Successful Meetings - February 2008 - (Page 49)

CVB Focus Welcome to the WEBOLUTION Love them or hate them, bureau websites are a vital part of the planning process By Ben Chapman In the fall of 2006, Candy Adams got caught in the Web. The Defiance, OHbased trade show specialist was struggling to find a home for a high-end cocktail reception during a major electronics show, in a major convention city. Optimistic that the city’s CVB website could help her find a venue for her SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS FEBRUARY 2008 client, she submitted an online RFP for her client, a giant computer hardware manufacturer. But the site struck out— even though Adams had given four months’ lead time and had wiggle room on dates and flexibility in the number of attendees. “I waited three days, and no one got back to me,” she says. “My only mimegasite.com criteria were that I needed a high-end venue, within walking distance of the convention center.” Adams was really starting to get nervous when she finally heard from two venues. One was located about 90 miles from the convention center. The other was located nearby, but it was a 49 http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2008

Successful Meetings - February 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Trade Shows
Events
Research
On the Record
Suppliers
Associations
Planner's Spotlight
Websites of the Month
Technology Talk
Personal Success
Food & Beverage
Pre-Event
On Site
Tools of the Trade
Pre-Event
The Rainbow Connection
The CVB in Your Backyard
Welcome to the Webolution
The Rail Deal
Spas with a Sense of Place
Places & Spaces
Mystic, CT.
Barcelona
Hong Kong
Florida’s East Coast
Atlantic City
Maui, Kauai, & Lanai
Aruba
Houston
Gurus

Successful Meetings - February 2008