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Tourism Industry & BACVA News

For Immediate Release: November 13, 2007

Media Contacts Only:
Sara Hisamoto
Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association
410-659-7071
shisamoto@baltimore.org

Sacramento Joins Baltimore and Fort Worth in Multi-City Partnership

Capital of California is Third City in Unique Sales Initiative

(BALTIMORE, MD) - The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association and the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau announced today an agreement with the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau to join their innovative partnership as the third city. Baltimore and Fort Worth have been selling themselves as an East Coast/Midwest package since they teamed up in July and have been looking for a West Coast city to round out the partnership.

"When we developed this sales arrangement, we knew that adding a West Coast city was an important component to be successful so we could offer planners more geographical choices," said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of the Baltimore CVA. "Bringing Sacramento on board makes sense from the perspective of prestige associated with the capital city and the resources available there."

This new, aggressive sales strategy is based on a national hotel model that encourages groups to sign multiyear contracts at properties located around the country, often with an incentive for doing so. By joining forces and sharing three additional salespeople, the partner cities have the ability to be more competitive by offering possible discounts for booking Baltimore, Fort Worth and Sacramento in a multiyear deal. If one of the cities isn't a good fit for a group, the sales staff will continue to push the other two destinations.

"We are excited about this partnership for not only what it offers this organization, but what it allows us to offer our existing and prospective clients," said Steve Hammond, president and CEO of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The partnership allows us to offer our clients more options and enables us to help them build stronger relationships with destinations outside of their typical geographic areas."

Similar to the Baltimore and Fort Worth arrangement, Sacramento will add a dedicated salesperson who will communicate the outstanding attributes of all three destinations. The three cities will deploy three new managers working with meetings organizers across all business market segments. Ann Garvey, CMP, will work with organizations in the eastern United States, Robin O-Connor will represent each of the three cities in the Central U.S., and a third manager will manage the Western region. Goals for the three-city sales team are contingent on booking business in each city. The partnership will also include joint client events and shared marketing messages in the convention trades.

"Each city offers the client a uniquely exciting city experience combined with similar convention packages. These are major reasons why this sales partnership is so appealing," said David DuBois, president of the Fort Worth CVB. "We complement one another and do not directly compete, so our sales managers are charged with promoting the assets that are unique to each city."

The arrangement is unique to the convention industry and was developed with common goals in mind. One major common goal is to offer the meeting professional efficiency in learning about and building strong relationships with three dynamic cities in each main region of the country. As a result, these enhanced relationships will allow Baltimore, Fort Worth, and Sacramento to increase the economic impact of conventions and meetings in their respective cities.

The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), a membership-based organization, is the official destination development and marketing leader for Greater Baltimore, responsible for generating incremental economic benefits to the community through the attraction of convention and leisure visits.