Successful Meetings - February 2008 - (Page 45) > The CVB in Your Backyard CVB Focus might be able to help the planner with single salesperson staffing them, to give their city,” says Pastor. personalized service to customers. If Pastor’s office is one of 47 U.S. you are planning a meeting in a city bureaus with reps in DC. You’ll find them a few thousand miles away, the rep in a listed on the website, www.cvbreps.com. satellite office, perhaps in your city or at least in your time zone, can put it all Chicago, which also has a large contogether for you. centration of bureau reps in satellite Dawn Rockas, national sales director offices, has 33 U.S. cities listed at for the San Diego CVB based in a onewww.bureaureps.com, a site maintained woman office in Brooklyn, NY, says the by the Chicago Area Convention Bureau main reason planners call her rather “I’m in my customer’s time zone. They than the main office know I’m right here. It bridges the gap in San Diego is, “I’m and makes the planner more comfortable in my customer’s that they’re reaching out and touching time zone. They something familiar.” know I’m right here. It —Dawn Rockas, in Brooklyn, NY, bridges the gap and for the San Diego CVB makes the planner more comfortable that they’re reaching out and touching Sales Offices. something familiar.” In Chicago, Hawaii VCB’s Kathleen “The personal service is the greatest Dever, regional director of accounts, selling point for using a satellite office,” Midwest, represents six islands, so echoes Liz Dane, northeast sales directhere’s a lot of educating involved in tor for The Beaches of Fort Myers & many first contacts. Because she is Sanibel, who is based in Washington DC. local, she can walk clients through various options, making use of visuals to SORTING IT ALL OUT give them a sense of the various islands’ different characters—which she A satellite office can be an extremely couldn’t do over the telephone. “It takes helpful resource for planners looking at longer for us to work one-on-one with a number of cities with which they’re not them, [so] it’s easier to be in their familiar. Faye Pastor, director of nationbackyard.” al accounts, eastern region, for the Not only does she help clients decide Sacramento CVB, based in DC, says, “a what island would be the best fit for their satellite rep can bring the city to their event, she advises them on airline offices, so to speak, via a DVD presenservice from Chicago, Minneapolis, or tation, film, or PowerPoint presentation.” wherever they are based; gives them Also, she points out, “groups that have information on shipping collateral, gifts, small staffs can benefit from the CVB or booths; and provides marketing sending out their RFPs to the correct materials—“the most up-to-date destiproperties”—hotels, resorts, and event nation footage to help clients build venues with the appropriate space and incentive programs.” amenities to accommodate the group. For Hawaii’s VCB, satellite offices This can save the planner significant are where the main selling occurs. research time. “Ninety-nine percent of our sales force Plus, “if our city doesn’t have availis on the mainland,” says Dever. She ability or isn’t the ‘right fit,’ we could concovers meetings, conventions, and tact one of our fellow CVB reps who SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS FEBRUARY 2008 mimegasite.com http://www.cvbreps.com http://www.bureaureps.com http://clearwaterbeachmarriottsuites.com http://sheratonsandkey.com http://mimegasite.com
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