Using social media to attract meetings and conferences to your town

Fill That Conference Center: How Social Media Can Help You Bring More Events to Your Town Sheila Scarborough, Tourism Currents

What We'll Cover
This is networking (no magic fairy dust)
Who is your market for meetings?
What can your town offer them?
How social media helps them pick YOU

What To Do First: STOP!

Two Questions You Must Ask
1) Who is your market for conferences and meetings? 2) How can your town appeal to that market? (Venues, lodging, food, transport, “vibe”)

Yes, you must still ask the basic questions; social media does not change that.

Who Is Our Market for Meetings?
Who holds meetings, and....
....what is the size/type/frequency of their events
Big annual trade show blowouts?
Quarterly board meetings?
Small group retreats?
Corporate training?

Does Town Match the Market?
Are we a town that entices our market?
Conference venues & surroundings Transportation Lodging Places to eat Sports (catch a game?) & green spaces Family diversions “ Vibe” & atmosphere of town

Match Town to Market: Example 1
Round Rock
New medical facilities
Meetings niche....
Medical & health care conferences?

Match Town to Market: Example 2
Eureka Springs, AR
Many different things
Arts, music, crafts
Passion Play
Bikers
Foodies
Architecture
Meetings niches: LOTS!

So, we....
Know our meetings market. Know what our town can offer. It's time to connect!

HOLY COW, let me at 'em! Is it social media time yet? Patience, grasshopper....

Avoid Drowning
Do your homework
Know where to find the people who plan meetings
Get in front of them
Now, meet the planners....

Who Plans Meetings?
Associations
Meeting Planners
Trade Show Planners
Corporate Meeting Planners
Spontaneous event organizers
We'll talk about one at the end

Associations = All sorts
TSAE
Texas Society of Association Executives
ASAE
American Society of Association Executives
Associations from your niche market
For Round Rock: Texas Nurses Assn.
For Eureka Springs: Victorian Preservation Assn.

Meeting Planners = Alphabet Soup
Where to find many event professionals?
PMCA - Prof. Convention Management Assn.
TSNN - Trade Show News Network
MPI - Meeting Professionals Int'l
IAEE - Int'l Assn. Of Exhibitions & Events
The IAEE “Expo Expo”
AAAACK!! (this is why you do homework)

Note: Some may not be familiar with what a CVB or DMO can do for them. Do not assume.

OK, it's time now.... Social Media! Boo-Yah!

Alltop.com Event Planning Channel TradeShows Channel Blogs

LinkedIn Build Company Profiles Groups Answers

Twitter Connect with Twitter accounts in your market #AssnChat #EventProfs

Video and Images Video examples: Columbus & Indy Virginia Beach Convention Center (Flickr) Rhode Island Convention Center (Facebook)

Other Ideas CVB and/or Convention Center blog Add venues to Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places Podcast (radio show) on Blog Talk Radio Upload presentations to SlideShare

New service DMAI's empowerMINT Connects meeting planners with CVBs and DMOs One-stop RFP www.empowermint.com

Let's talk about Hutchinson, Kansas Yes, your town can do this, too

Takeaways
It is networking & human relationships
Takes time, but payoff can be significant
Social media is a tool and a method
Meet your market where they are
Make sure they know what you can do
Any town with moxie can do this

Photo Credits
Bull Moose delegates: Library of Congress on Flickr Commons
Stop sign w/rabbits: Nationaal Archief on Flickr Commons
Rules: Gord McKenna, Flickr Creative Commons
Medical mannequin: Texas A&M Health Science Center
Bathhouse: Sheila Scarborough
Mr. Miyagi courtesy ampedAsia
Don't drown: SAR swimmer courtesy DVIDSHUB, Flickr
Yell practice: TX A&M Cushing Library on Flickr
Hutchinson KS blogger fam tour courtesy BJ McCray on Flickr

Thanks for your time! Sheila Scarborough Tourism Currents www.tourismcurrents.com

Using social media to attract meetings and conferences to your town

by Sheila Scarborough on Sep 19, 2010

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