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Home My WebLink About01.Vail Yeti - CRC 2017 Event Recap with SurveySurveyed Event Recap: Vail Yeti Hockey Club Cultural, Recreational & Community Category June 7th 2017 Vail Yeti Hockey: 2017 Chris Huntington Phone: 203.770.2918 chuntington@charter.net 2 Overall Event Highlights & Successes 3 Top Five 2017 Highlights and Successes •$138 ROI for every dollar invested by the Town of Vail •Increased Average attendance by 45% from 2016 to 2017 •Doubled our Sponsorship dollars •Increased Marketing presence and local awareness through increased advertising and signage. •Won second MWHL Championship in four years Attendance Estimate 4 This attendance was slightly higher than anticipated, however, it confirms that our attendance increases in relation to our marketing efforts. We plan to make a positive impact on our attendance next year by reaching out to more Youth hockey families through promotions and interaction, hotel concierges, and increasing our pre event activation. Visitor Type 5 I actually expected Overnight visitors to be a little lower percentage. It was a pleasant surprise to see one third of our fan base is overnight visitors. Overnight visitors is a segment that we need to aggressively target. We can definitely reach more visitors by marketing to the Concierges and supplying them with deck cards as well as being visible in the transportation centers and on Vail App. Overnight Visitor Profile: Overnight Visitors & Seasonal Residents Only Only 6 We encourage all of our visiting teams to stay in Vail and in several cases contribute to their hotel fees. We do some partnering with a couple of Vail hotels by marketing and advertising our games through their SM to potential overnight guests. Overall Visitor Profile 7 Our anticipated demographic was 21-40 years old, 50% male/female, 75% Vail Valley Resident. Yes we reached our target demographic but would like to expand our demographic to attract more kids and families. We saw an increase in this segment but can do more in the future. Will attempt to better integrate our players into the local hockey community and hold promotions geared towards kids. Role/Importance of Event in Intent to Visit Vail 8 One of our best marketing tools is social media. It spreads awareness of upcoming games throughout the Valley and is a big contributor to attracting down Valley residents to come into Vail for the evening. Another way to increase the number of overnight visitors is to increase our incentive payments to visiting teams who stay in the Town of Vail. The more games we play the more we bring in overnight visitors. If we can afford to play at home every weekend during the winter we can bring in more business. NPS (Net Promoter Score)/Likelihood to Recommend 9 The net promoter score is a little misleading. There were too many average scores from overnight visitors which lowered the overall score. Perhaps locals are more emotionally invested in the team and game than overnight guests are. Locals know the players, anticipate the event for days and then meet their friends for a great time. We have worked at adding around the edges by adding a live DJ and food options. I believe we can continue to add to the periphery of the event to build on the “wow factor”. Estimated Return on Investment (ROI) & Attendee Expenditures 10 Our event encouraged spending in Vail with in game announcements to drive spectators to our local sponsors. Our visiting teams usually spend 3-5 days in Vail going to restaurants, skiing, and purchasing souvenir items. Event Strengths & Weaknesses 11 The event exceeded our expectations in 2017. We increased our fan base, had several crowds near capacity, and had many exciting close games. Our biggest strength is bringing nearly 1000 people into Lionshead on 20 weekend nights and providing entertainment for the valley. It is fun lively entertainment and it is “something to do” after skiing or working the lifts and frequenting the bars. Our event adds to the appeal of living and working in Vail for hockey fans as well as current and future players. We can improve with more consistent promotions and interacting more with fans leading up to game day. More activation required (i.e. making the players visible prior to games). 2017 was the best year for the event. It has steadily grown year over year. We expect another bump in growth for 2018. From a hockey standpoint we are starting to gain recognition on a national level. Vail Brand Compatibility 12 The Vail Yeti event supports the Vail Brand. Competitive Hockey is active, exciting, “on the edge” event. It fits the personality of our Vail demographic. The Vail Yeti are two time Mountain West Hockey League Champions. Among teams from across the nation, our competition includes Breckenridge, Sun Valley, Jackson Hole and Aspen. In the future I expect Steamboat and Park City to also have a team in our league. In addition to the MWHL, starting next year we will be a member of the Black Diamond Hockey League consisting of Sun Valley, Jackson Hole and Bozeman. The Vail Yeti Hockey Club strives to be the Premier Mountain Resort Hockey Team. Brand Positioning: •Town of Vail: The Premier International Mountain Resort Community •Vail Mountain: Like nothing on earth Community Contribution 13 The Vail Yeti are Vail’s team and contribute to a sense of community. The team brings everyone together. There is a sense of pride and support, especially when we play other mountain resort towns. We have also seen how young kids look up to the older players. We are taking a professional approach in being good role models. We have done fundraising for Pink Vail and individual kids with Cancer. It is important that we as a team continue take part in community causes and events. Topline Marketing Efforts 14 3 successful marketing tactics or executions 1) Banners hanging at the entrances to Lionshead and Vail Village and above Dobson Arena for each week prior to home games. It greatly improves awareness of our event. We will continue to do this as much as it is possible. 2) Digital video advertising with the Daily. Digital reaches thousands of past, current and future guests. 3) Social Media, pocket schedules and posters. This is a great tangible way that we get our sponsors visibility. •Please attach complete marketing plan to end of presentation. Potential for Growth & Sponsorships/Media Exposure 15 We can grow our sponsorship and media coverage by including more video and coverage through local TV and Youtube. We plan on targeting our existing sponsors: TOV, Garfinkel’s, Bonfire, Evergreen, Altitude, Bart and Yeti’s and a few other smaller sponsors. We plan on expanding our categories: Realtor, Insurance, Dentist, Auto, Finance, and more corporations. We can expand our marketing reach next year through KZYR, TV8 morning show, Vail Daily, and showing games on Fast Hockey and the local access TV station. Deck Cards in Hotels and Player program books will increase sponsor exposure and awareness. Sustainability Efforts 16 What measures were taken at your event/program to support the environmentally- friendly goals of the Town of Vail? We announce every period: “…remember, when the snow melts, the bottles and cans are still here. Help keep the mountain and town of Vail clean by recycling. If you love it here, recycle here!” What waste reduction methods were used during your event/program? We don’t really have any waste to speak of. All food and beverage is purchased through the Arena and none of it leaves the building. The Town of Vail is committed to the stewardship and protection of our unique mountain environment. In consideration of both our local and global impacts and opportunities, our environmental vision is to demonstrate and promote: renewable energy, resource efficiency, ecosystem protection, and community awareness and education. Event Budget 17 * Event producer to attach detailed budget for recap Item $ Total Event Budget: $107,000 CSE Funds: $10,000 Cash Sponsorship (not CSE): $7,000 In-kind Sponsorship: $4,000 Marketing Budget: $10,000 Profit & Loss: -$21,000 How did you use the CSE funds? (marketing, operations, staff, venue, etc.) Marketing and Operations Additional Information/Appendix 18 2016-17 Vail Yeti Detailed Budget Ice Rental $20,000 Referees $8,000 Security $5,000 Staff Operations $29,000 Marketing/Ads $10,000 Away Travel $12,000 Visiting team incentives (mostly hotel) $15,000 Equipment and Uniforms $3,000 Miscellaneous Insurance, plane fare, internet $5,000 Total $107,000 Vail Daily Print ads 2-3 times prior to event. Vail Daily Weekly ads once before each weekend. Video Sizzle piece for Lionshead Transportation Center and used for Digital piece in Daily. 3 banners for Lionshead, Vail Village and Dobson entrances. Posters and 1,000+ Pocket Schedules distributed to local businesses. Social Media ad purchases every week before games. Posting and direct marketing to Vail Resorts employees. KZYR announcements and player interviews. 19 Detailed Marketing Plan 2017 Vail Yeti Hockey