The National Middle School Association (NMSA) knows the value of meeting in destinations other than first-tier cities. Along with a growing number of organizations, NMSA is finding that it’s easier than ever to get the "big fish" treatment and plenty of added value for meetings.
"Our organization loves tier-two cities," says Al Summers, NMSA’s director of conferences. "We’re usually the biggest game in town, and other value they offer in this economy is even greater."
Case in point: NMSA’s November annual meeting in Indianapolis treated its 7,500 attendees to a show floor treat that, according to Summers, would have been impossible without the help of staff contacts at the Indiana Convention Center and the Indianapolis CVB.
"Even though I had zero funds in the budget for it, we constructed a 21st century classroom for our trade show, about 60-by-40 feet in size. The whole thing, including construction labor and wireless technology, was pro bono," Summers says. "The estimated value was $650,000.
"The CVB and convention center staffs bent over backwards to work with local unions and others to make this happen. They got local students and teachers into the classroom so attendees got an authentic teaching experience. We got free show space for the classroom, and they let us enter the convention center a day earlier than our contract provided—for free."
Successful destinations—like people—are working smarter than ever in today’s market to generate income and book business for now and beyond. While first-tier cities such as Las Vegas and New York are offering some of the lowest rates in recent memory, their smaller competitors are keeping pace by taking creative measures to entice and retain customers.
Successful sellers realize buyers really expect quality services and destination sizzle, along with palatable rates and perks in exchange for their business. So they are working hard to offer customers what they want, sometimes before they ask.
What Can You Do For Me?
Customization is a strong and successful strategy for Meet Minneapolis, according to Leslie Wright, senior vice president of sales and services for the CVB.
"Instead of offering some incentive that would be broader in scope, we ask the individual customer what is important to them," she says, citing as an example one association’s request for complimentary meeting rooms at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
"In addition, we gave scholarships to their foundation in the name of Meet Minneapolis," she says. "We met their budget and added more value in this way."
In Hampton, Va., Lacy Gibson, director of sales for the Hampton CVB, takes a similar approach.
"We ask customers how much they have to spend, and if the customer will be up front about that, we can get very creative with menus and other line items," she says. "We also work with group transportation needs—often because our hotels give back a percentage of revenue to help with that."
Marketing Measures
Events are one way value destinations are helping meetings customers bring in attendees. And there is a plethora of other creative marketing measures coming out of the current economic climate.
In Huntsville, Ala., Charles Winters, executive vice president of the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, says his bureau is offering complimentary housing and on-site registration services, as well as pre-printed name badges, destination information materials and complimentary shuttles between hotels and the airport.
According to Winters, his city’s per diem rate of $86 for 2010 means local hotels are already a good value for government groups and others in one of Alabama’s principal cities. He also notes several accolades Huntsville has received from national business publications for being a top city for economic stability, job recovery, performance and quality of life.
"We compete very well with major cities across the South for several reasons," he says. "For one thing, we have great air service with five major airlines, and lots of military and federal jobs are coming in. We have the second largest research park in the country, and if you want to do business with defense contractors, most of them have offices here and in D.C."
Jim Shamblen, an event planner with the 101st Airborne Association, says Hampton’s CVB staff has actually helped his association chapter grow via eye-catching internal graphics design products, including giant hotel banners welcoming the "Screaming Eagles" to town.
"Last year, they made us a deck of cards with our unit crest and the Hampton logo on them," Shamblen says. "They also gave us luggage tags and registration bags with our logo, and books with discount coupons for the city."
Gibson confirmed Shamblen’s report about her staff’s creative capabilities, adding that design for programs, e-blasts, flyers and other media are complimentary.
Free group beach parties or opening receptions is one perk Corpus Christi, Texas, is using to lure customers and attendees to its Texas coastal location through early 2010. Beth Brooks, president of the Texas Society of Association Executives, says the city has given her attendees activities such as horseback riding on the beach, kayaking on the bay, Top Gun flight experiences and mixology competitions.
"Corpus Christi adds value to your meeting because everybody at the convention center and the CVB are involved in making your meeting a success. They work as a team to figure out what you need," Brooks says. ‘They are extremely creative and are always thinking of new things for us. It’s truly a unique city in this regard."
These days, a city’s best sales closing tool may be the value-added experiences it offers meetings buyers—which also keep them coming back for future dates.
