MBA Program – �鶹��Ƶ

E-Sports Market Analysis for Federal Way

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 18:54:35 +0000

UW MBA students delivered an e-sports market analysis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the opportunity to supplement event, attendance, and potential revenue levels at a City of Federal Way-owned building for the purpose of an exhibit hall at the Town Center in downtown that could potentially incorporate an e-sports venue. [...]

City of Frederick Downtown Hotel and Conference Center Demand Analysis

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:43 +0000

The City of Frederick is pursuing the development of a downtown hotel and conference center (DHCC). The City has tapped as its project lead the Plamondon Companies, a local developer with a wealth of relevant experience in the hospitality industry. Plamondon has proposed a 207-room hotel bearing the Marriott brand and an attached conference center of about 23,500 square feet. The City and its Department of Economic Development are pursuing necessary approvals to build on the proposed site but it also must convince key stakeholders of the projectâ€s viability. Development of the conference center portion of the DHCC will require significant public subsidy from the City, Frederick County, and the State of Maryland. The local business community, particularly existing hoteliers, will be greatly affected by the DHCC. What types of meetings and events will the DHCC host? And will the conference center attract visitors who fill not only the Marriottâ€s beds, bars, and dining tables, but induce spillover business for the other restaurants, hotels, and local attractions already established in and around Frederick? The DHCC faces competition locally and across the State from facilities similar to that proposed by Plamondon. But Frederick, the projectâ€s developer, and its eventual operator, can leverage the Cityâ€s existing strengths and position the DHCC to be an economic engine for the City. First, the City and DHCC should forge connections with key nonprofits and regional organizations as well as meeting planners, who are the gatekeepers to much of the conference center industry and are invaluable advocates for locations such as Frederick. Building these relationships and dutifully maintaining them will keep Frederick in the rotation as groups like the Maryland Economic Development Association and Maryland Municipal League schedule regular meetings across the State. Second, the pitch to these groups must be about Frederickâ€”not ballrooms or hotel suites. The lively downtown, historical sites, nearby natural beauty and other attractions can differentiate Frederick from other cities with similar conference facilities. And third, the City and DHCC should make a play for government business in the long-term. Tighter budgets in Washington and meeting and events restrictions following a string of conference scandals across a number of agencies have slowed the federal meeting business to a trickle. But Fort Detrick cannot be ignored. Its unique and essential leadership in biotechnology could bring the DHCC some business in the short-term. It is, however, much more likely to yield greater dividends in the long-term as spending once again opens up. Positioning the DHCC to capture the eventual increase in demand from the Fort and other local agencies will help ensure the long-term viability of the facility. Pursuit of the strategies outlined above will put the DHCC on solid footing to attract meeting and event business from its four core market segments. Special events, such as weddings, are a natural source of business for the Center and will likely fill much of its calendar. Local businesses led by the largest employers in the County are a key driving force behind the project and will use the DHCC and Marriott regularly for a number of purposes. The DHCC and City as a whole will have the opportunity to attract significant conference and meeting business from regional and statewide nonprofits and organizations. And while demand will be slack in the short-term, government business could be a boon for the DHCC as the federal dollars start to flow once again.

Analysis of Proposed Hotel and Conference Center in Downtown Fredrick, MD

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:43 +0000

The City of Frederick has joined with PALS and the University of Maryland Smith School of Business to assess a proposed hotel and conference center planned for downtown Frederick. They are particularly interested in assessing the demand for the meeting space planned, and better understanding the likely economic impacts of businesses and nonprofit organizations making use of the conference center. An analysis of the trade show and events industry was conducted to provide additional background as the City and its private partners continue to develop their plans and goals for the project. Two conference centers in similar cities were analyzed to assess likely economic impacts and best practices for marketing strategies. Finally, the regional competitive landscape for conferences and private event venues was analyzed, and opportunities for business development were identified.

Frederick Municipal Airport Consulting Project

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:43 +0000

Frederick Municipal Airport (FAA Code: FDK) is an asset to the Frederick community and a potential catalyst for business and increased tourism in the Frederick area. Due to its proximity to Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD, FDK is an ideal location for travelers who do not want to deal with the hassle of security, frequent delays and traffic at the surrounding major airports. The airport is owned by the City of Frederick and a Fixed Based Operator (FBO), Landmark Aviation, manages day-to-day operations. The City of Frederick is interested in exploring ways to increase revenue at FDK through current operations and future business possibilities, and create a reputation as the number one corporate executive airport in the Baltimore/Washington area. FDK can explore the following areas to increase the volume of flights and revenue streams: Extend the length of the runway; Build additional hangars to increase rentals; Explore other uses for airport land. To increase the volume of flights and generate increased revenue, FDK should make improvements to its current infrastructure and marketing strategy. As FDK increases its air traffic and grows through new expansion projects, it is critical to maximize revenue generation through strategic marketing and a concerted outreach effort. This marking strategy will help entice additional transient travel operations, encourage local companies to invest in air travel and maximize fuel transactions. In order to do so, local government and Landmark should coordinate to enhance the airportâ€s online presence and market directly to regional businesses in order to position FDK as the destination of choice for corporate executive travel in the area. This strategic marketing effort could include the following: Improved website content; Improved corporate outreach; Airport Fence; An extended Bus Route to connect FDK to existing public transportation and the surrounding are; Name change and consistent branding strategy to position Frederick Municipal Airport; Increased presence of FDK staff and advocates at industry conferences.

Frederick Municipal Airport: Expansion & Business Development Strategy

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:43 +0000

Frederick Airport (FDK) has the potential to become a self-sufficient, leading executive airport by focusing on increasing the number of customers and leveraging existing space and expertise. The runway extension will increase the number of potential customers that can land at FDK, but an improved online presence will attract customers who simply were not aware of FDK. Frederick can also capitalize on existing space, in turn capturing additional revenue, by building additional T hangars, which will simultaneously satisfy the backlog of customers waiting for hangar space to rent. Additionally, recommendations are to improve the airportâ€s value to the community by hosting aviation related events and participating in â€œagritourismâ€ with hot air balloon type services. The future of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry may also present opportunities for FDK to provide valuable services; however, it may present safety issues and Frederick should make a concerted effort to stay apprised of the best practices in order to keep air travel at FDK safe.

Montgomery Parks Outreach Strategy and Implementation Plan

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:28 +0000

CJRT is developing a long-term minority outreach engagement strategy and implementation plan for Montgomery Parks, an agency within the Maryland-National Capital Planning Park Commission (M-NCPPC). Montgomery Parks is a bi-county governmental agency serving over one million Montgomery County, Maryland residents as well as residents from the larger Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. metro area. Over one third of Montgomery Countyâ€s residents are foreign-born and approximately 14 percent have limited English proficiency according to Montgomery Countyâ€s Limited English Proficiency Annual Report (2011). M-NCPPCâ€s mission is to: â€œProtect and interpret our valuable natural and cultural resources; balance demand for recreation with the need for conservation; offer various enjoyable recreational activities that encourage healthy lifestyles; and provide clean, safe, and accessible places.â€ As in many communities, Montgomery Parks faces challenges attracting and developing long-term engagement with specific underrepresented groups, which is a direct threat to their ability to provide accessible parks and facilities. This outreach and engagement issue, while pervasive among many state-run and national agencies, stems from a complex array of barriers including: language, culture, geographic location, economic status, values and perceptions. Alongside the social and economic barriers, improving long-term engagement with these underrepresented groups will have to address and ameliorate beliefs that agencies do not care about them, do not listen or are irrelevant to them. Overall, the goals of this effort are to provide our client with a cost-efficient, effective, and sustainable communication strategy, and to provide an implementation strategy to achieve improved outreach, engaging non-typical park users. The report provides the following recommendations: Increase and expand translation, focusing first on â€œhigh-touchâ€ resources; Increase targeted advertising to populations (we focused on three large populations, American born African-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, and Chinese): African-Americans: through schools, churches, and national Pan-Hellenic council, Latinos/Hispanics: churches and public schools, Chinese: ethnic grocery stores/markets, language schools, public schools, and community centers; Hire full-time staff with expertise in minority outreach, preferably bilingual, to help Montgomery Parks navigate and oversee community outreach to minorities; Hire â€œhubsâ€ (community brokers) or community residents to act as ambassadors and help create pilot outreach programs; Require cultural competency training for Montgomery Parks staff. Additionally, to ease implementation, we recommend a phased implementation of the above initiatives with the associated baseline costs: Phase 1: includes hiring new personnel, requiring cultural competency, starting translation of key documents in key languages ($77,090); Phase 2: includes hiring the hubs and beginning pilot outreach programs, as well as expanding translation services ($99,650); Phase 3: expansion of previous outreach programs, development of the Community Engagement Office ($92,850).

Planning for the Future: Montgomery County Parks

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:22 +0000

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