HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-19-2025 TBID Agenda Packet
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
AGENDA
Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Council Chambers, 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 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.APPOINTMENTS - OATH OF OFFICE
Mark Eads, appointed by the City Council on July 15, 2025, will take the oath of
office to serve on the TBID Board.
4.BOARD INTRODUCTIONS
Board, staff, and contractors will introduce themselves.
5.CONSENT
5.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JULY 9, 2025 5
5.b SMITH TRAVEL REPORT (STR)11
5.c TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT 13
5.d SLO CHAMBER PUBLIC RELATIONS MONTHLY REPORT 15
5.e SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES MONTHLY REPORT 19
5.f NOBLE STUDIOS & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
21
5.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT 27
6.PRESENTATIONS
6.a MARKETING SERVICES YEAR-END REPORT (30 MINUTES)
Agency representatives from Noble Studios and Uniquely Driven will
present the year-end activity highlights and results data for the 2024-25
marketing agency contracted work.
6.b ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
TOURISM INDUSTRY (20 MINUTES)
Tom Duffy, the Head of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy at Noble
Studios, will present and discuss with the Board Noble's AI philosophy,
its approach to leveraging AI (including for the tourism industry), and
AI's role in sustainability
7.BUSINESS ITEMS
7.a ANNUAL MEDIA PLAN (30 MINUTES)
Noble Studios will present the annual media plan to the Board for review
and approval.
7.b PROMOTIONAL ITEM PURCHASE APPROVAL (5 MINUTES)
Staff will present an estimate for an order of Visit SLO branded socks for
review and approval by the Board for distribution at the Spartan Race
or for other promotional purposes.
8.TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
8.a HOTELIER UPDATE
8.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
8.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
8.d PCC UPDATE 37
8.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
8.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
9.ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board
is scheduled for September 10, 2025, 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 9, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
TBID Board Present:
TBID Board Absent:
City Staff Present:
Member Christine Nelson, Member Prashant Patel,
Member Dante Specchierla, Vice Chair Lori Keller, and
Chair Clint Pearce
Member Nipool Patel
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui
Clark-Charlesworth and Economic Development &
Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement
District Board was called to order on July 9, 2025 a t 10:03 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: Vice Chair Keller
Second By: Member P. Patel
To approve Consent Items 3a. to 3g.
Ayes (5) Vice Chair Keller, Member P. Patel, Member Specchierla, Member C.
Nelson and Chair Pearce.
Absent (1) Member N. Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
Page 5 of 40
2
3.a MINUTES OF TBID REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 11, 2025
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 & UNIQUELY DRIVEN MARKETING MONTHLY
REPORT
3.g BADGER BRANDING ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a PUBLIC RELATIONS AND GUEST SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT (20
MINUTES)
Brianna Harris, Hollie West and Jim Dantona from the San Luis Obispo
Chamber of Commerce presented the year-end activity highlights and
data results for the FY 2024-25 Guest Services and Public Relations
contracted work.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
4.b CONTENT MARKETING ANNUAL REPORT (15 MINUTES)
Badger Branding representatives presented the year-end activity
highlights and data results for the FY 2024-25 content marketing
contracted work.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a SUSTAINABLE AG EXPO SPONSORSHIP (10 MINUTES)
Page 6 of 40
3
Chair Pearce recused himself from item 5a due to the event happening at
the Madonna EXPO Center, of which he has a financial interest .
This item was carried over for a vote from June 11, 2025 due to quorum.
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
and Beth Vukmanic from the Vineyard Team provided a brief recap of the
proposal for sponsorship of the Sustainable AG Expo.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By: Member D. Specchierla
Second By: Member C. Nelson
To approve $10,000 from the FY2025-26 General Events Promotion
budget to sponsor the Sustainable AG Expo.
Ayes (4) Member D. Specchierla, Member C. Nelson, Member P. Patel
and Vice Chair Keller
Absent (1) Member N. Patel
CARRIED (4 to 0)
5.b FY 2025-26 VISIT SLO MARKETING & BUSINESS PLAN AMENDMENT
APPROVAL (25 MINUTES)
Staff and contractors presented amendments to the second year of the FY
2024-26 SLO TBID Strategic Marketing & Business Plan.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Motion By: Vice Chair L. Keller
Second By: Member D. Specchierla
To approve proposed amendments to the second year of the FY 2024-26
SLO TBID Strategic Marketing & Business Plan.
Page 7 of 40
4
Ayes (5) Vice Chair L. Keller, Member D. Specchierla, Member P. Patel,
Member C. Nelson and Chair Pearce
Absent (1) Member N. Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
5.c FY 2024-25 TBID ANNUAL REPORT PREPARATION AND TIMELINE (15
MINUTES)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
provided updates and timeline of the TBID's written annual report
preparation that is being presented to the City Council on October 7, 2025.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
5.d FY 2025-26 TBID BOARD MEETINGS (5 MINUTES)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented the scheduled Board Meetings for the new fiscal year. Staff will
look to reschedule the August meeting due to Board Member conflicts.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
5.e PHOTO PROJECT OPPORTUNITY (10 MINUTES)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
presented an opportunity to bring on a professional photograph er to be
on-site during the TBID sponsored CA Main Street Conference. The
photographs will be used across Visit San Luis Obispo marketing
materials to help promote meetings and conferences in SLO.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Page 8 of 40
5
Motion By: Member P. Patel
Second By: Member C. Nelson
To approve up to $5,250 from the FY 2025-26 General Events Promotion
budget to hire Brittany App to capture images of the CA Main Street
Conference.
Ayes (5) Member P. Patel, Member C. Nelson, Member D. Specchierla,
Vice Chair Keller and Chair Pearce
Absent: (1) Member N. Patel
CARRIED (5 to 0)
6. TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
6.a HOTELIER UPDATE - No updates at this time.
6.b MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE
No meeting was held in June.
6.c MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
No meeting was held in June.
6.d PCC UPDATE
Member Specchierla provided a brief update on PCC activities.
6.e VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
provided a brief update on Visit SLO CAL activities.
6.f TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
and Economic Development & Tourism Manager Laura Fiedler provided
an update on the tourism program.
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 August 13, 2025,
at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San
Luis Obispo.
Page 9 of 40
6
_________________________
APPROVED BY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
XX/XX/202X
Page 10 of 40
JULY 2025
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 61.48 76.01 65.63
183.75 221.26 196.17
112.98 168.19 128.75
-2.33 -4.27 -2.98
0.50 5.48 2.24
-1.85 0.98 -0.81
City of Paso Robles 63.99 91.57 71.87 163.66 266.45 201.08 104.72 243.99 144.51 -1.03 9.38 2.52 -9.16 1.62 -3.40 -10.10 11.14 -0.97
City of Pismo Beach 71.40 88.44 76.27 274.66 480.48 342.85 196.09 424.95 261.48 -6.10 -5.95 -6.05 -8.82 25.74 4.53 -14.38 18.27 -1.79
City of San Luis Obispo 67.83 89.56 74.04 159.71 259.34 194.15 108.34 232.27 143.75 -6.05 -5.77 -5.95 -10.58 2.28 -5.05 -15.99 -3.62 -10.70
City of Morro Bay 63.98 87.36 70.66 139.24 242.70 175.79 89.09 212.02 124.21 -11.81 -7.10 -10.20 -13.55 6.92 -4.25 -23.76 -0.67 -14.01
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 64.96 79.08 68.99
181.18 213.45 191.75
117.69 168.80 132.29
-6.26 0.15 -4.26
-2.62 2.25 -0.73
-8.72 2.40 -4.96
City of Paso Robles 67.84 82.42 72.00 157.35 271.35 194.63 106.74 223.65 140.14 -4.13 0.88 -2.55 -11.32 -4.15 -7.68 -14.98 -3.31 -10.03
City of Pismo Beach 72.75 87.67 77.01 265.22 391.13 306.17 192.96 342.88 235.80 -2.09 -2.17 -2.12 4.97 4.64 4.82 2.77 2.36 2.60
City of San Luis Obispo 75.47 87.02 78.77 170.24 261.76 199.12 128.48 227.78 156.85 -5.95 -5.67 -5.86 -0.22 6.04 2.31 -6.15 0.03 -3.68
City of Morro Bay 68.32 85.40 73.20 143.89 237.22 175.00 98.30 202.58 128.10 -12.00 -3.77 -9.42 -4.01 2.32 -0.35 -15.53 -1.54 -9.73
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 72.92 81.39 75.34
195.05 216.78 201.76
142.23 176.44 152.01
-2.48 -1.20 -2.08
-1.23 -2.19 -1.52
-3.68 -3.36 -3.57
City of Paso Robles 72.22 88.09 76.75 180.59 305.46 221.53 130.42 269.07 170.03 -4.11 4.45 -1.46 -9.51 1.37 -4.12 -13.24 -13.24 -5.52
City of Pismo Beach 77.68 88.58 80.80 264.65 394.27 305.26 205.58 349.26 246.63 -4.78 -2.59 -4.11 0.02 5.18 2.23 -4.76 -4.76 -1.97
City of San Luis Obispo 79.47 92.64 83.24 181.12 277.50 211.77 143.94 257.09 176.27 -4.39 -0.57 -3.21 2.46 3.45 3.26 -2.04 -2.04 -0.05
City of Morro Bay 76.97 87.87 80.08 148.75 245.41 179.06 114.49 215.65 143.39 -1.44 -3.74 -2.17 -3.98 4.53 -0.72 -5.37 -5.37 -2.88
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 73.33 83.42 76.21 195.73 228.01 205.83 143.54 190.19 156.87 -3.12 -0.93 -2.45 -1.63 1.12 -0.64 -4.70 0.18 -3.07
City of Paso Robles 80.72 91.47 83.79 220.49 288.44 241.68 177.99 263.83 202.51 -1.42 7.37 1.17 -8.38 0.83 -4.85 -9.67 8.26 -3.74
City of Pismo Beach 81.40 93.02 84.72 270.79 402.24 312.03 220.41 374.16 264.34 -2.98 -0.30 -2.16 -1.40 2.71 0.44 -4.34 2.40 -1.73
City of San Luis Obispo 82.31 92.31 85.17 184.96 277.43 213.60 152.24 256.09 181.91 -2.22 -2.62 -2.34 0.37 0.67 0.45 -1.86 -1.96 -1.90
City of Morro Bay 80.70 89.94 83.34 155.05 251.52 184.79 125.12 226.21 154.01 -3.72 -2.31 -3.29 -4.49 5.13 -0.55 -8.04 2.70 -3.82
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
WD WE Total
California 73.04 84.70 76.37
191.57 222.97 201.52
139.93 188.87 153.91
1.27 4.80 2.36
0.94 4.85 2.37
2.23 9.88 4.79
City of Paso Robles 75.71 93.62 80.83 164.68 284.08 204.19 124.69 265.95 165.05 6.33 15.54 9.21 -8.18 2.82 -2.61 -2.37 18.80 6.36
City of Pismo Beach 79.06 91.16 82.51 271.40 387.37 308.00 214.56 353.11 254.14 -1.52 1.99 -0.44 1.00 0.83 1.22 -0.53 2.83 0.78
City of San Luis Obispo 80.14 89.99 82.95 176.41 257.96 201.69 141.37 232.14 167.30 4.41 -0.94 2.69 -5.86 0.60 -3.76 -1.70 -0.35 -1.17
City of Morro Bay 73.85 83.64 76.65 155.45 235.76 180.49 114.80 197.20 138.34 -3.35 -6.35 -4.31 -3.33 0.20 -2.19 -6.57 -6.17 -6.40
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%) ADR RevPar Occupancy (%) ADR
For the Week of July 27, 2025 to
August 02, 2025
For the Week of July 20, 2025 to
July 26, 2025
For the Week of July 13, 2025 to
July 19, 2025
For the Week of July 06, 2025 to
July 12, 2025
For the Week of June 29, 2025 to
July 05, 2025
Page 11 of 40
Page 12 of 40
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$ 1,296,972$ 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$ 1,118,215$ 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$ 916,335$ -10.6%
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$ 921,418$ -6.6%
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$ 825,128$ 9.0%
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$ 628,260$ 637,018$ 1.4%
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$ 696,606$ 12.1%
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$ 745,586$ 8.5%
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$ 850,274$ 806,319$ -5.2%
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$ 1,025,966$ 1,034,160$ 0.8%
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$ 989,619$ 1,019,807$ 3.1%missing 2 hotels
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$ $1,201,226.00 1,311,387$ 9.2%missing 3 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$ 10,604,646$ 11,013,020$ 11,056,297$ 11,328,951$ 2.5%
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 71.0 70 -1.4%195.47 184.04 -5.8%138.84 128.89 -7.2%
October 70.0 69.3 -1.0%185 178.14 -3.7%129.42 123.46 -4.6%
November 62.6 66.8 6.7%165.42 171.03 3.4%103.48 114.16 10.3%
December 56.4 59.8 6.0%150.28 146.17 -2.7%84.73 87.41 3.2%
January 54.2 62.4 15.1%140.24 144.12 2.8%76.00 89.99 18.4%
February 59.8 67.1 12.2%153.67 161.94 5.4%91.87 108.66 18.28%
March 67.9 65.8 -3.1%160.54 161.67 0.7%108.98 106.36 -2.40%
April 72.1 73.2 1.5%187.61 183.34 -2.3%135.24 134.22 -0.75%
May 70.8 70.0 -1.1%180.99 181.88 0.5%128.17 127.38 -0.62%
June 75.1 75.9 1.1%211.17 216.12 2.3%158.63 165.02 4.03%
Total/Average 68.1 70.05 3.4%176.76$ 177.18$ 0.3%121.91$ 125.39$ 3.9%Updated: 08/14/2025
Occupancy ADR RevPAR*Figures from Smith Travel
Research Report
TOT Comparison
Page 13 of 40
Page 14 of 40
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Public Relations
Contract
Report to the City of San
Luis Obispo – TBID & PCC
July 2025
Page 15 of 40
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Implementation and Proactive Work
Began planning for travel writer Vanita Salisbury’s upcoming trip
Began planning for travel writer Dahvi Shira’s upcoming stay
Began outreach to TBID stakeholders to inform Visit SLO Influencer Strategy
Continued working with the City, Noble Studios and Badger Branding on overall tourism marketing
campaign
2
Responsive Work & Partnerships
Pitching
Pitched "Behind the Glass, Mug or Pint" and "Surf Culture Takes Center Stage" story ideas to Visit
California
Partnerships
Began planning for Midweek Influencer Fam with Uniquely Driven
Completed Visit California Annual PR Survey
Began planning for ARTober with the City, Badger Branding and Verdin
Began planning for Buy Local Bonus with the City, Badger Branding and Verdin
Began planning for SLO Restaurant Month with the City, Badger Branding and Verdin
Central Coast Tourism Council (CCTC)
Reviewed and provided feedback for August social media content calendar
Media Features
Proactive Work
Travel + Leisure: This Is California's Most Underrated Road Trip-and It Travels the State's Oldest Highway |
UVPM: 11,610,000
As a result of hosting Cu Fleshman
Yahoo: I Live in California and This Is the Most Underrated Part of the State-With a Stunning Stretch of
Highway | UVPM: 4,285,00,000
As a result of hosting Cu Fleshman
Yahoo: This Is California's Most Underrated Road Trip-and It Travels the State's Oldest Highway | UVPM:
4,285,00,000
As a result of hosting Cu Fleshman
AOL: I Live in California and This Is the Most Underrated Part of the State-With a Stunning Stretch of
Highway | UVPM: 17,360,000
As a result of hosting Cu Fleshman
Food Wine Travel Magazine: SLO CAL: Exploring Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo Wine Country | UVPM:
7,000
As a result of hosting Darla Hoffman in partnership w/Visit SLO CAL
7x7: The Perfect Long Weekend in SLO CAL: Outdoor Adventure + Immersive Art in Central Coast Wine
Country | UVPM: 71,000
As a result of media hosting done by Visit SLO CAL
Page 16 of 40
SLO Chamber of Commerce
Media Features
Media Monitoring
JULY TOTALS:
Placements: 14
UVPM: 1,185,348,000
YEAR TO DATE TOTALS:
Placements: 14
UVPM: 1,185,348,000
3
PUBLICATION PLACEMENTS UVPM
MSN The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: July 21 136,500,000.00
MSN The top 10 "Blue Zones" in America for 2025 136,500,000.00
NEWS BREAK
How Small Towns Are Leading the Way in
Sustainability-Here's What They're Doing
Differently
10,380,000.00
NEWS BREAK New SLO restaurant and bar opens in old Splash
Cafe spot. Take a look inside 10,380,000.00
WORLD ATLAS 10 Picture-Perfect Main Streets In California 4,760,000.00
TRIBUNE
New SLO restaurant and bar opens in old Splash
Cafe spot. Take a look inside Read more at:
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/arti
cle309797435.html#storylink=cpy
377,000.00
ROLLING OUT 15 blissful California spots that seem impossibly
cheap 356,000.00
FINE HOMES & LIVING Autumn Escapes Begin at Hotel San Luis Obispo 47,000.00
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July June July
2024 2025 2025 Asia 4%
Walk-ins 6,022 6,513 5,422 Europe 57%
Phone Calls 181 169 150 Australia/NZ 11%
Emails & Digital 1,531 1,550 1,574 UK 23%
N. America 1%
C. America 0%
July June July S. America 4%
2024 2025 2025
Calls 45 29 55 West Coast 11%
Southwest 14%
Midwest 30%
July June July South 19%
2024 2025 2025 East Coast 26%
Referrals 47 41 71
Northern CA 20%
Central Coast 29%
July June July Central Valley 5%
2024 2025 2025 Desert 3%
Email 172 69 75 Southern CA 44%
Phone Calls 129 102 119
July July July
2024 2025 2025 YTD
Fulfilled 235 3 VisitSLO.com 25 152
INFORMATION REQUESTS EVENTS SHARED
REPORT TO CITY OF SLO - TBID & PCC
GUEST SERVICES CONTRACT
JULY 2025
DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
International Travelers
VISITOR INTERACTION
CALLS TO 877-SLO-TOWN
HOTEL REFERRALS
HOTEL AVAILABILITY TRACKER
Domestic Travelers
California Travelers
VISITOR CENTER ACTIVATIONS
Visitor Center at SLO Farmer's Market (Thursday)
VISITOR CENTER HIGHLIGHTS
1) Shared information about SLO to supporters of incoming Cal Poly students at SLO Days
3) Celebrated the suite expansion and new restaurant, Condesa, at Petit Soleil
2) Participated in Farmer's Market providing information and souvenirs to both locals and visitors
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SLO Marketing Activities Report
Key Performance Highlights
July 2025
At-a-Glance Highlights
● Total Website Sessions: 54,605 (-22% YoY)
● Top Traffic Source: Organic Search
● Total Lodging Referrals: 3,792 (-27% YoY)
● Top Performing Ads: YoY, SLO Life Coach Ads on paid social saw:
○ +13% engagement rate
○ +62% average session duration
○ +80% increase in website sessions
○ +90% increase in CTR
● PR Media Mentions: Travel + Leisure: This Is California’s Most Underrated Road Trip—and
It Travels the State’s Oldest Highway (Cu Fleshman)
○ Total estimated reach of 44,497,393 as the article was syndicated across AOL as
well
Overall Performance
In July 2025, Visit San Luis Obispo saw strong engagement from the new SLO Life Coach campaign
but overall declines in key traffic and lodging referral metrics compared to July 2024. Website
sessions fell 22% YoY to 54,605, and lodging referrals dropped 27 % to 3,792. These declines were
influenced not only by broader industry headwinds in Organic Search—driven by the growing
prevalence of AI-generated search results - but also by the absence of last year’s Summer
MidWeekend promotional campaign, which had delivered a meaningful lift to midweek bookings
(partner referrals) and traffic in 2024.
Despite the declines, Organic Search remained the top traffic source. Paid social ads for SLO Life
Coach delivered standout results, including a 71% higher engagement rate and 32% higher CTR
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YoY. Email marketing also performed strongly, with newsletters achieving a 50% open rate—well
above industry benchmarks—and generating a 17% YoY increase in sessions.
The move from short-term incentive promotions to an evergreen midweek strategy supports our
long-term goals but removed the short-term traffic lift seen last summer.
Next Steps: We are auditing and improving schema on VisitSLO.com to provide clearer context
cues to search engine crawlers and enhance page visibility. We are also developing new SLO Life
Coach itinerary-style content designed to perform well in AI-generated responses and rich SERP
features. We will continue monitoring the rapidly evolving search landscape and adapt strategies to
reach potential travelers in the right channels at the right time. In addition, we plan to review July
2025 TOT performance to gain deeper insight into visitation trends—particularly in light of the
absence of the Summer MidWeekend promotion—to better inform future campaign strategies.
Paid Media Snapshot
● Paid Search
○ Impressions: 32,323 (-15% YoY)
○ Clicks: 3,094 (-3% YoY)
○ CTR: 9.5% (+13% YoY)
○ Sessions: 3,194 (-1% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 1,755 (+21% YoY)
○ Cost: $9,099 (-8% YoY)
● Paid Social (Evergreen)
○ Impressions: 379,220 (-1% YoY)
○ Clicks: 17,000 (+88% YoY)
○ CTR: 4.48% (+90% YoY)
○ Sessions: 8,303 (+80% YoY)
○ Lodging Referrals: 49 (-26% YoY)
○ Cost: $4,492 (+13% YoY)
● Display, Demand Gen, & PMAX
○ Impressions: 793,006 (-2% YoY)
○ CTR: 0.86% (+17% YoY)
○ Clicks: 6,809 (+14% YoY)
○ Sessions: 4,746 (+47% YoY)
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○ Lodging Referrals: 120 (+33% YoY)
○ Cost: $3,409 (+16% YoY)
Key Insight: The new SLO Life Coach campaign has been showing significant
performance improvements across display, demand gen, PMAX, and paid social
channels when compared to the previous campaign that we ran last year, resulting in
higher click through rates, higher engagement rates, longer time on site, and more
pages per session.
*The chart above shows comparisons to last year’s evergreen campaigns in addition to the 2024 Summer
MidWeekend Campaign. Despite not running the Summer MidWeekend, we still saw increases in total partner
referrals and lodging referrals despite a 42% decre ase in paid media spend YoY.
Owned Media Snapshot
Website
● Total Sessions: 54,605 (-22% YoY)
● Lodging Partner Referrals: 3,792 (-27% YoY)
● Avg. Pages/Session: 2.1 (-4% YoY)
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● Average Session Duration: 2m 37s (+8% YoY)
● Top Lodging Referral Channels: Paid Search (46%), Organic Search (27%), Referral
(15%)
SEO + Content
● Organic Sessions: 21,008 (-30% YoY)
● Organic Partner Referrals: 4,123 (-41% YoY)
● Organic Impressions: 2.17 Mil (+22% YoY)
● Organic Clicks: 15.1K (-37% YoY)
● Organic CTR: 0.7% (-46% YoY)
● Page 1 Keywords: 4.6K (-7%)
● Top Losses: things to do in san luis obispo, San Luis Obispo, Sunset Drive-In
● Actions Taken/Next Steps: SLO Drive-In/Movie Theaters page optimized in May.
We’re working on auditing/optimizing schema across many of our key pages, as
this additional data will become more important as we move further into the AI
era of search.
Key Insight: YoY drops in Organic traffic are tied to a 46% decrease in organic CTRs
related to a rapidly evolving search engine results page, which now features AI
responses and significantly more SERP features, allowing searchers to get more
information without the need to click through to a website. We’re seeing organic traffic
declines across the Travel & Tourism industry and are continuing to explore ways to
increase our visibility on the SERP.
Creative & Web Maintenance
Website Maintenance & MRO
● July MRO Efforts:
○ Plugins and Updates
■ ACF Pro
■ Gravity Forms
■ Permalink Manager Pro
■ Safe SVG
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■ Events Calendar
■ Community Events
■ Events Calendar Pro
■ Tiny PNG
■ Yoast
● July Web Services Efforts:
○ 4.25h out of 120 hours were utilized for July 2025 (Remaining hours: 115.75)
○ Work Accomplished:
■ Stakeholder page updates: Zoo, SLO Ranch, and Media page
Creative Services
● July Creative Services Efforts:
○ 5.25h out of 150 hours were utilized for July 2025 (Remaining hours: 144.75)
○ Work Accomplished:
■ Spanish Brochure updates
Earned Media Activity
Earned Media Highlights
Total Impressions/Circulation: 96,317,666
Placements: 5
Press Coverage
● 7/12/25: Travel + Leisure: This Is California’s Most Underrated Road Trip—and It
Travels the State’s Oldest Highway (Cu Fleshman – Individual FAM) (Reach:
10,233,649)
○ 7/12/25: AOL: This Is California’s Most Underrated Road Trip—and It Travels
the State’s Oldest Highway (Reach: 34,263,744)
● 7/20/25: Islands: These Are The Most Breathtaking Road Trips Along The West
Coast, According To Travelers (Fiona Chandra – SLOIFF FAM attendee) (Reach:
7,322,880)
● 7/26/25: Travel + Leisure: I Live in California and This Is the Most Underrated Part
of the State—With a Stunning Stretch of Highway (Cu Fleshman – Individual FAM)
(Reach: 10,233,649)
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○ 7/26/25: AOL: I Live in California and This Is the Most Underrated Part of the
State—With a Stunning Stretch of Highway (Reach: 34,263,744)
Upcoming Individual Press Trips:
● N/A
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July 2025
SLO TBID - SHARESLO
ORGANIC SOCIAL REPORT
Date: 08/19/25Page 27 of 40
Followers: 39,517 ( 1.1%)
Total Net Growth: 466
Total Posts: 251
Total Views: 428,882 ( 14%)
Total stories: 231
Total Engagements: 11,834 ( 14%)
Engagement Rate: 2.8% ( 33%)
INSTAGRAM
In July, we saw an increase in followers, engagements, and engagement rate. We saw a slight decrease in views, although we saw
great success in our top posts for the month with continuous growing “viral” view counts. There is a disclaimer from Meta at the
bottom of this page for your consideration.
TOP POSTS:
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Page Followers: 101,467 ( 2.7%)
Total Net Audience Growth: 2,694
Total Posts: 19
Total Impressions: 716,722 ( 22%)
Total Organic: 415,547 ( 305%)
Total Engagements: 5,803 ( 92%)
Engagement Rate: .8% ( 147%)
FACEBOOK
TOP POSTS:
In July, we saw an increase in page followers by 2.6k new followers! We saw an increase in organic impressions by 305%,
engagements by 92%, and engagement rate by 147%. This is due to the viral video that received almost 1M views, as well as,
our other popular reels for the month.
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Followers: 2,495 ( 395%)
Followers Gained: 523
Impressions: 88,019 ( 280.5%)
Engagement: 6,086 ( 592%)
Engagement Rate: 6.9% ( 82%)
In July, we saw great success across the platform with a Tiktok that became very successful very quickly with almost 70k views!
This is the same trend we hopped on on the other platforms as well.
TIKTOK
TOP POSTS:
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Total Audience: 478 ( .8%)
Total Net Growth: 5
Total Posts: 4
Impressions: 583 ( 47%)
Engagements: 41 ( 78%)
Engagement Rate: 7% ( 21%)
LINKEDIN
TOP POSTS:
In July, we saw increases across the platform with a growth in audience, impressions, engagements, and engagement rate.
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Total Posts: 2
Impressions: 949 ( 42%)
Engagements: 35 ( 51%)
Outbound Clicks: 3
Saves: 9 ( 57%)
Total Audience: 664 ( 40%)
Engaged Audience: 25 ( 56%)
PINTEREST
In July, we did not see much growth with the posts we pinned. We tried taking our most successful posts on other platforms
to see how they would perform in this platform. We will be adjusting from this trial and moving forward.
TOP POSTS:
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WHAT WE WORKED ON THIS MONTH:
- Accepted Collab w/ @SLOCAL, @travelpaso, @visitarroyogrande,
@cayucosca, & @highway1roadtrip
-20.7k Views, 1.1k Interactions
-1 Other Giveaway (Accepted Collab) w/ Influencer @packthebus,
@pismobeachca, & @visitconejovalley
-62.6k Views
-Hugely Successful Trend Executed Across Platforms
-”I’d Rather Take The Long Way Home”
-886,909 Views on FB & IG
-69.7k on Tiktok
-Highly Successful Reel (SLO Businesses That Started at Cal Poly)
-130k Views on FB & IG
-4 Ticket Tuesday Giveaways (@circusvargas,@centralcoastrenaissancefest,
Blues Baseball, @festivalmozaic)
-SLO Summer Series Reel Every Friday (Featuring Our Pillars)
-Sharing PR Placements on Stories w/ Links & Created New ‘News’ Highlight Page 33 of 40
AUGUST’S FOCUS:
- Hub ‘n’ Spoke Series Launch - Santa Margarita Adventures
-MidWeekend Beers / Brewery Feature
- 3 Date Night Dinners
-Hiking Tips in San Luis Obispo
-Ticket Tuesday Giveaways
-SLO Rep Theater & SLO Symphony
-SLO Life Tip Carousel Launches
-Back-to-School Thrifting in SLO
-Late Night Bites in SLO
-Stay & Dine Michelin Style in SLO
-Laguna Lake Dog Park Update Carousel
-New Businesses in SLO
-Upcoming Events in SLO
-National Relaxation Month Carousel Page 34 of 40
THANK YOU!
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1
Promotional Coordinating Committee Minutes
July 9, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo
PCC Members Present: Committee Member Maureen Forsberg, Committee
Member Dan Fredman, Committee Member Dante
Specchierla (arrived at 6:00 p.m.) Committee Member Anni
Wang, Committee Member Samantha Welch, Vice Chair
Robin Wolf and Chair John Thomas.
City Staff Present: Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth Tourism & Community
Promotions Manager and Laura Fiedler, Economic
Development & Tourism Manager
_____________________________________________________________________
1. CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Promotional Coordinating Committee
was called to order on July 9, 2025 at 5:29 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room at
City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, by Chair Thomas.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Public Comment:
Jim Dantona, CEO of SLO Chamber of Commerce, announced his candidacy for
the SLO County Board of Supervisors and his plan to resign from the Chamber
effective December 31, 2025.
--End of Public Comment--
3. CONSENT
Motion By: Committee Member Wang
Second By: Vice Chair Wolf
To approve Consent Items 3a. through 3e.
Ayes (6) Committee Member Wang, Vice Chair Wolf, Committee Member Welch,
Committee Member Fredman, Committee Member Forsberg and Chair Thomas.
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Absent (1) Committee Member Specchierla
CARRIED (6 to 0)
3.a MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 11, 2025
3.b 2025-26 COMMUNITY PROMOTION BUDGET REPORT
3.c SLO CHAMBER MONTHLY PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT
3.d SLO CHAMBER GUEST SERVICES REPORT
3.e TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) REPORT
4. PRESENTATIONS
4.a MISSION PLAZA ENHANCEMENT PROJECT UPDATE (15 MINUTES)
Anthony Ramos and Devin Hyfield from the City presented an update on
the Mission Plaza Enhancement Project.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
4.b SUPPORT LOCAL PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT (20 MINUTES)
Devan Spiegel from Verdin Marketing presented the FY 2024-25 year-end
report on marketing activities for the Support Local Program.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
Committee Member Specchierla joined the meeting at 6:00 p.m.
4.c SLO CHAMBER ANNUAL REPORT (25 MINUTES)
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Hollie West and Brianna Harris from the SLO Chamber of Commerce
presented the annual report on the Public Relations, Guest Services and
CACP Grant Support contract activities during FY 2024-25.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action taken on this item.
5. BUSINESS ITEMS
5.a PCC ANNUAL PROGRAM PLANNING (15 MINUTES)
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
reviewed with the committee projects, timelines and priorities for the
FY2025-26 fiscal year.
Public Comment:
None
--End of Public Comment--
Action: No action was taken on this item.
6. PCC LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
6.a CACP LIAISON REPORT
Tourism & Community Promotions Manager Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth
gave an update on the FY2025-26 funding recommendations and process
for liaison assignments.
6.b COMMITTEE OUTREACH UPDATE
No updates at this time.
6.c TBID BOARD REPORT – TBID Meeting Minutes: June 11, 2025
Committee Member Specchierla 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
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The meeting was adjourned at 7:07 p.m. The next Regular Meeting of the
Promotional Coordinating Committee is cancelled for August 13, 2025. The PCC
will meet in a Special Meeting on July 15, 2025 at 1:30 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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