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Photo by Sebastien Gabriel, Unsplash

MPI and Destinations International (DI) have announced a global campaign by which they are partnering on a massive education initiative for everyone who plans events—from CMMs to office assistants. The planner will learn about the extensive and often untapped resources that destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have to offer them.

Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI, says the initiative will be a win-win for both MPI and DI because it will raise awareness of the value of DMOs to planners and build the brand recognition of MPI and DI in the community.

The information campaign will largely be carried out through a broad array of MPI media—everything from articles and advertising in The Meeting Professional to MPI’s social media channels to planner-focused eblasts to MPI Academy webinars to chapter newsletters and more.

Additionally, the campaign will be carried out at various DI live events, including its annual convention, CEO Summit and CMO Summit.

Drew Holmgreen, senior director of marketing and communications for MPI, says the current estimation is for a total media reach of 1.8 million by December.

The duration of the campaign is open-ended at this point.

A well-conceived information strategy put together by the MPI staff in conjunction with DI will emphasize these key message points to planners about convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs, also called DMOs).

• CVBs are destination influencers. They are not only destination experts, they are the key influencer within the destination to drive maximum results for a planner’s event. CVBs serve as an extension of the planner’s staff to provide real-time collaboration and access to the city experience.
• CVBs are community connectors. CVBs leverage destination partnerships to the planner’s advantage to help deliver the best in event services.
• CVBs source intellectual capital. CVBs make the connection to local thought leaders and experts tailored to the goals and objectives of the planner’s event.
• CVBs document economic impact. CVBs are acutely aware of the need to quantify the dollars and cents importance of events to their destinations and customers.
• CVBs are client vision advocates. CVBs will be the advocates for a planner’s business event strategy and will be focused on the planner’s meeting objectives and business outcomes.

Another key point that will be made to planners is that in this time when resources are stretched and budgets are tight, CVB services are often free to planners.

Van Deventer says that he has had feedback from various DMO staff members he has met, and they feel frustrated that their considerable services to event planners often go unused because the planners don’t know the services are available.

For instance, many planners don’t realize that CVBs assist with venue selection, room blocks, event prep and other logistics. CVBs also partner with meeting professionals to ensure maximum attendance and attendee engagement. CVBs are all about building the economic impact of events in their communities, and it behooves them to make each event a success.

DMOs are experts in what their cities have to offer, and many of the staff members are longtime veterans of the hospitality industry and have more knowledge of who to call to make things happen in a destination than visiting event planners.

The joint MPI/DI campaign is focused on making sure event professionals are aware of the treasure trove of knowledge and services that DMOs have to offer.

A print advertisement that will be published in the May issue of The Meeting Professional will direct readers to visit meetings.destinationsinternational.org to get detailed information on what CVBs have to offer.

Another key campaign positioning statement is this: “CVBs: All things to every planner. Meeting planners are increasingly asked to do more with less, and choosing a destination is only the first step. That’s where CVBs come in. Not only are they destination experts, they drive maximum results for your event—at zero cost to you.”