Sep 20
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits, Trade Shows cvbs, hsmai affordable meeting, town crier
If a town crier sounds like something straight out of an historical novel, you may be surprised to know your town or city may have one! The American Guild of Town Criers is spreading the word about this ‘honorable position’.
The Annapolis, MD town crier (Squire Frederick) even made an appearance at HSMAI’s MEET National show earlier this month!
Katherine Markham, CHME, ConventionPlanit.com's Co-Founder, poses with Squire Frederick at HSMAI's MEET National
Historically, the role of the town crier was to spread the news of the day. The job has changed a little – according to Squire Frederick’s website, town criers celebrate a city’s rich history, achievements and struggles for liberty and civil rights for citizens.
Town criers across the country are available to make appearances at events. They’ll pose for photos, too. Check out Squire Frederick’s website for more information.
Sep 27
maureen-pickellPlaces to Stay, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows cvbs, hsmai affordable meeting, meeting planner help, meeting planning services
According to Christine Shimasaki, Managing director of empowerMINT.com, DMAI and Loren Gold, Executive vice President of the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau…it can!
Whether a planner is arranging a meeting for 10 or 10,000 attendees, responsibility for finding the right hotel or venue can be complicated if you are not familiar with the destination. Tapping into the local knowledge of an expert from the CVB can save both time and money. In addition, CVB’s maintain important post-event information which can assist planners in negotiating future meetings.
Highlights of working with CVBs:
- Ability to research all options- they are the “eyes and ears” of the planner
- Relationships with CVB experts help diffuse potential problems
- Obvious substitution for an onsite inspection
- One stop shop for rates/dates/space availability
CVB’s are non-profit organizations which are funded through various municipal taxes. Therefore, there is no charge for their services. After determining your key objectives, they can consolidate your specifications and source these RFP’s to the proper service provider.
Another important service (and one that cannot be duplicated elsewhere) would be the Post-Event Reports. The pick-up history of your conference is important information that will aid you in engaging the interest and cooperation of your next destination. The PER will aid in the negotiations by helping that city measure total revenues associated with your business and thus the economic input for the community. And, having information regarding the history of a meeting can help get the planner the best deal possible!
Several “Myths” surrounding CVBs:
- Do CVBs send your leads to all hotel members? No, best practices recently instituted for DMAI members ensure that the leads go only to the appropriate facilities.
- Are CVBs only interested in large meetings? No, most CVBs even have Small Group Specialists to handle meetings with 100 rooms or less.
CVBs exist solely to direct business to their destinations. They are in business to provide planners with local advice and expertise. Let them simplify your life by simplifying your job!
The above information was adapted from a presentation by Christine Shimasaki, Managing director of empowerMINT.com, DMAI and Loren Gold, Executive vice President of the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureauat HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings National.
Jan 06
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows cvbs, environmental-friendly, green meetings, meeting ideas, pcma
Are you attending the PCMA Annual Conference in Dallas later this month? If so, here’s the inside scoop on how the conference is working hard to go green:
Getting Started: Choosing a Green Location
Make a difference from every aspect of your conference by choosing a green city. For example, 40% of the energy used in Dallas is renewable. Dallas was also one of the first cities to implement green building guidelines, and is committed to city-wide green programs including park construction.
Green-friendly destinations are eager to work with you to meet your green requirements and implement your ideas at the convention center. PCMA Vice President of Meetings & Events Kelly Peacy said she worked closely with the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau to infuse green elements into all areas of the conference, including area, including the destination, accommodations, food and beverage, communications, and operations.
Implementation: Make a Difference
This year’s conference supports local organically grown food as much as possible – quite a feat with the thousands of expected attendees! Leftover food will be donated to a local food bank and other unused food will be composted.
PCMA partnered with green hotels for conference housing, like the Hyatt Regency Dallas, who donates leftover soap to a recycling effort to provide people in developing nations with soap.
Words of Encouragement:
“You don’t just go out and suddenly become a green organization,” Peacy said. “You have to build on it. You need to decide how high green ranks on your list of organizational strategic objectives. We asked that question and determined that it was very important, so we put significant resources toward it. At PCMA it is half of one person’s job. Every year we build new objectives. If PCMA can be recognized as an industry leader to educate our members about green that would be a success.”
If you’re attending the conference, be sure to tell us what you think of the green efforts!
Sep 29
Ashley ChalmersNews cvbs, green meetings
When it comes to making sure that cities, convention centers, and hotels offer “green meeting” options, one thing is clear: Meeting professionals are in the driver’s seat.
At a recent Convene Green Alliance (CGA) Focus Forum event in Washington, DC, a panel of three convention and visitors bureau executives spoke to a group of meeting professionals about green meetings.
All three executives emphasized that green programs are buyer demand driven, and each of them encouraged planners to let destinations and properties know that they must have sustainability programs in order to win meetings.
Jason Fulvi, CDME, Executive Director of Convention Sales for VisitPittsburgh, explained,
“Planners can not only influence companies but also local governments – they are the ones who need to approve money to make things happen.”
When the recommendation for sustainability programs comes directly from the meeting planner buyer, it carries some weight.
Michael Smith, Vice President of Convention Sales for Travel Portland cited an example:
“The Portland City Council was talking to a major fraternal organization a few years ago, thanking them for bringing their business to the city, and one of the leaders spoke to them sternly about the green issue and the need for more initiatives.”
Smith noted that this got the attention of the mayor and that it helped for him to hear the importance of green initiatives from the organization.
One Focus Forum attendee, whose association requires a city’s compliance with a laundry list of green initiatives, understands the value of meeting planners and association executives in driving environmental change. She cited examples of green initiatives that cities and hotels have made in order to win her organization’s meeting business.
The Convene Green Alliance is the premiere organization dedicated to helping associations to green their organizations and the meetings and events they host. To learn more about the CGA and future educational Focus Forums, visit www.convenegreen.com.
Does your association have green meetings requirements? How do you achieve them?
May 13
Ashley ChalmersMember News, News cvbs, meeting experiences, meeting industry, National Travel and Tourism Week, Rally Day 2009
Yesterday was the first U.S. Travel Rally Day. It was a nation-wide success!
The Twitter account for Keep America Meeting, an initiative to promote and protect meetings, events and incentive travel in the U.S., (Twitter username: KeepMeeting) helped keep the travel community involved in yesterday’s festivities across the country by encouraging users to post with #rallyday.
(Twitter 101: Hashtags serve as search terms in Twitter – entering #rallyday into Twitter search pulls every post from a user with the term).
Tweeters posted real-time pictures and words from rallies across the country while others showed support by sharing great facts and statistics about the importance of meetings.
Some powerful ‘tweets’:
ACAREYCMP said: “Meetings and incentives are NECESSARY in this economic environment, to motivate employees & maintain market share!”
DaleCollie shared that “One of your best business development resources is your annual convention, don’t miss it this year when needed most.”
LIEvents noted “On an average day, there are 17 million meetings in America! Happy #rallyday”
To check out what else travel supports were saying, visit the Rally Day Twitter Feed.
ConventionPlanit.com members were out in full support for Rally Day. Here are some highlights of our members’ Rally Day activities from across the country (We are proud of you all!):
Visit Fairfax: held a rally today at the Fashion Court in Tysons Corner Center Mall to show support for the meetings industry.
Chicago area CVBs held a rally – complete with some furry friends on stage
New Orleans CVBs held a rally day parade – even local high school bands participated!
The Hyatt Regency McCormick shared this video on YouTube of Concierge Tony explaining why meetings matter to him
The Orlando/Orange County CVB went all out to show how important tourism is to Central Florida, with a rally yesterday that included appearances by several of Orlando’s most well-known theme park characters, as well as performers from Pirates Dinner Adventure, Gatorland, SeaWorld Orlando, & Walt Disney World Resort.
If you participated in a special Rally Day event, let me know! I’d love to hear how you are helping raise awareness for the meetings industry.
Jul 16
Ashley ChalmersMember News, News, Places to Stay, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners Awards, Berlin, Berlin Convention Office, cvbs
The Berlin Convention Office is the newest recipient of the Pinnacle Award for Convention Bureaus – congrats!
The award is based on a number of categories, including quality of information and diversity of services…
…if you’re planning an international meeting, the Berlin Convention Office will provide you the best information and the most expansive services.
Check out the Berlin Convention Office’s listing on ConventionPlanit.com to find out more about their services.
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