The Meetings Industry an overview and structure

Convention bureaus (convention and visitors bureaus, CBs) play a significant role in the development of the meetings industry, as they constitute the particular element which unites all the participants of the events market. They are marketing organisations or, in other words, destination marketing/management organisations, DMOs for short. Generally speaking, DMOs specialise in promoting the destination they represent in the scope of hosting events, support the event acquisition process and perform other functions, such as integrating the local meetings industry, preparing a common offer and developing it, conducting research concerning the position of the represented market, and undertaking educational initiatives. The key challenge convention bureaus face is achieving the best position for the destination as event venue.

Convention and Visitors Bureau

In this chapter the focus is on Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs). It brings together academic literature on destination management, intermediation, and the meetings-and-events industry, and compares and contrasts that literature with professional opinion and practice. The chapter presents the origins of CVBs and then clarifies their definitions and institutional forms. It argues for the importance of the intermediation role of these key actors and highlights specific CVB functions in relation to the destination. The chapter presents tools to be implemented in order to fulfill those roles and recommends solutions to help CVBs face emerging challenges.