Destination Marketing Programs | Overview & City of Scottsdale

Destination Marketing Programs: City of Scottsdale, Experience Scottsdale & Sedona Chamber of Commerce. Overview & City of Scottsdale

Overview

Benchmarking peer cities bring insight to the details, disclosing the road maps Cities follow.
Destination Marketing isn’t used by all cities and towns. Why? How and when is it used at a government level?
Benchmarking is a lengthy process, with many moving parts. Items learned may require a revised perspective from a prevouis benchmark as details are disclosed.

In the benchmark Tourism Government Models DMO Benchmark we learned the City of Prescott and the City of Flagstaff are DMO in-house, Government-DMO.
The City of Scottsdale outsourced the DMO function to a Government-CVB-DMO.

Competitive-benchmarking is the only tool that works, getting into the details is critical unit of measure. Meant as an opportunity for improvement, a learning experience, not a criticism.

Putting a person or group in the evaluation or analysis process that benefits in any capacity is never done. It is too difficult to objectively present anything that one may be financially hindered by. Creates a conflict of interest. Anyone receiving funding is generally prohibited. Reports should be data driven.

Setting up anything new takes a lot of work and reinventing a complex policy is never recommended. The risks are too high, set up takes more time, and burdens managers to do so.

City of Scottsdale

By reviewing the City of Scottsdale Tourism Program including the function of the DMO and comparing it to the Sedona Chambers program provides analytic review of what works and why.
The City of Scottsdale has a clear road map the framework is defined.
This benchmark also helps the Sedona Chamber of Commerce allowing them to see the details of Tourism program and how their company doesn’t align with a government model.

The City of Scottsdale is a charter city with voter-approved tax rates, incorporated in 1951. While Sedona is a very young city incorporated in 1988 with City Council approving tax rates. Populations are enormously different Scottsdale 246,398 while Sedona 9,723. While tourism is similar, yet it is very different. Scottsdale has a robust Tourism Policy with many elements.

Scottsdale’s Tourism and Events Department “The department provides services, support, and funding for the development of tourism-related capital projects, events and event development, destination marketing and promotion as well as research. It manages the public special event permitting process and, through contracts serves as the steward for the municipal collection of public art and cultural programming (Scottsdale Arts) as well as the marketing and promotion of Scottsdale as a premiere visitor destination (Experience Scottsdale).” The Tourism & Event page has planning documents, city event funding opportunities and the Tourism related reports.

Scottsdale’s Tourism Development Commission oversees the entire Tourism program. “The Tourism Development Commission advises the City Council on matters concerning the Tourism Industry in Scottsdale as well as the expenditure of revenues from the Transaction Privilege Tax on Transient Lodging (Bed Tax) designated for Tourism Development.” The link above to the Tourism Development page has enabling Ordinance, minutes, meetings,videos, reports and upcoming meetings all on one page.

The Destination Marketing tasks are outsourced to Scottsdale Convention Visitor Bureau DBA: Experience Scottsdale as a Destination Marketing Organization. The City of Scottsdale contracts Scottsdale Convention Visitors Bureau, a GOV-CVB model DBA Experience Scottsdale. Scottsdales Convention and Visitors Bureau is a multi-government model aligned, following the regulations required. Places to Stay and Events are promoted by Experience Scottsdale for the City of Scottsdale. The City of Scottsdale and the Town of Paradise Valley have exclusivity for lodging. Then the Maricopa County steps in under the Cities and towns using taxes from Proposition 302 in AZ Sports & Tourism Authority

The private side of Experience Scottsdale have the same rules and guidelines. Their members page defines Member Eligibility and a Membership Application.
With scope of service and performance metrics being controlled by the City of Scottsdale. The City of Scottsdale in the first the position with other governments coming into place thereafter. Scottsdale refers to Experience Scottsdale as Partners but clearly defines the scope of work for this vendor.

Scottsdale in addition to that has a city Auditor who audits contracts, policy and reports. Destination Marketing Contract, Audit No. 2206 is the last audit By Sharron Walker, city auditor, 480-312-7867 January 26, 2022 The Research tracker below has links and content of results. “Evaluate contract compliance, effectiveness, and administration of the destination marketing contract with Experience Scottsdale”

Some items from report has requested to strengthen the contract by:

• Full Accounting wanted
• establish a Fee method more closely with a purchase service
• “establish ownership of intellectual property,”
• “terms are not sufficient to limit administrative costs and maximize the destination marketing programs.”
• ” “performance monitoring activities can better ensure focus on the City’s objectives, including relevant performance standards and regular advertising effectiveness studies.”

Experience Scottsdale the GOV-CVB-DMO for the City of Scottsdale is in full compliance with all government regulations, reporting to the City of Scottsdale a 25 page annual report.
While the Sedona Chamber and Trade name Sedona Chamber and tourism Bureau answers to their all industry board is not held accountable nor do they follow any government regulations.

AOT DMO Tracker confirms the DMO types

Scottsdales Convention and Visitor Bureau, INC doing business as Experience Scottsdale