Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 15, 1994 TAG: 9401260011
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARTHA MACKEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
First, we're building a conference center and not a convention center. Conference centers are much smaller, and are ergonomically designed to enhance smaller meetings and conferences.
As to our hospitality-marketing experience, my personal experience in this field is 16 years, 12 of which were spent in convention sales. Seven of those 12 years were spent marketing a convention hotel whose hotel ballroom is nearly as large as the largest meeting room planned for the new conference center. Adjacent to the above-mentioned hotel was a 73,737-square-foot convention center (28,000 more square feet of meeting space than the new conference center will have). Prior to becoming director of the bureau, my concentration was in city and valleywide convention sales.
The combined hospitality experience of our staff is 65 years. The preliminary marketing of the conference center is being done by our organization until July 1 when Doubletree will assume that role. Our contract consists of teaser ads (which often do not have a name attached but rather indicate that a new product will soon be made available), a direct-mail piece and a meeting-planners portfolio.
The campaign produced by Lin Chaff Associates has been approved by members of our executive committee (many of whom are long-standing hospitality experts) as well as the local Doubletree management executive and Doubletree's advertising agency, McCann-Erickson of Los Angeles (a giant in the advertising field, representing such companies as Coca-Cola, Lockheed, General Motors and many others).
Support of the concept of this campaign was also given by one of Roanoke Valley's most prestigious meeting planners, who plans more than 20 meetings per year, four of which have more than 5,000 national attendees.
While it's important to all marketing efforts that the official name of the conference center be solidified, rest assured our efforts are not in limbo. Our convention sales staff has been increased from one to three persons so that the opportunity for displacing business currently coming to our area is lessened. Let me assure Sheffield that the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau neither commissioned nor paid for the naming study of the conference center.
Parking for our visitors is and always has been a problem. However, steady growth in facility and services has occurred. In 1987, we had 500 square feet of space for our visitors and no assigned parking. We currently have 1,200 square feet of space and three parking spaces (not two). We do, however, have problems with non-visitors using those spaces. Additionally, we've asked assistance from Downtown Roanoke, Inc. and Roanoke city in the creation of a blanket parking pass for our guests. This pass would be a time-dated pass, and guests would place it on their dashboards and have courtesy parking during their stay. As our long-range plans continue, it's our desire to have satellite visitor centers in high-traffic locations (such as the City Market) with additional parking. This will take place as our funding increases.
In 1987, when I joined the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, the hospitality-tax revenue generated into local general funds was $4.5 million. In 1992, the valley realized $10.3 million in hospitality-related taxes. These dollars kept our personal taxes low and, at the same time, provided services such as road repair, emergency services and, most importantly, education dollars for the children of the Roanoke Valley.
I wish to thank valley residents and local government officials for supporting tourism and for the efforts they put forth to assist us in ``closing'' business for the area. Without the assistance of local organizing committees, established members of clubs, organizations, associations, churches and sports activists, the Roanoke Valley would not realize the tourism impact it does, no matter how new or good our facilities are or will be in the future.
Martha Mackey is executive director of the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
by CNB