 April 2005
» 2005 Annual Meeting» Sales Update » Marketing Update » Industry News & Member Spotlight » Welcome Aboard! » Put the San Diego North CVB to work for you » Stories from the Watercooler » Fast Facts » Staff Update - Michelle Carlen Promoted to Sales Manager » Bureau Contacts Bureau recognizes travel industry rebound at 2005 Annual Meeting An optimistic travel industry welcomed its return of confidence and celebrated its resurgence at the San Diego North CVB's 2005 Annual Meeting, March 17, at La Costa Resort and Spa. St. Patrick's Day helped position the theme, SuccessÖIt's more than luck., and Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis and San Diego 5th District Councilmember Brian Maienshein. welcomed the 200 guests in attendance. Peter Yesawich Guest speaker, Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, shared consumer trends from a 2005 study conducted by his firm. A few of the findings shared by Yesawich include: - 30% of adults are planning to take fewer vacations in the year ahead. "Not able to get away from my job/work" is the most frequently-cited reason why - For Americans, finding time to travel is a struggle -- we've surpassed Japan as the most overworked country for the past three years - Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, tourists increasingly want to use vacations to reconnect with family and friends Click here for more highlights from his presentation. Year-in-Review At the meeting, it was reported that the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau generated $24 million in total leisure visitor spending in 2004. Through a comprehensive marketing effort, independent leisure inquiries were up 13% to over 146,000 and Web site unique users were up 24% to nearly 126,000. The sales team generated 31,000 definite room nights, up 19% from last year, which generated more than $9.8 million in total visitor spending. For a complete annual report, click here. Economic Impact Cami Mattson, president & CEO for the San Diego North CVB presented tourism economics. San Diego North generated $54.7 million in hotel tax in 2004, an 8% increase over the previous year. Total visitor spending to San Diego was $5.5 billion and spending to San Diego North was $1.5 billion in 2004, also up 8 percent from the previous year. According to Mattson, possibly the biggest change to San Diego North travel is the return of the corporate business traveler. "For several years, business travel declined dramatically with the shaky economy and reduced travel budgets. It is now returning with confidence," she said. Mattson also noted that business travelers also include a leisure component to their trip and have family or friends accompany them. Awards 
The Bureau recognized members and partners who went beyond all expectations to contribute to the success of the San Diego North region. Congratulations to our three recipients.The Above and Beyond Award - Hilton Garden Inn, Carlsbad Beach Local Hero Award - San Diego International Sports Council Outstanding Service Award - Steve Schell, director of sales, San Diego CVB Overall, the annual meeting experienced a great success with a 39% increase in attendance compared to the previous year. A generous thanks goes out to our meeting sponsors (La Costa Resort and Spa, SDG&E and SignOnSanDiego.com) and attendees for supporting this wonderful event! « back to top Sales Update Sales Report : February 2005 - March 2005
Destination Showcase brings nearly 85 meeting planners to San Diego North CVB booth The Bureau's national sales manager, Sindy Radcliff, along with co-op partner Hilton Del Mar attended the March 3 event in Washington D.C., where they generated twelve sales leads. A total of 850 meeting planners were in attendance with a percentage breakdown as follows: 84% association planners; 12% corporate planners; and 4% independent planners. California Travel Market Event Generates Positive Response Although attendance was down from previous years, the California Travel Market's Annual Trade Show demonstrated promise with an energetic and upbeat mood for 2006. Among the 80 international tour buyers, many were in favor of increasing hotel and product to the region. San Diego North CVB promotes the region at American Airlines Product Launches Agents gathered in the cities of Dallas and Arlington, Texas, as well as in Arlington Heights and Rosemont, Illinois, to learn about the full scope of offerings in the San Diego North region at the American Airlines Product Launches that took place on March 1 and March 7-10, 2005. Chrissy Wean, travel industry sales manager for the San Diego North CVB, led presentations along with co-op partners that consisted of the San Diego CVB, San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, LEGOLAND, Bartell Hotels and La Costa Resort & Spa. Brochures from area members were also distributed, including Grande Colonial, Best Western Del Mar and Embassy Suites La Jolla. «back to top Marketing Update Spring into gear for the upcoming San Diego North CVB Mixer The San Diego North Spring Mixer is scheduled for May 5, 2005 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. This quarterly mixer event provides an opportunity for our members and other industry professionals to network while enjoying complimentary appetizers, a free drink and a chance to win in our drawing for door prizes. To RSVP or for a copy of our email invite, please email Debbie Mirageas at dmirageas@sandiegonorth.com, or call 760-745-4741. Co-op Advertising Opportunities - LA Times Travel Section Looking to stretch your advertising dollars? Members can leverage advertising dollars and increase exposure through San Diego North co-op ads, available in May and June on select dates in the Los Angeles Times Travel Section. Publishing on Sundays, this section will feature Special "San Diego" Banner Pages, providing a great opportunity for you to reach an audience of over 3.6 million readers. Run dates, deadlines and more information can be downloaded by clicking here. To reserve your space, please contact Barbara Bovee at bbovee@sandiegonorth.com or Stacy Kadrich at skadrich@sandiegonorth.com, or call 760-745-4741. «back to top Industry News & Member Spotlight New York Freedom Tower first seen in CA LEGOLAND guests were the first to see the highly anticipated Freedom Tower at the re-opening of Miniland New York today. Years before the real Freedom Tower rises at the site of the devastated World Trade Center, LEGOLAND has constructed the monumental skyscraper completely out of LEGO bricks. Unlike the Freedom Tower in New York City, which will take four years to build, LEGOLAND's structure took four months to create. For more information, contact LEGOLAND at 760-918-LEGO. Stan Kaminski is top Food & Beverage Person of the Year Stan Kaminski, VP of Food & Beverage for J.C. Resorts, was awarded the Top Food & Beverage Person of the Year by the San Diego County Hotel Motel Association. The award was presented at the Association's recent Gold Key Awards Event. The prestigious award is based on creativity, quality of product, staff development and national recognition. Kaminski has been with JC Resorts, which includes the Rancho Bernardo Inn and Scripps Inn in La Jolla, for four and one half years. Poway Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Small Business Month May is Small Business Month in California and the Poway Chamber of Commerce is recognizing small businesses by hosting a kickoff breakfast on Friday, May 6. Entitled "Wake Up to Small Business," this breakfast event is open to all individuals who recognize small business as an economic force in San Diego North, as well as small business owners in the region who want to remind the state of their importance. Several public officials are scheduled to speak at the event. Begins at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 6 at the Group W Pavilion, 13970 Stowe Drive, Poway, CA 92064. Cost is $50 per person ($400 for table of 10; $100 for table sponsorship). To RSVP, please contact Toni Kraft at the Poway Chamber of Commerce: 858-748-0016. «back to top Welcome Aboard! We are proud to announce the following organization which has recently joined as a new member of the San Diego North CVB: Red Roof Inn Carlsbad 6117 Paseo Del Norte Carlsbad, CA 92009 760-438-1242 / Fax: 760-931-7958 www.redroof.com Red Roof Inn Carlsbad features 142 newly renovated, beautifully appointed guestrooms and offers service as great as the California weather. Ideally located for travelers visiting LEGOLAND, Carlsbad State Beach, Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad Premium Outlets and the Flower Fields. San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum 910 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101 619-544-9600 / Fax: 619-544-9188 www.midway.org Naval aviation museum, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas), limited wheelchair access. «back to top Put the San Diego North CVB to work for you Keep It North and reap the benefits The Bureau offers assistance to area hotels and its displaced groups by providing alternative accommodations/meetings spaces through the Keep It North program. Keep It North is designed to keep business within the area and among members. To participate, members simply submit a referral and also become eligible for a chance to receive a trip to Las Vegas, Utah, Phoenix, Cabo San Lucas or other rewards. For information about the program, click here to download rules and submission forms. Promotion Opportunities - Consumer eNewsletter The Seasonal Package Deals page of our recently launched consumer eNewsletter, Getaway Highlights, provides an ideal vehicle for you to move excess inventory, announce last-minute deals or promote other special offers. For a limited time, members can participate at no charge during the introductory period of this program. Please email Stacy Kadrich, marketing coordinator, for more information about this program at skadrich@sandiegonorth.com. Online Booking - ARES Hot Deals page Members who are contracted through ARES receive extended exposure through a link on the San Diego North CVB web site, which generates traffic of 126,000 unique users annually. As summer approaches, our visitors are accessing www.sandiegonorth.com to book online deals for accommodations and attractions in the region. Receive additional exposure through our web site by submitting your Hot Deals package that can be booked via ARES. Please contact your ARES representative directly. For information on ARES services, call 1-800-719-1211. Job Fair Exhibit Opportunity The SDSU Hospitality and Tourism Management Program is holding a Job Fair & Career Expo on Wednesday, April 27. The Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal located at 1140 North Harbor Drive. For more information on how to become an exhibitor or sponsor for the event, download the flyer by clicking here. «back to top Stories from the Watercooler Work, Sleep, Play, and Relax in "The Zone" The lines between work and sleep are blurring as Rudy Maxa, the savvy traveler from public radio's Marketplace relates his experience at a Marriott general managers meeting in Orlando. Maxa reports on the unveiling of future hotel room designs, including Marriott's new "sleep zones," featuring a plush bed with panels in the headboard for outlets to connect laptop cords and high-speed internet connections. "Turns out the extensive market testing has revealed that Generation Xers want the option of working in bed," states Maxa in his report. He continues to describe the desk area as the "relaxing and work zone," in which the Marriott's new desk includes a swivel extension and an LCD, flat-screen TV. A panel located alongside the desk enables a digital assistant, iPod, cell phone and laptop to be plugged in at the same time. With the increasing impact this group has on the travel industry, Gen Xers are certainly influencing the way hotels will look and feel in the future. «back to top Fast Facts - Travel Industry Update U.S. Industry Travel The business travel segment is demonstrating mild but steady growth, with a 4% increase in business travel volume, according to a report by Hotel Online. This growth is a significant turn from the 14% decline in travel volume between 1998 and 2003, according to the 2004 Business and Convention Travelers report from the Travel Industry Association (TIA), the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and the Institute of Business Travel Management. Furthermore, the report reveals an increasing use of technology that has caused the business travel landscape to shift. Improvements in technology have created greater acceptance of business communication technologies as an alternative to travel. Nearly 40% of all business air travelers were substituting technology, increasingly webconferencing, for some travel in 2004, although this is down from 47% reporting the same in 2002. Gaming Total gambling revenue among U.S. tribal casinos has surpassed Nevada casinos. According to the National Indian Gaming Association, Indian casino gambling totaled $18.5 billion in 2004, a 10% increase from the previous year. Nevada resorts gained $19.59 billion in 2004 - $9.88 billion of which was from gaming. Marketing Trends As seven out of ten kids say they "need" a vacation, according to a survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (YPB&R), 75% claimed that a vacation length of seven or more days is ideal; a contrast from the current average of four days. Additionally, 20% of kids claim to be stressed and a majority state that being with family is the primary contributor to having the "best vacation ever." One-third of the kids claim to help research an element of the family vacation on the Internet. Generation Xers surpassed Boomers in spending more per trip. According to the travel research group D.K. Shifflet & Associates, Xers - the group of 60 million Americans ages 25-40 - spent roughly $2,140 per capita per trip, including hotel stay, versus $2,016 spent by boomers. Vacation spending by Xers has risen 66% per trip in the past five years, while boomers ages 41 to 59 spent 25% more. Compared with the 78 million boomers, Gen Xers are less brand loyal, less likely to call a travel agent and less likely to plan far in advance. They're more likely to book online and pay for eye-catching extras. Roper Reports for NOP world reveals that safety and comfort is the number 1 priority among 71% of the U.S. travelers surveyed during the study. The survey also found that while 55% of respondents said they are budget-conscious, 43% were willing to pay more for quality. Additionally, when asked if they'd prefer a shorter working day or a longer vacation, 61% of American travelers surveyed said they'd pick the longer vacation. In 2000, 50% of Americans preferred the longer vacation over the shorter workday. «back to top Staff Update - Michelle Carlen Promoted to Sales Manager  The Bureau is pleased to announce the promotion of Michelle Carlen to Sales Manager, in which she will oversee travel industry sales along with additional markets. Carlen brings over five years of hospitality sales experience to this position in a variety of avenues.
In the two years that she has worked with the Bureau as a sales coordinator, Carlen has acquired a wealth of knowledge and expertise in promoting the San Diego North region. Previously, she developed a sales and marketing program for a private medical software company in Arcadia, CA while finishing her Bachelor's degree in marketing management at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Other work history includes sales management in her home town of Pasadena for the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau. Carlen is delighted to have the opportunity to continue her professional sales experience in her new capacity and looks forward to cultivating successful business relationships in the future. «back to top Bureau Contacts Cami Mattson, president and CEO Barbara Bovee, director of marketing and operations Stephanie Colby-Aburto, director of sales Debbie Mirageas, office manager «back to top If you feel you've received this message in error, or if you no longer wish to receive news and special offers please Click Here to be removed from this list. |