MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST REGIONAL CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU OFFICIAL MINUTES JUNE 24, 2014

Transcription

1 MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST REGIONAL CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU OFFICIAL MINUTES JUNE 24, 2014 The MS Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau Commissioners met Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 1:30 p.m., at 2350 Beach Blvd, Suite A, Biloxi, MS Commissioners Present: Duncan McKenzie, president; Kim Fritz, vice president; Jimmie Ladner, treasurer; Rich Westfall, secretary; Richard Chenoweth; Jeff Descher; Danny Hansen; Chett Harrison; Bill Holmes; Jerry Levens; George Schloegel; CeCe Shabazz; Carla Todd; Clay Wagner Commissioners absent: Rip Daniels HCTC Staff Members Present: Crystal Johnson, acting manager; Traci Dauro; Janice Jones, Internet/e marketing manager Others Present: Hugh Keating, legal counsel; Linda Hornsby, MS Hotel & Lodging Assn; Myrna Green, HCTDB; Courtney Haggerty, Residence Inn Gulfport; John Boyle, MS Hospitality & Rest Assn; Marcia Crawford, HC Development Commission; Jennifer Fink, & Joey Crawford, Masterminds; Mary Perez, Sun Herald; Nikki Moon, HC Tourism Development Bureau; Carlos Bell, State Port of Gulfport; Alyssa Meisner, WXXV25; Christian Garcia, WLOX President McKenzie called the meeting to Order. 1. Commissioner Hansen made the motion to accept the agenda as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Descher, the president called the question, with the following results: 2. Commissioner Hansen made the motion to approve the minutes as presented from the May 27, 2014 meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Descher, the president called the question, with the following results: 3. Commissioner Descher made the motion to approve the minutes as presented from the June 11, 2014 meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Hansen, the president called the question, with the following results: 1

2 4. Linda Hornsby, MS Hotel & Lodging Assn reported on the May occupancy report. Occupancy is up for the month, with ADR being $89.41 compared to 2013 $85.53, and RevPAR is up $53.66 compared to $49.16 from Carlos Bell, Director of Marketing, MS State Port of Gulfport updated the Commission on the Port with the following: Announced that McDermott will be relocating to the port from New Orleans New tenants looking to move to the facility are three spooling cranes operations, and a metal piping company, more information will be announced soon on tenants With these new companies moving, it could mean up to 100 new employees at the Port 6. President McKenzie asked the Commissioners to review the Acting Manager report A. Marketing Department 1. Fifteen articles ran that Taryn, Social Media/Media Relations, assisted with including articles in Select Traveler, Fodor s Travel Biloxi Travel Guide, WWL-TV, Life & Style in Southern Illinois, Gulf Latitudes.com, The Cooking Ladies, Golfing Mississippi.com, the New Orleans Advocate as well as a few others. B. Sales Department 1. We had a booth downstairs giving away popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jacks at the MS Association of Supervisors Conference to encourage Supervisors from around the state to vote to bring the conference back to the MS Gulf Coast in 2017 it was a closed ballot vote and the Mississippi Gulf Coast was selected! 2. Travel (upcoming and completed): A. Janet Harrington and Penny Quave, MS Coast Convention Center, completed sales mission to Dallas, TX in May working on several leads now. B. Crystal Johnson along with Janice Jefferson, MCCCC and Kay Hall with Courtyard by Marriott will be in Atlanta making sales calls to meeting planners. Have appointments with groups like: Honda Manufacturing, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association, Coca-Cola, and several third party meeting planner companies. C. Working on scheduling appointments for trips to Chicago, IL (July 28 August 1) 3. The Convention Fam Tour and Leisure Group Fam Tour is planned for August 23 27, Save the Date will go out by June 30 th with invitations by mid-july. 4. Convention Sales Leads are pacing ahead of last fiscal year by 13% in total tentative leads. Bookings are pacing even with last fiscal year. Our biggest challenge is still no convention center hotel when it comes to booking convention business. UPDATES: C. Research I spoke with Rupa DeLoach with Northstar today: 1. Performance Dashboard for KPI reporting will be sent to the CVB by 7/1/14 for revisions/edits/feedback 2. CVB to send North Star January 2014 May 2014 STR Reports 3. North Star to send CVB list of tourism attractions 4. CVB to audit list of tourism attractions needs us to make sure they didn t miss any 5. North Star will send us the survey to review for the ROI conversion 6. CVB to send North Star list of inquiry database (names/ s) 7. CVB to provide North Star financials for quarterly reporting or provide contact with CPA firm. 2

3 8. CVB to notify stakeholders/partners of project and ask them to cooperate with requests for information/data from North Star 9. She will need list of utility companies with contacts (if we have them) for them to contact to assist with condo occupancy rates. D. Dining & Attractions Guide spoke with Michael Sunderman they have started to sell advertising for the guide. Looking into scheduling a meeting for next Friday to talk about content and next steps. Sales Departments Production Report May 2014 A. Convention Sales: (Please review full reports) May Convention Sales Leads generated: Sixteen (16)/YTD - 92; 6,884 delegates/ytd- 28,572; 8,963 room nights/ytd 42,324; Estimated economic impact $5,163, Bookings/Definite: Five (5)/YTD 35; 1,480 delegates/ytd 6,428; 1,901 room nights/ytd 10,232; Estimated economic impact $1,110, Lost Business Report: (See full report): Five (5)/YTD MGC Conventions/Groups Serviced: (See full report): Groups 10/YTD 47; Delegates 2,140/YTD 14,540; Economic Impact - $1,605,000.00; CVB Cost to service - $ B. Group/Leisure $200. Per room night (See full report) 1. Leads: Two (2)/YTD 24; Passengers 100/YTD 1,974; Room nights 3,581/YTD 5,306; Estimated economic Impact- $987, Definite Per person 2.5 nights: One (1)/YTD- 10; Passengers 50/YTD- 514; Room nights 50/YTD- 517; Estimated impact - $25, Sports Sales and Marketing: (See full report) April Leads: Three (3)/YTD 26; Attendees 1,600/YTD 26,762; Room nights 1,105/YTD 18,055; Estimated Economic Impact - $320, Definite Bookings: Four (4)/ YTD 19; Attendees 8,859/YTD 23,472; Room Nights 4,770/YTD 15,005; Economic Impact - $1,771, Meetings/Activities: (See full report) 4. Lost/Cancelled Business : 2016 Chinese Shar-Pei Nationals Marketing & Communications Department: (Please See full report) 1. Article Media: Fifteen (15) Articles 2. Advertising Inquiries/fulfillment: USA 800 Top 10 AD Inquiries - May 1,216/YTD 7, USA 800 Top 3 AD Source May: Web-494; Search Engine 273; Unknown USA 800 Top 3 AD Source: YTD: Web - 2,807; Search Engine - 1,672; Fall Travel Planner (Compass) USA 800 Top 3 AD Source by State May: Mississippi 180; Louisiana 155; Texas 146; May Totals for USA 800 = 1, USA 800 Top 3 AD Source by State YTD: Mississippi 749; Texas 651; Illinois 520; YTD Totals for USA 800 = 7, CVB In House Ad Sources: Contact Us 43; Search Engine 16; Friend Referral - 14; May Totals for In-House Requests = CVB In-House Inquiry by States: Mississippi 26; Louisiana - 22; Texas 12; YTD Totals for In-House Inquiries = Web Statistics GulfCoast.org Google Analytics May vs. April YTD: Visits - 135,949/ +23,363/832,284; Unique Visitors - 106,319/+18,138/599,034; Page Views - 511,310/+106,558/ 2,894,467; Pages Visited /-; Avg. Visit Duration - 04:08; Bounce Rate %/-; New Visits %/ Outbound referrals to Marketing Partners Web Sites May: Partners received referrals 829; Top 3 outbound sites and numbers; Beau Rivage - 7,087; Grand Biloxi - 5,369; Hard Rock Hotel - 4, Mobile Statistics May vs. April: Visits - 41,550/+5,932; Unique Visitors - 32,712/+5,061; Page Views - 326,899/+63,605; Avg. Visit Duration - 2:53/-; Bounce Rate %/-; New Visits % %/- 12. Web Banner Advertising (gulfcoast.org) Page impressions: Island View Casino Resort - 20,924; Palace Casino - 20,924; South Beach Biloxi Hotel & Suites - 14,855; MHLA Golf Ad/Hotels 14,855 - Preserve Golf Course - 2,275; MHLA Golf Ad /Golf 2,275 3

4 13. Click Through events: Island View Casino Resort 366; South Beach Biloxi 485; Palace Casino 285; MSHLA / Golf 28; Preserve Golf Course 47; MSHLA / Hotels 15; 7. Masterminds presented the following information: New tag line has been introduced Photo shoot took 6 days, 9 actors, 13 different locations; 6 15 sec spots to include oyster tasting; crabbing; mudding; sparklers; casinos; golf. Interim website has incorporated the new photo shots, re-skinned the main pages, sliders still the same, frames to click videos interior pages for web banners, enabled with hyperlinks active Work in progress 3 videos, digital banner ads, digital videos, s and newsletters, go coastal, FTG and social media Editing sound and frame enhancements to the videos and phots. Commissioner Descher was interested in adding another video, possibly couple in their 40 s for fishing/boating. Commissioner Fritz discussed the cost for an additional video and possibly the Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Partnership could help with the cost. 8. Commissioner Fritz made the motion authorizing the Acting Manager to execute a letter of agreement from Hollywood Casino for Spotlight on the Southeast Fam being held August 10 11, The agreement places no monetary obligations on the MGCRCVB for hosting the group. Seconded by Commissioner Chenoweth, the president called the question, with the following results: 9. Commissioner Schloegel made the motion to approve the revised job description for Public/Media Relations Manager subject to the executive director s review of same. Seconded by Commissioner Chenoweth, the president called the question, with the following results: 10. Commissioner Ladner reported on the June 24, 2014 disbursements as follows: check disbursements for 06/24/14--$495,615.39; total travel advance/reimbursement for the month of June - $1,892.02; grand total disbursements--$497, Commissioner Chenoweth moved these disbursements be approved. Seconded by Commissioner Wagner, the president called the question, with the following results: 4

5 11. Commissioner Ladner reported on the following items: Room sales tax revenue of room sales tax collections for June 24, 2014 actual 5% collection was $558, with HCBOS s 2.75% share being $307, and MGCRCVB s 2.25% share being $251, for a 5.02% change in total collection, and total loss of -2.71% year to year changes. World Choice Travel Revenue collections for the month of May 2014 being $395.98, with a total year to date $5, Mr. Keating reported on the following items: The Memo of Understand between MDOT and MGCRCVB, Hancock, Harrison & Jackson counties is ready for the Commission to vote on. Reviewed the letter from Hollywood Casino, everything seems in order. 13. Commissioner Levens made the motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the MS Department of Transportation, MS Gulf Coast Regional CVB, Hancock County, Harrison County, and Jackson County for new and improved signage and traffic control devices along the MS Gulf Coast, and authorizing president to execute same. Seconded by Commission Hansen, the president called the question, with the following results: 14. Commissioner Wagner made a motion nominating the following slate of officers for the 2014/2015, effective July 1, 2014 as presented: President Kim Fritz Vice President Rich Westfall Treasurer Jimmie Ladner Secretary Jeff Descher Seconded by Commissioner Descher, the president called the question, with the following results: 15. Commissioner Schloegel made the motion to accept the nominees as listed. Seconded by Commissioner Chenoweth, the president called the question, with the following results: 5

6 16. Commissioner Westfall made the motion to approve the advertising placement in the Official MS Tour Guide, 2015 for a 2 page 4 color spread, plus back cover in the amount of $22, Seconded by Commissioner Descher, the president called the question, with the following results: 17. Commissioner Schloegel updated the Commission on the Development Committee: MDOT is cutting Interstate 10, hopeful to add another cutting in the cycle Discussions are proceeding with the MDOT and the Tri-County Beautification plan 18. Commissioner Levens updated the Commission on the Audits: Chuck Benvenutti is close to completing information for Dean Fletcher on year ending September Had one meeting and pulling additional details on payables for accruals. Yearend September 2013 working to deliver to Dean by July 10 th Current accounting support for 2014 is still ongoing. 19. Myrna Green, HCTDB reported on the following items: Magnolia Money has started, with 75 merchants participating, giving away cards at welcome center also. Past weekend a Beach Volleyball tournament was held in Hancock County with attendance being high Waveland All Sports Volleyball team going to National competition Mid Summers Night Dream went over well, a lot of picnics, family attendance. There is a new museum on Coleman Avenue Ground Zero Motorcoach visits are down a little, wedding and reunions picking up in the area. The Tourism Bureau has appointed Nikki Moon as their Advisory Member to the MGCRCVB. 20. Commissioner Holmes reported that the Sub-Committee Future Funding will meet soon. He has spoken with both public and private investors on different ways to raise funds for the CVB. Just for informational purposes, the Baptist Church event that was just here has booked the center for the next two years. Also, Living Proof Live will be at the center with over 8,500 attendees expected for the weekend event. 21. Commissioner Descher made the motion to enter into Closed Session to discuss the need to enter into Executive Session. Seconded by Commissioner Hansen, the president called the question, with the following results: 6

7 22. Commissioner Descher made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel matters. Seconded by Commissioner Wagner, the president called the question, with the following results: 23. Commissioner Descher made the motion to reconvene from Executive Session on personnel matters and to re-enter Executive Session to discuss matter dealing with economic development. Seconded by Commissioner Wagner, the president called the question, with the following results: 24. Commissioner Wagner made the motion to reconvene from Executive Session. Seconded by Commissioner Descher, the president called the question, with the following results: 25. Legal Counsel reported no action taken during Executive Session. 26. Commissioner Wagner made the motion to hire Renee Areng as executive director subject to the approval and execution of the Employment Agreement as presented and approved by the CVB, effective August 1, Seconded by Commissioner Holmes, the president called the question, with the following results: 7

8 27. Reminders 1. Holiday Office Closed Friday, July 4 th Independence Day 2. MGCRCVB meeting Tuesday, July 22 1:30pm 28. Commissioner Harrison made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Wagner, the president called the question, with the following results: Reports CONVENTION SALES: Tentative Leads: May 2014: 16 Fiscal YTD: 92 Goal: 200 Name Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Origin MDE MIS Summer Data Conference 2014 Jul 22 24, / 700 MCCC Referral Mississippi Judicial College Court Administrators Spring 2015 Conference Mississippi Office of State Public Defenders Fall 2014 Youth Court Defenders Conference Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc th District Meeting Site Search Restaurant Association 2016 Meeting Site Search Restaurant Association 2017 Meeting Iowa Soybean Association Soybean States Staff Meeting 2015 Southeastern Regional Motorcoach Operators Coalition American Coal Council Coal Market Strategies Conference International Masons and Order of Eastern Stars 2015 Conclave National Beta Club Mississippi Senior Beta Club Optimist International Optimist International 2017 Special D Events W.D. Kellogg Foundation Fellows Sessions W.D. Kellogg Foundation Fellows Sessions Gulfport High School Class of GHS 55 th Reunion Apr 21 24, / 255 Sep 10 12, / 70 Mar 24 27, / 1,158 Apr 24 27, 2016 Apr 23-26, / / 365 Apr 12 16, / 261 Feb 20 22, / 130 Aug 15 20, / 345 Oct 14 18, / 857 Call CVENT MCCCC Referral CVENT DC Sales Mission CVENT Feb 14 16, ,000 / 1,400 Call Jun 24 30, ,100 / 2,681 CVENT Aug 5 9, 2014 Dec 2 6, / / 128 May 15 17, / 60 Taplin Family Reunion July 17 19, / 60 Website inquiry TOTALS 6,884/ 8,963 YTD TOTALS 28,572 / 42,324 Estimated Economic Impact: $5,163, (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) Call Call Call Goal: 100,000 Room nights

9 Conventions Serviced: May 2014: 10 Fiscal YTD: 47 Goal: 110 Name Meeting Date # Attendees Service included: Rotary Club May Registration assistance, name badges, pens, bags MS Farm Bureau Federation May Bags, pens, dining guides MS Credit Union Assn. May Registration assistance Weathersby Family Reunion May Bags, pens Jones Family Reunion May Name badges, pens, bags Ratcliff Family Reunion May Name badges, pens, bags MEMA May Bags Gulf Park College Alumnae Reunion May Name badges, pens, bags T.O.P.S. May Name badges, pens, bags MS Fire Chiefs & Firefighters Association May Registration assistance, name badges, pens, bags TOTALS 2,140 YTD TOTALS 14,540 Goal: 26,000 room nights Total HCTC Investment in Services: $1, Estimated Economic Impact: $1,605, (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) Site Visits: May 2014: 3 Fiscal YTD: 12 Name Tentative Dates # Attendees / # Room Nights HOF Reunion October / 660 Spotlight on the Southeast Conference August / 120 National AMBUCS September / 760 Client Meetings / Client Events / Client Projects: May 2014: 1 Name Dates # Attendees / # Room Nights American Coal Council Ingrid Shumate August / 345 Travel: May 2014: 3 Name Dates Sales Manager(s) Attending MSAE Mid Year Conference - BSL May 1, 2014 Annette Rand Dallas Sales Trip May 19-22, 2014 Janet Harrington MSAE Lunch & Learn Sales Calls in PM - Jackson May 21, 2014 Annette Rand Definite Bookings: May 2014 : 5 Fiscal YTD: 35 Goal: 100 Name Delta Association for Rural Initiatives 2014 Regional Convention H.T. Hackney Convenience Expo 2017 Lutheran Women s Missionary League Annual Conference Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights 9 Headquarter Hotel July 21 24, / 240 Biloxi property Feb 19 24, / 770 Biloxi property Apr 29 May 1, / 150 Gulfport property

10 Mississippi Fire Investigators Assoc Spring Annual Meeting Apr 7 10, / 210 Biloxi property Southeastern Assoc. of Fire Chiefs 2016 Annual Leadership Conference June 12 18, / 531 Biloxi property TOTALS 1,480 / 1,901 YTD TOTALS 6,428 / 10,232 Goal: 50,000 room nights Estimated Economic Impact: $1,110, (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) Lost /Cancelled Business: May 2014: 5 Fiscal YTD: 42 Name Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Reason Lost Atmos Energy Corporation MS Division 2014 Leadership Team Meeting Oct 7 9, / 60 They have decided to have conference in Natchez. Fastenal Fastenal Employee Expo Dec 5 13, ,200 / 3,904 American Backflow Prevention Assoc. 31 st Annual Conf. & Tradeshow Apr 16 23, / 603 Conference Direct Achieving the Dream 2014 Fall Coaches Retreat Oct 14 19, / 180 Conference Direct 2014 DSN Institute Oct 1 5, / 695 LEISURE TRAVEL: Tentative Leads: They are unable to shift the pattern off of the Friday peak. They typically pay $ for a hotel room which includes convention space. Shane not in on 5/30 but spoke with Rory. Board voted last week and chose Nashville. The group decided to pursue South Carolina as their location. They have decided to stay in the Birmingham area for this meeting. Some of it hinged on the amount of grant money the client received and how far she could stretch it. May 2014: 2 Fiscal YTD: 24 Goal: 85 Name Tour Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Bespoke Travel Production Crew June 5 July 21, / 3,525 Gaten s Adventures Unlimited, LLC - Sept 5, 2014 Mar 29, / 56 TOTALS 100 / 3,581 YTD TOTALS 1,974 /5,306 Estimated Economic Impact: $987, (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) Definite Bookings: May 2014: 1 Fiscal YTD: 10 Name Tour Date # Passenger / # Room Nights Headquarter Hotel Awesome Adventures Unique Destinations July 9, / 50 Biloxi Property Incentive Offered TOTALS 50 / 50 YTD TOTALS 514 / 517 Estimated Economic Impact: $25, (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) Lost/Cancelled Business: May 2014: 1 Fiscal YTD: 16 10

11 Name Elite/Goody Tours Gaming Trips Tour Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Reason Lost/Cancelled Oct 12 16, / 132?? Staff Meetings: May 2014: Meeting Name: Full Staff Meetings (weekly) Welcome Centers Conference Call with David Neuhoff, Gulf Coast Galleria Project MS Tourism Association Board Meeting MGCRCVB Special Meeting Called Masterminds Conference Calls (weekly) Meeting - Janice Jefferson MCCCC RE: Atlanta Sales Calls Conference call with Passkey The Shed BBQ Culinary Fam Meeting with Thomas Rudderow Collinson Media MS Coast Coliseum & Convention Center Mtg Marketing Committee Meeting GC Regional Tourism Partnership Mtg Director of Hotel Sales Meeting (Monthly) Meeting new sales person Holiday Inn - Biloxi Ohr Board Meeting MGCRCVB Board Meeting Masterminds Video/Photo Shoot Staff Member All Staff All Staff Crystal Johnson Annette Rand Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson Crystal Johnson All Staff Linda Stewart Annette Rand Crystal Johnson/Traci Dauro Crystal Johnson Sports Department SPORTS: Tentative Leads: May 2014: 3 Fiscal YTD: 26 Goal: 40 Name Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Origin 360 Cheer, Dance & Step Championships December 5, / 200 Coliseum Sales Staff Gulf South USSSA, Inc 2014 All-Star World Series June 30-July 5, / 405 Client Call US Fast Pitch Magnolia Classic (softball) June 6-8, / 500 Client Call TOTALS 1600 / 1105 Monthly Estimated Economic Impact: $320, (based upon $ per person x 1600 attendees for an average of 2.0 nights) Monthly Direct Room Night Impact: $110, (based on $100 per room x 1105 room nights) YTD Estimated Economic Impact: $5,352, (based upon $ per person x 26,762 attendees for an average of 2.0 nights) 11

12 YTD Direct Room Night Impact: $1,805, (based on $100 per room x 18,055 room nights) Definite Bookings: May 2014: 4 Fiscal YTD: 19 Goal: 20 Name Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Headquarter Hotel Gulf Coast Disc Sports SN Cup Team Challenge May 31-June 1, / 130 Various USFA Crossfire Spring Fling (softball) May 10-11, / 520 Various USFA Memorial Day Classic (softball) May 23-25, / 1760 Various USSSA 300 pt. Early Summer Shootout (baseball) May 3-4, / 2360 Various TOTALS 8859 / 4770 Monthly Estimated Economic Impact: 1,771,800 (based upon $ per person x 8,859 attendees for an average of 2.0 nights Monthly Direct Room Night Impact: $447, (based on $100 per room x 4,770 room nights) YTD Estimated Economic Impact: $4,694, (based upon $ per person x 23,472 attendees for an average of 2.0 nights) YTD Direct Room Night Impact: $1,500, (based on $100 per room x 15,005 room nights) Goal: $3,000, YTD Room Nights: 15,005 Goal: 30,000 YTD Attendees: 23,472 Goal: 35,000 Site Visits: May 2014: 2 Fiscal YTD: 7 Name Tentative Dates # Attendees / # Room Nights Gulf Coast Karate Association June / 200 Club Dig It Volleyball February / 500 Events Serviced: May 2014: 0 Fiscal YTD: 2 Name Meeting Date # Attendees Service included: TOTALS Total MGCRCVB Investment in Services: $ Estimated Economic Impact: (based upon $ per person for an average of 2.5 nights) 12

13 Meetings: May 2014: Meeting/Contacts Staff Member Description Monthly Sales Meeting Gary Benson, Torye Hurst Meeting with Hotel Management, Convention Center Sales Staff, and CVB staff on May 1, Biloxi Baseball Torye Hurst Met with Tim Bennett to discuss potential bid for 2015 and/or 2016 bid for Conference USA Baseball tournament. National Tourism Week Gary Benson, Torye Hurst Worked at Jackson County Welcome Center four days from June 5-June 9. Conference USA Baseball Tournament Torye Hurst Attended meeting at Hancock Bank Biloxi with Tim Bennett and others to examine details and discuss the possibility of hosting the 2015 and/or 2016 Conference USA Baseball tournament. Masterminds Site Scout Torye Hurst On May 27, visited Gator Ranch, Shell Landing, Snapper s Seafood Restaurant, Biloxi Small Craft Harbor and Beau Rivage to examine logistics for actual shoot later in the week. Masterminds Shoot Torye Hurst Accompanied crew on commercial shoots at Muddy Joe s, Gulfport Lake and Beau Rivage MS Heritage Trail Advisory Board Gary Benson Ongoing meetings to establish goals and objectives to advance the trail project along toward more recognition and funding Nature Tourism Fam Gary Benson Met with Jill Mastrototaro, Alabama/Mississippi Policy Specialists with the National Wildlife Federation and Liz Smith-Incer, MS Field Office Director for the National Parks Service to discuss upcoming September Fam. Taryn Sammons of CVB staff also attended MS Gulf Coast Golf Association Gary Benson Discussed the launch of the new website for the association. Also discussed topics related to Wholesale 13

14 Operators as well as a discussion on a call to action for the list (8600) of consumers obtained from 2014 Golf Show attendance. Travel: May 2014: Name Dates Sales Manager Attending None Lost /Cancelled Business: May 2014: Name Meeting Date # Attendees / # Room Nights Reason Lost Incentive Offered 2016 Chinese Shar-Pei Nationals October 22, / 320 Northeast location selected None Total Lost/Cancelled Business 50 / 320 Marketing Department MEDIA RELATIONS: Articles December January February March April May FYTD Media Value $ $ $ $ $ $ $106, Identified INQUIRIES: USA 800 Ad Sources May ,216 FYTD 7,907 Web 494 Web 2,807 Search Engine 273 Search Engine 1,672 Another Web Site 103 Fall Travel Planner (Compass) 635 Unknown 95 Another Web Site 521 Friend Referral 75 Unknown 498 go.mississippi.com 38 go.mississippi.com 490 AAA Tour Book 22 Friend Referral 351 Mississippi Travel Guide 20 Mississippi Travel Guide 133 Southern Living 16 AAA Tour Book 132 Mississippi Tour Guide 15 Mississippi Tour Guide 89 USA 800 States May ,200 FYTD 7,937 Mississippi 180 Mississippi 749 Louisiana 155 Texas 651 Texas 146 Louisiana

15 Tennessee 87 Missouri 525 Missouri 65 Illinois 520 Illinois 57 Florida 407 Florida 52 Tennessee 391 Arkansas 50 Arkansas 329 Alabama 49 Wisconsin 323 Georgia 48 Georgia 284 CVB In-House Ad Sources May FYTD 863 Contact Us 43 Contact Us 242 Internet 17 Internet Request 119 Search Engine 16 Search Engine 97 Friend or Family Member 14 Friend Referral 85 Unknown 13 Previous Visitor 47 Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce 7 Referral Referral 60 AAA Southern Traveler 6 AAA Tour Book 34 Magazine/Newspaper 6 Unknown 33 Previous Visitor 6 Magazine/Newspaper 28 Mississippi Travel Guide 3 Another Web Site 27 CVB In-House States May FYTD 862 Mississippi 26 Mississippi 104 Louisiana 22 Louisiana 64 Texas 12 Missouri 56 Missouri 11 Texas 54 Tennessee 11 Florida 49 Arkansas 9 Arkansas 48 Illinois 6 Tennessee 45 Ohio 4 Illinois 44 Oklahoma 4 Georgia 43 Florida 3 Michigan 35 GOOGLE ANALYTICS: VISITOR OVERVIEW GULFCOAST.ORG May 2014: 106,319 April May FYTD: 599,034 Sessions (Visits) 112, , , ,284 Users (Unique Visits) 88, , , ,034 Pageviews 404, , ,558 2,894,467 Pages per Session Average Session 0:04:05 + Duration 0:04:08 0:03:56 Bounce Rate 40.31% 40.45% % % of New Sessions 68.75% 69.51% % OUTBOUND REFERRALS 15

16 May 2014 Link April Unique May May Unique Report April Visits Visits Visits Visits Listings 22,584 9,373 28,657 12,025 World Choice Travel 8,655 6,632 12,592 9,676 Events 9,013 6,884 7,132 5,419 Visitors Guide 2,355 1,899 3,025 2,361 Banners ,291 1,104 mseastcoast.com mswestcoast.com FYTD: 155,261 Listings May 2014: 829 Total Referrals Unique Referrals Beau Rivage Resort & Casino 7,087 6,356 Grand Biloxi Casino Hotel & Spa 5,369 4,644 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 4,651 4,244 Golden Nugget Biloxi 4,427 3,957 Island View Casino Resort 4,021 3,673 IP Casino Resort & Spa 3,777 3,410 Treasure Bay Casino & Hotel 3,181 2,906 Palace Casino Resort 2,792 2,568 Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi 2,638 2,473 Hollywood Casino 2,491 2,324 FYTD: 1,002 Events May 2014: 388 Total Referrals Our Lady of Fatima International Spring Festival 85th Annual Blessing of the Fleet & Fais Do-Do 13th Annual Jackson County Sheriff s Rodeo 1, Unique Referrals 4th Annual Gulfport Music Festival SaltOriya th Annual Our Lady of the Gulf Crab Festival nd Annual Mississippi Memorial Day Blowout rd Annual Swamp Boogie Blues Fest th Annual Mayfest - Music, Art & Crafts Festival th Annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic FYTD: 1,273 SEARCH SOURCES Organic & Referral May 2014 Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration Requested FTG 16

17 google / organic 59, :04: m.gulfcoast.org / referral 26, :02:47 64 (direct) / (none) 12, :04:31 42 bing / organic 8, :04:36 44 yahoo / organic 6, :05:08 45 biloxi.ms.us / referral 5, :06:38 52 google / cpc 3, :00:54 1 Rocket Fuel / Display 3, :00:38 0 gulfport-ms.gov / referral 1, :06:06 14 aol / organic :05:37 7 Referring Sites May 2014 Visits Avg. Visit Pages / Visit Duration Requested FTG m.gulfcoast.org 26, :02:47 64 biloxi.ms.us 5, :06:38 52 gulfport-ms.gov 1, :06: :01:00 0 gbid.adbuyer.com :01:17 0 search.tb.ask.com :05:41 1 us.wow.com :04:53 2 flygpt.com :01:29 0 l.facebook.com :02:29 0 mscoastcoliseum.com :06:43 1 GEOGRAPHIC Top 10 Top 10 Top 10 States Visits Cities Visits Countries Visits Mississippi 40,800 Biloxi 6,483 United States 133,935 Louisiana 22,332 Gulfport 6,282 Canada 462 Texas 13,854 New United 5,921 Orleans Kingdom 264 Georgia 7,177 Tupelo 4,785 India 149 Alabama 6,608 Bowling 3,579 Green Germany 142 Florida 5,714 Houston 3,361 Brazil 78 Tennessee 4,683 Hattiesburg 3,022 (not set) 61 Kentucky 4,462 Ocean 2,818 Springs Australia 49 Missouri 2,676 Long Beach 2,054 Mexico 46 Arkansas 2,618 Jackson 2,050 Indonesia 45 Most Viewed Content Pages Visits Unique Visits Avg. Visit Duration /events/ 39,383 26,940 0:02:40 /attractions/ 30,177 21,274 0:00:49 17

18 /?mobile= 30,116 25,290 0:01:13 / Homepage 28,221 23,272 0:01:45 /casinos/ 20,924 11,300 0:01:17 /visitors/attractions/beaches-and-harboractivities/ 17,390 13,608 0:01:42 /hotels/ 14,855 11,060 0:01:10 /coupons/ 13,440 9,807 0:01:19 /visitors/attractions/family-activities/ 11,261 8,431 0:00:52 /includes/itinerary/ 10,355 8,276 0:00:39 Top Landing Pages Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration Requested Fun Times Guides /?mobile= 25, :02:42 62 / Homepage 20, :05: /events/ 13, :03:49 17 /attractions/ 8, :06:58 69 /visitors/attractions/beaches-and-harboractivities/ 7, :04:11 40 /casinos/ 5, :05:33 8 /fishing/ 2, :03:17 3 /hotels/ 2, :04:09 7 /coupons/ 2, :04:25 2 /visitors/attractions/family-activities/ 2, :06:34 9 Simpleview Analytics: VISITOR OVERVIEW GULFCOAST.ORG 6 Month Traffic Overview Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Visits: 75,122 96, , , , ,949 Unique Visitors: 58,938 76,584 89, ,039 88, ,324 Bounce Rate: 42% 40% 43% 41% 40% 40% Pageviews: 237, , , , , ,320 Average Pageview per Visit: Average Time on Site: 0:03:49 0:04:07 0:03:46 0:04:05 0:04:05 0:04:08 Total Organic Search Traffic: 48,143 61,164 70,995 80,967 65,518 76,769 % of Traffic From Organic Search: 64% 64% 62% 57% 58% 56% Entry Pages From Search: 1,725 1,902 1,987 2,358 2,186 2,261 Total Organic Keywords: 8,895 10,229 11,197 13,498 10,202 11,143 Mobile Site Visits: 21,897 24,636 39,859 49,988 35,618 41,550 All Traffic: 97, , , , , ,499 SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Overview: Total sessions to the main site are up 15% year over year Bounce Rate has improved 8% this May compared to last Organic sessions to events are up 5% year over year Direct traffic has increased 144% year over year across main+mobile sites 18

19 Pageviews have increased 16% this May compared to last Total sessions to the main site are up 15% year over year MOBILE SITE STATISTICS: VISITOR OVERVIEW GULFCOAST.ORG MOBILE May 2014: 32,712 April May FYTD: 183,678 Sessions (Visits) 35,618 41,550 +5, ,811 Users (Unique Visits) 27,651 32,712 +5, ,648 Pageviews 263, , ,605 1,830,760 Pages per Session Average Session Duration 0:02:48 0:02:53 + 0:03:23 Bounce Rate 22.26% 20.39% % % of New Sessions 70.40% 71.88% % GEOGRAPHIC-Mobile Top 10 States Visits Top 10 Cities Visits Mississippi 14,165 Tupelo 5,995 Top 10 Countries United States Louisiana 6,679 New Orleans 3,816 Canada 25 Texas 5,904 Bowling United 3,661 Green Kingdom 17 Kentucky 3,747 San Antonio 1,649 Venezuela 10 Georgia 2,505 Gulfport 1,555 Netherlands 7 Florida 1,328 Biloxi 1,510 Germany 6 Alabama 1,025 Houston 1,335 Israel 4 Oklahoma 941 Bryan 1,133 Japan 4 Tennessee 869 (not set) 1,047 South Korea 4 Kansas 450 Atlanta 885 Norway 4 Visits 41,413 BANNER ADVERTISEMENTS: Banner Page Impressions Average time on Banner Page FYTD Banner Page Impressions FYTD Click Thru Click May 2014 Thru Palace Casino Resort 20, :17 123,203 1,779 Island View Casino Resort 20, :17 104,896 1,831 South Beach Biloxi 14, :10 68,304 2,219 MSHLA Golf Ad/Hotels 14, :!0 68, Preserve Golf course 2, ?17 17, MSHLA Golf Ad/Golf 2, :17 17,

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