Courtesy Snohomish County Tourism Bureau
Snohomish County, Wash.
As a small tourism bureau, representing a string of small cities north of Seattle, Snohomish County has limited resources and typically doesn’t pay to fly meeting planners to the area for site visits, according to Amy Spain, executive director of the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. The exception is when the meeting is new to the state and represents significant business; in those cases, the bureau can apply for grant funding to cover airfare.
Typically, meeting business in Snohomish County is state or regional, so meeting planners drive to the area for a site visit. Often they are also visiting other cities in the region.
When meeting planners do arrive in Snohomish County, they can count on getting highly personalized service. Resorts, hotels and other partners provide housing; the tourism bureau develops an itinerary based on the meetings’ specifications and a staff member “always offers to accompany them,” said Spain. Having a staff member along makes it easier for planners to actually see the destination, Spain says.
“I like to drive,” she said, “so that the planner will be able to look at the positioning of the city as opposed to looking for street signs.
“I think meeting planners who work with us surprised at the level of service we provide. Larger cities in general are more focused on big citywide conventions. If you have a meeting of only 100 people, that is small potatoes for a big city with a big convention center to sell. That’s the kind of business we love.”
425-348-5802
www.snohomish.org
