Philly Courts Attendees

Meetings & Conventions: Newsline newsline.gif (8042 bytes) NEW CVB CAMPAIGN AIMS TO PROMOTE CONVENTIONS
Philly Courts Attendees
A Philly CVB Success Story Adding its own pitch to convention promotion materials is a new marketing tactic for Philadelphia, as the city aims to boost attendance at citywide events.

The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched an aggressive marketing campaign that targets the convention attendee. Called the Convention Promotion Program, it consists of an eight-page supplement that is free to planners holding citywides during 2002.

Essentially a travel guide for attendees, the brochure details the history, restaurants, nightlife and attractions of Philly and can be customized to include information to suit a group’s needs. For example, the National Baptist Convention requested a list of Baptist churches and ethnic restaurants. Logos and convention themes also can be prominently featured. The supplement can be a stand-alone marketing piece or, if the organization prefers to reprint the piece to match its own materials, the CVB will pay $15,000 toward printing and production costs.

In addition, citywide conventions are being provided with individual pages on the CVB’s Web site. Each page contains information such as listings of any special events taking place during the meeting and any promotions that CVB members might choose to offer the group.

For the Philadelphia-based American College of Physicians and American Society of Internal Medicine, whose annual meeting is scheduled to take place next month in the city, the effort seems to be paying off, said Jean O’Donnell, director of convention and meeting services.

O’Donnell said early attendance estimates for the meeting are on target. “Had we not promoted the city the way we did, we would not have maintained that attendance base,” she said.

• CARLA BENINI