February 27, 2024

Trends in TOT, ADR & Occupancy

• 23-24 TOT funds are showing a 1% increase over prior year due to higher ADR, although occupancy is trending down. 22-23 TOT was the highest year on record at $4.67m.

• Commercial flights to Sonoma County (STS) begin May 3. This new service will connect 2 award-winning wine countries which will present new marketing opportunities.
• Marion County is in final process of issuing a 2-year contract to Travel Salem for regional tourism promotion.
• The Travel Salem KPTV Weather Cam is operating from the rooftop of The Holman Hotel, and during January featured Salem 75 times, representing 3,750,000 impressions.
• The Cultural Heritage Intern Program is underway, with 2 OSU interns collaborating with four cultural heritage partners to produce work on various projects (e.g., website, content development, social media, events).

STPA Subcommittee-Overview and Recap

Chair Snyder shared that an internal sub-committee had been formed and they met with CEO Villery in January to discuss shoulder season occupancy & ADR, leads processing, and tradeshow recaps. STPA Committee discussed the following, with action items noted:

• Leads will be distributed to all hoteliers, and a booking report will be sent to the hotels monthly.

Tradeshow Participation Criteria

• Salem hoteliers can participate in STPA-supported tradeshows with no financial buy-in required; hotels will have to pay for own travel expenses
• All other partners will have a financial buy-in to attend tradeshows; STPA Committee will review each opportunity and determine buy-in amount

IMEX Co-Op
IMEX co-op fees will be refunded to all tradeshow participants.

STPA Scholarship Fund
A Scholarship Fund will be created to provide support to hotels that would like to participate in tradeshows, but need financial assistance to cover travel expenses. The remaining IMEX funds will be allocated as seed money to create a $10k Scholarship Fund. Criteria will be developed for applicants.

Participation in Cvent
Travel Salem will be attending the June 2024 Cvent tradeshow in San Antonio. A higher level of participation with Cvent will be considered for the 24-25 Marketing Plan.

Annual Meeting Planner Fam
The fam has been scheduled for August 2024 and will target planners from recent tradeshows who have shown interest in coming to Salem to learn more about destination; goal to host 10-12 planners.

300+ Room Nights from Past 10 Years
Travel Salem presented a report that will be reviewed at a subsequent meeting.

NCAA Portable Basketball Flooring at OSFEC
STPA Committee allocated $20k in 23-24 and has $22k remaining from flooring maintenance in 22-23, totaling $42k. Staff is working with OSAA, NWAC and AFL to determine specs for equipment to meet expected needs.

24-25 Marketing Plan - % Allocations to Program Areas
The Committee discussed the concept of % allocations to program areas (marketing, conventions/sports, destination development, etc) but decided not to pursue this. Further discussion will happen during the process to approve the 24-25 Marketing Plan.

STPA Program Continuation
Chair Snyder explained that the STPA is set to renew in January 2025 for another 5-years. The Committee discussed and consensus was the STPA should continue.

Frequency of STPA meetings
Meetings and will move to bi-monthly to provide more ability for the Committee to engage and review progress of initiatives.

STPA Committee – Vacancy
The Committee discussed the open position on the Committee, and will seek a new candidate to fill the position. Committee members were encouraged to make suggestions.

February 13, 2024

The Salem Baseball Club

• Luke Emanuel (SASC Member) presented to the group, highlighting the West Coast League’s expansion into Salem in 2025 through the Salem Baseball Club.
• The team will play home games at Willamette University and is also partnering with the Salem-Keizer School District.
• In a coalition with the Hillsboro Hops and Eugene Emeralds, the Salem Baseball Club is looking to secure funding for turf, infrastructure & facility development from the legislature that is currently in session.

Sports Commission Work Groups

• Held a meeting with the Youth and Club Sports Work Group
• Discussion took place about youth baseball and little league involvement, turf and facility development opportunities, and the need for a regional sports master plan around inventory, strategy and funding.

Turf Committee

• Committee Chair Toby Olsen briefed the group on the newly formed Turf Committee, which held its first meeting on January 27. Several SASC members volunteered to take part.
• Other relevant outside stakeholders were invited as well, including a staff member from Representative Mannix’s team as well as a representation from the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Current Sports Initiatives/Potential New Business

• The 4th Annual Willamette Valley Open Pickleball Tournament is taking place March 8-10, 2024 at Illahe Country Club
• Softball events at Wallace Marine Park
• Potential new business includes US Australian Football League, USA Taekwondo, and the American Cornhole Organization