Company Towns: How Meetings Can Capitalize on Local Industries

Some metropolises are synonymous with certain industries  — as well as the meetings and conferences those industries attract. Take Detroit for example. It is the hub of the automobile industry and thus brings in countless events centered around automotive manufacturing, design, and marketing. 

Washington, D.C., pulls in all manner of government and policy gatherings. And Chicago, home to more than 400 manufacturing and medical-company corporate headquarters, sees all kinds of events for these industries because of this potential attendee pool as well as the city’s central location.

But now smaller, more affordable domestic and international destinations are following the lead of these first-tier cities by capitalizing on their own major industries. 

“We call this strategy the ‘key industry strategy,’” says Laura d’Elsa, regional director, U.S. and Canada, for the German Convention Bureau based in New York City. North American meeting planners tend to choose Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich for their meetings, although there are other smaller German cities to consider as well, points out d’Elsa. “Meeting planners are increasingly looking beyond room and conference rates and accessibility when determining a meeting destination. They are looking for unique selling points that can potentially enrich their event.” 

The city of Leipzig, located in the east of Germany, recently tapped into one of its key industries to attract a citywide convention. Leipzig has numerous research centers focused on the field of cytometry, a method commonly used for the early diagnosis of malignant tumors. Leipzig Tourism and Marketing reached out to the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) about having its World Congress of Cytometry in the city, and the group met in Leipzig last July — the first time it had been to Europe since 2008.  

“The scientific and economic expertise of Leipzig and the federal state of Saxony offer an interesting setting for an excellent program,” says John Nolan, president of ISAC and CYTO 2012 Chairman. 

Smaller destinations are also attractive from a cost standpoint. “Some meetings have moved to less expensive cities to take advantage not only of lower room rates and less-expensive meeting venues, but also [lower]travel costs,” says Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D., divisional dean and clinical professor of the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management. 

Plus, in a smaller destination, a convention is often the only one in town and all attention and resources are focused on that group. Here is a sampling of some smaller destinations that are leveraging their local industries to attract big industry meetings. 

Charleston, SC’s reputation for its old-fashioned charm can be somewhat deceiving as the region is actually a hub for the aerospace sector. Boeing recently announced it is expanding in Charleston, investing a reported $1 billion and creating 2,000 new jobs over eight years. Boeing currently assembles two 787 Dreamliners at the Charleston facility each month. 

With Boeing’s opening of its 787 manufacturing facility in the city last year, and its many announcements concerning expansions the past few months, Charleston is garnering a significant amount of international attention in the commercial aerospace sector. In terms of defense, Charleston’s history as a former naval base and current home to nearly every U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security agency, including the Space & Naval Warfare Systems Center, and its high concentration of defense contractors draws a significant amount of interest from that sector as well.

“The Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) continues to see an increased demand for meetings within the aerospace and technology sector,” says Angie Day, national sales manager for the CACVB. “The bureau’s sales team has made a concentrated effort to bring increased awareness to meeting planners within this market segment on a local, regional, and national level.”

Meetings in the aerospace sector are finding their way to Charleston at a dizzying pace. The inaugural Speed News Aerospace Manufacturing Conference was held in April 2013 at the Charleston Place Hotel and the Charleston Regional Development Alliance helped produce the event. 

Charleston also hosted the C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Government and Industry Conference. It was hosted by the Charleston Defense Contractors Association, bringing together national experts, speakers, vendors, and defense contractors.

“The Charleston region continues to emerge and grow as an international hub for aerospace and advanced security and IT, due to our strategic location, skilled workforce, seamless infrastructure, and exceptional quality of life — all of which has encouraged new investment in these industries,” says David Ginn, president and CEO of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, the city’s economic development organization. “It’s no surprise that conference planners and attendees want to be in a place ranked for the past two years as the No. 1 U.S. destination and the 2012 world’s best city by Condé Nast Traveler readers.”

The Department of Defense is the largest employer in Cumberland County, NC. “Groups that meet representing our largest employers’ sector require economical accommodations, access to the community from large cities, and a range of meeting facilities,” says John Meroski, president and CEO of Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Centrally located on the east coast, halfway between New York and Florida, the area is easily accessible, and home to the high-profile U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Planners who work with the CVB can expect personal service from the bureau for offerings such as overnight accommodations and meeting space. Additionally, the CVB can assist with staffing and information tables, securing speakers, finding dinner or off-site meeting locations, itineraries for outings, and information on the community. “We have big-city amenities with a small-town personal touch,” says Meroski. 

Although a controversial issue, the Marcellus Shale fracking boom in Western Pennsylvania has meant great benefits for Pittsburgh meetings. The region sits atop the abundant natural gas present in the Marcellus Shale formation, from which the area is realizing increased job creation, capital investment, and landowner wealth. Approximately 700 firms comprise the region’s energy industry, supporting some 105,000 jobs and $13.7 billion in annual economic activity. The number of meetings and conventions held in Pittsburgh by energy-related industries has increased. In addition, other technology-related conferences holding conventions in the city are experiencing attendance boosts because of the experts available to offer energy-related sessions relevant to their fields. 

From the Marcellus Shale industry, Pittsburgh has hosted 13 conferences since 2009 and has an additional seven conferences booked through 2014, for an estimated direct spending total of $35.5 million.

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) had its annual conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. “The energy-related resources available in the region allowed us to increase the number of technical sessions offered,” says Jeff Wood, meetings director for AIChE. “Pittsburgh’s geographic proximity to universities helped to draw more student delegates and Pittsburgh’s reputation as a world-class destination [contributed] to the success of the convention.” It is estimated that AIChE conference-goers spent more than $8 million during their time in Pittsburgh.

In addition to AIChE, VisitPittsburgh’s convention sales team booked several conferences in 2012 that benefitted from the strong energy business in the region, including the Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania, the American Wind Energy Association, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. 

“We expect the energy sector and related industries to continue to be strong convention customers for the foreseeable future,” says Craig Davis, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh. “The region’s strength and resources in Marcellus Shale, coal, research, green technologies, and the engineering fields, coupled with our great convention facilities and services, continue to generate demand for meetings in Pittsburgh that strengthen our local economy.” 

Although many consider Montgomery County, MD, the epicenter for biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region, numerous U.S. federal government agencies are also based here. They include the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Cancer Institute, the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.

These organizations are found throughout the county in the “big five” cities of Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring. “Because of the presence of many federal government agencies in Montgomery County, we host many meetings and conferences throughout the year for the government entities as well as their contractors,” says Michael M. Lauriente, senior sales manager, Conference and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County, MD. “Our proximity to the nation’s capital is a big benefit for groups considering events in this area. We offer variety in terms of meeting and event venues, easy access to Washington, D.C., and more affordable lodging rates.”

Palo Alto has become a draw for high tech, green energy, and medical companies. “Planners love the prestige of being in Palo Alto among high techs and startups, as well as being right next to Stanford University,” says Anne LeClair, president and CEO of the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley CVB. “Attendees get a kick out of seeing things like the HP garage where it all began, and knowing they’re walking University and California Avenues with some of the top executives of the world’s top companies.”

San Mateo County has also emerged as a hotspot for biotech meetings. “Groups involved in the pharmaceutical or health industries love the idea of meeting in South San Francisco, the birthplace of biotech. Planners like the idea of having easy proximity to San Francisco at lower rates. We have started using a new phrase to describe San Mateo County and Palo Alto: ‘Beauty and Brains.’” 

The Puget Sound region is a major business and manufacturing hub. The Boeing Company — the world’s leading aerospace company — was previously headquartered in the region, and still has many manufacturing facilities there, and PACCAR, a multinational technology company that manufactures commercial vehicles, is also based in the area. 

“Not only do these companies attract meetings to the area but so do suppliers and related associations,” says Jane Kantor, CMP, director of sales for Visit Bellevue. “They have a critical mass here and it is easier for them to meet where they are located.” 

Bellevue is centrally located in the region, providing easy access to Sea-Tac Airport just 17 miles away. An added bonus is that groups of 1,500 to 3,000 attendees are perfectly sized to be a citywide convention in Bellevue. 

“The group is the big fish in a small pond,” adds Kantor. “They are the only show in town when they come, and they are catered to, doted on, and appreciated.”

Saratoga Springs and the surrounding Saratoga County has become a hub for semiconductor industry and technology related meetings and conferences thanks to several recent developments. Globalfoundries, now the world’s second-largest semiconductor manufacturing company, set up shop with its newest fabrication plant or “fab” just 20 minutes south of Saratoga Springs in the town of Malta, NY. As this facility was making news around the global semiconductor industry, other developments like the emergence of the new College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany and the nearby location of the headquarters for SEMATECH, a consortium of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturing companies, were happening. In conjunction with this development, the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau partnered with its economic development counterpart, the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), to gain insight into the industry and get introduced to the key players. In 2010, as FAB 8 (the name given to Globalfoundries fab in Malta) was still being built, Saratoga hosted its first semiconductor conference, the 22nd Annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC). 

Until recently, this conference had rotated between tier-one destinations around the country and had never been held in the same location consecutively. But 2013 marked the third straight year the ASMC called Saratoga  home. It also led to Saratoga hosting the Semiconductor Industry Association’s World Semiconductor Council in 2012. This conference was especially important to the economic development side because it brought CEOs and leaders from the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing companies to Saratoga to see what the buzz was about. 

“Hosting conferences of this level in a smaller destination like Saratoga has its advantages. We are able to provide the small touches and attention to detail necessary to differentiate ourselves from our larger counterparts. Things like welcome posters on shop windows on Broadway, co-hosting a welcome reception at a historic venue or at the fab, and having our mayor address the group all give the group the sense of welcome that they might otherwise miss somewhere else,” explains Todd Garofano, president, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau.

Milwaukee is the headquarters of the Water Council, making the city ideally suited for water-related conventions. More than 130 water technology companies are located in Milwaukee. 

Whether organizations are from industry, academia, or the government, they will find a confluence of expertise and resources in the Milwaukee region. Major Milwaukee water-related companies in the area include MillerCoors, Badger Meter, and international companies like Veolia. The Water Council — the only organization of its kind in the United States — is successfully coalescing these tremendous attributes together into a powerful force, connecting research on fresh water with the city’s water-related industries.