Executive Guide to Meetings:
Strategies From the Experts

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) are experts at creating meaningful, high-quality meeting experiences.They are also strategists with vast knowledge and connections, helping companies get the best ROI for meetings, conventions and special events.

Written by Susan H. Burnell

"If there continues to be a misconception about destination marketing organizations, it is an assumption that DMOs do not provide many services to the corporate sector," says Michael Gehrisch, president and chief executive officer of Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). "To the contrary, most DMOs are eager to assist with the planning and execution of corporate meetings and social events of any size. They can help coordinate the bid process for hotel accommodations and meeting facilities and assist with site inspection and on-site logistics."

"In the year ahead, with the rising cost of air travel and the rocky economy, it will be extremely important for planners to make use of good meeting strategies to manage budgets," says Gehrisch. "Now, more important than ever, DMOs are an extremely valuable resource for planners."

A “Brain Trust” for Corporate Meetings

DMOs, also known as convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), can present a complete picture of a destination's offerings and help identify the most cost-effective, ideal fit for each event. "The staff of a DMO listens intently to an organization's needs and goals for an event, and then uses its comprehensive knowledge of what the destination has to offer to make the meeting outstanding, memorable and cost effective," Gehrisch adds.

"It’s the job of DMOs to gather an enormous amount of information — in essence becoming a ‘brain trust’ or expert for their destination," he adds. "Companies should take advantage of the DMO's contacts, experience and expertise from the beginning of the planning cycle. That’s true whether a company is holding a meeting in its own backyard or anywhere in the world. Planners will find that the DMO's knowledge saves them time and money for a meeting — a major advantage considering the current economic situation."

Many DMOs are also key players in economic development in their communities. As such, DMOs can often assist in providing meeting incentives to corporations that routinely hold meetings in their city.

Meetings Vital in Any Economy

In its second quarter 2008 business barometer results, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) reports increased uncertainty in global markets, and in the U.S. economy in particular.

Overall optimism declined approximately 10% compared to the first quarter. In spite of this decline, business conditions over the past six months and anticipated conditions over the next six months are still seen to be better than those experienced one year ago by more than 60% of survey respondents.

“MPI’s business barometer monitors the pulse of world markets and how economic conditions around the globe affect our 24,000 members and our industry as a whole,” says David Basler, editor-in-chief for MPI’s One+™ magazine. “It doesn’t take a study, though, to tell us that most of the major world economies are feeling some constriction right now — the morning headlines and nightly news have inundated us with the predictions. What we also learn from the business barometer is that even in the worst economic downturns, the strategic value of meetings remains fundamentally vital to the global business community.

"Destination marketing organizations gather an enormous amount of information — in essence becoming a ‘brain trust’ or expert for their destination."

Michael D. Gehrisch, President and CEO
DMAI

“The meeting and event industry has always succeeded, even in the worst economic situations, because of the proactive and creative natures of industry individuals to overcome,” Basler notes. “The keys to success begin with a more creative approach to meetings in general. Our members are proving their value to the corporate world by enlisting new technologies and taking full advantage of the educational and training options our industry offers.”

All in all, the group meetings business remains strong, observes Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB President Nicki E. Grossman. “In some cases, groups may not be registering as many attendees. Or they may decide to pare down the number of dinner or social events they host. We are seeing a certain resolve among our business groups. I think organizations realize there is nothing more important than those personal interactions, and their delegates are responding.”

DMOs Relevant to the Process

DMAI and the destination marketing industry recently went through an intense 18-month-long evaluation exercise. The end product is a report titled The Future of Destination Marketing, which was released in July 2008.

“The study provides a foundation that we can use to redefine our relevance in the eyes of our stakeholders,” says Maura Allen Gast, FCDME, executive director of the Irving, Texas, CVB; chair of DMAI’s Futures Study Taskforce; and DMAI board chair, 2008–09.

“For corporate event planners, the true value of using a DMO — and what makes a DMO extremely relevant to a company — is the ability for the DMO to be the expert on that meeting destination,” says Gehrisch. “The DMO is the liaison that executives should expect their planners to consult. The DMO is the first place corporate planners should go to ‘shop’ their meeting or event among the various service providers in the community and to find the best location at the best price.”

Proving Strategic Value

“CEOs, CFOs and COOs are looking for a return on investment for every meeting,” says Orlando/Orange County CVB President and CEO Gary Sain. “They are asking, ‘Do we need to have this meeting? Do we need to spend this kind of money?’ A successful meeting has the right destination, the right theme and the right relative content. Done right, a meeting lives a long time in the minds of your attendees. The payback can be measured for several years after the meeting ends.”

"Even in a shaky and shaken economy, people still need to meet face-to-face for networking, relationship building, education and discussion. Corporate America is still committed to having meetings, and CVBs work very hard to get the deals they look for in order to continue those meetings."

Nicki E. Grossman, President
Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB

“CVBs have become more and more professional over the years,” says J. Stephen Perry, president and chief executive officer of the New Orleans Metropolitan CVB. “I think many of the most savvy corporate directors — of global meetings in particular — have begun to look at CVBs as they would a partnership with a management consulting firm. We help them control costs, which is very important in this current economic environment. We help to expand value. And we can help them with team-building elements or to create extra excitement that goes along with a product launch.”

Making Essential Connections: CVB Success Stories

The Orlando/Orange County CVB recently hosted the first-ever Orlando Medical Meetings and Tourism Summit. The event gathered more than 100 community and business leaders to discuss new ways the region can attract and add value to medical and health-care meetings. The effort builds on an enormously successful reputation for hosting medical-related meetings and events, including annual conventions and product launches. By the end of 2008, more than 215 medical meetings, representing 170,000 attendees and providing $164 million in economic impact, are scheduled to be held in the Orlando area. Among those groups choosing to convene in Central Florida are Merck, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Association of Clinical Oncology.

“Orlando is the number one market destination for medical meetings in the country, a distinction we’ve held for ten years,” says CVB President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Sain. “We have a growing medical infrastructure that positions us as a major medical hub on the Eastern Seaboard. The summit served to further define our strategy and will produce a blueprint for medical tourism. The fact that we are paying close attention to the medical market will benefit companies and associations that hold meetings and events here.”

"From sales meetings to annual meetings, a CVB is a partner in helping to develop
and push the brand of our customers."

J. Stephen Perry, President and CEO
New Orleans, Metropolitan CVB

More than 150 biotechnology and life sciences companies now call Orlando home. “The Orlando region has a strong and growing portfolio of medical-related resources, including hospitals, research facilities, centers of excellence and educational institutions,” says Tammi Runzler, vice president of convention sales and services for the CVB. “Groups that meet here will be able to take advantage of those resources to enhance their meetings.”

A new medical city is taking shape in Lake Nona’s Science and Technology Park near the Orlando International Airport. It will include the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, set to open in April 2009, and the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine, which will admit its first class in 2009. The Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a University of Florida research facility, Nemours Children’s Hospital and the M.D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Center are all expected to locate in the medical city as well, bringing jobs and new reasons for medical associations and biotech companies to convene in the region.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB turned a potential disaster into a resounding success for the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) in September 2008. “The CVB in Fort Lauderdale came to our rescue after we learned that the original venue for our annual United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) would be unable to accommodate the meeting — less than 45 days before it was set to begin,” says Paul A. Kawata, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based group.

“The CVB and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Convention Center seamlessly transitioned USCA — and its participants, exhibitors and staff — from Miami to Fort Lauderdale in less than four weeks,” says Kawata. We were able to keep our original conference dates, as well as take advantage of the CVB’s innovative Passkey system, which automatically transferred attendees’ original hotel reservations to Fort Lauderdale properties. These two pieces alone helped alleviate many of our participants’ worries.”

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