Page 440 - 2022-23 Blue Book Vol 2
P. 440
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
PROGRAM INFORMATION
LATCB will continue to re-evaluate strategies and tactics for each segment of the visitor economy based on actual
2022-23 results in order to grow visitation, sustain visitor spending, and realize revenue recovery. The industry has
shown positive signs as the state and County have eased restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, however,
California has been one of the last states to re-open, which has impacted the recovery of bookings and activities.
Convention and Meeting Sales and Services - $6,349,000
The mission of Convention and Meeting Sales and Services is to market Los Angeles as a destination for conventions,
meetings, and trade shows. LATCB’s sales are segmented between two different target audiences: Los Angeles
Convention Center (LACC) users and those seeking meeting space and group room blocks in hotels. In this phase of
the recovery and return of Citywide convention and hotel bookings, successful management of both segments is critical
toward achieving sales goals.
Citywide conventions are showing a near-term decline of 25 to 30 percent in attendance in most major markets, with
fully attended shows expected to return in 2024. Additionally, up to 25 percent of most Los Angeles Citywide
conventions are comprised of international attendance, a segment which has yet to return due to ongoing travel
impacts related to the pandemic.
As overall lead volume continues to increase, most of the hotel sales opportunities will be smaller, short-term corporate
meetings. With lead and booking activity increasing, the need to re-build LATCB’s sales and services team is critical
to meet this expected demand.
Additional 2022-23 sales priorities will include the following:
1. Transition from “Customer Engagement” to “Business Development,” focusing on identifying vertical and
geographic opportunities.
2. Manage demand and lead volume, strategically deploy sales resources, and optimize efficiency and
production by re-aligning the Citywide and hotel sales parameters.
3. Coordinate “in-person” Meet LA Exchange and Customer Advisory Board.
4. Promote increased visibility targeted to both stakeholders and customers.
5. Continue to leverage and partner with Visit CA and their professional meetings and events objectives,
capitalizing on and leveraging Los Angeles’ position as one of the leading destinations for meetings and
events.
6. Re-assess production targets based on number and size of events, booking pace, deployment, available
inventory, and progress of the proposed LACC Expansion and Modernization Project.
7. Evolve sales marketing messaging to align with business-to-consumer campaigns as much as possible,
while targeting key vertical segments.
8. Continue to execute digital strategy through email marketing, industry publications, and partnerships.
Domestic Marketing - $5,242,000
Based on Tourism Economics’ latest forecasts from January 2022, domestic leisure tourism is expected to rebound
to 96.6 percent of the pre-pandemic baseline numbers from 2019. Additionally, domestic leisure tourism will continue
to rebound much faster than international channels (see International Marketing below).
The domestic marketing efforts for 2022-23 will focus on four primary drivers: optimizing advertising markets based
on available funding and data; developing the next evolution of the marketing campaign; developing and testing a
pilot program leveraging Los Angeles’ arts and culture assets to drive visitation; and continuing to leverage synergies
among paid, owned, earned, trade, and sales channels.
International Marketing - $1,785,000
The international focus will include re-establishing efforts in key international markets (e.g. Mexico, Canada, United
Kingdom, Australia, France, and Germany) and increasing efforts centered on three primary drivers: renewing the
commitment to BrandUSA (the United States’ national tourism marketing organization); resuming sales missions in
key international markets; and continuing to engage the global travel trade across a minimum of 10 international
markets.
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