Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville could be considered North Carolina’s version of San Francisco or Boulder, Colorado: a fun, funky city with a strong and singular identity. The city’s character is a mishmash of local personalities and scenes: craft breweries, local food and a tight-knit community of buskers and artists.
“We incorporate what’s special about the destination and make connections for meeting planners to use those things that make Asheville shine,” said Carli Adams, group communications and services manager for the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We want to share the setting that can help set the tone for an event.”
The CVB works with the large community of buskers and can bring in street artists to perform during meetings and events. Because Asheville is home to a drum circle that has been happening in downtown every Friday night for at least 15 years, the agency will bring in drummers for an opening session or a team-building activity, such as leading the room in a drumming session.
“It’s a really energetic, fun introduction to a meeting and lets people understand about the culture here,” Adams said.
To tap into the city’s brewing scene, the CVB can arrange a yoga tour that stops at local breweries or schedule a BREW-Ed tour with a local certified cicerone that is similar to a sommelier of beer.
Last year, the CVB launched its 48-Hour Meeting Planner Experience, which brings in 10 or so planners to spend two days exploring the city. The program isn’t limited to hotels and meeting venues; planners can customize experiences they want to try, such as pottery classes in the River Arts District or zip lining at a nearby resort.
“As long as we are connected to a planner from the beginning, we can really understand what items they’re looking for,” Adams said.
If a planner originates an RFP with the CVB, they’re eligible for exclusive services, including the Attraction Value Card for meeting attendees. The card offers discounts for the LaVoom Comedy Tour, an irreverent comedy-slash-history tour of downtown, and Wild Food Adventures, which takes groups foraging for edible wild plants and foods.
Beaumont, Texas
The Beaumont CVB’s meeting services revolve around two key themes: creativity and customization. Not many CVBs have a certified fitness instructor on staff. But Rebecca Woodland, Beaumont’s convention sales manager, is also a fitness instructor. Last year, the CVB used that to offer a Fit and Fun incentive program for events that submitted an RFP and had 300 room nights.
Using her fitness expertise, Woodland has taught a 1920s-inspired Charleston line dance, led a yoga class for attendees the morning after an event and organized a version of a Mardi Gras parade that resembled a conga line with umbrellas and beads. Woodland led one group in a modified zumba class after lunch, when most people are in a food coma.
“It worked out beautifully,” Woodland said. “They all loved it; even all the guys did it. The whole room was moving and laughing and cutting up.”
Although a fitness class isn’t an official meeting service, most anything is available “if they come to us first and have a certain number of room nights,” she said. The CVB also does custom downtown scavenger hunts and downtown dine-arounds, with visitors stopping at several museums for cocktails, appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Every summer, the city is swamped with softball tournaments, so the CVB recently organized a contest for attendees. Teams had to take pictures of themselves enjoying Beaumont at hotels, restaurants or area attractions. And then post photos to Instagram with a particular hashtag. The team that posted the most pictures won a prize. The players had a blast, and it helped increase exposure for the city, Woodland said.
“How do we get people to have fun?” she asked. “That’s what our customization is about. That’s what we do for our clients.”
