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.

                                                             976
   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443   444   445