2020 Annual Report

function space and a 4,000-square-foot balcony that overlooks Scissortail Park. The adjacent $214 million Omni Hotel opened in January 2021.The hotel will offer seven unique dining outlets, an expansive pool deck with event space, retail, indoor and outdoor meeting space, and a full- service spa with eight treatment rooms. The Omni Hotel will offer seven unique culinary outlets, with several restaurants lining Robinson Avenue with outdoor patio seating and street entrances. Dining experiences will include a Bob’s Steak & Chop House, lobby bar, sports bar, all- day dining, coffee shop, walk-up burger bar and a poolside bar and grill. HORSE SHOW CAPITAL Oklahoma City is home to more equine events than any city in the world with dozens of top national and world championship horse shows which attract riders from across the nation—and world—each year. In 2020, the always-tight calendar became even more crowded as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced many events across the United States to look for a new home. Oklahoma City was ready with the resources and availability to give those shows facing cancellation a second life.

Those shows included venue changes of the following: ◊ Canadian National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show fromManitoba, Canada ◊ Adequan Select World Championship was moved from Ft. Worth, Texas ◊ AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals were moved from Guthrie ◊ Adequan Level 2 Championship was moved from Ft. Worth, Texas ◊ Nutrena Level 1 Championship was moved from Las Vegas, Nevada and Wilmington, Ohio Even without general public spectators, hotel tax collections exceeded expectations of what had been forecasted because of the pandemic. Not only do Oklahoma City horse shows provide entertainment, they make a substantial contribution to the city’s economy. Total estimated economic impact of all Oklahoma City horse shows exceeds $126.5 million each year. Equine organizations around the world are noticing the state-of-the-art, 21st century complex at State Fair Park. The complex features nine barns, VIP RV parking, exercise areas and a conference and meetings facility.

V I S I T O R E C O N O M Y MODERN FRONTIER CAMPAIGN UNVEILED The Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau launched an all-new branding campaign to evolve the current perception of Oklahoma City. The Modern resilient, authentic, kind and daring. The Modern Frontier campaign embodies who we are as a city and speaks to more than Oklahoma City’s story as a tourism destination.

Frontier campaign positions Oklahoma City well for the post-pandemic world and continues to be a citywide campaign that is a contemporary nod to OKC’s western heritage and also looks ahead as the city defines its own future.

The citywide branding elements were introduced through advertising and promotional efforts by local industry partners, in addition to the OKC CVB’s national print and digital advertising, website content, video elements and social media channels. NEW CONVENTION CENTER AND OMNI HEADQUARTER HOTEL 2020 saw the completion of the biggest construction project in the City of Oklahoma City’s history, the $300 million convention center that anchors about $800 million in public investments revitalizing the southern fringe of downtown. The emerging district includes Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA’s Thunder, and Omni’s new luxury hotel on the Oklahoma City Boulevard. Financed by MAPS 3 and opening debt-free, the convention center will enjoy a competitive advantage as the meeting and convention business shakes off this year’s pandemic-induced slump. The four-level building includes a 200,000-square- foot exhibit hall on the first floor; and 45,000 square feet of meeting space throughout with operable walls in many of the rooms, allowing for up to 27 individual meeting spaces. On the fourth floor, the building has a 30,000-square-foot ballroom that is divisible into two sections, complemented by 10,000 square feet of pre-

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE FUTURE

While the pandemic slowed visitor activity in 2020, the preparations to make Oklahoma City an even more dynamic visitor destination continued with fervor. Oklahoma Contemporary, which held its grand opening just shutdowns and lock downs were implemented, is ready with its second exhibition and is adding studio classes. The City of Oklahoma City put the final touches on renovations to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex and OGE Energy Field, home of the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

Work is progressing quickly at the First Americans Museum, with completion of construction and the installation of exhibits underway. The museum will open in September of 2021. Riversport OKC continued to add new thrills with the opening of Surf OKC in August. Plans are also underway to add Ski OKC, a new indoor ski slope inside the Whitewater Center in the spring of 2021. These new additions make this the only place in the world where you can ski, surf and whitewater raft all in the same location.

Prior to its launch, the OKC CVB engaged in a 10-month-long branding project that included more than 75 one-on-one interviews, extensive research, news media and competitor city analysis, as well as input from civic, business, tourism and a wide variety of industry partners. With research showing only one in three people are familiar with OKC, the branding exercise was conducted to cultivate a distinguishable identity for Oklahoma City. The Modern Frontier messaging was developed from the key values that were identified during the research process: collaborative, diverse, honest,

14

15

2 0 2 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T

G R E A T E R O K L A H O M A C I T Y C H A M B E R

G R E A T E R O K L A H O M A C I T Y C H A M B E R

2 0 2 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online