Convention and visitors bureaus sometimes get a bad rap from corporate meeting managers. The gripes: They're too association-focused; they're only interested in citywides; they send leads to every member hotel, including those that are clearly a bad fit. And many more.

The good news: These complaints are not falling on deaf ears. CVBs are getting the message from corporate planners and investing the time, money, and personnel to prove it, says longtime CVB executive Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. “The association market traditionally has been the CVB's niche — to fill the convention center,” she says. “And hotels and the CVB were measured by the number of room nights booked. But that has changed.” In St. Louis, she notes, “we have a dedicated corporate sales team.”

Bruce MacMillan, who left his position as president and CEO of Tourism Toronto/Toronto Convention and Visitors Bureau to become CEO of Meeting Professionals International, backs up Ratcliffe's points. “CVBs used to have a volume approach. Now there is an increasing focus on yield. Our hoteliers love volume, but they love yield more. Yes, we track room nights, but we also track spending by groups.”

Perception or Reality?

Some corporate planners have yet to be convinced that CVBs are worth talking to. “I've had the experience of giving my information to a CVB and getting 100 e-mails back,” says one meeting planner from a financial services company who asked not to be identified. “That'll scare you off real quick.” However, she adds, “I do think that as CVBs get more involved with planner associations such as FICP and MPI, they are beginning to do a better job at streamlining leads. I would say most of the problems are with the smaller-city CVBs, though there are a few large cities where CVBs have crossed that line. I'd like to see more consistency.”

CVBs looking for a model would do well to emulate the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I started working as the dedicated sales manager handling corporate accounts seven years ago,” says Cindy Hall, the bureau's national sales manager, corporate accounts. “Since then, because of the increased volume of corporate accounts, we have expanded the number of sales representatives who serve the corporate market.”

Hall notes that she will limit the number of properties that get your lead, and she won't even tell them who you are. “I have a conversation with the planner, and I send the lead only where the planner wants,” she says. “We do not have to send the lead to everyone in our membership. We can also keep your name and company information confidential so they don't contact you.”

MacMillan believes CVBs bear responsibility for asking questions too. “There has been a cultural shift,” he says. “We have to demonstrate our value. The first thing is to understand the customer.”

Training CVB staff is part of that. “Say you have a meeting with 50 rooms on the peak night,” says Christine Shimasaki, former executive vice president, sales and marketing, with the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We trained our salespeople not to send that lead to everyone.”

Shimasaki also looked to corporate planners for advice on how to better run the bureau. “The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau has had a small-meetings customer advisory board since 1996. That's 62 percent of San Diego's meeting business. One-third of the staff is focused on small meetings.”

On-Time, Online

Slow response time has been another complaint, an issue that San Diego is addressing. “Our advisory board members told us they get no response from the hotels. It's like a black hole. Our salespeople said once they send the lead to the hotel, they don't know where it goes,” says Shimasaki. To smooth the communication, the San Diego CVB invested in technology to make the process Web-based. Leads are sent to hotels, which post responses at a password-protected Web site. “Now the bureau can track what the hotels are doing, who's fast and who's slow,” she notes.

Historically, bureaus and national sales offices have not partnered enough, says Ratcliffe. “The dirty little secret is who gets the credit,” she says. However, she adds, “there is absolutely no reason the NSO and CVB reps shouldn't both get credit for booking the business. The roles complement one another, and together they can book more business.” Her bureau is working with NSOs to help educate them about St. Louis and how they can partner with them.

Another way to think of CVBs is as a resource to help planners do what they don't ordinarily do. “Think of the things you want to do that are nontraditional and ask the questions,” says Ratcliffe. “Our role is to say yes.”

Shimasaki sums it up: “Build a relationship with CVBs. You never know when you might need them.”

5 Ways CVBs Come to the Rescue

1. Need to organize a press conference?

   The CVB knows the local media.

2. Need a speaker?

   The CVB can look to the area for speakers who match the meeting content.

3. Need to stretch your budget?

   How about a nontraditional sponsorship opportunity? The CVB can connect you with local businesses that might want some visibility at your event.

4. Need a limo to pick up your CEO on the tarmac at the airport?

   The CVB has the contacts you need.

5. Is a presidential motorcade planned through your meeting city at the same time you want to transport hundreds of attendees to a reception?

OK, this one might be far-fetched, but it happened in St. Louis, where the CVB was able to get the inside scoop on the super-secret route and plan conference transportation to avoid expected street blockages.