Explore Utah Valley highlights record web traffic and targeted campaigns, cites $12.5M group-sales impact

Lee Adamson, executive director of Explore Utah Valley, told Utah County commissioners on March 13 that the destination-marketing organization's 2023 campaigns substantially increased online engagement and helped bring conferences and tournaments to the valley. He introduced Charlene Christensen, director of services and marketing, and Erin Scott, director of sales, who detailed campaign metrics and group-sales results.

Christensen said the organization ran a combined airport and traditional campaign that produced strong click-through and engagement rates. She said the office's winter outreach with TravelZoo generated more than 12,000 page views on TravelZoo placements and reached about 1.7 million people with a reported 47% scroll rate. Christensen also said the organization recorded over 1,000,000 website sessions in 2023 and maintains roughly 63,000 social‑media followers.

Erin Scott described the sales side, saying conferences and sports tournaments booked in 2023 generated an estimated $12,500,000 in economic impact and brought roughly 36,000 attendees to Utah Valley. Scott said the office focused on outreach to meeting and sports planners, attending 21 industry conferences and hosting networking events that produced substantial one‑on‑one contact with planners.

Adamson and staff outlined several targeted efforts tied to the expanding Provo Airport, including NBC Peacock streaming spots aimed at select origin markets and a BYU game presence that placed promotional banners and a scoreboard digital takeover to raise awareness of flights to and from Provo. Adamson said one airport campaign reported 3,690,000 digital impressions and a 97.5% video completion rate.

Why it matters: The presentation framed tourism promotion as both a cultural offering and an economic engine for the county's hospitality and downtown businesses. Commissioners thanked Explore Utah Valley staff for outreach efforts and for helping keep events visible and accessible for residents.

The presentation closed with commissioners' praise and no formal action tied to the marketing report. Explore Utah Valley staff answered commissioners' questions about specific programs and continued collaborations with local businesses and partners.