Fiscal Year 2007 marked a year of firsts for the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. It also marked a year of growth, both for BACVA and for the destination. As the president of BACVA, I want to thank our members and stakeholders for your support and ongoing commitment to our success and the success of Baltimore's tourism industry. Because of this strong alliance, our sales and marketing strategies continue to show positive results and our outlook for the future is strong.
For the first time, we are establishing important benchmarks and sales goals based on an independent, third-party Trends, Analysis and Projections Report that tracks our booking progress monthly, identifies holes in the business cycle, and sets room night goals based on 48 city variables and past production. It's a tool that makes us smarter salespeople and a more effective selling team with our hotel partners and the Baltimore Convention Center.
We've increased sales productivity by 8 percent with new, proactive sales strategies to drive more business to Baltimore. They include adding more muscle and experience to the sales team; a new convention sales ad touting Baltimore as an appealing and cost-effective city where everything is within two feet; a new alliance with our hotels; coordinated sales and press missions to five key cities during the month of March; more sales events; and a unique sales partnership with Fort Worth that strengthens the sales teams for both cities and speaks directly to meeting planners who book on a geographic rotation.
Other initiatives include developing an innovative new Web site that engages local residents in the way we market Baltimore with online videos that highlight the city's authentic experiences that are not typically found in a visitor brochure, more strategic outreach to African American travelers, and the creation of a new micro-site providing an insider's guide to arts and culture in Baltimore.
As a city, it's been a year for the record books with blockbuster events and unprecedented national media coverage. With back-to-back national sporting events — Preakness, NCAA Lacrosse, Dew Action Sports — exposure for Baltimore reached new heights with sports fans around the country. That, coupled with the positive media coverage Baltimore received throughout the year — Food Network with Rachel Ray, CBS Morning Show, the New York Times, Southwest Air and U.S. Airways in-flight magazines, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Global Traveler, and Budget Travel, just to name a few — it's no wonder why Baltimore continues to turn heads and establish itself as a must-experience destination for meeting planners, group tour operators, and group and leisure travelers.
Tom Noonan
President & CEO
