Midwest Meetings Winter 2010 by Midwest Meetings

â&#x20AC;˘ Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs): What CVBs Can Offer Youâ&#x20AC;Ś

Shadia Cook, a veteran of the hospitality industry, is experienced in coordinating conferences with corporate, government and association meeting professionals. Have a pressing question? Ask Shadia! Write to Editor@MidwestMeetings.com.

Q: A:

How can a Convention & Visitor Bureau (CVB) help me? Do I have to pay them for their services? Most cities and regions have a Convention and Visitors Bureau. They exist to help not only individual travelers, but also meeting professionals and convention planners. The majority of services are complimentary.

Midwest Meetings winter 2010

Finding local transportation options can be challenging when you’re not familiar with the city. Ask your CVB about your options, including group transportation and individual options. Some cities offer unique modes of transportation that can be a fun touch to your event. A CVB can be helpful at the earliest stages of planning. For

even arrange for a tour guide.

example, if you are contemplating different cities, you can submit

They may also be able to help arrange for group discounts at

your Request for Proposal (RFP) to the individual cities you are

local establishments such as restaurants, stores, and other tourist

looking at. Not only can the CVB respond with their available

attractions.

services, they can also send out your RFP to local hotels and con-

Linda Briden, Vice President Sales & Marketing of Visit Topeka,

vention centers, collect and compile the proposals and send them

prides their CVB as being customer service driven and innovative

to you for review. This is a great time and money saver for planners.

for their groups, “Visit Topeka prides itself on our level of service

Keep in mind though that most CVBs are unable to tell you which

to our customers. From our complimentary visitor information to

facilities are the best or which venues may be less than desirable. It

personalized tours and activities, the Visit Topeka staff is ready to

is still important to do your own visit to see your options.

make any event unique and memorable. Our goal is to go above and

CVBs can also help set up your site visits and familiarization

beyond to make every event special. For the American Boxer Club

(FAM) stays. Depending on the size of your event, anticipated rev-

site tour committee we ordered personalized doggie treats from a

enue and the CVBs budget, they may be able to cover your ex-

local business that specializes in healthy homemade treats for pets.

penses to visit their city. It is common that the hotel(s) that you are

We have organized babysitting and inflatable jumpers to entertain

considering will also be able to offer you a complimentary stay. Your

children, arranged for chair massages for expo attendees, arranged

CVB can easily arrange this for you, as well as prepare an itinerary

for one group to hold their opening session in the Kansas House of

for your visit and accompany you acting as your personal tour guide.

Representatives Chambers and themed Wizard of Oz events. That’s

Many CVBs also offer assistance with media for your event. They can help with local and regional media, as well as with press releases and even organize a welcome from local dignitaries.

just a taste of what we can do for any group.” Finding local transportation options can be challenging when you’re not familiar with the city. Ask your CVB about your options,

Chris Church, Bureau Services Manager, Fox Cities CVB, looks

including group transportation and individual options. Some cities

forward to unusual requests and extending some Midwestern hos-

offer unique modes of transportation that can be a fun touch to

pitality.

your event.

“We love the groups that give us a challenge. We’ve been asked

Depending on the size and potential impact on a community, it

to help find a place to hide a body (dummy, of course!) for a group

might be an option to ask the CVB to host or co-sponsor a welcome

of forensic investigators. Most important, we provide services to

reception, or even do a promotion at the prior year’s convention.

all our groups large and small. We had a group of seven people

Housing and registration are a vital part of your program and

attending a military reunion and they were coming to the Fox Cit-

event. Ask your CVB if they have online housing programs, onsite

ies because one of their members, who lived here, was too sick to

registration staff and welcome bags for attendees with information

travel. The planner was actually in California. He asked if we could

on the city.

request a greeting from the mayor. We arranged that.”

CVBs offer a wide range of services and can easily become the

If you are planning on doing some group and individual tours of

meeting planner’s best friend. Next time you are planning your

the area, CVBs can help create recommended itineraries, act as a

conference or meeting, contact the local CVB to help make your

liaison between you and the various places the tour includes and

event especially memorable!

www.MidwestMeetings.coM

Chef Jose Garces with New York City Firemen

JB: Pebble Beach is a special place. We have done dinners with Chefs Cat Cora, Marcus Samuelsson and White House Chef Walter Scheib. MM: Have you had any special moments that stick out to you since becoming a part of the Celebrity Chef Tour? JB: In 2007 during the fires in Southern California our Celebrity Chef’s (Gavin Kaysen) restaurant was evacuated. Then his neighborhood was evacuated and he was not able to make it to the dinner. A day before the event he helped us find another

JB: The Tour depends on the chefs, general managers, kitchen staff

chef to step in and take his

and servers at each restaurant we visit. So there are hundreds of people

place. It was a chef that had competed with Chef Gavin on “The Next

who make it work and I have three people that work part-time for me.

Iron Chef”, Jill Davie. It was a great story for the guests and everyone

I do most of the logistical work; dates, venues, chefs, donations, spon-

had a great dinner.

sors, menus, wines, beers. The Beard Foundation plays an integral part

Also, in 2008 in New York City the chefs were cooking on the stove

in the promotion and backing of the tour. There are usually 80 to 120

and there was a lot of smoke and it set off the smoke alarm in the kitch-

guests at each dinner.

en. It was a new system and the host chef didn’t know it was hooked

MM: How can someone get more information about attending the

directly into the fire dept next door. So the fire department showed up to check things out. They recognized Iron Chef Jose Garces right away.

event? JB: Guests hear about the dinners through the chefs, the restaurants, the foundation and through the media. MM: Has anyone ever utilized the tour as an incentive outing for

There was not a fire but all the guys wanted their photo with Chef Jose. MM: Any memorable moments from visiting the Midwest? JB: We had some great chefs and dinners in Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit. James Beard award-winning Chef Tony Mantuano cooked

their company? JB: The first five years of the tour was attended by corporate guests.

a dinner in Chicago at the Metropolitan Club on the 57th floor of the

Yahoo and Ameriprise Financial bought 80% of the tickets for cli-

Sears Tower, now called the Willis Tower. We have also had Celebrity

ent entertainment. The dinners are a fun and unique night of food

Chefs Dean Max and Marcus Samuelsson in Chicago for the Celebrity

and wine and a great value too; a dinner similar to a Chef Tour dinner

Chef Tour. In Minneapolis we have had our dinners at Solera and 2021

would cost $250 plus tax and a tip at a restaurant.

with Celebrity Chefs CJ Jacobson, Tim McKee and Susur Lee. While

MM: What are some cities you have toured over the years?

in Detroit, we were at the Renaissance Club and the Rattlesnake Club

JB: It is a long list….Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Detroit, Peb-

with award-winning Chefs RJ Cooper and Marlin Kaplan.

ble Beach CA, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle,

They were amazing nights.

Portland OR, Tampa, Houston, Crested Butte CO, Washington DC,

MM: Ultimately, what would you like to accomplish with the Ce-

Atlanta, Portland ME, Philadelphia, Denver, Scottsdale and Eggleston VA. MM: Since you tour so many regions, are there any memorable cities you’ve toured? www.MidwestMeetings.coM

lebrity Chef Tour? JB: To introduce people who love food, wine and a great evening to the Tour and the James Beard Foundation. And to give the chefs a chance to bring their food and practices to people outside their city.

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1. Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) staff are trained to help meeting planners save money. Cost saving ideas can provide meeting planners with invaluable information that comes in handy not only in the moment, but later down the road as well. Knowing the most cost-effective season for visits and gaining information on last-minute discounts are huge. If a venue has a last minute cancellation, planners may be able to pick up on discounted space. CVBs can fill meeting planners in on when certain areas are the busiest and when other events are in town. For example, generally in October hotels are extra busy in the cities, but not as busy at resorts. Meeting planners can learn about green travel and voluntourism from CVBs, which is valuable information to pass along to attendees. These bits of information can end up playing key roles for meeting planners when they are making their plans.

2. Services and Incentives

Special services and worthwhile incentives are out there, most of the time meeting planners just need to inquire about them. Some

great for sending out location, speaker and sponsor information.

CVBs will cover partial transportation costs for meetings with a

Members can tweet and re-tweet as well as post information about

room night minimum. Planning a meeting can be mind-boggling

meeting plans. CVBs strive to keep up-to-speed with the use of

with all of the little details that come up. To avoid headaches,

technology to reach customers and remain competitive in the mar-

meeting planners can ask their CVB about detailed reference mate-

ketplace.

rial, have them arrange for a site inspection or request for Google

4. Accessibility

maps that can pin-point all of the areas-of-interest specific to the

CVBs can open up a world of possibilities when it comes to trav-

event. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. CVBs can

eling in a city. For a planner hosting a meeting that isn’t familiar

have all the bases covered for meeting planners and help them un-

with the area, a CVB is the perfect place to turn to. CVB staff can

derstand policies and procedures. CVBs can assist in communicat-

inform meeting planners on the best air travel, local transporta-

ing with the local government when it comes to permits, security,

tion and routes. Shuttle services can be arranged and attendees can

street closures and risk management information if it’s needed. If

receive schedules of when transportation will be stopping at their

meeting planners would like to reach a specific person or govern-

hotel.

ment official, CVBs are a good place to start. CVBs will do their best to bring local officials to speak at a meeting or event.

3. Marketing and Social Media

5. Community Information and Local Support CVBs can provide visitor packets that inform meeting planners

Marketing your meeting with social media has been heard time

and meeting attendees about local events. The packet may even

and time again. However, many meeting planners may be unaware

provide area coupons. CVBs can also help set meeting planners up

of all the services CVBs provide when it comes to getting the word

so they are on mailing lists that notify them about local happen-

out. CVBs can market the destination to attendees with promo-

ings. Sometimes subsidies can be made available to meeting plan-

tional material that encourages attendance and can serve as an at-

ners with the help of CVBs. If a group is interested in a tour or dem-

tendance builder. CVBs will create customized email and fax blasts

onstration, CVBs are more than willing to provide those things as

as well as even create webpages for meeting attendees to easily ac-

well as providing the meeting planner a list of itinerary ideas. CVBs

cess. In addition to emails and webpages, they can do direct mail

know many local venues and their amenities. If a meeting planner

marketing by sending out postcards and reminder cards. Facebook®

is undecided about whether to have a meeting indoors or outdoors,

is a great social networking tool that is becoming more popular

CVBs can offer information specific to the event.

with meeting professionals. Meeting planners can announce upcoming meetings and group members can register for meetings and conferences or share information among members. Twitter is also ®

At any stage of the planning process, CVBs will be there to offer you all the services you need to host an impressive meeting.

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