Chapter 6 Managing the Selling and Marketing of the Destination

Abstract

Managing a destination as an event venue and conducting marketing activities building its position in this area constitutes the main part of the realisation of a convention bureau mission. Concentrating on the meetings industry requires, above all, direct sales – these are activities based on relations and real time contact. It would seem that the specificity of the meetings industry requires operations only in the B2B sector, but in fact convention bureaus usually undertake activities addressed at consumers, event participants, as the target recipients. Thus, a success-oriented convention bureau must master marketing both by means of traditional mass consumer marketing as well as by direct sales. To perform these activities well requires good planning. The reason for the existence of convention bureaus is the sale of destinations (states, regions, towns or cities). The art of being a modern leader is managing image-building activities (or brand-building activities) as well as sales activities. Consequently, managing destination marketing starts with creating an annual plan to guide the marketing. It is the first step in the annual cycle of the marketing and sales tasks of convention bureaus.