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Destination Irvine unveils ‘Flip Side of Irvine’ rebrand as HID revenues hold steady
Summary
Destination Irvine presented its first full annual reports since joining the city, reporting HID assessment revenues of about $4.5M (FY23–24) and $4.8M (FY24–25), outlined recent earned-media placements and introduced a new ‘Flip Side of Irvine’ campaign and visitor videos.
Destination Irvine presented its annual report and new brand to the City Council on Feb. 10, highlighting steady hotel-improvement-district (HID) revenues and an expanded marketing push aimed at increasing hotel stays and visitor spending.
Misty Bond, director of Destination Irvine, told the council the 2% HID assessment applies to all hotel room rentals in Irvine and that the city collected roughly $4.5 million in assessment funds in fiscal 2023–24 and about $4.8 million in fiscal 2024–25. Of the 2023–24 collection, Bond said about $3.4 million was allocated to Destination Irvine, with a smaller portion directed to city cultural programs.
Bond said Destination Irvine’s transfer into the city in July 2023 left the purpose and distribution percentages unchanged while placing the program inside city government. She highlighted public-relations work that generated complimentary ad placements and familiarization trips for media and meeting planners; Bond cited secured Visit California placements and an estimated ad value of about $47,000 for several stories.
The presentation introduced a new brand platform and campaign called “Flip Side of Irvine,” backed by redesigned visuals and video content the office plans to place on digital channels and at trade shows. Bond said the campaign is intended to challenge outdated perceptions of Irvine by pairing images of outdoor adventure, live entertainment and diverse dining with the city’s master-planned neighborhoods and business offerings.
Councilmembers praised the presentation and the branding effort, and asked about activation timelines for major events. Bond said the team will be ready to deploy advertising tied to FIFA or Olympic-related opportunities once official event partners confirm roles and routing. The council filed the presentation as a receive-and-file item; no motion was required.
