Montana Office of Tourism

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS

Travel Montana, in cooperation with the Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), designed a comprehensive program for the promotion of meetings and conventions. The goals of this program are to:

  • build and maintain a positive image with prospective meeting and convention planners
  • generate and distribute leads to the CVBs for convention facilities in their areas.

MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Travel Montana Meetings & Conventions has researched potential print advertising opportunities with a new strategy in mind that will increase awareness of Montana among meeting and convention planners in the Seattle, Spokane, and Minneapolis/St. Paul markets. These markets were chosen because of the added exposure this campaign will receive by capitalizing on the awareness created by Travel Montana’s Consumer efforts from previous years. Travel Montana will purchase a full page, full color ad that will be divided among the State and co-op partners. Publications include Seattle Business Monthly, Twin Cities Business, Corporate Meetings and Incentives and Northwest Meetings and Events. There is also an added value on-line component that includes Twin Cities Business, Association News Direct Email, Corporate Meetings and Incentives and Northwest Meetings and Events.

LEADS
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FULFILLMENT

The leads will then be distributed on a regular basis to the participating Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

MEETING PLANNER'S GUIDE

The Montana Meeting Planner’s Guide provides a complete resource for meeting planners—from cozy, three-person retreats to large-scale conventions. The guide is available online at http://montanameetings.com.

PRESS RELEASES

Travel Montana prepares and distributes several press releases over the course of the year to keep Montana visible in appropriate trade publications.

INVITE-A-CONVENTION

This campaign promotes Montana as a great location for conventions and conferences. A letter is sent from the governor to Montana based corporations, associations and agencies, as well as to state employees, urging them to bid on conventions. Additionally, the program encourages these organizations to contact Travel Montana for a Convention Kit containing tips on bidding and planning conventions, as well as a Meeting Planners Guide listing convention and meeting facilities statewide.

Once a Montana convention site is chosen, a letter from the governor, along with a Vacation Planning Kit, is sent to the potential participants. This letter encourages them to attend the scheduled convention and invites them to extend their stay in Montana beyond the event.

EVALUATION MECHANISMS

Travel Montana tracks the number of inquiries received from advertising and the Invite A Convention Program to measure the level of interest in Montana as a convention destination.

TRADE SHOW ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

This program assists Montana recognized Regions and Convention Visitors Bureaus (CVB’s) in exploring new domestic markets by encouraging first-time exhibition at business to business meeting and convention trade shows outside of the state. It is not only for Regions/CVB’s new to trade show exhibition, but can also be useful for established Regions/CVB’s who are looking to exhibit at a show that they have never been to before. It is not intended for a Region/CVB to use for a trade show at which it currently exhibits. The assistance comes in the form of fifty (50%) percent reimbursement of qualified and approved expenses for trade show exhibition.