The presentation given at the 2014 Calaveras Visitors Bureau Annual Dinner and Innovations in Tourism Awards, included some marketing highlights and the nominees for the Innovations in Tourism.

1. 2014 Annual Dinner
and Innovations in Tourism Awards

2. • Increased our web visitation in
2013 by 17.5% and exceeded
that by 21% for 2014 for over
12,300 unique visits monthly.
• Increased our Facebook likes by
29% (from 9,354 on January 1st
to 13,184 on October 19th) and
achieved a 9% engagement rate
on average for each post over
the last month.
• On May 1st, we launched our
mobile and tablet sites resulting
in a 98.25% decrease in the
bounce rate on our desktop site.
• Twitter followers have increased
in 2014 by 22% from 476 to 583.
2014 Highlights – Digital

3. Leveraged our marketing dollars with our
regional tourism marketing groups:
• Gold Country Visitors Association
• 2014 2 fam tours resulting in great
media coverage
• California Visitors Guide co-op ad
• Dog Trekker partnership
• 2015 plans - Gold Country Golf fam
• High Sierra Visitors Council
• 2014 1 fam tour with Visit California
France
• Gold Country contest with Visit
California France
• Developed new map brochure
• 2015 plans – itinerary development
2014 Highlights – Regional Marketing

4. 2014 HIGHLIGHTS – Email Campaigns
Monthly VISITOR newsletters
are sent to nearly 5500
subscribers
Monthly MEMBER
newsletters are sent to 435
members and friends of the
CVB
Monthly copy of VISITOR
newsletters for members go
to the same 435 members
Why have we received the
Constant Contact All Star
Award for the last two
years?
The industry standard open
rate for email campaigns is
18.2%. Here’s how WE do:

5. 2014 Highlights – Activities Guide
80,000 copies distributed through:
• Fulfillment from ad reader response in:
• Sunset, VIA and CA Visitors Guide
• Gold Country Visitor Centers
• County rack distribution program
• Travel trade shows
• Media & tour operator fulfillment
• California State Fair – GOLD AGAIN!
• 2014 Certified Distribution:
• Doubled N. California Summers
Sports Program
• Doubled San Jose Corporate offices
• Added Oakland Airport
• Kept San Jose Airport and CA Welcome
Centers
Digital version also available on CVB website and issuu.com where it’s
fully interactive and can be shared anywhere online.

6. 2014 HIGHLIGHTS: Presentations
• Presenting to top California tourism marketing organizations helps
reinforce our brand and reminds them that we’re here and have a
great deal to offer. For 2014 we presented to:
• San Francisco Travel – 15 minutes expanded to 2 hours to
include time with frogs and catered lunch by Lunch Lady Catering
paired with Calaveras wines.
• Visit California – 1 hour presentation with frogs, wine, rubber
chickens, chocolates and fantastic giveaways including an
overnight stay at Hotel Léger, free wine tasting and cave tours.

7. 2014 HIGHLIGHTS: Website Upgrades
• Expanded our listings
• No longer just member based
• Unlimited listings under every
logical category
• Continued to expand the Member’s
Corner
• All board reports are posted
• Check out Highlights reports for the
latest on what we’ve achieved
• Events for our calendar can now be
submitted by YOU!
• Expanded the Weddings section
• Goal is to make it the best
Calaveras weddings resource
online
• We are seeking input –
suggestions and comments
welcome!

8. Member Programs: VIP
The Calaveras VIP Program is now more
valuable than ever:
• We obtained over 1600 new subscribers in
2014 from visitors center check-ins, online
requests and mobile sign-ups.
• About half our membership now participates
with incentive offers to visitors:
• 22 lodging properties
• 8 restaurants
• 20 recreation providers
• 11 retail stores
• 19 wineries

9. Member Programs: Frog Play
Launched last year, Frog Play now has over 150
subscribers:
• Give LOCALS a reason to stay local for
recreation, shopping, wine tasting etc.
• Sign up is automatic on smart phones – VIP
subscribers are redirected to Frog Play if their
zip code is from Amador, Calaveras or
Tuolumne.
• All subscribers get our monthly visitor
newsletters – encouraging them to attend local
events.
• Sign up NOW and join your CVB partners:
• 7 lodging properties
• 3 restaurants
• 9 recreation providers

10. Member Programs: Employee Incentive
Exchange
• Reward your top employees for a job well done
with fun local experiences in an exchange
program without paying cash.
• Give Calaveras County tourism front-liners the
opportunity to directly experience and
recommend your product.
• You decide what to offer and who to exchange
with.
• Choose from 4 value levels:• Bronze - $25 to $50
• Silver - $50 to $100
• Gold - $100 to $150
• Platinum – over
$150

11. Innovations in Tourism Awards
2014

12. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the ATTRACTION category are:
• Angels Camp Museum for their new special programs,
extension of hours and huge increase in visitation.
• Brice Station Vineyards for their Hill Top concert series and
for hosting Theatre Under the Stars.
• Ironstone Vineyards for their wide variety of events year-
round, heritage museum, winery tours, great food and for
being a destination in itself.
• Local Roots Food Tours for providing an outstanding
culinary and wine tasting experience in Murphys.

13. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the EVENT category are:
• Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee for annually
bringing in over 45,000 visitors for frog jump, rodeo, demolition derby,
the new outhouse race, etc.
• Calaveras Grape Stomp for being a fun and unique Calaveras wine
country event.
• Gold Rush Day for attracting over 7000 people in their second year to
enjoy historic exhibits, reenactments, live music and more.
• Lumberjack Day for creating a very popular event with lots of great
activities.
• Murphys Day of the Dead for creating a wonderful new, meaningful
event.
• Murphys Irish Day for creating a fun-filled day attracting large numbers
of visitors.

14. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the LODGING category are:
• Bruce and Wendi Davison for taking over the management
of Meadowmont Lodge, overhauling it and making it more
successful.
• Hotel Léger for their Backyard Blues and BBQ events,
Spaghetti Western Wednesdays etc.
• The Murphys Historic Hotel for braving Hotel Hell, bringing
in more events, building an outside bar and making other
upgrades.
• Worldmark by Wyndham for consistently bringing in large
numbers of guests to the county and for their excellent
concierge services at the front desk.

15. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the RECREATION category are:
• Barrel of Monkeez for creating a fun and inventive indoor
activities play center for children of all ages that’s open year-
round.
• Bear Valley Mountain for bringing in high profile events,
developing their summer programs and for making snow when
we need it!
• Cave & Mine Adventures for developing the zip lines at
Moaning Cavern Adventure Park and for operating and
funding the Murphys Information Center.
• Lake Camanche for offering a wide variety of tent camping
options including equestrian, outdoor movies on Saturday
nights, dog friendly cottages, etc.

16. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the RESTAURANT category are:
• CAMPS at Greenhorn Creek Resort for their dedication to excellence
and multiple high quality events including the 88 Days Mark Twain
presentations.
• Murphys Hotel Restaurant for being consistently delicious AND
incorporating Gordon Ramsay’s menu suggestions, and for enlarging
the outdoor eating area.
• Outer Aisle Foods for their live music, events, farmers market and
popular farm to fork model.
• Pickle Patch for their consistently great food and Open Market
Wednesdays with dinner, live music, arts and crafts festival.
• Roquefort for adding a late night window for local events.
• Sarafina’s Italian Kitchen for providing a popular, always delicious
restaurant option in the Arnold area.

17. 2014 Innovations in Tourism Awards
The nominees in the RETAIL category are:
• Marisolio Tasting Room for olive oil and balsamic tastings, making
retail an interactive experience and for offering inspiring cooking
classes.
• Petroglyphe Gallery for developing art classes and fine art and music
focused events for visitors and locals.
• The Chocolate Lady for moving their chocolate manufacturing to
Angels Camp and opening Market 49 café.
• The Spice Tin for creating a retail environment that’s also an immersive
sensory experience.
• Timeless Home Gallery for bringing together local artists and using
social media to reach more traffic.