In pursuit of more meetings business, the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau in Charlotte Harbor, Fla., has debuted a new program that it's using to ask local residents for referrals. Called the "Bring Your Meeting Home" program, it offers a reward—an exclusive "deed" to an acre-foot of Charlotte Harbor—for locals who provide the CVB with contact information for a conference, meeting or event.
"We know there are many residents who want to bring their association's or corporation's annual meeting to Charlotte County and show off why the area has earned accolades from nationally-recognized publications such as
Golf Digest,
SAIL magazine and
U.S. News & World Report," said Becky Bovell, director of the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau.
According to Bovell, who cited a 2004 study by the Destination Marketing Association International, the average conference attendee stays 3.5 days for an event, during which time he or she generates $266 a day in indirect spending and $945 in overall spending. The Bring Your Meeting Home program will attempt to harness that spending power to the benefit of Charlotte Harbor's local economy.
"Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon brought groups to Charlotte Harbor twice, first in 1513 and the second in 1521," Bovell said. "The Bring Your Meeting Home program will continue that early meeting tradition in a fun and engaging way, encouraging the community to help increase expenditures for area businesses."
In order to qualify for a deed to an acre-foot of Charlotte Harbor—an acre foot is 43,560 cubic feet of water, or approximately 325,851.4 gallons—area residents must submit to the CVB as much contact information as possible for a meeting or event that could take place at the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center. The CVB will follow up on the sales lead and, if the conference is booked—with at least 10 percent of conference attendees staying in area hotels—designate the referring resident a Charlotte Harbor Meetings Ambassador.
For more information, Charlotte Harbor residents should visit
www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com.