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Visit Carson City reports record Polar Express sales, new website launch and $631,350 tourism grant
Summary
Executive Director David Peterson reported record Polar Express ticket revenue, a planned late-March website relaunch, analytics integration and a $631,350 grant award tied to a regional 3-D Cultural Corridor project.
During the Jan. 13 Carson City CTA meeting, Executive Director David Peterson gave a non-action monthly report covering the V&T railroad operations, marketing, events and a major grant award.
Peterson said Polar Express recorded 15,624 tickets sold across 28 days and $955,353 in ticket revenue (ticket sales only), setting a record for the operation. He credited additional show dates, new ticketing tiers and refreshed guest experiences for the increase.
Peterson said a new Visit Carson City website is scheduled to launch in late March with streamlined ticketing and clearer differentiation among regional rail excursion experiences. He also reported progress on the DataFi analytics platform, which has been expanded to include City lodging-tax data and sales-and-use tax revenue tied to relevant NAICS codes to better measure visitor economic impact.
Peterson reported that Visit Carson City served as lead applicant on a regional 3-D Cultural Corridor grant application; the Nevada Commission on Tourism awarded $631,350 to the project—the largest grant Peterson said the authority has received. The application submitted was $685,562; the commission award was $631,350.
Staff also described marketing wins tied to a new 15-minute short film, The Winter's Charm in Carson City, including local premieres and positive earned media attention from national and regional outlets. Marketing staff reported increased lodging referrals (500% year-over-year in the reporting period cited) driven in part by remarketing activity tied to the campaign.
Peterson and staff said they will continue investing in paid social advertising strategies that show a measurable short-term boost in ticket sales, and that they will coordinate with partners for forthcoming events, including a Carson City takeover night at the Tahoe Blue Event Center Feb. 7.
These items were presented as non-action monthly updates; no formal board vote was required to accept the reports.
