Executive Guide to Meetings

The New Value of DMOs

Written by Susan Burnell

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) around the world are reinventing the way they do business with meeting groups. Rising to the challenge of slashed budgets, DMOs are helping companies contain costs for their meetings, conventions, product launches and incentive programs. Always the go-to teams for the best local knowledge and deals, DMOs are streamlining the planning process, creating memorable experiences and delivering value as never before.

Face Time Has Its Rewards
“When budgets are tight, it is even more important to prove the ROI of meetings,” acknowledges David Basler, editor-in-chief for MPI’s One+™ magazine. “Our August 2009 ‘MPI Business Barometer’ indicated that the ROI of meetings continues to be a focus for meeting professionals, as businesses have demonstrated more cost controls and value concerns. ROI is proven highest when people meet in person. A recent Oxford Economics study revealed that for every dollar invested in business travel, U.S. companies realize a return of approximately $12.50 in revenue.

“The best business is done face-to-face because of the human connection,” Basler adds. “Yes, certain types of business can be done via e-mail, or through more advanced technologies like teleconferencing and virtual worlds. But when people get together and meet, positive things happen. When a business of any size needs to communicate clearly and sincerely, a face-to-face meeting is the only viable option.”

DMOs, also known as convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), exist to make those face-to-face connections successful for organizations of any size. Their services are almost always provided free of charge. Companies that enlist the help of a CVB early in the planning process can get the greatest value from the relationship. A seasoned DMO team can not only help a company save time and money, it can also point companies to experiences and opportunities available nowhere else in the world.

Two of the world’s most exciting meeting destinations—Orlando and Madrid—have innovative, well-connected convention and visitors’ organizations. These CVBs are highly attuned to providing exceptional service and a high return on investment for any type of corporate gathering.

Orlando: Destination Innovation
Nearly 40% of Orlando’s visitor business is corporate meetings, a number that often surprises those who associate the city primarily with theme parks and family vacations. In fact, Orlando hosts 10 million business travelers every year. The Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (Orlando CVB) is the one-stop resource for organizations when they consider Orlando for their destination. The CVB has the infrastructure, connections and creativity to make high-return meetings and events happen.

“We’re seeing C-suite executives ask a lot more questions about the value of face-to-face meetings,” says Gary C. Sain, president and chief executive officer of the Orlando CVB. “My answer is always that creativity and innovation are what set businesses apart, now more so than ever. Interacting with people sparks imaginative thinking that separates the also-rans from the market leaders.”

The role of the CVB is becoming more innovative, too, Sain notes. “The economy forces us to be more innovative and creative, and that is good. We offer services far beyond the traditional ‘dates, rates and space.’ We can help clients with everything that goes into the successful meeting equation. We’re here to assist with site selection, build attendance and help them keep costs low without sacrificing comfort.”

Orlando’s accessibility is a major advantage, and it has the fourth-lowest airfares of any destination in the country. “At hotels, resorts and conference centers, there is great willingness to work with customers on programs and content delivery, transportation and entertainment,” says Sain. “It’s a great time to buy.”

The Orlando CVB is the branding, sales and marketing organization responsible for positioning Orlando as the destination of choice for leisure and business meetings for the economic benefit of the Orlando region. The organization celebrates 25 years of destination management excellence this year.

Planning Is Easier Than Ever

To make the meeting process easier from start to finish, the Orlando CVB recently launched a dedicated meetings and conventions Web site, OrlandoMeeting.com. The site contains user-friendly online toolkits that provide prospective meeting planners with checklists, resources, videos, photos and promotional copy.

 “We want the Orlando CVB to play more of a true consultant role with our clients to help them reach and exceed their meeting goals and objectives, and this sense of partnership is reflected in our new meetings Web site,” says Sain.

Orlando has simplified the request-for-proposal (RFP) process, which can be notoriously cumbersome and time-consuming. To bid out meeting venues and services, busy meeting planners can use online RFP tools to provide the Orlando CVB with meeting basics so it can start the planning process immediately.

The Orlando CVB also recently revamped its convention team to focus on industry partnerships and new citywide business development. It is partnering with the Orange County Convention Center’s (OCCC) direct sales force to streamline client interactions with the city and convention center. The OCCC is the nation’s second-largest convention center.

“We’re reinventing how we position, sell and service our destination as our convention district grows and as the global meetings and convention industry evolves,” says Sain. “Our partnership with the OCCC allows clients access to a knowledgeable ‘dream team’ for their entire meeting or event.”

More Than Just Meetings
Building on its repertoire of services, the resourceful Orlando CVB team can now help companies brand and market their meetings, conventions and other events. This is something new, Sain notes. “Branding and marketing have not typically been included in the role of the CVB. Yet we understand how to help companies communicate the value proposition of their meetings to all their stakeholder groups. We use a combination of traditional and online media, including social media, to drive attendance.”

Sain’s advice for corporate decision makers? “Once you decide there’s a real reason to bring people together face-to-face, add some leverage,” he says. “When you talk to the CVB, offer to package your business. Consider negotiating to have your annual meeting in one destination for three years in a row, for example. Corporations sometimes miss out because they tend not to consolidate their purchasing power. Yet the opportunity for great savings is there for savvy corporate buyers, especially if they choose a destination with a range of choices.”

Madrid: New Venues, Historic Hospitality
The sunny capital of Spain offers savings and refreshing surprises for those seeking to add international flavor to a business meeting or event. Madrid’s Mediterranean climate is an invitation to explore its streets, with almost 3,000 hours of sun per year. Madrid has captured the attention of companies from around the world because of its variety of properties and price points. A decision to meet in Madrid will satisfy planners, participants and those who control the purse strings.

Expert Planning, Start to Finish
The welcome begins the moment the Madrid Convention Bureau is called upon to assist. The Bureau has recently stepped up its efforts to attract national and international meeting groups as the city expands its considerable array of convention and recreation venues.

Pulling together the available resources of its 200 members, the Bureau delivers value by matching companies, associations and groups with ideal facilities and activities for their meetings and incentive trips to Madrid. The Bureau also assists with many technical details in the staging of meetings and events.

Created by the Madrid City Council in 1984, the nonprofit Madrid Convention
Bureau aggressively promotes the city as a business-meeting destination.
In 2008, the Bureau became part of the Empresa Municipal Promoción de Madrid
(Municipal Company for the Promotion of Madrid) and now has nearly 200 members.

More Bang for Your Buck

"Madrid has one of the highest-quality ranges of hotels in the world, with over 60% of its hotels close to convention and exhibition centers or within walking distance of mass-transit lines. The city has over 58,000 hotel beds, of which approximately 55,700 are three-star rated and above. In recent years, the number of hotel beds in Madrid has risen more than 40%, including designer hotels and facilities targeted to specific clients, allowing delegates to book according to their preferred taste and budget.

“One of the strongest, most competitive and most relevant characteristics of the Madrid hotel sector is its excellent value for money,” says Miguel Ángel Villanueva González, head of the Municipal Department of Economy and Employment and president of the Madrid Convention Bureau. “With the help of the Madrid Convention Bureau and our associate members, your organization will be able to negotiate at a priority level.”

Convenience and Choice Are Top in Madrid
In 2008 Madrid hosted 14,818 meetings, which welcomed more than 1.2 million participants (source: BCF Consultores). Trade shows and convention groups can choose from the Municipal Conference Centre, the Convention Centre in the Paseo de la Castellana, the Ifema Convention Centre and other venues around the city. Businesses also will have a new option by 2011, when the avant-garde, energy-efficient International Convention Centre is set to open.

In addition, an expansion to Madrid-Barajas Airport will boost its capacity to 70 million international passengers per year. The airport is strategically located 20 minutes away from the city center and just five minutes away from the Municipal Conference Centre and the Feria de Madrid, Spain’s largest trade fairgrounds.

Madrid continues to draw the attention of executives who seek to bring people together in a unique destination at a competitive cost. Among the events to be hosted in Madrid next year are the Madrid International Auto Show, the International Optics & Optometry Exhibition (Expoóptica 2010) and the Congress on Women’s Health and Medicine.

Madrid’s hospitality includes a wealth of historic, cultural, culinary, entertainment and recreation options. To learn more about how the Madrid Convention Bureau can customize any meeting or event to meet your organization’s needs, visit www.EsMadrid.com.