Successful meetings and happy attendees start with a strong CVB-planner relationship.
When it comes to planning a successful event, the relationship between a meeting planner and the host city’s convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is the ultimate power partnership. CVBs bring local expertise, insider connections, and a deep understanding of their destination’s unique offerings, while meeting planners bring the vision and strategy to create a seamless experience for attendees. Together, they form a collaborative force that can elevate an event from good to unforgettable. Building and maintaining this relationship ensures access to invaluable resources, maximizes event potential, and keeps attendees coming back for more.
“Whether it is a small or large program, for me, the relationship with the CVB is so important because you don’t know what will pop up along the way,” says Brian Ferrell, founder and CEO of factor 110, an event meeting management company. “The CVB is your guide, your resource to local attractions, hotels, and other partners in the destination. As you are working through your program, if you have a relationship with the CVB, you have someone who is knowledgeable and is a cheerleader and ally for you. If you run into a problem or roadblock, the CVB can help you navigate it. The relationship with a CVB is so important.”
Lay the groundwork
In order for a strong CVB and planner partnership to happen, both have to put forth the effort to lay the groundwork and building the foundation—and that starts with transparency and open communication, notes Shaun Yates, vice president, convention sales and services, for Visit Oklahoma City. “It sounds rudimentary, but communication and transparency are key,” he says. “Planners want to buy in and be in locations where they can trust the individuals and know they have someone looking out for them and it is about their best interest and not just about a sale. That is the kind of relationship we seek to establish from the get-go.”
Ferrell looks for the same type of relationship when seeking a destination for his clients, and it doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes deliberate and intentional effort from both sides. “The CVB-planner relationship is just like any other relationship; it takes time,” he adds.
For many, the best way to start building the foundation of a relationship is through in-person connections. Meeting face-to-face fosters trust, strengthens communication, and creates the kind of rapport that is essential to a successful partnership. “It means a lot to me to see people in person,” shares Emma Carlo, national accounts manager at Visit Jacksonville (Fla.). “The conversation you can have face to face, whether it be at industry trade shows or sales missions to an area a client lives in, is more personal than an email or phone call.”
Nadia Thornton, director of sales and marketing for Visit Oxford (Miss.), says site visits are a great way to take advantage of face-to-face time. “Some of the most effective communications I have had with planners have started with a site visit,” she says. “Starting the relationship with a site visit, which establishes that face-to-face relationship, helps both parties feel more invested.”
That face-to-face time should also be with the actual person you’re going to be working with, notes Lane Velayo, partner with Synergos AMC, an association management company specializing in managing nonprofit associations. “The CVBs I have the best relationships with are the ones who provide that consistent time,” he explains. “The problem comes in when you start creating a relationship with a CVB representative then they hand you off to someone else with whom you have no relationship at all. That is really difficult.”
Strengthen the connection
Once a relationship is established—ideally in person—it is important to continue nurturing it. Staying connected through social media, email updates, or even a quick message helps maintain the bond, ensuring the collaboration stays strong and top of mind as new opportunities arise. “I have been making an effort to add planners I am close with on LinkedIn, or, if they have become more personal friends, on Facebook,” Carlo adds. “It is a great way to keep that connection to see what is going on in their lives outside the event we are working on together.”
Yates stresses the importance of not relying on emails and phone calls for nurturing the relationship, noting how Visit Oklahoma City strives to find more personal, creative ways to connect with planners to show how much they value the relationship. “We try to find little touchpoints, whether it be finding out someone’s birthday and sending them a little something special, or perhaps, if they love sports or outdoor activities, taking them to an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game or to Riversport if they are in town,” he explains.
“It is about digging a little deeper than just surface level and knowing the planner on a more personal level.”
Regardless of the type of interaction, it should never come across as purely transactional, Ferrell adds. “The relationship should not be transactional; it should be what we call ‘transformational,’” he says. “It should be the type of relationship where, even if you are not planning an event in the destination, you are checking in and creating a friendship and getting to know them on a personal level.”
Planners can recognize those CVBs that want to talk only when they want business, which does not encourage as much of a relationship, Velayo says. “There are some representatives I really enjoy working with, but I know when they call they are asking only about business,” he says. “It is ‘Hey, do you have an RFP for us?’ That is fine, we may have something, but I am not rushing to pick up that phone call versus maybe someone else who I consider more friendly who is calling to catch up and have a conversation.”
Not always calling with a hand out goes both ways, Velayo acknowledges. Planners cannot expect positive relationships when they take that approach either. “I am sure CVBs get really burned out when planners only come to them asking what they can do for them or if they could get them a hotel discount,” he says. “Planners must also be ethical in maintaining the relationship. It is a two-way street.”
Velayo was impressed with Visit Jacksonville’s focus on educating him about the city and building a relationship rather than trying to make a sale, he says. “The first time I met the Visit Jacksonville team, I didn’t have an RFP in hand for a meeting that needed to be booked,” he says. “But they helped me explore their venues and learn about the services they could provide. Every time I visit, they still show me new venues and tell me about what is going on in the city. We started the relationship based on mutual trust and the idea that we could win together, and that has created a very comfortable relationship.”
That comfortable relationship, Velayo adds, makes it easier for him to be completely transparent in what his groups need and ask the hard questions when they inevitably arise. “Sometimes you have to ask if your particular event is too small to be held during their peak time or share when your group may need a little financial assistance,” he says. “It is easier to have those hard conversations with them now because the relationship is there. There is a definite layer of trust. That could be a much less comfortable conversation if you have not built a relationship with the CVB.”
Secrets of strategic collaboration
A blend of qualities are needed to keep the relationship between CVBs and meeting planners dynamic and productive. Oftentimes, it is about finding a balance between adaptability and dependability, creativity and practicality, honesty and persistence. These traits create a foundation where both sides feel supported, heard, and inspired to collaborate. When the right approach is taken, the relationship becomes more than a professional connection—it transforms into a trusted partnership that paves the way for truly memorable events.
Ferrell says an open and collaborative relationship allowed him to help one of his groups, a special education association, grow their event. Ferrell’s team had already contracted to host the meeting in a venue accommodating 500, but the association hoped to grow attendance. He shared the dilemma with the CVB, who helped move the program to a new venue and only charged $1 for the rental of the new space. “The CVB did not have to do that—we did not ask them to—but they knew we were an education conference on a budget,” he shares. “The CVB understood the group’s mission and knew how important special education was and wanted the event to be successful, which it was because it went from a 500-person meeting to 1,100.”
Persistence can be key to ensuring collaborative success. A thoughtful check-in with planners or a gentle nudge keeps the lines of communication open and demonstrates a CVB’s genuine interest in the event’s success. This level of proactive engagement shows planners that their business is valued and builds trust over time, creating a foundation for a stronger partnership. “I like to call it being pleasantly persistent,” Carlo says. “Lapses in communication are due to any variety of reasons—work, travel, or personal. Having respect for that and trying to find ways to maintain conversations in the lull is important.”
CVBs should not be afraid to call planners either, noting impromptu calls can bring unexpected benefits. Carlo recently called a local planner with whom she had been working on a local event. “Our communication had a little lull in it, so I picked up the phone and called him and—since he is local—asked if he would like to grab breakfast and talk through the hotel responses that we had received,” she explains. “Luckily, he had an open morning, and we had a wonderful breakfast meeting. We ended up driving around to look at all of the hotels and check out their distance to the venue. It helped get the planner back in focus and it gave me an opportunity to share so many details that were important to the meeting being a success. The meeting started with a handshake and ended with a hug.”
Willingness and persistence can change the course of a meeting or event—and perhaps even the city itself. Such was the case when a team member at Little Rock CVB (Ark.) made a cold-call to Amanda Patterson, executive national director/owner of Miss Elementary America, Miss Junior High School America, Miss High School America, and Miss Collegiate America pageants. Though from Little Rock, Patterson had been hosting the national pageants, held simultaneously, in other major metropolitan areas each year. Despite that, the CVB team took the time to learn about the event and called to request a meeting. “She called me—I didn’t know her before—and asked if I would give them a chance, come in for a meeting, and see the venue,” Patterson recalls.
Site visits are a great way for CVBs to
introduce planners to local partners and explore possible venues suitable for their events.
Patterson says she did not expect anything to result from the meeting but was impressed by what Little Rock offered. “I thought there would be one or two people there, sitting across the table, but they had probably 15 people—anyone and everyone who would be involved, including someone from the police department, a representative from the airport, hotel representatives, you name it—there to talk about what they could do for our event. I was blown away.”
In addition to being pleasantly surprised with how the city could host the pageants, which bring in approximately 1,300 attendees each year, Patterson was also pleased with how easy it was to work with the CVB team. “Communication was so much easier in Little Rock than in the other host cities,” she says. “It was truly a personal relationship with Little Rock because I could put faces to names there—unlike with bigger cities, where everything was done via email. Little Rock was quick to answer my questions as well. In the other cities, I would have to send an email, which would be shared with numerous people; it could take weeks to get a response. In Little Rock, I could text someone and have an answer in just a few minutes.”
The ease of communication and thoughtful service with Little Rock CVB led Patterson to buy out contracts she had already with other cities and move the event exclusively to Little Rock, where it has been for the last seven years. “Little Rock CVB put in the effort to learn our group and is always willing to look at anything that could make the event even better,” Patterson says. “We have such a personal relationship with the Little Rock CVB team, which makes the entire event-planning process so much better. The families coming to Little Rock for the event recognize it, too.”
Thornton believes all CVBs should look for ways to improve an event throughout the planning process. “While the conversation leading up to the event is important, we also want to hear from planners afterward—whether good or bad—to get feedback about what worked and what didn’t,” she says.
After each event, Visit Jacksonville sends a thank you email to the planner, along with a survey requesting feedback. “We offer a small token of thanks, a Starbucks gift card, for completing the survey, in hopes of getting as many responses as possible,” Carlo says.
“We share that feedback in our staff meetings to discuss how we can better our approach in the future.”
Support leads to success
As Yates notes, CVBs are a free resource designed to help planners navigate everything from venue selection to local partnerships. Taking the first step to connect can open the door to invaluable support and set the stage for a lasting partnership. “Too often, planners are unaware of the services we offer, whether that is sales or support,” he says. “We are the expert in the destination, whether the planner is looking for hotels, venues, or simply information to take back to their stakeholders. We are there to support planners.”
Whether contacting a CVB for the first time or reconnecting, planners should not hesitate to reach out to the CVB, Ferrell stresses. “Planners should think of a CVB as so much more than a resource,” he says. “They are the people behind the place and are there to support you. If you can bring them in at the beginning of the planning process, your event will be more successful. Start forming a relationship with the CVB immediately. Do not wait.”
Hey there,
My name is Greer with VAs for Agencies. We provide Elite Virtual Assistants to businesses like yours.
We can help with your tedious day-to-day work like administrative tasks, scheduling appointments, database management, prospecting, social media management, content creation, SEO writing, and even bookkeeping and accounting.
Are you looking for any assistance?