Confusing? Valuable? Baffling?…CVB Mystery, Part II

Yesterday I reviewed what a Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) does as well as highlight some of the confusion surrounding how CVBs can help.  As promised, today I’ll tackle the top misconceptions that clients have about CVBs.

 

 

Here are the top misconceptions that were noted by CACBSO members:

 

 

• NSO/GSO can do more than a CVB can for me
• Not worth it to copy the CVB on an in-house piece of business, they only do citywide bookings
• My NSO/GSO won’t get credit for the lead
• Afraid that using a CVB will take away my importance
• Clients just don’t really know all that a CVB can do
• There is a cost to use CVBs
• CVB has to send my lead to all of the members even if my meeting won’t fit there
• I’ll be inundated with calls from every vendor/supplier in the city

Times have certainly changed for CVBs and because each one may be ran slightly differently  it’s easy to to understand why planners are confused as to how best to utilize their services and what they will get from working with a CVB.

NSO/GSO can do more than a CVB can for me
Not necessarily true.  Many NSO/GSO staff have never seen all of the locations they represent and the CVB sales staff are experts on their individual destinations.  They spend time getting to know their hotel partners, the convention center, local venues and area history to help planners get the most value out of a destination.

Not worth it to copy the CVB on an in-house piece of business, they only do citywide bookings
It is always important to copy the CVB on any program you are booking, no matter how small as CVBs often have special incentives, offers or programs available that can apply to in-house meetings as well as citywide conventions.  You cannot access those unless the CVB is in the loop.

My NSO/GSO won’t get credit for the lead
This is typically not the case these days.  In addition, the CVB encourages planners to send the lead to the NSO/GSO and to copy the CVB. That way, neither resource misses out on any kind of credit for receiving the lead.

Afraid that using a CVB will take away my importance
The purpose of a CVB is the help make a planner look good!  CVBs are “behind the scenes” resources that make planning a meeting/convention easier and more streamlined. Using a CVB should be considered a value add instead of something that is a distraction.

Clients just don’t really know all that a CVB can do
CVBs can assist in helping to find the right hotel(s), securing space at the convention center, providing marketing collateral, assisting with registration/housing, securing volunteers and making connections with needed suppliers and vendors.

There is a cost to use CVBs
There is no cost to use a CVB.  CVB staff are support and paid as salaried employees and the CVB itself is funded through a variety of sources, most notably through hotel bed taxes and other similar taxes.

CVB has to send my lead to all of the members even if my meeting won’t fit there
99.9% of CVBs no longer are required to send a lead out to everyone hotel/partner.  Clients can pick and choose which properties should receive the lead so that they can better assist a planner in finding the right location and not just a location! There may still be a few CVBs out there who are membership based and they have to send to all members but that is the exception and not the rule.

I’ll be inundated with calls from every vendor/supplier in the city
Again, as mentioned above, most CVBs can now also request that a meeting/convention is not published in a convention calendar unless the client wants to have it published.  Programs can also be listed as “confidential” clients when that is requested.

The other change coming into play now within the meeting/convention industry is that many CVBs are considering changing the name of their organization from CVB to DMO (Destination Marketing Organization).  It seems fitting to make that kind of name change as the DMO moniker seems to have a better connotation with clients and also represents more thoroughly what it is that CVBs really do.  We market destinations to clients for future meeting and convention opportunities…it’s just that simple.

It is important to think of your CVB/DMO contact as a partner.  They are at your disposal to assist in a variety of ways and can make your job much easier.  We work with a variety of partners from NSOs to local venues to destination management companies (DMCs). For more information on CACBSO and the individual cities represented in Chicago, please visit our website at www.bureaureps.com.

Heidi Edinger, CMP, CASE
Regional Director of Sales – Midwest
Fort Worth CVB