How to Better Market Your DMO’s Meetings Business
Meeting planners are looking for 5 main destination attributes — does your destination promotion strategy stack up?
Meetings business is a huge area of opportunity for any DMO. But if your destination promotion strategy doesn’t market the amenities meeting planners are looking for, you could be leaving opportunities untapped. These five attributes top the list of what meeting planners want in a destination.
1. Accessibility.
Ease of access is a huge advantage – and top priority to a meeting planner destination client. It’s not just about arrivals and departures, though; meeting planners want to know their attendees are going to find it easy to get around while in town. An effective destination promotion strategy targeting meeting planners educates planners on the ease of local transportation in and around the convention neighborhood and touts amenities within walking distance in an engaging neighborhood guide.
Identify the experiential activities that would engage attendees beyond the walls of the meeting venues and highlight amenities planners might use in their planning outreach to inspire attendance.
2. New, forward-thinking facilities.
Comfortable, aesthetically pleasing meeting venues are obviously top of mind and, thus, an important part of a destination promotion strategy for meetings business. Figure out what is it about your key convention headquarter facilities that sets them apart from others, particularly regarding technological capabilities and unique space configurations. Video is a great way to help meeting planners get a true feel for the space from afar.
3. Unique venues.
Among leading trends in tourism marketing for meetings business is out-of-the-box venues to host memorable event add-ons, like happy hours and business dinners. Large-scale meeting spaces are still important, but also important is the allure of a memorable experience. Create an online assessment tool that can expose planners to various options and share original content rounding up the best of the best.
4. An engaging, enticing “getaway” destination.
More and more, meeting planners know attendees are looking for a destination where they can explore and experience the city — a place that’s also a good “getaway.” Identify the experiential activities that would engage attendees beyond the walls of the meeting venues and highlight amenities planners might use in their planning outreach to inspire attendance. Provide insights to help attendees have a personalized experience, like segmented itineraries, hyper-local guides and curated recommendations.
5. Value.
With more employees working remotely than ever before, many companies are putting a larger emphasis on gathering and meeting, which means budgets are stretched thin. Planners are concerned not only about venue and hotel rates, but also transportation costs and food-and-beverage allotments. Create an infographic that compares your destination’s costs to those of other comparable destinations. Explain the value-adds your destination brings to the table: destination expertise, digital tools, event coordination, itinerary assistance and the like. Do you offer incentives? If so, make that clear and concise.