ity. Our employees always go the extra step to make visitors feel like they are welcome in Sacramento, and they enjoy delivering the charm and friendliness often found only in small towns.
Steve Hammond President & CEO Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau
… meeting planners should know about your destination? From a customer perspective, every destina- tion is a product, and like most other products, customers expect improvements and new product development. Destinations that don’t do this eventually lose market share. Those that continually invest in their infrastructure reap the rewards of additional groups, and Sacramento has made that infrastructure investment in a big way, enhancing its con- vention product by adding 16 new restaurants within walking distance of the convention center and new hotel inventory over the past few years. The new Central Terminal at the airport, a $1.27-billion project which opened in 2011, offers three times the space of the existing terminal. Combine this with a grow- ing reputation as a convention destination, and Sacramento’s future looks very bright.
… a meeting attendee shouldn’t miss doing or seeing while in your destination? Visitors will step back in time in Old Sacra- mento, a 28-acre town of historic buildings, museums, and monuments. With strong preservation efforts, the wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn carriages, Pony Express monu- ments, and Mississippi-style riverboats reflect the nostalgic appeal of early American his- tory. It is the Williamsburg of the Wild West!
… you try to cultivate within your CVB team? The one trait that I always look for when we hire a new employee is a passion for hospital-
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… you think will change with regard to meetings this year? There is certainly a new energy and an improved perception about the direction of the meetings industry, but we can’t take that for granted. We need to continue to help organizations promote the value of our industry to prospective attendees of their events. More than ever before, that message promotes the value of face-to-face meetings, the exchange of information and best practices, the overall experience that the backdrop of a city like Sacramento can pro- vide to a meeting attendee, and the value of that particular organization to be the leading source of cutting-edge information to its con- stituencies. However, there is still much more that needs to be done to demonstrate the value of our industry. We still need to push forward with the messages that meetings directly impact the economies of communi- ties and meetings are opportunities to share best practices and creatively collaborate with others from around the nation and world.
what awaits when you step away from the conference room. Whether you want to hike, bike, ski, or sled on Casper Mountain, stick the green on one of our 90 holes of golf, or get out on the North Platte River to fish, kayak, or just for a relaxing float, Casper offers outdoor adventure for all of your meeting attendees.
Tom Norwalk President & CEO Visit Seattle
… meeting planners should know about your destination? Seattle’s reputation for meeting excellence along with its superb hotel package, conven- tion center, and off-site venues often inspires record-setting attendance for groups. Down- town Seattle is vibrant, walkable, and any- thing but cookie-cutter, and planners know their attendees will thrive on our city’s culture, creative energy, world-class food and wine, and unique proximity to outdoor recreation. Seattle is a good fit for mid-sized meetings and conventions, but offers big-city sophis- tication. More than 7,000 hotel guest rooms are within an easy walk of the Washington State Convention Center, and the city’s top attractions, theater, museums, symphony, shopping, and dining are just steps from both.
Aaron M. McCreight, CDME Chief Executive Oficer Casper Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
… a meeting attendee shouldn’t miss doing or seeing while in your destination? Getting outside! Casper is Wyoming’s Adven- ture Capital, and as great as our meeting- space options are, nothing compares to
… you try to cultivate within your CVB team? Visit Seattle’s primary goal is to provide the best DMO service in North America. We’re making good progress — Visit Seattle was just ranked the top CVB/DMO by more than 700 meeting planners in a survey conducted by Watkins Research Group.