On a summer night in Annapolis, Maryland, 160 attendees of an international conference hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) visited the city for a tour of downtown and the Naval Academy. The attendees, who represented 26 nations, were greeted by guides wearing colonial garb. The meeting was not held in Annapolis. It was based in nearby Montgomery County, but the group was able to take advantage of the larger attractions of Annapolis and promote Washington D.C. as an add-on option after the conference thanks to the assistance of the Montgomery County CVB. "The CVB went the extra mile to help with the logistical arrangements," says Robert Eccleston, senior policy advisor for Rockville, Maryland-based CDRH. "They got us in touch with their counterparts at the Annapolis and Washington D.C. CVBs. They helped secure funding for a major social event and even set up a travel desk at the conference site to provide assistance to attendees doing post tours."
Groups meeting outside of big cities don't have to sacrifice the excitement of a big metropolis. Suburban CVBs are equipped to help small and mid-sized groups combine the best of both worlds -- the glitz of a city with the service and affordability of a smaller destination.
The Big City Draws
"When meeting in a suburban destination, the city plays a huge part in marketing the meeting to your attendees. Its importance can't be overlooked," says Nancy Watterson, CEO of Boston Veterans Association Research Institute.
Watterson recently planned a meeting in Montgomery County for the Society of Research Administrators. The group's next meeting is to be held in Stamford, Connecticut. "In each case the nearby cities -- Washington D.C. for Montgomery and New York for Stamford -- have played a role in making the meeting more attractive to our attendees," she says. "We used the larger cities as a marketing tool for extensions for either before or after the meetings."
Many suburban areas also have well developed mass transit systems in place for local commuters that meeting attendees can use. "One of the selling points of Montgomery County is the Metro. It allows the attendees the freedom to explore the city on their own and it is definitely a resource for spouse tours as well," says Kelly Groff, executive director at the Conference and Visitors Bureau of Mont- gomery County. "A planner can take the entire group right into the heart of downtown on the Metro rather than organize a coach transfer."
At times it's the city itself that attracts attendees. In Westchester, New York, it is typical for groups to venture into Manhattan. According to Margo Jones, Director of Tourism at the Westchester County Office of Tourism, "Groups tend to go into the city for day trips or for dinner and nightlife. Recently the British Tour Operators rented a minibus that fit 20 people and went to the city, had dinner, and explored the club and lounge scene. They didn't get back until the wee hours of the morning."
If there are attendees who are somewhat apprehensive about going into an urban area, a suburban destination can offer them a chance to experience the city at a comfortable distance. "In a way, Chicago is one of DuPage County's major attractions," says Amy Egolf, director of sales for the DuPage CVB just outside Chicago. "On a clear day, you can see the Sears Tower from DuPage. Attendees in DuPage can then go home and feel as if they have been to the city without having actually gone into it."
The Small Town Benefits
While the city may play a role in marketing a suburban destination, the budget is what really matters. "In Westchester rates tend to be more reasonable than any other of the major cities across the country, not just Manhattan," says Jones.
Also, a small group is much more likely to get the red carpet treatment in a suburban area than in downtown. "If you have a small group, they will get lost in a big destination," notes Cami Mattson, president and CEO, San Diego North CVB. "Groups who would be ignored in larger cities will gravitate to the suburbs to get that extra attention. It's a lot easier to get first-class treatment by meeting in an area where your presence makes an impact."
Eccleston can attest to that. The assistance of the Montgomery CVB was crucial to the success of his conference. As a government agency, there are restrictions on any use of appropriated monies for social activities. This made it extremely difficult for the CDRH as a conference host, so the CVB acted as a broker for an arrangement between the CDRH and the local government, whereby the county fronted the money for the social events. "The CVB really did go that extra step and made it happen," says Eccleston.
The Montgomery CVB helped Eccleston on a number of other fronts as well. They got the organization in touch with local business leaders to make them aware of this group coming in and helped negotiate rates with hotels and identify facilities that could provide support for the group. "We were going to make a huge impact on Montgomery County so the CVB really mustered the local business community to help us make this happen," he says.
According to Jim Clark, Executive Director at the Irving, Texas CVB, one can't go wrong having a bigwig meeting in a "small pond" kind of destination. "I call Irving Dallas-lite -- tastes great, less filling. You get all the advantages of meeting in this part of the country, like DFW airport minutes away, attractions like the Dallas Cowboys and nearby Six Flags Great Adventure, and less traffic to deal with. Plus it borders both Dallas and Fort Worth."
Sheryl Padget, Executive Secretary for the Arkansas Telecommunications Association held an event in Irving (150-160 people) and raves about how the CVB and the hotel bent over backwards for them. "It was easier to park, and get around to certain places than any other destination we experienced. The CVB and the Marriott DFW got us buses and cars when we requested them and programmed an eventful itinerary that included a baseball game, golf tournament, and tour of Irving. We were catered to -- a group of our size can't get that in a large city."
Sidebar
Suburban Advantage
Low Prices
Room rates at hotels in suburban destinations are routinely far below those found downtown
Accessibility
The typical suburban destination is within driving distance of the airport serving it's metropolitan area
Great Service
A group of 150 is considered a large group in most suburban destinations