2023-2024 Annual Report

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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