NORTHEAST
In Rhode Island, the staff at the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau likes to say it does not simply offer a menu of services to clients — it designs services to meet clients’ specific needs. The bureau truly is a client concierge service from start to finish, and in fact it recently partnered with the Rhode Island Convention Center to develop one centralized team to offer a custom, streamlined service.
The bureau loves nothing more than to tell planners about Providence/Warwick’s thriving arts community, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, outstanding hotels, a renowned restaurant scene and myriad things to do, often with social responsibility in mind. For example, the team has launched a collaborative self-guided walking tour focusing on early Black history and uncovering the legacy of slavery and its aftermath in the area.
Collaborating with the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau’s award-winning sales and services team gives planners turnkey yet customized experiences, cost transparency and a community of connections. The bureau’s business divisions also help customers leverage Philadelphia’s resources and expertise through introductions to potential partners, sponsors and networks to help increase and boost attendance; access to industry experts to serve as speakers to enhance programming; and connections to local diverse businesses to strengthen community support.
Formerly known as Meet AC, Visit Atlantic City is lauded for its exceptional services, state-of-the-art facilities and an extensive track record of successful meetings and events. As Atlantic City’s convention and visitors bureau/destination marketing organization, the agency has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence in promoting the city as a premier destination for meetings and conventions. It also has proven a dynamic engine to attract business to the Atlantic City Convention Center, a favorite with event planners.
When it comes to extolling the virtues of Valley Forge and Montgomery County, Pa., just 18 miles from downtown Philadelphia, the team at the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board are proven masters. The board helps visitors of all stripes learn about the more than 300 meeting venues, 80+ hotels, 50+ golf courses and some 1,600 restaurants in the area, not to mention a vibrant arts scene, myriad choices for golf and other outdoor activities, and amazingly diverse shopping choices.
SOUTHEAST
Often ranked as the No. 1 meetings destination in the U.S., Orlando is top of mind for many meeting professionals, and Visit Orlando is there to help make the dream come true. The bureau offers comprehensive expertise and insights on the area’s more than 480 hotels, Michelin-recognized dining and larger-than-life entertainment options.
The team at Visit Orlando also provides planners with a dedicated Destination Experience Manager who collaborates with clients to learn the needs of a group and remain a central point of contact for any and all questions. These professionals are a conduit to obtain free RFP services and site inspections, ways to best utilize the mammoth Orange County Convention Center, ideas for unique off-site events and dinners, exhibitor help to connect with local providers, marketing support, discounted attraction tickets and much more.
Tampa Bay offers groups an accessible waterfront Convention District filled with cutting-edge venues and abundant amenities. The area features a range of options in terms of accommodations, dining and entertainment, making it an attractive choice for meetings and events with varying budgets. In addition, Tampa Bay maintains a longstanding dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The organization actively promotes inclusivity throughout the year with initiatives such as the Visit Tampa Gay Guide and the Multicultural Guide. By showcasing Tampa Bay as a welcoming destination for all, meeting planners can be certain attendees from various backgrounds and identities will feel valued and respected.
Always innovative, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau recently unveiled Atlanta Meta World, a first-of-its-kind destination-centric metaverse platform, to elevate how customers and prospects could explore the city’s walkable convention and entertainment district. The platform includes tours of all 3.9 million square feet at the Georgia World Congress Center, where users can enter different exhibit halls and meeting spaces, giving them a better understanding of room configurations and the building’s overall layout.
Committed to help promote an easily accessible and culturally vibrant
destination for meetings and leisure travelers, the ATL Airport District
(serving the cities of College Park, Hapeville and Union City, Ga.)
recently launched a 360-degree virtual tour of the destination’s
facilities and attractions to help planners make better-informed
decisions. The bureau’s Navigator Program is a way for residents to
extend their Southern hospitality to out-of-town guests; volunteers are
stationed at the airport, area hotels and convention facilities to
welcome and assist newcomers in discovering the district.
In north-central Georgia, Gwinnett County is comprised of 16 cities, each with its own charm and personality, and Explore Gwinnett is the agency that celebrates and promotes the area. GC manages the Gwinnett Creativity fund that provides financial support to arts and cultural organizations that boost the county’s economic development and further the community’s diverse cultural scene. The bureau also recently celebrated the reopening of the Gas South Convention Center this year after an expansion added 50,000 square feet of convention space.
MIDWEST
Celebrating its 100th birthday in 2023, Visit Indy works to make Indianapolis a must-visit, must-meet-in destination, an effort that has seen the city’s tourism numbers climb back to pre-pandemic levels. The bureau serves to inform planners about the destination’s events, attractions, restaurants, shopping and hotels, as well as new developments such as an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, plans to develop a new downtown convention hotel and more.
Visit Indy also is a passionate booster for local sports teams and facilities, including the city’s 2024 hosting of the NFL Scouting Combine, the NCAA First and Second Rounds, the Big Ten Football Championship and more. Over the past year, the bureau has been lauded for its Accessibility Guide and, most recently, sustainability efforts in fighting food waste inside the convention center.
The goal for the VisitLEX sales team is to provide a warm welcome to meeting planners so they can experience the myriad pleasures of Lexington, Ky. Bureau members work hard to build lasting relationships on each FAM trip and then help planners promote the destination to their clients. The team offers details on some 12 convention hotels within a 15-minute drive of the airport and downtown, the Central Bank Center (the city’s main convention facility), 75 restaurants and numerous theaters, shops and galleries, all combining small-town charm with the excitement of a big city.
That the great American city of Grand Rapids, Mich., has bounced back from the pandemic is in part a tribute to Experience Grand Rapids. The bureau has built a strong collaborative network with city resources such as the DeVos Place Convention Center, local hotels and even residents to support the meeting industry. These relationships help ensure a welcoming and seamless experience for planners and attendees alike. The DMO also has helped transform traditional site visits into a site-experience approach tailored to the needs of each planner and the event they are hosting.
SOUTHWEST
Since its inception in 1997, the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority has set the gold standard for sports commissions all over the country. Over the past 25 years, the authority has maintained the facilities and serviced the debt of the world-class, professional sports venues it was created to build. To support this mission, the HCHSA is a leading proponent of attracting sporting events to Houston and promoting the city as a home for sports-related activities to enhance the city’s economic development and improve the quality of life for its residents.
Over the years, the HCHSA has been awarded numerous major sporting events, including Super Bowls (XXXVIII & LI), the 2024 College Football Championships and, most recently, the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Venues that owe their existence in part to the HCHSA include a professional rugby franchise and stadium, skate and bike parks attracting world-renowned events, a county aquatic center and more — all of which help make the county more attractive to the meetings industry.
With a yearly average of 300 days of sunshine, a thriving culture scene, excellent transportation and a thriving meetings and conventions industry, Colorado’s storied Mile High City is ripe for any planner’s consideration, and the city’s vigorous convention and visitors bureau is always there to help. Visit Denver offers a host of insider know-how, red-tape-cutting help and more to make events happen at venues such as the Colorado Convention Center, now undergoing an expansion that includes a new 80,000-square-foot ballroom, and ways to house attendees among downtown’s almost 13,000 hotel rooms.
Surrounded by the natural Sonoran Desert and the beauty of Tonto National Forest, the city of Mesa, Ariz., offers meeting professionals an abundance of helpful tools for everything from site visits to RFPs, attendee housing, service providers and making the most of the Mesa Convention Center, with 40,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space. For sports planners, the bureau created AccessibleMesa.com, which includes access to virtual tours of 60 venues that assist with pre-planning access.
The Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office has helped positioned Southwest Utah as a premier destination for group sporting events like the Ironman World Championship, the Huntsman World Senior Games, the St. George Marathon and more. The tourism office creates programs leveraging its sports facilities, hotels and conference venues, as well as community volunteers and supporting agencies, while also promoting the Greater Zion area as an excellent site for any kind of meeting, incentive trip, convention and more.
FAR WEST
Known for its strong working relationships with the city's convention facilities, attractions, hotels and local government, the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau in Long Beach, Calif., strives to innovate and excel in its mission to market the city as a destination for business and leisure travel.
The bureau’s expert team can help planners organize their events at a remarkable variety of venues and with many unique suppliers, including the city’s Aquarium of the Pacific, City Cruises Long Beach, excellent meeting hotels such as the Courtyard Long Beach Downtown, and the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, with more than 400,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, including the magnificent 46,000-square-foot Pacific Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 5,000 people for a reception.
Alongside its partners at the Seattle Convention Center, some 70 area hotels, thousands of restaurants, businesses and attractions, Visit Seattle goes all-out to make genuine connections between attendees and all the Emerald City offers. The bureau is a tireless cheerleader for efforts such as a new international arrivals facility at SEA Airport, a massive redevelopment of the city’s waterfront (set for completion in 2025) and more. In addition, planners can get expert help with planning green meetings, educational sessions, team-building exercises and more.
With over 400 total years of DMO, hotel and travel-industry expertise to draw from, Travel Portland’s highly responsive team earned the Gold Service Award 17 years in a row. The Oregon bureau is a vigorous promoter and steward of this evolving destination and believes in the transformative power of travel. The staff holds itself accountable for fostering equity, diversity and inclusion: Groups can count on a welcoming, approachable team dedicated to successful and sustainable events in a city known as a foodie wonderland and basecamp for adventure.
In 2021, Travel Santa Ana was born, charged with representing the second-largest city in Orange County, Calif. In the short time since, the DMO’s team has promoted the destination and its vibrant and culturally diverse resources to the meetings industry through branded print, editorial, digital and e-marketing content. As a results, more planners have discovered a community that is rich in culture, offering attendees authentic Hispanic flavors and an art scene that is a mix of funky and folk, as well as a variety of hotel venues offering 2,463 sleeping rooms and nearly 42,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
In a dynamic city where different perspectives are celebrated, Destination Toronto prizes collaboration and inclusion in its effort to fuel imaginative ideas for meeting planners. As such, the bureau’s staff strives to link their client's vision to the city's best and most sought-after assets for their events. One approach is the 6ix Stack attendance marketing program, which offers a range of services including the creation of highly customized programs tailored to customers’ business objectives, from working breakfasts through fabulous dinners and after-hours pursuits.
Among the city’s many conference and event spaces is the jewel in the crown, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Canada’s leading convention and trade show facility. In the heart of downtown, this world-class venue features 442,000 square feet of exhibit space, 77 meeting rooms, assorted multipurpose ballrooms and a theatre equipped for performing arts as well as corporate events.
Austria’s capital city of Vienna combines tradition and modernity — historical flair in a smart and livable city that the staff of the Vienna Convention Bureau is eager to share with visitors. For event organizers, the VCB team is the first point of contact in planning congresses, conferences, corporate meetings and incentives. With 50 years of experience to draw from, the bureau knows how to leverage the city’s excellent meetings infrastructure, hospitality resources and outstanding range of art and culture in service of its clients.
The VisitScotland Business Events team works with Scottish partners to promote the country to develop and support events of all kinds. The bureau prides itself on offering free and impartial advice to connect planners with the venues and suppliers they need to make their events a success. The bureau’s Journey to Change campaign is a fresh effort to focus on a message on sustainability, and to that end the team hosts industry movers and shakers to improve efforts as they pertain to meetings and conventions.