Visitors Bureau has had open arms for 25 years
(sub) Visitors Bureau has had open arms for 25 years
By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writers
CITYWIDE — When Beverly Moore was put in charge of running the newly created Convention and Visitors Bureau a quarter century ago, she didn’t have a staff and she didn’t have a multi-million dollar budget. She was just happy to have a desk.
Situated in the back office of a graphic design firm tucked into the old Merle Norman building on Main Street, Moore used a “beat up chair and a metal cabinet,” as well as the $140,000 from City Hall, to breathe life into an organization that has since become a leader in tourism promotion. In doing so, the CVB has helped transform Santa Monica from a sleepy beach town at the end of Wilshire Boulevard into the progressive, environmentally conscious, cosmopolitan city it is today.
“We started that day with a legal pad and asked ourselves: How does one create the best marketing agency in the nation?” recalled Moore, the director of the Marina del Rey CVB since 2001. “At first, no one knew where Santa Monica was … We had hotels that registered themselves as being in Los Angeles, competing against more than 200 others instead of registering in Santa Monica because it just had no name recognition.
“Jump forward 25 years and we certainly don’t have to explain any more what and where Santa Monica is,” Moore added. “It is an extremely beautiful, well known destination both here and abroad.”
“Jump forward 25 years and we certainly don’t have to explain any more what and where Santa Monica is,”
“It is an extremely beautiful, well known destination both here and abroad.” — Moore added
As the nonprofit celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, CVB officials are looking to raise awareness about the organization and its contributions to Santa Monica. It is not just a valuable resource for tourists, helping them find the right hotel, finest restaurants or the best bus route to Montana Avenue. The CVB is a major contributor to the local economy, helps residents find special holiday rates for visiting friends and families, sponsors local events, gives guidance to couples planning on tying the knot, and can personalize an itinerary to keep that obnoxious uncle or nagging grandmother off your hands.
“This really has been a true partnership between the chamber of commerce, the city and the community,” said Misti Kerns, who replaced Moore as president and CEO of the bureau.
355,“I think we are constantly improving and even more so in the past two or three years,” Kerns added. “There has been a focus on people’s perceptions of Santa Monica, particularly with the beach. Through our beach summits, you can see that the city, the business community and the residents have definitely stepped up. The level of community pride has increased as we have taken a hard look at what we do and have identified those areas that need improvement. I think the city, as a whole, is committed to making that happen.”
The non-profit organization, comprised of 25 travel counselors and staff, and a board of 11 community and business leaders, provides information to residents and tourists, increases visitor expenditures, tourism revenues and local employment opportunities through the promotion of Santa Monica as a premier travel destination.
Judging from the latest economic reports, the bureau is doing something right. Destination awareness promoted by the CVB has helped raise more than $900 million annually from direct-tourism spending. In 1983, there were 2.87 million visitors spending roughly $207 million. In 2004, there were 4.9 million visitors spending roughly $840.5 million, a 300-percent growth in spending, said Kerns.
Money generated contributes to the city’s general fund, along with funds collected from the transient occupancy tax (T.O.T.), a bed tax that is collected from all Santa Monica hotel guests. Tourists who stay and play in Santa Monica help the local business economy and bring valuable T.O.T revenue to the city, thereby improving services to residents and enhancing the overall quality of life for locals.
“This money is vital to the welfare and sustainability of our community as it helps to pay for our city street and park improvements, public safety and amenities and services enjoyed by all,” Kerns said. “How lucky are we to live and work here?”
CVB’s got a ‘brand’ new bag
Santa Monicans weren’t always so lucky, at least when it came to finances. When the CVB was formed, the Third Street Promenade was just a concept slowly becoming a reality, and the Santa Monica Pier was in jeopardy of being completely torn down after storms destroyed a large portion of it.
Significant investment by City Hall, residents and local business helped breathe new life into the city, allowing it to compete with other destinations in Southern California. Artists continued to flourish, as did local restaurateurs, helping the city earn a reputation as a premier destination for the arts and a great place to tickle the taste buds, with Zagat’s naming the city the best place to fine dine in Los Angeles for the second straight year.
In addition to the promenade, Montana Avenue and Main Street have become popular shopping districts that attract tourists and locals alike.
4A8,“It is a very diverse experience that can be offered here, and not a lot of communities can say that,” Kerns said.
City Manager Lamont Ewell, who sits on the CVB board, said the bureau and its work with tourism has helped make Santa Monica what it is today by providing the funding needed to support essential city services and progressive programs that protect the environment and promote a sustainable lifestyle. Ewell said tourism plays an important role in the local economy, providing City Hall with another significant revenue stream, ensuring that the budget remains stable even during economic downturns.
“What it really means is that we don’t have to go to our taxpayers, our local residents, and ask them if they would consider raising taxes because we have a strong revenue stream like this,” Ewell said. “The challenge will be whether or not we can sustain it. We are seeing a softening of the economy so the CVB becomes even more critical, being out there encouraging people to visit Santa Monica. I think now is a good time because of the dollar being so weak. We are seeing a lot more tourists from outside the country, people coming in spending money and that’s fantastic.”
The CVB is funded by City Hall and currently receives $3.6 million, “which, if you are comparing it, is a small percentage of the collected T.O.T., which is on pace to bring in $33 million,” Kerns said. “My goal is to sustain the numbers we have. We know that we have reached a certain capacity, and that’s fine. We’re sitting high on that wave and I want to keep us there, but to do that we have to start putting more money into marketing, advertising, sales, and stay on pace with our competitors.”
Kerns said CVB places two ads per year and spends the rest of the time looking to hotels and local businesses owners to provide goods and services to visiting journalists to help get the word out.
Despite the lack of funding necessary to do an all out blitz, the bureau has managed to attract unique groups such as the American Film Market (AFM), CA Boom Design Show, E3 Media & Business Summit and others whose attendees enjoy walking in the community, mostly, without creating traffic and congestion in the city.
53F,CVB was also one of the first visitor bureau’s in the United States to fully embrace and apply the process of branding Santa Monica as a destination. In order to keep Santa Monica at the forefront of consumers’ minds as a preferred destination, the community driven Destination Brand Promise was developed: “Santa Monica — the best way to discover Los Angeles; an unforgettable beach city experience filled with eye-catching people, cutting-edge culture and bold innovations. It is the essence of the California lifestyle.”
Realizing the importance of the Santa Monica beach experience, CVB spearheaded the First Annual Beach Summit on Sept. 14, 2006, where local attendees focused on Environmental Stewardship, Amenities & Services and Safety Perceptions. The primary goal of the event was to gather information and input that could be implemented to make Santa Monica’s beach areas more appealing for its visitors and residents. As result of the summit, more than a dozen programs were put into motion to improve Santa Monica beaches. This year, the Second Annual Beach Summit was held on Sept. 25. The event kicked off the countdown to CVB’s 25-year anniversary celebration, hosting dozens of community, city and environmental leaders who are anxious to find more new ways of working together to continue to deliver on the brand promise.
Not to be overlooked, the bureau leads by example in the community as a local green business. CVB is one of the healthiest and most energy efficient businesses in the city. The organization was the first charter business in Santa Monica to receive a “Green Business” certification for practicing and promoting the cities sustainable lifestyle. In addition, CVB is one of five local businesses recently awarded for environmental stewardship in the community.
While it’s nice to look back, the CVB is looking forward to another 25 years of progress and believes the days ahead will pose significant challenges, but nothing that the community can’t handle if it continues to work together. In the coming years, CVB will be working hard to make sure that the community believes in the brand, promotes the brand and sees the importance of always improving.
“There are a lot of exciting things that we have yet to do,” said Mary Ann Powell, chair of the CVB board and the CEO of Pacific Park on the pier. “We have our work cut out for us with the branding strategy, but judging from what has happened in the past, I don’t believe there is anything that we can’t accomplish. I’m definitely looking forward to what the future has to offer.”
“It is a very diverse experience that can been offered here, and not a lot of communities can say that.”
Misti Kerns, president and CEO of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.