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EXHIBIT 3
2 | A Letter from the CEO
Partners, Stakeholders, and Community Members,
As we move on from the pandemic and its effect on the local, regional, and state tourism economies, we continue to learn, grow, and build upon the partnerships made and the lessons learned during that unprecedented time. But our work continues. As of this month, our travel economy has yet to fully recover, with 2022 seeing a retraction in overnight stays throughout the central valley, and locally visitor foot traffic in Stockton is still down 3% from 2019.
Our Stockton hotel community continues to rebuild and navigate the ever-changing landscape of the leisure and business travel economy. Average daily rates have never been higher in the city, but our lodging partners continue to struggle to find quality staff to fill all their needs, and we are optimistic that 2023 will bring occupancy levels back to near 2019 levels. On the property development side, we were excited to welcome to the district a completely remodeled downtown motel, the Studio 6 Suites, and soon, Stockton’s first new hotel build in over 15 years with the addition of the Hampton Inn and Suites – Arch Road property.
This year also ushered in a lot of reflection and change for the Visit Stockton team. After nearly 8 years of certifications and networking, we decided to sunset the Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) program. We are eternally grateful for all our CTAs and their commitment to the betterment of our destination and look forward to partnering with them all in the future. Also, after careful consideration of their ROI and impact on our internal capacity, and the overall community, we decided to retire Stockton Beer Week and Stockton Brew Fest, Stockton Arts Week, and Stockton Restaurant Week.
We are continually evaluating the impact of our programs and strive to focus on the best strategies that benefit not only the tourism and lodging economy in Stockton, but also the more diverse audiences within our community and region. These changes will allow us to better focus on the new campaigns and projects Visit Stockton are now focused on.
Our proudest moment in 2022 was the launch of Stockton’s newest food, arts and culture festival – Stockton Flavor Fest, a celebration held on the downtown Stockton Waterfront in May and supported by the City of Stockton with American Recovery Plan Act funds. The event was an overwhelming success, not only bringing over 12,000 attendees to the Weber Point Events Center but also taking home the top prize for Best New Festival from the International Festival and Events Association.
We could not have done it with out our 600+ community volunteers representing local non-profits, our vendor management partners at GoodStock Productions and the amazing and hardworking team at Visit Stockton. We look forward to welcoming you to year two, May 19-21 at Weber Point.
We hope you have had a chance to listen to the new This is Stockton podcast that we launched in August. It is off to a roaring start, and we are excited to tell the story of Stockton through the people and business owners that make our city special. Episodes come out bi-monthly and you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website. We are also working on an accompanying video series that we expect to expand in 2023. If you know someone who would make a great guest, send them our way!
Our team is excited about the new opportunities that 2023 will bring, and we are hopeful that the year ahead is brighter and safer than the one before. The team at Visit Stockton is proud to be a part of, and serve, the Stockton community. We wish each of you a safe and healthy 2023.
Wes Rhea
Chief Executive Officer
A LETTER FROM THE CEO
EXHIBIT 3
The Tourism Effect 2022 | 3
$75,428,413
2021: $81,820,160
2020: $63,065,236
2022 HOTEL REVENUE GENERATED
FROM OVERNIGHT VISITS
THE TOURISM EFFECT 2022
Source: Placer.ai
* One person can be in both Stockton and Lodi. The same individual is counted twice, once in each city. However, in San Joaquin County the same person is counted only once
Tracy
Manteca
Stockton
Lodi
60%
of people who visit
San Joaquin County
also visit Stockton
Stockton also
generates the
LONGEST
VISIT TIMES
within San Joaquin
County
Total Visits by Visitors
(visits from 30 miles away for 30 minutes or more)*
San Joaquin County receives 30.7 million visitors.
Average Dwell Time
by Visitors
(in hours)
City
Time (in hours)
San Joaquin County has an
average dwell time of 14.9 hours.
Direct Travel Impact
Direct Travel Impact by
Commodity
Hotel & Lodging Data
2,200
JOBS SUPPORTED BY DIRECT
TRAVEL SPENDING
$17.6 MILLION
TAX GENERATED BY DIRECT
TRAVEL SPENDING
$241.2 MILLION
DIRECT TRAVEL SPENDING
Direct impact represents the earnings
attributable to travel expenditures
made directly by travelers at
businesses across the city of Stockton.
AVERAGE DAILY RATE
7.3%$113.25
$105.5
$92.81
2022
2021
2020
022
2021
2020
Average Daily Rate
YOY CHANGE
13.7%
2.7%
$160$80$0
HOTEL OCCUPANCY RATE
2022 PROPERTY
DEVELOPMENT
UPDATES
Studio 6 Downtown Stockton
Remodeling Completed in
March 2022
Hampton Inn and Suites -
Arch Road Property
Opening Spring 2023
63.2%
73.4%
65.2%
2022
2021
2020
022
2021
2020
Hotel Occupancy
YOY CHANGE
13.9%
10.4%
12.7%
100%50%0%
ROOM NIGHTS
666.0k
679.5k
2022
2021
2020
022
2021
2020
Room Nights
YOY CHANGE
14.1%
12.6%
14.1%
950k475k0
775.5k
2022 created a sense of normalcy in the travel indistry, but our recovery is still far from over. Like our neighboring regions, we saw a decerase in occupancy rate and overall hotel revenue, but our average daily rate is at an all-time high. Below is a breakdown of our lodging statistics, direct travel impact, and visitor volume.
Food Service $68.4M
Local Transportation & Gas $53.0M
Retail Sales $33.8M
Accommodations $49.5M
Arts, Ent., & Rec. $27.2M
Source: STR Report
Source: Dean Runyan Associates
EXHIBIT 3
WE'RE BACK, BABY.
Stockton Restaurant Week
Stockton Restaurant Week took place January 14-23, 2022. Like 2021, we included a digital passport that housed information regarding participating restaurants, check-in deals, and opportunities to win dining gift cards. We saw nearly 1,000 sign-ups for our digital passport and had 28 restaurants participate in 2022’s festivities.
T ourism Breakfast
The Visit Stockton Tourism Breakfast was a time to celebrate the accomplishments of our office from 2019 – 2021 and share insights into our future. We welcomed 120 attendees and Mariachi Ocelotlan of the University of the Pacific kicked-off the celebrations with a preview of the inaugural Stockton Flavor Fest.
Feast at the Fox
Feast at the Fox, our annual fundraiser for the Delta Community College Culinary Arts Program, was nothing shy of a success. This sold-out event raised over $13,000 for the San Joaquin Delta College Culinary Arts program, provided an incredible learning experience for 24 student chefs, and showcased the talents of 7 program alumni.
Stockton Arts Week/Collide Arts Festival
For the first time, our office administered a $30,000 California Arts Council grant program on behalf of the City of Stockton for Stockton Arts Week and Collide Arts Festival, which included: soliciting artist applications, working with community members and organizations on project formulation, progressing grant agreements, distributing funds, and reporting. Artist grants were spread across two main areas: Stockton Arts Week workshops and Collide Arts Festival (held at Stockton Flavor Fest) workshops, installations, live art, and performances.
This is Stockton
This is Stockton started as a podcast series highlighting the people, places, and happenings of our community that was launched in August 2022. The series has seen great success since its launch, reaching audiences across the state, and twice a month we produce new episodes in partnership with the Destination Marketing Podcast Network.
To diversify the audience and spread greater awareness, we launched the This is Stockton video series in late December 2022. This three-part video series visually highlights the uniqueness of Stockton with a call-to-action to “come see Stockton for yourself.” The video series is being distributed through streaming TV and digital platforms, and we will continue creating videos as part of this series into 2023.
While 2021 was a year of support, shifts, and recovery, Visit Stockton welcomed some sense of normalcy in 2022. We saw a lot of advancements in our programs, partnerships, and data in 2022, and we are grateful for another year of sharing the Stockton story with potential visitors, locals, and fans. 12 EPISODES
2000
LISTENS
71%
COMPLETION
RATE
651,245
AD
IMPRESSIONS
Source: Audioboom & Apple Podcasts
4 | We're Back, Baby.
EXHIBIT 3
STOCKTON FLAVOR FEST VISITATION STATISTICS
Attendees Demographic Information
Source: Placer.ai
13,400
VISITS
122 mins
DWELL TIME
2 PM - 4 PM
MOST POPULAR
VISITATION TIME
Stockton Flavor Fest
Visit Stockton, with the support of the City of Stockton, executed the next great culture, food, and arts festival for our community.
Stockton Flavor Fest was hosted May 14 & 15, 2022 at the Weber Point Events Center in Downtown Stockton. The two-day festival was a celebration of the food, music, and cultures that make-up the communities in Stockton, California, with a purpose to bring people back Downtown, supporting local businesses, and celebrating our diversity. With the help of local nonprofits, organizations, artists, and creatives, Stockton Flavor Fest created a sense of pride and excitement in our community.
The care and curation put into this first-year event was unlike any other seen in the history of this community. Some of the highlights from this year's events were:
• Vendors showcasing the diversity and global food offerings reflected in the Stockton area • Two days of entertainment programming, including local musical and cultural performances • Creative activities, including interactive workshops and live art • Exclusive events including a Drag Brunch benefiting the San Joaquin Pride Center, Silent Disco, and culinary demonstrations
• A taste of California's finest libations at the Craft Beer & Wine Tent • A commitment to sustainability, including the use of earth-friendly, compostable cutlery and serveware, clean energy, and waste diversion stations
The sentiment during and post-Stockton Flavor Fest was overwhelmingly positive . For a first-year event, we are extremely proud of the responses we have received from city officials, vendors, attendees, and partners. Some of the highlights we heard was the feeling of safety our attendees felt, how clean the festival grounds were, how respectful the crowd was, how many options of family-friendly things to do were provided, how beautiful the park looked, and how many diverse offerings were available.
WE'RE BACK, BABY. (Continued)
WINNER
BEST NEW FESTIVAL
International
Festivals & Events
Association 2023
We're Back, Baby. | 5
EXHIBIT 3
WE'RE BACK, BABY. (Continued)
Stockton Brew Fest
Stockton Brew Fest was held on September 10, 2022 at the Weber Point Event Center. We hosted over 600 people at the event, which included fresh brews, live entertainment, an artist market (sponsored by the City of Stockton), community partner activations, and loads of fun.
Sport City Golf T ourney
The Stockton Sports Foundation, along with Visit Stockton, hosted its inaugural golf fundraiser – Sport City Golf Tourney, on October 14, 2022 at the Reserve at Spanos Park. The day’s events included a putt putt contest, silent auction, and post-event awards party. Businesses across the county sponsored the event and we look forward to including more community partners, and creating even more fun, in 2023. 2023 Calendar
The Visit Stockton calendar is a great awareness piece for our office, giving us the opportunity to highlight our programs, campaigns, and share user-generated images from our fans and followers.
Calendars were distributed to our partners as a free giveaway, at community events, and during Visit Stockton programs.
2023 Visit Stockton Guide
Back for the first time since early 2020, Visit Stockton is happy to announce the release of a new full-sized visitor guide. The publication features an updated look and is used as a tool to inspire travel to our area. If you would like copies of this publication for your store, hotel, or other location, please contact [email protected].
68 GOLFERS
$21,000+
TOTAL INCOME
$12,500
RAISED IN
SPONSORSHIPS
$6,700
RAISED FOR
FOUNDATION
EST. 2022
6 | We're Back, Baby.
EXHIBIT 3
DEVELOPMENT
$2,180,995+ 4,210+
Visit Stockton hosted and co-hosted a combined nine major events between January and October, including the Stockton Sports Foundation’s inaugural golf fundraiser. Highlighting the economic impact on our city was the USTA National Baton Twirling Championship, which was previously scheduled to come to Stockton in 2020. The week-long event was hosted at the Stockton Arena and the Civic auditorium and welcomed over 1,200 visitors.
Other impactful events include the West Coast Conference (WCC) Baseball Tournament, which hosted its first of a three-year committment in May 2022 and the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf West Regional, which was also awarded pre-pandemic.
The economic impact is calculated using Destination International's Event Impact Calculator (EIC), which measures the economic value of an event, and its return on investment to local taxes. The calculator draws on ten different data sources to provide an industry-wide standard.
HOSTED SPORTS EVENTS: ECONOMIC IMPACT (EI) & ROOM NIGHTS (RN) Visit Stockton Women’s Golf
Regional Preview
EI: $66,127
RN: 138
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section
Wrestling Championships
insufficient data
American Cornhole Organization
Stockton Major
insufficient data
NCAA Division II
Women’s Golf West Regional
EI: $165,373
RN: 267
OTB Disc Golf
Pro Tour
EI: $246,691
RN: 340
NCAA DI Men’s Golf
West Regional
EI: $229,954
RN: 375
West Coast Conference Baseball
Championship
EI: $307,463
RN: 596
OTB Disc Golf
Pro Tour
EI: $1,069,809
RN: 2,282
Visit Stockton Pacific
Men's Golf Invitational
EI: $95,573
RN: 212
TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS9
HOSTED
EVENTS
Source: Destination International Economic Impact Calculator Development | 7
EXHIBIT 3
DIGITAL MARKETING
The following data includes social, website, display, ConnectedTV, and other sources. Social media data was aggregated from our new data partner, Sprout Social (implemented September 2022).
VISITSTOCKTON.ORG
2022 SNAPSHOT
TOP 10 PAGES OF 2022
1. Stockton California Events Calendar
2. Homepage
3. Top 10 “Things to Do” in Stockton, CA
According to Trip Advisor
4. Free & Low-Cost Events to Do in Stockton, CA
5. Stockton Experience Trails & Passes
6. 13th Annual Stockton Restaurant Week
7. Things to Do with Family and Kids
in Stockton, CA
8. Cultural & Entertaining Things to Do in
Stockton, CA
9. California Garlic Festival
10. Stockton Restaurant Week
TOP 5 BLOGS OF 2022
1. Top Things to Do in Stockton
According to Trip Advisor
2. Holiday Family Fun in Stockton, CA
3. Best Burger Joints in Stockton, CA
4. Dining on the Delta in Stockton, CA
5. The Hauntings in Stockton, CA
704,375
ENGAGEMENT 2.4%
UP
691,000
USERS 4.1%
UP 1,496,237
PAGEVIEWS 3.6%
UP
121,817
CLICKS 12.2%
UP
All website statistics were generated from GA4,
which is the new industry standard.
53,881
ENGAGEMENT
144,542
VIEWS
SOCIAL MEDIA
19,478,021
IMPRESSIONS 6.6%
UP
9,451,654
IMPRESSIONS
409,965
ENGAGEMENT
110,744
POST LINK CLICKS
232% 177%
UP UP
PROFILE PERFORMANCE (FB, IG, TIKTOK)
POST PERFORMANCE (FB, IG, TIKTOK)
YOUTUBE VIDEO STATS
502,547
VIEWS
246,447
IMPRESSIONS
4,501
WATCH TIME
(in hours)
SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS
60.1K 23.6K 5.1K 1.1K 898
598,155
ENGAGEMENT 7.8%
UP 98,052
AUDIENCE 54.5%
UP
192,524
POST LINK CLICKS 23.6%
UP
No comparable 2021
data since data sources
changed March 8, 2021
VISIT CALIFORNIA
TRAVEL STORIES
WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER
3,769,520
GOOGLE
IMPRESSIONS
434,708
TOTAL NEWSLETTERS
SENT OUT
8,353
SUBSCRIBERS
1.63%
GOOGLE CLICK
THROUGH RATE
6%
STORY CLICK
THROUGH RATE
45%
OPEN RATE
11%
CLICK RATE
81,934
STORY VIEWS
Sources: Sprout Social and YouTube Source: GA4
Source: CrowdRiff Source: Mailchimp
8 | Marketing
EXHIBIT 3
Marketing | 9
DIGITAL MARKETING (Continued)
TRADITIONAL MARKETING
Public Relations Highlights
• Stockton Small Business Week, Annual Event
– Good Day Sacramento (May)
• Stockton Flavor Fest (May)
• Brick City Bucket List, New Program – Yahoo
Finance (June)
• Summer in Stockton, Things to Do – Yahoo
Finance (June)
• Stockton Art Trail – Good Day Sacramento
(August)
• Brew Fest – Golden State Brew Club – Good
Day Sacramento (September)
• Sport City Golf Tourney – The Reserve – Good
Day Sacramento (October)
Trade Shows
• State of the City (May) – Stockton, CA
• StocktonCon (Aug) – Stockton, CA
• Connect Sports (Aug) – Detroit, MI
• Chamber Tradeshow (Oct) – Stockton, CA
• U.S. Sports Congress (Dec) – Richmond, VA
• CalSAE (December) – Sacramento, CA
Experience Passes
Visit Stockton began working with experience pass producer Bandwango in 2015 by launching our inaugural Stockton Savings Pass. Our mobile passports are used as tools for visitors and residents alike to incentivize getting out and exploring the city. An added plus- users might even find a new favorite shop or restaurant along the way!
Brick City Bucket List
The Brick City Bucket List launched in August with the integration of videos and audio- guided narrations. This pass was specifically designed to be sharable by our partners, and we hope to get it into as many hands as possible. For more information, and to register for a pass, visit BrickCityBucketList.com.
Stockton Sweet Trail
The Stockton Sweet Trail features sweet locations from across the city. The free pass launched in late 2023 on the newest version of our Experience Pass platform and features new ways to earn points and win prizes. Additionally, all passes are now housed in one centralized platform, creating ease for our users and allowing for additional in-app registrations. To register for this pass, visit StocktonSweetTrail.com.
2,500
VISIT STOCKTON 2023 CALENDARS
DISTRIBUTED
1,921
VISIT STOCKTON MAP AND
VISITORS GUIDE MAILED OUT
25,000
NEW STOCKTON GUIDES
ORDERED FOR 2023
PRINTED MATERIALS
EXHIBIT 3
COMMUNITY EVENTS & INVOLVEMENT
STOCKTON METROPOLITAN AIRPORT
February
• Leadership Stockton Bowling Fundraising
• Stockton Maritime Museum Tour, U.S.S. Lucid
April
• United Way Bolder Breakfast
June
• Annual Wine Tasting Benefit at Pixie Woods
• San Joaquin County Fair
August
• National Night Out (Downtown Stockton)
September
• Stockton Pride Festival
October
• Trick-or-Treat at the Children’s Museum
• Parents by Choice Trunk or Treat
November
• Run & Walk Against Hunger by Emergency
Foodbank of Stockton & San Joaquin
• Athena Awards Breakfast
• Bread of Life Volunteering
Visit Stockton signed a contract with the Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) in 2022 to take over their social media, website, and other digital promotions. SCK is a major contributor the the visitation of Stockton, and we are happy to have the opportunity to use our skills to bring more awareness and exposure to the airport.
1,401,331
IMPRESSIONS 24.4%
UP
356,431
IMPRESSIONS
30,946
ENGAGEMENT
2,440
POST LINK CLICKS
POST PERFORMANCE (FB, IG)
SOCIAL PROFILE PERFORMANCE (FB, IG)
89,072
ENGAGEMENT 41.6%
UP 5,561
AUDIENCE 48.8%
UP
3,583
POST LINK CLICKS 4,216%
UP
Source: Sprout Social
10 | SCK Airport & Community Involvement
EXHIBIT 3
Meet the Team | 11
George Kaplanis
President
Omega Hospitality
Wes Y ourth
Vice President
University of the
Pacific
Susan Obert
Treasurer, Haggin
Museum
Alex Munro
Hilton Stockton
Rhona Miles
University Plaza
Waterfront Hotel
Isadora Harness
Marriott Properties
Jai Patel
Red Roof Inn
Michael Blower
Council Appointee
Councilmember,
District 3,
City of Stockton
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Visit Stockton Board of
Directors Meeting
Board meetings are scheduled bi-
monthly. Please visit visitstockton.org/
about-us/about-visit-stockton/
MEET THE TEAM
ADMINISTRATION & OPERATIONS
Wes Rhea, CDME
Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] | 209.938.1555
Christa Griffith
Office Manager & Volunteer Program Manager
[email protected] | 209.938.1555
SPORTS, EVENTS, & TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Rebecca Scharmann
Director of Sports, Events, & Tourism Development
[email protected] | 209.938.1556
Diana Nuño
Events & Community Engagement Manager
[email protected] | 209.851.3096
Nicholas Ramirez
Events Services Manager
[email protected] | 209.938.1552
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Amy Alpers
Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected] | 209.636.4348
Anthony Esteves
Social Media Content Manager
[email protected] | 209.938.1557
Jesse Salazar
Video Production Manager
[email protected] | 209.938.1553
Wesley Sosa
Graphic Designer & Brand Manager
[email protected] | 209.938.1557
EXHIBIT 3
12 | Marketing
WHO WE ARE
Visit Stockton is the official destination
marketing organization for Stockton, California
and as such, is charged with the promotion and
marketing of the City of Stockton as a leisure
travel, sports, events, and meetings destination.
Founded in 1979 as a 501(c)6, non-profit
corporation, Visit Stockton is dedicated to
positively impacting the local economy through
its programming and elevating civic pride
while highlighting the Stockton community as
a positive place to work, live, and visit. Visit
Stockton is funded in partnership with local
hotel properties through the Stockton Tourism
Business Improvement District.
Mission Statement
Visit Stockton is dedicated to enhancing the
region’s Quality of Life by collaboratively
leading the promotion of our richly diverse
community and advocating for initiatives that
will enhance the city’s Quality of Place.
Vision Statement
Stockton is widely respected as a diverse and
welcoming community, providing unique and
authentic experiences and opportunities for all.
Our Organizational Values
ACCOUNTABILITY • HAVE FUN
EXCELLENT SERVICE • GIVING BACK
LEARN AND IMPROVE
146 W Weber Ave, Stockton, CA 95202
EXHIBIT 3