2023-2024 Annual Report

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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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explore cabarrus.com

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

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

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

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

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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