CARRIED (6 to 0)
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3.a MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2024
3.b 2023-24 COMMUNITY PROMOTION BUDGET REPORT
3.c SLO CHAMBER MONTHLY PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT
3.d SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES REPORT
3.e SLO CHAMBER GRANT SUPPORT REPORT
3.f TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORTS
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a 2025-2027 COUNCIL GOAL SETTING PROCESS
The Committee received a presentation of the 2025-27 Council Goal
setting process.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
4.b PUBLIC RELATIONS, GRANT SUPPORT AND GUEST SERVICES
QUARTERLY REPORT
Jim Dantona, and Hollie West, SLO Chamber provided the first quarter
reports for Public Relations, CACP Grant Support and Guest Services
activities.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
4.c DOWNTOWN SUMMER SPENDING RECAP
Staff provided an overview of the results of the Downtown Summer
Spending program.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a ARTOBER PROGRAM UPDATE
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Staff provided an update on how the ARTober program is progressing.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment—
ACTION: No action was taken.
6. PCC LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
6.a CACP LIAISON REPORT – Liaison Assignments
6.b COMMITTEE OUTREACH UPDATE – Committee Report
Committee Member Thomas discussed the fundraising event for SLOREP.
6.c TBID BOARD REPORT – TBID Meeting Minutes: September 4, 2024
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager, Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
provided an update on items the TBID has been working on.
6.d TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Staff Report
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager, Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
provided an update on the Tourism Program.
7. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6.41 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Promotional Coordinating Committee is scheduled for November 13, 2024 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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