February 2006
Meeting attendance goals for shows in the west
No other region of the country has so many clearly branded, aggressively marketed destinations. These brand identities can boost attendance when they’re leveraged with the right groups. Here’s what you need to know to maximize attendance at your next event in the West.
By Patricia D. Sherman
Trade shows and conventions in Western destinations — in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado — start with a big advantage. The region claims some of the top destination brands in the world. No other region has so many clearly branded, aggressively marketed destinations. These brand identities can boost attendance when they’re leveraged with the right groups.
Las Vegas, of course, is the towering example of how brand identity drives attendance. Its “What happens here, stays here” campaign, introduced in 2003, quickly became part of the fabric of popular culture, instantly recognized and often repeated. It beat such international brands as McDonald’s, Hershey’s and DaimlerChrysler for Brandweek magazine’s Grand Marketer of the Year award in 2004 and more than a year later is still going strong. With such massive recognition, it’s little wonder that shows in the city almost routinely break attendance records, and Las Vegas attendance has become the benchmark against which other cities are measured.
Other Western first-tier cities have clear brands with strong attendee appeal of their own: Los Angeles is known for entertainment and glamour; San Diego for perfect weather and beaches; San Francisco for culture and sophistication; and Seattle for trend-setting and relaxed urbanity. Second-tier cities, too, such as Sacramento and Salt Lake City have established their own brands that are just as honed and targeted as the bigger destinations.
There’s no doubt the Western region is a popular destination for shows. In 2005, 25 percent of all shows — nearly 3,596 of the reported 14,124 U.S. events — were held in the Western region, according to the 2005 Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Census. If you’re planning or considering holding a show in these states, here’s what you need to know to promote your show and meet attendance goals.
East goes West
With the ready-made attraction of Western destinations and the availability of reasonably priced airfare, attendees from the East Coast aren’t reluctant to go West, say planners.
“East Coast people are used to driving to conferences and shows, but getting them to go West is not a problem” says Karnel Thomas, Vice President of Member Services for the United Telecom Council (www.utc.org), a trade association of utility companies based in Washington, DC.
The organization rotates East Coast, Midwest and West locations for its annual meeting and trade show. The 2005 meeting in Long Beach, CA, drew 1,600 members, the highest attendance so far. “We had a large representation from the East Coast. We’ve found that East Coast attendees are likely to go if the destination attracts them. So we highlight destination appeal — the beach, the mountains and the entertainment — when we promote. We schedule the meeting before Memorial Day to make it easy for members to extend their stay, and we give them lots of options for pre- and post-meeting activities.”
The city doesn’t have to be in the top brand category, either, to build attendance, says Thomas. The right combination of easy, cheap flights and reasonably priced hotels and entertainment has made Reno the destination for the UTC regional meeting that covers all the states west of the Mississippi River for 12 straight years. “Our members love it. They have smaller travel budgets and it’s just right for them. Every year we re-evaluate and every year the members vote to return to Reno,” he says.
California triple threat
California convention and trade show destinations have a triple branding impact. The state has its own longstanding brand impression to add to the regional and city brands, giving show promoters a head start wherever they locate their meeting in the state. As data from “Impact of Travel on the U.S. and State Economies,” published last year by the Travel Industry Association of America, makes clear, people just seem to want to go to California. In 2003, travelers spent $71.5 billion in the state — $15 billion more than in second-place Florida and more than twice as much as third-place New York.
Meeting destinations in the state, especially Southern California cities, can compete with East Coast destinations in terms of drive-in attendance and business base, says Carol Martinez, Associate Vice President, Media Relations, LA INC (www.lainc.com), the Los Angeles CVB. “We can draw on the huge Southern California population base, and we have a lot of corporate headquarters here.”
The San Diego CVB (www.visitsandiego.com) helps show organizers capitalize on this business-rich base to build attendance, says Sandra Moreno, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We provide lists of targeted local companies that would be likely to send attendees.”
The business environment provides another attendance incentive, Martinez says. “Attendees want to make maximum use of their time, and they have a lot of opportunity to connect with new business while they’re here.”
This opportunity to combine shows with the wider potential customer base may be one of the reasons that California ranked as the No. 1 state for trade shows in 2005, according to the 2005 CEIR Census. California hosted 1,589 events last year, 245 more events than the next most popular state.
The population also means that many association shows are likely to draw on big membership bases for drive-in attendance. “Our attendance is related to members in the state, so we go where our population is,” says Doug Orr, Director or Convention Marketing and Communications for Chicago-based National Association of Realtors (realtors.org). That’s one of the reasons the group’s 2003 meeting in San Francisco exceeded attendance projections, he says.
California misperception
Nevertheless, along with immediate brand awareness and vast business and membership bases, promoters often have to overcome the notion that California meeting destinations don’t offer competitive lodging rates. “We have some of the most expensive hotels in the country,” Martinez acknowledges, “but groups can find some of the most reasonable rates, too.”
She points to data provided by Smith Travel Research showing that the average daily rates (ADR) in top California meeting markets rank lower than comparable East Coast meeting cities. Los Angeles ADR is $104.22, and in San Diego it’s $123.48 — significantly lower than New York at $201.20, Washington, DC at $131.42 and Boston at $130.15.
Even San Francisco (www.sfcvb.com), with its reputation as a relatively expensive city, has an ADR of $125.48. When the realtors association held its annual conference there in 2003, “We found good hotels at all different price points. Six had ADR under $100,” says Orr.
Different brands for different groups
Organizers can rely on brand identification to produce attendance in first-tier cities, says Leonard Hoops, Vice President and Marketing Officer of the Sacramento CVB (www.discovergold.org). But second-tier cities have developed strong brands, too, and for certain groups, these cities are stronger draws than the mega destinations. Attendees are motivated by special treatment, generally lower costs, convenience and attractions and entertainment geared to group interests.
Sacramento is a good example of how a second-tier city can use brand identification. “We market with a clear understanding of what our brand is. We’re the authentic California. We emphasize the Gold Rush, Old Sacramento and our unique museums and attractions,” says Hoops. This approach has tapped into the growing trend for cultural, historical and educational components to travel. The railroad museum was a major reason the National Model Railroad Association chose Sacramento for its annual meeting and show, and tours to nearby Folsom Prison have been a draw for correctional associations, Hoops says.
The National Rural Water Association (NRWA, www.nrwa.org), based in Duncan, OK, rotates to a Western city about every three years, says Dawn Myers, who manages the group’s meetings. For the 2005 annual meeting and show, “We considered Las Vegas, but it just wasn’t the right fit. Our members are rural-oriented, and they want different kinds of entertainment and activities.” They chose Sacramento with excellent attendance results, she says.
The American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS, www.aocs.org), headquartered in Champagne, IL, considered Las Vegas for its annual meeting last May. The chemists, who do research on edible oils, chose Salt Lake City instead, says Jeffery Newman, Director of Meetings and Exhibits. “This is a serious scientific meeting. The delegates attend sessions from 8 a.m. At the end of the day, they’re more interested in networking with other scientists than in going out for entertainment and dining.”
Myers and Newman say their attendees valued the manageable logistics of the smaller cities. All delegates were able to stay within walking distance of the convention center, so there was no need for shuttles.
Both groups basked in the “big fish” treatment they got. To help the AOCS promote international attendance, the mayor of Salt Lake City wrote a letter of invitation and had it translated into Japanese, German, French and Spanish. In Sacramento, the NRWA members were met with saturation signage. “The CVB pulled out all the stops. Starting at the airport, there were signs everywhere. It made a big impression on the attendees,” says Myers.
Years of hard work to establish Salt Lake City’s (www.saltlake.org) brand identity as a safe, wholesome destination in a spectacularly beautiful setting has paid off, says Mark White, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the CVB. “We had to be proactive in establishing our brand identity because we weren’t known. We host more than 30 national conventions every year. Twelve years ago, we were competing with Albuquerque. Now we’re competing with San Francisco and Seattle. ”
Compared with its 2003 show in Las Vegas, attendance at the Tru Value Co.’s (www.truvalue.com) Fall Market in Denver last September “more than held its own,” says Susan Katz, Director of Corporate Events for the cooperative of 6,000 independent hardware stores with headquarters in Chicago. The group used Denver’s entire expanded convention center for the 500,000 square-foot show.
Because attendees pay their own way, a wide variety of lodging price points are necessary, Katz says. “We required 5,000 rooms at peak and were able to find housing at all levels, from top-of-the-line hotels to RV parks.”
Even when cost is a major factor, as it is for the Ecological Society of America (www.esa.org), the culture of a city can be the deciding factor that drives attendance. For its record-breaking 2004 annual meeting, says Michelle Horton, “We chose Portland because of its environmentally friendly reputation. Our members loved it. They had a chance for a green vacation. In their evaluations, they said they wanted to go back.”
Patricia D. Sherman is a Dallas-based freelance writer specializing in the hospitality industry. She was Senior Editor of The Meeting Professional magazine, taught business and professional writing at several Midwestern universities and managed a b-to-b communications and advertising firm.
1. Pre-show registration incentive program
Following advice from its Customer Advisory Board, made up of 30 show managers and planners, the San Diego CVB has expanded its pre-show registration incentive program. Early registrants can be eligible for drawings for restaurant meals, tickets to entertainment and activities, and even a paid trip to San Diego.
2. Smart cards for discounts and free items
The Sacramento CVB supplies a Sacramento Gold Card for every registration packet. These popular smart cards can be swiped at restaurants and entertainment venues for discounts and free items.
3. Marketing manager dedicated to attendance building
The Anaheim CVB is reorganizing staff time and resources to focus on attendance marketing, says John Fuhr, Vice President of Marketing. “The approach will be more consultative and strategic. Every meeting and show is unique, and our tools to promote it will be unique, too,” he says. A marketing manager dedicated to attendance building has been added to the staff.
4. New three-phase program to promote attendance
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has introduced a new three-phase program to promote attendance, says Chris Meyer, Senior Director of Convention Center Sales. The first phase includes basic attendance-marketing tools. The second phase offers face-to-face marketing. Among other services, the LVCVA will host press events and fund presentations to key exhibitors. The third phase includes a trade mission, which helps show organizers promote participation and attendance in targeted international markets.
5. Online marketing kit
“Our updated Web site (www.VisitRenotahoe.com) provides an online marketing kit. We can create and send HTML e-mails to attendees and provide online and print maps customized to the organization at an additional cost. We can also create a page on our Web site where organizers can offer area information, maps, agendas or floor plans,” says Carina Taylor, Interim Executive Director of Sales for the Reno CVB.
6. E-mail messages to attendees
E-mail messages to attendees, which can be sent as often as monthly, have links to registration, housing and leisure activities for easy response. The service has been so successful at driving registration, says Mark White, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Salt Lake City CVB, that planners use it even when their shows and meetings go to other cities.
Total 3,596
Source: 2005 CEIR Census
Find links to these related EXPO back articles:
• Meeting attendance goals in the Midwest, Feb. 2005
• Meeting attendance goals in the Southeast , April 2005
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