2022 Annual Report

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For more details on Visit Rancho Cordova, see below or contact us at info@visitranchocordova.com.

Visit Rancho Cordova 2022 Annual Report

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Seven people holding a sign at an escape room
board of directors
marketing
Sales

Marc Sapoznik, President/CEO

Dear Stakeholders,

To say these have been transformational times for the travel industry would be an understatement. The impacts from COVID-19 continue to have ripple effects throughout our industry, from staffing and workforce development issues, changes to the way we travel, and understanding how we come out of the pandemic into a new reality.

Despite the challenges, compared to similar destinations around the country, Rancho Cordova lodging properties, in aggregate, fared better than most during fiscal year 2021/2022. In large part, this was due to government business that came in the form of National Guard and FEMA, along with select state agency staff that needed to locate close to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) offices. Of course, the massive Caldor Fire provided the impetus for several thousand room nights to be utilized in our city by firefighting agencies and evacuees.

While our community worked to come back from the lowest points of the pandemic, Rancho Cordova Travel and Tourism Corporation (RCTTC) took numerous steps to prepare for the future. In 2021, the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) was renewed for a 10-year period. This allowed RCTTC to expand our team to better serve the needs of our stakeholders. We sit at seven full-time staff members, up from two prior to the pandemic. This gave the organization an opportunity to fine-tune and deliver more effective marketing programs for our new reality, and to establish a bonafide sales department with Maggie Thyken Huss joining our team as the Director of Sales. Maggie has generated over 100 leads with the opportunity of over 12,000 room nights this calendar year alone. With previous experience at Visit Sacramento and the Sacramento Sports Commission, Lisa Leonti-Nottingham, has become our team's newest addition as Sales Coordinator.

Our marketing team has expanded too! Newest to the team as Content Manager, Greg Watry, has come aboard with an impressive and accomplished multi-year journalism background. Earlier this year, Aubrey Hall also joined the team as Marketing Coordinator, with instrumental experience artistically. With Leena Riggs at the helm, marketing campaigns have generated significant room nights. One example is a single Expedia campaign that generated over 3,100 room nights and $460,000 in revenue to Rancho Cordova lodging properties.

On the administrative front, Dawn Hall joined the organization full-time as our Operations Director with over a decade of experience in the business community at the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. With all the changes, conferences, and events coming back into existence, we have expanded our presence at key industry events, are involved with more community and industry organizations than ever, and continue to focus on future impact for our lodging properties and tourism-impacted businesses.

As we embark on the 2022/2023 FY, a new hotel is opening in our city. The Marriott TownePlace Suites will open in October, adding 117 beautiful hotel rooms to our market. With city-wide occupancy rates above historical averages, the hospitality industry in Rancho Cordova has proved extraordinary resilience. RCTTC looks forward to continuing to lead our destination to greater success in 2022/2023 and beyond.

Meet Visit Rancho Cordova

Marc Sapoznik

President & CEO

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Dawn Hall

Vice President of Operations

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Maggie Thyken Huss

Director of Sales

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Leena Riggs

Director of Marketing & Partnerships

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Aubrey Hall

Marketing Coordinator

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Lisa Leonti-Nottingham

Sales Coordinator

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Who we are

Established in 2010 but formally organized in 2011, the Rancho Cordova Tourism Business Improvement District (RCTBID) increases district visitors, improves destination brand awareness, and bolsters market share for Rancho Cordova hotels. Through robust marketing, brand positioning, and relationship management, Visit Rancho Cordova continues to accomplish these goals for the Rancho Cordova community.

Our Core Values

Welcoming, IDEA, Innovation, Stewardship, Community, Kaizen, Fun

Through intentionally inclusive sustainable tourism development, listening with care, and purposeful compassion toward the challenges of our local community, Visit Rancho Cordova celebrates local voices and provides accessible experiences for everyone to enjoy. At our core, we embrace IDEA in our community-based programs and the equitable exchange of economic and social contributions of travelers to the region.

IDEA

Inclusion
Diversity
Equity
Accessibility

TBID over Time

Since the formation of RCTBID in 2011 through the pre-pandemic period, the Occupancy rate increased by over 50%, the Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by more than 45%, and RevPAR increased by 79%. Over this same timeframe, nationally, the Occupancy rate only increased by 15.1%.

bar graph showing Visit Rancho Cordova TBID
Pictured: Visit Rancho Cordova 5 year TBID growth
budget pie chart for Visit Rancho Cordova
Pictured: 2022 Budget
$2.63 M

Visit Rancho Cordova Board of Directors

Thank you 2021-2022 Visit Rancho Cordova Board of Directors

Dean Chapman
VP Revenue Management, Vista Investments

Diann Rogers
President and CEO, Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce

Kristin Goble
Director of Sales, Residence Inn by Marriott

Micah Runner
Economic Development, City of Rancho Cordova

Robyn Cornell
NorCal Regional Sales Manager Highgate Hotels

Sarah Alvarado
Director of Sales, Hyatt Place

Terry Park
Area Manager, Aimbridge Hospitality

Advisory Visit Rancho Cordova Board Members

Patrick Larkin
Cordova Recreations and Parks District

Lt. Matt Tamayo
Rancho Cordova Police Department

Incoming Visit Rancho Cordova Board of Directors

Ugesh Maharaj
General Manager, Holiday Inn & Suites

Adam Bowley
General Manager, TownePlace Suites

Michelle Quartarolo
Area Sales Manager, Highgate Hotels

Letter from the Chair

Dear Stakeholders:


Rancho Cordova Travel & Tourism Corporation (RCTTC) is determined to move the needle. In tackling some of the most vexing challenges facing our hotel community post-COVID, we are firmly committed to our Strategic Plan, Vision “To Welcome the World to Rancho Cordova,” and improving our organization. Despite challenges created by a global pandemic, RCTTC has completed a most impactful year. We have seen our organization grow, moving into our own office, and adding several key positions: Operations Manager, Content Manager, and Director of Sales. These positions are bringing about a dramatic change to taking a proactive approach to selling our destination. In addition, we were able to promote our Executive Director to President/CEO, who will continue to lead RCTTC to meet our goals. Our progress has been made possible, in large part, by the hotel partners voting to increase our TBID.

We will continue to work with our trusted advisors to move our organization forward. To all of our valued partners, I would like to express my profound gratitude for all you do for RCTTC.

I have had the privilege to work closing with RCTTC’s exceptional team. Its board members, senior leadership, and staff members are second to none. They are enormously talented, hard-working, and caring. On behalf of an appreciative Chair, I want to thank everyone for their efforts in making RCTTC a better organization.

Robyn Cornell
Chair, Board of Directors

Rancho Cordova TBID Assessment Hotels

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Marketing Highlights 2021-2022 FY

Dive into a year of highlights, mermaids, and pride!

pie gragh of day/overnight visitation with averages for visit rancho cordova
Pictured: Visitor Data 2021-2022 FY
map of USA with blue color to indicate visitation to rancho cordova
Pictured: Visitation by state in USA
map of california with blue gradient to indicate visitation to rancho cordova
Pictured: Visitation by county in California

New team members; new content!

Welcome! Greg Watry, Content Manager!

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming article profiling MACC Director/Curator Cheryl Gleason in honor of the MACC’s fifth anniversary. A top priority for this effort includes our Barrel District members.

Welcome! Aubrey Hall, Marketing Coordinator!

After completing multiple internships with Visit Rancho Cordova and working as a freelance contractor, Aubrey Hall was brought on as a marketing coordinator. Aubrey has created several successful ad campaigns, including IPW, Pride Journeys, the Visit Rancho Cordova "Be YOU" LGBTQ+ marketing campaign, and our Expedia + Visit California co-op!

Check out some of Greg's work!

Website traffic 21-22 FY

  • 140,000 sessions on the visitranchocordova.com website
  • 166,000 unique users

Social media highlights

  • 30k fans on Visit Rancho Cordova-owned social media channels
  • In 2021-2022 FY, the Visit Rancho Cordova team launched Pinterest, TikTok, & Localhood 'Stories.'

Check out some of our Localhood stories!

Visit Rancho Cordova Foundation

The Visit Rancho Cordova Foundation (501c3) is coming together soon! Those interested in serving on the Board of Directors for the Visit Rancho Cordova Foundation should email Leena Riggs at leena@visitranchocordova.com.

Visit Rancho Cordova Interns

In the 21-22 FY, Visit Rancho Cordova hosted five interns from Sacramento State University. Some of these interns were on a Federal Work-Study Program, and one was a CSUS Summer Fellowship award winner. The Visit Rancho Cordova team looks forward to renewing this program and partnership in 2023. For questions about internships with Visit Rancho Cordova, please visit our careers page or email us at careers@visitranchocordova.com.

Threshold 360 Virtual Tours

  • $30k in Earned Media Value for Visit Rancho Cordova partners with 360 tours
  • Over 1M views of the 360 video tours on Google
  • Nearly 65k views on our and our partner's sites totaling almost 90 hours of consumed video

For information on your tour or to schedule your partner tour, please contact leena@visitranchocordova.com

Tour the Sacramento Rancho Cordova Marriott

NEW! Rancho Cordova Experience Passes

Learn more about our experience passes

Launched on mobile in the fall of 2021 and winter of 2022, respectively, the Visit Rancho Cordova Barrel District Passport and the Visit Rancho Cordova Sierra Foothills Wine Passport have been a hit with locals and tourists alike! With over 500 active passes and almost 800 redemptions, Visit Rancho Cordova looks forward to expanding the experience passes in 2023. 'Around the world,' perhaps? Stay tuned!

Community Partnership Program

Our FREE community partnership program continues to grow! After launching in 2020 as a way to connect with non-lodging partners in our Rancho Cordova community, Visit Rancho Cordova is thrilled to continue to offer this opportunity to our destination partners. Searching for a restaurant, venue, or hospitality service on our website? Take note of the 'FEATURED' tag! Those are our Community Partners!

Community Engagement Manager- COMING SOON

Stay tuned to our career page for opportunities with Visit Rancho Cordova and our partners. Role details for a Community Engagement Manager will be posted in early Fall 2022.

Sales Highlights 2021-2022 FY

FAMbassadors, Destination Analysis, and Leads! Oh, my!

three circles with room nights and leads generated
Keep an eye out for the updated lead request form!
Maggie Thyken HussDirector of Sales

FAMs & focus groups

Our inaugural and first annual Destination Analysis in March of 2022 brought together hoteliers to discuss local sentiment, business needs, and future sales and marketing strategy.

Our inaugural Familiarization Trip and Focus Group brought Bay Area Meeting Planners to visit Rancho Cordova in August 2022. Our first class of Rancho Cordova FAMbassadors! The data collected from these events have informed our sales and marketing strategies. On 9/28/22, Visit Rancho Cordova began soliciting RFPs (Request for Proposals) for a re-branding project. Maggie Thyken Huss will host a sales meet-up to discuss the final report.

Conferences/Trade Shows on the horizon

IMEX – October 2022
All Things Meetings Trade Show – October 2022
Connect WEST – November 2022
CalSAE Seasonal Spectacular – December 2022
PCMA Convening Leaders – January 2022
CA Cup Golf Invitational – April 2022
CalSAE Elevate – April 2022
HelmsBriscoe ABC – May 2023
Northstar Meetings Destination West – May 2022
IPW – May 2023
SGMP NEC – June 2023

New! Industry 2022-2023 Memberships and Sponsorships

HelmsBriscoe
CalSAE
CalSAE Regional Council
CVENT Diamond Member
PCMA
SGMP

NEW! Sales Department Team Members

In the Fall of 2021, Visit Rancho Cordova welcomed Maggie Thyken Huss as Director of Sales. Maggie worked for over a decade as a hotelier, including in the Rancho Cordova market, and served as a Visit Rancho Cordova Board Member.

In the Summer of 2022, Visit Rancho Cordova welcomed Lisa Leonti-Nottingham as Sales Coordinator and the official second member of the sales department! Lisa comes from years as an event manager and former team member for Visit Sacramento.

Major Events

Events are back! Rancho Cordova welcomed terrific events in 2021-2022, and Visit Rancho Cordova proudly sponsored or supported this fantastic return to in-person!

Events included

  • California Capital Airshow 2021
  • Hangtown MX
  • Golden State Race Series by Rio Strada Racing 2022
  • California Mermaid Convention 2022
  • SW Junior Rowing Championships
  • WCC Rowing Championships & Western Sprints
  • Gold Rush Masters Regatta
  • Pacific USA Track & Field
  • Golden West Invitational Track Meet
  • Pride with Leo & Friends at the Sacramento Children's Museum