from the
To our members & partners,
Here at the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB), we know the challenges you have all faced over the last year or so. We’ve faced them, too.
Another round of pandemic woes. Damage from storms, flooding, even tornadoes. You name it, and it feels like it’s happened here in Montgomery County.
So, let’s get the bad news over with first:
- Visitor spending fell from $1.6 billion in 2019 to $973
million in 2020 – that’s a 40% decline, and includes 18% in
tourism-supported job losses. - Booked room nights decreased from 2.1 million in 2019 to
1.3 million, a 37% decline. - Hotel room revenue declined from $250 million to $125
million, a 50% decline.
We’re not going to sugarcoat this: there have definitely been some tough moments over the last year.
But, even though we may feel like we can’t catch a break, we also can’t ignore that there were some beautiful moments too. Among the ups and downs, we’ve found reasons to have hope for a brighter future.
Here’s just some of the good news: we’ve been meeting those challenges together.
It’s easy to get frustrated, but you haven’t given up. We have so much respect for you, our Hospitality Heroes, and how you’ve gone above and beyond this past year. We celebrate you!
Some more positive success stories:
- Despite the loss in visitor spending, tourism still supported
more than 14,500 jobs. - Room nights generated about $125 million in revenue for
hotels. - Montco’s family of 80 hotels welcomed two new properties (that’s 9,400 rooms) – with two more coming in 2022 – and nine started or completed renovations this year.
- From volleyball and lacrosse to paintball and flag football,
sports represented 77% of group business for the VFTCB
with the top 12 events totaling 35,000 room nights for
more than $40 million in economic impact.
- Our first-ever Crave Montco Month had more than 100 restaurants and Montco Makers participants!
- The Advocates Professional Golf Association hosted its
first tournament in the northeastern United States, bringing its mission of diversity to the sport in Montco. - More than 40 arts and culture venues participated in our
inaugural Arts Montco Week! - Our “Make It Main Street” marketing initiative with the
county continued to highlight small, local businesses resulting in more than 59,000 pageviews, 4 million reached on social media and 77 earned article placements for 11 million in exposure. - Valley Forge National Historical Park reopened its recently renovated Visitor Center building, and the VFTCB’s
county welcome center. - Our 15th annual Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-Mile Run went virtual with more than 600 participants from all over
the world to raise more than $42,000 for the park–bringing the race’s lifetime contribution to more than half a million dollars. - Throughout the year, valleyforge.org saw more than 1 million visits to the site.
- There were more than 800 stories about Montgomery
County reaching over 600 million people. - The VFTCB’s social media following grew to more than 164,000 with more than 2 million video views.
As you can see, you still have our commitment to work diligently and creatively to fill hotel rooms to drive positive economic impact for our industry, and to get people back to work. We don’t need to tell you that the return of these jobs is crucial to the county’s future economic rebound.
DON’T BE DISCOURAGED. WE WON’T BE DEFEATED. WE WILL RISE ABOVE THIS. WE WILL MOVE BEYOND THIS.
STAY SAFE AND WELL,
Mike Bowman
President & CEO
Mission
Inspiring the world to fall in love with Montgomery County, PA.
Vision
A must-experience destination, rooted in the past and leading the future.
Montgomery
County
Commissioners
Valerie A. Arkoosh
MD, MPH, Chair
Kenneth E.
Lawrence Jr.
Vice Chair
Joseph C. Gale
Commissioner
Chairman
Richard J. Odorisio
Meyer Jabara Senior Vice
President, Operations Hotels
vice Chairman
Tim Briggs
PA State Representative,
149th District
TREASURER
Kristofer J. Fair
CCM, General Manager, Bluestone Country Club
SECRETARY
Elizabeth Moy
Southeastern Pennsylvania
Consortium for Higher Education
(SEPCHE)
Christopher Molineaux
President & CEO, Life Sciences Pennsylvania
Eric C. Davies
Chief Operating Officer,
Wurzak Hotel Group
Erin Reilly
Executive Director, Riverbend Environmental Education Center
Al Zone
Executive Director & CEO,
Elmwood Park Zoo
Tom Shires
President, Greater Philadelphia
Expo Center
Dr. Gloria Oikelome
Vice President of Academic Affairs, Montgomery County Community College
Robert C. Hart
General Manager, King of Prussia Mall
Rosalyn Fennell
Superintendent, Valley Forge National Historical Park
Jack Elia
Vice President of Property Operations, Valley Forge Casino Resort
Board of
Directors
Staff
Mike Bowman
President & CEO
Jake Markezin
Vice President of Operations
Lisa Karl
Vice President of Sales and
Strategic Partnerships
Scott Higgins
Director of Sales
Jon Scheuren
Director of Sports
Rachel Dailey
Sports and Events Manager
Stephanie Kilroy
Convention Sales Manager
Justine Garbarino
Senior Director of Marketing
and Business Development
Rachel Riley
Senior Director of
Communications
Samantha Cummons
Associate Director of
Public Relations
Maureen DiLello
Digital Marketing Manager
Emily Keel
Marketing & Communications
Associate
Joseph Bates
Research Specialist
Megan Tomlinson
Director of Events, Membership
and Services
Kirsten Tallman
Director of Visitor Services
Tyler Gebhard
Tourism and Events Coordinator
Linda Brumbaugh
Executive Assistant
Economic Impact
All data provided by Tourism Economics
Even in a crisis year...
...tourism provided strong benefits to the
local economy and created positive effects that
rippled throughout the entire community.
Here’s a look at the industry in 2020 and the impact
COVID-19 had on these numbers.
Spending
Million
In 2020
(down from $1.6 Billion in 2019)
$111,000 is spent
Every hour
Every hour
In montgomery county
Million
In total wages generated by tourism
= $2,400 per household
tourism
job losses
in 2020 were 18% of total job losses in montgomery
county
employees
Supported by tourism
(almost as large as the population [16,525]
of Plymouth Township in 2010)
to make up for the $112 million in
State and local taxes
generated by visitor spending, each
household in Montgomery county would
need to contribute an additional
annually
In montgomery county
visitor spending
Hotel Performance
Visitors booked
million
room nights in 2020
(down 37% from 2019)
Montgomery county
fared better than the
Philadelphia
Region in 2020
(whose revenue from hotel rooms booked,
was down 61% from 2019)
Revenue was
million
from rooms booked in 2020
(down 50% from 2019)
room demand
and revenue
in montgomery county
Marketing
Marketing Campaigns / Initiatives
Communications
Stories About
Montgomery County
Individuals Reached In
Montgomery County
Releases about
Montco in PR
Favorite headlines in 2021
Through our website,
we were able to welcome visitors to
explore all that Montgomery County has to offer.
Visits to valleyforge.org as of October 2021.
That’s a 57% YOY increase.
Of Referrals to Member/Partners
Websites from Our Site
Social media
Total social media followers
Influencers hosted
Sales
2021 Montgomery County Hotel Stats
(Year-to-Date ending September)
Occupancy:
Average Daily Rate:
RevPar:
Hotel Portfolio
Montgomery county
In 2021,
new hotels
opened:
The Residence Inn Bala
Cynwyd and The Element
King of Prussia.
in 2022,
new hotels
Are expected
to open.
hotels started
or completed renovations
Best Western Fort Washington
Hampton Inn Willow Grove
Sheraton Valley Forge
Holiday Inn Lansdale
Comfort Inn Pottstown
Residence Inn Montgomeryville
Days Inn Pottstown
Union League Liberty Hill
Marriott Philadelphia West
The Revolutionary Events team continued to adapt
to ever-changing circumstances for meetings and
events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time
has given the team the chance to think about new
ways to do business going forward.
Achieved Room Nights Year to Date ending September 2021 & (Forecasting 18k by Year End)
Notable Meetings & Events
Arbor Tree EXPO
Future Outlook
Knowing that opportunities in business segments will take
time to fully rebound, the Revolutionary Events team has
repositioned themselves to creatively attract new
opportunities and show off our destination.
We leaned on new technologies to expand reach such as
Montco360 (virtual tours) shown below.
...Montco Weddings was ready to help couples make sense
of how to move forward with their weddings.
A surge in weddings is expected in 2022, as some couples
were forced to delay dates due to limited availability in 2021.
The Montco Registry Gift incentive program, continues to
bring in new weddings to Montco hotels -
63 couples used it this year.
Achieved Room Nights Year-to-Date ending September
& (Forecasting 4K by Year End)
...the Valley Forge Sports Event & Tourism Authority
hosted a record amount of events. The team led the region
in recruiting and holding events that drove significant
economic impact to the county. By the end of 2021,
the team expects:
over 2019 achievement for
VF sports (a record high)
over 2020 achievement for
VF sports
of our group business is sports
Top Events
The Top 12 events in Montgomery County this
year totaled 35k Room Nights and produced over
$40M in positive Economic Impact. They are:
NEQ Volleyball
FC Delco Soccer
East Coast Power Volleyball
Epoch Lacrosse Invitational
Battle at Valley Forge
– Flag Football
Trilogy Lacrosse
TNT Softball Showcase
Capital Cup Lacrosse
– National Cup
NXT Lacrosse
Meltdown Lacrosse
Rush Soccer
Special Event Highlight - NXL Paintball
Partnerships
Maestro
In 2021, the team’s partnership with Maestro
resulted in 10,000 room nights and
$12M in economic impact.
huddle up
In 2021, a new strategic plan with Huddle Up
Group Consultants was completed to assist
with facility development and ensure
success for years to come.
The Countryside of
Philadelphia
The Countryside of Philadelphia team continues to plan
for the future of international travel while borders remain
closed. Through strategic, yet flexible planning, the
team is using this time to keep the region at as
top tourism destination.
international visitation expected
to reach 2019 levels
behind visitation and return to 2019 levels
hotel package
The Montgomery County Hotel Experience continues
to draw visitors to the area. This hotel package features
discounted room nights, passes to local attractions
restaurant deals and more.
Makeitmontco.com
Achieved Room Nights Year to Date ending September 2021
Year-End -Forecast
Membership & Events
and 535 Total Members of the VFTCB
Visitors Services
Economic impact
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Visitors each year
Visitors Center Visitors
Visitor Center reopening
Fall 2021
The center includes the VFTCB’s county welcome center,
where guests can find information on towns, hotels
and attractions throughout the region.
rehabilitation project
began in late fall 2018.
(this is the building’s first comprehensive
overhaul since it opened in 1976.)
Runners and walkers everywhere were invited to
participate virtually in the 2021 Valley Forge Revolutionary
5-Mile Run. The race took place during National Park Week,
April 17th – 25th, and proceeds from the event benefited
Valley Forge National Historical Park.
New this year to enhance the virtual experience, participants
received a personalized digital racing bib, and for the first time
since the race’s inception in 2005, all registrants
earned a finisher medal.
sponsors
participants from 25 states
and 3 countries
Raised; totaling a HALF a MILLION Achievement in its 15-YEAR Anniversary (2021)
While the tourism industry has taken a hit due to the COVID-19
pandemic, positivity remains. This year brought a new appreciation for
the local businesses that help make our community a great place to live,
work and visit. It inspired creative approaches to find new business and
connect with meeting planners. And it renewed focus on some of the
best tourism assets found in Montgomery County.
As we look forward, our mission hasn’t changed. We want to inspire
the world to fall in love with Montgomery County, PA and we
will go above and beyond to do that.
