Trying to grow meetings and events as a Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) or Destination Marketing Agency (DMO) isn’t easy. You want the city to shine. You want planners to trust every promise. You want hotels, venues, and local businesses to show up with the same energy you bring. But you can’t do any of it alone.
The destinations that win more bids work with their partners in a tight, honest, and consistent way. Hotels stay close. Venues talk early. Local businesses support the story. Government partners help clear the path. Event planners get clean answers instead of confusion. When everyone moves in the same direction, planners feel it instantly and are more likely to pick your destination.
Why strong stakeholder relationships matter
Strong relationships sit at the heart of every successful destination strategy. They’re the reason some cities feel easy to work with while others feel chaotic. When you build trust with your local partners, you create a smoother sales flow, faster answers, and a better experience for planners. Here’s why:
- Shared wins beat solo wins: Hotels, venues, restaurants, transport teams, and local services all fuel your story. When they work together, your city feels reliable. Planners picture their groups moving through the experience without a hitch. That confidence leads to more bookings and more repeat events.
- The more you connect, the clearer your pitch: You sit at the center of the destination. You hear what planners want. You see gaps. You spot new trends before anyone else. When you share that insight, your partners adjust faster and shape a stronger offer.
- Faster answers keep bids alive: Planners move at speed. They need quick clarity on rooms, space, logistics, transit, menus, and all the little quirks that shape an event. Close relationships cut the lag. A quick call or message to a partner can keep a bid alive when timing feels tight.
- Better insight fuels better strategy: Your partners hold valuable intel. Booking pace, blackout dates, staffing changes, major openings, upcoming renovations, and local events that might help or hurt availability. When you stay in sync, you pitch your destination with accuracy.
Want to become an expert on event planners? Read The Essential Guide to Event Planners.
What each stakeholder brings to the table
Every partner plays a different role in shaping how planners see your destination. When you understand their strengths, you can show that value with confidence.
Hotels
Hotels shape the very first impression and control the core pieces planners care about:
- Room blocks and rates
- Meeting space and layouts
- Service standards
- Tech support and amenities
- Food and drink options
Hotels also spot booking trends before anyone else. They know when the city will compress, which dates move slowly, and what upgrades or renovations sit on the horizon. When you stay close to them, you can set clear expectations with planners and move faster on bids.
Venues
Venues give your destination its energy. Convention centers, museums, galleries, rooftops, stadiums, historic spaces. Each one brings a different feel and helps planners imagine their event in your city. Venues hold the details that shape strong proposals:
- Capacities
- Floor plans
- Load-in rules
- Tech requirements
- Catering policies
- Seasonal quirks
When you understand these spaces well, you can match the right group to the right venue with confidence.
Local businesses
Local businesses bring the city to life. Restaurants, bars, attractions, AV companies, caterers, shops, and transport providers turn a meeting into a full trip. They help groups feel welcomed and cared for. They also create experiences planners love to highlight:
- Tailored menus or welcome offers
- Fun offsites and team experiences
- Easy group transport
- Entertainment that feels tied to the local vibe
Government partners
Government partners keep the city running smoothly around the event. City officials, tourism boards, transport teams, and safety departments manage the parts of the experience that sit outside hotels and venues. A strong relationship removes friction and keeps planners confident throughout the process. They help with:
- Permits
- Public space rules
- Traffic and transit updates
- Accessibility needs
- Safety guidance
- Community support
Event planners
Planners bring the business, but they also bring insight you can’t get anywhere else. They see trends across many cities and know what groups want today. Their questions show where your destination shines and where you need to adjust. Strong relationships with planners give you:
- Real-time market feedback
- Clear insight into pain points
- Honest reactions to your bids
- Repeat business
- Word-of-mouth referrals
When planners trust you, they treat your destination like a partner.
How to build collaborative relationships with each stakeholder group
This is where strong destinations stand out. The tactics below help you keep partners close, engaged, and aligned.
Hotels: build trust, speed, and transparency
1. Share real planner feedback
Hotels want to know what actually wins bids. Share what planners ask for, what concerns them, and what makes them hesitate. Clarity helps hotels adjust their offer and fix issues before they cost you business.
2. Hold regular check-ins
Short, fast calls work wonders. Talk about demand trends, hot dates, corporate interest, and new lead patterns. These quick touches keep everyone aligned without heavy meetings.
3. Bring hotels into conversations early
Loop them in before the RFP stage when you can. Early input avoids surprises and gives you a stronger position when you build the proposal.
4. Create simple update channels
Encourage hotels to share staffing news, rate shifts, renovation timelines, menu changes, and blocked dates. This means you stay ahead of changes and avoid pitching outdated info.
5. Build a clean shared toolkit
Give hotels a place to share updated photos, floor plans, new menus, fresh case studies, and local openings. It keeps your pitch tight and reduces back-and-forth.
Venues: stay close to the details planners care about
1. Walk the spaces often
Fresh eyes catch things that matter: new layouts, tech upgrades, restricted load-in areas, parking rules, or sound regulations. The more you know, the smoother your conversations with planners.
2. Capture seasonal patterns
Some spaces shine in certain seasons or formats. Venues know this. Ask for trends so you can suggest the right fit for each group.
3. Run joint site visits
A relaxed, well-planned site visit can win a bid faster than any document. When you and the venue team act as one unit, planners feel confident.
4. Share their stories
Feature venues in newsletters, bids, social posts, or quick highlight reels. It helps planners picture their event before they ever step foot on property.
5. Communicate updates instantly
If a venue changes capacity rules, floor plans, pricing, or renovation dates, share it right away. It keeps planners from facing last-minute surprises. Encourage venues to invest in collaborative floor diagramming technology so everyone stays in the know as they work on floor plans and diagrams.
Local businesses: bring them into the destination story
1. Build a simple group-support program
Teach restaurants, retail shops, and attractions how to welcome groups using signs, sorter wait times, tailored menus, and clear processes for group bookings. These touches turn a trip into a memorable experience.
2. Create a “local perks” guide
Highlight group-friendly spots and explain who to contact. Planners love it when a city already knows how to handle crowds.
3. Connect planners with the right businesses
If a planner needs a late-night spot for a team dinner or a quirky offsite, introduce them personally. A warm handoff builds trust fast.
4. Share your event calendar
Local partners can staff properly and build offers when they know what’s coming.
5. Collect real stories
Ask businesses for photos, guest comments, or small wins from past groups. These stories make your bids feel alive.
Government and city partners: keep communication simple and direct
1. Create one clear contact path
When planners have questions about public spaces, safety rules, permits, or accessibility, you need quick answers. Give government partners a simple loop for sharing updates.
2. Show them the economic value
Share upcoming event calendars and projected impact. When officials see the return, they support faster approvals and smarter planning.
3. Bring them in early on large events
Traffic shifts. Road closures. Security steps. Public space changes. Early notice keeps surprises off the table.
4. Celebrate their support
Government wins often stay behind the scenes. Shine a light on their help. They remember it.
Event planners: build trust through clarity and speed
1. Give honest expectations
If a date looks tight or a venue won’t fit, say it early. Planners value honesty and transparency over polite uncertainty.
2. Stay their steady point of contact
Even after you introduce hotels or venues, many planners still want you steering the ship. Keep conversations moving and tie loose ends together.
3. Respond fast
Even a quick “I’m checking this now” helps. Silence slows momentum and shakes confidence.
4. Keep content clean and current
Offer up-to-date capacity charts, floor plans, walk-through videos, transit notes, and simple checklists. The easier you make planning, the more planners trust your destination.
5. Ask for feedback
One short question after a bid can shape your next big win. Planners often share insights you’d never hear otherwise.
Smart habits that keep partnerships strong
Strong stakeholder relationships grow from steady habits that make partners feel seen, respected, and included in your wins. These habits help your destination run as one team instead of a loose collection of independent players.
Share insights openly
Hold information and data loosely. If planners ask new questions, mention shifting formats, or raise concerns, pass that insight on to partners who need to hear it. Hotels and venues sit on their own data too, like changes in booking pace, compression patterns, or hot seasonal dates.
Encourage them to share it early so you don’t pitch something unrealistic. Open conversations keep the whole ecosystem healthy and make life easier for planners who just want clear answers.
Make talking easy
Most partnerships fall apart because the communication flow feels heavy. Keep things light. Simple channels work best: a shared chat for fast updates, a short weekly email with key highlights, or a regular ten-minute pulse call.
These tools stop partners from working in silos and help you catch issues before they slow down a bid. When talking feels effortless, people participate more.
Celebrate wins together
A confirmed group doesn’t just help your CVB or DMO. It brings money into hotels, fills tables at restaurants, supports local attractions, and adds momentum to the city’s reputation. Share that joy.
Send quick thank-you notes. Give shoutouts to partners who stepped up. When people feel part of the win, they show up even stronger for the next opportunity.
Keep shared tools fresh
Your shared asset library sits at the heart of your pitch. Floor plans, menus, capacity charts, photos, videos, case studies. If any of it feels outdated, partners lose trust and planners feel confused.
Keep everything clean, current, and correct. Update materials the moment something changes, and encourage partners to do the same. A fresh toolkit saves hours of back-and-forth and helps you respond to planners with confidence.
Stay curious
Curiosity shows respect. Ask partners what’s happening on their side: new openings, shifts in demand, staffing changes, upcoming city events, or small updates that could affect group movement.
You’ll often uncover details that shape a stronger proposal or help you avoid a surprise down the line. Curiosity keeps relationships warm and makes your pitches sharper.
Strong CVBs help the whole community
A strong CVB or DMO wins because the whole community shows up with clarity, speed, and teamwork. When hotels, venues, local businesses, government partners, and planners all pull in the same direction, your destination feels dependable and easy to work with.
Next up, find out what event planners really need in the Essential Guide to Event Planners.
Mansi Soni
Why Cvent?
