Strategies for CVBs to land conventions.

1. Selling Against Geography
“How to Attract Conventions
When You Are Not the Center
of their Universe”
Dan O’Connell,
CAE
President
Fort Wayne, IN CVB

2. Dan O’Connell, CAE, President
• Why I’m qualified to speak on this subject?
– St. Cloud, MN – small city, small CVB
– Springfield, IL – not Chicago, southern IL
– Fort Wayne, IN – northeast corner of IN

3. Audience’s Qualifications?
• What is your CVB’s primary market?
• Executive or Sales Director?
– Conventions or Tourism?
• What level of experience?
– Freshman? Sophomore? Jr.? Senior?

4. Session Goals
• Learn 3 things you should be doing for “A” groups
• Learn 6 strategies to attract conventions
• Incorporate 1 new idea into your marketing plan

5. What are the characteristics of not
being the center of their universe?
• Not geographic center
• Being too small
• Being too far away
• Being non-urban
• Others?

6. How to attract conventions when
you ARE the center of their
universe!
• What’s makes us unique?
• Figure out why. Why are they coming?
– Geography? Activity? Unique facility?
– 80/20 Rule
• Then ask yourself, who needs it?

7. “A” groups
• Befriend them
• Good for testimonials
• Ask them to host the
‘next level up’
• Ask them to host or
invite their affinity
groups

8. When you are NOT the center
of their universe
• 6 strategies to
book conventions

9. #1 - Work with Locals – or
the ‘Local Clout’ strategy
• Most common • CVB should convey
• Most successful confidence & ability to
• Partnership – assist locals to win bid
– CVB helps bid • Encourage local people
– Local hosts convention to use their clout.
• Perception is realty • Spend more time than $
– CVB seen as sales people. • Accomplish sales thru
– Locals seen as members. partnerships &
persuasion, not thru
– One asks, the other tells politics and pressure

10. Techniques to Encourage Locals
• Mayor memo to department heads
• Civic leader featured in business article
encouraging others to host conventions
• Host “President’s Reception” – reception
for fraternal and social club presidents
– Use prospect cards for leads; contacts

11. Program to Encourage Locals
• “Hometown Hero” program
– Honor civic organization leaders of local organizations
for their volunteer work that makes your city great
– Hometown Hero’s – those that hosted a major
convention
– Get special recognition from CVB (Mayor)
– Educate attendees on CVB sales assistance
– Ask others for their leadership to hosting meetings.
– Publicize in newspaper, CVB or Chamber newsletter
or Business magazine the names of honorees.
– Create in public’s eye that your city IS a destination,
thanks to these Hometown Heroes

12. # 2 - Accentuate the differences -
the ‘Un-cola’ strategy
• Emphasize the fact you are different
• Convey how ‘difference’ benefits
planners
• ‘We are not . . .’ ‘We are close to ...
– the woods, the lakes, the casinos
• Emphasize you’re good at __ meetings …
– Small, religious, agriculture, youth, etc

13. # 3 – Better Service strategy or the
‘Personal touch’
• You will provide more personal attention to
their planner, delegates and convention.
• Emphasize that they are the ‘big fish’ in
your small pond
• Then do it! - give more service, do special
things, go the extra mile

14. # 3 – the Better Service strategy or the
‘Personal touch’ cont.
• Many planners have ‘been there, done
that’. Be creative, use your city.
• Promote your professional experience.
Convey that you are especially good with
volunteers & inexperienced planners.

15. “Personal touch” requires
making personal relationships
• People to people business
• Form partnership based on
your personality, as well as
your capabilities of your city.
• Dale Carnegie stuff works
– get to know your planner,
personally
• Invest the time to get to know • Are you ready to make
their association’s issues, • a commitment?
problems, concerns.

16. Tips for Selling Your City, personally
• Host planners when your city looks good
– During festivals, sports tournaments,
concerts, golf, major events & milestones
• Sell your city’s vitality, excitement, fun
– Sell the sizzle, not the steak
• Match dates of convention groups with
your city’s ethnic festivals, etc.

17. # 4 – The Co-op strategy or
the ‘Conspiracy Theory’
• Share convention specs with
other CVBs for State business
• Hold Sales Director meetings.
Share information about needs
• Bidding War? Suggest
’share’
– “You take 02, we’ll take 03”
• Play the ‘sympathy card’
– “You haven’t met here
since xxxx, its our turn”

18. # 5 – Large Group strategy or
the ‘Big Bang’ theory
• Hotels & Conv. Centers • Why go for the Big Bang?
believe CVB’s should. . .
– book new business – It helps elected officials
and community see that
you’re ‘doing your job’
– get multiple hotel business
– Demonstrates to your city
folk you actual are a
– find business when they destination for conventions
need it most – Because ‘super-sized’
groups are more visible,
news worthy, more $$$ too

19. ‘Big Bang’ theory cont.
• Examples
– St. Cloud - State Fireman’s Convention 2000
– Springfield – Intl. Pork Producers - 10,000
– Fort Wayne - Gold Wing Road Riders - 13,750
• Will require significant amount of CVB staff
time and money to implement this strategy

20. # 6 – The Buy Business strategy or
the “Daddy Warbucks” strategy
• Goes far beyond the
traditional CVB sales
activities
• $$$ - Subsidies,
incentives, hosting
expenses, awards,
underwriting, co-
hosting expenses

21. ‘Daddy Warbucks’ cont
• Most don’t like to admit it - money talks.
• CVBs are changing their attitudes towards this strategy
• Examples – CVB pays for
* convention center rent * bus transportation
* opening receptions * evening entertainment/bands
* tournament expenses * housing for referees, staff
* bidding fees * hosting fees
* others?
• Downside?
– Once its starts, very hard to stop. Can get very expensive.
– Trick of the Trade - use others $$ to pay for underwriting costs

22. Sports Marketing - the non-
traditional convention market
• Emerging trend last ten
years. Professional,
collegiate, minor leagues,
recreational, etc
• Every community has
sports facilities.
• Communities can
become ‘unique’ very
quickly

23. Sports Market’s Major difference:
CVB becomes partner, not broker
• Traditional sale CVB required to help do tasks
– Seller - Broker - Buyer traditionally done by planner
– Facility - CVB - Group – Housing
– Funding and Finance
• Sports market requires CVB to
– Welcoming/Opening
be sponsor or to find sponsors
Ceremonies
• Must assume some risk – Banquets
– Many other requests

24. Summary . . . Did you ….
• Learn 3 things you to do for your “A” groups
• Learn about 6 strategies to book conventions
• Incorporate 1 idea into your CVB convention
sales marketing