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ST. LUCIE COUNTY
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
St. Lucie County Administration Building
2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce
3rd Floor Conference Room
12:30pm
1. Call to Order.......................................................................................................Commissioner Dzadovsky
2. Roll Call.................................................................................................................................... Tayler Biles
3. Self-Introductions............................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky
4. Approval of Minutes from March 10, 2016........................................................ Commissioner Dzadovsky
5. Public Comment.......................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky
6. Financial & Web Report ....................................................................................................Charlotte Bireley
a. February 2016 Revenue and P & L Report
b. February 2016 Monthly Expenses vs. Revenue Comp Report
c. March 2016 Website Activity Report
d. Social Media Activity Report — Tayler Biles
7. SLC Visitor Study........................................................................ Charlotte Bireley & Joseph St. Germain
8. 2016 Summer Campaigns..................................................................................................Charlotte Bireley
9. 2016 Tourism Week & Showcase .................................................... Charlotte Bireley & Terissa Aronson
10. Other Business.................................................................................................... Commissioner Dzadovsky
11. Adjournment.......................................................................................................Commissioner Dzadovsky
VISION STATEMENT
By 2017, the _St. Lucie County Tourist Development Council will provide a greater impact in promoting
St. Lucie as a top Florida destination for Eco/Adventure/Agri Tourism; amateur/professional sports; and
other known assets, allowing for increased overnight stays.
Please note — Meetings are recorded.
Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation to attend this meeting should contact the St. Lucie
Tourism Office at (772) 462-1472 or TDD (772) 462-1428 at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the
meeting.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, March 10, 2016 0 11:00 A.M.
MINUTES
Members present: Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky, Chairman
Vice -Mayor Linda Bartz, City of Port St. Lucie
Marilyn Minix, Road Runner Travel Resort
Chris Egan, Vistana's Beach Club — Sheraton PGA
Michelle MacNichol, Perfect Drive Golf Villas
Clive Daem, Dockside Inn
Members absent: Paul Taglieri, St. Lucie Mets
Teresa Aronson, St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce
Commissioner Rufus Alexander, City of Fort Pierce
Staff present: Katherine Barbieri, St. Lucie County Attorney
Charlotte Bireley, St. Lucie County Tourism
Tayler Biles, St. Lucie County Tourism
Also present: Jill Hanson, Residence Inn by Marriot
Millie Feliciano, Holiday Inn Express St Lucie West
Muhannah Chabkoun, Holiday Inn Express St Lucie West
Sandra Bogan, ERD
Catherine Matos, Homewood Suites
Laura Thomas, Homewood Suites
Chris Higgins, Di Michelli's Catering
Francesca Tyler, Hilton Garden Inn
Laura Deiderick, Smithsonian
Adriana Vizcaya, PGA Golf Club
1. CALL TO ORDER:
Commissioner Dzadovsky called the meeting to order at 11:14 AM.
2. ROLL CALL:
Tayler Biles called roll.
3. GUESTS INTRODUCED THEMSELVES:
Guests introduced themselves.
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes from February 10, 2016 were approved.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT:
No public comments.
Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 March 10, 2016
6. Financial & Web Report:
Charlotte Bireley presented the revenue for the month of January at $424,157, which is
a 14.5% increase from January 2015. She reported that revenues are up 13.8% year to
date and that the January P & L's stated bed tax was 40% higher than budgeted.
Charlotte stated that the Website activity report dipped a little most likely due to the fact
that we are not currently promoting the site as we will in the off-season months.
Charlotte reported that the webcam visits for the month of February had about 3,300
visitors. She said that we have had 26,000 visits to the webcams since October 1 st 2015
and that they have become the most visited pages on our website.
7. Social Media Activity Update:
Charlotte Bireley spoke of how we are in the content gathering stage for our social media
pages. She explained that our strategy is to emphasize our uniqueness and to continue
to expand our presence with paid ad campaigns to show off our exclusive activities to our
target feeder markets.
Tayler Biles then spoke on some of the non -paid efforts and strategies towards increasing
St. Lucie's social media presence. She gave details about the social media content
calendar and about the analytic platforms that are helping track followers and diversify
posts. She explained some of the strategies being used to organically increase followers
such as following hashtags, optimizing post times and embedding tweets.
Tayler Biles then gave the social media activity update, explaining each item. She
reported that the total Facebook page likes have increased to 13,147.
8. Environmental Education & Eco Tourism Coordinator Position
Charlotte Bireley brought forward a new position to the board. The Environmental
Education & Eco Tourism Coordinator Position would give specialized support for our
Environmental Resources Department and for development of our comprehensive eco-
tourism plan. Charlotte explained how ecotourism will attract millennials and
international travelers to St. Lucie. She spoke of how this position will diversify our
visitor base, advance social economic environmental objectives and lead to better
conservation practices. Charlotte then explained that we will fund this position 50/50
between Tourism and Mosquito Control with an estimated $17,000 impact for the TDC
budget in FY2016.
Sandra Bogan (ERD) began talking about how the position will expand the educational
benefits for St. Lucie. Her hope is to increase the standard for what sustainable eco-
Page 2 of 3
Tourist Development Council Meeting 0 March 10, 2016
tourism looks like and how to brand and market it from there. Charlotte and Sandra
both emphasized on the importance of the candidates knowledge and background.
Charlotte brought up that this position will be given clear measurable goals that can be
tracked.
Michelle McNichol moved for a motion for the new position.
Vice Mayor Linda Bartz seconded.
No comments. The vote was unanimous.
The discussion for the position continued after the vote. A question was asked about who
this individual would report to, to which Charlotte responded and said that they would
report to Environmental Resources -but that tourism would be very much involved.
9. Other Business:
Commissioner Dzadovsky asked the TDC to make a motion for legal to draft a letter or
documentation to the Department of Economic Opportunity (DOE) other agency
requesting funding for our emergency advertising campaign to overcome the
challenges of the water issues regarding Lake Okeechobee.
Chris Egan moved to make the motion.
Michelle McNichol seconded the motion.
Vote was unanimous.
Charlotte announced that the CEO of Visit Florida, Will Seccombe will be the keynote
speaker at the next EDC luncheon on April 5tn
Michelle asked about conducting a planning session to revise the TDC vision statement
for the upcoming fiscal year.
Sandra Bogan announced the Earth Day Festival at the Oxbow Centerwill be taking place
on April 22nd
10. Adjournment:
Meeting adjourned at 12:30 PM.
Page 3 of 3
TDC Feb. 2016
Variance
P & L Report
Actual
Budget
Budget
Bed Tax Revenue
$ 96,839
$ 71,500
35%
Carry Forward
$ 32,667
$ 32,667
0%
Interest
$ 42
$ 42
0%
Total Revenue
$ 129,548
$ 104,209
24%
Direct Expenses
Salaries
$
8,209
$
9,161
-10%
Benefits
$
2,846
$
3,570
-20%
Other Contract Services
$
675
$
5,417
-88%
Software Support
$
-
$
2,333
-100%
Travel
$
607
$
583
4%
Communications
$
30
$
83
-64%
Postage
$
1,276
$
1,000
28%
Printing
$
-
$
2,333
-100%
Promotional Activities
$
-
$
333
-100%
Promotional Entertainment
$
1,202
$
1,250
-4%
Office Supplies
$
-
$
83
-100%
Dues
$
-
$
333
-100%
Aid
$
63,000
$
9,000
600%
G & A
$
5,156
$
5,156
0%
Materials Center
$
6
$
83
-93%
Promotional Advertising
$
7,742
$
16,667
-54%
Tax Collector
$
1,218
$
1,218
0%
Total Direct Expenses
$
91,967
$
58,605
57%
Net Income $ 37,581 29%
TDC Year to Date 2016 YTD as of2/29/2016
P & L Report Actuals
Bed Tax Revenue
$
325,959 $
Carry Forward
$
163,335 $
Interest
$
210 $
Total Revenue
$
489,504 $
Direct Expenses
Salaries
Benefits
Other Contract Services
Software Support
Travel
Communications
Postage
Printing
Promotional Activities
Promotional Entertainment
Office Supplies
Dues
Aid
G & A
Materials Center
Promotional Advertising
Tax Collector
Total Direct Expenses
42,314 $
17,334 $
1,513 $
23,269 $
1,598 $
55 $
5,394 $
21,494 $
3,786 $
2,439 $
2,908 $
115,000 $
25,780 $
31 $
46,800 $
6,090 $
315,805 $
Net income $ 173,699
Annual
Budget
550,000
392,000
500
942,500
109,934
42,834
65,000
28,000
7,000
1,000
12,000
28,000
4,000
15,000
1,000
4,000
175,000
61,868
1,000
200,000
14,616
770,252
35%
Variance
Budget
-41
-58%
-58%
-48
-62
-60
-98%
-17%
-77
-95
-55%
-23
-5
-84
-100%
-27%
-34
-58%
-97
-77
-58%
-59
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Introd uction ..................................................................................................................................................1
StudyPurpose......:........................................................................................................................................1
Summary of Downs & St. Germain Research's Advantages.........................................................................1
Scopeof Work...............................................................................................................................................
2
Technical & Reporting Requirements...........................................................................................................3
Qualification Requirements..........................................................................................................................4
Methodology for St. Lucie County..............................................................................................................
12
ModelingTotal Economic Impact...............................................................................................................16
Reportingformat of results........................................................................................................................
19
TimeFrame.................................................................................................................................................19
Costs.......... :.................................................................................................................................................
19
Deliverables.................................................................................................................................................19
Appendix.....................................................................................................................................................
20
Resumes..................................................................................................................................................
20
Sample Reports for Participating Properties..........................................................................................
25
Examplesof Report Excerpts..................................................................................................................
31
CountySt. Lucie Office of Tourismf Quotation Ret•
E Visitor Study
St. Lucie County is, and has been, a well-known destination for visitors seeking cultural, historic, and
natural attractions, spring training baseball, world class fishing, boating and golf. Additionally, St. Lucie
County attracts sports tourism and group business travelers.
Study Purpose
St. Lucie County seeks to document the impact of visitors to the county. More specifically, the county
wishes to produce accurate economic impacts of travel and tourism and to develop precise profiles of
visitors to St. Lucie County. The goal is to develop valid and accurate estimates of the economic impact
of tourism and profiles of visitors to use in strategic policy decisions and in future marketing efforts to
impact tourism.
Summary of Downs & St. Germain Research's Advantages
® Worked with tourism & travel clients & Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) since 1988
® Currently servicing five DMOs in Florida (Visit South Walton, Visit Sarasota, Visit Tallahassee,
Visit Tampa Bay, Marion County VCB)
® Hired by 4 of the aforementioned DMOs to replace other research vendors and to enhance
methodologies for documenting the impact of tourism and attracting more visitors
® Hired by the 5t" DMO to develop a market research strategy for the first time in that county
® 3 Ph.D.s on staff who possess academic training and experience that can handle any market
research issue
® Vast experience
o Worked on over 150 travel and tourism studies with over 30 clients
o Worked on over 300 government studies with over 70 governments
o Worked with dozens of Agencies of Record with DMO, corporate, and government clients —
we know how to add value to the team
o Conducted a wide range of travel and tourism studies (Economic Impact Studies, Economic
Impact of Events, Creative Advertising Studies, Visitor Tracking Studies, Visitor Satisfaction
Studies, Conversion studies, Lifestyle Segmentation Studies, Life Stage Segmentation Studies,
Demand Analyses, Visitor Profile Surveys, Occupancy & ADR Survey, Visitation Trend Analysis,
Industry Barometer Analysis, Advertising Effectiveness, Events Visitor Research, Feasibility
Studies, Meeting/Event Planner Studies, Sporting Events Studies, Destination Perception
Studies, Destination Positioning Studies, Feasibility Studies)
o Employed all types of data collection techniques (Qualitative: focus groups, dyads, triads,
ethnographic; and Quantitative: mail, telephone, internet, and intercept surveys) and statistical
analyses (multivariate, predictive modeling, regression, discriminant analysis , GIS mapping,
1
multidimensional scaling, etc.); and we do it all in-house where we control the quality of every
step of the research process.
® Introduced enhancements in statistical analysis (predictive modeling to determine what
marketing efforts will have the highest ROI) ) and reporting techniques (GIS mapping of market
penetration, market potential, etc.) to help DMOs better document the economic impact of
visitors and to attract more visitors.
® Developed relationships with Partners (General Mangers, owners, Sales Managers, etc., of
hotels, motels, attractions, etc.) to enhance the value of market research efforts
® For every study in the past 35 years: Whether it is $500,000 or $5,000; whether it involves
20,000 surveys or 500 surveys; whether it is local or in Asia or Europe; whether it is only in
English or in one of 10 other languages in which we have conducted studies; Downs & St.
Germain Research has always completed it on time and on budget and provided value added.
Scope of Work
St. Lucie County seeks accurate and valid data on the following:
® Provide detailed estimates of the number of overnight, day, and pass through visitors
® Examine seasonal fluctuations in visitation as well as provide detailed demographic and
socioeconomic profiles of visitors by season
o Number in travel party
■ Type of travel party (single, couple, family, group, etc.)
o Length of stay
o Household income
o Origin (home zip code)
■ Identify key origin markets
■ Measure market penetration
■ Assess best markets for marketing success
o Age
o Gender
® Document by season the following:
o Direct expenditures,
o Direct expenditures by categories such as accommodations, food, entertainment &
attractions, shopping, transportation, etc.
o Total economic impact
® Assess the importance of vacation attributes to visitors to St. Lucie County
® Determine perceptions of St. Lucie County along these vacation attributes
® Conduct a GAP analysis (vacation attribute importance vis-a-vis perceptions of St. Lucie County
along these attributes)
® Assess travel modes
® Examine reasons for visiting S. Lucie County
o Type of leisure travel (historic, cultural, sport, etc.)
2
o Business travel
o Visiting friends & relatives (VFR)
o Is St. Lucie County the primary destination
■ If not, what is
® Document attractions visited while in St. Lucie County
® Measure overall satisfaction with visit
® Assess willingness to return
® Measure willingness to recommend a visit to St. Lucie County to friends
® Determine media habits of visitors
o Identify best traditional, social, and digital media for influencing visitors
® Identify steps in vacation planning process used by visitors
® Identify competitive destinations
® Utilize STR reports, Google Analytics, and Downs & St. Germain Research's database of
information about visitors from other domestic marketing organizations (DMOs) to assess
success of current marketing efforts and to recommend future marketing efforts
® Develop predictive models that identify the best predictors of visitation to St. Lucie County
o These predictors will be shared with St. Lucie County's Agency of Record (AOR) so they
can optimize ROI for marketing expenditures
Technical eporting Requirements
St. Lucie County has enumerated the following technical and reporting requirements, all of which,
Downs & St. Germain Research performs for other DMOs and will fulfill in its contractual relationship
with St. Lucie County.
® Estimate the number of visitors to St. Lucie County
o In -state visitors
o Out-of-state visitors
o International visitors
® Provide rationale for research design, data collection process, and respondent selection
® Deliver all raw data and description of methodology
® Obtain approval from St. Lucie County prior to all survey efforts
® Deliver an Executive Summary in narrative, tabular and graphic form detailing all key findings
• Conduct the study in such a fashion that provides a benchmark of data against which future
studies can measure progress
® Create a tool for accurate visitor growth forecasting
® Share knowledge and methodology perfected with other DMOs to provide St. Lucie County the
best possible research studies involving visitors
® Provide quarterly presentations of results to St. Lucie County
3
Qualification Requirements
The "Project Quotation Request" published by St. Lucie County lists the following qualification
requirements:
1. Must be a firm specializing in travel & tourism with at least 5 years' experience.
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted travel & tourism experience since 1988 when we first
contracted with Leon County CVB and Christopher Thompson, now President/CEO of Brand USA (who is
listed as a reference in this document).
We currently have 5 Domestic Marketing Organizations (DMOs) as clients:
• Visit Tallahassee
• Visit Sarasota
• Visit South Walton
• Visit Tampa Bay
• Marion County VCB
Downs & St. Germain's tourism and hospitality clients include the following:
• American Society of Travel Agents
•
Seaside Community Development Corp
• British Virgin Islands
•
South Seas Island Resort
• Charles Hotel (Boston)
•
Space Coast Office of Tourism
• Club Med
0
St. Johns County TDC
• Colonial Williamsburg
•
Sunburst Beach Vacations
• Crystal Coast Tourism Authority
■
The Boeing Company
• Delta Air Lines
N
The Don Cesar
• Grand Bahama Island
•
The Zimmerman Agency
• Indian River Plantation
•
United Airlines
• Interstate Hotels & Resorts
•
Vancouver Tourism
• Marion County VCB
•
VISIT FLORIDA, Inc.
• Marriott Hotels
•
Visit Tallahassee (Leon County CVB)
• Okaloosa County TDC
•
Visit South Walton
• Our Lucaya Golf & Beach Resort
•
Visit Sarasota County
■ Peter Islands
•
Visit Tampa Bay
• Roosevelt Hotel (New York)
Types of tourism and hospitality studies conducted include
the following:
• Economic impact studies
o For destinations
o For events
o For sports teams
o Forvenues
• Branding and positioning studies
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• Tracking studies
• Visitor satisfaction studies
• Conversion studies
• Economic impact studies
• Segmentation studies
• Demand analyses
• Visitor Profile Survey
• Occupancy & ADR Survey
• Visitation Trend Analysis
• Industry Barometer Analysis
• Advertising Effectiveness
• Events Visitor Research
• Focus groups
Recent Client Case Studies
To give you a better sense of our tourism & travel experience, here a few brief case histories:
Study #1 — Visit Sarasota County
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted the following studies for the Visit Sarasota County since
October 2014:
• Potential Visitor Study
• Visitor Tracking Studies
■ Economic Impact Study
• Life Stage Segmentation Study
• Brand/Advertising Studies
• ADR/Occupancy Studies
• Meeting Planner Study
• Emotional Mapping Study
■ GIS Mapping
• Predictive Modeling
Data collection has included intercept interviews, telephone interviews, online interviews, and focus
groups. We developed a PowerPoint deck of the strategic conclusions and the strategic implications with
graphic, text, and tabular representations of the results for each completed study. Presentations were
conducted when requested by Visit Sarasota County. Studies, where applicable, also included analyses
by geographic segments.
Study #2 — Visit South Walton
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted the following studies for the Visit South Walton since
2011:
® Product Definition Study
• Potential Visitor Study
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■ Visitor Tracking Study
■ Economic Impact Study
■ Lifestyle Segmentation Study
® Brand Advertising Study
® Past (Lapsed) Visitor Study
■ Group Business Study
® GIS Mapping
® Market Penetration Analysis
® Predictive Modeling
® Event Economic Impact Studies
We developed a PowerPoint deck of the strategic conclusions and the strategic implications with
graphic, text, and tabular representations of the results for each completed study. Presentations to the
TDC, CEO Forum, and Marketing Committee were conducted when requested by the TDC. Studies,
where applicable, also included analyses by geographic segments and beach areas.
Study #3 — Visit Tallahassee
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted the following studies for the Visit Tallahassee since 2014:
■ Potential Visitor Study
■ Visitor Tracking Study
® Economic Impact Study
® GIS Mapping
® Market Penetration Analysis
® Predictive Modeling
® Life Stage Analysis
® Event Economic Impact Studies
We developed a PowerPoint deck of the strategic conclusions and the strategic implications with
graphic, text, and tabular representations of the results for each completed study. Presentations to the
TDC were conducted when requested. Studies, where applicable, also included analyses by geographic
segments.
Study #4 — Marion County VCB
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted the following studies for the Marion County VCB since
2014:
■ Visitor Tracking Study
® Economic Impact Study
® GIS Mapping
® Event Economic Impact Studies
We developed a PowerPoint deck of the strategic conclusions and the strategic implications with
graphic, text, and tabular representations of the results for each completed study. Presentations to the
TDC were conducted when requested. Studies, where applicable, also included analyses by geographic
segments.
Study #5 — Crystal Coast Tourism Authority
Downs & St. Germain Research has conducted the following studies for the Crystal Coast Tourism
Authority:
• Positioning Study
• Advertising Effectiveness Study
• Messaging study
The Positioning study involved 1,000 telephone interviews in a dozen markets across the United States.
The goal was to determine the positioning of the Crystal Coast in the minds of potential visitors. The
study examined reactions to selling propositions, brand name, positioning themes, activities, interests,
competitors, etc. We developed a report with graphic, text, and tabular representations of the results.
We also produced a PowerPoint deck of the strategic conclusions and the strategic implications for the
Crystal Coast Tourism Authority. The study also included analyses by geographic and psychographic
market segments.
Z. Must have experience in conducting large scale research projects with national, state,
regional and/or local tourism offices and affiliations.
The case studies listed in #1 satisfy this requirement, but we will add some additional examples of our
work capabilities.
We have conducted several studies for VISIT FLORIDA on the impact of Deep Horizon on potential
visitors' perceptions of Florida as a tourism destination.
In the broadly defined area of travel, tourism and hospitality, we have conducted national, state, and
local research for the following:
• American Society of Travel Agents
• Club Med
• Delta Air Lines
• United Airlines
• Seaside (FL)
3. Must have experience in conducting government market research
On the following page is a listing of our government clients with whom we have conducted over 300
studies:
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1. US Department of Agriculture
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency
3. US Army Corps of Engineers (in conjunction
with Hazards Management)
4. Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services
5. Florida Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
6. Florida Department of Financial Services
7. Florida Department of Community Affairs
8. Florida Attorney General
9. Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
10. Florida Department of Revenue
11. Florida Department of Transportation
12. Florida Department of Health
13. Florida Prepaid College Board
14. Georgia Department of Transportation
15. Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council
16. Broward County
17. Miami -Dade
18. Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council
19. Southwest Florida Regional Planning
Council
20. West Florida Regional Planning Council
21. Leon County
22. City of Lake City
23. Central Florida Regional Planning Council
24. City of Orlando
25. Palm Beach Gardens
26. Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council
27. Apalachee Regional Planning Council
28. City of Tallahassee
29. South Florida Regional Planning Council
30. East Central Florida Regional Planning
Council
31. City of Ocala
32. Okaloosa County
33. Mt. Dora
34. Carteret County (NC)
35. Coastal Georgia Regional Development
Council
36. Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County
37. Space Coast Office of Tourism
38. Leon County Tourist Development Council
39. Cocoa Beach
40. Brevard County
41. Duval County
42. Sarasota County
43. City of Altamonte Springs
44. City of Winter Park
45. Gwinnett County
46. New York City
47. City of Philadelphia
48. Southeast Pennsylvania/Northeast New
Jersey Regional Task Force
49. Connecticut Department of Health
50. Northwest Indiana Regional Planning
Council
51. University of Miami
52. Columbia University
53. University of Pennsylvania
54. University of Miami
55. University of West Florida
56. South Walton Tourist Development Council
57. Florida State University
58. Town of Davie
59, VISIT FLORIDA
60. University of Louisville
61. City of Miami Beach
62. Orange County Department of Health
63. Connecticut Department of Health (in
conjunction with PDAStats)
64. American Water Works Association
65. Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies
66, Northwest Florida Water Management
District
67. Southwest Florid Florida Water
Management District
68. St. Johns River Water Management District
69. Tampa Bay Water
70. West Palm Beach
71. Florida Dept of Emergency Management
72. Downtown Improvement Authority
4. Experience with Performance Measures & Ability to Explain Discrepancies
We often develop KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) for our travel and tourism clients. For example, in
addition to working with typical tourism performance measures such as RevPAR, occupancy rates, ADR,
direct expenditures, total economic impact, TDT collections, origin, days stayed, etc., we have developed
the following KPIs for our tourism clients:
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• Penetration Rate (% of key target market, e.g., $100,000+ households in an origin city, which
have visited the destination).
• Aspirational Demand (number of households in a key target market that fit a desired
demographic description, e.g., $100,000+ income, which have not visited the destination).
• Optimism Index (percentage of property owners/general managers who believe that the
coming month (quarter) will be better than the same month/quarter last year).
• Intent to Visit (% of potential visitors who intend to visit the destination in the next year).
• Unaided Awareness tied to Geographic Frames (Designed to measure the destination's brand
awareness in the context of a specified geographic vacation area. For example, "Name vacation
destinations in the southeastern US you would consider visiting in the next 3 years." will have a
different result (and different implication for the destination) than "Name vacation destinations
in Florida you would consider visiting in the next 3 years."
• Partner Satisfaction (% of bed tax collectors that are satisfied with the support they receive
from the DMO).
Ability to Explain Discrepancies — It is not clear what is meant by "discrepancies." Downs & St. Germain
Research has replaced other market research firms at Visit South Walton, Visit Sarasota, Visit Tampa
Bay, and Visit Tallahassee. We have introduced improved research designs and data collection
techniques. In these cases, our results have differed sometimes from results obtained by previous
vendors. We have successfully explained those "discrepancies" to our clients, who have supported our
newer and improved designs and methodologies 100%.
From a broader perspective, the three principals of Downs & St. Germain Research all have Ph.D.s. We
are experts in methodology, research design, statistics, and all other elements of research. Our grasp of
market research issues enables us to explain all elements of research studies and their findings, whether
or not there are "discrepancies."
We have also taught market research to thousands of college students and executives in executive
education programs. We have delivered over 100 presentations at professional conferences, and we
have presented over 500 study results to boards, management teams, committees, elected officials, etc.
Therefore we are expert and practiced at delivering results of studies as well as delivering more
conceptual presentations.
5. Experience with working with internal and external travel and tourism partners
We have worked with ten different DMOs, so we certainly have experience working with internal
executives who are charged with increasing tourism in their jurisdictions.
Our approach for gathering valid visitor tracking data is premised on developing relationships with
Partners, i.e., general managers and owners of hotels, vacation rental agencies, condominiums,
campgrounds, RV parks, restaurants, attractions, events, etc. We spend a considerable amount of time
and effort during the first few months with each new DMO client developing relationships with General
Managers and owners, sales managers, etc., of these types of establishments.
We encourage the top executives of our DMO clients to team with us in setting up meetings with
General Managers and owners of Partner organizations.
We present our methodologies and research findings frequently to Partners via various formats outside
formal TDC presentations including CEO Forums, Sales Meetings, Marketing committees, etc.
&. Must be able to provide precise data and have capability of making adjustments as needed.
Our three Ph.D.s conduct all data analysis and prepare all reports in our Tallahassee office. All elements
of the research design, analysis and report preparation are controlled in the quality controlled
environment of our office. We do not outsource these critical functions.
Each of the three partners earned a Ph.D., the capstone of which is a complex, original research study.
We learned how to provide precise data in the environment of earning our Ph.D.s. On a more practical
level, Downs & St. Germain has conducted over 1,000 market research projects for corporate (e.g. Delta
Air Lines, Boeing, Club Med), government (FEMA, US Army Corps of Engineers, New York City) and
nonprofit (e.g., American Bar Association, American Society of Association Executives, American Society
of Travel Agents) clients. We have handled data sets involving 18,000+ interviews and over 500
variables. We are practiced at handling precise data. We are keenly aware of when to make
adjustments — our track record of 35 years in business, during which we have never missed a deadline or
exceeded a budget, is testament to our ability to adjust. Beyond these facts, many of our clients have
been with us for over two decades. We learn, we adjust, we excel.
7. Must be able to provide reports in a format that can be easily added to the department's
website or other digital outlets.
Downs & St. Germain will provide reports in any format requested. We currently provide reports in
PowerPoint, Prezi, InDesign, and Word. We email reports to clients or post them on an FTP site or drop
box to make them available to clients. We provide raw data in a wide variety of formats including,
comma delimited, Excel, SPSS data files, ASCII, etc.
We provide final reports in formats desired by our clients, or if requested, we suggest formatting styles
to clients. We have included excerpts from a few previous exports in the Appendix.
Downs & St. Germain Research is a leader in updating and improving methodologies to document
impacts of visitors and to determine how best to attract new visitors. For example, we were hired by
Visit Sarasota County (that had used another research firm for 6 years) to modernize the approach for
collecting data from visitors and to introduce methodologies for discovering how to attract more
visitors.
We were hired by Visit Tallahassee (that had used another research firm for 15 years) for the very same
reasons.
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We were hired by Visit Tampa Bay (that had used another research firm for several years) because of
our sophisticated approached for collecting information from attendees at events.
We were hired by Visit South Walton (that had used another research firm for 2 years) to reintroduce a
strategic market research plan for documenting the economic impact of visitors and to determine how
best to attract more visitors.
We were hired (and rehired) by Marion County VCB (which had never had a formal program of market
research with visitors) to develop its methodology for tracking visitors.
9. Ability to utilize data that the department collects from other sources (e.g., visitor sign in
sheets, visitor information requests, Smith Travel Reports, etc.)
In working with our other DMO clients, we utilize Smith Travel (STR) Reports, internally generated visitor
tracking data, website traffic and website requests by potential visitors, data collected at visitor
information centers, partner (hotels, condos, rental managed companies, etc.) supplied data, data from
potential visitors, data from potential group business and sporting events, data from local, state and
national data sources such as the US Department of Labor, US Department of Revenue, VISIT FLORIDA,
University of Florida Bureau of Research, etc.
One of the advantages of hiring Downs & St. Germain Research is the wealth of data it has collected
from other DMOs. We use this information to develop models that verify data we collect from visitors
and potential visitors, data we collect from event attendees, and data we collect from day visitors.
10. Must have the ability to work effectively and efficiently with other agencies of record.
We have worked with approximately two dozen advertising, PR, integrated marketing firms, and digital
companies who functioned as vendors for our DMO clients. Given our experience in strategy and
marketing, we function as a valued partner in discussions with other vendors regarding destination
positioning, branding, advertising strategy, logos, etc.
In the past year, we have worked with the following external tourism marketing partners: Miles
Marketing Destinations (Florida, Colorado), MMGY (New York, Orlando), Spring O'Brien (New York), the
zimmerman agency (Florida), Evoke Advertising (Orlando), Zehnder Communications (New Orleans), and
ChappelRoberts (Tampa).
11. Should have the ability to offer additional research projects or reports
We have conducted the following types of studies for DMOs:
® Branding Studies
® Logo Studies
® Creative Advertising Studies
® Visitor Tracking Studies
® Visitor Satisfaction Studies
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• Conversion studies
• Economic Impact Studies
• Lifestyle Segmentation Studies
• Life Stage Segmentation Studies
• Demand Analyses
• Visitor Profile Surveys
• Occupancy & ADR Survey
• Visitation Trend Analysis
• Industry Barometer Analysis
• Advertising Effectiveness
• Events Visitor Research
• Feasibility Studies
• Meeting/Event Planner Studies
• Sporting Events Studies
• Destination Perception Studies
• Destination Positioning Studies
We have utilized the following methodologies
• Focus groups (on -site, telephone , and online)
• Dyads & Triads
• Observational Research (Ethnographic)
• Internet surveys
• Intercept surveys
• Telephone surveys
• Mail surveys
We have conducted studies in ten different languages and on three continents.
Methodology for St. Lucie County
The Project Quotation Request from St. Lucie County requests visitation data on overnight, day, and
pass through visitors to St. Lucie County. Data on reason for visiting, direct expenditures by category,
origin, trip planning information, media habits, etc. are requested.
Our methodology will enable St. Lucie County to utilize synergy in research designs to maximize the ROI
on the County's research dollars. We can deliver all of the reports desired by the Office of Tourism by
developing a research design that incorporates a multi -modal data collection process. The research
design that we will present is state-of-the-art, and we utilize it for other destination marketing
organizations (DMOs).
Downs & St. Germain Research's research design will use a multi -modal data collection approach that
enables us to collect data for several different types of visitors simultaneously. The most critical
objective in data collection is to gather valid and representative information. That is, information we
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collect must represent all types of visitors and we must be able to generalize our results to all visitors
who come to St. Lucie County.
Downs & St. Germain Research's three Ph.D.s on staff have developed an optimal research design for
DMOs. It is based on the simple philosophy of "interviewing visitors where they are." Visitors:
• Stay at paid accommodations
• Visit attractions
• Appear in public places
• Attend events
Therefore, the optimal research design incorporates data collection that reaches visitors:
• At accommodations
• At attractions
• In public places
At events
The most cost-effective, valid research design is to combine internet surveys of guests using email
databases with on -site intercept surveys. Downs & St. Germain Research is currently using this
approach at other DMOs.
The multi -modal data collection approach for St. Lucie County is shown below. For some types of
visitors, a certain data collection technique is more advisable or feasible. We have highlighted the
primary data collection for each type of visitor.
Research Target
Data Collection Methods
Leisure Visitors — Stay at hotel, motel, etc.
Internet
On -site
Telephone
Leisure Visitors — VFR
Internet
On -site
Telephone
Event & Attraction Attendees
Internet
On -site
Telephone
Day Visitors
Internet
On -site
Telephone
Convention, meeting, business travelers
Internet
On -site
Telephone
On -site interviews will be conducted at various locations. For example, leisure visitors staying with
friends and relatives and day visitors go to attractions, attend events, eat and shop. On -site data
collection can be conducted at any of these locations.
Downs & St. Germain Research's valid and cost efficient research methodology with multi -modal data
collection that will enable St. Lucie County to achieve all of its tourism research objectives.
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Operationalizing the Research Design
Online surveys should take no longer than 5 to 7 minutes. Visitor tracking surveys we have used in other
DMOs have held to this norm. The on -site interviews should be even shorter. We recommend including
the entire questionnaire in online surveys and reducing on -site questionnaires to bare essentials or
dividing the questionnaire into two and exposing visitors in on -site surveys to only half of the
questionnaire. We have used this split sample approach successfully with other DMOs.
The content of the questionnaire should be developed jointly by the St. Lucie County Office of Tourism
and Downs & St. Germain Research. The following are questions that we have typically asked in Visitor
Tracking surveys:
1. During your last trip to St. Lucie County, how many people were in your travel party, including yourself?
2. How many of these people were 21 or younger?
3. Did you drive or fly to St. Lucie County?
4. Into which airport did you fly?
5. How many nights did you stay in St. Lucie County on your last visit?
6. Approximately how many times have you ever visited St. Lucie County?
7. Do you live in the US or outside the US?
a. What is your home zip code?
b. In which country do you live?
8. Using a 10-point scale where 10 means "Excellent" and 1 means "Poor," how would you rate St. Lucie
County overall as a place for a visit?
9. How likely are you to return to St. Lucie County?
Why are you uncertain about returning to St. Lucie County?
(Why are you not likely to return to St. Lucie County?)
10. What was your main reason for taking your last trip to St. Lucie County?
11. Think back to your last trip to St. Lucie County - you said you stayed [ANSWER TO Q. 6] nights.
12. About how much did you spend per day on:
Accommodations (hotel)
Restaurants
Groceries
Shopping
Entertainment including water sports, golf, fishing
Transportation once you were there including gas, car or bike rentals, limos, etc.
Other
13. Please tell me if you engaged in any or the following activities on your last visit to St. Lucie County.
Art galleries, museums, cultural Spas
events Golf or tennis
Government activities
Attend sporting events
Biking, running, etc.
Hiking, nature walks, bird
watching, eco tours
Shopping, antiquing
Restaurants
Hunting or fishing
Relax and unwind
Family time, reading, cooking, etc.
Special events
Visit family or friends
Business meetings, conferences
Attractions
Bars, nightclubs
14. How would you rate St. Lucie County as a place to visit on each of the following attributes - use a 10-point
scale where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor.
LIST TO BE DEVELOPED WITH OFFICE OF TOURISM
15. How far in advance did you plan your last visit to St. Lucie County?
14
16. On your last trip to St. Lucie County, did you use websites or social media to plan your trip — which ones?
17. What (other) sources did you use to plan your last trip to St. Lucie County?
18. Do you have a smartphone or tablet?
19. Did you use it while planning your trip to St. Lucie County or during your visit to learn what to do or where to go?
20. Did you request a Visitors Guide before coming to St. Lucie County?
21. How useful was the Visitors Guide in helping you plan your vacation - use a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is
Extremely useful and 1 is Not at all useful.
22. Did you stop at the Visitor Center during your last trip to St. Lucie County?
23. How would you rate the service you received at the Visitor Center using a 10-point scale where 10 is
Excellent and 1 is Poor.
24. If you were talking to a friend who had never visited, how would you describe St. Lucie County as a place to visit?
25. Which category best fits your age?
26. Which category best fits your total household income in 2015 from all sources?
27. In what type of accommodations did you stay?
28. Gender
Data Collection Process
Downs & St. Germain Research's unique multi -modal data collection approach will:
® Save St. Lucie County TDC money,
® Increase the sample sizes,
® Be more valid, and
® Enables to conduct other, more prescriptive research that will help bring more visitors.
Our approach is not based on days/dates; it is based on access to different types of visitors and
different places where they go.
® Accommodations (hotels, motels, campgrounds)
® Public spaces (e.g., beaches, parks, Ft. Pierce/Port St. Lucie downtowns, etc.)
® Attractions (NY Mets Spring Training, National Navy SEAL Museum, Fairwinds Golf Course, A.E.
Backus Museum & Gallery, etc..)
® Events (golf & tennis events, spring training, fishing tournaments, etc.)
The important factor in designing data collection is to ensure that a venue, attraction, event, etc., that is
critical for bringing visitors to the county is included in the data collection design. Data collection shoulc
be conducted monthly to capture natural events.
It is also critical that the data collection design not bias critical estimators such as the percentage of
people who stay in paid accommodations vs those who do not.
Timinrg of interviews
Accommodations (hotels, motels, campgrounds)
Email databases of guests for each month will be collected from bed tax collectors. Downs & St.
Germain Research will send out internet-based surveys to all guests. We have used this approach with
other DMOs and it produces a valid and representative set of interviews from guests.
15
We get cooperation from bed tax collectors by offering them a tailored dashboard of metrics of their
guests. An example of the reports we provide to bed tax collectors to solicit their involvement in the
market research process is shown in the Appendix.
Each bed tax collector will be able to designate which questions it wants to see in its reports. This
information is then used by bed tax collectors to help them increase guest satisfaction, increase repeat
business, and to help their guests during their visits.
Conclusion — Bourns & St. Germain Research's Data Collection Approach
It is important to note that the sampling frame for interviews consists of all out -of -county visitors to St.
Lucie County whether they stay at paid accommodations or not, or whether they spend the night or not.
We will use a data collection approach that is not based on a random set of days of the year or times of
the day, which would be appropriate if we were trying to reach a representative set of residents as they
moved throughout the county. Rather, we plan to interview visitors at key times throughout the year
when they come to St. Lucie County. We will reach them at events, attractions and public places. We
can reach a representative set of day visitors and visitors who stay with friends and relatives by
interviewing them at events, attractions, and public places. Our data collection approach also has the
potential to reach all visitors who stay in paid lodging.
Our multi -modal data collection approach will:
• Reach a more representative set of visitors
• Reach more visitors
• Produce more valid results with lower margins of error (sampling errors)
• Save St. Lucie County TDC money
To determine the total economic impact of tourism on St. Lucie County's economy, Downs & St.
Germain Research will use IMPLAN since it is one of the accepted models (along with REMI and RIMS II)
and most DMOs use it. It should be noted that all three of these economic models use the US
Department of Commerce Input -Output tables as a primary foundation.
Evidence of IMPLAN's validity is the fact that the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Federal Reserve
Bank, and the Environmental Protection Agency are a few of its customers.
IMPLAN is an input-output model that takes direct effect (direct expenditures, which will emanate from
surveys Downs & St. Germain Research conducts) and generates additional economic impacts within St.
Lucie County. The following is a graphic depiction of input-output modeling.
16
a ! ♦ �. ar VIIII •
The direct effects (expenditures) from tourism in St. Lucie County are fed into the model. The direct
effect is divided into two types of local purchases:
1. Purchases that will generate additional economic impacts within the local economy and
2. Purchases that leave the local economy or are retained through savings and investments. Purchases
that generate additional economic impacts cover a wide range of economic activity, but we will offer
the following for illustrative purposes.
A restaurant that serves visitors to the community purchases kitchen supplies from a local company,
purchases paper products from a local company, purchases uniforms from a local company, and
purchases cleaning services from a local company. Each round of inter -industry purchases
generates fewer local effects until all of the money originally spent leaks out of the local economy.
This process is referred to as the multiplier effect. Wages for employees of the restaurant work
through the local economy in the same fashion. The induced (from labor spending) and indirect
(from inter -industry spending) effects combine with direct effects (actual dollars spent by visitors in
St. Lucie County) to produce the total economic impact of visitors on St. Lucie County's economy.
17
It also should be noted that these economic models are only as good as the data that are input into
the modeling process. The data fed into the model will be generated through Downs & St. Germain
Research's unique multi -modal data collection design explained elsewhere in this proposal. The use of
professional interviewers rather than students and interns is another quality enhancement that Downs
& St. Germain Research will bring to data integrity and validity.
Economic Impact Models
Economic models cannot overcorne compromised ised data.
Downs & St. Germain Research's professional interviewers
and our state-of-the-art multimodal data collection approach
will ensure valid visitor expenditure data for input into
economic models that are used to estimate the economic
impact of tourism in St. Lucie County.
Reporting format of results
We include several reporting formats we have used in the Appendix for Office of Tourism officials to
review. However, St. Lucie County may request an additional reporting format if desired.
Time Frame
Downs & St. Germain recommends a year -long data collection process. This enables St. Lucie County to
get a valid and accurate estimate of the total economic impact of tourism. Many DMOs collect visitor
data continuously.
Costs
$40,000
Costs are inclusive of the following:
® 1,600 interviews (400 per quarter) with visitors to St. Lucie County'
® Quarterly reports on all data content
® Annual Economic Impact Report
® Annual Visitor Tracking Profile Report
® 3 trips by Downs & St. Germain Research staff to St. Lucie County
o One prior to data collection for Backgrounding and meeting with tourism partners
o One to present the first quarter of results
o One for the final Economic Impact and Visitor Tracking Reports
o Additional in -person meetings will be conducted at events such as the FADMO
conference, the Governor's Conference on Tourism, etc.
® Quarterly reports on all data collected and analyzed
® Annual Economic Impact Report
® Annual Visitor Tracking Profile Report
• 3 trips by Downs & St. Germain Research staff to St. Lucie County
® All raw data files
® Presentations of findings to 3`d parties, media, elected officials, chambers of commerce, etc.'
' Ultimate sample sizes are dependent upon Partners (e.g., hotels, motels, vacation rental agencies, etc.) making
available email lists of guests.
' If coordinated to coincide with scheduled trips to St. Lucie County.
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Ph.D. - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1976
M.B.A. - Bowling Green State University, 1972
B.S. - Bowling Green State University, 1970
Consraitirrg Experience
Downs & St. Germain Research
1984 — Present
Founding partner
Project Director for over 1,000 research projects
Moderated over 700 focus group interviews
Professbon€al & Acaa ernrcPresentrrtions
1975-present - 50 presentations at the American Marketing Association, Southern Marketing Association,
Academy of Marketing Science, Southeastern American Institute of Decision Sciences, National
Operations Research Society of America/The Institute of Decision Sciences, Mid -South Marketing
Educators' Conference, American Society of Association Executives, American Association of Public
Opinion Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Acncfendc Experience
fence
1985-present - Professor of Marketing, Florida State University
Associate Professor of Marketing, Florida State University
Assistant Professor of Marketing, Florida State University
Assistant Professor of Business Administration, College of William and Mary
Honors aiidA words
American Marketing Doctoral Consortium Fellow
Southern Marketing Association - Steven J. Shaw Award - Best Paper Award
Southern Marketing Association - Best paper in the marketing research track
Tallahassee Society of Association Executives - President's Award
Tallahassee Society of Association Executives - Associate of the Year
Florida State University - Outstanding Teaching Award
American Marketing Association - FSU Chapter, Outstanding Marketing Teaching Award
American Society of Association Executives, Marketing Section Council Member
Florida Society of Association Executives, Associate Member of the Year
Pubizczatieris
35 articles in The Marketing Forum, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Public Policy
& Marketing, Handbook of Business Planning and Budgeting, Journal of Business Research, Developments
in Marketing Science Volume 11, Journal of the Market Research Society, Marketing Management:
Strategies and Cases, Developments in Marketing Science, Volume I, Contemporary Marketing Thought
20
Ph.D. — University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill
M.A. — University of New Hampshire
B.A. — University of New Hampshire
Downs & St. Germain Research
Associate Partner (2001— Present)
Strategic planning
Present research results and recommendations
Prepare and submit proposals
Formisano & Company
Founder and principal (2001— Present)
Strategic business consulting with an emphasis on strategy articulation and execution, leadership
development, and M&A advisory services. The firm has served clients from various industries, and wide
ranging size differences.
University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation
Vice President of Leadership Development and Strategy (part-time 2001— present)
University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation is the functional organization for 1,050 physicians practicing
at UW Health sites.
Visiting Professorships
Dr. Formisano currently serves as a Visiting Professor on the business school faculty at HEC in Paris, and
ISTCE in Lisbon; where in both cases he teaches Entrepreneurship and Strategy in the MBA program. He
also currently teaches the Mergers and Acquisitions course in the eMBA program at UW-Madison.
United Wisconsin Services
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (1992 -1999)
Formisano served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for United Wisconsin Services, a
multi -line, publicly traded insurance company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Formisano served
United Wisconsin for seven years and had full responsibility for business units totaling $500 million in
revenue with over 600 employees. Formisano served as President of Compcare, one of the state's largest
HMOs and Meridian Resource Corporation, a consulting firm he founded as a subsidiary in Madison,
Wisconsin.
Corporate oards & A wards
Integrity Mutual Insurance Company (1986-Present)
Audit Committee Chair (2001-Present)
Wisconsin Sports Development Foundation (2006-present)
Badger State Games (1999-2001)
21
Florida State University
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a Sport Psychology major
M.S. in Educational Psychology with a Sport Psychology major
Received the College of Education Teaching Fellowship (2002-2003)
Certificate in Measurement and Statistics
University of Minnesota — Duluth
B.A.S. in psychology, Minor in coaching
Graduated cum laude and with departmental honors
Professional Experience
Downs & St. Germain Research
President
Manage market research projects for local, state, and national clients
Design research methodologies customized to client's needs
Conduct research via telephone, mail, web surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus groups
Analyze qualitative and quantitative data
Develop strategic recommendations to guide client's future marketing and business decision
Prepare reports of research results
Present research results and recommendations
Prepare and submit proposals
Florida State University
Academic Advisor
Provided academic advising to students in the College of Human Sciences
Chair of the Social/Team building Committee
Chair of the Policy Committee
Served on the Peer Mentoring Committee
Leader of a Peer Mentoring Group
Presenter at NACADA Region IV Conference: March 2006
Aided in planning and coordinating of the 2007 NACADA Conference
Workshop facilitator for Orientation Workshop: April 2006 & 2007
Conducted Preview and Orientation presentations
Performed student outreach activities
Graduate Assistant-- Academic Advisor
Advised students
Created First Year Experience (FYE) presentation
22
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Bachelor of Arts, Public Relations, Magna Cum Laude
Minor, Sociology
Project Director, May 2014 — Present
Downs & St. Germain Research, Tallahassee, FL
Assist in the development of questionnaires, surveys, analysis and reports.
Conduct in-depth data analyses using traditional and advanced methods.
Co-author reports containing actionable recommendations.
Public Relations Intern, January 2014- May 2014
Pure Barre, Athens, GA
Develop, implement and evaluate a campaign to increase members, retention rates and sales
Oversee research, goals and objectives, logistics and graphics teams
Create and manage a system to accurately keep track of hours worked on the campaign
Public Relations Assistant, June 2013- April 2014
QuackerSmackers.com, Athens, GA
Write and distribute press releases
Create a proposal to obtain sponsors for the website
Generate surveys to gain insight from the target market
Attend tradeshows and other events to promote the website
Marketing Assistant & Proofing and Production, May 2013- August 2013
Campus Special, Duluth, GA
Assist business owners with creating deals/offers and with designing advertisements to achieve
optimal return
Manage production of coupon books for over 20 colleges/universities
Manage business contracts, payments and other administrative work for over 60 sales
representatives
Meet strict deadlines for production
Director of Public Relations, September 2012- December 2012
Four Athens, Athens, GA
Write and submit press releases and media alerts
Create and maintain a "Founders' Fridays" blog for the Four Athens webpage
Assist in planning and executing Four Athens events
23
C r nien Hiers
Latin American Business Advisor
Downs & St. Germain Research
B.S. Florida State University, 1985
Major: Communications
Languages: Fluent in Spanish (native language)
President & Owner
The Solmar Group Inc.
Univision
Media Relations Manager
Handled all media relations and communications strategies for the leading Spanish -language
television network in the United States
Discovery Networks Latin America/Iberia
Director, International Public Relations
Member of Senior Executive Team, responsible for all areas of communications, educational and
community relations, content publicity, crisis management and internal communications
The Solmar Group
Clients include:
MasterCard International
Microsoft
Benetton
Services include:
Corporate writing
Translation
Communications
Strategic planning
Marketing
Advertising
Downs & St. Germain Research
Latin American Business Advisor
Responsibilities include:
Translating
Focus group moderating
Interpreting
24
Polaroid
Levitz Furniture Corporation
The Miami Herald
Presentations
Speech writing
Ghost writing
Book writing
Manuals
The following is an example of a report that a hotel, motel, condominium complex, vacation rental
agency, etc., would receive on their visitors in return for participating in St. Lucie County's market
research efforts.
25
Methodolotjy
0
,In'ernet survey
• SaMP'e Siz� — ig3 COMPIIL'ted SUr'VCYS
'ar—t IndividLals
Sur -ner:t vis:to,,-s to Prooe,,tv
Da.a co'k-Lction: S,2,_t4ember 2C,5
Typical Sample Property Visitor
.Traveled In 2 P-Dr1:11,' COMPGScd cr 3.7 PeoPle,
45 d. v, h k s u n d r-r t L zgL o c, in
49 Ye,3, ', o.d,
female (65%).
• Had a in—.dia,n h.DUsd Old MKOMP 03' $115,000.
s OT Southeast 07,01
I Study Objectives I
Av_� s s o tiv ati D n iJ r S:t: ng S, "I'l,"o �1
-'ess Dme 3,
•Capwl, rting x S.,ni V.,giton i;"n
Le Dtl . o11
&
vkfto, S cerite,
-C,e.aLe
Conclusions
Ori,c�in of SummerVisftors
m
MNO,th,F,511 U5.1-h—t MpAid',", W - "
26
Typical Sample Property Visitor
•Drove wit-,- (qu.).
Ait;'Ft WA.* B-J�5
Typical Sample Property Visitor
6 ave South ',,,Valto n a rating of 8.8' as a place to aca,Lio n
95,/ "Al, return to Sai-& %&,'Atw.*
D.5fi-�!Y ifl r,Mn
Typical Sample Property Travel Party
-S-
-11'em. $782 a day.
Spem- $3,128 on their trip.
r;ly
T-1 ;,i, rNr—dit—
Typical Sample Property Visitor
- Spent 4.o nights in SOLIth Waiton.
-30% were first time visitors.
-25% had visited more than io times.
3 IC tn
T
anned heir
27
LAspw.l
ypical Sample Property Visitor
,P
vacdzfon 3bOUt 3 months in advance.
A,,--k DIM
A —Wh I$%
JOE=
T
anned heir
27
LAspw.l
ypical Sample Property Visitor
,P
vacdzfon 3bOUt 3 months in advance.
A,,--k DIM
A —Wh I$%
JOE=
ITypical Sample Property Visitor
f,:, t,? Plan qos*:
Tr. —,k-
—A
Typical Sample Property Visitor
- 2 2 0 o -:' v � s: " c, r S v i -- w e < 1, a S o r. j Vv'� I C o i -, V i s i o - U, i d e
beft)i e -�w , in 9?oSouthAIV11on,
visitors cukk-c-ei-eil -- r tin, of 7.7 Out Of 10',
9% ef vi.5itois ped at. the Vi,;tot s Center at the
i llt 2 rs .- c tio II Of ' U S 331 and US 98 during, the r trip to S o u th
'A, n I -,) n .
-vis'tors Center nz--eived ara"n of 8.9 Out Of 109.
M
Typical Sample Property Visitor
-11% of vi-itors th,_ te "Soti'.
.90-
be_n
32.".
14%
sea,jz w—
a,a.h
en,.,
4e6,
17-7
Typical Sample Property Visitor
• I as a s.n2r,pil,one or :abler (95*/-)-
• JSes fl,,.Ir Sn2nof"!C5ne to [)Ian their -ip o, to . am where
to visit orho"%; to get around whfle they are here (78%),
13 % of vi s ito r s ; €se tj i :�� S o F tth ',,Va Ito j-, Bea, c ij F i n d L, rs -,; P p
i,11 li,,e .
C jr 5-rq)-,
" -,I H� 4 Be
ITypical Sample Property Visitor
•Enve u< the "'Ar"'ving 09 thei, 13st trip: to South
82%
5'v.
Vlht, 1P.: ts
snt=_ p, k,
M 5-f
A ,�al
So r
I'll, , I
of Summer Visitors
28
Total Household income in 2014
..f,5$ t33att jSi3;QI1C� S';i
$SQ 000 to 47d.93?IBM1a=5
$75,000 :a $99,95a 1645
52II0,Ov0 to $i49,Ryg 2d':b
$i50,II0C :c $2UJ,u0n 15;!
3zae,fleo or,no-a xss
Estimated median = $115,000
Seasonal Comparisons
Seasonal Comparisons
Ip I 1
Seasonal Comparisons
Serri3Er
2014
yammer
2025
11 z +fie
49
41.
error_
3s.,,�
ci„u
g3 i. > ,t
:a
Bpi_
Seasonal Comparisons
Seasonal Comparisons
Cr,
�r- 7yr
29
Visit South Walton
Summer 2015 Visitor Tracking Study
Philfl, Ph —I., Senior Pam-,. pdId,g.---ch.—
iosepn V e P— d_�% j—ph@dsg-,—a,&x., S�. C
—n-1 Pnwzf';, P,. ec-L D
Downs& St
850-906 3111: v-v..d5_g rssarchxcr,,
30
Examplest Excerpts
The following are examples of reporting formats and content that Downs & St. Germain Research
supplies to other DMOs.
31
Origin of •
m
�
�t"3�'z✓i 3
�
y4 '�
South Walton Property Stats: Fall 2014 —15
OCCUPancy
47.3%
48.9%
--+3.4%
Roam rates
$247.03
$264.65
+7.1%
RevPAR ,'-
$336.SS
$129.A1
Room nights
473,500
489,500
+3,4%
VWw's -
531,200
557,800
+5.0%
TDT collections
$3,206,455
$3,615,291
+12.9%
Data sources: Walton County government and properties in South Walton that rent
to visitors.
Typical South Walton visitor
® Gave South Walton a rating of 9.2' as a place to vacation,
• 96l •viil return to South W"alton2
•iy �.E _:
f
S:, itH 4 �4
Typical South Walton travel party
• Spent $8 j2 a day
Spent $3,836 on their trip: +9% compared to 2014
Average Oafly
Ex end Cure
Total Tri
madat a u
$3241
$1,393
Re:ta,,o,ts
$133
8796
aeiles ...
554
$232
snopping
$173
$744
Ent—inment
562
$267
brans ortat on
$47
$202
Other
Sd7
_
$202
otal
$892
$3,836
�r � r9�s a�rceR som me nDa ,eEon=a ey Rro9snies rsssa ssl �eause or venous reel
aaaea ro o-e 9a�e ,�:aors �v:yen a: s..,m a renres r,es, eme��ry r:es. nouse�;eev�„ g
roes. res �,aas.anscoamrco ��,,.rt yes - ncna,sss. asm�ae reel. es.
s �
32
Typical South Walton visitor
• Uses the following sources to plan their trips':
U:,�b^.r.�iorxa[;hr:fi bzach;:reas nr 5ruth'v'cra:fon .�,,,,
r,sn.5u:..;;:.'elte.._ r 23%<
an�b3orr'
Hofei a; t:.iFc. 15`5
-9.c,�,..re.., trH �:itit., •+i.lt'n:`a:rlelHs xC'4
hirline weh fifes � e„
vaeo 9;
'ieicvlsion 'f 1^�
°'`•. t .:.ultple e=por.a=pe .._n.
7 r¢
Profile — Fall 2014 vs. Fall 2015
2014
2015
9
Trevel Party
4.1
4
I
Origin — Fall 2014 vs. Fall 2015
Top States ZQ74 2025
Georgia 1"a% 16%
Florida 21% 14%
Tenne,ste 11% 13%
Alabama 17°'0 12 %
Texas 5%
Louisiana 6%. 7%
",gill
Southeast 75Y/ 79%
"Iorhsast: 13l Z%
West 2% 3%
Midwest 10$� 2v,4
Typical South Walton visitor
-Engaged in the following on their last trip to South lh'aiton-:
rte<_xevranta ' as^�.
fzelav, erd urwia�d ,y,_
.shoo n-iquing _ T°6
6amay Y'.n:z, reading,eooYl:;g, es �s�..
Elidvg, rornir:g, arc. ' R?°fi
IIer, ni�:xcubs 29%
,r_.e ports toci1 as beating, `=7:iag,
�txracxiues -a°=:
Golf or tennis � 16°5
'.�'ok ng, rrst•.xre'.Gak�.:, �irL watch �: ace tmas i£'..S
;e parks ....,...
.Yrt galir:Y,�s: mUsaUrT.s, b;Lurai —.r:ts ffi®t SC%r
sues 9",5
8u'-me11 neetini;s, can ^eenc:=.s -
bther .W. itipie r,.-.por:.= p_rr
Fall
2014 vs. Fall 2015
Typical South Walton visitor
-Engaged in the following on their last trip to South lh'aiton-:
rte<_xevranta ' as^�.
fzelav, erd urwia�d ,y,_
.shoo n-iquing _ T°6
6amay Y'.n:z, reading,eooYl:;g, es �s�..
Elidvg, rornir:g, arc. ' R?°fi
IIer, ni�:xcubs 29%
,r_.e ports toci1 as beating, `=7:iag,
�txracxiues -a°=:
Golf or tennis � 16°5
'.�'ok ng, rrst•.xre'.Gak�.:, �irL watch �: ace tmas i£'..S
;e parks ....,...
.Yrt galir:Y,�s: mUsaUrT.s, b;Lurai —.r:ts ffi®t SC%r
sues 9",5
8u'-me11 neetini;s, can ^eenc:=.s -
bther .W. itipie r,.-.por:.= p_rr
Fall
2014 vs. Fall 2015
2024
2015
Vag I return to South Walton
9>3a
9�3e
Rating for overall experience"
� 1
4T
i
Hassmartphaoe
9S'.5
97;5
Used South Walton Beach ape
1D°%
7°'0
Viewed visitors Guide
24of,
221
1
Planned :rip.
2morths out
3months out
� used Viai&outhUJalton.com
2545
2�
Used I of 16 teaches' wehs tas
36'h
I 3fi%
Activities —Fall 2014 vs. Fall 2015
t:� t2 rw
ctivities
ctivities
2014
2015
33
St. Lucie County Celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week — May 1— 7, 2016
Communications Plan
Introduction
The first full week of May is annually recognized as National Travel and Tourism Week, a tradition first celebrated in
1984. Localized events are presented in cities, states and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel.
It was established as National Tourism Week when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1983 designating the
week to be celebrated in May. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation
urging citizens to observe the week with "the appropriate ceremonies and activities."
National Travel and Tourism Week is a collective effort to promote the power of travel through customized events in
communities nationwide. The goal is to enhance the country's economy, security and perception, and to recognize
the cultural, educational and social benefits created by travel and tourism. On March 4, 2010, President Obama signed
into law the first ever U.S. Travel Promotion Act. This act establishes a national travel promotion and communications
program to attract more international visitors to the U.S. The historic moment, commemorated during a White House
signing ceremony, is a major step in attracting overseas visitors to the U.S. The national legislative movement
emphasizes the importance of tourism to the U.S. This importance must trickle down to the local level, as well. Many
state and local government organizations and CVBs operate a travel marketing and communications organization (aka
Destination Marketing Organization) to promote their area (i.e. Visit Florida, St. Lucie County TDC) and one task of the
organization is to spread the message about the importance of tourism to its local community. Therefore, it is crucial
to celebrate tourism week and utilize it as an opportunity to educate the public about the importance of tourism.
Increasing and improving tourism in St. Lucie County can be part of a solution to positive economic growth. The primary
purpose of this local effort is to educate our residents, dignitaries, stakeholders and tourism -related employees about
the importance of tourism and more importantly, to showcase all of the fantastic assets that make St. Lucie County
an attractive tourist destination. By educating local residents with information on "all there is to do in St. Lucie County"
our local residents become ambassadors for our tourism product. The St. Lucie County Tourism Office will be
partnering with the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce to plan, promote and host the 2016 Tourism Showcase.
Target Audience
St. Lucie County residents — with emphasis on retired residents and families
Objective
1. Attract at least 500 people to the Tourism Showcase
Goals
1. Improve the awareness about the importance of tourism to the health and growth of the local economy.
2. Increase and advance the knowledge among local residents about tourist related activities, areas and
attractions.
3. Create "tourism ambassadors" in the local community that will spread a positive message about St. Lucie
County as a tourist destination.
Strategy
1. Host a "Tourism Showcase" event to feature exhibitors, demonstrations and giveaways from local hotels,
attractions, tour operators and other tourism -related businesses. The event is FREE and open to the public.
When: Thursday, May 25, 5:30pm — 7:30pm
Where: Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce
Event Details: Local tourism -related businesses will be on site exhibiting their products and services
as part of an effort to promote tourism in St. Lucie County and educate local
residents on all of the unique things to do and see in the county. The event will also
serve as the Chamber's monthly Business and Social Hour. Door prizes and a
staycation package valued at more than $700+ will be given away to lucky winners.
Media / Advertising
® (:30) television commercials on all government access channels (SLCTV, FP & PSL)
® Press release to local media
® Pitch for editorial coverage to Jennifer Trefelner, Anthony Westbury
® Post event on all media outlet calendars
® Social media push via Twitter, Facebook and other local social media outlets
® Radio schedule (include radio remote)
® Paid Facebook Campaign — consider a "Submit Your SLC Selfie" campaign-
® TCPalm digital advertising
® Message on Fenn Center LED Road sign
® Real Estate signs
® Consider local publications (Indian River Mag, Port St. Lucie Mag, Fort Pierce Map, FOCUS, Hometown News)
Budget
$6,000
Wednesday, May 25th 5:30-7:30pm
Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce
Expose your tourism related business to our locals!
This event also serves as the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce monthly Business And
Social Hour. Attendance is expected to exceed 200 people as each attendee will be extended
complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres. This is your opportunity to educate citizens and other
business owners, operators and employees on your tourism activities.
Vendor Table: Members $100, Non-members $150, Non -profits $50
Display your business information and address attendees. ,
Your raffle prize featured at the event. (raffle required)
1
Brochure Distribution: $25.00 per 100 brochures
Your brochures will be displayed at the event. PW4114141�
Company Name:
Name:
Email:
--------------------
Visa/MC #
Phone:
Exp Date
V-Code:
Send Forms To: Katherine@StLucieChamber.org
Return completed form to St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce
Available
2937 W. Midway Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981 - P 772.595.9999 • F 772.595.9990 • www.StLucieChamber.org