Muscatine Hospitality Newsletter A quarterly publication of the Muscatine Convention & Visitors Bureau Reporting FY 2015 2nd Quarter Oct., Nov., Dec. VISITORS GUIDES 733 distributed Ordered additional 1,000 in January Will order 10,000 off the bat with 2015-16 guide Hotel and motel tax has record quarter In December, payment was received for the first quarter July to September of the Muscatine hotel and motel tax for fiscal year 2015 and it was a record-high of $123,794.51. This record quarter comes after a record fiscal year in which the tax totaled $415,041.72. It is more than $7,000 more than the highest quarter from last fiscal year s record year with the second highest quarter coming in the first quarter of the 2009 fiscal year at $122,708.53. The city of Muscatine allocates 25 percent of tax revenues to the Muscatine Convention and Visitors Bureau, 25 percent to the Musser Public Library, 25 percent to the Muscatine Art Center and the remaining 25 percent goes to the general fund. The purpose of the CVB is to maximize the number of visitors to Muscatine County and to ensure visitors have a positive experience. WEBSITE 3,008 visits (1,577 in 2Q last FY) 8,246 page views (4,844 in 2Q last FY) MCVB invests in STR Destination Report Visitors Bureau decided to invest in a monthly trend destination report by Smith Travel Research that focuses on the Muscatine area in-depth for all key performance indicators, including occupancy (Occ), average daily rate (ADR), revenue per available room (RevPAR), supply, demand, and revenue. Average length of visit: 2.41 minutes SOCIAL MEDIA Currently 799 likes Currently 341 total Twitter followers Currently 76 total Instagram followers 1
the previous fiscal year. Each report provides 18 months historical, which allowed the MCVB to see what contributed to the record fiscal year for the hotel/motel tax for 2014. We discovered that occupancy was up about 10 percent each month and RevPar was up an average of 13.5 percent each month from We expect the second quarter to be favorable as well as occupancy was up a little less than 9 percent and RevPAR was up about 19 percent. The information in these monthly reports, especially the revenue line, can be extremely helpful when projecting tax collections. New year, new email campaign Visitors Bureau launched the Visit Muscatine e-newsletter and lodging specials email campaign in January. The monthly e-newsletter will provide subscribers with updates on area events, new attractions as well as certain things related to the CVB, such new visitors guides and more. The MCVB hopes that the biweekly lodging specials email can be of value to frequent visitors, like business travelers or sports tournament parents and coaches. With six emails already sent out, there has been an average open rate of about 39 percent. MCVB participates in ITC s Sound Bites The first Visit Muscatine e-newsletter was launched on January 15. Visitors Bureau was selected to participate in the Sound Bites session at the 2014 Iowa Tourism Conference, held at the Mid- America Convention Center in Council Bluffs. This fast-paced session allowed each speaker up to three minutes to speak to 20-30 Iowa Welcome Center Travel Counselors, who represent 19 welcome centers and serve nearly 450,000 travelers annually. MCVB Director Nick Cusick spoke about Deep Lakes Park, Muscatine s newest recreation area owned and operated by the Muscatine County Conservation Board. Cusick wore and carried multiple items that represented what you can currently do or will be able to do in the future at Deep Lakes Park: a life jacket and The photo Sound Bites organizer LuAnn Reinders took and tweeted during the session at the Iowa Tourism Conference Oct. 22, 2014. 2
fishing rod for fishing, a kayak paddle for paddling, a trekking pole for hiking, binoculars for bird-watching, a GPS unit for Geocaching, swimming trunks for swimming, a sleeping bag for camping and a mask and fins for scuba diving. It was a great opportunity to promote Deep Lakes Park and our county, Cusick said. I take pride in the fact that I was the only one session organizer LuAnn Reinders stopped to take a photo of and tweet about. Visit www.muscatinecountyconservati on.com for more on Deep Lakes. Getting in the mix at the Marketplace Visitors Bureau had a booth at the 2014 Central Iowa Tourism Region/Iowa Group Travel Association Travel Iowa Marketplace at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines in November. MCVB Director Nick Cusick got to interact one-on-one with more than 30 group tour planners, providing them with information on what makes the Muscatine area a great group destination and all that it has to offer. CITR provided all exhibitors with the full list of registered planner attendees. Sixty-five planners attended the marketplace and there were 66 exhibit booths this year. Of the 65 planners attending, 32 percent had never attended the Travel Iowa Marketplace before. The Marketplace also provided another opportunity for networking with other members of the Iowa travel industry. Director Nick Cusick at the MCVB exhibit booth at the Travel Iowa Marketplace on Nov. 13, 2014. Group tours begin to make travel plans Groups have started to make their traveling plans and the Muscatine Convention and Visitors Bureau is hard at work to bring them to the Muscatine area. On May 2, the Nancy Drew Min-Con based in Iowa City will spend the day in Muscatine. About 50-75 people will come to River Heights a location from a Nancy Drew book that Muscatine will play for the day. They will search for clues downtown, visit the History and Industry Center and enjoy a meal two meals before heading back to Iowa City. 3
Check out www.ndsleuths.com for more info on the organization and the mini-con. Four other groups have been assisted, with three of them including overnight stops in Muscatine. As the MCVB seeks to improve its planner assistance, we will consider creating an RFP form so planners can utilize the MCVB to take bids for group tours, conferences and more. MCVB plans to hire seasonal employees Visitors Bureau Board of Directors recently decided to move forward with plans to hire seasonal employees, who will be responsible for proving a MCVB presence at local events and to be an information resource, as well as other assigned duties possibly including visitors guide distribution. With difficulties in the past to find volunteers to pass out information, such as our visitors guide and dining and lodging guide, and direct visitors at these events, this will ensure that the MCVB is always where it needs to be, especially during the peak season. MCVB seasonal employees will pass out information and serve as a resource to visitors at events during the peak season. MCVB Board of Directors Update Shortly after the start of the fiscal year, the Muscatine Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors voted to change the MCVB bylaws to a total of 16 directors, decreasing the board size from its 21 original members. Currently, the board has 18 members and will get to 16 after current terms end. The board recently said goodbye to Chris Boar (Monsanto) and Kerry Keller (Great River Days), who left the board due to lack of time. In November, Muscatine County Supervisor Jeff Sorensen was appointed to serve as an MCVB director. 4
UPCOMING EVENTS March 14, 15 River City Ourdoor Show March 14 Art of Gardening in Muscatine County daylong seminar March 14 Chili Chilly Extreme 5K March 15 Muscatine BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Chuck Van Hecke Chair Tina Boldt Vice Chair Paul Carroll Vice Chair Turner Nelson Finance Chair Lacey Henderson- Mueller Secretary DIRECTORS Pam Collins Karen Diercks Diane Furlong Nick Gow Tom Hanifan Peg Heither Mayor DeWayne Hopkins Greg Jenkins Scott Natvig Linda Reichert Richard Sessler Jeff Sorensen Mary Wildermuth STANDING COMMITTEES FINANCE Turner Nelson, Chair Scott Natvig MARKETING & COMMUNICATIO- NS Tina Boldt, Chair Paul Carroll Tom Hanifan Peg Heither Lacey Henderson- Mueller Linda Reichert Richard Sessler Municipal Golf Course opens for season March 27 Muscatine Quilt Show March 28 Kent-Stein Park and Muscatine Soccer Complex opens for season. March 29 River s Edge House Concert Series April 4 ICCAC Regional Softball April 10, 11 Girls Getaway Weekend April 18 River s Edge House Concert Series: The Appleseed Collective May 2 Nancy Drew Mini-Con visits Muscatine May 24 Melon City Criterium DIRECTOR: Nick Cusick 563-272-2534 ncusick@muscatineiowa.gov CVB office located in lower-level of city hall 215 Sycamore St. Muscatine, IA 52761 See more events on the Visit Muscatine calendar at VisitMuscatine. com 5