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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCO Grand Review (11)Colorado Grand Friday, September 16th & Saturday, September 17th , 2011 A Post Event Review By The Colorado Grand Event Overview - Colorado Grand 11 Strengths: •Gave the LionsHead Village a sense of liveliness and activity during what would otherwise be a very slow time. •Added value to the guest experience of those already in the Village and attracted Front Range guests and locals to the LionsHead area and the Town of Vail overall. •Spreading the event throughout Lionshead Village and Plaza succeeded in driving entrants and guests to Lionshead stores and restaurants. •Further enforced the idea that events taking place late in the month of September can be successful and began a process of lengthening the summer season in Vail. •Continued the tradition of a truly great event with great potential for growth and development in the future. •The 2011 event took place on a Friday/Saturday which clearly affected the ability of the event to draw many guests to the area for the entire weekend.. We look forward to holding this event on a Friday/Saturday in 2012 as well. •LionsHead Merchants played a key role in 2011 by handling the Finish Line The Colorado Grand set out to accomplish two major goals when developing the 2011 Colorado Grand event. The first goal was to draw destination guests and locals alike to the LionsHead and Vail area, creating business for the LionsHead and Vail merchants. The second goal was to stretch the summer event calendar even further in to the month of September and to attract guests to LionsHead, and Vail as a whole, for a longer period of time, shrinking the shoulder season as much as possible. In addition, the entrants and guests experience the Vail and Lionshead areas, enticing them to return on their own for further exploration to this area. There is a mix of domestic, Canadian and international entrants and guests. The Colorado Grand was once again a tremendous event for the Village that fully succeeded in accomplishing both of these goals. The event drew in both a local crowd as well as guests from the Front Range, completely filling the Village and creating a great amount of activity on what would normally be a two fairly slow fall days in Vail. This has become a great tradition in LionsHead Village and a truly iconic event for the Town of Vail. Weaknesses: •Information about each car on display was disseminated by 4 volunteers to those walking through the Village. Next year, each car will have an individual card with information placed on the car’s windshield. •The proposed construction in LionsHead created last minute planning for the Finish Line. •The busses seemed unaware of our request to have them detoured; this was quickly resolved. Event Budget Recap – Colorado Grand 11 COLORADO GRAND BUDGET DETAIL Description 2009 Actual 2010 Actual 2011 Actual Revenues: Vail CSE Contribution 3,000 2,500 2,000 Other Sponsors/Contribuutions The Colorado Grand 22,500 30,000 40,000 Town of Vail In Kind Services In Kind Services In Kind Services Lionshead Merchants Association Advertising/Promotions Advertising+ Advertising TOTAL REVENUES: 25,500 32,500 42,000 Expenses: Advertising Finish Line Banner 750 Signage LHMA Signage Brochures & Programs LHMA Brochures LHMA Brochures Newspaper LHMA Ads LHMA Ads LHMA Ads Misc. Publications/Front Range Clubs Email Blasts to Clubs Grand email Blasts Grand email Blasts Radio LHMA Radio Entertainment 1,450 1,000 Event Operational Costs Information Car Flyers 100 100 178 Insurance 1,339 2,072 4,374 Special Event License/Permits 150 150 150 Oil Pans 609 500 600 Participants Brunch 14,000 15,000 16,000 Plaques 3,000 1,575 2,188.25 Finish Line Awards 1,500 9,800 12,000 Event Workers 3,375 4,670 5,200 Website 750 5,500 Concours Info Sheet to Entrants: Copies/Mailing 100 100 TOTAL EXPENSES: 25,523 34,717 50,290.26 NET INCOME/(Loss) (23) (2,217) (8,290.26) Marketing Efforts – Colorado Grand 11 The following marketing efforts were made to promote the Colorado Grand (by LionsHead Merchants) •Advertising throughout the summer referencing the Grand •Smaller advertising efforts (e.g. check presenters, Sarah’s time with PR, etc.). •Press Releases sent to media outlets resulted in mention of the event in the Vail Daily •An email blast was sent to Front Range car clubs and local outlets to advertise lodging packages for the weekend of the event. •The event was listed on local websites such as, lionsheadsummer.com, vail.com, visitvailvalley.com, and vailpm.com. In addition, The Colorado Grand sent an email blast to all prior participants inviting them to the 2011 Concours d’Non Elegance and to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and shopping for the weekend. Statistical Information - Colorado Grand 11 Attendance and Demographic Profile: The event was very well attended. There were 600 copies of the car description handouts, which were given one per couple and they were gone by 10am. The event seemed to draw a diverse crowd of both Vail Valley locals and destination guests. While some of the destination guests in attendance drove to Vail specifically for the Colorado Grand event, others were already in the Valley and therefore the event served as added value of their Vail experience. There were several repeat guests from previous years. Both days attracted a more adult crowd, although Saturday’s Concours seemed to have more families in attendance. Estimates as to the numbers in attendance for each day are the following: •Friday, September 16th: 250-350 people •Saturday, September 17th: 1200 people (throughout the entire day) *** Please note that these numbers do not include the race participants, their families, or the mechanic and event crews that all stayed in LionsHead or at the Cascade post-race on Friday evening due to the event on Saturday morning. Attendee numbers are increasing most likely attributable to prior events and advertising.*** Economic Impact: According to feedback gathered from the LionsHead Merchants at the end of September, it appears that many found their establishments to be busy on the day of the Concours event. The restaurant locations seem to have received the greatest benefit from the event; however, all felt it drew a good crowd to the area and to their establishments specifically. With the exception of the Cascade (where most drivers stayed) and the Arrabelle (who hosted the brunch) the event did not have a large impact on the lodges in the area, which is something that could be improved on in years to come. The impact to the Cascade and the Arrabelle lodges and the resulting sales tax revenue is definitely worth noting, as it was significant. Intent to Return: The Colorado Grand does draw repeat guests. Several locals had attended the year before, attended this year and stated that they intend to continue to attend in the future. Those that come from the Front Range specifically for this event also seem like very loyal guests to the Grand and to the Vail area as a whole. Growth Potential, Community, and Environment - Colorado Grand 11 Growth Potential: This event has unending potential for growth, as well as great potential of becoming a truly iconic event for the Town of Vail. The Colorado Grand event as a whole already has a large number of high dollar sponsors that support the week long event. The goal in the future will be to develop more local sponsors that could help to create a larger post-race event in LionsHead Village and Vail. As the post-race events grow and become a yearly Vail fall highlight, the potential for media exposure is endless. Additionally, with growth of the event, the ability to draw more guests to the area for the Grand will also grow exponentially. Sense of Community: In line with the overall goal of all LionsHead events for this summer, this event truly created a great sense of community in Vail. Repeatedly guests walked through commenting on the change in activity level and the liveliness of the Village. Additionally, it united the LionsHead Merchants due to its presence throughout the Village. The event truly showcased how incredible fall in Vail can be and brought locals and destination guests out together to enjoy it. The Environment: The Colorado Grand will continue to work with the Town of Vail on any efforts necessary to support their dedication to producing “Green Events.” Oil pans were place to assure no oil dripped on LionsHead Plaza cobblestones. An additional environmental friendly action will be taken next year as car information will be placed on a single card located on the car windshield rather than on multiple flyers handed out to guests on the day of the event. Conclusion: As previously stated, this event aimed to build off of and stretch out the already successful summer event schedule by creating vitality and energy in the LionsHead Village throughout the fall; the Colorado Grand clearly achieved this aim and was overall a great success. We look forward to further developing and improving this event in the future and hope for and appreciate the Commission on Special Events’ support in our efforts to do so.