If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
That’s the attitude planners should take when it comes to working with a city’s convention and visitors bureau, or CVB. These local organizations are powerhouses of knowledge surrounding their destinations, and there’s a lot of potential in partnering with a CVB to pull off a great event. But with post-pandemic staffing changes, turnover and budget cuts for many CVBs across the country, planners should keep in mind that getting support from a CVB may look a little different than it used to.
From knowing which services to request to maintaining positive connections with these organizations, here’s what three expert planners had to say about making the most of their connections with CVBs.
Build Good Relationships
Meeting planners understand that having solid connections in their networks can be the key to a meeting’s success. That’s why building good relationships with CVBs up front is so important. A personalized connection to one of these organizations often means they can tailor their suggestions and recommendations to better suit a planner’s program.
“Some of my go-to cities are because of my relationships with the CVB and the personal relationships that I formed with them,” said Tracey Bockhop, founder and CEO of Meet Meetings, an events and incentive planning company. “I know I could call on them, they’ll be 100% candid with me and they will home in on the locations I like, such as hotels. I’m not getting a blanket RFP.”
To form these strong connections, attending industry conferences or events is a great way to initiate conversations. Staying connected can help planners select their next host cities by keeping them in the know about a destination’s newest venues or attractions that could be a fit for a future event.
“When you meet somebody at a trade show, or at a convention or an industry event, be open to those relationships,” said Heather Herrig, president and chief event strategist of her planning company, Every Last Detail. “You may not have anything that is heading to that destination or that city, but you never know what could happen.”
Patrick Crosson, chief experience owner of PC Events and Experiences, echoed that need for open-mindedness. “One thing we try to do is build a relationship before we necessarily have a specific need,” he said. “We like to bring in CVBs and different destinations just to talk to our team about what’s out there, what the city’s like, what they have to offer. Then the relationship is more of a relationship than a business transaction.”
To maximize the potential assistance a CVB can offer, planners should look at their programs first and determine specific needs they think the CVB can help with. If a program includes attendees’ spouses and some leisure time, asking for recommendations for downtime is crucial. But if it’s a quick board meeting with limited downtime, expecting the CVB to generate a list of leisure activities would be a waste of their time and resources.
“When you’re not as specific on what your needs are, sometimes you get pushed down in priority,” Crosson said.
Planners should also keep in mind that first-tier cities may have more going on that occupies their time and resources; meanwhile, smaller destinations may be more likely to treat planners and their events like a big fish in a small pond. Usually, planners can expect more individualized support.
Leading Up to the Event
In the months or even years leading up to an event, a destination’s CVB can offer immeasurable assistance to planners. But planners may only be able to take advantage of these services if they know what to ask for.
The site selection process is one component of planning where CVBs can be heavily relied on.
“I do like to involve the CVB in understanding what strong candidates there are in their marketplace for my program, what venues might be a good fit, what hotels might be a good fit,” said Herrig. “They have a lot of insight on that. They have a lot of perspective that’s not on paper.”
Herrig added they could also tell planners if their destination would or wouldn’t be a good fit due to weather, other events in the area being held at the same time, construction and many other factors that planners would have difficulty foreseeing.
Sometimes CVBs will take the extra step of hosting site visits for planners and their clients. They may accompany them on these site visits to further build that relationship and address any concerns or needs the planners have. And they may be able to act as a liaison and introduce planners to key suppliers.
Another area where CVBs can offer support is by giving planners access to information about their cities. CVBs often keep data on how many tourists come to their destination at any given time, which can help planners determine the logistics for their events.
“They know peak seasons and peak times for hotels,” Crosson said. “If your dates are flexible, you can ask them where within a month is a good time frame for an event, or if there’s a low season, where you can get a better value. That’s something a CVB or DMO can really help you with. It’s data you can’t get anywhere else.”
Another service leading up to the event that CVBs can assist with is event marketing initiatives. Whether it’s printing postcards to mail out, assisting with building an event app or page for visitors to download, or beginning a social media campaign to drive registration, many CVBs are willing to do this at no charge.
“Those marketing initiatives are usually right in line with campaigns that they’re running,” Herrig said. “So it kind of capitalizes on what they’re trying to share about the destination. And they can personalize it with your conference logo or your registration dates or your registration link.”
During the Event
When it comes to the event itself, there are many services CVBs can provide to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
They frequently assist with an on-site representative, either at the airport awaiting arrivals or at the registration desk. These representatives can welcome attendees to the city and field any questions that they may have, from restaurant recommendations to transportation to general information.
“It’s amazing to have somebody there who knows that, who’s able to answer those questions,” Herrig said. “They’re always got such a friendly smile and are professional and polished. So that’s a big help when stuff like that can happen on site.”
Some destinations have Certified Tourism Ambassador programs, which train volunteers to answer questions about their cities. This can be extremely helpful for citywide events or dine-arounds where attendees or their plus-ones may be expected to navigate the destination on their own. In general, CVBs can usually get volunteers to assist with a wide variety of a program’s needs.
“Their ambassadors or their volunteers really will actually help work some of the shifts for catering or wayfinding or registration, which really helps cut down on staffing costs,” said Crosson.
CVBs may also be able to partner with local business to arrange discounts for attendees, whether that’s a free appetizer at local restaurants for people wearing their conference badge or a voucher for a free trolley ride for their plus-ones to amuse themselves during the day. They may even offer planners rebates for booking a certain number of hotel rooms.
Ultimately, one of the most helpful things CVBs provide is the ability to enjoy their destination. In this way, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
“If the city is great to work with and you feel like your workload was taken off some and then your attendees really enjoy the city, then both you and they want to keep coming back,” Bockhop said.
