Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Executive Summary
The Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC) energized the visitor experience in 2014 at the Independence
Visitor Center with a number of in-building improvements, and beyond our doors with the renewed operations of the
Philly PHLASH seasonal transportation loop.
Improving the visitor experience at the Independence Visitor Center means providing modern amenities and making it
easy for visitors to access and navigate through the Visitor Center. As part of our building enhancements during 2014,
visitors are now greeted with:
• A new North End entrance that is more visible from Arch Street and Independence Mall. The North End doors
also provide an exit that is now transparent and aligned with the Market Street corridor creating a more inviting
thoroughfare as visitors walk through the building.
• LEED Silver certification of the Independence Visitor Center was awarded this year, showing our commitment to
social responsibility for the Philadelphia region and to our millions of visitors.
• Free cell phone charging with the installation of ChargeItSpot, a secure charging station giving users the ability to
leave and come back to retrieve their phone; more than 3,500 charges were made in the first three months of use.
The IVCC is also proud to extend our focus on the visitor experience outside of our locations with the management of the
Philly PHLASH. Given the resources to operate the system by the State Transportation bill, a new service operator, Krapf’s
Coaches, was selected and a new modern fleet of vehicles was launched, revitalizing the visitor-friendly and easy-toaccess transportation loop which has been in service for 20 years.
Our 2014 annual report is a reflection of IVCC’s direct influence on visitor satisfaction, spending and experience. Nearly
2.2 million visitors were welcomed to the Independence Visitor Center in 2014, which remains the most visited venue
in the Philadelphia region. In addition, we continue to offer visitor services throughout the city at the City Hall Visitor
Center, Fairmount Park Welcome Center at Love Park, Sister Cities Park Visitor Center and Pennsylvania Convention
Center, and have served more than 110,000 visitors this past year combined from these locations.
Looking ahead to 2015, the IVCC will embark on architectural design and construction planning for a Visitor
Experience Improvement Program (VEIP) that will upgrade and re-invent visitor engagement and utilization of
the Independence Visitor Center. Through this process we look forward to working with our stakeholders and partners
to cultivate a transformative and impactful experience for our future visitors, and one that supports the continued
economic growth of our region’s tourism industry.
Sincerely,
John H. Estey James J. Cuorato,
Chair, IVCC Board of DirectorsPresident & CEO, IVCC
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Board of Directors
JOSEPH T. ASHDALE
JOHN H. ESTEY, ESQUIRE
ROBERT N.C. NIX, III
Assistant Business Manager/
Secretary-Treasurer
District Council No. 21
International Union of
Painters & Allied Trades
BOARD CHAIRMAN
Executive Vice-President
for Administration
Hershey Trust Company
Chairman
Pleasant News Companies
LYNN R. AXELROTH, ESQUIRE
Partner
Ballard Spahr, LLP
W. BRADLEY BATURKA
Principal
Elko & Associates Ltd
THOMAS A. CARAMANICO
JACK FERGUSON
President & CEO
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
LYN R. KREMER
Publisher
The Philadelphia Business Journal
MERYL LEVITZ
BOARD VICE CHAIR
President
McCormick, Taylor, Inc.
President & CEO
Visit Philadelphia™
(Formerly Greater Philadelphia
Tourism Marketing Corporation)
MICHAEL COSTELLO
PAUL R. LEVY
General Manager
Hyatt Regency Philadelphia
at Penn’s Landing
Executive Director
Center City District
J.J. (JONATHAN J.) CUTLER
Managing Consultant
Futurestep
PAUL R. DECKER
STEPHEN P. MULLIN
BOARD SECRETARY
President and Principal
Econsult Solutions
WILLIAM B. PETERSEN
BOARD TREASURER
Vice President and Associate General
Counsel Verizon
TIM REEVES
Principal
Allen & Gerritsen
AMY SHEARER
Chief Marketing Officer
The Philadelphia Zoo
MARC WOOLLEY
Deputy General Counsel,
Secretary and CCO
Hershey Trust Company
Mayor’s Representative:
MARGARET HUGHES
First Deputy City Representative
City of Philadelphia
Governor’s Representative:
WILLIAM A. GRAHAM, IV
The Graham Company
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Attendance
The Independence Visitor Center is the gateway to Independence National Historical Park and the official
welcome center for the Greater Philadelphia region. It is the exclusive location to pick up free timed-tickets to
Independence Hall and is staffed by National Park Rangers providing park visitation information. The Visitor
Center is also staffed with Visitor Services Representatives (VSRs) who serve hundreds of thousands of visitors
each year seeking directions, information, and tickets for attractions and tours throughout the city and region.
Monthly Attendance in
Independence National
Historical Park
Monthly Attendance at the
Independence Visitor Center
January
61,035
January
155,249
February
53,131
February
131,121
March
123,986
March
235,535
April
199,156
April
370,927
May
216,481
May
408,152
June
259,435
June
390,588
July
332,214
July
487,660
August
290,690
August
427,221
September
173,110
September
301,362
October
181,323
October
302,144
November
131,262
November
231,803
December
112,999
December
201,290
TOTAL for 2014
2,134,822
TOTAL for 2014
3,643,052
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Funding Sources
IVCC directly manages more than two-thirds of the generated income to sustain the daily operations of
the Independence Visitor Center. IVCC also receives grant funding from the National Park Service for use
specific to building operation expenses.
34%
FY14 Percentage of
IVCC Generated Income
Ticket Sales
• IVCC is a third-party
ticket seller for more
than 60 partners of
attractions, tours and events
throughout the region.
53%
Concession Sales
• Gift shops at the
Independence Visitor
Center, Fairmount Park
Welcome Center and City
Hall Visitor Center.
• Café Independence inside
the Independence Visitor
Center and Independence
Mall Café across from the
Visitor Center.
3%
Facility Rentals
10%
Ad Sales
• Advertising opportunities
are sold to local and
national companies in
key locations throughout
the Visitor Center to
offer maximum exposure
to a diverse audience
of consumers as they
explore the building.
• The Liberty View Ballroom
and four additional spaces
throughout the Visitor Center
are available for rental yearround, hosting various private
corporate, social and public
events in the daytime and
evening hours.
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Visitor Services
IVCC’s multilingual Visitor Services Representatives (VSRs) serve visitors on a daily basis at the
Independence Visitor Center and our satellite locations at City Hall, Love Park, and Sister Cities Park.
Our VSRs are key influencers to visitors in how they will spend their time exploring Philadelphia, as more
than 40% of visitors surveyed add 2-3 attractions to their plans as a result of speaking to a VSR.*
Number of Attractions/Tours Added to Itinerary
after Visiting the Visitor Services Desk:
40%
26%
% of Visitors
Surveyed
15%
9%
2%
None
1
2-3
4-6
7-10
6%
10+
Number of Attractions
Stay Connected!
In 2014, IVCC served more than
The IVCC practices excellent
customer service to those
that stop in the Independence
Visitor Center and its satellite
locations as well as those that
connect with them digitally.
outside its physical locations on PHLvisitorcenter.com,
Twitter (@PHLvisitorcntr) and Facebook.
189,000 visitors
*IVCC partners with Econsult Solutions, Inc. to survey visitors inside the Independence Visitor Center. The above data is contained in a
report generated by Econsult for the 2014 calendar year.
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Visitor Profiles
Where visitors are from:
Finding out about the Visitor Center
24%
8%
Hotel/Convention/Tour
3%
Word-of-Mouth
Print Ad
76%
24%
UNITED STATES
INTERNATIONAL*
TOP 10
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
California
Maryland
Florida
Virginia
Ohio
Texas
Indiana
TOP 10
United Kingdom
Germany
Canada
China
France
Australia
India
Brazil
Italy
Netherlands
34%
of visitors are
finding the
Visitor Center online
81
%
of visitors to the
Visitor Center are
leisure travelers
50%
of visitors planned
their trip within
the last 3 months
*outside of U.S.
Data contained in 2014 report generated by Econsult Solutions, Inc.
31%
of visitors notice
the building while
in the area.
69%
of visitors prefer to
look for information
online
75%
of visitors are in
Philadelphia for
1-3 days
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Visit Philadelphia & IVCC
Now in the partnership’s sixth year, the IVCC and Visit Philadelphia® continue to drive visitors to start
their trip to Philadelphia at the Independence Visitor Center.
Wonder no more.
My pals at the
Independence Visitor
center can hook you
up with advice, tickets,
brochures, maps
and more .
P.S. It’s Across the street
from thAt fAmous crAcked bell.
Total Partnership Impressions:
8,460,295
Using the With Love Philadelphia XOXO®
campaign, ads were placed with the
call-to-action of starting your visit at
the Independence Visitor Center in key
impactful locations such as along I-95,
4,000 hotel rooms, 3 newsstands in Center
City, a double decker tour bus, the Official
Visitors Guide, Where Magazine and Arrive
Magazine during peak visitation timeframes
within the 2014 calendar year.
Visitphilly.com sent more
than 32,000 visitors to
PHLvisitorcenter.com in 2014,
making it the Visitor Center’s
highest web traffic source.
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Statement of Financial Position
Assets
Current Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents $
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Accounts Receivable
Grants Receivable
Prepaid Expenses
1,272,389
690,337
352,520
50,000
44,921
Total Current Assets
2,410,167
Property and Equipment
Equipment Less: Accumulated Depreciation 101,728
(61,683)
Total Property and Equipment, net
40,045
Investments 10,671,553
Total Assets $
13,121,765
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses $
Deferred Revenue
732,349
338,164
Liabilities and Net Assets
Current Liabilities
Total Current Liabilities 1,070,513
Net Assets
Unrestricted Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted
9,459,175
592,077
2,000,000
Total Net Assets 12,051,252
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $
13,121,765
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
Statement of Cash Flow
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Increase in Net Assets $
2,377,552
Adjustments to Reconcile Increase in Net Assets to
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities:
Depreciation Realized and Unrealized Gain on Investments Change in Operating Assets
Accounts Receivable Grants Receivable Prepaid Expenses Change in Operating Liabilities
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
Deferred Revenue 16,472
(1,131,682)
Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities 1,119,743
(13,583)
162,500
69,590
(615,004)
253,898
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Purchase of Investments
Sales of Investments
Increase in Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents (2,199,947)
1,940,688
(401,781)
Net Cash Used By Investing Activities (661,040)
Net Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and Cash Equivalents, beginning of year 458,703
Cash and Cash Equivalents, beginning of year $
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information
Cash Paid During the Year for Interest
813,686
1,272,389
1,550
Independence Visitor Center Corporation 2014 Annual Report
About the IVCC
The INDEPENDENCE VISITOR CENTER CORPORATION (IVCC) is a Pennsylvania non-profit,
501(c)3 organization which operates in cooperation with the efforts of the National Park Service,
Visit Philadelphia®, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Philadelphia and the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Independence Visitor Center is the primary point of orientation for Independence National
Historical Park, the City of Philadelphia, the Southern New Jersey and Delaware River Waterfronts, as
well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania.
@PHLvisitorcntr
PHLvisitorcenter
PHLvisitorcenter.com | LibertyViewBallroom.com | RidePhillyPHLASH.com
1 N. Independence Mall West
6th & Market Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106