Perhaps fearing that there really is no such thing as “free”—and that all no-cost services carry a debt in some shape or form—many meeting planners don’t avail themselves of the assistance CVBs can offer when planning their programs.
It doesn’t help that the industry abounds with stories of bureaus deploying the shotgun approach with RFPs and with tales of customers getting schlepped around to 30 hotels on site inspection tours.
“Like anything, some are good and some are not,” says Bonnie Wallsh, a veteran independent planner who describes herself as a strong proponent of CVBs, offering that she “swears by them.”
“It’s not true that an RFP sent to a bureau goes to all the members; you can stipulate that you only want it to go to two or three if you want, but the onus is on the planner to say what to do with the request,” she says. “The important thing is, planners shouldn’t let a bad experience influence them negatively against CVBs.”
They have quite a lot to offer, adds Lisa Dyson, director of conference services at the TESOL International Association.
“Using a CVB is your secret weapon to saving time, money and looking great in front of your boss,” she contends. “Their services are free and they are the experts on their city. The old adage, ‘you get what you pay for’ doesn’t hold true when it comes to a CVB.”
Know What You Get
There isn’t a standard list of CVB services but there are some basic service areas from which bureaus draw their list of offerings (as provided by DMAI, or Destination Marketing Association International).
These include site inspection services; event and off-site selection support; attendance promotion; political liaison services; public relations services and on-site services.
But that’s just what’s listed on paper. Bureaus and planners alike have great stories to tell of the services bureaus offer generally or of individual circumstances where something unique was done for a group. Whether it’s personalized site-inspection tours, extensive social media help, all-around service or even fulfilling an unusual need a planner has, numerous destination marketing organizations can provide this assistance. The key, if a planner doesn’t find the services needed in any printed collateral or on a website, is simply to ask what the bureau can provide. PageBreak
Transpo Offering
In order to lure meetings and conventions business, Delaware’s Greater Wilmington CVB (www.visitwilmingtonde.com) offers a Transportation Incentive that commits up to $20,000, on a first-come, first-served basis, to groups booking a minimum of 100 room nights in a member hotel in New Castle County.
According to Sara Garnett, director of sales at the CVB, this innovative program has met with great success, and even was the deciding factor in one group’s decision to meet in the destination.
“The International Thunderbird Club chose Wilmington for their conference this summer [2012] because of our Transportation Initiative,” she says. “Their week-long conference included a mix of meetings and sightseeing, and the Club spent three days touring area attractions using our incentive.”
Tech Titans
At the Bloomington CVB, representing Bloomington, Minn., technology has become the name of the game. Considered the gateway to the Mall of America—the largest mall in the nation—Bloomington has changed how it helps meeting planners market meetings before, during and after the events. It sets up event pages on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, at no charge, where groups can upload photos and video about or from their meeting.
The bureau also sends out announcements about the meeting and mall coupons via mobile phone messaging. Attendees receive two texts a day with updates from the conference that may include notes from the meeting organization’s leadership, information about the meeting or shopping offers.
“It’s a way to get engagement going for the conference,” says Dan O’Neill, vice president of strategy and sales.
The CVB saw a need to update in order to stay ahead of planners’ needs, O’Neill says.
“Meetings are being handled differently, with social media and the like, so we need to offer our services differently,” he says.
Officials at the Austin CVB agree.
“Some meeting planners are going to start asking for [social media] so it’s good to start offering it,” says Katie Cook, interactive marketing manager. “Maybe in the future it even will be offered as a concession to sign a contract.”
The bureau features a toolkit with recommended best practices for using Facebook and Twitter, but rather than a lengthy how-to, the documents are more “idea based,” offering tips and tricks instead of step-by-step instructions. The toolkit also includes video and pictures of Austin, giving planners fodder to entice registration, as well as a recommended itinerary on Foursquare.
Cook and others on her team also offer another key resource: hands-on assistance.
“Myself or someone from our social media agency can answer questions or provide examples of what another organization has done,” she says. “Meeting planners have said they like the fact that we offer this expertise.” PageBreak
Personal Touch
Some CVBs offer highly personalized help.
“I had a client in another city who was meeting in Chicago and was nervous about the cost of planning trips and about getting the logistics done. The bureau was able to arrange air tickets and arrange the entire site visit,” Wallsh says. “The client was blown away by the fact that there was no cost for this and I looked like a hero; it was incredible.”
Planner Jason Weinstein, director of national events for the AARP, had countless such experiences in working with the New Orleans CVB.
“We look to CVBs for marketing materials (photos, collateral material) and to help us find value for our attendees when they travel to town, be it discounts on mass transit, local attractions, etc.,” he says. “The marketing machine in place in New Orleans is second to none.”
In San Jose, Calif., Team San Jose, the city’s CVB, also provides numerous services that add value for groups meeting in the destination.
“Unlike other CVBs, we’re a one-stop shop for events, so we handle everything from housing and customized menus to marketing support [such as telemarketing[and event planning,” says Jeanne Sullivan, public relations consultant for Team San Jose. “Groups feel like VIPS taking over the city with the ease of booking in one hotel. We also offer the ability to put all our convention center/facility services on one bill, which makes it much easier for planners. If they work with certain hotel partners, their hotel bills can also be on that one invoice. As an extension of that, one of the new marketing/branding programs we have is called the ‘Own the City’ campaign.”
Housing Costs
CVBs also provide free marketing services—including microsites for a meeting, a service several bureaus now offer—but, on top of that, many provide planners with housing services, a tool that could make a big difference when it comes to budget, Dyson notes.
“Savings will depend on how the contract with the third-party housing provider is structured, but if an organization is paying for housing services, then using the free service provided by the CVB instead can save thousands,” she says.
It also can create cost-savings for attendees by avoiding a housing bureau’s fees, and it affords planners the chance to commit an act of social responsibility, notes Bloomington’s O’Neill.
“We’re seeing traditional housing firms charge more on room rebates and commissions,” he says. “Since we’re a nonprofit, our rates are much lower. Plus, using our service also puts money in the local economy, which drives jobs into the local hospitality community.”
