HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-11-2018 TBID Agenda PacketCity of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Tourism Business
Improvement District Board
Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the TBID Board regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public
inspection in the Administration office of the City of San Luis Obispo at 990 Palm Street during normal business hours.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
10:00 A.M.
City Hall- Council Hearing Room
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Bruce Skidmore
PUBLIC COMMENT: Each speaker is limited to two minutes of public comment for items not on the
agenda. Public comment for each agenda item will be called for separately and is also limited to 2 minutes per
speaker.
State law does not allow the board to discuss or take action on issues not on the agenda, except that members
of the board may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by the person giving public comment.
Staff may be directed by the board to follow-up on such items and/or place them on the next board agenda.
CONSENT ITEMS
C.1 Minutes of Meeting on Wednesday, March 14, 2018
C.2 Smith Travel Report
C.3 Chamber Public Relations Report
C.4 AMF + Matchfire Marketing Report
C.5 Chamber Guest Services Report
C.6 TOT Report
PRESENTATIONS
1. SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSEUM OF ART UPDATE 10 mins
Jeff Al-Mashat, Capital Campaign Director, will present an update on the SLOMA programs and capital
campaign project.
2. MARKETING AGENCY QUARTERLY REPORT 15 mins
Representatives from AMF + Matchfire will present the activity report for the marketing activities over the
previous quarter for the SLO TBID.
3. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE QUARTERLY REPORT 15 mins
Representatives from the SLO Chamber will present the activity report for the public relations and
phone/availability contracts from the previous quarter for the SLO TBID.
4. RAINY DAY PROMOTION RESULTS 5 mins
Staff will present the results of the 2018 Rainy Day promotion.
BUSINESS ITEMS
Public comment will be taken for each individual agenda item. Each speaker will be limited to two minutes of
public testimony.
1. ANNUAL PARTNERSHIP & FUNDING REQUESTS 30 mins
The Board will receive presentations on the annual partnership requests for 2018-19. The partnership
proposals will be presented by:
San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce
SLO Wine Country Association
2. TBID BUDGET UPDATE 5 mins
Staff will present the preliminary 2018-19 budget projection for Board discussion and direction to the
Management Committee.
3. PROPERTY LIAISON ASSIGNMENTS 5 mins
The Board will review the property liaison assignments.
TBID LIAISON REPORTS & COMMUNICATION
At this time board members make announcements, report on activities, refer to staff issues for study and report
back to the board at a subsequent meeting.
1. HOTELIER UPDATE – Liaison Reports
2. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE
3. MARKETING COMMITTEE UPDATE – Minutes: April 4, 2018
4. PCC UPDATE –Minutes: March 14, 2018
5. VISIT SLO CAL UPDATE – Liaison Reports; February Activity Report
6. TOURISM PROGRAM UPDATE – Verbal Staff Report
ADJOURN.
POSTING STATEMENT: I, Chantal Burns, Tourism Coordinator, do hereby certify that on April 6, 2018, by
5:00 p.m., a true and correct copy of this agenda was posted on the bulletin board outside City Hall. Internet
access to agendas and related material is available at www.slocity.org.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 1
Minutes - DRAFT
TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Tourism Business Improvement District Board
CALL TO ORDER
A Meeting of the Tourism Business Improvement District Board was called to order on
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 10:14 a.m. in the Embassy Suites, located at 333 Madonna Road,
San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Wilkins.
ROLL CALL
Present: Board Members Clint Pearce, Pragna Patel-Mueller, Bruce Skidmore, LeBren Young-
Harris, Vice Chair Nipool Patel, and Chair Matthew Wilkins
Absent: Board Member Kimberly Walker
Staff: Tourism Manager Molly Cano, Tourism Coordinator Chantal Burns, and Recording
Secretary Kevin Christian
PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
None.
CONSENT AGENDA
ACTION: MOTION BY VICE CHAIR PATEL, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER PATEL-
MUELLER, CARRIED 6-0, to approve the Consent Calendar Items C1 through C6.
C1. Minutes of Meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 2018
C2. Smith Travel Report, January and February Activities
C3. Chamber Public Relations Report, January and February Activities
C4. BCA + Matchfire Marketing Report, January and February Activities
C5. Chamber Guest Services Report, January and February Activities
C6. Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT) Report
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 2
PRESENTATIONS
1. Funding the Future of SLO Presentation
Shelly Stanwyck, Parks and Recreation Director, presented the “Funding the Future of
SLO” initiative to inform the board on the process and to receive their feedback to
bring to City Council. A review of the City’s Major City Goals was presented, along
with funding concerns related to the closure of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant,
unfunded pension liabilities, and projected costs for future projects and ongoing
maintenance. Measure G funding was reviewed, with discussion on increasing
maintenance needs and its mechanism for funding new projects. Possible future funding
options presented were a Cannabis tax, sales tax increase, a general obligation bond,
and community facilities district fees. Feedback will be presented to City Council on
April 17, 2018, in order to be considered for a possible ballot measure on the upcoming
regular November Election ballot.
Public Comments:
None
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item
2. Marketing Agency Monthly Report
Representatives from AMF Media Group + MatchFire reviewed their marketing
activities for January and February. It was noted the Rainy Day promotion has sold out.
Additional highlights included that their website metrics are outperforming industry
averages, that they have modified their Pandora outreach for improvement, and that the
Craft Beer Festival sold out with page views up 100% over last year. A review of email
marketing metrics and two new promotional videos was presented.
The Board discussed a desire to promote longer stays at any future Craft Beer events
given this event has sold out twice.
Public Comments:
None
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 3
3. SLO Chamber of Commerce Monthly Report
Chamber of Commerce representative Molly Kern, Director of Communications and
Business Education, reviewed the public relations activities for January and February.
Highlights included: a piece in the Alaska Airlines “Beyond” magazine, coverage in the
blog Lush Palm, three pieces highlighting the TBID sponsored Rainy Day promotion in
Bay Are News publications, a new ranking as #17 Best Place to Live in the US,
coverage from 7x7 through a partnership with SLO CAL targeting the Bay Area, and
media hosting related to the SLO Film Festival.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. TBID Budget Update
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the mid-year 2017-18 budget, 2016-17 fund balance
and presented the proposed budget process for the development of the 2018-19 budget.
It was noted that TBID funds are not impacted by the City budget through the Fiscal
Health Response plan work. Staff presented that the 2016-17 audited TBID fund
balance was reported at approximately $274,000 based on increase in revenues
collected and the incremental savings within the TBID program allocations that fiscal
year. Staff stated that those funds are available at the Board’s direction for one-time use
and can be allocated as needed. The Board also has approximately $29,000 in
unallocated budget for 2017-18.
The 2018-19 budget timeline was reviewed as follows:
- Contractors will present during the April meeting.
- The Management committee will review allocations during their May meeting and
make recommendations to the Board.
- TBID will make final decisions at the May meeting.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 4
2. 2018-20 Marketing Plan – Approach & Research
Tourism Manager Cano introduced the proposal by AMF Media Group for market data
research, as an added component of the TBID 2018-20 Marketing Plan. The project has
previously been reviewed and recommended by the TBID Marketing committee. The
goal of the project is to incorporate research results on visitor desires/needs into
insights that will inform the development of the 2018-20 Marketing Plan.
The research objective is to better understand why (California) vacationers chose their
California travel destinations, including San Luis Obispo, and to determine if-and-why
the city of San Luis Obispo is losing market share to other destinations.
Agency representatives reviewed four potential study targets of the project as:
- Base Proposal: Conduct an online study of 800 adults within California, but outside
San Luis Obispo County.
- Element 1: Add an additional study group of 400 from Denver and Seattle.
- Element 2: Conduct an intercept survey consisting of 200 people in three locations
within the County.
- Element 3: Email data base – 20,000 targeted “persona” and “lifestyle.”
The total cost for the research project is $58,800 and staff recommended that funding
for this research could come from the available 2016-17 fund balance. Responding to
Board questions, AMF representative Cox noted that the collected data findings should
be valid for up to four years and that the data will be collected in May.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item.
ACTION: MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER PEARCE, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER
SKIDMORE, CARRIED 5-1 (PATEL-MUELLER - NO), to approve the AMF Media Group
data collection research proposal in the amount $58,800.
Staff confirmed with the Board the funding for this project would come from the 2016-17 fund
balance revenue.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 5
3. Visit SLO CAL Research CO-OP
The Board discussed a co-op participation in the Tourism Economic Impact and Visitor
Volume Analysis reports with Visit SLO CAL and how it uniquely differs from the
market data research project proposed by AMF Media Group. The pricing for this co-
op is based on the number of destination participants and ranges from $5,000-$6,000
for the Economic Impact study and $3,500-$4,500 for the Visitor Volume study.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER PATEL, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER
SKIDMORE, CARRIED 6-0, to approve participation in the Economic Impact study and the
Visitor Volume study as a Visit SLO CAL co-op.
Staff confirmed with the Board that the funding for this co-op project would come from the
remaining SLO CAL co-op allocation within the Market Agency budget.
4. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the bylaws for election of Chair and Vice-Chair for
the term of April 2018 to March 2019, noting that Chair Wilkins is not eligible for
another term as Chair.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER PEARCE, SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER
PATEL-MUELLER, CARRIED 6-0, to elect Board Member Skidmore as Chair.
Per the TBID bylaws, Board Member Wilkins becomes the Vice Chair.
TBID LIAISON REPORTS &COMMUNICATIONS
1. Hotelier Update
Tourism Manager Cano reported that the Monterey Street property “La Quinta” owned
by Andrew Firestone is expected to be open by this summer. Board Member Skidmore
reported the Holiday Inn Express is going independent. Chamber of Commerce
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 6
representative Molly Kern, requested that liaisons let them know updates so they may
have the information for the public.
2. Management Committee Update
Tourism Manger Cano reviewed the Management committee discussion on an annual
retreat, noting that the decision was not to hold a retreat.
3. Marketing Committee Update
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed discussion on the Visit SLO CAL co-op, and noted
that the committee approved Horizon advertorial insert into Wall Street journal with
funds from the Advertising budget.
4. Promotional Coordinating Committee (PCC) Update
Chair Wilkins and Tourism Manager Cano reported on work done on the PCC Strategic
Plan update which has a goal of refining the focus of the committee. It was also noted
that there were seven applicants for two open seats on the committee in the recently
concluded recruitment.
5. Visit SLO CAL Update
Board Member Pearce reviewed the destination development plan.
Tourism Manager Cano noted that a new Communications Director is starting in April
and they are in the final process of recruitment for a Destination Development Director.
6. Tourism Program Update
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed and reported on the following:
- GIA applications close on March 16th
- Trade show participation: The VR glasses experience was a success at the San
Diego show. The next show to be attended will be in Denver the week of 03/19/18.
- Taste of Washington, part of “SAVOR on the Road” is scheduled for 03/22-23.
- IPW tradeshow, May 19-24 in Denver
- CCTC meeting, April 18-20 in Solvang
- SLO Discovery Weekend: Approximately 60 parents participated in the first session
held in February. It was well received, and improvement opportunities were noted
for inclusion during the upcoming session, May 11-13.
- The Rainy Day promotion sold out approximately one month faster than last year,
and that almost 1800 room nights have already been reserved. It was noted that a
“strong response” has been received from the Seattle WA area.
- The Advisory Bodies will be recognized at the upcoming March 20th City Council
meeting. New member appointments will follow.
DRAFT Minutes – Tourism Business Improvement District Board Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 7
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:11 a.m. The next Regular meeting of the Tourism Business
Improvement District Board is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., in the
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California.
APPROVED BY THE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT BOARD: XX/XX/2017
March 2018
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
City of Paso Robles 53.1 68.1 57.4 107.72 151.54 122.58 57.20 103.22 70.35 -14.1 -19.8 -16.1 1.6 1.8 1.1 -12.7 -18.4 -15.2
City of Pismo Beach 52.2 72.0 57.9 118.95 179.82 140.59 62.14 129.54 81.40 -4.8 -17.9 -9.9 3.7 7.1 3.8 -1.2 -12.1 -6.5
City of San Luis Obispo 59.0 78.7 64.6 120.81 161.81 135.08 71.27 127.35 87.29 -5.7 -7.8 -6.5 10.1 12.1 10.8 3.8 3.3 3.6
Economy
Midscale 51.7 76.3 58.7 97.55 144.43 114.95 50.41 110.18 67.49 -0.4 -7.3 -3.1 2.1 7.6 4.0 1.7 -0.3 0.7
Upscale 69.3 85.6 74.0 140.77 185.11 155.43 97.62 158.51 115.02 -3.2 -0.5 -2.3 11.2 10.9 11.3 7.6 10.4 8.7
Week of March 11-March 17, 2018
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
City of Paso Robles 54.7 79.9 61.9 108.45 186.76 137.33 59.31 149.17 84.99 -21.8 -9.3 -17.6 -1.9 5.4 3.3 -23.3 -4.4 -14.9
City of Pismo Beach 51.6 72.2 57.5 123.66 190.10 147.51 63.80 137.32 84.81 -22.1 -17.4 -20.5 3.2 4.3 4.4 -19.6 -13.8 -17.0
City of San Luis Obispo 59.8 72.6 63.4 121.23 163.17 134.95 72.45 118.50 85.61 -9.8 -15.2 -11.6 8.9 1.0 5.1 -1.7 -14.3 -7.1
Economy
Midscale 52.3 71.8 57.8 97.65 135.36 111.03 51.03 97.20 64.22 -5.5 -12.9 -8.3 -0.8 0.4 -0.9 -6.2 -12.5 -9.1
Upscale 71.0 78.3 73.1 140.38 188.93 155.25 99.62 147.99 113.44 -7.2 -13.4 -9.2 11.3 0.0 6.1 3.3 -13.4 -3.6
Week of March 18-March 24, 2018
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
City of Paso Robles 61.4 74.8 65.2 114.13 160.51 129.33 70.04 120.10 84.34 -4.6 -8.5 -5.9 6.2 -0.7 2.9 1.3 -9.2 -3.2
City of Pismo Beach 50.5 79.1 58.7 127.24 190.13 151.47 64.28 150.44 88.90 -16.2 -3.1 -11.6 4.2 8.0 7.4 -12.6 4.6 -5.1
City of San Luis Obispo 59.1 81.5 65.5 121.73 163.57 136.61 71.92 133.32 89.46 -4.4 4.0 -1.5 7.9 6.3 7.8 3.2 10.5 6.2
Economy
Midscale
Upscale 70.2 87.5 75.1 137.59 184.65 153.25 96.56 161.59 115.14 -4.2 8.9 -0.2 7.5 4.7 7.3 3.0 14.0 7.2
Week of March 25-March 31, 2018
WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total WD WE Total
City of Paso Robles 71.8 69.5 71.2 113.82 149.05 123.65 81.73 103.63 87.99 14.4 -17.9 3.1 4.3 -4.9 -1.7 19.3 -21.9 1.3
City of Pismo Beach 85.0 84.3 84.8 155.82 206.90 170.32 132.50 174.41 144.48 29.4 -5.7 17.0 21.3 10.6 14.2 57.1 4.3 33.7
City of San Luis Obispo 81.1 75.8 79.6 128.13 161.56 137.22 103.92 122.51 109.23 22.8 -9.2 12.1 13.7 4.3 8.1 39.6 -5.3 21.2
Economy
Midscale 75.3 73.8 74.9 109.12 142.40 118.49 82.22 105.12 88.76 51.7 -3.5 30.7 11.1 3.6 4.7 68.5 -0.1 36.7
Upscale 88.8 77.6 85.6 147.98 184.76 157.51 131.40 143.36 134.82 14.7 -10.3 7.0 15.7 3.5 9.7 32.8 -7.2 17.4
Occupancy (%)
RevPar
Week of March 4-March 8, 2018
RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar ADR
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar
Current Week Totals Percent Change
Occupancy (%)ADR RevPar Occupancy (%)ADR
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
Media/Community Relations
1. Submitted destination brief to CCTC for their itinerary development project.
2. Compiled media kit for the DC bureau chief of Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's largest
newspaper.
3. Worked with regional media to generate awareness about resources for evacuees
including special hotel rates.
4. Met in person or over the phone with Seattle based bloggers, freelancers and
influencers to promote San Luis Obispo as a convenient, sunny getaway for people in
the Pacific Northwest.
a. Obsessed by Portia
b. Hello Rigby
c. All things Kate
d. Marissa Tejada
e. Lara Dunning
f. Style-ish
g. Thrifty Northwest Mom
5. Pitched 7Sisters Brewing and historic adobe buildings to Sunset Magazine writer
looking for unique riffs "keeping cool."
6. Pitched the following to Visit California for inclusion in their media relations round up:
a. What’s new Summer 2018:
i. Central Coast Brewing Co. No. 2
b. Educational Tourism
i. Hop on Beer Tours
ii. Central Coast Food Tours
iii. Ranger Lead Hikes
iv. Monday Club tours
v. History of Downtown San Luis Obispo via Podcast Tour
c. Top Music Venues
i. Madonna Inn
ii. Serenade Sunday at Bang the Drum Brewery
iii. SLO Brew
iv. Performing Arts Center, San Luis Obispo
7. Continued to work with Mindbody on promotional partnership opportunities.
8. Pitched a number of craft breweries in SLO for CCTC use in itinerary development.
9. Hosted two writers covering the SLO Film Festival, one with Variety and the other with
Moviemaker Magazine.
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
10. Continued working with Visit Berkley and Discover Clairmont for a Spring “Beyond the
Campus” FAM tour.
11. Worked with Visit SLO Cal to host food blogger/influencer Jane Ko on her trip to San
Luis Obispo County.
12. Pitched San Luis Obispo as one of the best places to hike in the US to HealthyWay.
13. Continued working with DatingAdvice.com on a feature article about San Luis Obispo.
14. Pitched Festival Mozaic to a number of outlets as an example of the caliber of
arts/culture attractions in San Luis Obispo.
15. Hosted 360 Magazine on assignment with Chevy for a guy’s trip.
16. Continued to work with the city, AMF and Matchfire on overall tourism marketing
campaign.
Media Placements
Trip planning
1. 9 Incredible Long Weekend
Getaways
Seattle Met writer Allison Williams,
who was hosted in SLO last fall,
includes San Luis Obispo in her round
up of best weekend trips.
Unique Visitors Per Month: 443,127
2. Only True Californians Know About
These Golden State Adventures
Thrillist includes Madonna Inn and
Libertine in their round up of
“experiences that fly under the radar
except to the area’s locals.”
Unique Visitors Per Month:
11,520,668
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
3. West Coast Travel for Families
Ontario based blogger Tales of a
Ranting Ginger includes San Luis
Obispo in her “4 amazing ideas for
West Coast travel for families.”
Unique Visitors Per Month: 151,303
4. Wine Wanderlust Guide:
March 2018
Wine Spectator includes both the
Alaska Airlines Wine Flies Free
Program and the SLO Film Festival in
their March round up of things to know
when planning wine related travel in
March.
Unique Visitors Per Month: 431,679
5. Planning a Short California Road Trip
UK based blogger Tales of Annie Bean talks
about her honeymoon road trip though
California including an overnight stop in San
Luis Obispo where she enjoyed “Lots of craft
beer houses and music.”
6. How to Have the Best Spring Break While Staying in SLO
Her Campus blogger shares her top tips for staycationing in SLO.
Unique Visitors Per Month: 149,1126
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
7. Road Trip
Cool Hunting takes a road trip from
Los Angeles and stops at Scout and
Hearst Castle.
Unique Visitors Per Month: 430,780
8. Top-rated pit stops along
popular road-trip highways
USA Today and eight partner sites
include San Luis Obispo station in as a
top stop along the Pacific Coast
Highway.
Combined Unique Visitors Per
Month: 41,460,000
Places to stay
9. Quirky Weekend Getaways Near LA
CBS Los Angeles includes the
Madonna Inn as one of their top
places to stay on weekend getaways
from Los Angeles.
Unique Visitors Per Month:
27,820,000
10. 19 Great Small Places to Stay
Santa Barbara Seasons features
Petit Soleil, Granada Hotel and Bistro
and Garden Street Inn in their round
up of best boutique hotels in Santa
Barbara and San Luis Obispo
Counties.
Audience Reach: 36,000
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
11. 8 Hotel Suites That Bring
Your Favorite Fairy Tale to Life
Travelocity rounds up the best fairy
tale hotel rooms saying “The Queen
of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland
would feel right at home in the Hearts
& Flowers room at Central Coast gem
the Madonna Inn.”
Unique Visitors Per Month:
10,856,379
12. Hotels booked up with South Coast storm evacuees
KSBY encourages evacuees to come to SLO as hotels in Santa Barbara were already
booked. “Evacuees can call the San Luis Obispo Visitor Center at 1-877-SLO-TOWN for
help finding a place to stay and any other resources they may need while they're away
from home.”
Unique Visitors Per Month: 193,000
Happiness and Wellbeing
13. Is This California Town the
Happiest Place in America?
Clara Hogan, who was hosted in
partnership with Visit SLO Cal, writes
about San Luis Obispo for Livability
saying, “SLO’s pristine coastline,
year-round sunny weather, and
relaxed pace of life make it a place
that many dream of calling home (not
to mention one of our Top 100 Best
Places to Live) — and a destination
that certainly deserves a spot on your
travel bucket list.”
14. Happiness Advice from the
World’s Happiest Places
Goop interviews Dan Butner about
what makes a place happy including
how “moving to a place like Boulder,
Colorado or San Luis Obispo,” can
help increase someone’s happiness.
Unique Visitors Per Month:
1,710,000
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
15. Gallup and Sharecare Announce
Annual Community Rankings
Gallup released its annual community
rankings, naming San Luis Obispo as
one of the top ten communities with
the highest well-being for the 2016-17
year. The rankings were picked up by
more than 33 outlets.
Combined Unique Visitors Per
Month: 39,720,000
Food, Wine and Beer
16. A Beautiful Breakfast at Big Sky
Café
Blogger Along Comes Mary, who
was hosted in San Luis Obispo earlier
this year, shares an in-depth review of
Big Sky Café.
Unique Visitors Per Month: 14,737
17. Sights and Bites from the
Central Coast Veg Fest
Spoon University covers the
inaugural Central Coast Veg Fest in
San Luis Obispo. Unique Visitors
Per Month: 3,717,788
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
18. San Luis Obispo
360 Magazine, hosted in SLO the last
weekend in March, posts a roundup of
top restaurants, wineries and
breweries in San Luis Obispo as well
as a review of the SLO Brew Lofts.
Audience Reach: 110,000
19. Rosé craze makes its way
to cider, beer, vodka
USA Today and 16 partner sites post
a roundup of most exciting Rosé
launches in 2018 including Chamisal’s
“Malene” Rosé trailer in San Luis
Obispo.
Combined Unique Visitors Per
Month: 53,873,760
20. Drink rosé all day in this 1969
Airstream tasting room
7x7 and Rachael Ray Every Day
write about Chamisal’s new rosé
airstream saying” this boozy
Airstream channels the laid-back
vibes of SLO.”
Combined Unique Visitors Per
Month: 1,790,000
Report to City of SLO – TBID and PCC
Public Relations Contract
March 2018
21. Wine Flies Free
Afar Magazine and four other outlets
cover the Alaska Airlines Wine Flies
Free program. Combined Unique
Visitors Per Month: 1,070,000
Events
22. SLO Film Fest
Nine articles about the SLO Film Fest
ran in the Tribune, Paso Robles
Daily News, and the Modesto Bee.
Combined Unique Visitors Per
Month: 5,220,000
SLOTBID AGENCY REPORT March 2018
HAPPENING NOW
• Market Research
• Roll Out the Barrels Promotion
• Visit SLO CAL Co-Op
• Horizon Advertorial and Time
Square Video
• RaceSLO planning
• Final VR Shoots
SLO VACATIONS
• Event Management
• Updated Pages
-Update SLO Marathon Page
-Update Music Page
-Update ATV Page
• SEO
-Broken links fixed
-Alt image tags added
-ADA website edits
complete
EMAIL
• 204 new leads from
email sign-up form
• Ongoing Welcome Series
& Hotel Page Email
SLOTBID AGENCY REPORT March 2018
SHARESLO
• Participated in Visit California’s
#Kidifornia Twitter Chat
• Cross-promotion on Cal Poly
social channels
• RaceSLO Ambassador Toolkit
• Instagram Takeover: Strategy
Development, Influencer Sourcing
• Community Blog Posts
-Top Things to Do in
San Luis Obispo: Spring 2018
-How to Do SLO: Traveling with Kids
-SLO Welcomes: Renee Periat
EVENTS
• RaceSLO Planning
• Denver Travel & Adventure Show
• Taste of Washington
OTHER
• Evacuees Lodging Discounts
• Rainy Day Wrap Up
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
• Visit SLO CAL
-Co-Op Digital Display Buy
-Research Co-Op
• Cal Poly Athletics
-2 Presenting Sponsor Games
w/ShareSLO First Pitch
• Cal Poly Parent Program
-E-blast “Getaway Giveaway”
-SLO Discovery Weekend May Planning
• SLO Wine
-Roll out the Barrels
promotion/VR Insert
-E-blast content
LOOKING AHEAD
• Marketing Research Results
• Marketing Plan
SLOTBID AGENCY REPORT March 2018
SESSIONS PAGE VIEWS USERS REFERRALS
SanLuisObispoVacations.com 32,361 52,691 27,196
slocity.org
m.facebook.com
pinterest.com
FACEBOOK
New Fans
Total Fans
Total Reach
Average Reach per Post
Average Daily Page Engaged Users
Total Engagements
0
103,467
537,138
2,925
521
1,837
TWITTER
New Followers
Total Followers
Total Engagements
#ShareSLO
22
4,005
432
311
INSTAGRAM
New Followers
Total Followers
Total Reach
Average Reach per post
Total Engagements
#ShareSLO
145
12,534
122,996
3,324
7,801
2,708
YOUTUBE SLO Promo Video 40,108
Report to City of SLO – TBID
Phone Line and Availability Contract
March 2018
Response to TBID Advertising
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
March
2017
March
2018
Calls to
1-877-SLO-TOWN
54 36 32 31 154 153
Hotel Availability Tracker
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
March
2017
March
2018
Email Response 16 13 13 16 49 58
Phone Calls to
Hotels
63 45 62 63 187 233
Hotel Referrals
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
March
2017
March
2018
Visitors Served
(Walk-ins)
1,360 1,514 1,549 1,614
6,202 6,037
Farmers’ Market* n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Hotel Rooms
Referred
378 459
474
460
1,926 1,771
*estimate without people counter
TOT Comparison
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Change +/-2016-17 2017-18 Change +/-2016-17 2017-18 Change +/-2016-17 2017-18 Change +/-
July 508,195$ 541,806$ 591,184$ 636,778$ 699,845$ 761,346$ 844,845$ 877,391$ 878,786$ 0.2%84.7 84.9 0.3 174.75 174.02 -0.4 148 147.82 -0.1
August 511,564$ 542,194$ 574,395$ 623,655$ 674,244$ 732,271$ 774,501$ 765,232$ 733,970$ -4.1%82.5 76.6 -7.2 155.56 157.94 1.5 128.38 121.01 -5.7
September 400,023$ 437,543$ 490,524$ 508,583$ 505,954$ 557,002$ 643,127$ 650,117$ 715,084$ 10.0%74.8 74.7 -0.02 151.1 158.01 4.6 113.08 118 4.4
October 414,870$ 442,586$ 437,805$ 469,977$ 509,435$ 594,032$ 642,221$ 628,049$ 612,859$ -2.4%72.9 70.3 -3.4 146.18 146.93 0.5 106.51 103.31 -3.0
November 280,913$ 330,924$ 347,437$ 359,163$ 425,769$ 475,360$ 468,016$ 497,162$ 518,972$ 4.4%66.3 66 -0.6 133.3 135.92 1.9 88.61 89.66 1.4
December 246,684$ 274,417$ 314,784$ 319,451$ 355,315$ 391,132$ 429,600$ 434,836$ 479,844$ 10.4%58.9 61.5 4.4 123.58 129.11 4.5 72.52 79.39 9.1
January 230,279$ 256,351$ 276,165$ 302,153$ 331,853$ 400,239$ 387,304$ 396,559$ 413,510$ 4.3%56.3 58 3.1 115.68 118.75 2.7 65.09 68.89 5.8
February 273,373$ 302,246$ 323,359$ 344,160$ 366,980$ 431,510$ 466,915$ 439,735$ 501,883$ 14.1%61.7 69 11.9 128.66 134.06 4.2 79.35 92.5 16.6
March 326,099$ 333,783$ 392,266$ 426,879$ 448,103$ 520,795$ 559,235$ 549,642$ 69.1 130.03 89.91
April 423,158$ 451,133$ 475,913$ 486,850$ 564,617$ 610,894$ 609,439$ 708,724$ 80.4 149.96 120.56
May 372,997$ 433,874$ 447,116$ 489,862$ 546,916$ 601,614$ 598,093$ 645,114$ 72 147.7 106.33
June 490,326$ 512,543$ 578,234$ 610,948$ 630,729$ 727,028$ 731,038$ 765,362$ 79 164.33 129.9
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$ 4,854,909$ 71.55 70.13 143.40 144.34 104.02 102.57
7,294,000$
*3/7 - Jan. TOT missing 1 & Homestay missing 3
*4/5 - Feb. Homestay missing 5
Occupancy ADR RevPAR
Figures from Smith Travel Research report
*3/7 - Dec. Homestay missing 1
*3/7 - Nov. Homestay missing 2
2017-18 Board Liason Property Name
Clint Budget Inn
Clint Homestead Motel
Clint Los Padres Motel
Clint Madonna Inn Inc
Clint San Luis Obispo Travelodge
Clint Villa San Luis Motel
Bruce Royal Oak
Bruce Economy Motel
Bruce Holiday Inn Express
Bruce La Cuesta Inn Llc
Bruce Vagabond
Bruce Embassy Suites
Kimberly Avenue Inn
Kimberly Granada Hotel & Bistro
Kimberly Hostel Obispo
Kimberly San Luis Creek Lodge
Kimberly SLO Brew Lofts
LeBren Motel 6 #1373
LeBren Motel 6 #138
LeBren Rose Garden Inn
LeBren Courtyard By Marriott
LeBren Hampton Inn & Suites
Matt Inn at San Luis Obispo
Matt Sunbeam
Matt Sands Inn & Suites
Matt Super 8 Motel
Matt The Butler Hotel
Matt Petit Soleil
Nipool America's Best Value Inn
Nipool Lamplighter
Nipool Quality Suites San Luis Obispo
Nipool Ramada Olive Tree Inn
Nipool San Luis Inn & Suites
Pragna Lexington Inn
Pragna Apple Farm
Pragna Garden Street Inn Bed & Breakfast
Pragna Heritage Inn
Pragna Peach Tree Inn
Tourism Business Improvement District
Marketing Committee
Meeting Minutes
April 4, 2018 – 10:30 a.m.
Council Hearing Room - 990 Palm St, San Luis Obispo
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Skidmore, Harris
STAFF PRESENT: Molly Cano, Tourism Manager; Chantal Burns, Tourism Coordinator
Call to order time: 10:38 a.m.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. 2018-20 Marketing Plan – TBID Research Study
The marketing agency presented the draft intercept and online survey questions and strategy to
the committee. The committee provided input, discussed specifics of each question’s goals, and
had the opportunity to ask questions of the marketing agency as needed. The committee also
examined the optimal dates and locations for all intercept surveys.
Direction: The committee directed the marketing agency to move forward with the discussed
survey edits and to schedule the surveyors for the determined dates and locations.
2. Travel and Adventure – 2018 Tradeshow Updates
Due to the length of time needed for discussion and edits of business item 1 (TBID Research
Study), business item 2 was postponed to the next committee agenda.
3. New Business
The Tourism Manager reminded the committee that Skidmore will begin his new term as Board
Chair and will not be attending the next marketing committee meeting. Wilkins will be taking
Skidmore’s place in the committee starting in May 2018.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:02 p.m.
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of January 10, 2018 Page 1
Minutes - DRAFT
PROMOTIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Regular Meeting of the Promotional Coordinating Committee
CALL TO ORDER
A Regular Meeting of the Promotional Coordinating Committee was called to order on
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 5:31 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room, located at 990 Palm
Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Levi.
ROLL CALL
Present: Committee Members Diana Cozzi, Jill LeMieux, John Thomas,
Vice Chair Zoya Dixon, and Chair Daniel Levi
Absent: Committee Members Sasha Palazzo and Matthew Wilkins
Staff: Tourism Manager Molly Cano and Recording Secretary Kevin Christian.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
CONSENT AGENDA
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER LEMIEUX, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER DIXON, CARRIED (5-0) to approve the Consent Agenda items C1 to C9.
C.1 Minutes of the Meeting on January 10, 2018
C.2 2017-18 Community Promotions Budget Report
C.3 Public Relations Report, January and February Activity
C.4 Grants-in-Aid (GIA) Support Report, January and February Activity
C.5 Visitors Center Report, January and February Activity
C.6 SLO Happenings Promotions Report, January and February Activity
C.7 Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT) Report
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 2
C.8 Minutes of the Special Meeting on February 7, 2018
C.9 Minutes of the Special Meeting on February 24, 2018
PRESENTATIONS
1. Funding the Future of SLO Presentation
Greg Hermann, Acting Assistant City Manager, presented the “Funding the Future of
SLO” initiative to inform the committee on the process and to receive their feedback to
bring to City Council. A review of the City’s Major City Goals was presented, along
with funding concerns related to the closure of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant,
unfunded pension liabilities, and projected costs for future projects and ongoing
maintenance. Measure G funding was reviewed, with discussion on increasing
maintenance needs and its mechanism for funding new projects. Possible future funding
options presented were a Cannabis tax, sales tax increase, a general obligation bond,
and community facilities district fees. Feedback will be presented to City Council on
April 17, 2018, in order to be considered for a possible ballot measure on the upcoming
regular November Election ballot.
Public Comments:
None
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item
2. SLO Chamber of Commerce Report
Chamber of Commerce representative Molly Kern, Director of Communications and
Business Education, reviewed the public relations activities for January and February.
Highlights included: a piece in the Alaska Airlines “Beyond” magazine, coverage in the
blog Lush Palm, three pieces highlighting the TBID sponsored Rainy Day promotion in
Bay Are News publications, a new ranking as #17 Best Place to Live in the US,
coverage from 7x7 through a partnership with SLO CAL targeting the Bay Area, and
media hosting related to the SLO Film Festival.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item.
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 3
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Promotional Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan
The committee reviewed the 2018 Retreat Report as prepared by BethMarie Ward. A
discussion on the “Action Steps” listed in the plan was held to clarify the group’s
understanding of them.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER COZZI, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER LEMIEUX, CARRIED (5-0) to approve the report as part of the Strategic Action
Plan.
2. 2017-18 Mid Year Budget Update and 2018-19 Budget Process
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the 2017-18 mid-year budget line item status. A
review of the 2018-19 budget process, including the following timeline was presented.
April PCC Meeting – First review of the base budget amounts; receive Chamber of
Commerce contract proposals; possible review & discussions on SLO Happenings
program; possible review & discussions on event budget allocation
May PCC Meeting – Finalize Budget Recommendations for 2018-19
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
No action was taken on this item.
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 4
3. Mid-State Fair Showcase of Cities
The California Mid-State Fair has invited the City to participate in a new program
called “Showcase of Cities”. The “Showcase of Cities” will be a series of window
displays promoting the County Cities at the Mid State Fair, with an award offered for
best display. The participation commitment deadline is May 1st.
The committee considered the opportunity, discussed creating a task force to oversee
the project, possibilities for attracting a creator or creative team, the timeline, and the
budget.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER DIXON, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER LEMIEUX, CARRIED (5-0) to allocate up to $5,000 to create a window display for
the “Showcase of Cities”.
Zoya Dixon and Daniel Levi volunteered to be on a task force to oversee the project.
4. 2018-19 GIA Funding Allocation
The committee reviewed the funding allocation amount for the 2018-19 GIA program
to establish funding direction for the 2018-19 GIA Task Force.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER COZZI, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER LEMIEUX, CARRIED (5-0) to set the 2018-19 GIA budget at $100,000.
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 5
5. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the bylaws for election of Chair and Vice-Chair for
the term of April 2018 to March 2019. It was announced that current Chair Levi would
be willing to relinquish the position even though he is eligible to hold it for a second
term.
Public Comments:
None.
---End of Public Comments---
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER LEMIEUX, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER COZZI, CARRIED (5-0) to elect Zoya Dixon as Chair.
ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER LEMIEUX, SECOND BY COMMITTEE
MEMBER COZZI, CARRIED (5-0) to elect Daniel Levi as Vice Chair.
PCC LIAISON REPORTS AND COMMUNICATION
1. Grants In Aid (GIA) Update
none
2. TBID Board Report
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed the January 10, 2018 TBID meeting, noting the SLO
Wine mid-year report and reporting on remaining event promotion funding. The report
for the March 14, 2018 meeting noted that Bruce Skidmore was elected Chair, with
outgoing Chair Wilkins becoming the Vice Chair. It was additionally reported that the
TBID committed to research projects for marketing data at the March meeting.
DRAFT Minutes – Promotional Coordinating Committee Meeting of March 14, 2018 Page 6
3. Tourism Program Update
Tourism Manager Cano reviewed and reported on the following:
- GIA applications close on March 16th
- Trade show participation: The VR glasses experience was a success at the San
Diego show. The next show to be attended will be in Denver the week of 03/19/18.
- Taste of Washington, part of “SAVOR on the Road” is scheduled for 03/22-23.
- IPW tradeshow, May 19-24 in Denver
- CCTC meeting, April 18-20 in Solvang
- SLO Discovery Weekend: Approximately 60 parents participated in the first session
held in February. It was well received, and improvement opportunities were noted
for inclusion during the upcoming session, May 11-13.
- The Rainy Day promotion sold out approximately one month faster than last year,
and that almost 1800 room nights have already been reserved. It was noted that a
“strong response” has been received from the Seattle WA area.
- The Advisory Bodies will be recognized at the upcoming March 20th City Council
meeting. New member appointments will follow.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. The next regular meeting of the Promotional
Coordinating Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 5:30 p.m., in the
Council Hearing Room, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California.
APPROVED BY THE PROMOTIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE: XX/XX/2018
- Industry Engagement -
VSC Launches #SoSLOCAL Contest
On February 17, VSC launched its search for six San Luis Obispo County residents to
become SLO CAL Storytellers. Applicants were asked to submit a video, blog, five
photos and a short description about why they are #SoSLOCAL. One storyteller from
North County, South County, North Coast and Cal Poly will be chosen, each to
represent one of VSC’s three personas – Active Adventurer, Mom to the Max and
Cultured Class.
Upcoming Opportunities & Events
• Unique, Family-Friendly Activities Content: Visit SLO CAL is collecting content ideas for
media pitches and blogs. If you have unique, family-friendly packages or other notable
information, please email your ideas to Jordan Carson, Jordan@SLOCAL.com.
Visit SLO CAL
Activity Report, February 2018
Full Winter/Spring Media Campaign Launches
In conjunction with the launch of the brand-new SLOCAL.com, VSC launched the
display portion of the winter/spring media campaign. The strategy of this campaign is
to increase awareness and drive consideration for travel to SLO CAL. The winter/spring
media campaign is now running fully on social, display and SEM.
Visit SLO CAL Launches New SLOCAL.com
After many months of writing all new content and developing video, imagery and
customizations, Visit SLO CAL brought to life the brand new SLOCAL.com. This
showcase of our incredible countywide destination offers guests a more robust
experience by allowing all tourism-related businesses access to a free listing in
appropriate categories. This new, inclusive approach to tourism promotion moves VSC
from being a paid membership organization to one of broad representation and
tourism partnership throughout the county.
Visit SLO CAL Wins Visit California Poppy Award
On February 15 in Anaheim, CA, Visit SLO CAL received Visit California’s coveted
Poppy Award for Best Digital Marketing Campaign in recognition of our “Life’s Too
Beautiful to Rush” initiative. One of four finalists for the Best Digital Campaign award,
VSC, with a $3.8 million budget, rose above Monterey County Convention & Visitors
Bureau ($7 million budget), Visit Anaheim ($17 million) and San Diego Tourism Authority
($43 million). VSC’s winning program launched the first-ever countywide brand (SLO
CAL) and corresponding “Life’s Too Beautiful to Rush” campaign developed by their
creative agency BCF.
0
- PR and Travel Trade -
VSC-Assisted Media Placements
• KSBY: Local Destination Non-Profit Wins Visit California’s Poppy Award -
http://bit.ly/VSCPoppyAward
• 7x7: The Lake Tahoe Antidote: Snow-Free Winter Getaways in Northern California -
http://bit.ly/7x7SLOCAL
• Forbes: The Perfect San Luis Obispo SLO CAL Getaway - http://bit.ly/ForbesSLOCAL
• Livability: Is This California Town the Happiest in America? - http://bit.ly/LivabilitySLOCAL
• Bravo TV: California Wine Country Travel Update: Everything You Need to Know to Plan a
Trip After the Fires - http://bit.ly/BravoTVSLOCAL
• SF Chronicle: Slumber Among the Vineyards in Paso Robles -
http://bit.ly/SFChroniclePasoRobles
• Architectural Digest: 33 Incredible Springtime Adventures
Media Visits
• Fashion by Ally - Influencer
• Entertainment Today
• @Tiffpenguin - Influencer
Travel Trade
• MPI Northern California Expo – Feb. 27
Upcoming Travel Trade
• VCA China Sales Mission – April 9-13
• IPW Denver – May 19-23
Film SLO CAL
• Twin Turbos – Discovery Channel
• Outside TV
• Extreme RV – Travel Channel
• Kipling Handbags - Commercial
• HGTV Mountain Life
Visit SLO CAL is a 501c6 tourism non-profit. For more information please call (805)541-8000.
Halter Ranch
Vineyard featured in
Forbes (left) and San
Luis Obispo featured
in 7x7 (right).
Film Scout Location FAM Tour
Film SLO CAL is partnering with the SLO International Film Festival,
to hold a location scout FAM tour on March 19 & 20. A total of
nine producers, filmmakers and location managers will be
attending the scout. The goal is to showcase as many locations
throughout SLO CAL as possible, framing our region as a premier
location for filming.
VISIT SLO CAL
WEB ACTIVITY
SESSIONS: 118,469
UNIQUE VISITORS: 101,353
PAGE VIEWS: 213,711
AVG. PAGE VIEWS/VISIT: 1.80
AVG. TIME ON SITE: 1:40
TOTAL ORGANIC TRAFFIC:
40,453
% OF ORGANIC: 34%
MOBILE SESSIONS: 84,206
MOST VISITED EVENT PAGE:
SURF NITE IN SLO (488 VIEWS)
TOTAL BLOG VISITS: 11,739
MOST VISITED BLOG: 15 FREE
THINGS TO DO IN SLO CAL
(662 VISITS)
VISIT SLO CAL
SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
FACEBOOK
LIKES: 30,314 NEW: 2,618
TOT. ORGANIC IMPRESSIONS:
174,763
HIGHEST REACH: BIG WAVES
ARE COMING TO THE SLO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST…
(7K PEOPLE REACHED)
HIGHEST ENGAGEMENT: BIG
WAVES ARE COMING TO THE SLO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST…
(2.8K ENGAGEMENTS)
FOLLOWERS NEW
TWITTER: 7,774 58
33.8K IMPRESSIONS
PINTEREST: 719 7
INSTAGRAM: 19.1K 2000
VISITOR GUIDE DIST.
GUIDES DISTRIBUTED: 520
THIS MONTH IN SLO CAL
SUBSCRIBERS 34,651
OPENS: 4,979
CLICK-THROUGHS: 733
THIS WEEK IN SLO CAL
CIRCULATION: 1,684
MOST CLICKED LINK:
STR REPORT
January 2018 vs January 2017 Lodging Statistics (STR, Inc.)
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 2018
Executive Overview:
SEO Activities Completed Last Month:
* Monthly SEO report & monthly SEO call with client.
* Recommendations to client from Visitors Guide content.
* Crawl error check pre-launch; none to correct. Crawl error check post-launch + corrections.
* New website launched 2/13/18. Keyword research for new website.
* Installed Goodway Group tags for new site launch.
* Answered client's question about auto-generated meta titles/descriptions for new site and the capability to edit them.
* Site speed review.
* Meta tags installed for new website launch. Appended auto-generated meta titles with city/state.
* Broken link scan & correction after website launch.
* Set up Goal & Event Tracking in Google Analytics.
* Updated keywords tracked in ranking tool.
* Turned on schema and mapped subcategories.
* Pulled over pixels from the old site and implemented additional tracking pixels.
Organic Traffic Overview:
Organic sessions increased almost 10%, organic bounce rate improved 46%, and organic average session duration
improved 24% year over year. The top organic landing pages in February post-launch were: Events & Festivals,
Home, 15 Free Things to do in SLO CAL, Pismo Beach/Shell Beach, Explore, Paso Robles, Things to Do , Live Music &
Concerts, and Morro Bay.
Other Notes:
* Total sessions decreased by 63%, pages per session increased 30%, avg. session duration increased by 85%, and
bounce rate improved 50.5% year over year.
* The Blog home page received 199 pageviews in February. The entire blog received 11,739 pageviews.
Industry Averages:Engagement Metrics Industry Average Your Website % Difference
Total Pages Per Visit:2.12 1.80 -17.52%
Total Average Visit Duration:0:01:55 0:01:40 -15.34%
Total Bounce Rate:54.37%41.60%-30.69%
Organic Pages Per Visit:1.92 2.68 28.36%
Organic Average Visit Duration:0:01:35 0:02:46 42.89%
Organic Bounce Rate:56.47%25.32%-123.04%
SEO Overview
Page 2 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: September 1, 2017 - February 28, 2018
Total Traffic Overview:
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Visits:52,586 89,118 99,344 49,244 81,285 118,469
Unique Visitors:44,810 74,059 79,926 39,404 63,169 101,353
Bounce Rate:56%56%58%41%43%42%
Pageviews:136,939 189,252 195,971 140,319 194,881 213,711
Avg Pageviews Per Visit:2.60 2.12 1.97 2.85 2.40 1.80
Avg Time on Site:0:01:53 0:02:03 0:02:06 0:03:00 0:02:54 0:01:40
Total Organic Search Traffic:34,786 33,015 35,581 32,441 34,240 40,453
% of Traffic Organic Search:66%37%36%66%42%34%
Entry Pages From Search:2,087 2,052 2,319 2,071 1,935 2,090
VisitSLOCounty Visits:0 0 0 0 0 0
VisitSLOCounty Bounce Rate:0%0%0%0%0%0%
Mobile/Tablet SnapShot:
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Visits:33,005 60,436 71,632 31,041 49,863 84,206
% of visits 63%68%72%63%61%71%
Bounce Rate:62%60%62%47%48%43%
Pageviews: 69,862 110,010 121,349 78,074 106,732 132,708
Avg Time on Site:0:01:25 0:01:49 0:01:53 0:02:38 0:02:44 0:01:20
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Total Visits Comparison
Prior Year This Year
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
Social Organic
Search
Paid
Search
Direct Display
Traffic Sources
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Mobile/Tablet Visits
Prior Year This Year
Page 3 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
Organic Traffic % of Total
Site Traffic
Visits 29,007 24.48%
Organic Engagement Compared to Site Engagement
Pageviews Per Visit 2.68 48.57%
Avg. Time on Site 0:02:46 66.84%
New Visits 78.10%-6.08%
Bounce Rate 25.32%-39.14%
Search Engine Visits Percent
google 27,341 94.26%
yahoo 833 2.87%
bing 797 2.75%
ask 29 0.10%
baidu 3 0.01%
avg 1 0.00%
Exact Keyword Visits Percent Landing Page Visits Percent
(not provided)28,663 98.81%/3,040 10.48%
san luis obispo 19 0.07%/events-and-festivals/2,175 7.50%
amazon 16 0.06%/events 1,739 6.00%
san luis obispo events 8 0.03%/blog/post/insider-tips-15-free-things-to-do-in-slo-cal/528 1.82%
https://www.slocal.com/6 0.02%/blog/950/insider-tips-15-free-things-to-do-in-slo-cal 378 1.30%
https://www.visitsanluisobispocounty.com/5 0.02%/explore/pismo-beach-shell-beach/317 1.09%
san simeon ca 5 0.02%/our-area 316 1.09%
(not set)4 0.01%/explore/310 1.07%
things to do in san luis obispo 4 0.01%/community/pismo-beach 302 1.04%
cambria, cali 3 0.01%/events/all/valentines_day 278 0.96%
Organic Search Traffic:
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Organic Visits Comparison
Prior Year Current Year
Page 4 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
Google Search Console Search Queries:
Queries Clicks Impressions CTR Position
san luis obispo 964 55,372 1.74%5.6
pismo beach 200 32,074 0.62%6.5
san luis obispo events 149 439 33.94%1.8
things to do in san luis obispo 133 2,073 6.42%5.3
slocal 106 276 38.41%2.4
morro bay 100 16,787 0.60%8.1
paso robles 92 18,484 0.50%9
slo events 92 251 36.65%1.6
morro bay farmers market 87 174 50.00%1.1
slo cal 76 274 27.74%1.4
events in san luis obispo 73 197 37.06%1.6
visit slo cal 68 128 53.12%2.9
san simeon 64 5,715 1.12%5.6
avila beach 54 7,399 0.73%6.7
san luis obispo california 51 6,081 0.84%6
events san luis obispo 42 174 24.14%1.8
san simeon ca 41 1,990 2.06%4.1
things to do in slo 41 483 8.49%5.5
san luis obispo county 39 3,529 1.11%6.2
visit san luis obispo 36 100 36.00%5.6
things to do in san luis obispo this weekend 36 125 28.80%1.4
visit slo 36 81 44.44%1.3
cambria ca 35 4,610 0.76%9.6
hearst castle 33 22,994 0.14%8.9
san miguel ca 32 707 4.53%2.7
events in slo 32 82 39.02%1.7
santa margarita 32 3,018 1.06%5.2
arroyo grande 31 3,851 0.80%5.3
atascadero 27 5,207 0.52%6.1
nipomo ca 27 2,182 1.24%6.9
Page 5 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
cayucos 26 3,041 0.85%7.9
morro bay california 25 3,436 0.73%7.1
cambria california 25 3,296 0.76%9.7
morro bay ca 24 3,315 0.72%7.3
templeton ca 24 1,592 1.51%3.5
slo county events 21 47 44.68%3.8
pismo car show 2018 21 211 9.95%2.5
san luis obispo tourism 20 107 18.69%2.5
what to do in san luis obispo 20 443 4.51%6.8
san luis obispo upcoming events 20 121 16.53%1.8
san luis obispo things to do 19 858 2.21%6.3
visit slocal 19 31 61.29%2.1
san luis obispo calendar 19 55 34.55%1.8
things to do in san luis obispo today 19 43 44.19%4.5
events slo 18 46 39.13%1.7
lopez lake fishing 18 60 30.00%1.4
los osos ca 17 1,177 1.44%4.2
san luis obispo ca 17 2,030 0.84%6.9
cayucos ca 17 2,400 0.71%9.3
things to do in pismo beach 16 1,705 0.94%7.9
Page 6 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
Demographics & Interests
Affinity Categories:
Top 10 Affinity Categories Visits
Food & Dining/Cooking Enthusiasts/30 Minute Chefs 26,478
News & Politics/News Junkies/Entertainment & Celebrity News Junkies 26,355
Shoppers/Value Shoppers 25,665
Lifestyles & Hobbies/Family-Focused 21,639
Media & Entertainment/Book Lovers 20,194
Media & Entertainment/TV Lovers 19,429
Lifestyles & Hobbies/Pet Lovers 18,867
Travel/Travel Buffs 18,618
Lifestyles & Hobbies/Art & Theater Aficionados 18,442
Lifestyles & Hobbies/Shutterbugs 17,403
Other Categories:
Top 10 Categories Visits
Arts & Entertainment/Celebrities & Entertainment News 16,553
Food & Drink/Cooking & Recipes 7,672
News/Weather 7,133
Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/Online Video 6,193
Travel/Air Travel 6,118
Sports/Team Sports/American Football 5,499
News/Politics 5,398
Arts & Entertainment/Fun & Trivia/Fun Tests & Silly Surveys 4,927
Real Estate/Real Estate Listings/Residential Sales 4,177
Reference/General Reference/Dictionaries & Encyclopedias 4,168
Affinity Categories broaden the scope to identify users in terms of
lifestyle; for example, Technophiles, Sports Fans, and Cooking
Enthusiasts. These categories are defined in a similar way to TV
audiences, and represent an opportunity to understand the behavior
of your audience.
Other Categories are used to classify groups of users based on the
specific content they consume, along with how recently and
frequently they consume that content. This category data provides a
more focused view of your users, and lets you analyze behavior more
narrowly than Affinity Categories.
* Per Google
5.81%
15.26%
11.76% 10.36% 10.72%
7.65%
3.27%
8.29%
7.94%
6.99% 6.68%
5.26%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Age Group by Gender Male
Female
Page 7 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
Top Content:Geographic:
Top Landing Pages Entrances
/44,574
/just-your-speed/18,688
/things-to-do/3,900
/events-and-festivals/3,621
/stay/3,273
/events 2,048
/stay/vacation-rentals/2,043
(not set)1,863
/so-slo-cal/1,439
/activities 1,345
Top Content Pages Pageviews
/54,115
/just-your-speed/20,656
/events-and-festivals/5,854
/stay/5,518
/things-to-do/5,335
/events 4,047
/stay/vacation-rentals/2,583
/activities 1,794
/things-to-do/beaches-parks-nature/beaches/1,765
/eat-and-drink/1,613
Top Exit Pages Exits
/36,532
/just-your-speed/18,687
/things-to-do/3,911
/stay/3,401
/events-and-festivals/2,895
/stay/vacation-rentals/1,869
/so-slo-cal/1,401
/activities 1,133
/events 986
/things-to-do/beaches-parks-nature/beaches/874
17%
7% 4%
4%
4%
2% 1% 1%
1% 1%
58%
Top Cities Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Jose
Phoenix
San Luis Obispo
Denver
Seattle
Long Beach
Paso Robles
Glendale
Other
70.5%
7.9%
6.4%
5.6% 4.0%
0.7%
0.4%
0.4%
0.4%
0.3% 3.3%
Top States California
Arizona
Washington
Colorado
Nevada
Texas
New York
Michigan
Virginia
Oregon
Other
34.36%
22.31%
9.71%
7.66% 6.45%
4.95% 1.78%
1.37%
1.14%
1.03%
9.25%
Top Metros Los Angeles CA
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose CA
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo CA
Phoenix AZ
Seattle-Tacoma WA
Denver CO
Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto CA
Fresno-Visalia CA
Las Vegas NV
San Diego CA
Other
Page 8 of 23
Date: March 2, 2018
Client: SLO CAL
Date Range: February 1 - 28, 2018
In-MarketVs Visitor:
4,867
29,396
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000
In-Market
Out of Market
Desktop Visits
4,782
79,424
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000
In-Market
Out of Market
Mobile/Tablet Visits
85.80%
14.20%
94.32%
5.68%
Page 9 of 23