Cherry Creek Shopping Center
WHAT: RMGA MEMBERSHIP MEETING
WHEN: April 11, 2016, 6:30 pm. – networking, 7:00 – 8:00 program, Pat Lee and Dave Dixon of CCSC will introduce representatives of various tourism venues to update us on what is happening in Denver for the 2016 tourism season.
WHERE: Cherry Creek Shopping Center – Elway’s – on the patio.
PROGRAM: Presentation of various tourism venues in Denver with their 2016 programs. May include DIA, DCPA, Visit Denver, Denver Botanic Gardens and others.
PARKING: Lots of free parking
Guide Line Review
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Cherry Creek Shopping Center’s David Dixon, CCSC Marketing and Sponsorship Director, and Pat Lee, CCSC Tourism Marketing Specialist, hosted us for the fifth time – again on Elway’s Patio. Dave and Pat were ably assisted by Molly Keech, CCSC Marketing & Tourism Coordinator and by Bev Gerlock, CCSC Tourism Specialist, and Dave Gerlock, who work closely with Pat. CCSC provided refreshments and drinks for this event – hamburger sliders, French fries and spoon crème brulée to go with wine and soft drinks.
Ten speakers from various venues presented their 2016 events and programs and answered our questions. Questions ranged from cost per person and/or group rates, to dates events will be presented, to parking and bus loading. Most had schedules or informative brochures for each attendee. RMGA would like to thank each presenter for their participation – we appreciate each presenter taking the time after working hours to educate the RMGA membership of upcoming events.
Pat first introduced Dave Dixon - Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Dave had a lot to tell us, beginning with the opening of the new wing (formerly the Saks Fifth Avenue space) housing RH (former name – Restoration Hardware), the new valet parking plaza, and such specialty stores as: Tory Burch, Tiffany’s, Free People (the CCSC store is the second largest Free People in the US), David Yurman (jewelry), and NightRider Jewelry (which was started in Sturgis, South Dakota). This summer 801 Chop House will open in this wing as will Rise Pies (handcrafted pizza).
Dave also talked about recurring summer events such as the Cherry Creek Fresh Market at 1st and University with more than 70 booths that will be open on Saturdays from May until October and on Wednesdays from June until September. Elway’s has a Wednesday evening concert series on the plaza during the summer.
There is also a new play area in the mall, built in conjunction with the Museum of Science and Nature, called Dinosaur Gulch. During the holiday season, CCSC has their tree-lighting on “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving) and during the holiday season there is also caroling in the mall. Santa will be there too during mall hours. The Passport to Shopping is available for visitors living more than 50 miles from the mall – this passport has special deals and discounts for more than 60 shops and can be obtained at the Information Desk.
More than 30% of the annual mall traffic of 18 million can be attributed to tourism (4-5 million visitors). CCSC is the #2 most popular tourist attraction (the #1 attraction is the 16th Street Mall).
Dave reminded us that the 83L bus runs from Civic Center Station to CCSC and drops off in front of Neiman Marcus. Lots of visitors like to walk or take public transportation. This bus runs every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes early and late.
Pat reminded us that more than 18 million people visit CCSC annually. Of these, 6 million are tourists and 2.7 million are international visitors. Mexico is well represented in Colorado tourism – Pat mentioned that more than 40% of homes in Vail are owned by Spanish speaking people and that CCSC often has need of a Spanish-speaking guide for these visitors.
The next speaker was Sue Baldwin of Denver B-Cycle. B-Cycle has just completed its sixth year in business (April 22nd) and its third year as a year-round business. They now have 89 stations – the newest are: 16th at Wynkoop, 17th at Wewatta, 16th at Chestnut, and 21st at Lawrence – these are all in the LoDo area. There are also stations at all major venues. An annual Flexpass costs $15 and bike rental is $3/each 30 minutes. A discounted pass can be obtained from the concierge at the Hyatt, Sheraton and Ritz Carlton hotels. Sixty percent of B-Cycle’s business is tourist 24-hour business. They provided 350,000 rides in 2015, and had 75,000 annual riders. The average trip for an annual 24-hour member is about 47 minutes. Sue also said that new maps are coming which will list the newest stations.
Our next speaker was Jennifer Kemps, Group Sales Manager, for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Jennifer told us about DCPA as a showcase for live theatre – with their own theatre company, presentations of new plays, a major stop on the Broadway touring circuit as well as offering acting classes for the community. They also offer tours of the facility where you can go backstage and see the sets and where they are made, all the theaters, the costuming and how they make costumes. DCPA is handicap accessible. The current season’s presentations are listed on their website by date.
Next was Tiffany Grunert of The Denver Zoo. Tiffany reminded us that the zoo covers 80 acres in City Park. The zoo is #4 in popularity and the most popular of those venues that charge an entry fee – over 2 million visitors each year. The zoo has 4,300 animals – the newest exhibits are the Toyota Elephant Passage with elephants, rhinos and tapirs and the Giraffe Encounter – where you can feed the giraffes. They also have Animal Adventures where you can go behind the scenes to see penguins and rhinos “up close and personal”. There is a new exhibit coming – The Edge - which will provide more space for the tigers who will be overhead of visitors on bridges. There is a new baby gorilla now on exhibit for you to see. The zoo has 300 full-time employees, 300 part-time employees and 600 volunteers!
The zoo has a new traveling exhibit that will be on display from September 24th through January 16, 2017. It is titled “Washed Ashore” and encompasses sculptures made of recycled trash. This exhibit is free with your admission.
The Do at the Zoo will be on June 16th this year – more than 60 restaurants will have offerings throughout the zoo and there will be music too! The Zoolights are shown during December and January – cost is $12/adult and there are discounts for seniors and children. General admission to the zoo is $17/adults though they also offer group discounts which are $12.25/person. Check the website – denverzoo.org for more information.
Maura O’Neal of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science told us that more than 7 million people visited the museum in 2015. Current exhibits include “Chocolate - The Exhibition” which will be open until Mother’s Day. The Robot Revolution will be open until August 7th - - this exhibit requires a special ticket. In September the Extreme Mammals exhibit opens – with some of the largest and some of the smallest mammals ever found. This exhibit runs until January 2017. The museum also has a Discovery Zone which is geared to children up to the age of five. Check the website www.dmns.org for more information.
Heidi Weisman gave us an update on the Denver Art Museum. The Samurai exhibit is on display through June 5th. Women of Abstract Expressionism opens June 12th. In November the Star Wars and the Power of Costuming exhibit will open and run through April 2017. There are so many exhibits on display or coming in the near future that you really need to check their website for more specific information – denverartmuseum.org. The museum is available for special events before and after hours for groups – must have 10 participants. The museum has catering partners for your special event.
Erin Bird of the Denver Botanic Gardens reminded us that 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. This is a lush and exotic conservatory. The special sculpture exhibit this summer is Stories in Sculpture: Selections from the Walker Art Center - open April 29th through October 2nd. The annual summer concerts begin June 8th and include such artists as Bruce Hornsby and Chris Isaak (at Chatfield). The Chatfield venue is a real farm and raises produce – much of which is donated to various venues. Pollination week is June 20-26 and many activities are being planned – the bees and the butterflies will do their job of pollination. Honey will be available for tasting. The Children’s Garden (on the roof of the parking garage at York Street) will open May 8th – everything can be touched in this garden. The Gardens offer docent guided tours with your paid admission – regularly $12.50 though there is a discount on groups of ten or more to $10.50/each. The Gardens at York Street are generally wheelchair accessible – about 90% of the gardens are available.
Ilene Kamsler, Community & Industry Relations, representing Gray Line Colorado, reminded us that all five tours that Gray Line operates start and end at CCSC. Gray Line will run a shuttle to and various hotels to CCSC for their tours. She also said that tours are NEVER cancelled – weather is not an issue. The Pikes Peak tour will begin again on May 1st. Gray Line is a partner with the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) and there will be a new bus with a CTO ad on the side that will be parked on Lincoln on May 2nd for Colorado Tourism Day. This bus will then tour the state for five days with members of the CTO to promote Colorado tourism. The bus will then become part of the Gray Line fleet. Gray Line is also printing a new brochure which should be available soon.
Jenna VanOort with VISIT DENVER was next. Jenna was promoting Denver in Mexico last week with Pat Lee. Jenna offered information on several venues. The Kirkland Museum will be open until May 1st and then will close and move to a location near the Clyfford Still Museum and the Byers-Evans House on Bannock street, opening in 2017. She noted that Historic Denver has added a third tour this year – Larimer Square (the others are Capitol Hill and LoDo). She noted that VISIT DENVER is working on 19 neighborhood videos that you can see on their website. She also mentioned Denver 365 which lists things going on in Denver for every day of the year and Denver 2for1tix.com which puts out a weekly newsletter and list of events. Jenna told us that the Visitor Center on 1675 California sees 50-100 people each day – though obviously the numbers are higher in the summer. They have a desk at DIA and will be in Union Station when the University of Colorado “A” line from DIA to Union Station starts later this month. They have brochures in nine languages.
Bruce Abel again represented RTD. RTD has had several things in the works since last year’s meeting. In January they added a bus line to Boulder that runs every 15 minutes during peak times called the Flatirons Flyer. On April 22nd the University of Colorado “A” Line from DIA to Union Station will begin. The fare will be $9 whether you ride just one way or get an all-day pass. This train will run every 15 minutes from 5:30 am to 10 pm and every 30 minutes before 5:30 am and after 10 pm. These new trains will accommodate luggage and bicycles. Seniors, students and disables passengers will get a half-price discount ($4.50). Some SkyRide services will still be available to DIA though the AF SkyRide bus from Union Station to DIA will no longer run. You will access a Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) for a ticket that can be used only on that day. You will be able to purchase books of tickets for the DIA-US trip. These tickets will be good for the calendar year just like the current RTD tickets are and can be purchased at King Soopers. Currently RTD is running a pilot program for a reloadable “SmartCard” – sort of a credit card for fares.
This summer the B line from Westminster will be online – this line is planned to extend to Longmont by 2021. In the fall the line to Wheatridge will be open and by winter you will be able to transfer from the SE corridor line, which is being extended, to DIA. The “A” commuter train ends at the concourse under the Westin Hotel at DIA and arrives at Union Station above ground behind the main doors. Parking at RTD lots is free and is available at various lines but is not intended to be used for as long as 24 hours. DIA Parking will be $2/day whether inside or outside and will be free for the first 90 days after this train starts running.
In 2018 the North Metro Line up to 120th should be completed. And, there will soon be new fully electric buses on the 16th Street Mall – sometime this summer. On weekends the Mall will have summer festivals – such as sandbox playgrounds and activities for kids.
Heath Montgomery, Information Office, represented Denver International Airport (DIA). Denver is the 16th city to have train between the airport and the city center. Last year more than 54 million people went through DIA. He also said that Lufthansa will have a direct flight to Munich from Denver, beginning June 4th and a direct flight to Montreal also starts that day. There are plans to redevelop the Great Hall which has been the TSA Security check area since shortly after 9/11. They expect to move the security lines (TSA) and the Meet & Greet area to Level 6 eventually.
Every venue represented at this event gave us important information of happenings here in Denver for the 2016 summer tourism season. We always have lots of questions for RTD and DIA - these venues are really vital to tourism no matter the season.
Content copyright 2016. Rocky Mountain Guides Association. All rights reserved.
Web Hosting Companies