1. 2 0 1 0 A N N U A L R E P O RT
R I S I N G TO T H E
CHALLENGE
GULF SHORES & ORANGE BEACH TOURISM

2. 2010 will be a year for the history books, even if the events of last year are something we all want to forget. But as in every
WELCOME
disaster, when all said and done, there are many things we can be proud of.
First and foremost is the dedicated commitment of our staff here at Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. In the face of this
nation’s worst environmental disaster, our team excelled beyond belief. Our role in such cases is primarily to be the manager
of the message and we always approach that role with a commitment to honesty and due diligence for true facts. Unlike most
natural disasters where marketing efforts are suspended, we carried on our marketing strategies at an unprecedented level.
Secondly, I am extremely proud of the level of cooperation that permeated the area. Business to business, chamber to chamber,
and city to city, everyone worked together in a most synergistic fashion. And this dynamic continues beyond the 2010 crisis.
Herb Malone, Finally, everyone is proud of each other as we continue to fight to salvage every bit of business possible. Sure, we could have all
President/C.E.O.
sat down and waited for someone to “send us a check,” but that attitude never prevailed. We never gave up, and I know in my
heart that when faced with future crisis, we never will.

3. On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana killed 11 crew members. Weeks after the
GULF CRISIS
explosion, Deepwater Horizon drew the attention of the entire world when it was discovered that the rig was leaking thousands
of gallons of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. While engineers struggled to shut off the leak and the Coast Guard struggled to
contain the spill, media outlets from around the world converged on the Gulf Coast to report on the spill. Audiences around the
globe were inundated with nightly stories and images of the hardest hit areas of the coast. When Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
began to see impact from the spill, our challenge was to show the world an accurate picture of what was happening along our
shores. Facing unprecedented media coverage, Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism fought to combat the devasting effect on
our local economy by launching our most aggressive efforts ever to communicate with our potential guests and encourage them
to visit.

4. Shortly after learning of the leak at the Deepwater Horizon site, the CVB launched OurBeachFacts.com. This page, which was
ONLINE
featured prominently on the main page of the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach website, was updated daily with the latest facts about
the spill and its effects on our beaches. Daily videos were the cornerstone of the page. The videos showed actual beach conditions
as they changed from day to day across various areas along the island, reported NOAA spill trajectory forecasts, and highlighted
all the “off beach” activities available to our guests. The Beach Facts page also included a visitor photo gallery where guests could
post their own photos and comments about the conditions they experienced while in the area. Constant Facebook and Twitter
chatter allowed us to address questions and concerns almost immediately, and perhaps more importantly, allowed guests who
had positive experiences to report to connect with our fans and followers who had doubts. Since numbers speak louder than
words, here are few of our online accomplishments from last year.
• 3,201,649 unique visitors to gulfshores.com in 2010
• 746,201 visitors to OurBeachFacts.com between June and December
• 50,000 social fans, up from 17,000 in early 2010
• 50 million impressions of our Facebook posts and photos from May through December

5. Throughout the spill, our overall message was the same: “Our beaches are open and all our fun off-beach activites mean that
A D V E RT I S I N G
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach is still a great vacation destination.” This message was carried across all our outreach efforts and
in some formats we had never used before. Front-page strips and half-page color interior ads ran repeatedly in newspapers
throughout the Southeast. A radio campaign in our major markets also included interviews with our VP of Marketing, allowing
him to answer questions and promote specific events. Our daily Beach Facts video was distributed to the radio stations on which
we ran spots and was broadcast on each station’s individual website.
With the help of the Alabama Department of Tourism, we produced a television spot featuring Lucy Buffett which aired
throughout the Southeast and Midwest. The spot invited viewers to come enjoy the many activities we had to offer and assured
Click the image to watch the viewers that we were “keeping an eye on the beach.”
TV spot
(You will need Adobe Reader 9
or later to view the video.)
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and lazy afternoons you know your loved ones will
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place like it for so much fun under the sun.
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6. Meeting and sports groups presented special challenges, but tremendous possibility during the spill crisis. While the spill
G RO U P S
was certainly an issue for groups planning events in the area, much of their time in the area is spent in off-beach activities
and locations. They therefore represented an opportunity to retain and even recruit new business during a time when leisure
visitation was suffering. The sales and sports departments at the CVB maintained constant contact with group clients, assuring
them of the safety of beaches, working as liasions with lodging properties to negotiate incentives and increasing their presence
at trade shows to connect with meeting and sports planners.
Advertising in targeted trade publications was increased dramatically. Incentives, such as gift cards, restaurant discounts and
overnight stays were used to encourage event attendance and patronage of local businesses. Sponsorships at trade shows gave
us increased exposure and opportunity to get our message to planners. Virtual postcards were heavily promoted as a tool for
planners to entice event attendees. A nationally-syndicated TV show, Today in America, featured the successful growth of sports
events in the area, putting Gulf Shores & Orange Beach at top of mind with viewers. Heavy use of social networking channels
allowed planners up-to-date information and the ability to receive feedback from other visitors about specific issues.

7. Concerts by some of music’s biggest acts provided much-needed economic support to the gulf area, drawing visitors from around
C O N C E RT S
the country and stimulating the local economy.
Spurred by the success of The Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival in May, “Concerts for the Coast” was launched with free
tickets being distributed to local lodging partners for them to create accommodations packages. The series kicked-off with Jimmy
Buffett & Friends: Live from The Gulf Coast on July 11. This nationally televised event hosted 35,000 fans on the Gulf Shores Public
Beach. The series continued with a September 25 performance by Hank Williams Jr. and Gretchen Wilson at The Wharf. The series
concluded in October with two nights of concerts on the beach by Bon Jovi and Brad Paisley.
In addition to bringing tens of thousands of concert-goers to the beach, the concerts received widespread media coverage and
another opportunity to show the world our beaches were clean and as beautiful as ever.

8. Public relations plans for 2010 rapidly evolved as our gulf situation changed throughout the year. Prior to the spill, we had an
EARNED MEDIA
aggressive plan that included interaction and engagement with numerous publications in our target markets, especially through
the utilization of leisure and outdoors-based press trips. Throughout the infinite oil spill inquiries from both leisure and hard
news media, we maintained a focused effort to serve as a reliable and always available source of verified beach and tourism
information in addition to correcting the inaccurate information about our destination.
Similar to the creation of beach events that encouraged visitation and allowed these guests to become positive ambassadors
when they returned home, our recovery efforts focused on recruiting writers to visit our beach destination and see the true
situation for themselves. Expanding our fall press trip calendar (which originally included one Geiger Press Trip), we added
three media trips with Geiger and Associates, including one that focused on the Alabama Coastal Connection Scenic Byway.
Collaborating with the CVB’s social media contract staff, we also hosted a blogger press trip with writers that spoke directly to
mothers through our target markets.
To assist with the promotion of gulf seafood and local restaurants, we welcomed nearly 20 writers representing the International
Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association on a four-day food-focused press trip. Along similar lines, we focused on our fishing
public relations efforts on both the fishing experience and the enjoyment of seafood dishes prepared in our local restaurants. We
hosted multiple spring and fall press trips targeting specific outdoor media in the Midwest and Southeast.

9. Finally, we focused our public relations efforts for the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission to parallel the CVB’s efforts of
EARNED MEDIA
verified beach and tourism information and secure positive editorial about the group. Combined figures for the CVB and Sports
Commission
• 171 newspaper articles reaching 12.7 million people
• 51 magazine articles reaching nearly 10.3 million people
• 209 online-only pubs
• 2 other avenues
433 total stories, 23 million total print circulation
361 mentions in television stories

10. A new Facts & Fishin’ Workshop was designed to equip the local fishing industry with the latest information about conservation
HIGHLIGHTS
techniques as well as oil spill related data. Thirty-one captains and deckhands participated in the workshop.
Alabama’s Coastal Connection, a nationally designated scenic byway spearheaded by the CVB, launched it’s website,
AlabamasCoastalConnection.com, and also put signage, collateral materials and a media relations campaign into place.
The CVB’s Hospitality and Information department answered 4,500 phone calls - a record number - during the month of June,
supplying those callers with accurate, up-to-the-minute information about the state of our beaches and selling them on the many
off-beach activities still available to them. Call center hours were extended seven days a week during the crucial months of June
and July.

11. Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Operating Fund Income and Expense Statement for 2010
FINANCIALS *All figures are subject to change pending the completion of the CPA audit for 2010.
FY 2010 Actual % of Actual FY 2010 Actual % of Actual
REVENUE
Lodging Tax Revenue $3,486,406 47.63% Insurance $86,837 1.95%
Golf Association Co-op $200,000 2.73% Licenses & Taxes $289 0.01%
State & Federal Grants $136,062 1.86% Local Meetings $27,313 0.61%
BP Agency Fee $1,237,500 16.91% Professional Development $12,860 0.29%
Tourism Summit Sponsorships $11,000 0.15% Professional Services $13,087 0.29%
Sports Commission Sponsorships - Cash $210,000 2.87% Rent - Gulf Shores Office $21,145 0.47%
Sports Commission Sponsorships - In-Kind $182,225 2.49% Supplies $33,093 0.74%
Lost Lodging Tax Revenue Settlement - BP $1,815,000 24.79% Utilities $50,546 1.13%
Other Revenue $29,756 0.41% Miscellaneous $1,891 0.04%
Interest Income $12,130 0.17% Debt Service $77,438 1.74%
Total Revenue $7,320,079 100.00% Debt Service - Interest $165,957 3.72%
Total Operational Expense $743,117 16.66%
EXPENSE
Transfers to Special Events Fund $22,000 0.49%
Personnel Expense Transfers to Sports Commission Fund $65,000 1.46%
Salaries, Taxes, Benefits $1,510,586 33.87% Transfers to Powerboat Race Fund $- 0.00%
Total Personnel Expense $1,510,586 33.87% Transfer to Emergency Reserve Fund $- 0.00%
Direct Promotional Expense Total All Expenses $4,459,598 100.00%
Advertising $1,138,933 25.54% Net Revenue Over Expenses $2,860,481 39.08%
Event Grants/Sports Commission Grants $280,006 6.28%
Convention Services $22,455 0.50%
Familiarization/Site Tours $14,375 0.32% Revenue
Lost Lodging Tax
Fulfillment $30,807 0.69% Lodging Tax Revenue
Sports Revenue $ 3,486,406 47.97%
Phone $105,674 2.37% Commission BP Settlement
Golf Association Co-op $ 200,000 2.75%
Postage $148,064 3.32% State & Sponsorships -
Federal Grants $ 136,062 1.87%
In-Kind
Internet $19,256 0.43% BP Grant Agency Fee $ 1,237,500 17.03%
Promotions/Promotional Materials $166,183 3.73%
Travel & Trade Shows $4,288 0.10% Lodging Tax
Sports Commission Sponsorships - Cash
BP Grant Agency $ 210,000 2.89%
Travel & Entertainment $43,605 0.98% Fee Revenue
Sports Commission Sponsorships - In-Kind $ 182,225 2.51%
Research $145,249 3.26% Lost Lodging Tax Revenue Settlement - BP $ 1,815,000 24.98%
Total Direct Promotional Expense $2,118,895 47.51% Other Revenue
Sports
Commission
Operational Expense Sponsorships - Revenue
Total $ 7,267,193 100.00%
Building Repair & Maintenance $66,598 1.49% Cash
Computer Equipment/Maintenance $122,837 2.75%
Expense
State & Federal
Dues & Subscriptions $29,588 0.66% Grants Golf Association
Equipment Lease & Rental $18,803 0.42% Co-op
Personnel Expenses
Equipment Repair & Maintenance $14,835 0.33%
Salaries, Taxes, Benefits $ 1,510,586 33.87%
Total Personnel Expenses $ 1,510,586 33.87%

12. T H E M I S S I O N O F T H E C O N V E N T I O N & B U R E A U I S TO M A R K E T T H E
A L A B A M A G U L F C O A S T A S A D E S T I N AT I O N , T H U S E N H A N C I N G T H E
AREA’S ECONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL RESIDENTS.
B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S S TA F F
LEONARD KAISER, Chairman SHEILA HODGES HERB MALONE COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATION/FINANCE
Kaiser Realty Meyer Real Estate President/CEO Kim Chapman, PR Manager Susan Brush, Interactive
Sherry Dusko, Advertising Coordinator
BILL BRETT, Vice-Chairman TONY KENNON MIKE FOSTER Manager Joanne McDonough, Nature
Brett/Robinson Gulf Corp. Mayor of Orange Beach VP of Marketing Shelley Piraino, Internet Tourism Specialist
Marketing Manager Philip Piper, Warehouse
PEDRO MANDOKI, FRANK REED BETH GENDLER Stephanie Simpson, Manager, Courier, Mr. Fix-it
Secretary-Treasurer Reed Real Estate VP of Sales & Sports Communications Manager Linda Rowell, Finance Assistant
Mandoki Hospitality Group April Acevedo Cheryl Vickers, Executive
Morgan Barna Assistant
BARBARA WALTERS DAVID GREENE
ROBERT CRAFT Island House Hotel VP of Administration &
SALES HOSPITALITY & INFORMATION
Mayor of Gulf Shores Finance
Renee Fought, Sales Manager Joy Conger Barbara Owen
MARK STILLINGS Mary Statkewicz, Sales Manager Linda Flack Sharon Philips
JOHNNY FISHER Kiva Dunes COLETTE BOEHM Melynda Hicks Linda Piper
LuLu’s at Homeport Marina Director of Special Projects SPORTS Dibby Jefford Valerie Robinson
Sarah Hicks, Event Coordinator Sandy Marsh Betsy Savage
BEN FAIREY BETTY WOOD Michelle Russ, Sports Events Gayle McMillan Lynda Thurmond
Charter boat Neccesity Director of Hospitality & Sales Manager Michelle Miller
Information