Green Bay, Wisconsin
When working with meeting planners, the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau lets them know early on about “all the benefits of wherever they are [staying] from the very beginning,” said Brenda Krainik, the CVB’s director of marketing.
“We’re finding out what it is they’re most interested in and working closely with the planner; it kicks it off in the right direction,” she said.
For example, a group interested in football might enjoy a visit to Lambeau Field where the Green Bay Packers play. The facility has function space for receptions, dinners and tailgate parties, or attendees can take tours and visit the Packers Hall of Fame museum. If the group is into history, a dinner among trains and railcars at the National Railroad Museum might be the ticket.
But the best way to get groups into the community is to first understand what interests them, said Beth Ropson, the bureau’s director of sales.
“There is so much to do here, and we definitely want them to take advantage of as much as they can because they’ll have a great time,” she said.
The CVB provides step-on guides for its “Best of the Bay” tour, which highlights the city’s history and attractions.
Other bureau services include welcome bags and, for larger conferences, an information table at the event “so that attendees can ask questions, whether it’s about attractions or shopping. There’s always someone right there for them,” Ropson said.
Meeting attendees also receive the CVB’s printed coupon book, but if a planner is looking for specific outings, the bureau will work with its members to offer customized deals. For groups that are interested in food and culinary experiences, for example, the CVB could create and distribute fliers offering deals at area restaurants, wineries, cheese shops and chocolatiers, Krainik said.
Lincoln, Nebraska
It may seem obvious, but one of the best ways to get meeting attendees into the community is for them to feel welcomed by the community. In Lincoln, Nebraska, welcome banners in hotels greet every meeting or conference. For larger, citywide conventions, the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau asks businesses to put welcome messages on their marquees, said Tracie Simpson, services coordinator for the CVB.
“When they see that, it’s ‘Hey, look, they know we’re here,’” Simpson said.
The CVB also tells its partners, including area restaurants, malls and the Downtown Lincoln Association, when an event will be in town and which nights attendees will have free so that area businesses can work together to offer deals or come up with promotions for attendees.
When event planners are interested in a specific neighborhood — say, the hip and historic Haymarket District — the CVB will volunteer to set up a dine-around there, Simpson said. The CVB can organize dine-arounds for nearly any group size.
“The bigger the group, the more restaurants we’ll pull in,” she said. “It might be two or three for a smaller group or all the restaurants in the Haymarket area.”
Dine-arounds give local restaurants a chance to connect with attendees, Simpson said. While “there’s nothing wrong with chain restaurants, we also like people to learn what’s special about Lincoln.”
Although the CVB no longer prints its own coupon book, it has something that’s just as good: relationships. Leaders of local attractions know Simpson, and they know she’s looking for deals when she calls.
If a meeting is being held near one of Lincoln’s two large shopping malls, Simpson reaches out to the manager and comes back “with shopping bags full of coupons,” she said. The CVB also finds incentives for groups that stay downtown. Simpson works with the Downtown Lincoln Association to put together “hot sheets” to let attendees know they can show their meeting ID or hotel room key to get deals at downtown retailers and restaurants.
No matter what the event, the CVB’s marketing options are just “a starting point,” Simpson said.
“If there’s something you want, I’m not afraid to ask anybody for anything,” she said with a laugh. “The worst they can do is say no.”
Mobile, Alabama
The Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau is tapping the power of social media to connect meeting attendees with the community.
“Social media is something we’ve embraced fully, and we’re using it in really proactive ways,” said Al Hutchinson, who took the helm as the bureau’s president and CEO in July.
The marketing team holds seminars for its members on how to effectively use Facebook and Twitter to reach out to attendees. The CVB also uses social media platforms to reach out to its own members.
“We have a special Facebook page for our hospitality partners, so we’ll post on there when these groups are coming in and give some tips about how to reach those delegates once they’re here,” said Stacy Hamilton, the CVB’s vice president of marketing and communications.
Social media has largely replaced CVB coupon books in promoting deals and discounts to attendees. The CVB shares the conference or convention’s specific hashtag and encourages businesses to use it. For example, a local coffee shop can tweet using the convention’s hashtag, telling attendees to come in and show the tweet to get a discount.
“We want our mom-and-pop, locally owned restaurants to reach out, too, and it’s important to arm our partners with that information,” Hamilton said.
Meetings in Mobile can also tap into local media, Hutchinson said. Because “they’re big fish in a little pond,” the CVB’s marketing team can work with planners on the front end to coordinate a message and get coverage from local radio and television stations, he said.
“We can make that happen for them quickly and easily, no matter the size of the meeting,” Hutchinson said. “We want to get the message out to our community that we have XYZ association in town.”
The CVB has partnerships with the Downtown Mobile Alliance and the Mobile Restaurant Association, and those groups have strong networks with their own members. The CVB lets those associations know about incoming conferences, and they, in turn, encourage shops and restaurants to open earlier or stay open later and offer deals or discounts for attendees.
“They understand the benefit of making these groups feel very welcome,” Hamilton said.
