HomeMy WebLinkAbout02. VLMDAC December Meeting PresentationVLMDAC BOARD MEETING
DECEMBER 16, 2020
Agenda
•Monthly Financial Report, Carlie Smith
•Approval of November 18, 2020 Minutes, Board
•Summer Research Results, RRC
•2020 High Rolling Metrics, Cactus
•2021 Supplemental Budget/Media Opportunities, Cactus
•2021 Planning Process & Timeline, Cactus
•Data Systems Roadmap Update, Brown Analytics
•Lodge Liaison Update, Mark Herron
•CSE Update, Jeremy Gross
•Swear in of New VLMDAC Members, Mia Vlaar
•Other Business
MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT
SUMMER RESEARCH RESULTS
VAIL SUMMER 2020 ONLINE POST-VISIT SURVEY RESULTS
Introduction to the 2020 Research
•Summer 2020 brought challenges and change to Vail and all the world. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer research program adapted by changing the method of interviewing visitors and residents. Surveys were collected all online and were analyzed with attention to the overall visitation patterns observed from June through to early October.
•The story that emerged from this year included notable themes:
•Vail was resilient, after a slow start the season became (mostly) more typical of past summers when measured in terms of demographics and visitor experiences. Based on the research, the overall visitor profile in summer 2020 was remarkably stable:
•Day visits were strong, overnight visits declined overall as a percentage of total visits but with improvement as the summer progressed.
•Perhaps surprisingly, the geographic origins of visitors showed only slight shifts. NPS remained consistently strong throughout the summer and fall.
•Topics related to COVID-19 were explored and the pandemic affected visitors and second homeowners differently. Survey responses give us a tool to explore concerns and desires of visitors and second homeowners related to COVID
Key Takeaways from the 2020 Research
•The patterns of visitation showed shifts that are of interest. Measured through both Destimetrics data and Vail parking counts, the season showed sharp decreases in visits early in the summer, with gradual recovery through the entire summer and into fall. These results are shown in the two graphs that follow. Starting about Labor Day weekend (September 5th), the 2020 lodging occupancy numbers were generally similar to, and in some cases higher than, 2019. It was a strong fall and a notable recovery from early summer.
•Parking counts recorded by the Town of Vail were similar, down early then recovering gradually through the summer when measured year over year. The parking counts typically represent a broader view of overall activity and capture workers, day visitors the overnight segment.
Summer Occupancy-May through October
Daily occupancy based on DestiMetricsdata in 2020 compared to 2019 presents some findings that merit attention. Results showed:
Parking Counts April 1st-Oct. 4th , 2020
Key Takeaways from the 2020 Research
•New data collection method. The change in how data was gathered this year should be noted in advance of considering survey results. This year for the first time, the Town of Vail WiFi users were the source of summer data. Anyone that signed up to use WiFireceived a request to complete a survey five days after their sign up. This method resulted in 759 surveys obtained between May 27, 2020 and October 15, 2020. While the change in survey methods should be recognized in interpreting results, the overall pattern of responses shows strong similarities year-over-year and various comparisons can be drawn. Further, we believe that this new method of data collection will provide a valuable and cost-effective data source, and dependable benchmarks for future visitor tracking and research. In the report that follows, several key metrics are called out; they will be tracked in future reports. These metrics include:
•Geographic origins of visitors
•Visitor type (Out-of-State Overnight, Colorado Overnight, Day Visitors, and Seasonal Residents)
•Net Promoter Scores (NPS)
•First-time/repeat visitor ratios.
Key Takeaways from the 2020 Research
•Geographic origins of summer visitors. Colorado remains the top state of origin by a large margin (36%), followed by Texas, Florida, California, and Illinois. The rank ordering of these states was identical to the past several years with only slight changes in percentages. For example, Texas represented 12% of the total reported responses from the surveys, and Florida was up to 6% from 4% in summer 2019.
•Visitor Type. Survey results show an overall profile of respondents made up of: Overnight visitors (64%), Day visitors (19%), Seasonal/Second Homeowners (12%), and local residents (5%). For purposes of most of the analysis reported herein, local residents have been removed from the calculations. Comparing visitor type in 2020 to summer 2019, the data indicate that overnight visitors were down (68% compared to 75% in 2019) and day visitors were up (20% compared to 13%). Again, the changed method of collecting data should be noted, going forward the new method of gathering input from WiFi users should provide a stable and comparable benchmark that can be used to compare across seasons (summer to winter) and year-over-year.
Key Takeaways from the 2020 Research
•Net Promoter Scores (NPS). This important measure was strong this summer. It was measured at 75% this summer with some variation in scores by visitor type. Overnight from out-of-state rated NPS at 78%, compared to Colorado overnight at 73% and day visitors at 72%. Past Intercept research showed an NPS of 85% in 2019; however, as discussed in past presentations, the Post Visit NPS scores were much lower (50% to 56%). The new data collection method should provide a more stable method of tracking NPS scores over time, and we suggest that the 75 score be treated as a benchmark for future evaluations.
•Previous Visits in Summer and Winter. Approximately 37% of respondents are on their first summer visit to Vail. This figure is up slightly from past seasons when first-time summer visitors accounted for 31% -35% of visitors. About 43% of respondents overall indicated that they have never been to Vail in winter. This figure varies with about 50% of overnight out-of-state reporting that they have not visited in winter, compared to 25% of Colorado Overnight visitors.
State/Country of Origin
The following figure shows the top 10 states/countries of origin in 2020 compared to the prior three years. In-state visitation remained steady while the share from other states and international decreased (-8% relative to 2019). Colorado and the other top states flat to up.
State -2020
Vail continues to have a true national
draw in summer.
Colorado County -2020
Among in-state respondents, over three quarters of respondents (77%) came from 1 of 7 Denver counties. The Front Range, including Larimer, El Paso, and Weld counties, accounted for 92% of all in-state visitation.
Source: RRC Associates
Denver Counties:
77% of total in-state
(vs. 79% in 2019)
Visitor Type-By Epic Pass Ownership
BREAK OUT COLORADO VS OOS
Visitor Type-YOY
Excluding full-time residents, the share of overnight visitors decreased to 68% in summer 2020 from 73% -75% in the prior three years. The share of day visitors increased, while the share of seasonal residents was steady relative to 2020.
*Full-time residents excluded in 2020.
Household Status & Gender
38% of respondents (singles and couples) have children at home, 31% do not have children, while 31% no longer have children at home (empty-nesters). The sample skewed slightly female.
Year Male Female
2019 40%60%
2018 44%56%
2017 43%57%
(2020)
Household Status By Time of Season
Household Income
Just under a quarter of respondents, 23%, have annual household incomes of less than $50,000. 39% earn between $100,000-$200,000 annually, while 40% earn $200,000 or more. Relatively stable profile year-over-year.
*In 2020, 20% of all respondents preferred not to answer. Those respondents are excluded from this figure.
Epic Pass Ownership
32% of respondents reporting owning or having owned an Epic season pass. 68% had not.
COVID-19 SPECIAL QUESTIONS
Feeling of Safety
62% of all respondents reported feeling very/extremely safe (responded 9 or 10 out of 10) with the additional protocols Eagle County had put in place to address COVID-19. By visitor type, the average rating was highest among out-of-state overnight visitors (8.8/10) and lowest among seasonal residents (7.9/10) and Colorado Overnight respondents (8.0/10).
Safety Protocol Compliance
On a five-point scale, with 1 being “very little compliance” and 5 being “very strong compliance,” respondents rated compliance with Vail safety protocols a 4.2 on average. Residents provided lower compliance ratings (3.6), especially relative to out-of-state overnight visitors (4.4). Clearly, residents had concerns.
Feeling of Safety & Protocol Compliance by
Month
By month, both the average feeling of safety and average rating of compliance showed steady increases through the summer before dipping slightly in October.
Feeling of Safety Average Rating (10-point scale)
Compliance Average Rating (5-point scale)
Additional Comments-Sample Comments
Related to COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Of respondents that provided additional comments regarding COVID-19, the majority (roughly 80%), commented that protocols were too lenient or not being properly enforced. Some respondents felt Vail’s enforcement was too strict, or commented that they felt safe during their visit. Example verbatim comments are provided as an appendix to this report.
NPS SCORE & RATINGS
NPS Score
The 2020 overall net promoter score was 75%. By visitor type, scores were highest among out-of-state overnight visitors (78%), followed by Colorado overnight visitors (73%), and day visitors (72%). Differences in data collection methods likely contributed to increase in NPS relative to historic post trip NPS.
Historic Post-Trip
NPS Scores:
*NPS excludes seasonal residents, who had an NPS score of 85%.
NPS Score -All Respondents
The 2020 NPS Score decreased relative to historic intercept NPS; however, differences in survey methodology should be considered when comparing results.NPS Score: 83 NPS Score: 81 NPS Score: 85 NPS Score: 76
NPS Score –Seasonal Residents Excluded
The following figure shows net promoter scores without seasonal residents. Given the tendency of second homeowners to provide high NPS ratings, scores dip slightly. NPS Score: 83 NPS Score: 80 NPS Score: 84 NPS Score: 75
*NPS excludes seasonal residents
NPS Score by Previous Summer Visitation
NPS Score was higher among repeat summer visitors than first-time summer visitors (85% vs. 77%). First timers compared to repeat visitors represent an important breakdown in the data, likelihood to recommend Vail by these groups should be monitored in the future.
*NPS excludes seasonal residents.
NPS Score by Epic Pass Ownership
Epic Pass and non-Epic Pass owners are similar in terms of net promoter scores, but EP owners typically show a higher overall NPS score. They are an important segment of visitors.
*NPS excludes seasonal residents.
Ratings of Satisfaction
Ratings of satisfaction are consistently quite high, with “overall value you received for your money,” the lowest rated category, still receiving an average rating of 4.2 / 5.
Ratings of Satisfaction by Previous Summer Visitation
The percent of first-time summer visitors responding “4” or “5 -Extremely satisfied” was higher for “interaction with local restaurants” and “interaction with town greeters and/or Welcome Center staff” relative to repeat visitors. It was lower for “ease of finding parking in Vail” and “overall value you received for your money.”
Comments on Satisfaction Ratings
While some praised the free parking available in summer, others found
parking to be difficult an/or expensive, for example:
•“The signs for free parking were unclear and I ended up parking in a
lot where I had to pay.”
•“Parking is always tough and Vail is a pricey place, but we love it
anyway.”
•“Signage for visitor center was very poor. Finally parked in the garage
near visitor center and was charged $10.00 for 15 minutes of parking.
Very disappointed with that experience.”
Restaurants were busy/closed. Some complaints that
they were expensive and/or offered poor service.
•“Many restaurants not operating at all or without
outdoor seating available or not enough outdoor
seating available”
Ratings of Satisfaction
Comparisons of select categories to previous years suggest consistency in satisfaction with lodging experience and visitor information sources. The average rating of “overall value you received for your money” increased from 3.7 in 2019 to 4.2 in 2020, a positive finding.
*Historic data is from post-trip survey
PRIOR VISITATION & LIKELIHOOD TO RETURN
Prior Summer Visits
Overall, over a third of respondents (37%) were first-time summer visitors to Vail. The share of first-time visitors was highest among out-of-state overnight visitors (44%), followed by day visitors (42%), Colorado overnight visitors (19%). Clearly, the majority of Colo. Overnight are very familiar with Vail.
*Excludes seasonal residents
Prior Summer Visits by Year
2020 saw a slight increase in the share of first-time summer relative to prior years. This finding may have been surprising in light of expectations for a summer influenced by Covid-19, but the strength of Vail in states like Texas and Florida indicated that Americans were traveling.
*Excludes seasonal residents
Prior Summer Visits by Date of Visit
As summer progressed into fall, Vail experienced more first-time visitors. Clearly COVID-19 issues were a factor.
*Excludes seasonal residents
Likelihood to Return Next Summer
Overall, 58% of respondents are highly likely (responded 9 or 10) to return to Vail next summer, 20% are moderately likely (responded 7 or 8), while 22% are unlikely to return (responded 0 –6). Not surprisingly, seasonal residents are most likely to return, followed by Colorado overnight visitors, day visitors, and out-of-state overnight visitors.
Likelihood to Return Next Summer
Repeat summer visitors are more likely than first-time summer visitors to return to Vail next summer (average 8.5 vs. 7.0). This represents another metric that can be tracked over time. A goal might be to increase the likelihood of repeat visits from first timers.
LODGING & INFORMATION SOURCES
Booking Method
Most respondents reported that they booked directly with a hotel/lodge (41%), with use of RBO and Online travel agencies also frequently reported (12% each).
Booking Method by Year
Booking methods have been tracked over time.In 2019, there was a surge in reported bookings through rent-by-owner channels.This year, the data indicate a return to past patterns of about 12% reporting RBO.This metric will continue to be tracked.
Nights in Vail Area
A majority of respondents reported two or three night stays this summer. 18% stayed for a week or more. The average nights stayed was 4.3, down slightly from 5.6 in 2019.
Information Sources
Not surprisingly, recommendations from friends/family was the most identified source of information. Notably, Google searches, review sites, and specific destination sites are rated to be much more important than social media.
EXPERIENCES & ACTIVITIES
Desired Experiences
Rest and relaxation was the most identified experience desired by Vail visitors, followed by "exercise" and "time in nature." Adventure and play received relatively fewer mentions.
Common “other” write-in responses included golf, weddings, dog-friendly destination, shopping.
Activity Participation
Nine in ten respondents reported dining out while in the area. Other popular activities included shopping, hiking, sightseeing, and Vail Mountain activities.
Betty Ford Park/Garden, Piney Lake,
Glenwood Springs, Beaver Creek, Aspen.Categories that
were generally up in
2020
Categories that
were generally
down in 2020.
Other Destinations Considered
While more visitors reported they "only seriously considered Vail" for their trip (39%), Breckenridge, Aspen/Snowmass, and Beaver Creek were most identified as competitors.
Why Vail?
My family has a second home here. We
thought about going somewhere closer
to home, but at the end of the day, we
love it here, it feels safer than other
places we could be right now, and what a
wonderful opportunity to get to spend a
very extended period
The price was good while still providing the quaint yet
accommodating, Mountain Village experience we were looking for.
We have been coming to Vail for the past few years and
absolutely love it here. We call it an adult Disney.
Everything is amazing here including the sights, shops,
people, and food.
THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?
HIGH-LEVEL ROLLING METRICS
May –October Occupancy
Seasonal Lodging Occupancy
31%
(-31% YOY)
Destimetrics reported May through October2019 Average Seasonal Occupancy 45%
May –October Lodging & Sales Tax
May -OctoberLodging Tax
$827,522
(-11% YOY)
May –October Sales Tax
$8,740,689
(-11% YOY)
Return on Digital Ad Spend (RODAS)
•For every $1 we spend in digital paid media, we are generating an estimated $9.16 in lodging revenue
•This is up 17% from $7.85 RODAS reported in November,
•This can be attributed to high booking volume and media buy efficiencies in the Fall
= Adara Reported RODAS x 1.72 (weighted for 28% of market)
Adara Adjusted
$9.16 RODAS
2021 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET & DIGITAL MEDIA
OPPORTUNITIES
Always-on Paid Search (PPC) Recommendation
PPC was the most effective booking tactic in market for the summer 2020 plan.
Given the performance and reaching users who are actively searching for information, a year-round paid search presence will allow us to meet the demand of users planning summer travel in the off-season months.
•We will focus on non-branded summer search terms for Front Range and 3 Destination markets (to be determined)
•Budget levels comparable to summer spend
•Plan gives us an understanding of search volume and summer travel planning in the winter months across markets
Always-on PPC Budget Recommendation
Market Total Budget (5 Months)
Front Range $25,000
3 Destination Markets $115,000
TOTAL $140,000
Budgets take into consideration anticipated lower search volume during the winter months around non-branded, summer terms (i.e. summer mountain vacation, summer weekend getaway, mountain resort hiking, etc.)
Seasonal Website Content
Primary Winter Recommendations:
•Prioritize winter imagery, activities, events, and content that make up the core Vail winter experience so that the user experiences this content first.
•Maintain summer content where possible so that it is discoverable and still easy for our users to find it if they want it –we never know when we can capture or inspire winter travelers for a summer trip and vice versa.
•Update cross-over season activities and content.
Seasonal content updates give users an accurate, up-to-date, and inspirational description of the in-market experience for particular point in time.
Key inspirational and education information that the user needs to know about the seasonal experience should be added or adjusted. However, it’s important to that we maintain off season content.
Seasonal Website Content
Upcoming Content & SEO Audits: January 2021Review the following aspects of the DiscoverVail.com site in order to make adjustments and identify content gaps and priorities:
•Page Layout
•Page Messaging
•User Flows
•Optimizing Newsletter Enrollments
•SEO recommendation implementation
•On-page SEO placements
•Proper implementation of Meta Tags, Page-Titles
•Optimizations based on benchmarks
2021 PLANNING PROCESS & TIMELINE
2021 Planning Timeline
Dec
16
Strategy + Comms
Approach
Develop
Creative + Comms
Briefs
Jan 21
Existing Assets Prep +
Launch
Feb 18
Mar 18
DATA SYSTEMS ROADMAP UPDATE
Objectives
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
1.Understand who our customers are:enable targeting and personalization by growing acquisition of customer data
2.Drive visitation growth (tax revenue) through increased marketing personalization and improved targeting
3.Obtaining customer data at each point in the customer journey
4.Take an iterative approach to leverage small investments to show ROI and inform larger investments
Status
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
Step 1: Current State
Maturity Model
•Evaluate current capabilities
along the 5 building blocks
•Target: 11/20
COMPLETE
Step 2: Roadmap
Summary
Development
•Develop key themes by time
period and develop 3-year
roadmap plan with tasks
•Target: 12/20
Step 3: Roadmap
Detail Development
•Define additional detail
around each roadmap task
with costs/effort required
•Target: 1/6
•Roadmap summary draft complete
•Conducted 2 roadmap reviews with TOV and 1 with Cactus team
•Additional review with TOV and Cactus needed
•Finalize Step 2 by 12/20 and move into Step 3
Organizational Collaboration
Defining ownership of CRM and ensuring staffing and defined responsibilities to
deliver on goals
Marketing Data
Evolving information on customers to leverage as a
foundation for all data-driven efforts
Analytics / Insights
Understanding and leveraging performance and
motivations at a customer level
Marketing Strategy
Align with VLMD goals and provide north
star for all data-driven investments
Automation / Execution
Develop capabilities to execute on the vision across all marketing
channels
Roadmap Contents
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
1.Timeframes for Roadmap
–Key objectives and focus for each timeframe
–Review today
2.Roadmap Summary
–Roadmap focus by timeframe by building block
–Review next meeting
3.Roadmap
–Project/task-level plan by timeframe by building block
–Review next meeting
Timeframes for Roadmap
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
•Implement data capture quick wins to leverage winter visitation
•Improve coordination across channel silos
•Build foundation for comprehensive data-driven approach
0-3 Months: Q1 2021
•Grow 1st and 2nd party data capture
•Implement ‘manual’ data-driven journey(s) across multiple touchpoints
4-12 Months: Q2-Q4 2021
•Grow analytics capabilities and evolve journey-based guest communication plans
•Expand data capture to 2nd/3rd party
•Continue building marketing automation foundation across channels
Year 2: 2022
•Evolve technology and connect additional data sources
Years 3+: 2023+
Data-Driven Marketing Roadmap Summary
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
0-3 Months: Q1 2021 4-12 Months: Q2-Q4 2021 Year 2: 2022 Years 3+: 2023+
Implement data capture quick wins to leverage
winter visitation. Improve coordination across
channel silos and build foundation for transition
to data-driven approach.
Grow 1st and 2nd party data capture and
implement ‘manual’ data-driven journey(s)
across multiple touchpoints.
Grow analytics capabilities and evolve journey-
based guest communication plans. Expand data
capture to 2nd/3rd party and continue building
marketing automation foundation.
Evolve technology and
connect additional data
sources.
Organizational
Collaboration
•Identify key roadmap roles
•Define and begin initial cross-silo
coordination
•Identify key VLMD and partner role
gaps
•Begin filling key VLMD and partner
role gaps
•Refine responsibilities
•Grow marketing analytics function
Marketing Data •Data quick wins
•Document current state
•Identify data gaps.
•Build tech plan for data
•Grow 1st and 2nd party data
•Grow data governance capabilities
•Evolve tech plan for data.
•Grow 2nd and 3rd party data
Analytics/
Insights
•Define KPIs
•Document current state segmentation
•Evolve digital analytics
•Create initial segmentation models
•Introduce guest behavior dashboard
•Evolve and update segmentation models
•Create lifecycle trigger identifiers
Marketing
Strategy
•Define goals and mission of VLMD
•Map initial broad customer journey
•Identify initial focus segment(s)
•Define customer journey for priority
segments.
•Implement manual data-driven
journey
•Define brand marketing scalability needs
•Evolve omni-channel communication strategy
•Implement testing strategy
Automation /
Execution
•Understand capabilities of existing
tech/tools
•Identify technology gaps for execution
•Begin Marketing Automation
development
•Enhance campaign execution technology.
•Develop trigger campaigns.
Data-Driven Marketing Roadmap (Page 1/2)
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
0-3 Months: Q1 2021 4-12 Months: Q2-Q4 2021 Year 2: 2022 Years 3+: 2023+
Implement data capture quick wins to leverage
winter visitation. Coordinate better across channel
silos and build foundation for transition to data-
driven approach.
Grow 1st party data capture and implement manual
data-driven journey(s) across multiple touchpoints.
Grow analytics capabilities and evolve journey-
based guest communication plans. Expand data
capture to 2nd/3rd party and continue building
marketing automation foundation.
Evolve technology and
connect additional data
sources.
Organizational
Collaboration
•Identify Roadmap owner and working group
•Identify and document R&R between VLMD and
partners
•Develop initial coordination processes between
silos
•Identify key VLMD and partner role gaps
•Begin filling key VLMD and partner role gaps
•Identify test strategy owner
•Identify processes in need of responsibility
clarification
•Continue filling VLMD and partner role gaps
•Identify marketing data governance owner
•Define marketing analytics needs and timeline
•Define roles and responsibilities for key
processes
•Grow marketing analytics
function
Marketing Data •Implement 1-3 data capture quick wins
•Investigate 2nd party data available from town
partners
•Document current data landscape, data capture
quality and data access needs
•Document current available data across all
sources
•Gap analysis and prioritization of data capture
and accessibility needs
•Develop plan to address data consolidation and
single source of truth for guest data
•Grow 1st party data capture –phase 1
•Develop 2nd party data connections and
partnerships –phase 1
•Execute initial customer data integration(s)
•Evolve guest data consolidation
•Grow 1st party data capture –phase 2
•Develop 2nd party data connections and
partnerships –phase 2
•Explore external appends to enrich guest data
•Define guest journey phases and trigger events
•Evolve guest data
consolidation
•Develop formalized Data
Governance process
Analytics/
Insights
•Define KPIs for measurement of data-driven
marketing success
•Document current state segmentation
capabilities
•Require formal hypothesis and success criteria
for campaigns
•Assess and evolve current digital/email analytics
capabilities (web, email, etc.)
•Develop draft guest behavior executive
dashboard
•Create initial lifecycle segmentation based on
guest behaviors/engagement
•Create initial CLV model
•Standardize evaluation of campaigns against
success criteria and hypothesis
•Perform overall assessment of guest behavior
understanding
•Create trigger criteria to identify guest journey
transitions
•Enhance segmentation to support increased
personalization
•Establish knowledge repository
•Evolve and update
lifecycle and LTV models
•Develop research
roadmap to plan learning
agenda related to
consumer insight
Data-Driven Marketing Roadmap (Page 2/2)
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
0-3 Months: Q1 2021 4-12 Months: Q2-Q4 2021 Year 2: 2022 Years 3+: 2023+
Implement data capture quick wins to leverage
winter visitation. Coordinate better across channel
silos and build foundation for transition to data-
driven approach.
Grow 1st party data capture and implement manual
data-driven journey(s) across multiple touchpoints.
Grow analytics capabilities and evolve journey-
based guest communication plans. Expand data
capture to 2nd/3rd party and continue building
marketing automation foundation.
Evolve technology and
connect additional data
sources.
Marketing
Strategy
•Define goals and mission of VLMD related to
data-driven marketing
•Map out ideal guest journey example as end
goal
•Identify initial focus segments using existing
segmentation capabilities
•Define guest journey steps for key segments
•Implement one manual data-driven journey as
input into ROI models for future investment
•Refine ideal guest journey to inform future
development priorities (develop use cases)
•Identify top testing priorities and put initial test
plan in place
•Create campaign communications calendar with
new strategies
•Define brand marketing scalability
needs/content strategy
•Evolve personalization strategy to leverage
lifecycle and customer value
•Evolve omni-channel
communication strategy
•Evolve content strategy
Automation /
Execution
•Understand capabilities of existing tech/tools
•Identify technology gaps for omni-channel
execution for key use cases (email, web, social)
•[Further Define] Phase 1 Marketing Automation
development
•Gap assessment for campaign management
capabilities
•Define business rules for campaigns and
suppression
•Implement QC for content and brand standards
•Develop initial automated trigger campaigns
•[Further Define] Technology enhancements for
campaign execution –Phase 2 Marketing
Automation
•Define content
accessibility and storage
needs
•Evolve trigger campaign
development
•Technology
enhancements for
campaign execution
Next Steps
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
1.Address any follow-ups or questions from this meeting
2.Finish reviews with TOV and Cactus on Roadmap and Roadmap Summary
3.Gather and incorporate partner feedback on Roadmap
4.Finalize Roadmap and Roadmap Summary
5.Develop and share Roadmap Details
LODGE LIAISON UPDATE
Lodging Liaison Report
By the numbers: from November 1 -December 9, 2020
•56 total listings
•41 total properties
•6 new property inquiries -Natural Retreats, InvitedHome, The Lion, Lodge Tower, The Lion and Solaris
•1139 searches by category (how many times the B›D results page loaded or had a date change)
•1089 searched “All Lodging” category
•Reduced category tabs from 7 to 4, Lodgings, Hotels & Resorts, Condos, Residences
•802 referrals by button (any outbound click to a property -284 by title, 217 by picture link, 168 BookDirect button, 126 website, 7 phone link
Discovervail.com Lodging Update
Lodging Liaison Report
Discovervail.com Lodging Update
Lodging Liaison Report
(-25% YOY)(-24% YOY)
•Eleven questions with comment/suggestions
•Ninety survey’s sent to GM’s, DOM’s/DOS’s
•Results have been tabulated
•SOAR analysis and Action Plan to be shared at January Board meeting
Lodging Survey –Distributed December 4, 2020
CSE UPDATE
SWEAR IN OF NEW VLMDAC MEMBERS
Thank you!
Upcoming Meetings:
VLMDAC Monthly Meeting, January 20, 2021; Virtual Via Zoom
APPENDIX
SUMMER RESEARCH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS / ANALYSES
Vail as “Green” Destination
Over three quarters of respondents (77%) found Vail to be an environmentally friendly destination. Just 2% did not, down from 6% that did not consider Vail an environmentally friendly destination in 2019.
2019: Yes: 79%, No: 6%, Uncertain: 15%
Additional Comments
Additional comments were diverse in nature; however, as evidenced by the frequency of the word “mask” in the figure below, many (roughly 20% of those that provided additional comments) took the opportunity to comment on Vail’s safety protocols. Selections of these comments are presented on the following slides.
Additional Comments-Sample Comments
Related to COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Of respondents that provided additional comments regarding COVID-19, the majority (roughly 80%), commented that protocols were too lenient or not being properly enforced. A selection of these responses follows:
Additional Comments-Sample Comments
Related to COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Additional Comments-Sample Comments
Related to COVID-19 Safety Protocols
Some respondents felt Vail’s enforcement was too strict, or commented that they felt safe during their visit:
Ratings of Satisfaction by Time of Season
Ratings of Satisfaction by Epic Pass Ownership
Prior Winter Visits
57% of respondents had previously visited Vail in the winter or fall (43% had not). Once again, we see that Colorado Overnight visitors are much more likely than other groups to have visited in winter.
*Excludes seasonal residents
Prior Winter vs. Prior Summer
The following figure shows prior winter visitation segmented by prior summer visitation. Of first-time summer visitors, 73% have never visited Vail in winter so they are true first time visitors, while 27% have. The more respondents had visited Vail in summer, the more likely they were to have also visited in winter. First timers have special informational needs.
Vacation/Visit Pace
The majority of respondents (64%) describe most of their vacations as a mix of slow and fast paced, while 47% describe their recent Vail visit as a mix of slow and fast paced. Open-ended comments suggest closures related to COVID-19 may have played a role in the greater share of respondents describing their recent visit as slower-paced (38%) relative to most of their vacations (21%).
Vacation/Visit Pace by Presence of Children
Not surprisingly, respondents with no children at home were most likely to seek fast-paced vacations and more likely to describe their recent visit to Vail as fast-paced relative to respondents with children at home and respondents with no children at home.
Other Destinations Considered by Visitor Type
Other Destinations Considered by Time of Season
Lodging Spend Per Party Per Night
On average, overnight visitors spent $308/night on lodging, higher among out-of-state visitors ($326) relative to Colorado visitors ($278).
Lodging Spend Per Party Per Night
The following figure excludes overnight respondents that reported zero lodging expenditures. Viewed this way, the average nightly spend on accommodations was $381 ($408 among out-of-state visitors vs. $337 among Colorado visitors).
Lodging Spend Per Person Per Day
The average overall spend per person per day was $236 and was highest among out-of-state visitors and lowest among day visitors; however, day visitors reported spending significantly more on shopping and retail purchases.
$236 $240 $209 $158
Desired Experiences by Presence of Children
Desired experiences vary by segments based on presence of children. For parties with children, family time, play and kid friendly are relatively important.
Activity Participation by Presence of Children
Broadly speaking, activity participation was similar among respondents with no children, those with children at home (“empty-nesters”), and those with children no longer at home. Respondents with children were more likely to participate in Vail Mountain activities.
Comments on Pacing of Visit
I love that we could have spent more energy on
fun, adventuresome things but we also had the
option to chill out, which was what we were in
the mood for.
It was a relaxing day trip to get away from the
house, and it was great.
Tried to keep a good balance with moving around
and relaxing!
Travel Party
Nearly 3 in 4 respondents traveled with their spouse/partner on their visit (73%), followed by children 17 and under (27%), and friends (20%). Relative to 2019, the share traveling with friends and other relatives decreased slightly. There were virtually no organized tour groups in 2020.
(vs. 26% in 2019)
(vs. 17% in 2019)
Welcome Center Visitation
About 1 in 10 respondents reported visiting a Welcome Center, with the Vail Center receiving about twice the reported visits (65% compared to 26%).
Welcome Center Visitation
Satisfaction ratings of the Welcome Centers were high, 68% reporting "extremely satisfied“ and an additional 22% rating it a “4.”
Visitor Type-By Date of Visit
The proportion of Colorado overnight visitors remained relatively stable throughout the summer, while out-of-state overnight was low in early season and increased in fall. Seasonal residents visits appear to have diminished in fall.
OTHER METRICS
Database & Social
Cumulative Social Followers
Cumulative Email Database
23,584
(+16% over last month) (+17% over last month)
2,281
Total Points of First-Party Data with Paid Media in Market
100,000+
Unfiltered web traffic
November 2020
Site VisitorsSite Sessions
10,931 7,421
Mobile | Desk | Tab
50% | 47% |3%
Pages / SessionBounce Rate
61%2.2
Avg. Site Session
1:41
Traffic Source Breakdown
June 1 –October 31, 2020
3k
Referral (20%)
Direct (72%)
Organic (4%)
Paid Media (3%)
Social (1%)
Source Examples:
Paid: Display, video, Vail Daily,
etc.
Referral: Vail.com, VailGov.com,
etc.
Direct: users typing directly into
browser
Organic: users searching in
Google, Bing, etc.
Social: Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Filtered website engagement baseline
Pages / SessionBounce Rate
26%3.4
Avg. Site Session
3:17
Benchmark
Bounce Rate:
Excellent: < 25%
Good: 26% -49%
Average: 50%-65%
Benchmark P/S:
Excellent: 3+ p/s
Good: 2 p/s
Average: 1 p/s
Benchmark TOS:
Excellent: 3+ min
Good: 2+ min
Average: 1+ minute
November 2020
*Benchmarks reflect filtered, non-bounce traffic data
Website Engagement KPI’s YTD
November 2020
Website BookingConversions
On-site Newsletter Sign-Ups
35 460
Book DirectLodging Searches
798
Book DirectLodging Referrals
567
User action on
DiscoverVail
User action on
DiscoverVail going
to Book Direct Page
Users searching for
Lodging on
Book Direct page
User action on Book
Direct to go to
Lodging properties