Meeting News - December 17, 2007 - (Page 18)

CVBs Baltimore and Fort Worth Add Sacramento In Alliance Promising Meetings Package Deals Sacramento, CA—In a move that promises deep group discounts for multi-destination, multi-year deals, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau has joined with its counterparts in Baltimore and Fort Worth to form a three-city one-stop shop for meeting planners. Baltimore and Fort Worth had been looking for a West Coast city to extend their marketing partnership since forming it in July. The concept should gain even more clout with the addition of Sacramento, they said. “I don’t think anybody else is doing it to this extent,” said Steve Hammond, president/CEO of the Sacramento CVB.“It will leverage our expertise and the appeal of the three cities and reach an extended client base.” Tom Noonan, president/CEO of the Baltimore Convention and Visitors Association, said the three bureaus will share the expenses of three new salespeople. If one of the cities isn’t a good fit for a group, they will push for the other two destinations. “We knew that adding a West Coast city was an important component so we can offer planners more geographical choices,” said Noonan. Noonan noted the three cities are similar in many ways, including convention center capacities and a mutual presence of major chain meetings hotels, but lack the resources for additional dedicated offices. “The worst-case scenario is we’ll gain the services of three new salespeople for the price of one,” Noonan said. Both Noonan and Hammond said a full array of planner benefits is being discussed now, including “significant” discount offers from hotels and other vendors. The three-city alliance could well suit associations seeking geographically rotating destinations, as well as corporations with regional meetings needs. “The full benefit of the partnership will be for planners who need to rotate among cities,” added Hammond.“But they can enjoy one-stop shopping for all their meetings needs in the three destinations. No question, we’ll save clients time and money.” Edited by Elizabeth West elizabeth.west@nielsen.com Merced, CA, the “Gateway to Yosemite,” drops insolvent CVB. California City Ousts Insolvent Bureau Merced, CA—The city of Merced, CA, has voted to defund its bureau following charges of financial mismanagement. The city council of Merced (pronounced Mer-SED), about two hours east of San Jose and dubbed “The Gateway to Yosemite,” terminated its $373,100 annual contract with the CVB, which was found to be insolvent. The bureau had rolled up $40,000 worth of unpaid bills, with virtually no cash on hand to run operations. Fueling the dispute was a 15-percent pay raise to former CVB executive director Melyssa Laughlin, and office and visitor center refurbishments. Laughlin denied any improprieties, and, in fact, has moved seamlessly to a new position as CVB chief of the town of Vacaville, just north of San Francisco. According to reports, the Vacaville CVB board was satisfied with its background checks and with Laughlin’s explanations of her situation in Merced. With a population of 80,000, Merced promises to grow in prominence, with its proximity to California attractions and a newly awarded University of California campus. www.meetingnews.com Package Deal: Sacramento (top) throws its hat in with Baltimore (middle) and Fort Worth (bottom) to complete a cross-country destination alliance. Payment Due for Meet Minneapolis Minneapolis—Meeting Minneapolis, that city’s convention and visitor’s bureau, is on the hook for a first payment of $1 million, due on a total loan of $9 million from the city of Minneapolis. The loan from the 18 MeetingNews city—which some locals had characterized as a bailout of the bureau— helped the CVB fund a for-profit software development company called Internet Destination Sales System (IDSS). The CVB had hoped it could draw revenues from products developed by IDSS and sold to other destination promotion agencies in order to reduce the annual funding it needs from city coffers. However, IDSS has yet to turn a profit, and Meet Minneapolis faces its first $1 million payment in 2008, continued on page 20 December 17, 2007 http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - December 17, 2007

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