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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012 Vail Restaurant Month RecapEvent Recap: Vail Restaurant Month Commission on Special Events November 7, 2012 Photo by Jack Affleck Vail Restaurant Month: September 17-October 14, 2012 Ilene Rapkin, President, I Openers Office: 212.580.4867 Mobile: 917.578.8130 info@vailrestaurantmonth.com Vail Brand Compatibility “Premier International Mountain Resort Community” Standard of excellence met by: •Promotes Vail fall beauty and cultural vitality •Showcases Vail’s diverse and world-class culinary offerings •“Market to Table Week” and “Health & Outdoors Week” complement natural, authentic Vail brand values •VRM supports the health & wellness initiative of the Town of Vail •All VRM marketing and design is reviewed and approved by VLMDAC •All messaging promotes Vail as a world-class mountain resort destination •VRM’s independent research reports top event satisfaction ratings three years in a row Event Strengths & Weaknesses Exceeded expectations: •Strong lodging, dining and ancillary spend continues to grow during the fall season… VRM is working! •Annual growth in revenue and visitorship •8 new restaurant partners, 2 new resort partners – all partners from previous years participated again •Strategic promotion and advertising drove attendance and awareness beyond expectations. Example: On-air promotion at every news cast for six days in a row on ABC-7 TV Denver •Major increase in website and Facebook traffic and engagement •Local signage and banners generated large jump in onsite awareness •Despite economy cash sponsor revenue increased by 16%, and gained 2 major national sponsors already in discussion for 2013 VRM Event Strengths & Weaknesses Measures that could be taken for event improvement: •Lodging partners and some restaurant partners have strongly requested the event remain 4 weeks. However, some restaurant partners have expressed preference for 3 weeks due to bandwidth. VRM will emphasize no requirement for any partner to participate all 4 weeks. •Target Dallas, Houston and Mexico markets (based on 2012 VRM independent research study and Facebook engagement metrics) •As per I Openers recommendation, collaborate with other culinary event producers all year long to benefit the Town of Vail •Add a high profile ticketed event with Bravo! to attract visitorship first or last weekend of VRM: music, wine & food… and celebrities •Create a Thursday culinary program in collaboration with lodging and restaurant partners to extend weekend visitorship for singles and couples from Denver/Front Range •Continue to increase local presence: More A-frame stanchions in streets, more roundabout banners, Vail Daily wrap and weekly calendars, and concierge one-sheets each week •VRM is simplifying restaurant partner sign-up process •Expanded collaboration with September event producers to drive increased restaurant revenue and extend overnight stays Event Strengths & Weaknesses For repeat event, comparison to past years: •Attendance increases every year: 4% increase in attendance over 2011 •6% increase in revenue sales tax •9% increase in room nights •5% increase in lodging revenue •Every year, more than 20% of VRM attendees came to Vail for the first time •Increased restaurant participation by 24% over previous year (8 new restaurants) •83% increase in VRM website traffic, 127% increase in Facebook “Likes”, and marketing campaign impressions increased 10% •Increased partnerships and collaborative efforts with other Vail events during fall •Despite cold weather this fall season, VRM’s indoor event strategy continues to drive visitorship growth and revenue to the Town of Vail during the fall Event Budget •Total event budget: $152,200 •CSE funds: $35,000 (note: VLMD contributed $25,000 restricted funds for marketing) •Profit and loss: $7,000 operating loss (mostly because of reduced operations funding) •Funding utilization: Event operations, staffing and marketing •In-kind sponsorship: $8,098 •Cash sponsorship: $57,800 (increased by 16% over 2011) Estimated Results* Attendance Numbers • • • • Estimated Results* Demographic Profile • • Estimated Results* Event Attendee Estimated Spending • • • • • • • • Estimated Return on Investment (ROI)* • • • • Visitor Intent to Return* • • • Topline Marketing Efforts •In 2012, VRM and partner marketing and promotions delivered 32 million consumer impressions, an increase of 10% over 2011 •Increased Denver/Front Range promotions and advertising: TV, print, literature distribution, email marketing, geo-targeted social media and digital advertising via Facebook, iPad and Google ads •6 full days of on-air promotion at every newscast hour on ABC-7 TV Denver •Local PR: TV8 and Vail Daily coverage delivered increased visibility •Increased local onsite visibility: A-frame stanchion signs in Vail Village and Lionshead, roundabout banners, 5,000 promotional cards distributed at participating restaurants, and a staffed VRM information booth for each Saturday •Engaging and useful VRM website drove significant traffic and awareness: over 1.1 million visitors •New! Digital ad campaign targeting iPads in Denver/Front Range reached large numbers of affluent influencers •Nationally targeted promotion: FamilyFun Magazine, Runner’s World; and co-promotion with Tour of Vail and Bicycling Magazine Community Contribution Impact on Vail’s sense of community: •VRM is a leader creating collaboration among our diverse Vail culinary community during the fall season •“Engagement + Education + Inspiration” are the core values of VRM and are promoted in all of our communication and themed events and activities •For the third year, VRM’s “Little Foodies in the Kitchen” after-school enrichment programs with Eagle County Schools, as well as activities in VRM partner restaurants, have generated goodwill and experiences that connect families to our culinary community •Charity fundraiser event to support Walking Mountains Science School •VRM partners with and promotes Vail Farmers Market Sustainability Efforts Green Measures •VRM marketing and operations emphasize digital and paperless materials •VRM events are mostly within existing properties and venues, reducing waste and footprint •“Market to Table” and “Health & Outdoors” weeks complement Vail’s strategic objective to promote healthy lifestyle and sustainability Additional Information •Partner testimonials •Research methodology Additional documents attached to presentation: THANK YOU, CSE FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF VAIL RESTAURANT MONTH! APPENDIX – ATTENDANCE ESTIMATE METHODOLOGY NOTES VAIL RESTAURANT MONTH 2012 EVENT WRAP REPORT FOR TOWN OF VAIL CSE Based on the recommended methodology provided by CSE, as well as benchmarks used every year during VRM to estimate attendance for the 4 week event, methodology and assumptions are as follows: a) 1 "attendee" = 1 person attending an event, activity, offering or VRM partner restaurant venue for all or any part of a day during the dates of VRM. b) Due to the unique nature of the VRM event structure, assumptions underlying attendance estimates are as follows: i. Best access to attendee counts is based on data obtainable shortly after the event from a statistically valid sample of participating restaurants. ii. The total attendance number in 2012 is projected from an estimated mean average of covers each week for all four weeks for 24 participating restaurants (note: some restaurants of course are lower and some much higher), plus attendance at our Little Foodies program and our Run-Ride-Refresh event. iii. Total VRM attendance number does not include the attendance for the special partnered VRM Vail Farmers Markets on 9/23 and 9/30, although these market dates did not exist previous to VRM, and each year are negotiated as an addition to the market season with the critical sponsor support and marketing by VRM. iv. Each year, as an additional substantiating factor, we also gather data from participating hotels and lodging partners to track booking numbers to ensure that they align with the growth trajectory observed in our restaurant estimates. v. Each year, as another substantiating factor for overall revenue and impact estimates, we also analyze data we are able to obtain from restaurant and lodging partners tracking categories such as: year-over-year growth in "average revenue per cover"; year-over-year comparisons of revenue from specific restaurant events that have been repeated; as well as year-over-year lodging nights booked within theme event weeks. c) Our annual attendee survey conducted by Intercept Insights is a statistically valid sampling of consumers who have experienced a VRM event or offering, which goes into detail mapping their responses to questions about topics such as event satisfaction, demographic and geographical data, consumer spending, and other key findings about our attendees in Vail during VRM.