about Partnering with Destination

Transcription

1 What Every Professional Should Know about Partnering with Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Presented by Bonnie Wallsh Chief Strategist Bonnie Wallsh Associates Moderated by Tyler Davidson Vice President & Chief Content Director Meetings Today

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3 Housekeeping Today s Webinar is worth 1 continuing education hour in the Project Management Domain of the CMP or CMP-HC Standards. To receive this credit for attending simply visit: Here you may also find a copy of today s presentation and watch the webinar On Demand. We will redirect you to this page following today s presentation. Use the Ask a Question box to ask questions at any time during the presentation. Should you experience any technical difficulties, please send a message in the Q&A area or call or

4 Thank You to our Webinar Sponsors:

5 Today s Speaker: Bonnie Wallsh Chief Strategist Bonnie Wallsh Associates BonnieWallshcmp@gmail.com

6 Learning Objectives Discover best practices for taking advantage of all the services that DMOs offer Integrate the services of DMOs as part of your meeting and event resources Create your own toolbox of strategies for working with DMOs

7 WHAT EVERY PROFESSIONAL SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PARTNERING WITH DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS (DMOs) Presented by Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMM, CMP Emeritus Chief Strategist Bonnie Wallsh Associates, LLC Sponsored by Meetings Today November 29, 2017

8 WHAT ARE CVBs, DMOs, and TOURISM OFFICES? DMOs CVBs Resource for suppliers in and around a destination Usually supported by government funding, membership dues, and/or hotel occupancy taxes Organization that promotes a town, city, region, or country in order to increase the number of visitors. It promotes the development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing, and services. Tourism Offices Usually in major cities both in location and within USA, representing international destinations

9 HOW DO YOU DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH DMOs? Professional Associations Conferences Presentations Local Programs Social Media Webinars Publications Fam Trips

10 BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION FOR YOUR EVENT Meeting and Event Objectives Program Attendee Profile Budget History Hot Buttons

11 CREATE AN EFFECTIVE RFP (REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL) What should be included in your RFP? Group s full name Contact information Objectives Value of group to facility Prospective dates Flexibility of dates and booking patterns Complete meeting specifications Priorities Must have/ Would like to have History Decision maker / decision date

12 WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DMOs? Fee for services RFPs will be sent out to every one rather than those that are a good fit Lack of awareness that DMOs are the clearing house for everything happening in location Lack of awareness of close relationship between DMOs and municipalities All DMOs are membership driven DMOs only help citywide groups Conflict between using services of DMOs and national sales offices or 3 rd party planners Facilities can provide all of the information on destination Fear of losing control

13 WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES CONFRONTING DMOs Lack of awareness of services provided IN GENERAL? Not understanding the value provided by DMOs Lack of trust by third party providers Contacting us after contracts are signed Time not enough hours in the day Inadequate funding/ tight budgets Competitive market

14 Lack of availability WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES CONFRONTING DMOs Booking outside of the block IN GENERAL? Technology replacing face to face communication Not being in control of our own destiny relying upon members to provide exceptional service Lack of responsiveness from clients Last minute requests

15 WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES CONFRONTING DMOs IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS? Availability and space Asheville Lack of large branded hotel Boise, Berkeley Competition with Airbnbs Asheville Perception of city Boise, Charlotte, Atlantic City Transportation Hawaii, Atlantic City, Berkeley Boondoggle Perception Hawaii and lack of geography knowledge Cost Hawaii

16 WHAT SERVICES ARE MEETING AND EVENT PLANNERS REQUESTING? Site selection expertise RFP (request for proposal) distribution Site inspections Customized marketing assistance Liaison with local experts and government representatives Coordination with local vendors Assistance with community service projects On-site assistance

17 WHAT INNOVATIVE SERVICES DO YOU OFFER TO YOUR CLIENTS? Incentive funding/ extraordinary savings program Customized digital marketing and special meeting promotions Customized presentations with maximum efficiency Virtual reality tours Assistance in driving meeting attendance

18 WHAT INDUSTRY TRENDS ARE IMPACTING YOU? Clients are seeking unique local experiences Balance between group and transient business Security, both in-event and cyber security Technological advances and upgrades Electronic lead delivery and response systems

19 TOP 5 TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST FROM DMOs Develop good relationships with DMOs Ask and you MAY receive; Don t ask and you CERTAINLY won t receive Clear concise communication Take advantage of FREE services from destination experts Ethics, honesty, integrity

20 CASE STUDY of CLIENT REQUEST Savvy Cycling Tours Richard and Arlene Sheff Site Selection for bicycle group Partners with DMOs for special activities and requirements

21 CASE STUDY of CLIENT REQUEST Bonnie Wallsh, M.O.B. (mother of the bride) Wallsh/Levy wedding Visit Berkeley CVB Out-of-Town reception venue, Le Bateau Ivre

22 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs A client that starts way in advance, has clean timelines, understands the value of their business, can make decisions with the support of the Executive Director and the board approves, quick acting and fair. Rachael Riggs-Nocera, CMP, Manager, Meeting and Convention Sales- Midwest/ Chicago, Tourism Vancouver Tel: (847) , Mobile: (773) Riggs-nocera@tourismvancouver.com

23 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs Our ideal customer understands all the aspects and strengths of a CVB. This customer collaborates with both the CVB sales and service teams. Knowing their vision of success allows us to customize our product and services ensuring a successful outcome. Martha Sheridan, President and CEO Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (401) msheridan@goprovidence.com

24 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs Open minded, flexible, detailed and honest with history, and realistic with expectations. The more details a client can provide about their event, the more we can help them find the right fit in our city. Malinda Harrell, CMP, CASE Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau Tel: (919) mharrell@visitraleigh.com

25 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs You!! An educated meeting professional who is NICE and has reasonable expectations. We are ALL in the hospitality industry let s be hospitable to one another Responding to an update inquiry is greatly appreciated even if a decision has not been made or if another city or venue was chosen. Chris Colbert, Director of Trade Show Sales Cobb Travel & Tourism Tel: (800) ccolbert@travelcobb.org

26 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs Our ideal client is a planner who has a good understanding of what they want in terms of operational details (space, rooms, etc.) but are open to hearing all of the options available to them. We love the client who wants to inject some Asheville authenticity into their program Dianna Pierce, Vice President Sales Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (828) dpierce@exploreasheville.com

27 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs An ideal client collaborates with the CVB and expresses all of his/her needs and expectations upfront. Patty Kieffer, CASE, Senior National Sales Manager Visit Mobile Tel: (251) ; Mobile: (251)

28 IDEAL CLIENTS FOR DMOs An ideal client is one that knows their attendees behaviors and can be honest, upfront, and descriptive regarding their needs. He or she communicates with us and gives us ample turnaround time for requests. Janine Wachter, CMP, Director of Convention and Event Services Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (608) ; (800) ex

29 WITH GRATITUDE

30 WITH GRATITUDE Karina Anthony, Marketing Director Jessica Merrill, Communications Manager Meet AC (Atlantic City) Meet AC (Atlantic City) Tel: (609) ; Cell: (609) Tel: (609) ; Cell: (609) Jeff Blair, Marketing Partner Development Visit Berkeley Tel: (510) ; (800) Ned Blair, Senior National Sales Manager (With input from Mike Butts, Bill McMillan, Randy Smith) Visit Charlotte Tel: (704)

31 WITH GRATITUDE Shawn Boone, National Sales Manager Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (828) Lisa Edens, Senior Sales Manager Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (208) Kathryn Farrington, Vice President of Marketing Discover Newport (Rhode Island) Tel: (401)

32 Kelly R. Groff, CDME, President & CEO Visit Montgomery (Maryland) Tel: (240) Scott Higgins, Associate Director of Sales Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board Tel: (610) Mary Neister, Vice President Meet Hawaii Tel: (808) ; Mobile: (808) Thomas Riel, CASE, Vice President of Sales & Services Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau Tel: (401) WITH GRATITUDE WITH GRATITUDE

33 WITH GRATITUDE Arlene Sheff, CMP Richard Sheff, Directeur Sportif Savvy Cycling Tours Savvy Cycling Tours Tel: (949) Tel: (949) Jennifer M. Vacek, CASE, Director, Convention Sales Visit Pittsburgh Tel: (412) ; Mobile: (412) Deidre Wetelainen, Vice President Sales & Service Visit Rochester (New York) Tel: (585)

34 RESOURCES Meetings Today 615 Fifth Street S.E. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Tel: (800) Tyler Davidson, Vice President and Chief Content Editor

35 THANK YOU Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMM, CMP Emeritus, Chief Strategist Bonnie Wallsh Associates, LLC (704)

36 Questions? Bonnie Wallsh Chief Strategist Bonnie Wallsh Associates Tyler Davidson Vice President & Chief Content Director Meetings Today

37 Housekeeping Our TAKE 10 feature, offered either on our website or via our Webinar Wrap e- newsletters, provides answers to some of the key questions we just did not have time to get to during today s webinar. Look for an coming soon! Upcoming Events Contracts: Accommodations Wednesday, December 13 th at 1pm Eastern Presented by Tyra Hilliard On Demand - Also available for you to view at any time. Visit ( today learn more, register and Watch Now!

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