In today's highly competitive tourism industry, one of the battlegrounds on which convention and visitors bureaus are waging their battles to win meetings and leisure visitors is the web.
Realizing that the Internet is one of the first places tech-savvy meeting planners go for destination research, countless CVBs recently have updated or even completely overhauled their websites to give planners efficient and information-rich visits.
While Chapel Hill, NC (www.visitchapelhill.org) and Frisco, TX (www.visitfrisco.com) are just two of the latest bureaus to roll out redesigned websites, major tourism players like Las Vegas and San Francisco have gone a web step further by debuting micro-websites (or microsites) focusing on a particular destination feature or topic of interest. The Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, because of the city's great Latino influence, even has created an all-Spanish site, at www.visitahoustontexas.com. Often, the website efforts are part of bureau rebranding campaigns. The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, for example, has created a food and wine microsite, www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/taste, to tout the city's renowned culinary offerings. TasteSF resides within the SFCVB's redone site, themed in conjunction with the Only in San Francisco brand strategy.
"The Bay Area is renowned as a dining destination," according to Joe D'Alessandro, SFCVB's president and CEO, when asked why the microsite was started, in late April.
TasteSF's homepage proffers: "Everything you need to know about what's happening in San Francisco's food scene is right here." Meeting planners and attendees alike can search dining establishments by such unorthodox criteria as "inspiring views," "dining adventures," "award winners," and "taste of history." More conventional are searches by neighborhood, cuisine, and price. Site visitors also can view upcoming tasting events, learn more about their favorite chefs in the profiles section, see what fans have to say in the Foodie 411 blog, and enter contests. In Las Vegas, the Convention & Visitors Authority's Vegas Right Now microsite presents information on what's going on within the next 30 days. "Vegas Right Now" is the city's current slogan, and although the site is geared toward the leisure travel market—with entertainment listings and special offers on lodging—promotions for groups are planned.
"My advice to small meeting planners is absolutely go to our site and check out Vegas Right Now," said Chris Meyer, the CVA's convention sales VP. "The resorts are giving added-value perks to not just leisure guests but meeting attendees too."
The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau's BusinessAloha microsite already targets planners and attendees, with destination facts ready. Links further connect visitors to the site of the Hawaii Convention Center, as well as MeetHawaii.com, the CVB's meetings and conventions site.
But a notable resource on the site is the Hawaii Speakers Bureau, which features profiles of indigenous executives and destination experts available to speak at meetings. Speakers are categorized by teambuilding, medical/biotechnology, and business/finance, among others.
The St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau in late May re-launched its site for meeting planners, www.myfloridameetings.com. It now has corporate social responsibility resources, listing nonprofit organizations," giving back" opportunities, and regional members of Florida's Green Lodging program.
Other CVBs will create customized microsites for meetings and events. The co-branding tactic lets planners send content and messages to attendees. Bureaus that customize now include Long Beach, CA, and Louisville, KY; both can create interactive maps, showing only the hotels, restaurants, and other locations for meeting delegates.
Originally published July 07, 2008