Schoening, Elise; Palmer, Alex (Northstar Meetings Group, 2020-08-05)
Conventions and Visitors Bureaus are the saving grace to planners as they begin to plan their upcoming in-person events. CVBs are invaluable resources that should be looked at as a "bridge" between the planner and hotel. Don Welsh, president & CEO of Destinations International, noted the need of best practices for each city given the varying ordinances. Welsh also advocated for more funding for CVBs as the economy begins its early recovery.
Grimaldi, Lisa A. (Northstar Meetings Group, 2020-09-08)
As the pandemic continues, the need to revamp Conventions & Visitors Buerues has increased. CVBs are invaluable resources to the communities they support, but received no federal funding within the pandemic relief funds from Congress. This is due to the fact that CVBs are non-profit organizations that mainly receive revenue from hotel bed tax. The pandemic has allowed Destination International, the trade association that represents CVBs, to re-work CVBs business models and partner with neighboring bureaus or individuals. Fortunately, a handful of CVBs have received local funding, but many are struggling to stay afloat with several furloughs and job cuts.