Chapter 7 Organising and Developing the CB Staff

Abstract

Contemporary convention bureaus play a crucial role in the functioning of destinations within the meetings industry. People managing these units, as well as the employees, are facing a difficult task. The challenge is to skilfully combine all the functions and manage relations not only between the team members, but also with the convention bureau’s stakeholders (members, representatives of the local industry, potential events’ organisers, partners, etc.). The staff of convention bureaus may comprise from one up to more than a dozen people. This depends on the location of the institution (physically
and legally) and on its financial possibilities and strategy, which includes its functions, roles and objectives. The number is not directly proportionate to, but it does depend on, the size of the represented destination and its potential in the meetings industry. These factors determine the composition of the team, which may include: the president (director, head, manager, leader), marketing specialist, association and corporate market specialist, PR, social media and sales specialist, a person responsible for preparing offers or bids, a person who monitors and analyses data, in particular the ICCA/UIA database, and a person specialising in finances and accounting.