2015 ANNUAL REPORT
CEO s Message The Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) had an outstanding year in 2015. I am proud of our accomplishments and efforts to promote Marina del Rey as a desirable leisure and group travel destination. This report highlights our activities and achievements. An exciting milestone for Marina del Rey was the celebration of its 50th birthday. The Marina del Rey CVB was proud to partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors and other community groups to organize a grand celebration fit for a King. After all, Marina del Rey translates to just that The King s Harbor. The celebration was attended by thousands of community members and visitors eager to wish the Marina a Happy Birthday. At the start of the year, the CVB hired the Corragio Group to facilitate a stakeholder retreat to determine the needs of our tourism and hospitality community. Over 30 community partners attended the all-day retreat to provide input about what is needed to strengthen tourism in the Marina. Input will be used in our strategic plan. In 2015 the CVB negotiated a new 5-year agreement with the Department of Beaches and Harbors and the Marina s six hotels. I m grateful for the support of the CVB s Board of Directors, particularly Tony Mira, President, and Daniel Ginzburg, Vice President. Their time and dedication helped facilitate a successful outcome and the CVB s funding will be increased to expand destination marketing efforts for Marina del Rey. I would like to thank my amazing staff. I sincerely appreciate their passion and enthusiasm for the work they do. Thank you for an awesome year. Cheers to 2015! I look forward to the Marina s continued success in 2016. Sincerely, Janet Zaldua Chief Executive Officer Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau 3
INTRODUCTION The Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) serves as the official destination marketing organization for Marina del Rey. Our mission is to stimulate economic development by marketing the area for meetings, groups and leisure travel. Founded in 2000, The Marina del Rey CVB is a non-profit corporation formed through the joint efforts of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors and the six Marina del Rey hotels located within the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. A variety of tactics were used to promote Marina del Rey as a desirable destination for leisure and group travel. The CVB s marketing strategy included paid advertising, public relations, social media marketing, and digital and online advertising. Special promotions were also created to generate business for hotels during their slower seasons. 2015 highlights include: Advertising Print advertisements were placed in a variety of publications including Westways, Sunset, Food & Travel, Los Angeles Visitors Guide, Smart Meetings, and The Argonaut. Digital ads were placed with Sunset, Cvent, discoverlosangeles.com, touroperator.com. 750,000 impressions were garnered through a digital ad campaign targeting users searching for keywords related to meetings, events, and venues in Los Angeles and Southern California. Social Media The CVB s Facebook Page grew to 54,228 likes. The CVB engages the Facebook community with compelling content including images, video, questions, surveys and more. Twitter followers grew to an audience of 4,117. The CVB s monthly blog, called My Marina, featured news, events and activities throughout the Marina to keep locals and visitors apprised of the Marina s happenings. With the use of the hashtags #marinadelrey and #ilovemdr, the CVB s Instagram platform grew to 2,100 followers. The CVB produced a destination video highlighting things to do in Marina del Rey. The video received over 11,900 YouTube views in 2015. DESTINATION 4 5 MARKETING
Earned Media AND Publicity Publicity efforts resulted in 45 placements in top-tier outlets like About.com, Sunday Times, Smart Meetings, Texas Journey (AAA), and USA Today 10best.com, which directly align with the CVB s targeted markets. Media Impressions: 433.9 Million PR Value: $1.1 Million The CVB attracted travel writers to the Marina through hosted stays and organized FAM visits. Journalists represented the following news outlets: About.com, AM New York, Avianca Magazine (Brazil in-flight), FabFitFun.com, Fast Car Magazine (UK), Fodors.com, Jetset Extra!, London Sunday Times (Travel Section), Medium.com, Men s Health UK, Postcards (Australian travel show), Pursuitist.com, Savvy Magazine (Japanese publication), Texas Journey Magazine (AAA publication), USA Today 10best.com. The CVB collaborated with Visit California and Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board to host FAMS that focused on important international markets like Australia, Brazil and Japan. The CVB also hosted a FAM of Italian social media influencers which was comprised of the country s top bloggers, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube users. The CVB hosted a media FAM to promote the Marina s 50th birthday. Journalists from Los Angeles Times, About.com, and Jetset Extra! experienced the weekend festivities, which resulted in 42.2 Million media impressions valued at $126.6 Million in additional media exposure. Website Visitmarinadelrey.com is the most comprehensive website on visitor related information in Marina del Rey. 2015 Highlights: Web Page Views: 771,419 Mobile Traffic: 52% Users Directed to Marina Hotels: 5,142 Hotel Revenue Booked through CVB s Website: $14,742 6 7
Visitor Services The Visitor Center, located at the entrance of Burton Chace Park, is a valuable resource for visitors and locals. Open seven days a week, visitors can obtain brochures and tourist information as well as ask for recommendations for dining and activity options in the area. 2015 Visitor Statistics: Walk-ins: 11,683 Phone Inquiries: 7,354 International Travelers: 1,542 Information Packets Mailed: 431 Marina del Rey s Official Destination Guide was printed in partnership with The Argonaut Newspaper, and distributed to 100,000 leisure travelers. Available in local hotels and visitor attractions throughout Los Angeles and the LAX Coastal area, the Destination Guide serves as an informative resource of visitor information for tourists. The CVB produces a variety of collateral including: Marina del Rey Anchorage Guide, Coastal Bike Trail Map, Meetings and Banquet Guide, and Restaurant Map and Guide. These publications are available at the Marina del Rey Visitor Center, area hotels and online. Each month the CVB produces a monthly e-newsletter to keep visitors and locals informed about what is happening in the Marina. Business Development With recent renovations to Marina del Rey s hotels, the Marina is better positioned to compete with other destinations for group business. The CVB has addressed this opportunity by creating a full-time position focused entirely on generating group business leads for hotels, restaurants, and yacht charters. 2015 CVB Sales Recap: Total Leads: 177 Definite Bookings: 34 Total Hotel Room Nights: 4,649 Total Room Revenue: $1.1 Million Total Catering Revenue: $498,095 The CVB developed an incentive program that offers businesses between $250 and $5,000 for booked business generating room nights in the Marina. In 2015, the CVB issued $5,650 in meeting incentives. Industry Trade shows Marina del Rey was represented at 10 trade shows throughout the United States that targeted planners seeking venues to host meetings and group events for high-end corporate business, associations, pharmaceutical, and technology industries. Smart Meetings Expo, San Francisco MPINCC Annual Conference and Expo, San Francisco Silicon Beach LA Expo, Loyola Marymount University NAJ s RTO Summit, Marina del Rey Smart Meetings, Los Angeles LA Business Travel Association Supplier Showcase, Los Angeles Pharma Forum Trade Show, Washington D.C. MPI 3rd Annual SoCal EdCon and Expo, Costa Mesa Collaborate Marketplace, Orlando California Society of Association Executives Expo, Sacramento 8 9
Industry The CVB remains active in industry associations in order to build partnerships with leaders in the travel and tourism industry and generate exposure for Marina del Rey. Staff attended several industry conferences including DMA West s Tech Summit Conference in Sacramento and their annual Marketing Summit in Ogden, Utah. In addition, the CVB was present at Visit California s Los Angeles Media Reception to meet with top-tier travel writers in the area. Memberships include: American Society of Association Executives California Society of Association Executives California Travel Association Destination Marketing Association International Destination Marketing Association West Hospitality Sales and Management Association International LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles Business Travel Association Meeting Planners International (Northern and Southern CA Chapters) Travel and Tourism Marketing Association United States Travel Association Venice Chamber of Commerce Industry Awards Marina del Rey Wins Best Idea Award at Dma West Marketing Summit The CVB was honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Destination Marketing Association of the West (DMA West) for its marketing initiative, Beach Buddies with Delray Beach, Florida. The award was presented as part of DMA West s annual Best Idea Program which showcases innovative 10 Memberships projects and creative marketing strategies and was presented during the DMA West Marketing Summit held in Ogden, Utah. This award was recognized in a national press release issued by DMA West, and in media outlets like Association News, Atlantic Avenue Magazine, and Smart Meetings Magazine. The purpose of the Beach Buddies cross-promotion was to showcase each community (Marina del Rey, CA Strategic Planning The CVB hired the Corragio Group to conduct a needs assessment designed to guide future strategic planning efforts. The assessment was guided by input from the tourism and hospitality stakeholders in Marina del Rey. Over 30 representatives from the community attended the all-day retreat and provided feedback on the most critical needs and priorities for the local tourism industry. Participants represented a variety of business sectors including tourism, dining, hospitality, attractions, housing/lessees, local government and boating. and Delray Beach, FL) through the eyes of the destination mascots, Marty the Pelican (MdR) and Swinton the Turtle (Delray Beach). Through the mascots experience, the area s hotels, dining, attractions and activities were shared. The partnership generated local press from Florida media outlets including the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Atlantic Ave Magazine and Channel 12 News. Top priorities included: Develop a strong and consistent brand for Marina del Rey Market to Los Angeles/locals Utilize digital marketing to target millennials, Silicon Beach and local tech industry Develop/support events that generate tourism and promote local spending The input gathered from the stakeholder retreat will be used to guide the CVB s strategic planning efforts in 2016. Delray Beach marketing Cooperative welcomes the Marina del Rey CVB to Florida. Beach Buddies Marty and Swinton on the water in Marina del Rey.
Destination Development and Community Relations The Marina del Rey Convention and Visitors Bureau is an active member of the community and places a high priority on community outreach and destination development efforts. Supporting our tourism, hospitality, and business partners within the community through active participation in meetings, committees and sponsorship support continues to be an important part of our values. The CVB remains an active advocate for improvements in visitor-related services and facilities, and participates in meetings, committees and hearings on a myriad of issues important to tourism including: Summer Beach Shuttle, Oxford Basin, Marina del Rey homeless taskforce, pedestrian access, transportation, Los Angeles County s Visioning Plan, and other infrastructure improvements. The CVB remains active as an ex-officio Board Member for the LAX Area Chamber of Commerce, works with the Venice Chamber of Commerce, and attends and speaks at numerous board and committee meetings on behalf of the CVB, including the Marina del Rey Lessees Association. Hotel Performance Marina del Rey s hotels performed incredibly well in 2015. The Marina del Rey Hotel completed its $25 Million renovation and grand opening in 2015, which created excitement and garnered positive media attention. In addition, the Marriott completed renovations to its guest rooms, public space, great room, lobby and outdoor lounge (Sinder). The revitalization of Marina del Rey s hotels make the destination a competitive alternative for leisure and group travel in Los Angeles and Southern California. 2015 Financials 2015 CVB Revenue Interest $323.67.03% LA County (Dbh) $278,181 26% Hotel Self-Assessment Tax $781,532 74% 2015 Highlights: Year to Date Occupancy: 79.2% Average Daily Hotel Rate: $251.32 RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room): $199.07 Annual Hotel Revenue produced: $82.1 Million Transient Occupancy Tax produced for LA County: $9.85 Million 2015 CVB Expenditures 31% 51% 18% Wages/Benefits Marketing & Promotions General/Administrative 13
2015 Board of Directors Kevin Lorton Tony Mira, President The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey Daniel Ginzburg, Vice President FantaSea Yachts and Yacht Club Tony Palermo, Treasurer Tony P s Dockside Grill David Baker Baker and Oring, LLP Dave Lumian Small Craft Harbor Commission David Levine Marina del Rey Lessees Association Hornblower Cruises and Events Misoon Kong Marina del Rey Marriott Chuck McGuire Foghorn Harbor Inn Marina del Rey Convention AND Visitors Bureau Staff Janet Zaldua Chief Executive Officer Valerie Arias Communications Manager Lawrence Stafford Business Development Manager Lynne Moore Senior Administrative Assistant Barbara Littlejohn Visitor Services Associate Carol Baker, LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors Shawn Highland Pacifica Hotel Company Wendy Rosales Hilton Garden Inn Mary Jane Pinkos Travel Counselor 14 15
4551 Glencoe Avenue, #260, Marina del Rey, California 90292 310-306-9900 visitmarinadelrey.com