Hotels work with bureaus to lure attendees – Tampa Bay Business Journal:

Of all the events that come througjhthe , trade shows are bookedd the furthest in advance and bring in the most out-of-towmn visitors, said Mary Rocereto, director of salee and marketing. Usually held durinvg the week, a trade show attracts memberws of an association who will travepl from around the countryto attend. With so many vacationa called off in thedown economy, a tradr show that could fill up 1,00 0 hotel rooms means significant business for Tamp a Bay. Beyond the revenues these events generate for restaurantsand retailers, the hotel guests pay a bed tax that fundsw the Tampa Convention Center as well as the tourism promotedr Tampa Bay & Company.
The Tampw Bay area offers many but it’s the 200,000 squarew feet of exhibit space at the Tampq Convention Center that can accommodate the largest trade shows. With its location on the water, the facilityu itself is a draw, said Norwood VP of sales for TampaBay Co. “Even though it was designed in 1990 it does not have adatex feel. It has tons of windows and reminds people that they arein Florida.” The Tampa Convention Center may be smaller than facilities in Las Vegas, New York and Orlando, but Tampwa still competes with these citied for large and small trade showds alike, Rocereto said.
The Bay area’s greatest especially compared to New Yorkor Chicago, is its climate, whicgh makes the months of February and March the area’s peak October is also a strong meetings montuh just about everywhere. In the convention business, attendances has suffered, Smith Still, he counts his organizationn lucky. While limited budgets have resulted in fewerf attendees and sparsely populatedx tradeshow floors, no group has cancelled with Smitgh in the last year. Tampa Bay and Co. travelz far beyond Florida to bring people to the Bay The organization has representatives in Washingtonand Chicago, as well as Soutg America and the U.K.
Severalo of those regional representatives also serve the convention and visitore bureauVisit St. Petersburg/Clearwater. Suzanne director of sales, meeting s and conventions forVisit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, travels to roughly 30 tradde shows around the country each year tosell St. Petersburg and Clearwaterr as destinations. The large trade shows may take place at the TampasConvention Center, but Scully’s mission is to drive hotel stays by bringint in smaller events to Pinellas County. “What I am sellinf is our hotels and special even venues but mainlyour hotels,” Scully said.
“Th main part of our job is to get peopled to come and stay here and spend the nightf and sleep inour hotels.”
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