EXPERIENCE - KNOWLEDGE - COMMITMENT
BARBARA RIDDLE IN THE NEWS
Riddle To Seek Davis Commission Seat
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 02/19/2008 12:58:42 AM MST
Barbara S. Riddle, chief executive of the Davis Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced her candidacy for the Davis County Commission. Riddle, of Fruit Heights, is the second Republican in the race. Randy Minson of West Point, a communications consultant, announced his candidacy last month. They are both seeking the seat to be vacated by Commissioner Alan Hansen, who is not seeking re-election.
In a news release, Riddle, 45, said she would work to ensure Davis County provides the right services at the right prices. "Our county is experiencing enormous growth and change, and people need to feel that their county government is looking out for their interests with sufficient vision," Riddle said, according to the news release.
Riddle has served on a number of boards, including the McKay-Dee Medical Center Board, Zions Bank Advisory Board, Utah Tourism Industry Coalition Board and Davis Chamber of Commerce board.
- Kristen Moulton
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8301222?source=rss
Bureau Gets New Board, Reviews Tourism For 2007
(Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah)
By Loretta Park, Standard-Examiner, Ogden, UtahMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News
Jan. 19--LAYTON -- The Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau board was introduced Friday, minus a commissioner.
No commissioners will serve on the board because it is a conflict of interest with the new contract, said Davis County Commissioner Louenda Downs, who served on the board last year. A commissioner has served on the board since the bureau was organized in 2003. The county signed a contract with the CVB earlier this month. Because commissioners will now review the contract yearly, it is a conflict to have one or more serve on the board, Downs said.
Chris Dallin, public relations director with McKay-Dee Hospital, was named as board chairman. He replaces Todd Johnson, vice president of operations for CottonTree Management, Inc. Wilf Sommerkorn, director of Community and Economic Development, also will continue to serve on the board. The CVB presented its annual end-of-the-year report, as well as its goals forthe upcoming year.
Attendees also got a sneak preview of the CVB's new video it will put on its Web site, www.davisareacvb.com/. The video shows visitors what Davis County has to offer, including the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island, Lagoon, nine golf courses, Davis Events Center, the South Davis Recreation Center, Davis Conference Center and the county's close proximity to 10 ski resorts.
The No. 1 tourism attraction in Davis County is Lagoon, said Barbara Riddle, the CVB president and chief executive officer. Nearly 1.4 million visitors went to Lagoon in 2007, a 15 percent increase from 2006. Antelope Island is the No. 2 tourist attraction to the county. It brought in 281,266 visitors, a 12 percent increase from 2006. Outside of Utah, visitors came from Canada, Germany, Italy, England, the Netherlands, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Belgium and from all over the country, Riddle said.
The county's hotel rooms saw a slight decrease in room occupancy. In 2007, hotel room occupancy was at 69.3 percent, as opposed to 71.5 percent in 2006. The percentage reflects occupancy from January to November of each year.
Several factors may have contributed to the decrease, Riddle said. One possibility is Hill Air Force Base's lodging was being renovated during 2006, which pushed more of the base's business into the community. Also, almost every hotel in the area experienced a change in general manager or sales and marketing positions during 2007, Riddle said.
"It takes time to recover and build new relationships with key accounts," Riddle said.
The lack of snow last winter also either stopped tourists from coming to Davis County or they canceled their plans, she said.
The goals for this year include increasing the awareness of Davis County as a destination area for tourists, Riddle said.
"We want to bring more people from out-of-state to our front doorstep," Dallin said.
Riddle said Davis County's is one of four advertisements showcasing the state in the "Meet in Utah" campaign. The others are Salt Lake City, Park City and golfing in Southern Utah.
Copyright (c) 2008, Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
http://www.hotel-online.com/News/2008_Jan_19/k.OGT.1201280614.html
CVB works to lure visitors
Clipper 13.MAR.08
LAYTON — Whether it’s skiers from around the globe to golfers for the county’s nine courses, the Davis Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) sales staff is working to make sure Davis County is being put on the map to attract those enthusiasts. One very personalized way to attract new visitors and specialized groups is the familiarization (FAM) tour, explained Kathi Dysert, the CVB’s director of sales and marketing. A recent FAM tour brought in the Ski Club Council, which represents about 20 clubs that range in membership from 15 to 50. “Skiers stay in local hotels, usually for a week. We had one group come from Detroit. They alternated be-tween Powder Mountain and Snowbasin,” with other ski resorts also shown off. As CVB CEO Barbara Riddle has noted, north Davis County hotels are closer to the Ogden Valley ski resorts than Ogden lodging, while south Davis hotels are as convenient to the Salt Lake Valley resorts as most of the hotels in Salt Lake County. And the Davis County hoteliers may be able to offer more competitive rates.
“We have hundreds of skiers who stay in our hotels every winter,” Dysert said. One market that may seem surprising to target is Colorado, which to many is seen as the ski capital of the nation. However, she said many from Colorado like to ski in Utah because its close and costs at the resorts and of lodging are typically less than in their home state. She said a group of 500 has booked for New Year’s, while there are other groups of 100 or less. That helps fill Davis County hotels at what can otherwise be a slow time of year.
In addition to Colorado skiers, she said others are coming in significant numbers from a variety of states, from the East Coast to the West Coast.
Dog show enthusiasts are also a growing segment that is being targeted more and more. The Davis Events Center (Fairpark) has become a big draw for many such groups, including national, with one booked for 2009 that will mean 100 rooms are filled for seven nights, said John Wilson, CVB sales manager.
Hotels were invited to play a large part in the recent FAM tour, Dysert said. Instead of taking the visitors to the hotels, lodging representatives traveled and mingled with the visitors, getting to know them and potentially gaining a better understanding of their needs and desires. “They (hotels) loved it, could spend all day getting to know the visitors, and talk about Davis County. They showed themselves (various hotels) as one unit, as a community involved.”
The CVB sales staff and several hoteliers will be attending a sales mission in Denver March 17. “We have dozens of appointments, will spend three days with travel planners. It’s a good fit for Davis County,” Dysert said. Among groups that will be targeted are religious, association and sports groups.
“It’s all about the destination they are looking for. For sports we can market different groups, such as the Events Center, ice sheet at the South Davis Recreation Center, etc.,” Dysert said. “We target companies and groups that are a good fit for the area.”
The added space in the Davis Conference Center is already being sold, as well. “Several groups are very excited about that space. Now they won’t have to find a different venue” for their convention, Dysert said. “We are looking at different expos that would fit. There is 59,000 square feet of total space. It’s very helpful once people see and hear about it.”
The CVB is also assisting with the Requirements Symposium being held in conjunction with Hill Air Force Base at the Conference Center. It will draw several hundred defense contractor representatives, contractors and Hill AFB personnel. In June, meanwhile, the annual Focus on Defense Symposium and Golf Tournament is expected to draw about 400 people that will again be staying in Davis County hotels and eating in area restaurants.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
Destination: Davis County
Saturday, January 19, 2008
By LORETTA PARK
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lpark@standard.net
Bureau gets new board, reviews tourism for 2007
LAYTON -- The Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau board was introduced Friday, minus a commissioner.
No commissioners will serve on the board because it is a conflict of interest with the new contract, said Davis County Commissioner Louenda Downs, who served on the board last year. A commissioner has served on the board since the bureau was organized in 2003.
The county signed a contract with the CVB earlier this month. Because commissioners will now review the contract yearly, it is a conflict to have one or more serve on the board, Downs said.
Chris Dallin, public relations director with McKay-Dee Hospital, was named as board chairman. He replaces Todd Johnson, vice president of operations for CottonTree Management, Inc. Wilf Sommerkorn, director of Community and Economic Development, also will continue to serve on the board.
The CVB presented its annual end-of-the-year report, as well as its goals for the upcoming year.
Attendees also got a sneak preview of the CVB's new video it will put on its Web site, www.davisareacvb.com/. The video shows visitors what Davis County has to offer, including the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island, Lagoon, nine golf courses, Davis Events Center, the South Davis Recreation Center, Davis Conference Center and the county's close proximity to 10 ski resorts.
The No. 1 tourism attraction in Davis County is Lagoon, said Barbara Riddle, the CVB president and chief executive officer. Nearly 1.4 million visitors went to Lagoon in 2007, a 15 percent increase from 2006.
Antelope Island is the No. 2 tourist attraction to the county. It brought in 281,266 visitors, a 12 percent increase from 2006.
Outside of Utah, visitors came from Canada, Germany, Italy, England, the Netherlands, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Belgium and from all over the country, Riddle said.
The county's hotel rooms saw a slight decrease in room occupancy. In 2007, hotel room occupancy was at 69.3 percent, as opposed to 71.5 percent in 2006. The percentage reflects occupancy from January to November of each year.
Several factors may have contributed to the decrease, Riddle said. One possibility is Hill Air Force Base's lodging was being renovated during 2006, which pushed more of the base's business into the community.
Also, almost every hotel in the area experienced a change in general manager or sales and marketing positions during 2007, Riddle said.
"It takes time to recover and build new relationships with key accounts," Riddle said.
The lack of snow last winter also either stopped tourists from coming to Davis County or they canceled their plans, she said.
The goals for this year include increasing the awareness of Davis County as a destination area for tourists, Riddle said.
"We want to bring more people from out-of-state to our front doorstep," Dallin said.
Riddle said Davis County's is one of four advertisements showcasing the state in the "Meet in Utah" campaign. The others are Salt Lake City, Park City and golfing in Southern Utah.
http://www.standard.net/live/business/123573/