CC 2016-05-24_09j AGTBID Annual Report and Assessment pRROya
'� INCORPORATED
JULY 10, 1911
a MEMORANDUM
TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DIANNE THOMPSON, CITY MANAGER
BY: DEBBIE MALICOAT, ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF
RESOLUTION OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL
ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
DATE: MAY 24, 2016
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the City Council: 1) receive and approve the annual report of
the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District (AGTBID) Advisory
Board; 2) adopt a Resolution of Intention to levy and collect assessments within
the AGTBID area for Fiscal Year 2016-17 at the same rate as in Fiscal Year
2015-16; and 3) set the date for the public hearing for June 28, 2016.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Based on the anticipated year-end results for 2015-16, the total assessment
expected to be collected totals approximately $185,000. In 2016-17, the AGTBID
projected revenue is $205,000. Of the projected revenue, $3,000 is budgeted to
cover the City's administrative costs associated with collecting and disbursing the
assessment. The City has also budgeted $5,000 to contribute toward the tourism
efforts. Therefore, it results in a net cost of $2,000 to the City.
The annual report provides a budget recommendation for FY 2016-17, for
conceptual approval, however formal consideration and adoption will occur with
the City's Budget Update in June.
BACKGROUND:
In May 2013, the City Council adopted an Ordinance establishing the Arroyo
Grande Tourism Business Improvement District. The District was formed under
the Parking and Business Improvement Law of 1989, Sections 36500 et seq. of
Item 9.j. - Page 1
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO
GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
MAY 24, 2016
PAGE 2
the Streets and Highways Code and incorporated into the Arroyo Grande
Municipal Code (AGMC) in Title 3, Chapter 3.46.
In December 2014, the City Council adopted an Ordinance amending Chapter
3.46 of the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code to provide that the same exemptions
that apply to the Transient Occupancy Tax apply to Arroyo Grande Tourism
Business Improvement District (AGTBID) assessments and amended the
definition of "lodging" to include vacation rentals and homestays.
In accordance with the provisions in the Streets and Highways Code and AGMC
Section 3.46.100, the City Council appointed an Advisory Board. Pursuant to
Streets and Highways Code Section 36533 the Advisory Board is to prepare an
annual report, which is to be submitted to the City Council for its review and
approval. Accordingly, the AGTBID Advisory Board has submitted the attached
annual report.
AGMC Section 3.46.060 also provides that the assessments for the AGTBID are
to be reviewed annually by the City Council based upon the annual report of the
Advisory Board, and after approval of the annual report, the City Council is to
follow the hearing process outlined in Streets and Highways Code Section 36534
for the annual assessment for the upcoming fiscal year. Section 35634 provides
for the adoption of a Resolution of Intention to levy an annual assessment for that
fiscal year. The Resolution also sets a public hearing in order to receive any
written or oral protests against the continuation of the District as required by the
applicable statute.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
The AGTBID has been in effect for almost three years and has been very
successful. A tourism website and other marketing efforts have been developed
and implemented. The efforts are coordinated by a Chamber of Commerce
Tourism Committee and approved by the AGTBID Advisory Board. The
Chamber of Commerce administers the program; therefore minimal staff time has
been required by the City. The AGTBID Advisory Board recommends extending
the assessment and continuing the program.
After the City Council approves the AGTBID Advisory Board’s annual report and
adopts the Resolution of Intention, a public hearing will be noticed for June 28,
2016. The public hearing will allow lodging businesses subject to the assessment
to submit comments, voice concerns, and protest the assessment. As set forth in
Sections 36524 and 36525 of the California Streets and Highways Code, the City
Council has the ability to continue the proposed citywide AGTBID at this public
hearing, unless oral or written protests are received from lodging businesses that
Item 9.j. - Page 2
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION
OF INTENTION FOR LEVY OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR ARROYO
GRANDE TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
MAY 24, 2016
PAGE 3
pay 50% or more of the proposed assessments. In that event, the Council cannot
consider continuation of the AGTBID for at least one year.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration:
1. Approve staff’s recommendations;
2. Request changes or clarification to the Annual Report;
3. Do not approve staff’s recommendations; or
4. Provide staff other direction.
ADVANTAGES:
The recommendations will enable the City to extend the AGTBID, which provides
a mechanism to generate funding to promote hotel stays and tourism in the City,
which increases transient occupancy tax revenue and supports local businesses.
DISADVANTAGES:
No disadvantages with the recommended actions are identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
No environmental review is required for this item.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted in front of City Hall on Thursday, May 19, 2016 and the
Agenda and staff report were posted on the City’s website on Friday, May 20,
2016.
Attachment:
1. Annual Report
Item 9.j. - Page 3
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF ARROYO GRANDE DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO
CONTINUE THE ARROYO GRANDE TOURISM
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, TO CONTINUE
THE BASIS FOR AND TO LEVY THE ASSESSMENT FOR
THE DISTRICT, AND TO SET A DATE FOR THE PUBLIC
HEARING ON THE DISTRICT AND THE ASSSESSMENT
FOR THE 2016-17 FISCAL YEAR
WHEREAS, the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989 (“PBIAL”),
sections 36500 et seq. of the Streets and Highways Code, authorizes cities to establish
business improvement districts for several purposes, one of which is promotion of
tourism; and
WHEREAS, the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District was established
in May, 2013 and incorporated into the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code (“AGMC”) under
Chapter 3.46; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the requirements of Health and Safety Code Section
36530 and AGMC Section 3.46.100, the City Council appointed an Advisory Board to
provide oversight, guidance, and recommendations regarding the use of the
assessment funds; and
WHEREAS, the AGMC and the PBIAL requires the Advisory Board to prepare and
submit an annual report (“Annual Report”) stating proposed changes, improvements
and activities for the fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, on April 25, 2016, the Advisory Board approved the Annual Report; and
WHEREAS, the Advisory Board Annual Report was filed and approved by the Arroyo
Grande City Council on May 24, 2016.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Arroyo
Grande as follows:
Section 1. The City Council proposes to continue the Arroyo Grande Tourism
Business Improvement District (“District”) in accordance with AGMC
Chapter 3.46 and Streets and Highways Code Sections 36500 et seq. and
levy assessments for fiscal year 2016-17.
Section 2. The Annual Report is on file with the City Clerk and contains a full and
detailed description of the improvements and activities to be provided for
fiscal year 2016-17. No changes to the District boundaries are proposed,
and the report includes the estimated cost of providing improvements and
activities for fiscal year 2016-17. The assessment is not proposed to be
increased.
Item 9.j. - Page 4
RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 2
Section 3. The boundaries of the District are the boundaries of the City of Arroyo
Grande.
Section 4. The assessment levied by the District shall be used for activities and
programs promoting lodging businesses in the District through the
promotion of scenic, recreational, cultural and other attractions in the
District as a tourist destination, and as further set forth in AGMC Section
3.46.030.
Section 5. The assessment is proposed to be levied on all “lodging” businesses in
the District, as that term is defined in AGMC section 3.46.020, and
allocated by the City of Arroyo Grande.
Section 6. The assessment shall be based upon two percent of the rent charged by
the operator per occupied room per night for all transient occupancies and
shall be collected quarterly.
Section 7. New lodging businesses shall not be exempt from immediate
assessment.
Section 8. A public hearing, held pursuant to AGMC Chapter 3.46 and Streets and
Highways Code Section 36535, to allow for comments and to receive
written and oral protests on the District and proposed assessment, is
hereby set for 6:00 p.m., Tuesday June 28, 2016, before the City Council
of the City of Arroyo Grande at the City Council Chambers at 215 E.
Branch St., Arroyo Grande, CA.
Section 9. At the public hearing, the testimony of all interested persons for or against
the continuation of the District, the boundaries of the District, or the
furnishing of specified types of improvements or activities will be heard. A
protest may be made orally or in writing by any interested person.
However, only written protests will be considered in determining if
there is a majority protest. The form and manner of protests shall
comply with Streets and Highways Code Sections 36524 and 36525.
Section 10. Any protest pertaining to the regularity or sufficiency of the proceedings
shall be in writing and clearly state the irregularity or defect to which
objection is made.
Written protests must be received by the City Clerk of the City of Arroyo
Grande before the close of the public hearing scheduled herein and may
be delivered or mailed to the City Clerk, City of Arroyo Grande, 300 East
Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. A written protest may be
withdrawn in writing at any time before the conclusion of the public
hearing.
Item 9.j. - Page 5
RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 3
Each written protest shall contain a written description of the business in
which the person signing the protest is interested sufficient to identify the
business. If the person signing the protest is not shown on the official
records of the City of Arroyo Grande as the owner of the business, then
the protest shall contain or be accompanied by written evidence that the
person is the owner of the business.
Section 11. If at the conclusion of the public hearing, there are of record, written
protests by the owners of lodging businesses within the District that will
pay fifty percent (50%) or more of the total assessments of the entire
District, no further proceedings to continue the District shall occur. New
proceedings to continue the District shall not be undertaken again for a
period of at least one (1) year from the date of the finding. If the majority
of written protests are only as to an improvement or activity proposed,
then that type of improvement or activity shall not be included in the
District.
Section 12. The City Clerk is instructed to provide notice as required by AGMC
Chapter 3.46 and Streets and Highways Code Section 36534. The City
Clerk shall give notice of the public hearing by causing this Resolution of
Intention to be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the
City no less than seven days before the public hearing.
On motion of Council Member _______, seconded by Council Member _______, and by
the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted this 24th day of May 2016.
Item 9.j. - Page 6
RESOLUTION NO.
PAGE 4
___________________________________
JIM HILL, MAYOR
ATTEST:
___
KITTY NORTON, DEPUTY CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
___________________________________
DIANNE THOMPSON, CITY MANAGER
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________________
HEATHER WHITHAM, CITY ATTORNEY
Item 9.j. - Page 7
ATTACHMENT 1
Item 9.j. - Page 8
Table of Contents
1. AGTBID Highlights ................................................................................................................................. 3
2. Visitor Profile......................................................................................................................................... 4
3. Performance and Results ...................................................................................................................... 7
a. Targeting Customers in Each of the 5 Travel Buying Cycles ............................................................. 7
Stage 1: Dream ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Stage 2: Plan .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Stage 3: Buy ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Stage 4: Experience ............................................................................................................................... 9
Stage 5: Share ....................................................................................................................................... 9
4. Cost Efficient Online Paid Advertising Methods ................................................................................... 9
a. Ad Words .......................................................................................................................................... 9
b. Facebook Ads .................................................................................................................................. 10
5. Website ............................................................................................................................................... 10
a. Newsletter ....................................................................................................................................... 10
b. Maintenance ................................................................................................................................... 10
c. Redesign and Launch ...................................................................................................................... 11
6. Social Media ........................................................................................................................................ 12
a. Benchmarks ..................................................................................................................................... 12
7. Search Engine Optimization ................................................................................................................ 12
8. Giveaways and Promotions ................................................................................................................ 13
9. Significant Partnerships ...................................................................................................................... 14
10. Plans for the Next Year ................................................................................................................... 15
Booking Tool ........................................................................................................................................... 16
AARP National Event Sponsor and Exhibitor Shows ............................................................................... 16
Budget ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Travel & Adventure Show – Expo ........................................................................................................... 17
Budget ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Booking Tool .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District ............................................................................ 19
Item 9.j. - Page 9
1. AGTBID Highlights
The objective in the initial RFP was to “Turn Heads into Beds” and RG Pacific team achievements are
explained in a thorough manner in the sections below. We will inform the AGTBID Committee how we
collected data to target potential Arroyo Grande tourists through social media, search engine
optimization, paid advertising, improved website design and content.
Item 9.j. - Page 10
2. Visitor Profile
Since we started tracking data in July 2015, we have been gathering and monitoring the incoming data
using Google Analytics tracking. The data acquired by the previous AGTBID did not have demographic
Item 9.j. - Page 11
info. The graphic created by the RG Pacific team shows the data we acquired from July 2015 – March
2016.
STAY: Which hotels are visitors looking at the most?
9 out of 20 of the most viewed pages on the website are related to booking and
accommodations. This means that 45% of all website page views come from people that are
interested in staying in Arroyo Grande.
We achieved this by incorporating SEO to these pages with terms like: Arroyo Grande hotels,
Arroyo Grande accommodations, lodging in Arroyo Grande, bed and breakfast in Arroyo Grande.
These SEO keywords make it easier for people to search for accommodations and find our
website.
We know how much traffic VisitArroyoGrande.org referred to hotels in Arroyo Grande even
though we can’t track reservations.
DINE: Which restaurants are the most popular with visitors?
During the month of January, RG Pacific boosted a post on Facebook asking followers to tell us which
local restaurants are their favorite. This specific post was in anticipation of California Restaurant Month,
and to help us incorporate our audience’s favorite restaurants to the newly redesigned Dine page.
The redesigned page is based on the profile we compiled. We noticed that people were visiting the first
three pages of the five on the website. With the new page, our development team incorporated a filter
that lets visitors find a restaurant based on type. Additionally, our designer created new images for each
Item 9.j. - Page 12
restaurant listing that was more appealing to visitors. This has resulted in more page views for
restaurants in Arroyo Grande that were left towards the end of the dine page.
VISITORS: Where are visitors coming from?
We have been targeting the following areas in our paid advertising efforts:
Bakersfield
Fresno
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Barbara
Our targeting has reached people in Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Nipomo, Grover Beach, Oceano and
Pismo through Facebook shares and likes. However, the majority of visitors to the website are coming
from the Los Angeles area
AGE: How old are they?
The Baby Boomers represent the majority of Arroyo Grande website visitors, giveaway entries, and
Facebook followers. According to a Nielsen study, by 2017 boomers will control 70 percent of the
country's disposable income. This demographic has been previously ignored by most marketing firms;
however, using the information from Google Analytics and research “Boomers make the most money
and spend what they make," concludes the study.
This age demographic ignores just about
all forms of advertising on social media;
however, they don’t ignore advertising in
traditional media as much. As a result, we
are using the Twitter budget to
advertise on Rincon Broadcasting,
which broadcasts on iHeart radio
stations for a four-week period to
reach this demographic.
INTERESTS: What do visitors like?
Item 9.j. - Page 13
The Arroyo Grande visitor is not active on Twitter. They are mostly on Facebook. The people that follow
brands online want to get coupons, promotional offers deals. This is because they make travel and
purchasing decisions. The most
popular websites amongst
Arroyo Grande’s demographic
are Travel/Hotel &
Accommodations as well as Arts
& Entertainment. As a result, the
Event page on the website is the
second most popular page on the
website after the homepage.
Desktop and mobile devices are used equally by visitors; however, most use mobile devices to access
their social media accounts and view content there.
3. Performance and Results
a. Targeting Customers in Each of the 5 Travel Buying Cycles
The promotion strategy that we used to “turn heads into beds” was using a pull marketing
strategy through social media, online offers, and paid advertising on Google.
Stage 1: Dream
We created a mailing list on the site using Mail Chimp mailing services to read our segmented
audience.
The e-mail broadcasts reached out to subscribers and encouraged them to visit Arroyo Grande
for events like the Labor Day Weekend, Christmas in the Village, Valentine’s Day, etc.
We updated the website Events page by creating a past events category to move events there
without having to delete the posts and cause sitemap errors.
Our social media team posted pictures of different activities and happenings in Arroyo Grande
on social media using popular travel and activity hashtags.
Stage 2: Plan
Our team optimize website content because it lacked SEO and pages that most tourism website have.
The Directions page for example had generic directions. We wanted to focus on our target audience, so
we created two subpages with custom banners. These pages designate different ways to get to Arroyo
Grande, which makes it easier for people to plan their trips.
Item 9.j. - Page 14
Our ads target the Los Angeles and San Francisco area, and that is where the majority of visitors to the
website are. The third most come from Central Coast cities like San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Nipomo,
and Atascadero.
Item 9.j. - Page 15
Stage 3: Buy
Internet searches for accommodations in Arroyo Grande account for the majority of page hits. Our
current data shows how many page views the Stay and accommodations pages get (45% of all pages).
Stage 4: Experience
Created a deals page for Wine Tasting and for Accommodations.
o Our marketing team contacts hotels and wineries to get current deals and offerings. We
then put that information together to create banners and graphics for the website and
social media.
RG Pacific promotes various restaurants and cafés that are popular amongst visitors to ensure
that new visitors have a great experience.
Stage 5: Share
Our team searches through Hashtag and Geo-location tags for people in Arroyo Grande to like and share
their posts on our networks. This has encouraged visitors to share their experience, comment on
@VisitAGCA posts, follow and leave reviews on Facebook.
4. Cost Efficient Online Paid Advertising Methods
a. Ad Words
Using AdWords we have increased e-mail subscriptions and calls to the AGGB Chamber
of commerce.
Paid advertising on Google has increased the number of visitors as well as the number
of people that view the website during their search for trips to Arroyo Grande, Wine
Tastings, and Tours.
Over 265K people have seen an ad to Visit Arroyo Grande.
Item 9.j. - Page 16
The campaign continues
to perform consistently
within the allocated
monthly budget. Our
team manages it daily to
ensure all search terms
are related to Arroyo
Grande tourism and wine
tasting. Ad words
accounts for 16% of
incoming traffic monthly.
b. Facebook Ads
These ads have proven to be the most effective in reaching people in the demographic
because Facebook has more direct marketing options.
We have achieved more post shares organically, and have increased the reach through
engaging posts.
The previous marketing efforts only targeted Arroyo Grande. As a result, RG Pacific
targeted ad placements in surrounding cities; such as, Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Barbara.
There are more website visitors being referred by Facebook than TripAdvisor.
The majority of social referrals to the website are from people that click the links on our
Facebook posts and website link on the page.
5. Website
a. Newsletter
The website did not previously collect leads or have newsletter sign ups. A contact form
was implemented to the website on the contact us page, and newsletter forms were
created to segment the lists. RG Pacific acquired a list of 1,000 e-mails in addition to those
collected from the giveaway and newsletter forms.
b. Maintenance
Blocked referral spam to the website that causes high bounce rate.
Installed Google Analytics
Create and manage Google Webmaster Tools where the sitemap is monitored for
errors
Scan the website for issues and malware
Remove malware (if any)
Update Wine and Hotel specials and graphics
Remove closed down restaurants in the Dine page
Update Events by creating a Past Events category to archive posts, and create new
events
Item 9.j. - Page 17
c. Redesign and Launch
RG Pacific created a new design layout for the Arroyo Grande homepage, Sip, Dine, Play
and Events page that keeps users engaged longer. Visitors are engaged longer because we
used Analytics data to adjust the navigation hierarchy and structure to improve page views
per visit, total time on site, and push our specialty pages. Additionally, our team created
content pages for Familiarization Tours, Wine Specials, Hotel Deals Swinging Bridge, Clark
Center, Museums, and Historic Landmarks. These pages were created based research of
travelers and user demand. Now users can go directly to their point of interest and with
ease.
The redesign is also responsive to meet the demands of users that view the website. This
means that the website content and images adjust to fit desktop displays and mobile
phones and tablets.
The redesigned Visit Arroyo Grande website was launched in February and is continuously
worked on by our team to ensure that it is current and engaging.
Item 9.j. - Page 18
6. Social Media
a. Benchmarks
RG Pacific’s marketing efforts have increased awareness of Arroyo Grande as a travel
destination and quick getaway from Northern and Southern California. As of March 10,
the Ad Words campaign has spent $6,893.31
Clicks Impressions CTR Cost Conversions
2,430 265,655 0.91% $6,893.31 8
Facebook brings in 95.76% of all social traffic. Social Referrals include: Facebook, Trip
Advisor, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Yelp, and Pinterest.
Google and Facebook Adverting referrals have a low bounce rate—4.23 and 5.47%
respectively—compared to all other referral traffic visitors.
7. Search Engine Optimization
Our team used multiple SEO tools on the website to help increase organic results. We used metadata
that included keywords, titles, and descriptions. There was no SEO on Visit Arroyo Grande before we
began implementing keywords into the website. We began using keywords during the month of
September and since then you have seen a dramatic increase in organic reach. After each month more
and more keywords are becoming ranked. This was achieved because specific keywords are
incorporated into each page. The graph below reflects SEO from April 2015 (with previous marketing
company) to March 2016 where immediate changes are seen.
Press releases helped events gain traction on the website and resulted in higher ranked search result
listings. We created Press Releases for the Arroyo Grande Christmas in the Village, and the South County
Annual Turkey Trot. Our press release for Christmas in the Village was distributed through PRWEB.com
and has been seen by over 75,000 people. This contributed to the increased awareness of Visit Arroyo
Grande website and event.
As shown in the chart above, Visit Arroyo Grande has increased its ranking from 1-5 terms to over 300.
The top 100 keywords include misspelling and spelling variations for Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande
Village, Arroyo Grande Christmas Parade, Bed and Breakfast Arroyo Grande, Premier Inn Arroyo Grande,
Where is Arroyo Grande, Things to Do in Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande Motels, Arroyo Grande
shopping, Hampton Arroyo Grande, Harvest Festival Arroyo Grande, Aloha Inn Arroyo Grande, Casa
Grande Arroyo Grande, Stone Soup Music, Motels in Arroyo Grande, and more. Each keyword phrase
goes to a page with content related to that keyword. We continuously monitor and track this data to
improve ranking each month.
Item 9.j. - Page 19
8. Giveaways and Promotions
The RG Pacific Team planned and implemented a Weekend Getaway for two in The Village of Arroyo
Grande. The goal of the giveaway is to increase traffic to the Visit Arroyo Grande Website and Social
Media Pages and to also increase awareness. The giveaway will grant the winner:
A weekend (2-Night) stay at one of the Arroyo Grande Hotels
Complimentary wine or beer tasting for two
A gift card for dinner for two at an Arroyo Grande Restaurant
These prizes were decided by the RG Pacific Team. We believe that this is the best possible way to
attract both a young and older demographic. The process in getting the getaway to become a reality
started with phone calls and emails. We emailed and then followed up with phone calls to local Arroyo
Grande businesses asking if they were willing to participate in the giveaway. We emphasized that we
would promote their business on all of Visit Arroyo Grande’s Social Media Pages as well as the website.
Additionally, we offered to promote any current and future promotions their business even though they
chose not to participate. By offering to promote their deals, our followers would reap the benefits of
following Arroyo Grande on social media as our demographic analysis states. Although not all companies
responded, we managed to acquire partnerships for the giveaway and future promotions. A couple of
local wineries and a brewery are on board at the moment. Both Talley Winery and Figueroa Mountain
Brewery have agreed to participate and are sending over vouchers for us to use in the giveaway. Laetitia
Winery is also interested in participating in the giveaway, but they have not sent over any vouchers or
have mentioned how they would contribute to the event.
The custom giveaway landing page is easy to fill out and captures leads. Willing participants fill out the
form in less than five minutes and are entered into the giveaway. Two spelling variations were created
EscapeToAG.com and Escape2AG.com for the giveaway and they both redirect people back to a “Thank
You” page on the Visit Arroyo Grande website. The Giveaway Rules page states what the prizes are, but
no company names are included in order to provide the best possible giveaway package for winners.
The current giveaway began on March 1st and will continue through May 1, 2016. Currently, hundreds
of entries have been made and there is still plenty of time to submit an entry. Prizes will be awarded on
or about May 2, 2016 and must be used by winner between May 20, 2016 and July 31, 2016.
Item 9.j. - Page 20
9. Significant Partnerships
The Arroyo Grande Weekend Getaway
has opened doors to future
partnerships with local businesses. As
previously mentioned the weekend
getaway was designed to increase
traffic to the Visit Arroyo Grande
website and social media pages. We
wanted to implement wine tasting into
the getaway knowing that it is
extremely popular in the Central Coast.
Some of our first attempts to contact
businesses were with the local
Wineries and Breweries. Both Talley and Laetitia Winery were more than willing to participate in the
Getaway and were excited about it as well. We have been in contact with them throughout the year and
have promoted their specials on the Visit Arroyo Grande website under the “SIP” page in the past.
Figueroa Mountain Brewery is the only Arroyo Grande brewery that is participating in the getaway.
Although this partnership with Figueroa Mountain partnership is new, we feel that it can become
something great as the time passes. We know that maintaining strong relationships with these Wineries
and Breweries will allow us to use them in future giveaways or contests we have planned.
Additionally, the RG Pacific team helped update information for Visit San Luis Obispo County’s new asset
management system. This system collects digital assets (photos) from every city in the county that show
that cities main attractions and uploads them into a database. The assets are organized in folders and
Item 9.j. - Page 21
named properly so they can be easy to ready. The images that we sent over were for the following
attractions:
Lopez Lake
Mustang Waterslides
Rotary Bandstand
Swinging Bridge
Talley Vineyards
The Village
The images highlight different aspects or events that were hosted on each attraction. For example,
under The Village we sent over images that highlighted the Car Show in The Village, The Village Farmers
Market, and Village shops and restaurants. This was the same for the other attractions that were sent
over.
Once the RG Pacific Team was in control of Visit Arroyo Grande’s social media accounts, we made sure
to follow other San Luis Obispo County social media accounts to help with our online presence. This
gave us a better idea of what worked and what didn’t work in San Luis Obispo County. The Visit Arroyo
Grande accounts had a low follower count when we took over and our goal was to increase that
number. We shared posts from other San Luis Obispo County accounts that were relevant to Arroyo
Grande in order to gain more followers. This proved successful and in the end we were able to increase
the follower count dramatically for all social media pages.
10. Plans for the Next Year
RG Pacific is preparing for the coming year as our first year of working with Arroyo Grande’s TBID comes
to an end. We have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t work when promoting The City. The
partnerships that we have made with local businesses in The Village are going to help the RG Pacific
team accomplish our plans for next year. Some of the events and plans we have for the Village of Arroyo
Grande include:
A Father’s Day Giveaway Package which would include a Golfing Session at a local course and
Beer or Wine Tasting at a local Brewery or Winery.
Participate in travel shows as an exhibitor to give potential visitors insight on The Village of
Arroyo Grande.
We would implement Virtual Reality Videos for the Village that would give an outsider an inside
look into the city, its landmarks, and activities available.
Promotional and Online Video Advertisements that highlight the Village and its Landmarks, so
we could use on the Website and all Social Media Accounts.
Item 9.j. - Page 22
Booking Tool
Currently, visitors are viewing
pages for accommodations and
leaving the site to book directly
from the hotel or B&B. Our team
believes that incorporating a
booking tool directly on the
website would increase
reservations for hotels in Arroyo
Grande. This would be a more
convenient for website visitors
and it would allow us to track
conversions better.
Visit San Luis Obispo County and
Morro Bay are using an affiliate
program/booking tool on their
websites. Visit SLOC lets users
book on their site using
Booking.com and displays eight
Arroyo Grande hotels. However, it does not list all that are currently shown on the website. RG Pacific
would have to keep the current pages and link to the booking tool on a separate page.
RG Pacific suggests implementing an iframe tool and/or a booking tool via an affiliate program.
Our data tracks views and clicks, but we can’t track booking conversions once people exit those
pages.
Visit SLOC website gives people the option to book hotels in Arroyo Grande using the
Booking.com affiliate tool. Similarly, Visit Morro Bay uses an affiliate program called Book Direct
that includes Trip Advisor reviews.
To remain competitive, we suggest implementing a similar tool on the visit Arroyo Grande
website. Booking accommodations in Arroyo Grande should be a seamless process for travel
consumers, and have competitive pricing to increase the consumer’s likeliness of booking one of
the ten listed hotels and B&Bs available through www.visitarroyogrande.org
Approximately $5,000
AARP National Event Sponsor and Exhibitor Shows
Marketing to Arroyo Grande’s key demographic through an AARP Event Expo increases our reach and
influence. We will be able to reach the AARP community through their National Event Sponsor and
Exhibitor shows. By doing so, Visit Arroyo Grande can enhance its visibility with the 50+ demographic—
Baby Boomers and the up-and-coming Generation X. This national event reaches 10,000 members in the
span of three days. Allowing RG Pacific and Visit Arroyo Grande to understand our audience better
through direct contact with them. It is great exposure as 44% of AARP members are in the retirement
state and have disposable income. Many of the AARP members associate brands at the Expo as having
Item 9.j. - Page 23
the "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval. We are also able to network and partner with other vendors
in addition to connecting with this demographic to provide better services to our audience—like
partnering with car rental services for future giveaways. Lastly, AARP allows us to upload local events to
their website to increase exposure throughout their network for increased influence.
Last year the AARP National Expo took place in Miami during the month of May. AARP holds this event
in different locations; such as Miami, San Diego, Boston, Atlanta, Las Vegas and New Orleans. AARP
Members interested in travel can plan their trip to Arroyo Grande through AARP destination guides on
their website as well.
Budget
Pricing is based on exhibitor pricing and 3-day event on or about May 2017 using data from the AARP
Life@50+ event.
Exhibit Fees: $1,700
Products and Services showcase in AARP booklet: $750
Brochures and Brochure Holder (1,000 pcs): $450
Pop Displays: $750
3 Booth Hosts ($10/hour): $160/day
Travel, Hotel Accommodations for 2 nights, and dinner
Approximately $10,000
Travel & Adventure Show – Expo
RG Pacific is proposing that Arroyo Grande participate in the Travel and Adventure show in Los Angeles
that takes place on February 18-19,2017 at the Los Angeles Convention center. The proposed budget for
the two-day event includes approximate pricing—based on previous years— for exhibit space, banner
displays, graphics and brochures as well as tourism hosts for two days.
Budget
Exhibit Space ($4,000 for 10’ x 10’ booth) includes:
6ft skirted table
2 chairs
Wastebasket
Booth ID sign
Logo
Link on Travel & Adventure Show website
Pop Display
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Brochures and Brochure Holder (500 pcs): $425.00
2 Booth Hosts ($10/hour): $160/day
Hotel Accommodations for 2 nights and dinner
Total Costs: $6700
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Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District
FY 2016-17 Budget Detail
Revenues Revenue Souce Amount Total
TBID Fee $195,000.00
City
$
5,000.00
Chamber $5,000.00
Ending fund
balance $118,517.00
Total: $323,517.00
Expenditures
Line Item Expenditure Total
City $3,000.00
Chamber $20,000.00
Supplies $2,500.00
$25,500.00
Advertising/Marketing
Consultant Services $150,000.00
150,000.00
Website
Website
maintenance $25,000.00
$25,000.00
Memberships
CCTC $500.00
Misc. $5,000.00
$5,500.00
Sponsorships
Misc. $30,000.00
$30,000.00
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Events
Trade shows, etc. $15,000.00
$15,000.00
Expenditure Total $251,000.00
Projected fund
balance $72,517.00
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