Travel Portland Strategic Plan 2013/14 – 2015/16

1. Travel Portland Strategic Plan 2013/14 – 2015/16

2. The Big Picture:Our vision, mission and unique value proposition Our Vision Our Mission Our Unique Value Proposition • Portland is recognized as one of the most desired destination experiences in the world. • Through our valuable partnerships and with a consistent focus on collaboration, our mission is to strengthen the region’s economy by marketing the metro region as a preferred destination for meetings, conventions, corporate and leisure travel. • We create long-term demand for the destination through collaborative relationships, deep industry expertise and unsurpassed product knowledge.

3. Our Values • Collaboration • Integrity • Creativity • Customer Focus • Excellence • Growth OUR VISION-IN: To foster a culture of high productivity where employees are encouraged to grow professionally in an innovative, creative and respectful environment, where honesty, knowledge and collaboration are highly valued.

4. Brand Platform Tone / Personality • Confident • Thoughtful • Smart • Relaxed • Unfiltered • Conversational, no promotional • Creative • Friendly • Unpretentious External Perspectives • Although there is a “buzz” about Portland, there is a general lack of awareness • Where there is an awareness, it is of the region’s natural beauty • Those who have not visited Portland are generally unaware of the diverse offerings within the urban experience • If they have been here, they are positively surprised (“I had no idea”) • A second-tier choice for West Coast destinations • Assumed to be rainy • Not equipped to handle bigger convention groups Brand Values • Engaged • Independent • Green • Honest / Authentic • Balanced • Human Messages • Portland has a strong creative undercurrent that affects everything it has to offer • Portland is a hub for innovation and forward-thinking • Portland is a leader in sustainability (environmental, cultural, commercial) • Portland has the sophistication and diverse urban offerings of a large city without the pretense • At the heart of the Portland experience is a sense of genuine warmth and friendliness • Portland is surrounded by natural beauty and outdoor experiences Primary Take-away: Portland is cool

5. Travel Portland:Our five key objectives for 2013/14 — 2015/16 1 Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. 2 Influence the long-term development of the destination and its brand. 3 Deliver a consistently remarkable customer experience. 4 Foster high-value relationships with our stakeholders. 5 Lead an efficient, high-performing organization.

6. Year One 2012/2013

7. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Convention Sales, Services, and Marketing 1A

8. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Convention Sales, Services, and Marketing Strategies • Convention Sales • Annually develop highly qualified convention leads for both citywide and single-hotel business resulting in the successful completion of agreed-upon measurements (room nights, conversion ratios, need periods, etc.). • Annually complete a minimum of 14 sales trips – including at least two multi-city “road show” programs – to meet with approximately 200 qualified meeting planners and organizations in order to solicit new business for and/or confirm meeting arrangements in Portland. • Arrange and conduct a minimum of 65 site tours of Portland for highly qualified meeting planners who are in the process of considering Portland. • Arrange and conduct a minimum of two familiarization tours per year with highly qualified clients, and one Customer Advisory Board (CAB) meeting. • Meet with potential convention clients (including a minimum of 160 potential OCC clients) at trade shows. • Work in conjunction with Travel Portland’s contractor and Multicultural Advisory Council to enhance Portland’s visibility and business appeal in the minority convention market. • Convention Services • Provide meeting planners with promotional material, planning assistance and pre-convention attendance-builders. • Upon request, provide housing services to any Portland-bound convention or meeting that utilizes a MERC facility and two or more hotel properties. 1A

9. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Convention Sales, Services, and Marketing Strategies (continued) • Marketing & Public Relations • Develop, implement and track marketing plans to support the sales goals. • Produce the online Convention & Meeting Planners Guide • Media relations: Generate media placements in targeted trade publications, as well as consumer-oriented media outlets in two meeting-planner hubs (Chicago and Washington, D.C.). • Online: • Develop, manage, track and continuously improve online programs designed to: • Connect planners with outstanding venues and services • Inspire confidence in Portland as a conference destination • Assist Portland-bound planners with online marketing, social media and other attendance-building tools • Benchmark and track engagement with meetings.travelportland.com, including: • Usage of “Find a Venue” application • New leads generated via the website • Other metrics, as appropriate • Benchmark, monitor and improve search engine ranking for meetings.travelportland.com around meeting-planning terms 1A

10. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Tourism Sales / Travel Trade 1B

11. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. 1B Tourism Sales / Travel Trade Strategies • Tourism Sales • Work in conjunction with Travel Oregon and regional partners to position the Portland area as a preferred destination for the international and domestic travel trade, paying special attention to those markets served by non-stop international flights to PDX, plus targeted emerging markets. • Qualify, solicit and generate leads; make sales calls; design itineraries; schedule and conduct sales trips and presentations; coordinate and host research trips and site inspections; and plan and participate in targeted trade shows, sales missions and conventions. • Track the results: • Track 27,000 room nights as reported by tour operators and hotels. • Generate 1,100 leads to industry partners. • Host 105 companies on familiarization tours and site inspections 1B

12. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Tourism Sales / Travel Trade Strategies (continued) • Marketing & P.R • Develop, implement and track marketing plans to support the sales goals. • Produce collateral material and publications, including the Visitors Guide to Portland for international markets. • Media relations: Conduct international media tours and attend tourism trade shows (WTM, Pow Wow and ITB), securing media placements in consumer-oriented media outlets in key international markets, including Germany, the UK, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand. • Online: • Develop, manage, track and continuously improve online programs designed to provide travel trade professionals with the information they require and inspire confidence in Portland as a tour location. • Increase awareness among potential visitors of the opportunities that exist to experience Portland as part of a tour/package. • Benchmark and track: • Engagement with the Travel Professionals section of travelportland.com. • International traffic to – and use of foreign-language content on – travelportland.com • Outbound referrals to tour operators from travelportland.com • Other metrics, as appropriate 1B

13. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Leisure / Consumer marketing 1C

14. Increase visitor-related economic impact for the Portland region. Leisure / Consumer marketing Strategies • Establish baseline measurements and track over time: • Overall room demand • Advertising accountability • Intent to travel • Total visits • Economic impact of visitor spending • Online: • Engagement with travelportland.com, including conversions through Portland Perks, online travel agency (OTA) and hotel referrals, other campaigns and promotions • Search engine ranking for key terms • Downloads and usage of mobile application • E-newsletter and social-media engagement • Collaborate with cultural, dining, retail, lodging and other partners to create and promote travel packages (e.g., Portland Perks), experiences and offers that motivate leisure travelers to visit Portland. • Develop, implement and measure additional marketing programs: arts and culture, culinary, multicultural and LGBT. • Coordinate leisure hotel reservation (online, and over the phone) to support marketing efforts. 1C

15. Influence the long-term development of the destination and its brand. 2

16. Influence the long-term development of the destination and its brand. Strategies • Communicate key messages and reinforce the Portland brand. • Public relations • Work with travel writers, editors, radio journalists, television producers, bloggers, online media and other influencers to generate beneficial media placements (annual goals: $12million ad equivalency; 500 million total circulation). • Track key messages • Marketing • Publications: Produce targeted, high-quality publications, including the Travel Portlandmagazine/visitors guide, the Portland, Oregon, Convention & Meeting Planner Guide, the Portland Perks coupon book and the Visitors Guide to Portland for international markets. • Ensure that the organization’s communications are consistent in tone, image and messaging. • Digital content: • Execute content strategy to deliver consistent messages across multiple channels (e.g., Web, social media, mobile, e-newsletters). • Engage with multicultural organizations, freelance writers and other subject-matter experts to develop content. • Curate and leverage other content, as appropriate. • Via quarterly panel, establish benchmarks for travelers’ perceptions of Portland, and track changes over time • Advertising • Collaborate with Portland’s cultural community and other partners to extend the reach of Travel Portland’s advertising efforts. • Benchmark total ad impressions, and track changes over time 2

17. Influence the long-term development of the destination and its brand. Strategies (continued) • Community relations • Working with community partners, make Portland the best destination experience possible. • Whenever possible, exert influence in community decision-making that impacts Portland’s quality of life and viability as a travel destination. • Maintain visibility in community; represent Travel Portland’s interests on decision-making committees, task forces and work groups; and provide input, as needed. • Maintain strong partnerships with related entities to leverage influence and resources. 2

18. Deliver a consistently remarkable customer experience. 3

19. Deliver a consistently remarkable customer experience. Strategies • Visitor Information Center • Operate a year-round downtown visitor center that serves 550,000 guests per year • Survey visitors to acquire a better understanding of what they’re seeking. • Pending approval of TID Subcommittee, develop (community-wide?) hospitality training program within two years. • Online: • Develop, manage, track and continuously improve online programs designed to inspire leisure travel to Portland and to enhance the in-destination experience of visitors when they arrive. • Develop systems and metrics to monitor customer satisfaction and take positive action to improve the customer experience based on this feedback. • Benchmark and track: • Customer satisfaction on travelportland.com • Visitor Center (and other 1:1 or direct-messaging) engagement • Other metrics, as appropriate 3

20. Foster high-value relationships with our stakeholders. 4

21. Foster high-value relationships with our stakeholders. Strategies • Provide a comprehensive array of services programs at a reasonable cost that connect local businesses with meeting planners, convention delegates and leisure travelers. • Provide broad-based visitor services through the recruitment of businesses from Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Columbia and Clark counties. • Online: • Develop, manage, track and continuously improve online programs designed to showcase stakeholder businesses and connect them with their target audiences in a contextually relevant manner. • Benchmark and track outbound referrals to stakeholder businesses via our web properties and mobile applications. 4

22. Lead an efficient, high-performing organization. Strategies • Achieve revenue and operating expense goal for program of work. • Upgrade IT systems, Cloud computing and financial software. Create and execute a three-year IT plan. • Review employee evaluation procedures and update classification/compensation material bi-yearly. • Implement an employee satisfaction survey every three years. • Ensure diversity hiring practices and strong outreach programs. 5