2023-2024 Annual Report
Animated publication
ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024
CREATING IMPACT THROUGH COLLABORATION
Message from the CEO
The Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau has always operated on the principle of partnership. We have the unique privilege of sharing a multitude of diverse visitor experiences throughout five municipalities and often utter the phrase, “We could not do what we do without you.” The many wins achieved for both our tourism industry and community this year are shining examples of the importance of working together. While our primary role centers on serving Cabarrus County’s visitors, we take pride in implementing programs that also interest and positively impact our local community. The all-new ExploreCabarrus.com launched in August 2023 with an enhanced user experience and content hub to further highlight our hospitality partners. In addition to amplifying their stories via the website, our team focused on supporting and bringing awareness to our area’s craft beverage and culinary scenes with curated digital passports. Cabarrus County’s craft beverage trail, Explore & Pour, officially launched in October 2023 and the same technology was applied to enhance Cabarrus Burger Madness in March 2024. The success of these initiatives hinges on partner participation, and each is thriving today thanks to the engagement, enthusiasm and outstanding offerings of our partners. Building relationships is at the core of our efforts.
Our ongoing partnership with Cabarrus County Government and Cabarrus County Schools yielded more exciting results in October 2023 as the ribbon was cut on the new Mondo Track & Field Facility at Jay M. Robinson High School. The project sets our destination apart, both because of the facility’s quality and the dual purpose it serves to grow tourism while benefiting local student athletes. This kind of strategic collaboration generates positive economic impact and stems from a shared vision to increase quality of life by nurturing our travel and tourism industry. In addition to these examples, the following pages detail more
MISSION Drive visitation to Cabarrus County to generate the maximum impact through hotel stays and visitor spending. VISION To continually grow and sustain a dynamic travel industry to become the number one economic force of Cabarrus County.
accomplishments attained because of incredible cooperation. As our organization reaches the milestone of serving as Cabrrus County’s destination marketing organization for 35 years, we express our gratitude to everyone who makes these partnerships and the benefits they bring possible.
Yours in hospitality,
Donna Carpenter President & CEO Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STEVEN STEINBACHER SECRETARY Cabarrus Brewing Company Seat Number 10 Tourism Activist steve@cabarrusbrewing.com
GREG WALTER BOARD CHAIR Charlotte Motor Speedway
Seat Number 2 Tourism Activist gwalter@charlottemotorspeedway.com
JAY WHITE TREASURER Hartsell & Williams, P.A. Seat Number 12 At-Large jaywhite@hwpalaw.com Nominated by the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce
VINAY PATEL SREE Hotels Seat Number 11 Hotelier vinay.patel@sree.com
LLOYD WM. PAYNE JR. City of Concord Seat Number 5 BOC Member or County Manager paynel@concordnc.gov
KENNY WORTMAN Cabarrus County Seat Number 4
BOC Member or County Manager kmwortman@cabarruscounty.us
MELISSA EWERT Hilton Garden Inn Seat Number 6 Hotelier melissa.ewert@hilton.com
MIKE DOWNS Cabarrus County Seat Number 1 mkdowns@cabarruscounty.us Nominated By Cabarrus County Tourism Authority
JAMES ROSS Concord Mills Seat Number 9 At-Large jross@simon.com
DEVANTE WILLIAMS Hampton Inn & Suites Concord/Charlotte Seat Number 7 Hotelier At-Large devante.watkins@hilton.com
ALISON PALADINO The Chamber Seat Number 3 At-Large apaladino@cabarrus.biz
ANGELA BROWN Great Wolf Lodge Seat Number 8 Hotelier abrown@greatwolf.com
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Financial Annual Report
FINANCIALS FY 24 YEAR-END
FY 24 YEAR-END BUDGET
Admin and Operations
15%
CABARRUS CVB ALLOCATIONS
Dollars
Admin and Operations
$968,819
Wage Expenses
28%
Wage Expense
$1,827,224
Sales and Marketing
$3,764,052
TOTAL
$6,560,095
LODGING STATISTICS CABARRUS COUNTY
57%
Sales and Marketing
FISCAL YEAR OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS
FY 2022
FY 2023
FY 2024
$7 M $6 M $5 M $4 M $3 M $2 M $1 M
ROOM OCCUPANCY
72.7%
69.2% 71.7%
$7,129,626 M
$6,969,261 M
$6,138,716 M
$5,711,873 M
$5,681,811 M
715,141
650,384
710,491
ROOM DEMAND
$5,517,951 M
$4,133,247 M
$113.18
$101.08
$111.33
AVERAGE DAILY RATE
$3,378,425 M
REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOM
$82.51
$70.35
$80.04
SOURCE: STR, INC. Republication or other re-use of this data without the express written permission of STR is strictly prohibited. Data does not include Great Wolf Lodge or short-term rental.
2017
2019
2021
2018
2022
2020
2024
2023
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT
Economic Impact
With an increase of 10.3 percent from 2022, Cabarrus County had the eighth highest visitor spending growth rate of the state’s 100 counties. Cabarrus was also among the top counties in North Carolina for increases in direct tourism employment, up 9.3 percent from 2022.
2016–2023 TOURISM SPENDING TREND
Revenue in Millions
$700 M
$600 M
$624.89 M
$566.74 M
$500 M
$515.70 M
$499.57 M
$480.80 M
$477.85 M
$461.62 M
$400 M
Taxes generated by visitor spending in Cabarrus County represent a tax savings of per resident. $171.51
$300 M
$287.51 M
$200 M
$100 M
2019
2016
2017
2021
2018
2020
2022
2023
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
ANNUAL TOURISM ACTIVITY CABARRUS COUNTY
DAILY TOURISM ACTIVITY CABARRUS COUNTY
Visitor Impact
Visitor Impact
$41.1 M Generated
$112,602 DAILY Generated in COMBINED STATE & LOCAL TAXES
in COMBINED STATE & LOCAL TAXES
$16.4 M Created in LOCAL TAX REVENUES
$24.7 M Created in STATE TAX REVENUES
On an AVERAGE DAY in 2023
$44,931 DAILY Generated in LOCAL TAX REVENUES
$67,671 DAILY Created in STATE TAX REVENUES
$
Generated $624.89 M
$ $
in VISTOR SPENDING
$171.5 M Produced in PAYROLL
from 2022 10.3% 2023 VISITOR SPENDING increased by
$
$469,863 DAILY Generated
4 , 821 JOBS More Than were directly attributable to TRAVEL & TOURISM
in WORKER PAYCHECKS
This fact sheet was created with statistics from the “The Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. This study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics. For more information about the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau, go to CabCoCVB.com.
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ANNUAL TOURISM ACTIVITY CABARRUS COUNTY
Visitor Profile
WHERE CABARRUS VISITORS TRAVELED FROM
Tourism in Cabarrus County continues to set new records. After double-digit increases over the past few years, annual lodging revenue growth began to normalize in FY2024. Overall Hotel Occupancy was 72.7% which represented a 1.4% increase over FY2023. The Hotel Average Daily Rate was $113.18 which represented a 1.6% increase over FY2023. Overall visitor origin mix shifted a little more in-state by 9%. Almost two-thirds of visitation is still originating from out of state. The strongest out of state markets include Greenville-Spartanburg, SC; Florence-Myrtle Beach, SC; Columbia, SC; Atlanta, GA; Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA; and Charleston, SC. Visitors have a tremendous impact on Cabarrus County’s economy due to their spending at local lodging, restaurants, and attractions. In FY2024 11.3% of all spending at these locations came from visitors who live more than 50 miles away from Cabarrus County. Visitors from Raleigh continue to represent the largest percentage of visitor spending at 16.8% with an average visitor spend of $165.
VISITOR INSIGHTS FY 2023-24
31%
AVERAGE HOTEL OCCUPANCY 1.4% INCREASE IN HOTEL OCCUPANCY There was a in FY 2024 compared to the previous fiscal year.
27.6%
2.1
63.8%
of visitors have an average household income BETWEEN $41K - $60K
days average LENGTH OF STAY
of visitors are from OUT-OF-STATE MARKETS
2024
2023
78 %
77.3 %
75.7 %
75.4 %
70%
75.3 %
76.2 %
75.2 %
75.1 %
75 %
73.9 %
73.3 %
72.2 %
72.4 %
74.7 %
73 %
71.1 %
71.7 %
72.1 %
70.3 %
70.4 %
48.0% of visitors have CHILDREN in their household
55.0% of visitors are between the AGES OF 25 - 54
64.9 %
64.8 %
62.6 %
61.7 %
Jul
Jan
Jun
Oct
Apr
Feb
Sep
Mar
Dec
Nov
Aug
May
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
CVB MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Marketing Report
The Cabarrus County CVB Marketing department manages a comprehensive marketing, advertising, communications, and media plan designed to engage potential visitors, create awareness, and inspire overnight travel. The Cabarrus CVB Marketing and Communications department continued to remain nimble in its efforts related to the evolving pandemic landscape. We were able to leverage insights gathered through data and analytics to help us optimize our targeting and audience segmentation as we introduced our new brand, Explore Cabarrus. An increase in overall spend allowed us to leverage our asset library we have been building which gave us an opportunity to showcase and tell our destination story in media we have had to suspend over the last two years. The integrated plan re-introduced traditional and digital advertising, video, public relations, social media, promotions, research, and other marketing activation strategies. Digital creative focused on events as well as seasonal creative campaigns encouraging guests to plan their visit and/or purchase tickets. As we continued to build awareness of our new brand, we also featured a general awareness marketing campaign dedicated to leveraging our new messaging and brand promise. The strategy behind this approach was designed to increase awareness of the new Cabarrus County brand and drive traffic to ExploreCabarrus.com, which helped build the county’s perception as an ideal place for families, motorsports enthusiasts and general travelers to visit, thereby increasing occupancy and spend within the county.
2022 BRAND LAUNCH
In 2022, we launched a new brand. From a new identity and tagline to multi-channel creative campaigns, our new brand positioned us as a wonderful tapestry of five connected communities offering a wide range of incredible experiences to our visitors.
WEBSITE TRAFFIC 1,122,379 Visits
SOCIAL FOLLOWERS
GOOGLE SEARCH ADS Click-through Rate 12.35%
CONNECTED TV 2,129,568 Impressions
5,965
71k
2.9k
MEDIA PLAN ACTUALS 2023–2024
Web Paid Media Statistics
NHRA Carolina Nationals
NHRA Four Wide Nationals
Bank of America ROVAL 400
CAMPAIGNS
Avelo
Winter
Coca Cola 600
Summer 2023
Brand Launch
Evergreen Campaign
Evergreen Campaign
Summer
Winter
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
MONTH
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explore cabarrus.com
OVERALL TRAFFIC
Web Paid Media Statistics
OVERVIEW 2023–2024
SESSIONS 1,122,379
VIEWS 1,415,866
PERFORMANCE
WEBSITE This fiscal year, we recorded a total of 1,122,379 sessions, marking a 32% increase from the previous year’s 848,668 sessions and significantly surpass ing our goal of a 10% web traffic increase. Total users also rose by 32%, new users by 30% and total events by 31%. These metrics indicate that we are successfully driving more users to the site and encouraging them to take the desired actions once they visit. GOOGLE SEARCH ADS The total media spend increased by 24% compared to last year. The campaigns delivered 2,655,354 impressions (a 26% increase) and 327,854 clicks (a 24% increase). The average click-through rate (CTR) for Google search ads was 12.35%, which is a 2% decrease from last year but remains significantly above the industry average of 4.68%. Users visiting the website from a paid search ad spent an average of 1 minute 3 seconds on the site, indicating that this channel delivers quality traffic. The top-performing keyword was “places to visit in NC,” demonstrat ing that we are successfully positioning Cabarrus County as a prominent destination in the state. GOOGLE DISPLAY/RETARGETING ADS Display and retargeting ads delivered 7,765,304 impressions and 71,183 clicks. Our retargeting CTR stood at 0.70% a 240% YoY and our summer display campaign CTR stood at 2.46% In June, we moved the display campaigns from StackAdapt to Google to run a test to see if we could improve time on site from display ads. The average time on site from users visiting from a Google display ad was 1 minute 43 seconds, which was much higher than what we saw with the programmatic display ads. We will continue to test and optimize for time on site from the display ads moving in to next year.
ORGANIC SEARCH Organic search saw a 120% increase in sessions this year compared to last year. We significantly exceeded our goal of a 10% in crease YoY. Users visiting the site from organic search spent 2 minutes 8 seconds on the site, making organic search the channel that produced the highest quality traffic. PAID SOCIAL Facebook and Instagram ads delivered 39,809,887 impressions and 510,930 clicks. CTR stood at 1.28%, well above the platform average of 0.9%. The top three campaigns were Kannapolis (3.7% CTR), Summer (3.27% CTR) and the Brand campaign (1.78 % CTR). The lead generation ads resulted in 1,282 new email subscribers. PROGRAMMATIC DISPLAY C/A ran programmatic display throughout the fiscal year. The ads delivered 62,076,569 impressions and 520,240 clicks. The ads had an average CTR of 0.84%, which is well above the industry aver age CTR of 0.18%. This indicates that through our targeting and ad messaging, we are resonating with users and compelling them to click at a higher rate. We will continue to test programmatic display next year and optimize for website engagement. PROGRAMMATIC AND CONNECTED TV C/A ran programmatic CTV ads throughout the fiscal year. The ads delivered 2,129,568 impressions and 2,109,297 video completions. Our video comple tion rate was over 98%, which is above the industry average completion rate of 86.62% TIKTOK TikTok delivered 7,706,288 impressions and 60,250 clicks. The ads had an average CTC of 0.78% and a CPC of $0.75.
32% Previous Year PAGE VIEWS PER SESSIONS 1.26
26% Previous Year
AVG ENGAGEMENT TIME PER 00:00:55
-5% Previous Year
-20% Previous Year
BOUNCE RATE 72.10%
TOTAL USERS 994,108
7% Previous Year
32% Previous Year
Bounce Rate – the percentage of website visitors who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page. We want this percentage to decrease, not increase. Cost per Click (CPC) – the average cost for a user to click on our digital advertisement to navigate to the website. We want this average to be lower, not higher over time to get the most value out of our ad investment. explore cabarrus.com
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Web Paid Media Statistics
OVERVIEW 2023–2024
SESSIONS BY CITY
Sessions
SESSIONS
(not set)
112,133
200,000
Atlanta
94,133
Charlotte
75,205
OVERALL TRAFFIC
150,000
Raleigh
40,968
Ashburn
32,521
100,000
LANDING PAGE PERFORMANCE
Sessions
Conversions
Concord
24,905
(not set)
171,807
203,839.00
New York
13,023
50,000
/burgermadness/
4,092
484.00
Kannapolis
12,098
/trip-ideas/explore-and-pour/
6,501
297.00
Lagos
11,557
/
19,219
208.00
Nashville
10,569
Feb
Oct
Dec
/general/
99,134
94.00
Aug
June
April
/places-to-stay/
5,736
77.00
SOURCE/MEDIUM BY SESSION
Sessions
/checkout/
65
51.00
google/cpc
77,346
/all-about-cabarrus-burger-madness/
798
46.00
google/organic
34,520
▶ Increase website traffic by 10% year-over-year to 933,500 sessions ▶ Decrease bounce rate by 10% year-over-year to 60% ▶ Increase average time on site by 5% year over-year to 00:01:12 ▶ Improve organic search traffic by 10% year-over-year to 55,150 sessions GOALS
/lp/
305,459
37.00
stackadapt/display
24,771
/checkout/addToCart
49
36.00
facebook/social
7,830
/BurgerMadness/
121
16.00
(direct)/(none)
7,777
/checkout/673/explore-cabarrus/3545/explore-cabarrus-experiences
519
15.00
bing/organic
1,464
/things-to-do/
13,079
12.00
concordnc.gov/referral
929
/places-to-stay/campgrounds-rv-parks-cabarrus-county/
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8.00
facebook/cpc
773
/6-delicious-restaurants-in-concord/
1,779
7.00
m.facebook.com/referral
694
/explore-and-pour/
45
7.00
visitnc.com/referral
602
/checkout/673/explore-cabarrus/3545/explore-cabarrus-experiences/deal/4438/
27
6.00
stackadapt/native
592
yahoo/organic
554
l.facebook.com/referral
510
NEW VS. RETURNING USERS
Total Users
cabcocvb.com/referral
454
New
991,470
concordairportnc.com/referral
434
Returning
58,656
stackadapt / social
428
duckduckgo/organic
371
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
Web Paid Media Statistics
OVERVIEW 2023–2024
PROGRAMMATIC CONNECTED TV
VIDEO STARTS 2,135,418
VIDEOS COMPLETED 2,109,297
98.78% VIDEO COMPLETION RATE
ORGANIC SEARCH
SESSIONS FROM ORGANIC (TREND)
16,000
PROGRAMMATIC DISPLAY
SESSIONS FROM ORGANIC 110,066
12,000
8,000
IMPRESSIONS 56,262,787
CLICKS 506,016
0.90% CTR
CPC $0.54
4,000
120% Previous Year
NATIVE
Dec
Feb
Oct
Aug
June
April
TOP LANDING PAGE FROM ORGANIC (SESSIONS)
Sessions
IMPRESSIONS 5,813,782
CLICKS 14,224
0.25% CTR
CPC $3.14
(not set)
40,424
/events/july-4th-celebration/2023-07-04/
5,195
/events/kannapolis-summer-concert-series-2023-08-05/
4,291
/
4,143
/events/breakaway-music-fesitval-2023-09-30/
3,997
GEOFENCE DISPLAY
/things-to-do/events-things-to-do/
3,171
/events/2023-north-carolina-christmas-festival/
3,040
/events/42nd-annual-christmas-made-in-the-south-2023-10-21/
2,607
IMPRESSIONS 6,535,782
CLICKS 18,898
/custom-events/
2,577
/businesses/downtown-kannapolis/
2,265
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
Web Paid Media Statistics
DISPLAY NETWORK GOOGLE
OVERVIEW
IMPRESSIONS 7,765,304
CLICKS 71,183
-96% Previous Year
-86% Previous Year AVERAGE CPC $0.46
CTR 0.92%
257% Previous Year
44% Previous Year
CAMPAIGN
Clicks
Display - CCCVB - Site Retargeting
47,663
Display - CCCVB - Summer 2024
23,520
Cost per Click (CPC) – the average cost for a user to click on our digital advertisement to navigate to the website. We want this average to be lower, not higher over time to get the most value out of our ad investment.
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
KANNAPOLIS VILLAGE PARK
DOWNTOWN MT. PLEASANT
Kannapo i
DOWNTOWN KANNAPOLIS
ATRIUM HEALTH BALLPARK
Concor
GIBSON MILL
Mt.Pleasan
SOUTHERN GRACE DISTILLERIES
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
DOWNTOWN CONCORD
CONCORD MILLS
ROCKY RIVER
Harris ur
HARRISBURG TOWN CENTER
REED GOLD MINE
ROCKY RIVER VINEYARDS
HARRISBURG PARK
CHARLOTTE
Midlan
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
Web Paid Media Statistics
PAID SOCIAL FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM/TIKTOK FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM
IMPRESSIONS 39,809,887
20% Previous Year
TIKTOK
PAGE ENGAGEMENT 1,144,179
CLICKS (ALL) 510,930
IMPRESSIONS 7,706,288
CLICKS 60,250
1,330,112 REACH
CPM $5.84
96% Previous Year
18% Previous Year
TOP PAID SOCIAL CAMPAIGN BY CLICKS
Clicks
2023 Brand Campaign - August
56,124
CCCVB Winter 2023 - December 2023
49,188
AVERAGE CPC $0.61
CTR $1.28%
2024 Spring Motorsports Campaign - April
38,368
Summer Break Campaign - May 2023
35,513
2023 Brand Campaign - September
33,973
2024 Spring Motorsports Campaign
32,059
CCCVB Winter 2023
31,577
47% Previous Year
-1% Previous Year
CCCVB Winter 2024 - January 2024
31,385
CCCVB Evergreen - January/February - 2024
31,213
CCCVB Evergreen - October 2023
21,183
Cost per Click (CPC) – the average cost for a user to click on our digital advertisement to navigate to the website. We want this average to be lower, not higher over time to get the most value out of our ad investment.
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
IMPRESSIONS 2,655,354
Web Paid Media Statistics
SEARCH ADS GOOGLE
PERFORMANCE
26% Previous Year
TOP KEYWORDS
Clicks
Impressions
CTR
CLICKS 327,854
places to visit in nc
122,703
961,206
12.77%
north carolina vacation
38,849
235,791
16.48%
north carolina tourist
24,203
86,366
28.02%
things to do in nc
20,729
136,380
15.20%
things to do in north carolina
15,350
80,917
18.97%
24% Previous Year
what to do in north carolina
10,395
62,913
16.52%
unique places in north carolina
6,954
99,889
6.96%
CTR 12.35%
vacations to north carolina N/A
5,835
19,614
29.75%
what to do in charlotte
5,648
144,780
3.90%
north carolina vacation packages
4,857
23,436
20.72%
getaways in north carolina
4,626
21,770
21.25%
nc attractions
3,984
21,542
18.49%
best place to visit in north carolina
3,513
39,545
8.88%
-2% Previous Year
what to see in north carolina
3,509
33,482
10.48%
vacation rentals north carolina
3,295
22,785
14.46%
AVERAGE CPC $0.64
weekend trips in north carolina
3,280
34,207
9.59%
TOTAL
327,854
2,655,354
12.35%
-8% Previous Year
Cost per Click (CPC) – the average cost for a user to click on our digital advertisement to navigate to the website. We want this average to be lower, not higher over time to get the most value out of our ad investment.
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explore cabarrus.com
explore cabarrus.com
COVERAGE TO DATE
MEDIA & INFLUENCERS
Public Relations & Communications
Public Relations & Communications
1,271,427,909 TOTAL EARNED IMPRESSIONS
$808,225 TOTAL EARNED MEDIA EQUATES TO
Coordinated 13 media/influencer visits July 2023 – June 2024 in exchange for editorial & social coverage
July 2023–June 2024
July 2023–June 2024
Hosted: ▶ KAlexis Dickie, @adventures.and.ales ▶ Jensen Savannah, @jensensavannah x2 ▶ Megan Nichols, @nceatandplay ▶ Erin Gorges, Kidding Around Greenville ▶ Trudy Saunders, freelance (Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Southern Living) ▶ Katie Saintsing, Our State ▶ Rachael Guigno, @ncmomadventures ▶ Amanda Hofmann, @wilmingtonmom ▶ Megan Pintell, @magnoliamegan ▶ AJ Forest, @nctraveleats ▶ Sue Collins, City Lifestyle ▶ Allison Reynolds, @raleighwanderlust
SAMPLING OF MEDIA COVERAGE:
Southern Living Travel + Leisure StyleBlueprint PBS
Matador Network Carolina Country Convention South Smart Meetings Our State Whisky Advocate Girl Camper Magazine Charlotte Parent
Our State WBTV-TV WSOC-TV Fox Carolina Charlotte Five Access Carolina
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explore cabarrus.com
Public Relations & Communications
YEAR IN REVIEW
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explore cabarrus.com
PARTNER EVENTS
Partnership Report
LUNCH-N-LEARN Held four Lunch-n-Learn programs this year. One was held at 73 & Main Restaurant and focused on Harassment in the Workplace. Worked with the restaurant so they could showcase their event space and the program was one our partners requested we put together for them. VisitNC brought several of their staff members for a mini tradeshow showcasing the services they offer to the hospitality community. VisitNC takes this event to various cities throughout North Carolina, and they indicated their trip to Cabarrus County and the mini tradeshow was the most productive for them. Additionally, we were given the opportunity to take the VisitNC folks on a site visit of Cabarrus County. Jim Spellos is an expert in AI (artificial intelligence) and presents nationally. We brought him in to discuss the future of AI in the hospitality industry and it was well received by our partners. This event was held at the Great Wolf Lodge. Additionally, a Lunch-n-Learn was held on Human Trafficking in Cabarrus County with 52 partners in attendance. This was one of the most talked about topics and folks were asking if we could hold it annually. The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department and Present Age Ministries who work with the children after they have been rescued. MYSTERY TOURS In an effort to continue showcasing our partners and keep it interesting, we held two Mystery Tours. Folks signed up for an event and lunch without knowing where they were going until the bus starts rolling. The first one was a trip to the NASCAR HOF and the other was held at Stars & Strikes with a team building exercise, lunch and free play. HOSPITALITY COLLABORATION This was an event held in a small venue in Downtown Concord which has several main streets under construction. This event accomplished a couple of things: to get folks downtown to show that even under construction, you could get around and shop, eat, attend a performance among other things. Also, the venue owner brought in several new downtown businesses to set up a small display to show attendees what they offered. CELEBRATE CABARRUS GOLDEN HELMET AWARDS GALA The 11th Annual awards gala was held again to honor the exceptional within the Cabarrus County hospitality community. HOSPITALITY NIGHT WITH THE CANNON BALLERS This is an annual event to say thank you to our partners who have helped to make Cabarrus County a wonderful destination. Attendees who able to bring their families and enjoy the game. The other objective is to keep Downtown Kannapolis shops, attractions, and restaurants front of mind so they can share with their guests and visitors.
NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK Celebrated NTTW with a Food Truck Rally in the parking lot of Explore Cabarrus as well as one in the parking lot at the Great Wolf Lodge. We celebrated the hospitality community by serving over 500 lunches. PARTNER NIGHT AT THE RACES (MAY & OCTOBER) Invited partners to both the spring and fall races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for networking and an opportunity to experience one of our largest attractions.
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explore cabarrus.com
VISITOR SERVICES
Partnership Report
2017-2024 ANNUAL WALK-IN TRAFFIC
6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 7,000
6,024
3,970
3,689
VISITOR SERVICES The 2023-24 fiscal year saw growth for the Visitor Center via walk-in traffic and engagement of our referral program. The final quarter of the year saw our heaviest walk-in traffic.
2,916
2,337
2,197
1,032
The visitor services department added another full-time employee with the installation of Amanda McMillin as Visitor Services Coordinator; the department currently has six employees.
2017-18
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Upon regrowing our volunteer team in 2023, the program continues to expand. Though expansion remains essential to our operation, the focus for this year was growing the volunteer’s knowledge of the county. Through Destination Training tours and a new quarterly training initiative referred to as Volunteer 101, we have improved the volunteer’s vernacular as it pertains to speaking on Cabarrus County destinations. Our goal was to offer perks that are educational, appropriate for our platform, and increase the volunteer’s overall happiness with being enrolled. In addition to training initiatives, we have also hosted appreciation events with as many as 50 attendees joining us, meeting other volunteers, and speaking on their experience in the program.
2018-19
2020-21
2019-20
2022-23
2021-22
2023-24
2017-2024 REFERRAL CARD TRAFFIC
1,500 1,250 1,250 500 250 750 1,000
1,532
1,248
The volunteer program now sits at 201 volunteers, an increase from 130 volunteers at the close of the prior fiscal year.
992
886
866
TICKET SALES The Visitor Center has continued to sell discounted admissions to four attractions via a digital format. Discounted digital admissions remain an effective way to encourage visitors to partake in local attractions; the ease and immediacy of receiving the tickets is an effective method of closing sales for our partners.
472
267
The Visitor Center added vouchers for Kannapolis Cannon Ballers games to its arsenal, offering them to visitors as a means to increase traffic to downtown Kannapolis and the ballpark.
2017-18
2018-19
2020-21
2019-20
2022-23
2021-22
2023-24
RETAIL Retail had another strong year for the Visitor Center. We have expanded our presence to include some more local food offerings, incorporating products from Kimo’s Ono Grindz and an expanded selection from Angel’s Share. The retail operation is best seen as a platform for advertising local businesses and attractions such as Whiskey Prison, Honeysuckle Hill Honey, Local Patriot Coffee, and the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
DIGITAL REVIEWS The visitor services team amassed numerous five-star reviews on TripAdvisor and Google, accounting for nearly 35% of the CVB’s total reviews on TripAdvisor and 22% of the CVB’s total reviews on Google. The growth of our digital profile via reviews is key to our success moving forward. TripAdvisor recognized the CVB’s strong performance with a 2024 Traveler’s Choice Award, given to businesses with consistently great reviews from travelers that are ranked within the top 10% of properties on the platform.
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EVENT CALENDAR FY 2024-2025
EVENTS KEY
MAJOR EVENTS
DESTINATION TRAINING
PARADES
LOCAL FESTIVALS
VOLUNTEER EVENTS
INFO TABLES
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
SPRING
SUMMER
July 2024
August 2024
September 2024
October 2024 October 2 Explore & Pour Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at Visitor Center
November 2024
December 2024
January 2025
February 2025
March 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
June 8 Information Table at AAU Track Meet, Jay M. Robinson High School June 12 Destination Training— Kannapolis/ Downtown Concord & Gibson Mill June 22 Information Table at AAU Track Meet, Jay M. Robinson High School June 22 Puerto Rican Fest of the Carolinas at Route 29 Pavilion
September 22–24 NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway
August 19 Circle K Monster Truck Bash
November 1–4 World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track
February 27 Destination Training— Exit 49 Attractions
July 4 Harrisburg Fourth of July Parade
April 3 Volunteer 101 at CVB
January 18 Volunteer 101 at CVB
December 9 Kannapolis Christmas Parade
May 3–4 Jiggy with the Piggy
March 20 Senior Health Expo
January 23 Destination Training— Kannapolis/ Downtown Concord & Gibson Mill
March 27 Destination Training— Mount Pleasant/ Midland (30 attended)
October 7–8 BofA ROVAL
July 26–30 Information Table at Embassy Suites; Lionel Collectors Club
August 20–22 Information Table at Embassy Suites; AAAE Convention
May 16 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers – 600 Night
April 11 Global Meetings Industry Day
November 18 Concord Christmas Parade
400 Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway
April 17–18 Special Olympics
October 28 Touch A Truck at Cabarrus Arena
May 23 Earnhardt Outdoor Showdown
April 26-28 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
May 24–26 Coca-Cola 600
May 31–June 20 YETI Cooler Drawing at Visitor Center
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SALES
ASSISTED HOTEL GROUPS
FY23/24 CVENT RESULTS
142 Groups or 43,187 Room Nights
FY24 Cvent Results
2022 - 40 GROUPS 13,076 ROOM NIGHTS
2021 - 31 GROUPS 10,231 ROOM NIGHTS
RFPS LEADS 197
ROOM NIGHTS 106,457
6,000 ROOM NIGHTS 2024 - 18 GROUPS
2023 - 53 GROUPS 13,880 ROOM NIGHTS
FY23 Cvent Results
RFPS LEADS 230
ROOM NIGHTS 95,903
Help our hotels rebooking canceled groups into future years
Used by all third party companies
GROUPS SERVICED
SIGNATURE EVENTS
122 Groups or 126,069 Room Nights
Events that created demand to destination
38 ASSOCIATION CORPORATE GROUPS SERVICED
25 SMERF GROUPS SERVICED
59 SPORTS GROUPS SERVICED
Sporting Events
Motor Sport Events
Entertainment Events
Four-Legged Events
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GROUP SALES
SALES
Sales Performance
LEADS GENERATED
FAMILIARIZATIONS EVENTS (FAMS)
Bringing new and existing customers to showcase Cabarrus County as a group and convention destination. These events include local culinary experiences, destination education, and comprehensive hotel tours.
211 Leads Generated
88,009 Room Nights
303 Leads Generated
132,212 Room Nights
for
for
▶ NHRA 4Wide FAM ▶ NASCAR Coke 600 FAM ▶ NASCAR Roval FAM ▶ NHRA Carolina FAM
HOSTED FOUR FAMILIARIZATION EVENTS IN
ASSOCIATION/CORPORATE/ SMERF
FY24
92 Leads Generated
44,203 Room Nights
for
SPORTS
3RD PARTY & ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMPANIES
Cultivated and created new third-party relationships with association management contacts in offices located in the Mid Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. Conducted presentations to enhance our relationship with key decision-makers.
LEADS TURNED DEFINITE
116 Leads Definite
43,921 Room Nights
2024
21,360 Room Nights 2022 18,156 Room Nights 2021
Target Companies:
115 Leads
HELMS BRISCOE • CONFERENCE DIRECT EXPERIENT • HPN GLOBAL
for
for
(Hospitality Professional Network)
26,576 Room Nights 2023
PARTNER RELATIONS
113 Leads
79 Leads
for
for
It is necessary that all parties in the meeting and events industry in Cabarrus County work together to support each other, especially as the industry continues to grow. We worked with property lead catchers on lead responding, services and helped them to go over and above to ensure group visitors enjoyed their stay in Cabarrus County.
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BEING INVOLVED IS KEY TO BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEERS AND PLANNERS. INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS “THIS IS MID-SOUTH POP WARNER’S 4TH YEAR WORKING WITH CABARRUS COUNTY VISITORS’ BUREAU AND THE SERVICE HAS BEEN NOTHING LESS THAN SPECTACULAR! THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FACILITIES ARE OUTSTANDING AND THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE IN THE CABARRUS COUNTY POP WARNER CHEER AND DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS THANKS TO THE CCVB! JUST SO YOU CAN GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE CCVB HAS DONE FOR US, OUR REGION ENCOMPASSES EIGHT STATES (VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, ALABAMA, AND GEORGIA). THE STAFF AT THE CCVB HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY WITH US TO ENSURE OUR EVENTS (FOOTBALL, CHEER, AND DANCE) GO OFF FLAWLESSLY! THIS TEAM HAS BEEN A COMPLETE JOY TO WORK WITH!” ARENA AND EVENTS CENTER FOR THE MID-SOUTH REGION
▶ Association Executives of North Carolina
▶ North Carolina Sports Association
▶ Meeting Planners International – Carolina Chapter
▶ Religious Conference
Management Association
▶ Society of Government Meeting Planners
JEFF BOLDEN, SR.
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., Mid South Region Director
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CABARRUS BURGER MADNESS EARNED GOLD AT THE 2022 TOURISM ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Local Advocacy
Cabarrus Burger Madness is a month long celebration featuring specialty burger creations from participating local restaurants across Cabarrus County, North Carolina. Held annually from March 1–31, this friendly, bragging-rights competition showcases the culinary creativity of our chefs and gives diners exciting new dishes to try. Using the free Cabarrus Burger Madness mobile pass, diners can track their culinary adventure and unlock the opportunity to vote for their favorite by checking in at one location.
In 2024, The Eatery at Southern Strain Brewing Company‘s “Life’s Gouda With Bacon Burger” took the crown! This year’s madness boasted 1,077 Total Check-ins at Participating Restaurants and reported 3,962 Burgers Sold PR coverage garnered a Total Influencer Reach of 3,947,246 and $15,154 in Ad Value and a Total UMV of 652,913,855 and $385,903 in Ad Value
▶
▶
▶
▶
▶
2024 STATS
830 9 200 TOTAL PARTICIPANTS STATES TOTAL VOTES
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CABARRUS COUNTY CVB EARNS DMAP REACCREDIATION WITH DISTINCTION FROM DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL
Local Advocacy
▶ The Cabarrus County CVB is among over 200 destination organizations who have obtained DMAP recognition, with fewer than 10% earning “Accreditation with Distinction.” ▶ “Accredation with Distinction” means that the CVB exceeded minimum requirements for accreditation, and the independent DMAP Board found no opportunities for the organization to improve its responses to the required standards
▶ The Cabarrus County CVB was awarded “Accreditation with Distinction”, the highest possible recognition for a destination organization. ▶ The Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau earned its reaccreditation eight years after first receiving the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) seal from Destinations International.
WITH DISTINCTION
The Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International, 2025 M Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, D.C., 20036, USA, Ph. 202-296-7888.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024
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