Small meetings are big business.
A whopping 70-75 percent of the meetings
nies are incorporated) along with a sur-
that take place in the Greater Wilmington
rounding countryside that is home to mul-
tiple vineyards,museums and attractions.
area small to mid-sized. Groups choose to
Another thriving area, the Lehigh Valley
meet here because “we create solutions contains three cities and only one hotel
for the planners,” explains Esther Lovlie
that charges for parking. Kaminetsky
knows that meeting planners can spend
of the Greater Wilmington CVB.
more money on noteworthy details for
their event when booking in his area since
they won’t have to pay the exorbitant serv-
ice charges and high union fees that they
would in many of the larger metropolitan
locales.
The unique venues in his area also work
with a variety of caterers. Most are very
flexible about food and beverage, unlike
larger spaces with more strict catering
contracts.
Jackson notes that his bureau’s support
services are an added incentive for those
planners to contact his staff before direct-
ly sourcing venues,as this saves them time
and resources.
At no charge, the Pocono Mountains CVB
will coordinate the planner’s RFP process
and ensure that returned proposals offer
the best rates and details tailored to indi-
vidual requests.Planners also have access
to the Poconos’ public relations team for
distributing press releases about their
event.
Jackson often puts together travel guides
and pre-mailers for attendees. Planners
simply need to send mailing lists. This
saves a planner work and miscellaneous
costs.
Needing to compare more proposals for
better price points, planners often find
themselves with reduced budgets and
greater expectations. Hershey Harrisburg
compiled their 2010 Meeting Planner this
past fall. The booklet, available in print
and also on their website,lists information
about each venue in the area for a quick
reference guide.
Sharon Altland, director of sales for the
Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors
Bureau, sees that now more than ever
planners are pressed for time. Altland says
her team can get faster response time to
RFPs due to their relationship with area
vendors and venues.
26 November a79 December 2009
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