The Value of Convention Bureaus

Recently I was charged with distributing the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the MPI Golf Classic for next year. Previously in my role in National Sales, I relied upon the local knowledge of my “Bureau Buddies,” as I liked to call them, in finding the location for next year’s venue.

As you may or may not know, we have several bureaus in the area that are ready to assist you in finding the right location for your event. Those are Choose Chicago, Visit Chicago Southland, DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau, Meet Chicago Northwest and the Visit Chicago Northshore. While I have played golf in each of these areas, I was not aware of all the options that might be available for us. Using my Bureau Buddies, we received quite a number of very good options for our event. They created an excitement with each of their members to give us a hard task in making the final selection of the site for our Golf Classic.

When I was in national sales, I found that while I knew many cities quite well, it took the influence of the CVB to get make many convention or conference opportunities a reality. They helped us secure the convention center space for some events and helped us assemble the room block to house all of the attendees.

Some people have asked if they use a convention bureau, will it increase their costs. The answer is a definite NO. The convention bureaus are funded from a variety of revenue sources in their area. Since they know the proximity of each of the facilities, they can help you organize each part of your conference or event into a concise package. If you have a very large event such as a convention, their knowledge in assembling the housing package can save you a lot of money in arranging the transportation package.

Some people will have a preference for certain hotel brands, and the convention bureau can help you with this. They are not required to send an RFP to every facility in their area. In fact, they would rather you be more specific so they can give their city the best chance to earn your business.

The convention bureaus also work with all the national sales offices of each brand, as they are partners and not advisories. This becomes quite important when you narrow your choices and want to arrange site inspections to make the final selections. Now here is something to consider. If you are looking at multiple cities, you may find more than one city that would be a great match for your conference. Using the national sales office and the convention bureau, look at making a multiyear commitment to lock in some great opportunities. 

When you come to the next chapter meeting, make it a point to seek out the convention bureau staff and ask them about how their city can make your event even more successful. That is part of the value of your membership.

Ted Miller, CHME CHSP, CGTP, CGMP, HMCC