Tourism Advisory Council Meeting Monday, January 27, 2014 633 Third Avenue, NYC 11am – 1pm Webcast address: http://www.esd.ny.gov/webcasts/ Dial in information: 516-733-3375 (NO PASS CODE IS NEEDED) If you dial in via phone, please mute the computer as there is a delay. AGENDA I. Welcome, review minutes, introduce new member Thurman Thomas Cristyne Nicholas II. 2014 Tourism CFA Awards Kenneth Adams III. 2014 Events Gavin Landry IV. Winter campaign and brand strategy Gavin Landry V. Recap of December Cabinet Meeting Cristyne Nicholas VI. State of the State and Budget summary Ross Levi VII. TIC and NYSHTA Tourism Lobby Days Jan Chesterson VIII. Vice Chair Vote / Establish Events Committee Cristyne Nicholas IX. 2014 Priorities / New Business Next meeting: Monday, March 24, 2014 11am – 1pm Location: 633 Third Avenue Tourism Advisory Council Meeting Minutes “Draft – Subject to Board Approval” Date: Monday, December 9, 2013 Location: 633 Third Avenue, NYC Meeting Start: 11am Attendance: TAC Members Cristyne Nicholas (Chair) Via phone: John Ernst Mike Armstrong (Rep for Assem Markey) Thomas Mulroy David Heymann Gail Grimmett John Sagendorf Elinor Tatum Alana Petrocelli Staff Gavin Landry, Executive Director of Tourism Ken Wong, Director of Special Events Richard Newman, EVP, State & Mktg Strategy Jennifer Chung, Assistant Counsel Lisa Soto, Project Associate Megan McKenna, Project Manager Jamin Clemente, Executive Assistant Jerry Russo, Vice President, Communications Rowena Sahulee, Director of Tourism Marketing, Licensing, and PR Patrick Hooker, Deputy Secretary for Food and Agriculture Kenneth Adams, President, CEO and Commissioner TAC Guest George Lence, Nicholas and Lence Christine Krische, Superbowl Host Committee Melanie Klausner, MSilver/Finn Partners Amy Blumkin, Superbowl Host Committee Natasha Caputo, Visit Westchester Randy Bourscheidt, Alliance for the Arts Erin Sweeney, Sweeney Strategies Morris Silver, MSilver/Finn Partners Patricia Ornst, Delta Airlines I. Welcome Cristyne Nicholas Momentum with I LOVE NY is evident and the Governor continues to embrace this industry and she thanks everyone around the table for all of their hard work. II. TasteNY update Patrick Hooker The governor has heard a lot at the various summits that he led this past year that there was a need on the part of businesses to identify themselves and raise the profile of NY farms and food businesses, so he proposed Taste NY in the budget this past year. Since April Taste NY (through the Department of Agriculture) has been planning and implementing a number events and programs, many through our partnership with I LOVE NY. There is such a large variety of food product in NYS, driven by both our topography and consumer demand, that it makes it easy to have a large number of events. The Adirondack Challenge is a good example of a tourism event that was a good opportunity to promote the local (North Country) food businesses, and have since had increased sales. The PGA Championship was a significant undertaking which was extremely successful. The Governor’s Cup Wine Tour promoted tourism and built relationships between local businesses, sommeliers, and NYC people. It got them out to wine country and showed them what NYS has to offer by visiting three tremendous wineries. The NYS Fair is programmed by the Department of Agriculture and is a big tourist attraction to Central NY. Taste NY spent a lot of time building the brand ID there. Nearly 1 million people attend the fair during that two week period. 75% of those attendees knew about Taste NY, 20% of attendees made a purchase as they were led through the “Taste NY trail.” We are now starting to measure the impact of the program, for example a 400% increase in sales in maple products and testimony from a successful small brewing company in Penn Yann who has been active in sampling in Taste NY events. We are also beginning to open Taste NY stores with a full line of NYS products. The stores will be located primarily around transportation hubs: o Thruway – New Baltimore, Chipmango, and more are being planned o Airports – LaGuardia, JFK o Amtrak – Albany station o NYC – Grand Central Station (RFP has been sent out) o Taconic Parkway – Todd Hill Rest Area (revamping the whole area) This has been a rewarding partnership with I LOVE NY – thank you for lifting our brand. III. Marketing presentation by Richard Newman (attached) Cristyne Nicholas Introduces Richard Newman who was called to Albany by the governor for our last meeting, so this is his first time joining us. Rich is new to ESD and since he has come on board, we have had a more cohesive message with ILOVENY and the different brands that fall under ESD. Richard Newman We are projected to have 218 million visitors in NYS for 2013 (4% increase from 2012), $7.7b in state taxes, increase of 7% in direct spending since 2012, 818,700 jobs in 2013 (3% increase), and occupancy significantly above the national average. All of the metrics suggest that these activities are driving a significant amount of economic impact and that is the reason that we are here. We need to build on this momentum, which falls into four critical areas. 1. Enhanced Communication Strategy  We have to better understand who our prospects are and where they come from. Where are our source markets, what do they come here to do and what are their motivations?  We are looking to apply that understanding to our marketing activities and starting to use TV is a brand building mechanism to more clearly establish what our strengths are as a tourism destination.  We have incredible unique assets that you will never find in any other state but they are not well known – Cooperstown, Saratoga Springs, Whiteface Mountain…all great stories.  We have spoken to consumers and now we know that we have to make our signature destinations a proxy for how great NYS is.  We are beginning to expand our media reach into the digital as well as traditional off line print and radio to direct people to specific destinations for specific activities such as shopping and skiing. It’s a very tactical approach to driving visits and roomnights, and 2 increasing economic impact.  Two tiered strategy – different from what we have done before and will include a digital and web component that will incorporate the new website. 2. Building Alignment  We know that there is an enormous amount that is happening across the state from a whole host of different interested parties.  We want to begin to leverage clarity on the role of marketing communications that happen on a destination level and on the state level so that we are not duplicating efforts and we can build efficiency and effectiveness of our collective efforts. 3. Extended Visibility  Virtually all of our work has been focused on the leisure travel segment.  There is an enormous opportunity to leverage some of the other great assets that we have. Specifically when we speak about business travel we have some phenomenal destinations for events and conferences and we want to better understand that market and utilize our resources to drive that travel to NYS.  In addition we are expanding our focus into the international travel market as the third component / leg to our stool - Leisure, Business and International. 4. Building Infrastructure  We are looking at the infrastructure that we have here at ESD to manage a highly accelerated marketing initiative.  We have gone from 0-160mph in terms of tourism programs, but not in terms of staff.  We want to bring in critical roles and resources in house in terms of digital and online presence development, have the metrics in place (analytics and research personnel) to measure and track progress, relationship marketing and the sports and event commission. Start-UP NY o #1 Mission to create jobs in NYS, return to levels prior to the recession and build upon that, not just in NYC but throughout the entire state. o One area that is historically successful in establishing and retaining businesses and that is what we call E2 (Education and Economic Development Continuum) which begins to align the interests of businesses with the interests of academic institutions. o This is most obvious in Albany with the School of Nanoscience Technology. The affiliation with SUNY Albany and the Nanoscience business has created an enormous number of jobs. o This is the intersection between entrepreneurialism, academia and the regional economy and we begin to leverage tax free status which has led us to Start-UP NY which is a game changer for the NYS business environment. o Start-UP NY creates tax free zones on the campuses of both SUNY and a smaller number of private schools which will allow entrepreneurial companies to operate as tax free entities. o Private campuses have a smaller amount of space to allocate but they are also included. o Regional differences in campuses allow for a focus on upstate NY with limited activity in Westchester, Long Island and NYC. o Companies apply through the universities and if accepted to the program, they will be allowed to operate without state corporate, business, property, sales or income taxes for employers and employees and no franchise fees for 10 years starting in January 2014. o Companies are required to commit to a specific number of jobs over that 10 year period and if they do not meet the requirement they are kicked out of the program. o This creates taxes through an incentive. o This is a huge marketing opportunity for us because it enhances the perception of NYS as a 3 great place to do business. o We conducted research in various states that contain these innovation industries that we need and asked them if they were to consider relocating or opening a new location how likely is it that they would consider NYS – Instate 70% probably would, Out of state 53% said definitely or probably would not. So our task is to get those numbers to change. o The agenda is to change perception of NY as a state of choice for ambitious companies, to position Start-UP as a bold breakthrough program, to drive information seeking behavior, acquire and manage leads – people who don’t qualify for Start-UP NY are great assets for other incentive programs. o Leslie Whatley, experienced real estate executive from Morgan Stanley, has joined ESD and is leading this effort with a team of people here. o Objective is to create 10,000 jobs per year, which is the stated goal of the program. IV. MSilver Public Relations presentation by Melanie Klausner (attached) Cristyne Nicholas What we have done differently is advertising, but advertising is just one piece of it. Thanks to MSilver for the great job that they have done on the PR side. When people read a story about NYS it resonates more than just advertising, so it important to have both advertising and PR. Melanie Klausner We have been partnering on events as well producing events ourselves as NYS. Canadian Road Show – NYS produced event o Three city tour with Gavin, Markly, and 11 tourism partners to meet media and trade partners to tell our story and get our message out there. Various events including a luncheon hosted by the Consul General of Montreal for us. o We saw over 80 media in each of the three cities combined and met with over 250 travel partners. Canada is one of our biggest feeder markets and we cannot forget about them. Oktoberfest – partnership with TasteNY o Over 200 VIPs and restaurateurs from around the state and 25 food and beverage media were able to sample over 50 NYS seasonal and year round beers. o Great opportunity to speak about beer trails and show that NYS has other spirits. Canal Luncheon – we supported this annual event held by the NYS Canals Corporation o The canals are a very big and important industry across NYS. They have invested a lot of money into creating activates and experiences all along the canals. o We brought additional media to this event to give them additional exposure. Sustainable / Responsible Travel – NYS program o Worked closely with UK media on this project. o Invited a UK reporter to experience our sustainable resources through 30+ new itineraries. Fall Advertising Campaign Press Conference – held at Grand Central Station by NYS o Media took the train and were able to see and experience commuters viewing ads. o Lots of exposure for the campaign, which in turn generates tourism. Winter Media Night – partnership event with Ski Areas of New York (SANY) and Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) o They are focused on the ski industry and we worked to expand that so that family travel writers and traditional travel media will cover it. o We were able to increase event attendance from the usual 40 media to over 100 media. *Showed PR results from January - September. Still finalizing the last quarter. o Results can be attributed to events that we have been producing and the governor’s 4 investment in tourism. o Nearly $26 million ad value is a huge number with 1.2 billion people seeing our message. It is our responsibility to get the message out ahead of the season so that people have time to plan and take these trips around the state. More events and publicity planned for next year. V. Super Bowl Host Committee presentation by Amy Blumkin and Christine Krische (attached) Cristyne Nicholas Looking now into 2014 to frame the Super Bowl as a tourism opportunity. Before the game and everything leading up to the game is where we will see the most effort on building tourism. Then again after the game, once people see how great NYS is. So we are trying to get our message out to the attendees from all over and we expect that this will create a bump in tourism. Amy Blumkin and Christine Krische The Super Bowl Host Committee (SBHC) sits between the NFL and the tourism partners with the NFL being the game owners, the SBHC makes sure everyone is excited and aware, and on the other side the tourism partners that focus on the airports and hotels. NFL Produced Events o Media Day on Tuesday o Friday Night VIP party on Friday o NFL Honors at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday o Tailgate at Old Grandstand on Sunday SBHC Produced Events o Press Conference on Monday morning o Exclusive dinner for VIPs, elected officials, chairs, and owners on Monday evening o Media Party on Tuesday on Chelsea Piers o Business Connect Leadership MWBE Forum (co-produced by the NFL) on Wednesday o Thank you Event on Wednesday at Gotham Hall o Breakfast for team owners on Thursday o Times Square Press Conference on Friday to hand off the responsibilities to Arizona o Pre Game party at the new racetrack Independent NFL Sanctioned Events: Taste of the NFL, Gospelfest Other Independent Events: Maxim party, ESPN party, Direct TV party SBHC is working closely with NYS to ensure that tourism and Taste NY initiatives are integrated into their events. Super Bowl Boulevard - Broadway between 34th and 47th Streets, Wed - Sat, Noon - 10pm o Photos with Super Bowl roman numerals, Broadway performance, toboggan, autograph signings, nightly concerts. o SBHC will have one block (35-36) with a Welcome Center the Join the Huddle Mobile Tour as its last stop, Video Park of NYS images set to music, and VIP hospitality lounge with NYS products and entertainment. Join the Huddle Mobile Tour o 56 planned stops at events - half in NYS, 23 public and 5 private events, evenly among all five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester o Next stop on Jan 16 in Riverbank State Park o MLK Day in Harlem (not an event, but working with Harlem CoC on attendance) Social Media Communication Center in NYC & Co Welcome Center o 15-20 people listening and responding to questions online to help people navigate and enjoy the region – not weather or game info 5 o Working with state agencies and NYC & Co to have answers to FAQ o Using a local software company for this purpose - Trax Collateral – 1 million pocket guides that include street and subway maps on waterproof rip proof paper, 48 page official fan guide in the NY Times, 150 thousand commemorative magazines for VIPs, hotel guests, partners, airport welcome centers, VIP lounges and the suites of the stadium. Décor – 650 street pole banners across Manhattan and Brooklyn (NFL will have an additional 225), 225 bus shelters faces across all five boroughs, and subway clocks. Legacy efforts – Blood drive, coat drive, and environmental program (1 million trees NYC and ewaste). o Super Kids / Super Sharing Event – kids bring used sports equipment for other children. o Snowflake Youth Foundation – refurbish after school facilities. Volunteer deployment – Begins Monday of Super Bowl week to welcome visitors and ends on February 3 to say goodbye. Volunteers at airports, transit hubs, hotels, tourist sites, and events. First mass transit Super Bowl – encouraging people to use mass transit and dress warmly. Q & A o Morris Silver: Have we thought of things for the 80k people who have tickets to do with outside of the game? Perhaps free ski lift tickets with a Super Bowl ticket stub? o Answer: NYNJ guide on website with an events calendar to educate people on how many great things there are to do here. We can’t give people access to attractions with ticket stubs, but the attractions themselves can, maybe during Winter Jam. Delta has a similar program with their boarding passes in Salt Lake City. o Cristyne Nicholas: The toboggan that the celebrities will be riding, will the public be invited? Are there certain entrance areas to Super Bowl Blvd? Will there be cross traffic? o Answer: Our understanding is that you can enter Super Bowl Blvd anywhere except on 41st where the toboggan will be. All activities are free and open to the public except for the toboggan which is $5 a ride. o Cristyne Nicholas: What events will be showcasing TasteNY products? o Answer: In three of our largest events - the Media Party (set up similar to the NYC Wine and Food Festival), NYNJ Super Bash, and at the Pregame Party at the new racetrack. Also will have NYS food and beverage at their private hospitality location at the Lamb’s Club. Also note that there is going to be a new Super Bowl 48 app in about two weeks and will be refreshed in January with regional information from the SBHC website information. VI. Update from Kenneth Adams, ESD President, CEO, and Commissioner Cristyne Nicholas Today we are joined by ESD’s president, Kenneth Adams, who would like to say a few words. Kenneth Adams Today’s meeting is a reminder of how we have stepped it up in 2013 in terms of events as being a key part of overall tourism promotional / marketing efforts o I want to commend Ken Wong for collecting information on regional events and prioritizing for the governor’s consideration looking to 2014 and beyond. o Looking at a succession of our intervention in terms of TasteNY, marketing, MSilver and all of our partners in different ways to shine a spotlight on those events and drive economic activity to the regions around the state. o 2014 events should be your focus for your next meeting. Thank you to Cristyne and the members of TAC on behalf of the governor for your work this year and into next year. This has been the year of tourism with the governor’s historic 6 commitment of funding and our ESD tourism team is here to serve you and roll out the programs that you believe will drive tourism to higher levels. As part of a forging a better connection between the ten regional councils and the local matching grant programs, the governor put marketing money into the CFA funding process that could only be accessed through working with the regional councils and implemented requirements for matching grant recipients to check in with the councils to make sure that they are coordinated with other local initiatives. This year, a historic amount of funding was designated for tourism and tourism infrastructure. The Strategic Implementation Assessment Team is a group of seven commissioners tasked with conducting an annual assessment of all ten regions and this year the governor appointed Cristyne as the only non-commissioner on the team. She traveled to all ten regions and it was important to have her there as she asked key questions about tourism and made tourism and state investment in tourism a priority. On Wednesday the governor will announce which regions and projects will be funded including many tourism projects with more details in January and we should bring back a report to TAC on this in January. TAC should also discuss its own priorities for tourism in 2014 at the next meeting so that they can be communicated to the governor and hopefully implemented into the budget process which runs from January to the end of March. Cristyne Nicholas As Kenneth mentioned, there are things coming up in the next few weeks that we will need suggestions from you. After the CFA announcement on Wednesday we will send out a press release on the tourism initiatives. So many of our discussions have revolved around hotel development so hopefully those needs have been heard. There is also a Cabinet meeting on December 16 where Gavin and I have been asked to make a tourism presentation, which is recognition of all of your hard work on this council. Finally we are gearing up for the State of the State on January 8 and the governor’s office has already reached out for some bullet points on what should be announced. We are soliciting ideas, so please share them with us as well as any events from Ken’s list and any other developments. Gavin Landry The events list has been culled to 48 events that we are going to use in many different ways, but we are highlighting events that can greatly benefit from the governor’s gravitas, for instance the Saranac Winter Carnival was voted the #2 winter festival in the world. We are hoping that as the year progresses we can back schedule our activations into a calendar so that we can go forward in a more strategic manner. Randy Bourscheidt Regarding the funding announcement, are we going to receive a summary at our next meeting and will there be any press potential? Cristyne Nicholas Yes we will discuss it at our next meeting and the announcement is open to the press. So there will be an announcement from the governor’s office and I LOVE NY should do its own press release. Tourism publications are different from news media so it is a good idea. VII. Next meeting: Monday, January 27, 2014, 11am – 1pm, 633 Third Avenue, NYC Meeting adjourned: 12:28pm 7 Marketing Update A PRESENTATION TO THE TOURISM ADVISORY COUNCIL DECEMBER 9, 2013