Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan. As of January 3, 2018

Transcription

1 Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan As of January 3, 2018

2 INTRODUCTION DISCOVER PALM BEACH COUNTY INC dba DISCOVER THE PALM BEACHES (DTPB) serves as Palm Beach County s official source for travel planning to visitors around the US and internationally. It is a Destinations International (DI) accredited private non-profit corporation that delivers professional destination marketing services for Palm Beach County through the application of a wide range of marketing, sales and community engagement strategies as established in a multi-year contract with the Board of County Commissioners as approved and endorsed by the Tourism Development Council. Its activities and strategies are anchored on DI s platforms such as Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) and DestinationNEXT. It is funded primarily through a portion of the tourism taxes collected by the hotels and other accommodations as well as hospitality partner support and cooperative programs. After eight years of growth, Discover The Palm Beaches is entering an ever more competitive environment and perilous political landscape. To guarantee positive trajectory in 2018 and beyond Discover The Palm Beaches is revitalizing its strategic plan and embracing phase 3 of DestinationNEXT. This process aims to strengthen brand awareness, accelerate effective meetings acquisition, enhance community engagement, ensure organizational sustainability and energize destination development. Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 2

3 INTRODUCTION In the spring of 2017, Discover The Palm Beaches (DTPB) retained InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. to help develop a new three-year strategic plan for the organization. The engagement started off with 45 comprehensive interviews conducted by the consulting team as well as the senior management team at DTPB. This provided critical insight into the destination s current situation. In parallel, local stakeholders completed a comprehensive DestinationNEXT survey of the destination and organization to identify key issues. This resulted in 92 responses from a wide array of stakeholder groups. On August 1 st, the consulting team facilitated a strategic planning workshop to discuss the new strategic plan. Through this workshop, 32 ideal future initiatives were identified and prioritized for the next 3 years. One-on-one Interviews 45 interviews with local leaders in the community DestinationNEXT Assessment 92 Participants 17 DTPB Board Members 19 DTPB Staff Member 11 DTPB Partner - Hotel 17 Chamber of Commerce of The Palm Beaches 6 Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce 5 Community Leader (Non-Board Member) 14 DTPB Partner Non-Hotel 3 Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Ideal Future Exercise 32 potential initiatives identified 12 scored about an 8.0 or Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 3

4 STRATEGIC PLANNING The strategic planning process is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. Strategic Plan Elements Vision Mission What you want the destination to become Inspirational Clear picture of the future and priorities Purpose of the organization Establish unique identity Strategic Goals Strategies Long term goals which must be achieved to realize the vision Actions which must be completed to meet strategic goals Performance Objectives Measurable results Stretch targets but realistic Medium and longer term targets Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 4

5 TASK FORCE MEETINGS & MANAGEMENT TEAM MEETINGS After the Strategic Planning Session DTPB conducted 5 Task Force meetings, with Board members, in order to develop strategies for each strategic goal identified during the Planning Session. The DTPB management team conducted a series of internal meetings to finalize the vision, mission, strategies and objectives based on all input received during the planning process. Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 5

6 RE-ENGINEERING DESTINATION ORGANIZATIONS Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 6

7 DESTINATIONNEXT ASSESSMENT The results of the Assessment placed The Palm Beaches in the Trailblazer scenario, with above average score for destination strength and community support & engagement. o A Destination Trailblazer is a DMO and destination that realize the benefits of their tourism vision and work to keep the community and marketplace engagement fresh and relevant. Industry Plot The industry plot shown below to the left shows the score for The Palm Beaches compared against the average of other U.S. destinations that have completed the DestinationNEXT Assessment. The stakeholder plot shown below to the right signals that the stakeholders that participated in the assessment were only somewhat aligned in their views of The Palm Beaches and its tourism offering. Stakeholder Plot Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 7

8 PRE-SESSION INTERVIEWS Prior to the Strategic Planning Session 45 industry and community leaders were interviewed to gain insight into key tourism opportunities, issues and influencing factors. Below are the key takeaways from these interviews: 1. Strong base to start with; lots of optimism about future prospects 2. Opportunities in group business (city-wides; corporate and incentive meetings) 3. Product development a key requirement (hotel development; iconic attractions; urban appeal) 4. Seasonality 5. Sharing economy 6. Brand (Mar-a-Lago opportunity?) 7. Improved collaboration (inter-agency and regional) 8. Funding 9. Community support & engagement 10. Performance metrics 11. Technological disruption 12. HR Capabilities and Requirements Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 8

9 PLANNING SESSION - IDEAL FUTURE EXERCISE The Board created and prioritized the following list of ideal futures after a facilitated discussion. Rank Ideal Future Level of Importance 1 Implement event strategy to deal with seasonality in need periods. Create more business in off-peak periods Increase shoulder season occupancy by 3% Increase convention business by 20% Improve TDC and inter-agency alignment Refocusing marketing dollars to maximize ROI Complete a tourism master plan for The Palm Beaches including a strategy for sustainable growth Effectively deploy marketing strategy and brand awareness to top three in FL Significantly expand private funds for the organization Increase community partnerships and engagement (including broader groups) Develop strategy to increase the proportion of repeat visitors Engage millennial generation to increase visitation Expand headquarter hotel capacity Increase video content across all media channels Increase overnight stays by 10% Expand public support for tourism Develop and implement a plan to successfully address competition and disruption in the marketplace 7.7 *Scale: 1-10 (1 Low Importance, 10 High Importance) Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 9

10 PLANNING SESSION - IDEAL FUTURE EXERCISE (CONT.) The Board created and prioritized the following list of ideal futures after a facilitated discussion. Rank Ideal Future Level of Importance 17 Maintain tourism as the number one driver for job creation Implement improved performance metrics reporting (e.g. standardize room-night attribution policy) Align organization resources with greater focus on product development Increase non-stop airlift (e.g. west of Denver) Expand accommodation capacity overall in the County Make Palm Beach County a top 5 destination in the country for minorities Be recognized as a best place to work Expand tourism infrastructure for visitors (e.g. beach trolley) To further define the quality of customers that are attracted to our conventions Successfully develop and capitalize on the strategy for sharing economy Be recognized as a leading model Expand convention center capacity Implement a diversity plan for staff Develop an iconic attraction Create a DMO booking channel Use political leverage to become first community to use self-driving cars 5.1 *Scale: 1-10 (1 Low Importance, 10 High Importance) Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 10

11 Vision: To position The Palm Beaches as Florida s premier tourism destination Mission: Grow the tourism economy Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 11

12 STRATEGIC GOALS Improved Alignment & Community Engagement Hospitality/Business/Local/NGOs/EDOs To position The Palm Beaches as Florida s premier tourism destination. Strengthened Brand Awareness & Marketing Awareness/Image/Intention Expanded Meetings & Events Need Periods/Yield/Awareness Ensured Organizational Sustainability Funding/Capacity/Endurance/Relevance Energized Destination Development Master Plan/Project Champions Mission: Grow the tourism economy Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 12

13 GOAL 1: STRENGTHENED BRAND AWARENESS & MARKETING A Destination Brand is a name, symbol, logo, word or other unified graphics that are instantly recognizable and both identifies and establishes differentiation for the destination across all mediums; and conveys the promise of the destination. The brand is anchored by the destination promise, conviction, attributes and positioning statements, as well as, stakeholders ability to deliver on that promise. Destination Marketing encompasses the strategies created to bring the brand to life across all communication channels, to allow inspiration to take place, ultimately building loyalists for the Destination Brand. Lead: SVP Marketing, Leisure Sales & Community Engagement in collaboration with Marketing Advisory Committee (MAC) and Board/Community Leadership Performance Objectives Increase interest in visiting as a vacation/leisure destination to 40% (Measured by: MMGY POAT) Increase interest in visiting as a vacation/leisure destination among Millennials to 55% (Measured by: MMGY POAT) Reach 4.8 million annual hotel room nights sold through marketing efforts and collaboration with TDC, sister agencies, stakeholders, etc. (Measured by: STR) Grow awareness of DTPB brand in targeted markets to 46% (Measured by: Brand Awareness Study) Attract 2.4 million annual website visitors (Measured by: Google Analytics) Generate 770,000 in annual social media engagement (Measured by: Sprout Social) Reach 650,000,000 annual paid advertising impressions (Measured by: AOR) Develop a key media target list in order to establish and grow the overall contribution of earned media impressions by targeted PR efforts (Measured by: Meltwater) *Performance Objectives reflect a 3-year timeframe Strategies (a) Leverage the diversity of content through community engagement to differentiate and capitalize on the unique experiences of the destination (b) Ensure the millennial footprint is leveraged and developed within destination marketing and product offerings (c) Develop a comprehensive communication strategy based on prevailing market conditions to ensure The Palm Beaches are top-of-mind across all tourism sectors (d) Develop a distinct brand identity for meetings, conventions, and events Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 13

14 GOAL 2: EXPANDED MEETINGS & EVENTS Increase meetings, conventions, and events contribution to destination visitation to achieve the endless season goal and increase awareness for the destination. Lead: SVP Group Sales & Destination Services in collaboration with Sales Advisory Committees, Customer Advisory Board (CAB) and Sr. Executives Performance Objectives Elevate hotel performance in key periods by selling group, meetings, sports, and niche market room nights. (Measured by: STR) 362,000 in June 382,000 in July 344,000 in Aug 336,000 in Sep 410,000 in Oct Contract a total of 465,000 room nights (In-house hotel production over 3 years) Contract a total of 178,000 room nights (Convention Center over 3 years) Develop and/or attract 1 new summer/fall event Establish a base brand awareness in 2018 and increase by 5 percentage points (Measured by: Meeting Planner Survey) Develop a solid methodology to accurately measure group share of accommodations room night production to establish a baseline for future growth Develop methodology to measure and establish how leisure travel visitation is influenced by groups/meetings Meet or exceed meeting planner attendance expectations on association, trade shows, etc. *Performance Objectives reflect a 3-year timeframe Strategies (a) Educate industry stakeholders on current and future status of the destination s entire meetings/sports/events/transient performance to ensure partner collaboration on targeted short/long-term goals. (b) Acquire necessary tools and leverage community partners to influence target customers and secure meetings and events. (c) Enhance and elevate currently scheduled destination events. (d) Create and/or secure local and national events for need periods to support brand and room night production. (e) Support the development of a distinct brand identity for meetings conventions, and events (f) Leverage the power of meetings and conventions to increase awareness, resulting in future visitation Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 14

15 GOAL 3: ENERGIZED DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT Provides an organized and structured framework for tourism development. Tourism products include, but not limited to, hotels, attractions, hospitality services, urban renewal, and infrastructure. The master tourism planning process will secure stakeholder support, define the actionable steps to accelerate investment and development in target areas. Lead: SVP Destination Development in collaboration with TDC, BDB, Economic Council and Leadership at Municipal Level Performance Objectives Create and implement first phase of Tourism Master Plan Ensure room inventory of 18,000 by 2020 (Measured by: STR) Establish future projects to increase meeting facilities & room inventory by 4% beyond 2020 (Measured by: STR) Maintain and increase share of visitation in the State of Florida from 8% to 9% (Measured by: Visitor Profile) *Performance Objectives reflect a 3-year timeframe Strategies (a) Develop a strategic framework that will identify new tourism development opportunity areas. (b) Develop a Tourism Master Plan that encompasses a bold long-term vision for the destination and is embraced by key leaders (c) Identify new targeted products and associated steps that could be used to attract investors, and capable development entities. (d) Identify existing destination products with development/transitional opportunities and work to maximize their potential for tourism. (e) Respond to prospective products, providing early stage input to influence concepts to align with the Tourism Master Plan. (f) Collaborate with city, county, and state entities to establish available funding and tax incentives and facilitate their access to stimulate targeted development initiatives. (g) Develop a tool kit that will support the rationale for investing in Palm Beach County. Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 15

16 GOAL 4: ENSURED ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY Organizational Sustainability encompasses the human, financial and information technology resources required to achieve the organization s vision, mission, strategies and program goals over the long term. Board governance, advocacy and community leadership alignment will ensure the organization s long-term relevance. Lead: President & CEO in Collaboration with Directors of HR & BI, SVPs and Board Performance Objectives Increase Bed Tax Collections by 10% to $54 million (Measured by: PBC Tax Collector) Maintain programs generating $300,000 in annual non-public revenue and grow by 10% Identify and implement new non-public revenue source(s) generating $300,000 Establish stakeholder consensus for a Tourism Improvement District (TID) to support a specific sales/marketing goal Create development and succession plans to retain key talent Establish appropriate private reserves to address revenue shortfalls during recession or crisis periods Strategies (a) Develop strategic sustainability by establishing a realistic vision and goals (b) Align internal and governance resources to support Strategic Plan (c) Maintain financial sustainability by advocating for the protection of tourism promotion funding, developing alternative revenue sources and implementing prudent reserve and contingency planning policies. (d) Ensure program and product sustainability by delivering best-in-class destination management initiatives that are effectively communicated to the hospitality community and county leadership. (e) Promote measures that allow organizational adaptability and scalability to changing market and political environment (f) Plan for the long-term organizational framework to manage a positive visitor experience (Brand Culturalization) *Performance Objectives reflect a 3-year timeframe Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 16

17 GOAL 5: IMPROVED ALIGNMENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Achieve local understanding and support for tourism s central role in economic development and quality of life. Increase financial, in-kind and value-added resources for DTPB s competitiveness and success. Lead: AVP Community Engagement and Special Projects, Sr. Dir. Destination Services in collaboration with SVPs, Community Leaders (I.e. Chambers, League of Cities, and NGOs) Performance Objectives Generate $3 million in in-kind non-bed tax value over 3 years Establish a base resident awareness and impression of tourism in The Palm Beaches and grow by 5 percentage points Establish 3 major strategic relationships that significantly contribute to the tourism economy Coordinate 6 community outreach programs Establish 6 tourism initiatives with cities and/or related organizations Launch a tourism advocacy campaign Strategies (a) Increase community partnership and engagement to leverage resources for the destination and organization. (b) Enhance awareness and appreciation for the tourism industry with residents. (c) Establish strategic relationships with business community leaders as well as political leaders at the local, state and national level. (d) Orchestrate staff participation in outreach programs with community groups and industry organizations to solidify DTPB engagement. (e) Become a key curator and influencer of the destination experience by increasing involvement with cities and their related agencies and organizations. *Performance Objectives reflect a 3-year timeframe Discover The Palm Beaches Strategic Plan 17