VSBM is pleased to continue our usual monthly Industry Partner newsletter during these unprecedented times. It’s important now more than ever to provide updates about our destination and the variety of efforts and initiatives being implemented on a daily basis. Please know any VSBM staff member is here to assist you, your business or event in any way possible as we navigate the stay-at-home order. We're committed to helping restart the local economy when the time is right and leading the recovery of our tourism and hospitality community.

We are now a team of seven dedicated to your needs as we have experienced a staff reduction due to the COVID-19 pandemic economic realities. Join us in wishing Susan O’Connor and Lauren Stout all the best as they seek new opportunities to serve our community.

Please see the extensive local, statewide and national COVID-19 resources and information thoroughout this newsletter, plus other work our team has undertaken in recent weeks. 

Above all, be well and stay safe.

As the pandemic continues, VSBM is working to provide updated information via visitsouthbend.com. Some of those resources can be found below. Please do not hesitate to contact our staff with any questions or news and updates.

• General COVID-19 Guidance
• Canceled/Postponed Events
• List of Open Restaurants
• How to Support Restaurants
• Help Local Business

Many organizations around the state are offering excellent information related to COVID-19 and its wider implications across the industry. We encourage our partners to explore these resources for insight. 

• SB Regional Chamber
• SJC Health Department
• Indiana Tourism Association
• IN Restaurant + Lodging 
• Indiana Governor's Office
• Destinations International

Conferences, conventions and sporting events have been widely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Locally, 17 events have canceled while eight have postponed to later dates. Here's a look at the numbers and some of the actions VSBM's sales team has taken:

• 3,795 room nights lost to cancellations.
• 2,270 room nights postponed to later dates.

Lindsay, Pat and Nick have been in direct contact with their Top 200 clients to work with them on any event-related needs. The team has also been working to update 3,000-plus client files accumulated over the years. So far they've worked through about 500. Additionally, Pat and Lindsay have started the Indiana Sales Alliance, an effort to bring sales teams across the state together in collaboration. So far, seven destinations and 13 sales managers have participated.

The marketing team has been adjusting rapidly to the changing landscape, whether it's industry website traffic reduction or the need to offer different kinds of content. Below you'll find a March marketing report, plus a video meant to inspire future travel and new additions to the website.

• March Marketing Report
• VIDEO: Visit When the Time Comes
• Stream These Titles with Local Connections
• Make The Bend Your Virtual Background

Jake and Nicole are in early talks with VSBM's agency on how to best position the destination as a top choice for visitors when the time comes. Also, Jake and Nicole have been collaborating with colleagues around the state weekly, discussing social media, public relations and marketing best practices.

As we work our way through these trying times together, it's easy to miss the good news. We'd like to note some positive facts and figures in recent weeks. 

In conjunction with the Hotel-Motel Tax Board, VSBM has distributed $30,000 in $50 Martin’s and Meijer gift cards to over 600 hotel employees displaced by the pandemic crisis. Many area hotels remain open; eight have closed so far but 47 continue to operate. 

Stay tuned: We're working with presenters to move the VSBMU professional development series to a virtual experience. Details to come in the ensuing weeks.

Chamber president and CEO Jeff Rea has been named COVID-19 Response Coordinator for the county. In this role, Jeff will help connect private and public entities in an effort to better battle the pandemic. 

The VSBM team is spending some of its time absorbing pertinent industry webinars and reporting. Here is a selection of our favorites. The list includes weekly updates from expert resources and travel predictions: 

• STR Weekly Hotel Update
• Destination Think! blog
• Longwoods Sentiment Study
• Destinations International Webinars
• Skift Daily Newsletter
• Forbes Travel Predictions
• Sales Database Strategies
• Meeting Professionals International toolkit
• Sports ETA resources
• Preparing for the Future of Tourism

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS
Facebook: 32,394
Twitter: 7,403 
Instagram: 4,411

TOP 5 REFERRAL SITES
Google
Facebook
Bing
UND.com
Yahoo

TOP 5 REFERRAL CITIES
South Bend 
Chicago
Granger
Mishawaka
Indianapolis 

TOP 5 OUTBOUND LINKS
downtownsouthbend.com/paddy-party
Google Maps
americantheatreguild.com/southbend/lionking
downtownsouthbend.com/first-fridays
forttheloveofartfair.com 

TOP CONTENT PIECE IN MARCH
Broadway in South Bend

OCCUPANCY
49.7%
+7% from February 2019
+5.7% YTD 

DEMAND
68,609 
+7.2% from February 2019
133,480 

AVERAGE DAILY RATE
$94.47 
-0.3%
$90.75