Tourism Development Commission (Meets on the first Tuesday at 1PM)

Phone: (715) 395-7200 1316 North 14th Street, Ste 200 Fax: (715) 395-7590 Superior, WI 54880 E-mail: cityclerk@ci.superior.wi.us Website: www.ci.superior.wi.us AGENDA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION FRIDAY, November 12, 2021 12:00 P.M. – 1:00 Government Center 204 “The Superior Tourism Commission will develop, market, and promote Superior as a destination for visitors to stay and enjoy our natural landscape, culture, arts, parks, and businesses.” Members: JoAnn Jardine, Lindsey Graskey (Council Representative), Keith Kern (Council Representative), Bruce Barron, Emerson Sloane, and Pattie Soliday 1. Roll Call 2. Review of Scope dates for Marketing RFP & Discussion 3. Visitor’s Center / RFP Release Discussion 4. Budget Discussion involving balance funds/how to allocate 5. Visitor’s Guide Discussion 6. Future Agenda Items *Discussion of TDC Goals as a Commissioner 7. Confirm Next Meeting 8. Adjournment Notice is hereby given that a majority of the members of the Common Council may be present at the meeting, and although this may constitute a quorum of the Common Council, the Council will not take any action at this meeting. ********************************************************************************************************************* Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, if you are in need of an accommodation to participate in the public meeting process, please contact Nick Raverty at (715) 395-7212 by 4:30 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled meeting date (OR dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service). The City will attempt to accommodate any request depending on the amount of notice received. ********************************************************************************************************************* In compliance with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, this agenda was posted on 11/10/2021 at the following locations: Superior Government Center, Douglas County Courthouse, and online at https://www.ci.superior.wi.us/agendacenter. It was also faxed to the Superior Public Library. Tourism Development Commission, 11/05/2021 Meeting Page 1 of 1  Request for Proposal - 2021 Tourism Marketing Services CITY OF SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN Camila Ramos City Clerk RFQ #21-26-CLK  TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Advertisement for Proposals ................................................................................................ 3 2. Schedule of Activities ................................................................................................................ 4 3. Information for Prospective Service Consultant ........................................................ 5 4. Statement of Qualifications Requirements .................................................................... 7 5. Scope of Services .......................................................................................................................... 8 5.1 Background .................................................................................................................................... 8 5.2 Scope .................................................................................................................................................. 9 5.3 Key Areas of Focus .................................................................................................................... 10 6. Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................... 12 7. Subcontractors Listing ............................................................................................................ 13 Tourism Marketing Services 2  1. Advertisement for Proposals Request for Statement of Proposal (RFP) City of Superior, Wisconsin for Tourism Marketing Services Proposals will be received by the City of Superior, at 1316 North 14th Street, 2nd floor, ATTN: Contract Analyst, Superior, WI 54880. Proposals will be evaluated by City staff. Proposals Due: Proposal Due Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM Description: The City of Superior, Wisconsin is seeking a tourism marketing and development organization to direct and carry out a destination marketing program for the City specifically to increase overnight stays in the City of Superior. The successful consultant must demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding of how to create and implement a comprehensive marketing program strategy to fulfill the objectives of the City. The selected organization will manage and direct the expenditure of a part of the tax revenues generated through the City’s tourism tax as per Wisconsin State Statute 66.0615. All proposals must be prepared on the form provided and submitted in accordance to the Instructions to Consultant/Firm. The RFP may be obtained through the Internet at DemandStar.com via the City of Superior’s web page. RFP may be viewed at the City of Superior, Government Center, 2nd Floor, 1316 North 14th Street, Superior, Wisconsin (darwinj@ci.superior.wi.us). The City of Superior encourages the participation of minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises. The City of Superior reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities, or to accept such proposals, as in the opinion of the City, will be in its best interests. Camila Ramos City Clerk Daily Telegram: Friday, November 19, 2021, Friday, November 26, 2021 and Friday, December 3, 2021 Tourism Marketing Services 3  2. Schedule of Activities Subject: Tourism Marketing Services RFP#: 21-26-CLK Due Date: February 1, 2022 Time Due: 2:00 PM DATE EVENT November 19, 2021 RFP Released November 19, 26, and Publication Dates December 3, 2021 None Scheduled Pre-Proposal meeting Thursday, January 6, 2022 Deadline for Questions – 11:00 AM Thursday, January 13, 2022 Final Addendum Issued Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Sealed Proposals Due: 2:00 PM Weeks of February 14 and 21 Potential Interview(s) for selected finalists March 15, 2022 Recommendation to council for award Tourism Marketing Services 4  3. Information for Prospective Service Consultant 3.1 Proposals will be accepted until 2:00 PM on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Any proposals received after this time may not be considered. The proposal packet shall be placed in an envelope and shall be sealed. On the envelope shall be plainly written: the date of the opening, the title of the project and the name of the proposer and delivered or shipped to the address indicated in this RFP. Respondent shall submit one (1) unbound original and one PDF digital version on a thumb drive of qualifications. 3.2 This is a qualifications based selection. The Proposal, Statement of Qualifications, Qualifications Reference Form, Qualification Evaluation Checklist, reference checks, and interviews (at the option of the City) will be used to identify the most competitive firm(s). The City reserves the right to identify competitive firm(s), as in its opinion, will be in its best interests. Firms may submit for individual scope item services. 3.3 The City of Superior and its designees will review the proposals and select the most highly qualified firm(s) to contact for further screening as it deems appropriate. 3.4 The consultant shall submit a list of their subcontractors as a part of their proposal, which list shall not be added to nor altered without the written consent of the City of Superior, and as specified in 66.0901 Wisconsin Statutes. 3.5 The RFP details scope, terms, and conditions. The City reserves the right to amend the RFP and will provide a written amendment to all known parties receiving the request. Respondents shall acknowledge all addenda received. 3.6 Firms not returning the completed RFP within the specified time frame may be disqualified. Irregularities in the completed RFP documents may be considered sufficient cause for disqualification. 3.7 Subsequent to the RFP deadline, the City Clerk will prepare the recommendation by the Tourism Development Commission as to which proposal to award, if any. The recommendation will be subject to the approval of the Superior Common Council. 3.8 RFP information is prepared and submitted at the sole cost and expense of the respondent, and shall become the property of the City of Superior; proposal documents will not be returned. 3.9 Trade secrets and confidential information contained in a RFP are not open to public inspection. Proposers who include information in a RFP that is legally protected as a trade secret or confidential information must clearly indicate the specific protected information by marking that information “Trade Secret” or “Confidential” at the appropriate place. The City will not be responsible for any public disclosure of the trade secret or confidential information if it is not marked as provided above. A response to RFP in its entirety is not confidential. If a request is made under the Wisconsin Public Records Law Wis Stat. §§ 19.31-19.39 to inspect information designated as trade secret or confidential in a Proposal, the Tourism Marketing Services 5  Proposer shall, upon request, immediately furnish sufficient written reasoning as to why the information should be protected from disclosure in order for the City Attorney to present the matter to the Attorney General of Wisconsin for final determination. 3.10 During this RFP process, Proposer shall not contact any Tourism Development Commission member or City Staff except those designated in the text of this RFP or subsequent addendums or correspondence. Questions should be addressed in writing to the Contract Analyst, via mail, e-mail: darwinj@ci.superior.wi.us prior to Thursday, January 6, 2022. Please reference RFP #21-26-CLK and line number being referenced. Non-compliance with this provision may result in rejection of the Proposal. 3.11 Proposals may be amended and/or withdrawn prior to the proposal opening time. Proposals may not be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days after the submission deadline. 3.12 Respondents will indemnify the City of Superior from any and all debts, claims, and liabilities arising out of the proposal or the performance of the project as a result of the consultant’s error, omissions, neglect, etc. 3.13 The City reserves the right to negotiate with respondents on the scope of the project, fees, timelines, and all other components of the project, whether or not the proposal was deemed the lowest cost to the City. 3.14 Firms may not subcontract any work without prior written authorization by the City of Superior. 3.15 This shall in no way bind or prevent the City of Superior from performing, requesting quotes or proposals, bidding, or contracting any services separately. 3.16 The Consultant will be required to sign a standard City Service Agreement and provide proof of insurance for errors and omissions, property damage, public liability and workman’s compensation. Tourism Marketing Services 6 4. Statement of Qualifications Requirements Respondent shall submit one (1) unbound original and one (1) PDF digital version on a thumb drive of qualifications documents. 4.1 State the name, address, and a company profile, including size and company technical capabilities which are applicable to these services. 4.2 Provide a consultant project organizational chart with specific names for key positions. Provide resumes or bios for key positions, including any subcontractors. Include owners’ bios, locations, years in operation, areas of core competency, and additional information you deem relevant to the selection process. . 4.3 Describe your experience and include relevant examples of work completed that demonstrates the ability to perform the services listed in this RFP. If you do not have experience in all disciplines, please include information regarding all of those that apply. 4.4 Provide a statement regarding why your company is best positioned to provide tourism marketing services to the City. Describe what differentiates your company. 4.5 List of tourism-related clients in the past 1 – 5 years. 4.6 Client references. 4.7 Firms must demonstrate ability to be creative, strategically plan, integrate, manage and execute an assortment of marketing projects directly related to destination marketing through relevant experience and examples. 4.8 Proposals should include strategies and tactics that reach target markets necessary to attract visitors for overnight stays to Superior including leisure and business travelers. 4.9 Proposals should address all destination marketing disciplines including: advertising, public relations, group/travel trade sales, corporate partnerships and promotions, direct marketing and fulfillment, and tourism development. 4.10 Proposals submitted will include experience examples, as well as strategies and tactics for Superior. Both qualitative and quantitative research must be presented to support strategies and tactics of proposed plans and document success marketing. Submissions will also include a list of measurement criteria that respondent will use to judge the success of the campaign. Submissions will also address strategies and tactics to develop and promote new programs, new marketing segments, and the extension and expansion of the tourist season. 4.11 There is no specified limit to the amount of material submitted in response to 4.1 through 4.10, however portions of submittals not clearly referencing the respective section may not be considered in the evaluation of the firm. Tourism Marketing Services 7 5. Scope of Services 5.1 Background The City of Superior is located in Northwestern Wisconsin in Douglas County. Superior is located on one of the most popular tourist routes in the Midwest and embraces the westernmost tip of Lake Superior. Approximately 27,257 people currently call Superior home. Superior offers residents a combination of rugged natural beauty, quality education, and business opportunities. Our economy is balanced by technology companies, petroleum and heavy industry, higher education, retail, and tourism. In addition to prime existing space, we have available land ready for development along high-traffic corridors. The Superior Municipal Forest, located within Superior city limits, is the third largest municipal forest in the nation. The forest is 4,400 acres and includes summer and winter recreational activities and trails. Education is a key component to Superior’s community. The University of Wisconsin – Superior (UWS) and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College – Superior (WITC) have approximately 8,000 students. UWS is ranked in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Top Public Schools – Regional Colleges Midwest” list. Forty-six countries are represented in the UWS student body. WITC is accredited by and a member of the Higher Learning Commission. Ninety-three percent of WITC students are employed within six months of graduating. Some of the largest employers in Superior include: University of Wisconsin-Superior, School District of Superior, Essentia Health St. Mary’s, BNSF Railroad, Halvor Lines, Walmart Supercenter, Douglas County, and AMSOIL, Inc. The City of Superior is also an international transportation hub served by interstate highways, railroads, oceangoing ships, and an international airport. Superior’s transportation network is the lifeblood of its economy. Movement of products through the region is essential to the manufacturing, mining, forest products, and service industries. Superior produces many large products and an elaborate network of highways, the ports, and four Class 1 railways work to make sure these items are shipped efficiently. Superior is proactive about developing its trail system and maintaining access to local water sources. Downtown development provides opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy all that Superior has to offer. The City of Superior invests public funds into tourism promotion and marketing, as required by legislation for the collection and distribution of tourism taxes. The Tourism Marketing Services 8 current room tax is 7.5% of gross receipts from retail furnishing of rooms or lodging for hotels and motels. Per legislation, Wisconsin State Statute 66.0615, the City may retain no more than 30% of these total taxes and must forward the remaining 70% balance to a tourism entity or to a Tourism Commission which will engage in tourism promotion and development The marketing contract as a result of this RFP process will have a three year term, with options to renew the contract. The annual budget for these services is $250,000.00. This is the first year that the City is choosing a public RFP for the allocation and investment of this portion of public funds. 5.2 Scope Please include in your response, your experience, relevant examples of your work and your strategies and tactics for Superior in each of the following marketing disciplines: 5.2.1 Comprehensive Marketing Planning Develop comprehensive annual marketing, advertising, and communications plans, specifically to increase overnight stays in Superior, complete with recommended key performance indicators and other metrics that track the engagement of target audiences and accurately measures the return on the City’s financial investment in all marketing-related activities. 5.2.2 Target Audience Mapping Develop expanded target audience profiles including demographics, psychographics, personas, and media habits. Recommend new target audiences for the City to consider. 5.2.3 Creative Campaign Development Develop modern and alluring creative campaign assets to increase target audience engagement across traditional, digital, and social media channels. Please include information that details the recommended percentages of effort or budget dedicated to traditional, digital, and social media channels. 5.2.4 Website Development Assist with design, development, and maintenance of a tourism website for the City. Provide samples of content that includes the promotion of local events, businesses, resources and other useful information for visitors. Tourism Marketing Services 9  5.2.5 Video and Photography Assist with the development of visually compelling video and photo assets featuring Superior’s diversity in population, neighborhoods, and attractions. Assets created will be used on the City’s tourism website and across all tourism marketing campaign channels and platforms. 5.2.6 Earned media/Public Relations Describe media outlets in target communities and develop a strategy for promoting Superior through free/earned local, regional, and national media appearances. 5.2.7 Social Media Plan social media content development, posting, community management, campaign metrics, and reporting for current and emerging platforms. 5.2.8 Events Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to increase the visibility of events and City event venues. 5.2.9 Data, Analytics, and Reporting Assist with capturing data from multiple sources, including advertising platforms, public relations efforts, social media, events, and other resources, as well as detailed overnight stays information. Identify key data points, monitor success in real-time, and prepare performance reports monthly or as requested. 5.3 Key Areas of Focus Please include in your response, your experience, relevant examples of your work and your strategies and tactics for Superior that you would implement in each of the following areas of focus. 5.3.1 Expand Superior’s place in the Lake Superior area tourism industry: The City’s goal is to become a preferred travel location for current visitors and gain measurable market share by attracting new audiences. 5.3.2 Blend social and natural asset: Market events, activities, and businesses alongside Superior’s incredible natural assets to create both a place for people to come together in the city and to get out and experience nature. Tourism Marketing Services 10  5.3.3 Highlight Native art, culture, and history: The city has a rich cultural history that should be fully told and celebrated. Work with local native nations to ensure accurate representation. Work with private business and local government to feature native art, symbols, and language in ways that capture attention and create community identity. 5.3.4 Exploit proximity to Duluth: Duluth, MN is a larger city with a well-developed tourism industry and reputation. The City of Superior hopes to attract Duluth’s residents and visitors for both quick visits and future stays. Strategize methods of partnering with and participating in large events in Duluth that draw significant visitors to the Twin Ports. 5.3.5 Showcase free or low-cost entertainment and experiences: Family-friendly, free and low-cost opportunities should be promoted alongside more traditional experiences so Superior is not perceived as an expensive destination for only limited purposes. 5.3.6 KPI: Develop comprehensive key performance indicators that measure quality of experiences of any duration, including day trips, not just quantity of visitors or revenue generated, in a timely manner, of the successes and failures of the marketing program and corrective action measures to address failures or intensify successes. 5.3.7 Marketing Plan: Develop a strategic consumer marketing plan in coordination with other economic development efforts that includes identification of target markets; specific strategies with measurable objectives for each target market; and tactics to achieve those objectives. 5.3.8 Marketing Mediums: Analyze and recommend specific marketing mediums to include, but not limited to, print design, website content, billboards, videos, photos, etc. Monitor placement to ensure accuracy and completion of all media schedules. 5.3.9 Maximize Funds: Develop strategies that maximize funds to establish an on-going marketing program. Program should identify potential marketing and advertising partners to develop tactics for utilizing free advertising, sponsorships, media partnerships and generating new funding opportunities and leverage for the City funds to extend a comprehensive marketing program. Tourism Marketing Services 11  5.3.10 Account Management & Reporting Post Award: Meet with City of Superior as needed for the purposes of carrying out initiatives and attend all monthly assigned meetings to present status reports. Prepare cost schedules and project sheets for advertising expenditures and other related costs. Proved monthly status reports. 6. Evaluation Proposals shall be evaluated by the City of Superior and any others deemed appropriate by the City. All contracts over $25,000.00 must be approved by the Superior City Council. The criteria to evaluate a firm’s proposal will include: 1. Background information 2. Personnel and staffing 3. Professional marketing experience related to the scope items 4. Relevant tourism marketing experience 5. Actual or potential conflicts of interest 6. Marketing plan for the City of Superior as outlined that can be implemented with the stated budget. City reserves the right to include any other items that is deemed appropriate at the time of evaluation. Tourism Marketing Services 12 7. Subcontractors Listing (Must be submitted with qualifications.) Tourism Marketing Services The undersigned agrees to employ the following listed subcontractors for the following enumerated classes of work and not to alter or add to such list without the written consent of the City of Superior, WI. Use separate sheet as necessary. SUBCONTRACTOR CLASS OF WORK 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Submitted by: COMPANY ADDRESS COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE Tourism Marketing Services 13 Photos by Joann Jardine 2021 Tourism Dev Commission Meeting 11/12/21 Photos by Joann Jardine 2021 Tourism Dev Commission Meeting 11/12/21 Photos by Joann Jardine 2021 Tourism Dev Commission Meeting 11/12/21 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently By Rebecca White Published on March 4, 2021 Visitor centres, and the value they contribute to their region's visitor economy, is a consistent challenge that many States and Regions of Australia are currently reviewing. They are seen by many local government and tourism organisations as a significant cost line in an operating budget, with very little visible impact to the economy. However through our work, training, research and conference case studies, we've found a number of examples of visitor centres who are adapting their services to remain relevant to their visitors, and as a result, adding real value to their local visitor economy, and also helping support their Region's in their recovery from Covid-19. So in this article, I've highlighted 12 things that successful visitor centres are doing differently, which can provide inspiration to other visitor centres both here in Australia, and globally. 1. 'Visitor Servicing' not 'Visitor Information Centre' Focus https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 1/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Successful visitor centres understand their centre is one of many touch-points that visitors are accessing to learn more about how to experience the destination. They know this because they have a visitor servicing strategy. It's a plan that guides all their activities, including the running of the centre, and is able to answer the following questions: Who are our region’s High Yield Visitors and Niche Segments? What is their visitor journey and online + offline touchpoints? What are the information, inspiration and experience gaps in our High Yield Visitor's Travel Purchase Journey? What gaps can our Organisation address? Who else is supporting visitors in our region? eg Regional Tourism Organisation/Private Industry/Community Groups/Retail Traders/Local Residents Where and how can we support these people / organisations / groups with their visitor servicing activities? How can we work hand in hand with our Regional/Local Tourism Organisations to better market and service our Visitors across their travel purchase journey? 2. Location Reality is Faced Successful visitor centres who add real value to their local visitor economy understand the reality of their location. They know many visitors will find the information and inspiration they need for their town/region, without ever stepping in their centre. They understand that unless their centre is in a high traffic visitor location, or co-located with an attraction itself, numbers will continue to fall through their front door. While every destination is different, below are recent examples of Organisations addressing the location challenge of their Visitor Centres. City of Mount Gambier regularly take their visitor servicing team out and about and run pop up Visitor Servicing at Mount Gambier's key visitor attractions such as the Blue Lake, Umpherston Sinkhole, Cave Gardens and the Mt Gambier Farmer's Market. Tourism Central Australia's recent Visitor Servicing Review's key focus was looking at the opportunity to better locate a future Visitor Centre to be able to better service more Visitors. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 2/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool When required to move due to new light rail, Canberra Regional Visitor Centre relocated from the outskirts of town to Regatta Point which is in the heart of the key visitor experiences of the city. The building's location is also very importantly co-located with the National Capital Exhibition, which is a key visitor attraction that tells the City's founding story. The Mackay Region Visitor Information Centre move was prompted by the new Mackay Ring Road, which meant the loss of important northbound drive traffic to the region. Its new location is 33km south of Mackay in the refurbished Sarina Railway Station. However, most importantly it's co-located next to the popular visitor attraction the 'Sarina Sugar Shed', giving people more of a reason to stop and visit. Melbourne had to find a new home for their Federation Square Visitor Centre due to new rail stations. Instead of replacing the single Centre, they are opening 2 Visitor Hubs at high visitor traffic locations of central city Town Hall and Victoria Markets, adding to their Visitor Information Network across the city. 3. Offer a Wow! Experience Successful visitor centres know people don't come to their destination to visit a visitor centre. Their visitors come to a destination for an experience. Therefore they have ensured their visitor centre is a wow experience in its own right, especially if they don't have the opportunity to co-locate with a key visitor experience or high visitor traffic area (see #2). After covering the foundations of brochures, personalised service, maps, toilets, WIFI, they give visitors a reason to be there and something to rave about, both on and offline. A couple of Visitor Centres doing this well include the newly opened Albany Visitor Centre. Since opening in 2018, it has become an attraction in its own right due to its free, three-minute virtual reality experience, where visitors can experience parts of the region they can't access any other way. Visitors love it, and are raving about it to other visitors, as you can see online! The Southern Highlands Welcome Centre team put a lot of effort into delivering an engaging experience that encourages visitors to stay in the centre longer and learn more about the region. One of their initiatives was through their colourful public toilets which won the Best Economic Contributor category in the 2017 International Toilet Tourism Awards. Low cost upgrades to make the toilets wow-worthy included flowers, posters, audio reel, quirky fact stickers and free WI-FI. 4. Custodians of Regional Stories https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 3/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Successful visitor centres play an important role in telling the many stories of their Destination. Stories that visitor centres could potentially curate and share with those who visit include: People Stories – Indigenous, Early Setters, Historic Figures, and Living Icons Place Stories – Indigenous perspective, Geography, Geology, Flora, Fauna, History and Heritage Produce Stories – Local Industries, Food, Wine, Beverages, Craft, and Art The stories a visitor centre chooses to tell will depend on what gaps exist in their wider destination experience, and also what stories will support the wider visitor experience in a region. These stories are told through a variety of mediums (either high or low tech) based on the resources and space within a centres. They are also told through their retail offering in their Centres. The small community of Port MacDonnell, South Australia's most southerly town have a fantastic Maritime Museum co-located in their Community Complex and Visitor Information Outlet. The Museum tells the many fascinating stories of people, place and produce of the region, and easily keeps visitors engaged for a few hours. Their friendly staff also encourage kids to do a quiz "treasure hunt" as they explore the exhibits. They receive rave reviews from visitors, and are a key attraction for visitors to the town and wider region. After the loosing their Centre to fire in 2010, Malanda Falls Visitor Centre rebuilt their centre to refocus their storytelling around what visitors were visiting their region to see now, the rare and unique Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo. They also continue to work with the local Indigenous community to bring more of their stories into the Centre. The success of this storytelling can be seen in the rave reviews online and the Centre being rated as #1 TripAdvisor attraction in the region. Kapunda Visitor Information Centre in is home to the small yet engaging "Tase of the Region" interpretive centre in the basement of their Visitor Centre. The stories it tells helps visitors to have a richer understanding of the town and it's history. They also team up with the Kapunda Historic Society for guides who bring the town's rich mining and agricultural heritage to life for bus groups. 5. Address Marketing Failure Successful visitor centres understand their role in the visitor economy food chain, and keenly identify new opportunities where gaps exist to support the experiences available in the destination. Where market failure exists, and private industry hasn’t filled an experience gap or been able to activate a local public owned asset, visitor centres (and/or it's key funding organisation) step into find a solution to fill an experience gap. Examples include: https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 4/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Walking Tours Bike Hire Boat Cruises Water Based Hire Equipment - Kayaks/Life Jackets Group Tours Hop on Hop Off Transport Accommodation A great example of this is Renmark Paringa Visitor Information Centre, who identified a major gap in the visitor experience in Renmark 4 years ago. There were no cruises available for the many visitors looking to get out on the Murray River in Renmark. To address this gap, they identified a local boat hire business, and encouraged them to offer a day cruise for visitors, with the VIC team running the booking management and visitor communication side of the tour. The business has since been sold, and the new owners have grown the original single day tour from strength to strength with new tour offerings, and it has become a must do experience for visitors to Renmark. The VIC and River Cruise Operator continue to have a very close working relationship, with the Visitor Centre sharing visitor insights to ensure tours adapt to seasonal market changes, and continue to support the business through bookings and communications. 6. Digital Visitor Servicing Embraced Successful visitor centres embrace the many online opportunities to help Visitors who prefer to find their information online. Covid has supercharged digital uptake for online bookings, online shopping and social media use, and strategic visitor centres know and understand this, and so they invest dollars, time and staff training to: Manage online review + location based listings. They manage and respond to reviews and questions and answers for their visitor centre and also key visitor assets on TripAdvisor, Google My Business and Facebook. Social Media. They use social media as a way to share their region’s stories, both inspiring and informing potential visitors. They may also invest strategically in targeted ads to drive bookings for time sensitive offers, such as events or relevant travel deals. It’s also a key channel for them to keep everyone informed at times of challenging events (such as bushfires, floods or storms). They also leverage all opportunities to amplify their social media posts and stories through their local Destination Marketing Organisation (where relevant) Online Messaging + Chat. They provide visitor information via Live Chat on their destination website and social media direct message channels. Regional Brochures and Factsheets. Their visitor guide / fact sheets / maps can be found on their own website / regional website and/or local government websites, in a mobile friendly format, with live website links and/or click to call phone numbers. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 5/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Website. Many manage their destination website to inspire, attracts and convert visitors in their region. If they don't own their website, they work with the relevant stakeholder to ensure the right content is on their website. Australian Tourism Data Warehouse listings embraced. They makes sure their local towns and public attractions are listed, and also support and help their local businesses get their listings up and optimised. They also adjust their resourcing to support these tactics, as they need people with the skills and also time to support these activities They also know it will be messy + potentially be a steep learning curve for team. To help with this, they invest in training for their visitor servicing teams. Examples of Visitor Centres who are doing a great job of engaging with visitors in the digital space include Mcleay Valley Coast, with their new website, social media. Kununurra Visitor Centre manages an engaging destination website tells stunning visual stories on social media, which they curate onto their website. 7. Tourism Industry Engagement Focus Successful visitor centres are active in engaging the local tourism industry, especially at a local level when their Centre is part of a larger destination. 2020's bushfire and covid-19 pandemic highlighted how important a role this is for Visitor Servicing teams. They engage and collaborate with local industry in the following ways. Industry eNews. They maintain an updated industry database, even if they aren't membership based, where they share a regular enewsletter with to local tourism operators. Key during crisis, but also super important for business as usual times to keep local industry updated with upcoming events, new businesses, changes in local tourism products etc. They also include Sharing Economy operators in this database, as they understand they are also a key parts of their local visitor economy. Staff Famils. Their staff regularly attend famils, so they can confidently talk about key experiences in the region, especially those relevant to their destination's Ideal Customers. In-House Training. Local tourism operators are invited into the Centre to provide in-house updates to staff. Networking Events. They host networking events at their Centre for local industry (if their Visitor Centre has the space), or move it online when travel is restricted (thanks Covid!). If they can't host, key staff attend relevant networking events. Membership Prospectus. Depending on their organisation structure, they clearly communicate how local tourism operators can leverage the services at the visitor centre. Other Visitor Centres. They engage with neighbouring and gateway visitor centre (even if they are in another state!), keeping them updated with visitor guides and maps, famil invites and other cross region opportunities to better engage their visitors. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 6/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Influencer Outreach. They are proactive at training and getting visitor guides and maps to other visitor influencers, such as taxi drivers and Air BnB hosts. While they are all membership based, Kununurra Visitor Centre, Margaret River Region and Tourism Central Australia all have fantastic industry prospectus's that clearly outline how local tourism operators can engage with their centres. Importantly, their membership fees are based on how much support a tourism business would like to be a part of, not on the size of the business. 8. Residents, Retail Traders + Service Provider Engagement Successful visitor centres understand how important residents, retail traders and supporting service providers are when it comes to influencing visitors to their region. Examples of how they engage these different groups include: Education Plan. They help educate service provides, such as retail stores, service stations, bakers they are all are part of local visitor economy. They are not protective of their patch as the sole owner of visitor information in their local town and wider region. VFR Plan. They understand that Visiting Friends and Relatives is a major market which drives significant visitation to their destination. They encourage and enable residents to become advocates of their region by distributing visitor guides to residents, and even by developing specific campaigns. Communication Plan. They engage local media and local government communication teams to share good news visitor servicing happenings/events in their region. They also seek out relevant community Facebook Groups and add value where possible, such as sharing of info about upcoming events. Community Group Engagement. Depending on their region, they will have a staff member attend or sit on committees of local Progress Association/Retail Traders/Business Associations to support and cross leverage projects, events and other opportunities that activate their region's visitor economy. Open Days. They host open days at their visitor centre or their organisation managed visitor assets to engage the community. We love the work Southern Highlands Welcome Centre are doing through "This Month in the Highlands" videos, which showcases what's happening in the region that month. While it's great for visitors, it's also fantastic for educating local residents and traders. Clare Valley Food, Wine and Tourism Centre has regular Friday Night Wine Tasting (recently back on after a pause during Covid-19), which is attended by locals as well as visitors, while Canberra Regional Visitor Centre engaged locals when they moved to their new open location with a well attended open day. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 7/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool 9. Never Accept the Status Quo Successful visitor centres are fantastic at asking 'why they do what they do'. They are always reviewing everything they do. They don't accept the status quo just because something has always been done that way, or it's too expensive or hard to change. Or if there is a history of a poor relationship with a key stakeholder and their centre, they put egos aside to see how they work together to achieve the common goal of attracting, engaging and delighting more visitors in their regions. While funds or resources may be tight, they get creative and try different things to better engage their visitors both on and offline. They also keep up to date with changing visitors and market trends, such as the incredible rate of digital adaptation we've seen during Covid-19, and looked at how they can adapt/evolve accordingly. 10. They don't just Measure 'Reach' Metrics Successful visitor centres know that traditional reach metrics only paint part of the picture of the true impact they are having in their region. Traditional reach metrics can include: # Visitors to their Centre # Brochures Distributed # Social Media Followers # Website Visitors While these metrics are good indicators of the success of a region's visitor servicing activities, it doesn't tell the full picture of visitor engagement with their activities or if they've turned any visitors into word of mouth advocacy for their region. Other metrics they can monitor that will better measure the impact they are having in their region include (but not limited to): Visitor Centre Visitors Capture rate of their Centre Dwell time in Visitor Centre https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 8/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Visitor Sentiment of Visitor Centre Visitor Advocacy of their Visitor Centre Over Counter Retail Sales In Person Product Bookings Online Engage Engagement Metrics Download + engagement with digital visitor guides/maps/fact sheets Online Bookings and/or Retail Sales Engagement metrics of online platforms they have influence over (eg Facebook Engagement, Instagram Engagement, Website Engagement) Local Community/Industry/ Events Engagement Events attended Growth in database of local residents Engage/Conversion metrics with eNews Local engagement on FB posts in community groups etc They capture all the relevant data they can (such as using Google Analytics + Google Tag Manager, Social Media Insights, Review Sentiment, Manual Tracking) and use it to build a case for continued local industry + stakeholders support for their visitor servicing activities. 11. Financially Sustainable Successful visitor centres are developing multiple streams of income. They then test and tweak what works based on their resources and their local industry. A goal for most Visitor Centre we work with are to become more financially sustainable. This is so they can reduce their reliance on public funds in their operational budget. However their challenge is to maintain their reputation of offering up to the minute yet independent advice. Various revenue streams successful Visitor Centres include: Industry Contributions. Via their Industry Prospectus (see # 7 and examples), such has having brochures racking. Where resources are available, they also provide fee-for-service support, such as helping with ATDW listing set up, Google My Business and TripAdvisor Training. Booking Commission. Via Online Bookings, Face to Face Bookings, Event Tickets, Owned Product Packaging + Distribution Retails Sales + Gift Packages. Sold either offline (in VIC, at Events) or online via their Website. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 9/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool Own Product Sales. Entrance Fees, Own Tour Products (only where market gaps exist see #5) such as Guiding Service (groups), Hire, Transport, Walking Tours Advertising Opportunities. In Centre - Posters, Window Projections, Touchscreen, Print. Venue Hire. If they have venue space, hire it out for local events. Albany Visitor Centre had a $100,000 profit from the Field of Light packages they have developed and sold via OTAs and traditional trade partners. They also have various advertising opportunities in the centre for operators, such as advertising on their projector-lit visitor centre windows each night. Barossa Visitor Centres overhauled their Visitor Centre to make it a must visit for foot traffic in Tanunda Main Street, and have seen huge growth in revenue from their retail sales. Canberra and Region Visitor Centre negotiates to receive ticket allocation for major events or exhibitions when they are in town. They also do a roaring retail trade at their Floriade pop up store each year. 12. Strong Leadership + Management We see a common thread in successful visitor centres of having both strong leadership and management in their centre. This may be achieved by the same person, or a couple of people in their organisation. Common examples we see include: As a Leader, they take an active role in educating and inspiring the local industry and residents on the importance of the visitor economy for their town/region, so they get whole region's support in achieve their visitor servicing goals. As a Leader, they build strong relationships and trust with their region's key stakeholder groups. This helps maintain or grow funding/resources to help activate opportunities in their visitor servicing strategy. As a Manager, they are very willing to say no. They push back on anyone senior in their organisation who wants them to invest time / $$ / staff time in this "fantastic advertising / marketing tactic x/y/z" that doesn't align to their visitor servicing strategy (see point #1) . As a Manager, they know they can't do it all themselves. They work smarter, not harder, and look at creative resourcing of their existing staff/volunteers or activate other resources (eg other Council department staff or even Community Groups) to help deliver their visitor servicing strategy. Over to you We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments on these traits of successful visitor centres https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 10/11 11/10/21, 11:37 AM 12 Things Successful Visitor Centres Do Differently - Tourism eSchool We'd love to hear specifically in the comments what your Centre is doing on the above list. Are there any other traits we've missed that should be added to the list? This post was originally written in December 2018 and updated in March 2021. https://tourismeschool.com/blog/12-things-successful-visitor-centres-do-differently/ 11/11