Sean Doherty is sales & sports marketing manager with the Charlotte Harbor VCB.
How is group business going?
I can definitely say that meetings have picked up, most of them at our Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center. We’re getting more RFPs than we have in the past. I’m just back from a tradeshow in Tallahassee, and I noticed a big difference in recognition among the attendees. They were coming to us instead of us having to pursue them. We’re about to hire a person to help with meetings and they’ll be based in Tallahassee because our primary market is associations.
What sets you apart from other Florida destinations?
I make sure people know we’re equidistant from Tampa and Naples and between Sarasota and Fort Myers. Another stat I find interesting is that 12.3 million people live within 150 miles of us. A lot of people think Southwest Florida is too far off the beaten path, but that stat proves them wrong. Downtown Punta Gorda is only 35 minutes from the international airport in Fort Myers.
What else do you want planners to know?
We’re an affordable alternative to a lot of other destinations. A lot of planners think they’re going to get hammered on the cost of the event center, but when a planner uses a local hotel, the center will reduce the rate, depending on the number of room nights. If the event is going to bring in 300 room nights, we may reduce part of it or throw in a stipend to reduce the rate.