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Home My WebLink About02. c. CRC 2021_Gourmet on Gore_Event RecapSurveyed Event Recap: GOURMET ON GORE Cultural, Recreational & Community Category November 3, 2021 GOURMET ON GORE: Labor Day Weekend (Sept 3-5, 2021) Nicole Marsh 303.591.1689 nicole@imprintgroup.com 2 Overall Event Highlights & Successes 3 •16,800 people in attendance throughout the weekend •Variety of offerings: •(3) beer pouring stations with 8 varietals •(7) wine pouring stations with over 35 varietals •(4) alcohol pouring stations with 8 varietals •(6) food trucks –Fridays Food Trucks Al Fresco •(14) food and expo vendors –Open-Air Tasting •(2) Sold out guided hikes with paired gourmet lunches •(2) days of free yoga •Marketing Impressions: •Print: 700K , Digital: 125K, PR: 11M Questions from CSE 4 •The CSE will ask questions about your event and recap •Leave this blank –it’s a placeholder Attendance Estimate 5 •Was this the attendance you expected? Yes, based on the traffic in-town all summer we had the expectation of busy crowds on the street. With the combination of a signature TOV event combined with beautiful weather, we had a great turnout with a steady flow. •How would you impact attendance next year? We plan to begin to market the event earlier, add additional event components in merchant locations, Gourmet Let’s Go added activities and additional space within Vail Village to accommodate added crowds. Food Trucks Al Fresco: 2,500 Open-Air Tasting: 14,000 (6,500 Sat, 7,500 Sun) Gourmet, Let’s Go!: 300 Est. Total Attendance: 16,800 *based on estimated space density, dollar sales, beverage sales and gate flow. Visitor Type 6 Was this the visitor type split you expected? •Yes, the event continues to see a majority of guests that are overnight visitors due to the holiday weekend and multi-day programming. What steps would you take to optimize visitor mix for future events? •Collaborate with front range and destination markets for promoting event visitors and overnight guests. •Continue to promote the event within the Vail Valley through grassroots, print and digital marketing efforts. *2019 data, no survey conducted in 2021 Overnight Visitor Profile:Overnight Visitors & Seasonal Residents Only 7 What measures did you take to encourage attendees to book lodging in the Town of Vail? •Utilized marketing streams that target destination markets to help drive Labor Day traffic. •Promoted lodging options through our event website and discovervail.com •Cross promoted Vails summer activities through our event website and discovervail.com *2019 data, no survey conducted in 2021 Overall Visitor Profile 8 Who was your anticipated target demographic? •Affluent luxury travelers •Cultural enthusiasts •Values: entertainment, outdoors, and gathering among friends to celebrate through gourmet food, beverages and lifestyle events. What would you change to attract that audience next year? •Find additional areas of interest and commonalities among the demographic which can be targeted in advertising efforts. *2019 data, no survey conducted in 2021 Role/Importance of Event in Intent to Visit Vail 9 What actions did you take this year to generate the number of overnight guests? •Collaborate with front range and destination markets for promoting event visitors and overnight guests How would you increase the number of overnight Vail guests coming for the event next year? •Continue our traditional methods but capitalize on data from previous years as this event brings in repeat visitors from out of the area. Bringing them back in and expanding to others within their networks as well. Additionally, increasing the lead time of outreach and marketing materials to our partners. *2019 data, no survey conducted in 2021 Estimated Return on Investment (ROI) & Attendee Expenditures 10 What did your event do to encourage spending in Vail? •Event hours allowed guests to experience TOV merchants before, during and after the event hours. •Due to limited food options, it pushed attendees to dine at local establishments •The event is on a holiday weekend allowing guests an incentive to stay overnight and enjoy local. •We promoted discovervail.com and Vail summer activities on the event website and marketing materials. Attendance Estimate, ROI $35,440.00 $2,013,000 $80,520.00 $2.27 * *impact based on historical data and assumes half the attendees are using local lodging and are in town for 2 days $56.80 Event Strengths & Weaknesses 11 How did the event exceed expectations? •The event came back after a year's absence with the same excitement and enthusiasm from local and visiting foodies. We had a wonderful response from the moment we started advertising stating this was their Labor Day tradition, and they plan their weekend around the event. •Event partners all reported the weekend was one of the best they have ever had. Record number of quality interactions even from years with higher attendance. Guests were onsite and engaged! •(2) Sold out Gourmet Let’s Go! guided hikes with gourmet paired lunches at local Vail merchants •(2) filled complimentary yoga events •Our highest amount of wine varieties for guests to enjoy •Collaboration with (4) other events happening in Vail on Labor Day weekend Event Strengths & Weaknesses 12 What are areas for event improvement? •Food Vendors! We had extreme challenges this year with the addition of local food vendors. COVID has brought more stress on the local merchants we have and additionally, staffing would not allow them to be present at this year's event. We sadly lost (3) separate vendors the Thursday before the event based on their last-minute staffing challenges. In an effort to stay ahead of this, we worked with the Vail Daily and our social channels to try and educate guests that food was slimmer than in past years so we encouraged then to dine at local merchants, bring carry out into the venue and have a glass of wine with us, etc. It was an unprecedented challenge we know was a big area for improvement. With that in mind, we have a different approach for 2022. •Expand the Open-Air venue back to the North end of Willow Bridge road for additional vendors and seating areas. •Bring in addition live entertainers –Buskers. How did this year’s event compare to previous years? •It was a delightful weekend in Vail with beautiful weather and a great crowd flow. In an effort to come back after a year's absence we programmed the signature events, but we were conservative on satellite programming. •In 2022, the plan is to expand the satellite programming in an effort to continue to grow the Gourmet on Gore brand. Vail Brand Compatibility 13 How did the event support the Vail Brand? •Gourmet on Gore is a signature event and anchor for the summer season in Vail. It highlights quality food and beverages which align with the quality of the Vail Brand. •The Gourmet, Let’s Go! satellite event programming highlights mountain activities paired with gourmet lunches in local merchant locations. •Gourmet on Gore supports and promotes the local lodging community, Vail Summer activities and discovervail.com. •A multi-day event and holiday weekend schedule promotes overnight visitors. •Offering a non-ticketed options allows visitors to come take part in the event without barriers. Brand Positioning: •Town of Vail: The Premier International Mountain Resort Community •Vail Mountain: Like nothing on earth Community Contribution 14 How did the event impact Vail’s sense of community? •The hours of the centerpiece, Open-Air Tasting, event (ending at 6pm) allows for guests to not only enjoy Gourmet on Gore but then support local merchants before or after the event. •Local businesses and restaurants have access to large crowds in town for the event •Gourmet on Gore is proud to once again support local non-profit, Vail Veterans Program. •Gourmet on Gore works together with the Vail Farmers Market, the Vail Duck Race and new this year, Taste of Vail to work together on this holiday weekend. Topline Marketing Efforts 15 Include overview of top 3 successful marketing tactics or executions •Gourmet on Gore was promoted through grassroots, print, digital, social, radio and PR marketing efforts. •Print: 700,000 impressions •Digital: 125,000 impressions •PR: 11M impressions •Please see additional marketing details in attached report **Marketing Plan –Attachment A | Recap Attachment B Potential for Growth & Sponsorships/Media Exposure 16 •How do you see the event evolving or growing next year? We plan to repeat the current programming but expand on the programming elements. Additional Gourmet, Let’s Go! programming and activities/events. Addition of educational components. Increased live entertainment with roaming buskers. Expanded event venue footprint. •What sponsors do you plan to target next year? (Including existing and potential sponsors) In 2022, we plan to target similar partners to 2021 (Audi, Ketel One, Volley, Tahoe Kitchen, Filthy Foods, etc.) but with an extended lead time we plan to target additional categories and partners in: consumer goods, financial institution, time piece, airline and more. •How will you leverage media exposure and extend the marketing reach next year? •Work with existing and new partnerships to promote the event to a wider network. •Use marketing tactics that have been successful in the past to reach likely to return guests (the event has seen a high repeat guest rate). •Continue to use digital platforms to grow and drive interest in the overall event and Vail setting. Sustainability Efforts 17 What measures were taken at your event/program to support the environmentally-friendly goals of the Town of Vail? •Continued to make composting, recycling and trash sorting a priority at the event. •(3) Refresh and Refill water station positioned throughout the venue. •Proactively worked with restaurant vendors on composting/recycle/waste efforts through one-on-one communication and individualized plans for their needs. •All vendors required to use compostable service ware. •The use of manned zero hero stations for waste throughout the venue. •Staff carpooling from Denver and within the valley during the event. •Strict no idling policy for all vendors and staff during load in/load out. •Used reusable table linen at all tents and cleaned them as needed. Sustainability Efforts 18 What waste reduction methods were used during your event/program? •Highline sold wine glasses at all wine tents to reduce the amount of compostable cups needed. •Bartenders encouraged reusing service cups and wine glasses for beverages rather than giving out another. •The ‘Green Team’ was employed as an integral part of the consumer education relating to disposal of event materials. •Gourmet on Gore promoted the use of the complimentary Refresh and Refill stations and to bring your own water bottle. For those that didn’t have one, reusable water bottles were available from our event partner, Audi. How could you improve on sustainability efforts for next year’s event? •Continue to work with Walking Mountains with a longer lead time to come up with new methods for clear communications surround waste and infrastructure that doesn’t only require staff since that is always a challenge for event execution. Event Budget 19 * Includes branding items, marketing and dedicated marketing/PR personnel ** Complete Event Budget –Attachment C Item $ Total Event Budget:$253,383.22 CSE Funds:$35,440.00 Cash Sponsorship (not CSE):$122,250.00 In-kind Sponsorship:N/A Marketing Budget:$27,339.50* Profit & Loss:-$6,638.25 How did you use the CSE funds? (marketing, operations, staff, venue, etc.) Operations, Logistics, Marketing Additional Information/Appendix 20 •Marketing Plan: Attachment A •Marketing Recap: Attachment B •Event Budget: Attachment C •Full Survey: N/A