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(Since Oct. 7, 1999)

Bob Andelman Articles Archive

Do you think privatization of convention and visitors bureaus is a good idea? Why, or why not?

Janelle Rapier
Meetings Manager
Chain Drug Marketing Association
Deerfield, Illinois
I was in catering and sales on the hotel side until I took this job. I worked with CVBs as a hotel person. I felt, as a hotel person, the CVBs didn't work very hard. I'd call at 5:15 p.m. and they weren't there. All the hotel and catering people stay till at least 7 or 8 p.m. As an association, I don't want to pay for the services, but I might get better services. People who have to make a profit to keep their jobs run their businesses different.

T. Kim Thomas
Meetings Manager
American Chamber of Commerce Executives
Alexandria, Virginia
A lot of bureaus are charging for services now, for registration assistance, badging or housing services. I pay probably $7 or $8 per person, per hour, and I have very small meetings. For the services I need, I'm already paying. For promoting a city, the bureaus should continue offering brochures or a complimentary basis, because we're helping promote the city for the bureau through our meetings. It's a joint effort.

Sandy Tippett
Meetings Coordinator
American International Automobile Dealers Association
Alexandria, Virginia
It certainly is nice to call up, talk to someone and receive information without being charged. Being in D.C., I use the CVB a lot. They charge us now for large quantities of pamphlets. When I order magazines or pamphlets, I understand the need for paying for them. When I order general information on the area for myself, I wouldn't expect to pay for it.

Loretta Jurnak
Managing Director, Convention & Education Group
National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association
Washington, D.C.
It could work. But many of them would have to change what they do and how they go about doing it. If they're not funded by a city, they change their constituency. The ones that do better at promoting a service, you'd be able to justify paying. The ones that don't, you wouldn't use. They would take on the same valuation process that any other contractor would. If this happens, and the bureaus want to succeed, some of them will have to become better. I don't think that's a negative. Quite frankly, some of the services being provided now are not worth it. There are some cities that don't have a clue. If they don't become efficient, you would work without them.

Dave Keim
Associate Director
National Sash & Door Jobbers Association
Des Plaines, Illinois
I think it may help them. Funding is going to be a problem until cities realize how much money convention business brings them. But you'll see resistance from planners. DMCs will be more competitive with these bureaus when it comes to providing services. If a bureau says, "Dave, registration help will cost you $10 an hour," and a DMC says, "We can get you reliable help for $8.50 an hour," guess who I'm going to go with? We don't look at a CVB as a cheap source of getting anything. We look at them as a source of information. San Antonio sent us 3,000 of their visitor guides free last year. This year, Orlando will only provide enough for 50 percent of our attendees. Anything else will cost. I'm against paying for something like that. They should be able to make enough on advertising to cover their costs. We don't want CVBs to go away. But they've got some challenging years ahead.

Karen M. Angel
Convention & Meetings Manager
National Parent Teacher Association
Chicago, Illinois
One of the reasons we work with CVBs beside using them as a one-point contact for our specs and doing legwork we rely on them for registration services and brochures. (Paying for services) would certainly put a dent in my budget. I would like to think they would still offer site selection on a gratis basis. Some of the very good bureaus have charged for a certain amount of registration service. We get some free based on how many room nights we book. If we need help above that, we pay. That's not a problem.

Mindy Peckham
Meetings Manager
American Society of Landscape Architects
Washington, D.C.
That makes me a little nervous. It would depend on the services they're offering as to whether we would pay. Our budgets are so tight already, it's difficult for us to justify what we already do.

Lisa Ohmer
Conference & Meeting Manager
Association for Quality & Participation
Cincinnati, Ohio
For a city-wide event, the CVBs are usually my first contact. They sell me on the city. Without them, I don't know how I would get a whole city perspective. For our annual meeting, I use their housing bureaus. I have considered using private services or not using one at all, because I find they don't always meet my needs. If their services were only available for a charge, that would force me, as a non-profit, to look elsewhere. So I don't see any advantages.

Lisa Elliott
Director, Conference & Meetings Department
American Occupational Therapy Association
Bethesda, Maryland
One of the beauties of the bureaus is that they are free. I don't think I could afford to avail myself of their services if they went private and charged. Granted, they have insider information; however, it's more of a time-saving device to use a bureau. Technically, we could do what they do. It only takes time. I use them for soliciting bids from local vendors. I try to take advantage of everything a bureau has to offer. It's going to be difficult justifying paying for these things.

end

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