CVB’s Should Be Smarter Than Mr. Google

[vc_custom_heading text=”By Miha KOVAČIČ” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”]

Please select your choice:

  • CVB + PCO = X
  • CVB + PCO = ?
  • CVB + PCO = J

This is a statement: Meetings industry values the role of a Convention Bureau.

“As we all know the saying in our industry. You are good as your last event. So Convention Bureau how did you perform your last job for the PCO?”

Do meeting professionals value to role of a CVB?
Some do and some don’t. Like in every business, right? Do PCO’s value to role of a Convention Bureau? Ask the PCO’s. After working in this business for almost 20 years and spending the last 10 years at the Slovenian Convention Bureau I would love to give you a clear answer. Yes, they do! But only if you understand them and you bring added value on the table. That means a CVB needs, not only to understand the role of a PCO, but also the challenges of a todays PCO environment.

The job of a convention bureau is not just organising the site inspection, providing a list of hotels and restaurants, access to civic venues and other logistics. It should be smarter than Mr Google and should provide true benefits to the client, PCO and delegates with everything in cooperation and agreement with the a PCO.

All these benefits must be tailored to the needs of a particular congress. There are so many benefits for each stakeholder that the length of this article does not allow me to list them all. Before CVB is copying what the other CVB is doing I would suggest first to dig and find what benefits could my destination bring to the congress and its stakeholders.

There are destinations that compete in which one will offer higher financial support for the congress. I don’t believe this is the long-term solution. Nobody will truly gain over a longer period of time. With this we are just destroying our own business, as the meetings business is a long-term business.

There is a place for a Convention Bureau at the table when PCO’s come into the city. Not just that, it should actually be the best budy of a PCO. His/her right hand for the destination enbling him/her to organise the best congress experience for attendees and provide the best ROI for the association.

As we all know the saying in our industry:

You are good as your last event.

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