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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGOG_Recap_11 2011 Post-Event Recap Report TOV Commission on Special Events 1) EVENT OVERVIEW The sixth annual Gourmet on Gore, an open-air culinary wine and spirits tasting event, was once again a huge success and experienced a number of enhancements this year. This popular event paired world-class wines, beers and spirits with the best food from throughout the Vail Valley and was located in the heart of Vail Village between Gore Creek Drive and Bridge Street during the busy Labor Day Weekend, September 3 - 5, 2011. Vail Valley restaurants offered specialty dishes, in taste-size porions, which could be paired with the wide assortment of wine, beer and spirits being poured. There were 35 wine varietals, three beers and nine spirit brands. Additionally, 25+ restaurant and sponsor booths were enjoyed. New this year, Brunch on Bridge Street brought a fun crowd and energy to Vail Village on Labor Day, September 5. The number of wine, beer and spirit stations was decreased slightly on Monday and there were a dozen restaurant and sponsor booths to create a busy and vibrant event along Bridge Street and Gore Creek Drive. Some of the strengths and weaknesses are as follows:  Marketing and PR campaigns were very successful in assisting with the most trafficked Gourmet on Gore in the history of the event, bringing the right people to the weekend long initiative.  Media placements included radio, print, and new media.  Strong sponsorship – Moet & Chandon, Town of Vail, Stella Artois, Acqua Panna, S. Pellegrino, Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, Macanudo Cigars, Loki Gear, Vail Daily and KZYR the Zephyr.  Estimated attendance/visitors in Vail during the weekend of Gourmet on Gore 30,000+  Numerous restaurant vendors reported that 2011 was the best Gourmet on Gore with a great looking venue and increased sales from 2010.  A new logo was created for 2011 and art was created by Carrie Fell which was used in conjunction with the event poster.  We received a lot of positive feedback surrounding the complimentary poster and poster signings.  The green initiatives play a key role in this unique culinary event and Highline is proud of the recycling efforts surrounding this event with such high attendance and participation from multiple restaurant vendors.  Highline made strong efforts to drive composting and recycling throughout the venue given the amount of education and interest in recycling and composting of the attendees.  The venue was clean and classy, with all white tents and a matching Gourmet on Gore color palette for linens, etc.  Gourmet on Gore not only offers a unique culinary/tasting experience at affordable prices, but also a fun resort experience, sense of community and increased quality of experience for guests and residents during a holiday weekend.  The addition of Brunch on Bridge Street on Monday gave guests a reason to prolong their stay in Vail.  There was a strong mix of food and beverage options and many new participants joined this year with booths including Matsuhisa Vail, DRY Soda, Linda Jean’s Coffee Beans, Burton’s Maplewood Farms and a variety of wine brands.  Brunch on Bridge Street had a great variety of restaurants and breakfast-inspired items, but feel there would be more of a brunch feel if additional restaurants were involved with a lunch item to increase restaurant participation.  The Brunch on Bridge Street venue was smaller than the Saturday/Sunday event but was still very lively. For 2012 we will consider a later start and finish time.  We are proud of the community partnership with a variety of non-profits to complement the green efforts, Kids Culinary Corner and special event promotion. The following participated this year: Habitat for Humanity, Snowboard Outreach Society, Rotary Club Rubber Duck sales and Sera Schools.  Several restaurants experienced extreme success, which included selling out of food and gaining strong reservations for the weekend as a direct result from the event.  Matsuhisa Vail, a new restaurant in Vail, increased their reservations to 240 as a direct result from the event.  In some cases, restaurants still need to prepare more food to last the duration of Saturday through Monday.  The children’s activities expanded to three tents with a variety of activities and was a huge hit among our chefs in the making. Tying in with local entities proved successful with the musical instrument making station with Sera Schools, Cookie Decorating by Rimini and the opportunity to decorate their own Gourmet on Gore chef hat.  We see continued opportunity to enhance the event by working with area organizations to enhance the Kids’ Culinary Corner and also to increase tasting events outside of the Gourmet on Gore schedule. 2) EVENT BUDGET  Detailed event budget, including all revenues and expenses (as of 10/31/11). Revenues: 2011 CSE Contribution $60,000 Sponsorship/Expo (net of 15% sales commissions) 31,514 Wine Glasses and Bev Sales (Net of COGS) 18,517 Total Revenues $110,031 Expenses: Event Site: TOV Permit/Liquor License 666.80 666.80 Event Equipment & Rental Expenses: Signage, Decorations, Supplies, Uniforms, etc. 10,100 Rental Items (dumpsters, tables, chairs, tents, porta potties, etc.) 17,680 Bands, Stages, Sound 12,100 39,880 Manpower & Related Expenses: Labor/Announcers 15,700 Town of Vail Police, Security 8,773 24,473 Public Relations/Marketing/Advertising: Public Relations 5,000 Advertising/Marketing 18,200 23,200 Administrative: Proposals/Insurance/Supplies/Phone/Postage 7,754 Agency Fees 10,000 17,754 Sponsor Relations: Lodging/Entertainment/Gifts/Transportation 3,711 3,711 Total Expenses: $ 109,685- Net Income (Loss): $ 346- 3) MARKETING/PR OVERVIEW See Marketing and PR Highlights, in accompanying PowerPoint presentation. 4) HOW WERE PARTICIPANTS AND/OR ATTENDEES DIRECTED TO BOOK LODGING? Participants and guests were directed to vail.com for summer lodging specials. There was not an official lodging partner on this event so advertising, website and email blasts were not specific to any one lodging partner or website for this holiday weekend event. 5) EVENT SURVEY RESULTS a. Attendance Numbers and demographic profile: i. Estimated Event Attendance – 30,000+ It was apparent that the Gourmet on Gore audience was older and typical of the much sought after high-end, high-consuming Vail audience. The event was built to capture a wide range of customers to included young singles (21+) as well as couples and families. We estimate the average age was 45 with HHI at $100,000++. b. Estimated spending by event attendees: Please See ROI Model that follows c. Visitor Intent to Return and Satisfaction Ratings: TBD Estimated Incremental Room Nights and Revenue Generated by the 2011 Gourmet on Gore As a realistic estimate, Gourmet on Gore generated an estimated 10,500 incremental room nights and an infusion of $5,312,000 of spending into the Town of Vail. The calculation was performed as follows: Incremental Room Nights Estimated attendance: 30,000 Those staying in Town of Vail lodging: 35% Average nights stay in Vail: 2 Number of people per room: 2 Total Incremental Room Nights: 10,500 Incremental Spending Estimated attendance per day: 10,000 Average amount spent per day: $125 Event days per person: 3 Subtotal spent on F&B, shopping & activities: $3,750,000 Average lodging price per room night: $125 Incremental room nights: 10,500 Subtotal spent on lodging: $1,312,500 Number of days in Vail not for event: 1.0 Number of people staying addtl. days: 2,000 Average amount spent per day: $125 Subtotal spent on non-event days: $250,000 Total Incremental Spending: $5,312,500 2011 Town of Vail Return on Investment Town of Vail Investment $60,000- Total Value of Media, Public Relations and Event Related Impressions for a top-tier Presenting Sponsor (such as the Town of Vail) (measured by Event Industry-accepted means). $300,000- Return on Investment through media, PR, Event Impressions 4-to-1 Est. Incremental Room Nights Generated 10,500 Incremental Spending Generated $5,312,500 Tax Receipts (Sales - 4%, ST Lodging-4%) $212,500 Return on Investment through Incremental Spending in the Town of Vail: 2.5-to-1 6) POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR SPONSORSHIP AND MEDIA EXPOSURE Gourmet on Gore has tremendous potential for garnering additional sponsorship and media coverage. With the continued success, we are confident sponsorship will grow for 2012 and see the opportunity to enhance the event by including wine and spirit tastings surrounding restaurants and specialty dishes. For instance, working with a sake brand to complement a sushi restaurant and increasing expo sponsorship through unique culinary brand participation. Besides sponsorship, we are working to secure a national magazine as a media partner moving forward on a trade basis. This would give us national mass impressions for our marketing partners and the Town of Vail. 7) HOW DID THE EVENT IMPACT VAIL’S “SENSE OF COMMUNITY”? Gourmet on Gore does an excellent job of impacting Vail’s sense of community. This event offers a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere to showcase Vail’s culinary delights through a unique event platform, with the Town of Vail and its merchants as the perfect complement. It features a variety of pairing opportunities, within a classy, clean venue which aligns nicely with the world-class resort that visitors and locals alike know and love. 8) HOW DID THE EVENT SHOW A COMMITMENT TO A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT? Please see slide in the accompanying recap PDF.