Board Report
President's Summary
June 2024
After years of pursuing a Washington, D.C., flight, we’re thrilled about the recent addition of a new nonstop service from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on United Airlines. Washington, D.C. has been a priority, as it is critical for both group and leisure business. Providing greater accessibility to the mid-Atlantic and global destinations, the new Washington, D.C., service begins December 19 and will operate daily until April 30, 2025. United Airlines shared with us that pre-bookings are doing well and felt there was a high level of excitement among their frequent travelers. We encourage all of you to book a trip, both for business and leisure!
The daily flights will maintain the following schedule:
- Depart Washington, D.C. at 9 a.m., arrive in Palm Springs at 11:40 a.m.
- Depart Palm Springs at 1 p.m., arrive in Washington, D.C. at 8:45 p.m.
The JPA (Joint Powers Authority) Agreement has been approved by all the members, adding the City of Coachella, and expanding our responsibilities to include economic development. Thank you for your assistance during this process!
North Star Place Branding + Marketing, the agency contracted to establish a brand and marketing strategy specific to economic development in Greater Palm Springs, started their focus group and one-on-one interview process with organizations in the following sectors: Agriculture, Arts & Entertainment, Clean Energy, Development, and Healthcare. More than 35 people participated, and additional interviews will continue via Zoom.
Group interest in the destination remains strong. The Convention Sales team is at 113% of the YTD goal, keeping us ahead of pace for 2024 and 2025. The Tourism Development team has been busy connecting with key clients to ensure our destination is top-of-mind for international summer travelers, as initial indicators point to year-over-year growth in many of our international source markets. Visit Greater Palm Springs’ presence at U.S. Travel’s IPW conference, held this year in Los Angeles, was again a success, offering a wellness lounge on the conference floor and an activation in the outdoor California Plaza.
Through the first week of June, we represented the destination in 27 events/ shows, sales calls, including: Boston, San Diego, Sacramento, Toronto, Denver, Texas, Minnesota, Washington D.C., Newport, Greensboro, Orange County, Los Angeles, Charleston, Louisville, Des Moines & Omaha, Arizona, Columbus, and Chicago. We also joined the Visit California roadshow in Chicago & Washington, D.C. Looking forward, we will be representing the destination at 23 events, including the Canadian Meetings & Events Expo in Toronto in August. We will also be at ASAE Annual in Cleveland.
Season Two of the Art & Sol campaign debuted in April with new video content highlighting our diverse community of local artists, supported with digital and social media promotion as well as updated blog content on our website.
Kudo’s to the marketing team: They have been on a production marathon over the past three months. A total of 40 production days working on the new Fall Winter Campaign, summer co-op campaign, sustainability video, California Live, dineGPS & “Your Guide To” series, and the summer social media campaign.
Summer has officially arrived with our summer “Check In, Chill Out” campaign, which launched mid-May with refreshed creative assets across all platforms, as well as the launch of our summer television co-op with our 15 co-op partners. Over the coming months we will share video content from our co-op partners, influencer collaborations from our summer social media campaign with Sonic Gods, and a summer hero campaign video to promote summer travel to Greater Palm Springs. Thank you to our partners for their continued participation in this program, which airs in selected markets through mid-September across cable, connected television, and KTLA in Los Angeles. We also kicked off the season by posting a trendy Long Weekend reel that encouraged summer fun. In the upcoming months.
For the second year, we are working on a custom summer campaign with VRBO “an oasis from everyday,” which will highlight content creators in three distinctive vacation rentals in Greater Palm Springs through video content and social amplification. This campaign will launch late in June to promote summer and fall travel. The 2023 this program resulted in 17.5M in future gross bookings for the destination.
This summer, we will also be participating in Expedia’s upcoming national brand campaign, “No Days Left Behind.” We are one of a limited number of destinations featured in this campaign, which will have an expanded reach across the US with high-impact advertising including digital, OOH, website, social media and PR.
We hope you enjoyed Restaurant Week, with more than 100 restaurants participating this year – our most popular yet! The enthusiasm and participation was truly remarkable, garnering extensive engagement and media coverage throughout the 10 days. As of June 10th, the momentum continues with the launch of our Summer Eats Pass.
On June 5th for World Environment Day, we launched a sustainability documentary in partnership with Sustainable Travel International and Zinc Media. The video highlights our destination’s conservation and preservation efforts through the lens of our partners at Friends of the Desert Mountains and The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens.
In the coming months, we will be finalizing our fall campaign with a newly produced brand spot and campaign headline, which will be launching mid-September.
In celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week, we hosted 12 high school students from Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) for a special day dedicated to exploring careers in the hospitality industry. The students spent the day taking part in the VGPS TEAM GPS course, an engaging session that provides an overview of the hospitality industry's key elements and the vital role it plays in the local economy. Students also toured the VGPS office and heard from staff members about their career journeys followed by a lunch and guided tour at the nearby Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort, offering them a behind-the-scenes look at one of the region’s premier hospitality establishments.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our fourth annual Tourism Foundation Golf Tournament & Reception on April 30th for supporting our efforts. Special thanks to our hosts, JW Marriot Desert Springs Resort & Spa, as well. We raised over $35,000 that will go toward scholarships for Coachella Valley students pursuing hospitality degrees and other programming for our local hospitality workforce.
Our next charity event will be our Champions of Hospitality Awards & Gala on November 19th. The team will be sending out nomination forms to you soon, so keep an eye out for them and take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts of your employees. We encourage you to nominate those who have demonstrated exceptional service, dedication, and hospitality. Your participation will help us celebrate the individuals who make our destination truly special. More details to follow, but we’re already looking forward to seeing your nominations and celebrating together at the Gala!
Finally, I want to take a moment to thank you for your invaluable guidance and support. It is deeply appreciated as we strive to showcase our distinctive and diverse destination to a global audience, all while enhancing the quality of life for our residents and partners here in the valley. I wish you a summer filled with success and enjoyment!
Sincerely,
Scott White, President/CEO
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