Fill That Conference Center: How Social Media Can Help You Bring More Events to Your Town

Sheila Scarborough, Tourism Currents

What We'll Cover

This is networking (no magic fairy dust)

Who is your market for meetings?

What can your town offer them?

How social media helps them pick YOU

What To Do First:

STOP!

Two Questions You Must Ask

1) Who is your market for conferences and meetings?

2) How can your town appeal to that market?(Venues, lodging, food, transport, vibe)

Yes, you must still ask the basic questions; social media does not change that.

Who Is Our Market for Meetings?

Who holds meetings, and....

....what is the size/type/frequency of their eventsBig annual trade show blowouts?

Quarterly board meetings?

Small group retreats?

Corporate training?

Does Town Match the Market?

Are we a town that entices our market?

Conference venues & surroundingsTransportationLodgingPlaces to eatSports (catch a game?) & green spacesFamily diversionsVibe & atmosphere of town

Match Town to Market: Example 1

Round Rock

New medical facilities

Meetings niche.... Medical & health care conferences?

Match Town to Market: Example 2

Eureka Springs, AR

Many different thingsArts, music, crafts

Passion Play

Bikers

Foodies

Architecture

Meetings niches: LOTS!

So, we....

Know our meetings market.

Know what our town can offer.

It's time to connect!

HOLY COW, let me at 'em!

Is it social media time yet?

Patience, grasshopper....

Avoid Drowning

Do your homework

Know where to find the people who plan meetings

Get in front of them

Now, meet the planners....

Who Plans Meetings?

Associations

Meeting Planners

Trade Show Planners

Corporate Meeting Planners

Spontaneous event organizersWe'll talk about one at the end

Associations = All sorts

TSAE Texas Society of Association Executives

ASAEAmerican Society of Association Executives

Associations from your niche marketFor Round Rock: Texas Nurses Assn.

For Eureka Springs: Victorian Preservation Assn.

Meeting Planners = Alphabet Soup

Where to find many event professionals?PMCA - Prof. Convention Management Assn.

TSNN - Trade Show News Network

MPI - Meeting Professionals Int'l

IAEE - Int'l Assn. Of Exhibitions & EventsThe IAEE Expo Expo

AAAACK!! (this is why you do homework)

Note:

Some may not be familiar with what a CVB or DMO can do for them.

Do not assume.

OK, it's time now.... Social Media!

Boo-Yah!

Alltop.com

Event Planning Channel

TradeShows Channel

Blogs

LinkedIn

Build Company Profiles

Groups

Answers

Twitter

Connect with Twitter accounts in your market

#AssnChat

#EventProfs

Video and Images

Video examples: Columbus & Indy

Virginia Beach Convention Center (Flickr)

Rhode Island Convention Center (Facebook)

Other Ideas

CVB and/or Convention Center blog

Add venues to Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places

Podcast (radio show) on Blog Talk Radio

Upload presentations to SlideShare

New service

DMAI's empowerMINT

Connects meeting planners with CVBs and DMOs

One-stop RFP

www.empowermint.com

Let's talk about Hutchinson, Kansas

Yes, your town can do this, too

Takeaways

It is networking & human relationships

Takes time, but payoff can be significant

Social media is a tool and a method

Meet your market where they are

Make sure they know what you can do

Any town with moxie can do this

Photo Credits

Bull Moose delegates: Library of Congress on Flickr Commons

Stop sign w/rabbits: Nationaal Archief on Flickr Commons

Rules: Gord McKenna, Flickr Creative Commons

Medical mannequin: Texas A&M Health Science Center

Bathhouse: Sheila Scarborough

Mr. Miyagi courtesy ampedAsia

Don't drown: SAR swimmer courtesy DVIDSHUB, Flickr

Yell practice: TX A&M Cushing Library on Flickr

Hutchinson KS blogger fam tour courtesy BJ McCray on Flickr

Thanks for your time!

Sheila Scarborough

Tourism Currentswww.tourismcurrents.com

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