Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited, condensed consolidated financial statements of Viad Corp (“Viad” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required for complete financial statements. The condensed consolidated financial statements of Viad include the accounts of Viad and all of its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany account balances and transactions between Viad and its subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation.

In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2015.

For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and related footnotes for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in the Company’s Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2015.

Nature of Business

Nature of Business

Viad’s reportable segments consist of Marketing & Events U.S., Marketing & Events International (collectively, “Marketing & Events Group”) and the Travel & Recreation Group.

Marketing & Events Group

The Marketing & Events Group, comprised of Global Experience Specialists, Inc. and affiliates (“GES”), is a global full-service provider for live events that helps clients gain more awareness, more engagement and a greater return at their events. The Marketing & Events Group offers a complete range of services, from design and production of immersive environments and brand-based experiences, to material handling, rigging, electrical and other on-site services for clients, including show organizers, corporate brand marketers and retail shopping centers. In addition, the Marketing & Events Group offers clients a full suite of online tools and technologies that help them more easily manage the complexities of their events. Show organizers include for-profit and not-for-profit show owners as well as show management companies. Corporate brand marketers include exhibitors and domestic and international corporations that want to promote their brands, services and innovations, feature new products and build business relationships. Viad’s retail shopping center customers include major developers, owners and management companies of shopping malls and leisure centers.

In 2014, the Company acquired: Blitz Communications Group Limited and its affiliates (collectively, “Blitz”) in September, onPeak LLC and Travel Planners, Inc. in October, with Travel Planners, Inc. merging into onPeak LLC (collectively, “onPeak”) in January 2015, and N200 Limited and its affiliates (collectively, “N200”) in November. For additional information on the Company’s 2014 acquisitions, refer to Note 3, Acquisition of Businesses.

Travel & Recreation Group

The Travel & Recreation Group consists of Brewster Inc. (“Brewster”), Glacier Park, Inc. (“Glacier Park”) and Alaskan Park Properties, Inc. (“Alaska Denali Travel”).

Brewster provides tourism products and experiential services in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and in other parts of Western Canada. Brewster’s operations include the Banff Gondola, Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure, Glacier Skywalk, Banff Lake Cruise, motorcoach services, charter and sightseeing services, inbound package tour operations and hotel operations.

Glacier Park, an 80 percent owned subsidiary of Viad, owns and operates seven lodges, with accommodation offerings varying from hikers’ cabins to hotel suites, including St. Mary Lodge, a full-service resort located outside the east entrance to Glacier National Park in St. Mary, Montana; Glacier Park Lodge, a historic lodge in East Glacier, Montana; Grouse Mountain Lodge, a full-season lodge offering golf, skiing, hiking and other seasonal recreational activities, located near Glacier National Park in Whitefish, Montana; the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada, which is situated on land for which the Company has a 42-year ground lease with the Canadian government running through January 31, 2052; the West Glacier Motel & Cabins in West Glacier, Montana; and Motel Lake McDonald and the Apgar Village Lodge, which are located inside Glacier National Park. Glacier Park also operates the food and beverage services with respect to those properties and the retail shops located near Glacier National Park. For additional information on Glacier Park’s concession operations within Glacier National Park, refer to Note 20, Discontinued Operations.

In July 2014, the Company acquired the West Glacier Motel & Cabins, the Apgar Village Lodge and related land, food and beverage services and retail operations (collectively, the “West Glacier Properties”). For additional information, refer to Note 3, Acquisition of Businesses.

Alaska Denali Travel operates the Denali Backcountry Lodge and Denali Cabins. In addition to lodging, Alaska Denali Travel also provides food and beverage operations and package tour and transportation services in and around Denali National Park and Preserve.