CVBs: Your Wisconsin Meeting & Event Planning Partner

You know the value of the Internet in planning a meeting or event – after all, you are reading this article on meetingpages.com. With hundreds of supplier options right at your fingertips, what is the advantage for meeting planners in working with a convention and visitors bureau (CVB)?

According to Helen Wick, Group Marketing Manager with the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, a CVB is much more than a directory of local services. “We can save you both time and money by matching you with the facilities that can best accommodate you,” she says. “The Internet is a great tool for gathering information, but we can help planners gather details they may have not considered, such as parking fees, tax rates and resort service fees.”

Value Added Services

Convention and visitor bureaus, otherwise known as destination marketing organizations, are not-for-profit organizations charged with representing a specific destination and helping the long-term development of communities through a travel and tourism strategy. CVBs give meeting planners access to a range of services, packages and extras. Because they are funded primarily by lodging taxes, CVBs typically offer services free of charge.

According to the Destination Marketing Association International, some common offerings include:  
• Assisting planners in all areas of meeting preparation and providing planners with detailed reference material,
• Marketing the destination to attendees via promotional material, thereby encouraging attendance,
• Acting as a liaison between the planner and community officials, thus clearing the way for special permits, street closures, et cetera,
• Obtaining special letters of welcome from high-ranking government officials and in some cases, bringing officials to speak at a meeting,
• Offering suggestions about ways meeting attendees can maximize free time, along with helping to develop spouse programs and pre- and post-convention tours,
• Assisting in the creation of collateral material,
• Helping with on-site logistics and registration,
• Assisting with site inspections and familiarization tours,
• Providing speakers and local educational opportunities, and
• Helping secure special venues.
“We can help with those special or unique requests,” Wick says. “The Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau will assist with meeting facility information, site visit coordination, digital photography, DVDs, Wisconsin Dells literature, name tags, literature bags, and complimentary Meeting Planning Kits for the Wisconsin Dells area.” 

Guides To The State

When planning your next meeting or event in the state of Wisconsin, conduct your planning on meetingpages.com, then allow the local CVB to provide the customized service you need to finalize the details.

Bayfield Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Bureau
Brookfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
Chippewa Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
Door County Visitor Bureau
Fond du Lac Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau
Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau
Greater Milwaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau
Greater Tomah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Website
Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce
Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
La Crosse Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lake Geneva Convention & Visitors Bureau
Manitowoc Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce
Marshfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
Oconomowoc Convention & Visitors Bureau
Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau
Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau
Port Washington Tourism Council
Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Stevens Point Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Visit Beloit
Visit Eau Claire
Waukesha Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau
Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
Wisconsin Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau