Why Should You Work With a Convention and Visitors Bureau?

Find out how working with a convention and visitors bureau can make your life easier. Need to know the ins and outs of a destination? Are you are missing out on opportunities that can create a much better experience for you and your attendees? Your destination's convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is ready to serve as an official point of contact for meeting and convention planners — offering a more streamlined way to plan any size event. CVBs are the local experts, with comprehensive contacts and relationships with hotels, event spaces, service providers, and more. Here are just a few ways a CVB can help you (free of charge) to overcome challenges and make your meeting planning easier.

Picking a Date

Your meeting date makes a huge difference when it comes to attendance and what is available to you. If you are looking for a date for a budget meeting, a CVB can direct you to dates when there are fewer events and more affordable hotel rooms. Or, if you want to coincide with a citywide event to cut down on your entertainment and activity costs, you can go over the possibilities with the CVB. Simply provide the bureau with your different variables, and you can get your best dates to take advantage of the city’s resources.

Unique Experiences

CVBs know — and love — their destinations. And they want to share that insight with you. Do you have attendees looking for healthy options and unique exercise experiences? You can connect them to the free exercise classes at Cincinnati's Washington Park. Or, for more creative attendees, connect them with the free docent tours at 21c Museum Hotel. You can list options like these in your proposals, and CVBs can help you seek out those experiences. There are so many ways to stretch your budget beyond picking that perfect date. CVBs can send your RFP to any or all hotels in the area with the click of a button. Then, they can provide you with a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate proposal in about the same time it would take you to follow up with one hotel. Again, all for free. What if there is another conference in town? Could you possibly share items such as centerpieces or even an event photographer? A relationship with a CVB could allow you to potentially explore sharing items with another conference. You can also get an extra set of hands for activities such as marketing, staffing the event, and more. All you have to do is ask, and CVBs can help to stretch your event budgets.

A FREE Welcome Party

Yes, you did read that right: a free welcome party. Along with the many other ways a convention and visitors bureau can help you plan your event, the Cincinnati USA CVB is offering a party to introduce your attendees to the things that make the Cincinnati region so special. That includes visits from some of our favorite local mascots, as well as the adorable critters from the Cincinnati Zoo. In addition, you can get incentives such as a 2% credit to the master account on room revenue at the Hyatt Regency and the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza or free rental space at the Duke Energy Convention Center with $200,000 in food and beverage spend or a 10% across-the-board discount on room rental, food and beverage, internet and preferred A/V. No matter how you slice this, you can give your attendees an event to remember. Check out everything you need to know about this event planning deal. How has a convention and visitors bureau helped your event?