Partnering with Industry Customers

In recent months, the CVB Sales Team has had the opportunity to welcome industry partners in three separate meetings - experient's E4, Convention Industry Council's CMP Conclave and MeetingsFocus Live!. Each meeting attracts a different audience generally, but the importance of collaborating with these industry partners remains the same. Both Cara Banasch, MBA, VP of Convention Sales and Strategy, and Brad Weaber, CMP, Executive Vice President, elaborated on the importance of these partnerships and the potential impact they have on our community below.

"Sponsorship of E4, the [CMP] Conclave, and MeetingsFocus Live! was a major part of our convention sales strategy for 2014. It allowed us to bring clients to the city in a business environment that balanced content along with destination awareness. Many of the attendees to these events had not done business with us previously, and for those that had booked with us in the past, our goal was to showcase a current perspective on what we have to offer today in alignment with our local partners who also invested heavily in each of the groups. Overall, what I feel the clients experienced was a cohesive atmosphere of industry support and an amazing opportunity to learn first-hand how to Get Down to Business, and Then Just Get Down."

- Cara Banasch, MBA
Vice President Convention Sales and Strategy

"We all hear repeatedly the power of face to face (F2F) meetings and this could not ring more true as it does with having F2F interaction with our clients and our amazing city. We have some of the best public relations work in the country and the messaging is recognized around the world but the real deal clincher comes when we bring buyers into our city to walk our streets, listen to our music, eat our food and experience the incredible facilities so our clients can accelerate their respective organizations and businesses. Showcasing our city to e4, CMP Conclave, MeetingsFocus and our Customer Advisory Council creates a viral impact not only with those that attended but also through their pictures and tweets that are seen by countless others! Such is the power of F2F and social media!"

- Brad Weaber, CMP
Executive Vice President

The New Orleans CVB also hosts the annual Customer Advisory Council, which took place in October. This is one more opportunity where we welcomed members of our industry to New Orleans. Their input and feedback helps the sales team address our client's needs effectively and efficiently, and remain successful in the ever-changing environment.