Quarterly Publication of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau November 2006 Reporting Fiscal Year 2007 July, August, September 2006

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1 Quad Cities: Quarterly Publication of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau November 2006 Reporting Fiscal Year 2007 July, August, September 2006 ROI One of the major projects the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB) was involved in this past quarter was RiverWay It took place on Sept , and celebrated the 150th anniversary of the 1st railroad bridge across the Mississippi. The QCCVB was the ticketing agent for the steam engine train and Celebration Belle riverboat cruises that were a main part of the weekend s activities. 1,850 train tickets were sold, and the train excursions were basically sold out. 650 Celebration Belle tickets were sold, and the Quad Cities hotels were at an 80% average occupancy rate that weekend. RiverWay brought visitors to the Quad Cities area from across the country, and 15,316 visits were made to the RiverWay website. QCCVB Visitor Centers saw an increase of over 3,500 people over last year during the same time, and that was in part due to ticket sales at the offices. This celebration of the Mississippi drew national attention to the river. Editor s Note: This new quarterly publication from the Quad Cities CVB (QCCVB) replaces The Connection newsletter. QUAD CITIES: ROI is a combination of the quarterly numbers the QCCVB tracks in its fiscal year, along with articles on the QCCVB s projects and national and international travel trends. We hope that you find the new QUAD CITIES: ROI helpful and informative. Contents Quad Cities Kid s Club National Trails Symposium Stats: Hotel/Motel Information Website Lodging Reservations Visitor Inquiries 2 Mississippi Valley Welcome Center Union Station, Davenport Visitor Center Counts July Aug. Sept. 1st Qtr.07 TOTAL 1st Qtr.06 TOTAL FY06 11,035 10,688 6,669 28,392 24,916 66, ,390 1,161 3,364 Moline Depot 867 1, ,797 2,765 5,657 QC Airport ,472 4,319 GRAND TOTAL 12,985 12,975 8,569 34,529 30,907* 80,921* Getting Into the Zone Gotta Have Faith Business Travelers Booking Online Stats: Sales Numbers Taking It on the Road Quad Cities Sports Report Stats: Trade Shows Leisure Campaigns Visiting Travel Writers New Quad Cities DVDs MP3 Tours Getting Into the City Stats: Media Contacts Reader Response from Advertising Website Visits Co-op Advertising * Includes visitors from the Village of East Davenport. That Visitor Center is now closed. 1st Qtr , FY06-1,459 QCCVB Annual Meeting Quad Cities Media Challenge New QCCVB Staff 6

2 In May, the QCCVB released their new Quad Cities Kid s Guide with activities, information, games, and puzzles all related to this area. Modern Woodmen assisted in printing the first 1,000 guides, and they were gone by July! The QCCVB received a grant from The Moline Foundation and 2,500 more guides arrived in September. Along with the guide, a new Quad Cities Kid s Club was started. It s free for kids 12 and under to become a member. To date, 142 kids have joined the club! They receive a membership card and a free ice cream card from Culver s. A quarterly newsletter is sent, along with a birthday card with a free pass. Birthday greetings have included passes to a Swing baseball game, Niabi Zoo, Figge Art Museum, Li l Mississippi Golf, and Festival of Trees. Occupancy Rate Average Daily Rate Hotel Tax Revenues Hotel/Motel Information 1st Qtr.07 FY06 FY05 FY % 55.9% 57.7% 58.41% $66.14 $61.70 $59.29 $58.65 $1,042,000 $3,360,000 $2,900,000 $3,044,000 Website Lodging Reservations Reservations Room Nights July August September st Quarter FY07 Total 1st Quarter FY06 Total FY06 Total FY05 Total Visitor Inquiries 1st Qtr.07. 1st Qtr. 06 FY06 FY05 FY04 , Fax, Mail ,096 2,284 2,987 Advertising 2,232 6,113 10,069 11,430 14,198 The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau thanks the residents, businesses, organizations and volunteers of the Quad Cities that made the best-ever National Trails Symposium possible. According to American Trails, Inc., the 18th Symposium held Oct , 2006, in the Quad Cities had a record attendance of well over 600 from every state in the nation and Canada. Attendance topped such outstanding convention destinations as Orlando (2002) and Austin (2004). Centrally located, accessibility, affordability, the Mississippi River, lots of things to see and do, and the QCCVB s access to a regional network of funding and volunteer resources were the reasons why! There were some 279 volunteers involved on the planning team, on committees and on-site helping out. There were more than 100 outdoor related exhibitors in the RiverCenter. Five host hotels Stoney Creek Inn, Radisson on John Deere Commons, Four Points Sheraton, Radisson Quad City Plaza Hotel, and Clarion Hotel were filled to capacity and received rave reviews. American Trails board members repeatedly said the Quad Cities had delivered the best National Trails Symposium to date. We definitely exposed the Quad Cities area to a new national audience as formal and informal surveys of attendees showed they had never heard of the Quad Cities prior to the marketing relative to the symposium. For many this was their first visit and there was a resounding "we'll be back" heard from attendees. One of the many long-term impacts of the symposium will be national recognition of the trails system in the Quad Cities. Chuck Oestreich of Rock Island won the Illinois State Trail Advocate Award, while the American Discovery Trail crossing between Davenport and Rock Island via the Rock Island Arsenal won the National Partnership Award. This successful symposium capped six years of effort to bring the nation here to experience our trails. The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to have been able to use its regional network and resources, along with its professional and volunteer staffs to fulfill its exclusive mission so the nation could make tracks to the Quad Cities. Thanks to everyone again! Phone 3,027 2,139 6,675 7,927 8,852 TOTAL 5,946 9,090 18,840 21,641 25,947 Joe Taylor, President/CEO 2

3 Getting into the Zone The Quad Cities has been awarded the 2007 Rotary Zone Institute Conference. This conference will bring Rotary members and their families to the area from September 3-9. The yearly event is training for District Governors (past, present, future). The theme for 2007 is Rotary on the River. Deanna Jensen, QCCVB Convention Sales Manager, attended the 2006 Zone conference in Niagara Falls to promote the 2007 event. It is expected to bring a $1 million economic impact to the Quad Cities area. Gotta Have Faith What is the Growing Market in Group Tours? Margo McInnis, QCCVB Group, Student, International Sales Manager, attended the Going on Faith Conference in August. This faith-based market has been identified as one of the largest growing markets in the group tour segment, and a new target for the QCCVB in group tours. At this conference, 150 religious planners attended. Leads from this show will be sent to the general membership in late November. During the conference, the QCCVB inquired about bidding on a future Going on Faith Conference and the QCCVB has submitted a bid to host the 2008 or 2009 event locally. The estimated economic impact of this conference, if we win the bid, is over $100,000 in direct spending by 250 delegates. Travel Trends Booking Business Travel Has Moved Online Business travelers book more trips online than ever before and look for sites where they can easily determine the total price of travel booked, according to a survey conducted in July/August 2006 by Accenture. More than three-quarters (83 percent) of the nearly 800 surveyed U.S. business travelers who traveled more than 300 miles in the last six months said the most important feature an online travel site can provide is the ability to see the total price, including taxes and fees, at the time of purchase. More than half (58 percent) of respondents said being able to redeem points or miles for travel was an important feature of a travel site, and 56 percent said they want to see pictures of hotel accommodations online, rather than simply read descriptions of them. QCCVB Sales Numbers 1st Qtr. Total FY07 1st Qtr. Total FY06 FY06 FY05 Meetings, Conventions, Sports, Reunions Booked Meetings, Conventions, Sports, Reunions Leads Inbound Motorcoach & Other Groups Booked Inbound Motorcoach & Other Group Leads Site Inspections/FAMs Sales Contacts ,799 2,012 Important Note: These sales numbers reflect business generated by the Quad Cities CVB and are not representative of the entire Quad Cities community. Number of Members Who Accessed Leads Online 85 Data lost because of database problem 277 (missing 4 mo. of data) 402 Event Servicing Actions

4 Taking It On the Road The QCCVB held a joint group tour sales mission on August 1 st in Milwaukee, WI, at the Boerner Botanical Gardens. The sales mission was organized through the efforts of a local committee comprised of QCCVB members, chaired by Mary Ann Dilts from the Isle of Capri. The committee decided on a market, organized the reception in Milwaukee, and identified an invite list of key decision makers. Since the event, the QCCVB has tracked six firm bookings. Look for more information on another Quad Cities Showcase soon. The Illinois Sports Congress will be held in Vail, Colorado, in December This trip outside Illinois is a new initiative by Sports Illinois to focus on specific events rights holders or sports governing bodies that may attend the larger shows such as TEAMS or NASC. The difference is that the Illinois CVB s will have the full attention of these key decision makers vs. competing with all 50 states at a general trade show. Lynn Hunt, QCCVB Vice President of Tourism Sales, is currently identifying those persons that can be invited and "sold" on bringing their event to the Quad Cities....The Association of Midwest Museums conference (Sept ) was a tremendous success...the services and attention to details that you provided were far superior than other CVBs have provided. - Brian Bray, Executive Director Sports Report Economic Impact of Sports In August 2006, a total of 60 teams came to the Quad Cities for the ASA 10 & under softball tournament. The estimated direct spending from the teams was over $750,000. Now, add to that what the spectators and families spent. If you consider those dollars are recycled through this community two more times before leaving, the total economic impact is over $1.5 million. Milt Hand, Director of Parks and Recreation for Moline, will be bidding on the 2008 tournament as well. The Quad Cities is also bidding on the International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournament in 2009 or The estimated direct spending for this tournament is $1.3 million, with a total economic impact of $2.6 million. The ISC executive director will be invited to the Illinois Sports Congress in Vail, CO. Trade Shows Trade Shows Attended Trade Show Impressions 1st Qtr. FY FY FY ,367 FY Leisure Campaigns s Sent s Opened Click Thrus July 4, % 24.9% August 4, % 22.3% September 4, % 17.8% The American Bass Anglers awarded their 2007 Regional Championship to the Quad Cities. This event will take place at Sunset Marina on October 7-13, The QCCVB anticipates over 500 anglers and their families will attend the event in pursuit of a national championship. The details of the event are still being finalized, and hotel leads will be coming. The projected direct spending for this event is near $700,000. But remember, these anglers have to find their sweet spots on the river prior to the event, so we will see the anglers coming over several weekends to practice. The FLW Walmart Walleye Challenge is secured for September Final funding details are still being ironed out. The Quad Cities wants to continue its strong relationship with this professional organization so our region stays on the map for future events. The direct spending for this event is approximately $500,000. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. To find out more, contact Joe Taylor at , ext 116 or jtaylor@visitquadcities.com. 4

5 Travel Writers = Stories on the Quad Cities During the past quarter, the QCCVB Marketing & Communications Department hosted a total of 13 travel writers in the Quad Cities area. These writers come and visit the area to write stories to promote the Quad Cities. Some of these writers included representation from National Geographic Traveler Magazine, GolfIllinois.com, TravelGolf. com, BBC, and Serié Limitée, a French lifestyle magazine. Six of the travel writers that visited were members of the Midwest Travel Writers Association. These six writers came to the area for a three-day Post-FAM tour from September The Post-FAM followed the Midwest Travel Writers Association Conference that was held in Perry, Iowa. Media Contacts Releases Sent Individual Requests Journalist Visits 1st Qtr.FY07 3, st Qtr.FY06 3, FY06 13, FY05 16, FY04 10, The QCCVB has updated its promotional video to capture new attractions and changes that have taken place in the Quad Cities over the past two years. New footage and audio were added to the video and 400 DVDs were made for distribution to writers, meeting/convention, group tour, and sports planners. The DVD highlights all the great things there are to see and do in the Quad Cities. In fact, a couple of local businesses are also using the DVD for employee recruitment from outside the area. If you are interested in purchasing a DVD(s), please contact Charlotte Morrison at , ext The price is $5.00 per DVD. Reader Response from Advertising 2, ,350 2,300 2, ,200 2,150 1st Qtr. FY07 1st Qtr. FY06 Website Visits Travel Trends 140, , , ,035 MP3 Tours Lead Travelers Off Beaten Path The merger of technology and tourism is evident in Audissey Guides: MP3 audio walking tours that combine local narrators, hip rhythms, and sites not listed in any guidebook. The tours lead travelers down hidden alleys, along subway rides, and to local watering holes. Tour narrators include punk rockers, exotic dancers, tribal leaders, and FBI agents to name just a few. 125, , , , ,000 1st Qtr. FY07 1st Qtr. FY06 Rob Pyles, the 28-year old founder of Audissey Guides says, "They're for the ipod generation -- narrated by local people who share the good, the bad, and the ugly of their city with you. We're a generation of backpackers and thrill-seekers. We want to explore the city beyond the recommendations of the local tourism board." Tours of Boston, Chicago, and Seattle may be downloaded for $12.95, while Miami Beach, Hollywood, and New Orleans will be released this summer. Audissey Guides donates a portion of all tour sales to a local nonprofit in each of its tour cities. Source: Internet Travel News Co-op Advertising Participation 1st Qtr.FY07 $23,155 1st Qtr.FY06 $20,310 FY06 $53,215 FY05 $116,990 FY04 $167,820 5

6 QCCVB Odds and Ends Almost 150 members and staff of the QCCVB celebrated a year of triumphs at the QCCVB s 16th Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27th from 4-7 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in downtown Rock Island. Quad Cities CVB Staff Directory Administrative Ext. # Joe Taylor, President/CEO Roxie Lucas, V.P. Finance/Admin Cheryl Piersall, Moline Depot Office Mgr Linda Creighton, Accounting Assistant Sales and Marketing Lynn Hunt, V.P. Tourism Sales Charlotte Morrison, V.P. Mktg./Comm Arlyce Musal, V.P. Meeting/Conv. Sales Jesse Inskeep, Website & Comm. Mgr Deanna Jensen, Convention Sales Mgr Margo McInnis, Group, Student, Int l Sales Mgr. 106 Jessica Waytenick, Mktg./P.R. Mgr Beth Payne, Union Station Office Mgr Liz Coffman, Union Station Visitor Counselor Mississippi Valley Welcome Center Pam Ellis, V.P. Visitor Services Elaine Robertson, Visitor Services Mgr Visitor Counselors/Gift Shop Office Locations Moline Depot Antique & Gift Shop 2021 River Drive Moline, IL Union Station 102 S. Harrison, Suite 203 Davenport, IA Mississippi Valley Welcome Center 900 Eagle Ridge Road, off I-80 LeClaire, IA The Annual Meeting highlighted the economic impact of tourism on the Quad Cities community and recognized 33 individuals, businesses, media, attractions, and organizations for their contributions and support of tourism in the Quad Cities. During fiscal year 2006 July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006, the Quad Cities had 1,127,200 visitors that had a combined economic impact of $150 million dollars on the Quad Cities economy. The tourism industry in the Quad Cities employed over 8,000 people. The Quad Cities Media Challenge Golf Tournament, presented by Jumer's Casino Rock Island and the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, raised a little over $12,000. This was the third year for the tournament that was held on Sunday, October 1st at Oakwood Country Club. Funds raised from the tournament go to help solicit and bid on future sports events and tournaments for the Quad Cities through the Quad Cities Sports Commission. This year's tournament winners were: 1st Place Team - Dan Kennedy, WOC News Talk Radio 2nd Place Team- Thom Cornelis, KWQC-TV6 3rd Place Team - Bo Spates, KUUL-FM Worst Place Team - Michael Slyter, Quad-City Times Beth Payne is the QCCVB s newest employee. She began on November 1st as the Union Station Office Manager in Davenport. Jesse Inskeep started in May as the QCCVB s Website & Communications Manager. He updates all of the website s information and coordinates the QCCVB s monthly leisure campaigns. Liz Coffman started this spring as the part-time Visitor Counselor for the Union Station Visitor Center in Davenport. 6