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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013 CO Grand Overview and RecapColorado Grand September 16-21, 2013 The Colorado Grand is a non-profit 501c-3 (Tax ID 84-1115630) vintage and historic race car tour (non-competitive) which begins and ends in Vail and travels 1,000 miles through the state in four days. This will be the 25th tour for the Colorado Grand. The Grand has donated over 3.2 million dollars to charities in the past 24 years, most notably the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation, Bethel House/Pieta House and Robert Sutherland Foundation as well as numerous other charities. The event will base from and return to the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa and will hold its free to the public Finish Line Celebration at Vail Cascade and free to the public Concours (public car display) in Lionshead Village. PROPOSED EVENT OUTLINE TIMELINE & LOCATION REQUESTS ARRIVAL/LOAD-IN Cars will potentially begin arriving (by commercial transporter) as early as Friday, September 13 and continue through Monday, September 16, which is the official registration day. The Grand will require the ability for transporters to park along the Frontage Road near Westhaven Drive and the Vail Cascade Resort for September 13, 14, 15 and 16. Signs will be placed over the existing 'No Parking" signage by Vail indicating that the area is strictly a delivery/pick-up zone. We also request that the frontage road in front of the Vail Fire Department just west of Vail Cascade be reserved to accommodate as many of the large transport vehicles as possible from September 13 through September 21. Vail Resorts will block the area and provide signage. Smaller transport vehicles will utilize the Lionshead parking structure. FINISH - Friday, September 20, 2013 Set-up could begin as early as Friday, September 19. The actual event occurs Friday afternoon, September 20. The metal archway at the entrance of the Lionshead Village will serve as a finish line. Event signage and banner (3' X 8') will be hung on this structure to create a presence at the finish. Signage and perhaps marshals will be placed on the South Frontage Road, as well as on East Lionshead Circle to direct the cars to the Finish Line (cars will be traveling East on the South Frontage Road from the West Vail Exit toward E. Lionshead Circle). Approximately 100 participant cars will pass through this "Finish Line" area, pause briefly for a photo before being directed onto the Lionshead Mall area. If gifts are awarded, a supply truck stocked with the participant gifts will need to be parked in the delivery zone of the Bus Circle throughout this time period. A Dixie-Land Band may be playing as the cars cross the finish line, but this is being handled by the Lionshead Merchants Association. After receiving their gifts participant cars will be directed West through Lionshead Village and the mall area to West Lionshead Circle where they will proceed back to the South Frontage Road and head back to the Vail Cascade Resort to park for the evening. ***It is possible that a select few cars (8-10) will be directed to designated parking spaces on the Lionshead Mall area on Friday evening, September 14,2012 where they will remain displayed overnight (oil pans will be placed under any and all cars parked on the Mall). All the rest of the participant cars will return to the Vail Cascade Resort to park for the night. *** CONCOURS - Saturday, September 21, 2013 The metal archway at the entrance of the Lionshead Village will serve as the direction point for the cars involved in the Concours. Event signage and banner will be hung on this structure to create a presence at the Concours. Signage will be present on South Frontage Road through Saturday morning to assist participants in staging their cars for Saturday morning's display. Staging will begin at 7:00 a.m. Colorado Grand staff as well as volunteers will be onsite to assist with vehicle placement. Cars will be placed in pre-approved designated locations in and around the Lionshead Mall (please refer to site map). Any overflow of vehicles to be placed on East Lionshead Circle (as has been done in past years) into designated spaces/slots as directed by attendants. It is our understanding this will require the closure of a portion of East Lionshead Circle for the day. Oil pans will be provided by the Colorado Grand and placed under each car parked for display for the duration of the event. REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL TOWN SERVICES We would need the assistance of the Town as follows: 1.) We would need the bollard at the very West end of the Lionshead Mall (next to the porte cochere for Centre V) to be removed on Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon for the load in and out process. 2.) We would need benches, flower pots, and bike racks moved from the parking locations by Friday morning. 3.) Install large banner on the archway at Lionshead for Friday's Finish Line and Saturday morning's Concours. SECURITY PLAN If cars are parked in the Village overnight, security will be hired to monitor those cars throughout the time they are left unattended. Angie Getchel The Colorado Grand 5286 La Quinta Circle Elizabeth, CO 80107 720-670-6433 info@coloradogrand.org www.CO1000.com Colorado Grand Friday, September 20th & Saturday, September 21st, 2013 A Post Event Review By The Colorado Grand Event Overview - Colorado Grand 13 Strengths: •Added numerous giveaways and social aspect on both Monday, September 16 and at the Finish Line September 20 at LionsHead. •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 repeat Front Range guests and locals to the LionsHead area and the Town of Vail overall. •Further enforced the idea that events taking place late in the month of September can be successful and lengthened the summer season in Vail. •Continued the tradition of a truly great event with great potential for growth and development in the future. •The 2013 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 2014 as well. •LionsHead Merchants played a key role in 2013 by handling the Finish Line, donating to the silent auction and presenting a social aspect. •Parking issues were resolved with help from the Chief of Police and Town of Vail until Ford Park construction complete. The Colorado Grand set out to accomplish two major goals when developing the 2013 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. This year in particular was a huge success and the addition of assistance from Lions Head Merchants was very valuable. 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, including repeat guests, 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:. •This year was a great success; no obvious weaknesses were apparent.. Event Budget Recap – Colorado Grand 13 COLORADO GRAND BUDGET DETAIL Description 2011 Actual 2012 Actual 2013 Actual Revenues: Vail CSE Contribution 2,000 2,000 2,000 Other Sponsors/Contribuutions The Colorado Grand 40,000 50,000 60,000 Town of Vail In Kind Services In Kind Services In Kind Services Lionshead Merchants Association Advertising+ Advertising Ads, social, gifts, donations TOTAL REVENUES: 42,000 52,000 62,000 Expenses: Advertising Signage LHMA Signage LHMA Signage LHMA Signage Brochures & Programs LHMA Brochures Posters/Car Listings LHMA Brochures; Car Listings Newspaper LHMA Ads LHMA Ads Advertising Misc. Publications/Front Range Clubs Grand email Blasts Grand email Blasts Grand Email Blasts Radio LHMA Radio LHMA Radio Radio and TV8 Interviews Entertainment 1,000 1,000 1,000 Event Operational Costs Information Car Flyers 178 195 186 Insurance 4,374 6,830 11,820 Special Event License/Permits 150 150 160 Oil Pans 500 600 600 Participants Brunch 16,000 16,000 18,000 Plaques/Car Decals 2,188 4,714 4,122 Finish Line Awards 12,000 15,000 16,000 Event Workers 5,200 6,500 8,500 Website 5,500 6,500 8,500 Concours Info Sheet to Entrants: Copies/Mailing 100 100 100 TOTAL EXPENSES: 50,290.26 59,589 67,988 NET INCOME/(Loss) (8,290.26) (7,589) (5,988) Marketing Efforts – Colorado Grand 13 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 and Cati’s time with PR, etc.). •Press Releases sent to media outlets resulted in mention of the event in the Vail Daily •Interviews with radio and TV8 (broadcast from one of the cars at the Concours) •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 2013 Finish Line/Concours d’Non Elegance and to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and shopping for the weekend. Statistical Information - Colorado Grand 13 Attendance and Demographic Profile: The event was very well attended. There were 1,000 copies of the car description handouts, which were given out. The event seemed to draw a diverse crowd of both Vail Valley locals and destination guests, many repeat 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 many, many repeat guests from previous years as evidenced by the many people coming up to thank us on the event, once again. 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 20th: 500 people •Saturday, September 21st: 1000 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 extra 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 including the shopping establishments. Many participants return with their families at a later time, increasing an undetermined amount of lodging and dining revenue. 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. LionsHead Merchants provided a great impact with their donations, social events and gifts to the entrants. Many entrants shopped, dined and stayed over additional days both before the event and after to enjoy Vail and LionsHead. 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 13 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 as well as their tremendous participation in this year’s event. 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 placed to assure no oil dripped on LionsHead Plaza cobblestones and recycled paper was used for the Car Listings passed out to guests.. 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.