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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005 CSE Strategic Plan Rvsd 03_14_2011 Town of Vail: Commission on Special Events STRATEGIC PLAN Adopted August 5, 2009 Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 2 of 11 This plan may be accessed at www.vailgov.com Our Values: Integrity-Collaboration-Accountability-Respect Purpose: The mission of the Vail Commission on Special Events (CSE) is to support and assess a diverse collection of special events, both large and small, which promote Vail's economic vitality, sense of community, and increase the quality year-round of the experience for guests and residents. The purpose of the Commission on Special Events Strategic Plan is to establish guidelines that will assist the CSE in developing and supporting a calendar of events that accomplish the following goals:  Assist in balancing the year round economy  Increase sales and lodging tax revenues in the Town of Vail  Promote a strong sense of community  Appeal to a diversity of interests  Provide a better quality of life for guests and residents  Entice visitors to return, and  Increase the length of their visits It is intended that this document be revisited and revised as the community evolves and action steps are completed. Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 3 of 11 Process: A committee was appointed by the CSE to develop a final draft of the plan. The committed consisted of CSE members Kerry Donovan and Rayla Kundolf, Vail Economic Development Manager Kelli McDonald and CSE Coordinator Sybill Navas. The document was reviewed by the following entities: • Town of Vail Event Review Committee (ERC) • Vail Economic Advisory Council (VEAC) • Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council (VLMDAC) • Vail Town Council Adopted on August 5, 2009 by the Vail Commission on Special Events Commission on Special Events Members: Dave Chapin, Chairman Robert McKown, Vice-Chairman Bobby Bank Kerry Donovan Meggen Kirkham Rayla Kundolf Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 4 of 11 Heather Trub Background: In 2002, the Vail Town Council approved legislation that created the Commission on Special Events (CSE) in its current form. This ordinance reorganized the existing CSE and set several broad objectives: 1. Stimulating the local economy a. Increase lodging and sales tax collections b. Increase number of visitors c. Insure that visitors have a high rate of intent to return 2. Create a sense of community in Vail and increase the quality of experience for both guests and residents 3. To establish a single point of contact for events administration 4. To provide street entertainment and special events that reflect the high quality image of Vail and contribute to vitality, economic viability and fun throughout the year Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 5 of 11 Strategic Fundamentals: The CSE will encourage and recruit independent event organizers to produce events in Vail by acting in a sponsorship role to provide seed funding for the development of new events and sponsorship dollars for on- going events, particularly those events that are contributing to the economic vitality of the community. It continues to be the job of the CSE to weed out events not performing as expected while continuing to encourage the development of new events that are commensurate with the world class image of Vail. Additionally, in keeping with the public trust and economic realities, every event investment will be held to a high level of accountability. A post- event recap will be expected from each event receiving public funding and will be publicly reviewed by the CSE. Vail’s Local Marketing DistrictProgress will be evaluated by answering addressing these basic questions: • Did every event investment increase Vail’s economic performance? • Are event investments being fully leveraged to increase Vail’s sales and marketing reach? • Are we consistently achieving more impact with public resources? • Do these events contribute to a strong sense of community and better quality of life? Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 6 of 11 Events that qualify for CSE funding are ultimately selected by what they can contribute to the community and how they fit into a calendar of events that will appeal to a diversity of interests and provide a balance of activity and economic vitality throughout the year. Categories of Special Events: Special Events are as diverse as the people that they attract. Different types of events contribute to the community in different ways, and the CSE must remain cognizant that all special events do not serve the same purpose in the community. While recognizing that some events “overlap” into more than one category, in order to facilitate the comparison of the contributions that varying events bring to the community the CSE has developed the following categories of Special Events:  Iconic Events: 1. Take place over a period of several days, or even weeks 2. Attract destination visitors from outside the region, and provide strong stimulus for the lodging, restaurant and retail community 3. Nationally or internationally recognized competitions or cultural events that contribute to Vail’s image as a world-class destination 4. Leverage community contributions with major sponsorships Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 7 of 11 5. Require a large number of volunteers and significant community support Examples: World Alpine Ski Championships, TEVA Mountain Games, BRAVO! Vail Valley Music Festival, Vail International Dance Festival, Jazz Festival Role of the CSE: Review, evaluate economic impacts and potential, facilitate and recommend  Participatory Events: 1. Attract destination guests and put “heads in beds” for the duration of the event 2. Provide benefit to the lodging and restaurant community 3. Turnkey: the Town’s role is that of a host site 4. Capitalize on infrastructure that might otherwise be under-utilized Examples: TEVA Mountain Games, Kick-It 3vs3 Soccer, Vail Lacrosse Shootout, Vail Challenge Cup Soccer, Vail-Eagle Hockey Tournament Role of the CSE: Partner with the community, recruit, evaluate economic impacts and potential, provide sponsorship and/or site fees where necessary, facilitate, review  Ambient Events: 1. Provide entertainment, activities and street vitality for guests who are already here, or who might come into town for an afternoon or an evening 2. Attract visitors from within the region or the Front Range 3. Help to keep people in town for longer than they might otherwise stay 4. Contribute to Vail’s image as a place where there is always something fun to do Examples: Vail Jazz Festival, Summer Street Entertainment, Gourmet on Gore, BBQ Bonanza, Oktoberfest, Vail Farmers’ Market, Lionshead Friday Afternoon Club, Vail Arts Festival Role of the CSE: Communicate and partner with the business community, develop concepts, encourage sponsorship development, provide funding where necessary, evaluate economic contributions, review Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 8 of 11  Community Events: 1. Create a venue to celebrate major holidays and important community events, and to preserve the heritage and traditions of our community 2. Provide for a better quality of life for residents: i.e. make people happy 3. Bring “neighbors” (Summit County, down-valley) into town 4. Do not have a strong ability to attract major sponsors and/or do not provide opportunity for additional revenue sources to the event producer or measurable economic contributions to the Town of Vail Examples: America Days, Holidays in Vail, Trick-or-Treat Trot, Lionshead Easter Egg Hunt Role of the CSE: Facilitate, work with community organizations, contract for event production where necessary, evaluate and review Givens: The Commission on Special Events (CSE) strategy assumes several givens: • Special events should contribute to visitor satisfaction, sense of community and increased spending. • Cooperation and communication with other community organizations that are essential to the success of the CSE’s program. • Events that receive support from the CSE must be of a quality commensurate with Vail’s image as a world-class resort. • The use of measurable criteria in event selection, funding and evaluation is critical to ensuring progress. • A single point of contact is required to support special event producers. Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 9 of 11 The CSE is part of the Town of Vail’s Economic Development Department and relies on the Town Council to provide: • Policy Direction • Consistent Special Events Funding • Proactive Development of Appropriate Special Event Venues • Town of Vail Staff support for Special Events as required Every significant event destination allocates resources to the administration, ongoing support and recruiting of special events. Research has proven that Special Events generate additional sales tax revenues in the Town of Vail. The CSE recommends that some percentage of these increased revenues should be used not only to help underwrite the costs of administration, but also for research, evaluation and further event development or recruitment. The CSE will:  Provide a balanced, year round calendar of events appealing to residents and guests of diverse interests by: Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 10 of 11 o Attracting and developing events that will enhance and contribute to Vail’s world-class reputation o Attracting visitors by dedicating resources to recruit and develop new events o Attracting and supporting participant events for visitors and locals o Developing community events that will enhance the experience of Vail’s guests and residents, as well as become effective marketing tools. Examples include Vail America Days, Holidays in Vail, Trick-or- Treat Trot, Lionshead Easter Egg Hunt, etc. o Encouraging producers of special events to provide free street entertainment, e.g. clowns from circus, musicians from BRAVO, and artists from the Vail Arts Festival o Actively soliciting entrepreneurial street entertainment  Assess and evaluate events to insure that the community benefits are commensurate with the investment of public funds by: o Following objective event selection, funding and evaluation criteria o Developing critical success measurements: In coordination with the Vail Local Marketing District (VLMD) and appropriate research vendors, tools will be developed to regularly measure the following criteria:  Economic indicators a. Increased sales tax collections b. Increased lodging tax collections c. Improved occupancy rates d. Impact from direct event spending e. Quantifiable marketing benefits  Contributions to sense of community: a. Does the event improve the quality experience for guests and residents? b. Does it pull down-valley residents into Vail? c. Does it make people happy? o Communicating with the local business community, the Vail Chamber and Business Association (VCBA), the Vail Valley Partnership (VVP) and the Vail Recreation District (VRD) to insure that the events funded by the CSE have a positive impact on the local economy o Ensuring that event investments are closely coordinated with the economic needs of the community as recommended by the Vail Vail CSE Strategic Plan Adopted 8/5/2009 Page 11 of 11 Economic Advisory Council (VEAC) and with the broader marketing objectives identified by the VLMD o Maintaining biannual meetings with the VLMDAC and continue to work cooperatively to align the special events and marketing programs.  “Green Events:” Encourage environmentally sustainable practices for all Town of Vail events  Encourage producers of major events to develop sponsorships and to reduce over time their reliance on Town of Vail funding and the percentage of the event budget that is funded with public dollars  Encourage a culture within the Town of Vail that welcomes special events and provides a “can do” attitude of cooperation between Town of Vail Departments, Event Promoters and local businesses  Advocate for the development and improvement of venues and facilities for Special Events within the Town of Vail  Improve coordination and communication between the Town of Vail’s Event Review Committee (ERC), the Vail Recreation District (VRD), Vail Mountain Marketing and the CSE  Develop a refined program for the allocation of in-kind services to support Special Events  Provide complete and accurate information with regard to the calendar of special events in response to the needs of prospective visitors, event promoters, Town of Vail staff, concierges, locals and guests  Maintain a “single point of contact” for Special Events  Demonstrate to the Town Council that special events are a revenue provider for the Town, not an expense, and that events can deliver substantial sales and lodging tax revenues while simultaneously making Vail a more exciting place to live and visit