Presentation made by Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder Convention & Visitors Bureau, for the 2016 Inter-City Visit

1. Boulder’s Tourism Economy

2. Mission of the Boulder
Convention and Visitors
Bureau
The mission of the Boulder Convention
and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is to advocate
and provide leadership to develop and
promote the natural environment,
art/culture, historic, and visitor potential
for the express purpose of aiding the
Boulder economy.

3. Funding source –
City General Fund
 20% of the Accommodations tax
 No separate sales and bed tax/lodging tax
 100% of a Food Service Tax, generated by
restaurant sales
 Added to the Sales Tax
 Not a membership organization
2016 Budget $1,855,733

4. Boulder Total Direct Spending
Annual Visitors
$346,298,841
in Direct Spending
Generating $15.2m
Contributing to City taxes
3,299,734 visitor
nights and day visits
Supporting 5,731 directly
tied jobs

5. Boulder Visitor Type
 28% spend the
night in Boulder
 23% Visiting F/F
 43.4% Day Visitors
 5.5% Stay in other
(Airbnb, VRBO or
dorms)
 43.4% Day Visitors

6. Balanced Mix of Overnight
Travelers
 30%
Recreation/general
vacation
 23% Visiting
friends/family
 20% Special
Event/Festival
 10% CU related
 7% Business –
meeting/conference
 4% Combined
business/pleasure
 3% Other

7. Where Visitors Come From
Boulder Colorado
Denver 24%
International 4%
Los Angles 4%
New York 4%
Chicago 4%
Mnneapolis 2%
San Francisco 2%
Wahsington DC 2%
Other 49%
Denver 24%
Colorado Springs 9%
Los Angeles 5%
New York City 4%
Chicago 4%
Alberquerque 3%
Phoenix 3%
San Fran Oakland 2%
Dallas Ft Worth 2%
Grand J 2%
Houston 2%
Other 40%

8. Purpose of Trip
 Information
Technology
 Outdoor/active
lifestyle
 Bioscience
 Natural/organics
 Aerospace
 Renewable energy
 Design/marketing/co
m-munications

9. What do the visitors do?
Order of priorities
 General sightseeing
 Shopping
 People
watching/hangout
 Hiking/climbing
 Running/walking
 Special event
 CU tour + CU athletic
event
 Cycling
 Business meeting

10. Top Visited Attractions
You should see while in town
 Pearl Street, downtown
 Open Space/Mtn. Parks
 University of Colorado
 Boulder Creek Path
 Chautauqua
 Twenty Ninth Street
 Celestial Seasonings
 Boulder Farmers
Market

11. Other Attractions
 National Center for
Atmospheric
Research
 Leanin’ Tree Art and
Sculpture Garden
 Dushanbe Tea House
 Breweries, Wineries,
and Distilleries
 Too many
restaurants to
choose from

13. CVB Organizational Chart
Mary Ann
Mahoney
Executive
Director
Kim Farin
Director of
Marketing
Erin Byrne
Communications
Coordinator
Gwen Gray
Content
Manager
Contracted
Andrew Heidt
Director of
Group Sales and
Marketing
Angela
Wirkler
Groups Sales
Manager
Angela Wirth
Group Sales
Coordinator
Emiliano
Lake Herrera
Visitors and
Conference
Services Manager
Traci Schaefer
Visitor
Services
Coordinator
Adrienne
Pequeen
Web Systems
Manager
Charlene
Hoffman
Financial Analyst
Contracted

14. Key Messages
Lifestyle marketing
Inspired by residents of Boulder
• Outdoor recreation
• Boulder’s active lifestyle
• Local Fresh Food Culture, Micro Breweries, Wineries,
Distilleries
• Personalities that make Boulder stand out
• Arts and Culture diversity of creative offerings
• Profiles of why Boulder offers inspiration
• Entrepreneurial/business culture that drives the hyper-
engaged vibrancy
• Local culture (highly educated, liberal, “weird,”
environmentally-focused)

15. Working with CU Boulder
CU Conference Services
collaboration
Forever Buffs-Alumni Association
Parents Association
CU Communications for special
CU Athletics

16. Partnering with Downtown
Boulder
 Visitor Information Center
 Downtown Boulder advertises to the Denver
metro area
 CVB does Public Relations so downtown
does not have to
 Touch screen kiosk – major failure

17. Boulder Video
 What is the purpose?
 How did we determine the brand in the video?
 How does the CVB use the video?
Second Video
 Boulder Ambassador Video
 Why?
 Who uses it?

18. Oh no!!! There are too many
new hotel rooms coming in!
History
 2013 there were 2,313 hotel rooms
 2015 there are 2,106 hotel rooms
By late 2017, additional 527 rooms
25% increase of rooms
Net gain since 2013 – 320 rooms

19. What and when are hotels
coming
2017 Opening
 375 Embassy Suites
and Hilton Garden
Inn, projected
opening Oct-Nov
2017
 In 2018 hotel room
count increases from
2,106 to 2,481

20. What can be game changers?
Meeting spaces within new
hotels
(currently 5,008sf and 4,008 sf)
 Embassy Suites
 St Julien expansion
 CU Conference
Center - MOU w/City
 Ballroom 7,200 sq. ft.
 Capacity 475
 Ballroom 8,000 sq. ft.
 Capacity 525
 Ballroom 15,000 plus

22. Questions?