CVBs Build It, But Corporate Buyers Do Not Come

Though convention and visitors bureaus have spent a great deal of time and money developing technology designed to speed and ease the site-sourcing process, CVB executives acknowledge that attracting corporate meeting planners to their services is a challenge.

CVBs have turned to the Internet in their quest to provide value—and corporate meeting leads—to their member hotels, developing enhanced online request for proposal capabilities and Web sites that can offer hotels' updated rates and availability. Planners, who often rely on internal contacts with hotels either on the property or chain level, largely have not been sufficiently swayed to include CVBs in their standard processes.

"As always, it's a challenge for bureaus to get word to corporate planners about what we are and how our services could best be utilized," said Philadelphia CVB vice president of convention sales Tim Herrmann. "They tend to shy away because they don't understand that we're free and we're here to facilitate. But once we get planners to use us one time, they will come back."

Some planners shy away from bureaus because of a perception that the CVB will forward meeting information to all member properties and other vendors, resulting in a slew of replies from hotels that can't meet the meeting's needs. "It's a misperception. We qualify the lead by the section of the city, by the size and type of hotel, even the hotel brand," Herrmann said. "We will send the lead only to where the planner wants it. Distribution can and will be controlled."

CVBs have sought to capitalize with online connections to their member hotels as speed of response time is a major consideration for most corporate planners given the preponderance of short-term meetings. "We've reworked our online request for proposals to make it simpler and easier, and we can drive repeat business by allowing buyers to attach their specifications to the online RFP," said Mark Tester, senior director of sales and new business development at the Chicago Convention and Tourist Bureau.

The Chicago CTB also developed a service for member hotels to download their availability into planner-accessible software. Tester said the bureau will not send all leads to all member hotels, if requested. "We can't choose which hotels, but we let the planners do so," he said.

The Philadelphia CVB also has developed a page on its Web site where hotels can post availability in real time. "Right now, there's 830 offers from 58 hotels," Herrmann said.

"We're seeing CVBs offering far more exclusive technology regarding total travel planning, including links to air, rental car and hotel reservations," said Barbara Gottshalk, director of marketing at the Washington, D.C.-based International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. "They have become much more focused on responding to online RFPs and targeting potential clients."