How Bureaus Are Staffed
In smaller communities, a convention and visitor bureau may have a staff of only one or two and concentrate on promoting and assisting local tourism. In larger cities, there will often be a large staff of specialists involved in convention marketing, convention services and community relations, in addition to tourism promotion. In major metropolitan areas, separate suburbs may even have their own bureaus and compete with the center city for visitors.
Because bureaus serve communities of varying sizes, it's not surprising that their budgets cover a very broad range. In fact, convention and visitor bureau annual budgets range from $200,000 to more than $5 million. Consequently, bureau sizes range from a one- or two-person staff to organizations that employ 50 or more.
A typical convention and visitor bureau in a community of approximately 185,000 will employ, on average, seven people:
- 1 executive director
- 1 marketing director
- 2 convention sales managers
- 1 tourism manager
- 1 bookkeeper/secretary
- 1 secretary/receptionist
- A bureau in a metropolitan area of approximately 350,000 has a much larger staff,
- president
- 3 national convention sales managers
- apprentice convention sales manager
- convention services coordinator
- 10 part-time registration personnel
- director of tourism
- tourism administrative assistant
- visitor information receptionist
- 4 visitor information personnel
- executive assistant/bookkeeper
- word-processing specialist
A convention and visitor bureau typically operates in five primary areas convention sales & service, tourism sales & service, marketing & communications, finance & administration and membership services. In smaller organizations, one person may wear many hats, whereas larger staffs usually feature a large number of specialists.
Convention Sales and Service
Convention sales & service is generally the primary focus of a bureau in a large or medium sized community. Individual conventions, meetings, and tradeshows can attract large numbers of people who generate vast sums of money. According to the 1991 Convention Income Survey update from the International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus, this can be as much as $253 or more per person per day. Because meetings and conventions are so valuable, bureaus invest substantially in soliciting and servicing them.
A bureau's convention sales force identifies those companies, associations and clubs that regularly hold meetings, determines each organization's requirements and then develops sales presentations to show them how the city can serve their meeting needs. After a successful "sale," the bureau continues working with the organization by providing convention services. For smaller meetings, this may require no more.
Convention sales and service personnel must maintain contact with all the members of the local hospitality industry and be familiar with every aspect of their city. They must be intimately familiar with their city's hotels, restaurants, attractions and meeting facilities and maintain cordial relations with a host of potential suppliers. Their major purpose is to ensure a successful meeting, because successful meetings mean that the organizations will return again and the meeting planners will have favorable things to say about the destination when they talk with their peers in other organizations.
Entry-level positions in convention sales & service include sales trainees, sales assistants, convention registrars, and convention cashiers. Many bureaus employ convention service personnel on a part-time basis, which may provide you with the opportunity to learn about this aspect of bureau activity while you are still in school.
Tourism Sales and Service
Instead of soliciting meetings, tourism sales and service personnel work to influence visits by pleasure travelers, both individual vacationers and group tours. Although they may have similar reasons for visiting a particular city, successfully soliciting individuals and group tours requires two distinct marketing approaches.
Individual pleasure travelers are generally reached by advertising on radio and television, in newspapers, general and special interest magazines, and via direct mail and other methods of literature distribution.
Individual tour operators, on the other hand, can bring scores of people to a duty during the course of a year. By convincing tour operators to include its duty in their itineraries, a bureau can dramatically increase the number of visitors to its community. For this reason, group tour solicitation includes a greater use of target marketing, telephone and personal solicitations, and familiarization tours ("FAM" trips).
Entry-level positions in tourism sales & service include sales trainees, sales assistants, visitor center receptionists, tour guides and inquiry fulfillment personnel. In areas of the country where tourism activity is somewhat seasonal, you may find summer and holiday employment opportunities in this area of specialization as well.
Marketing & Communications
Marketing and communications functions in a convention and visitor bureau include:
- Developing and implementing advertising and sales promotions.
- Creating and producing ads and brochures.
- Writing and distributing newsletters and other bureau publications.
- Developing and analyzing market research.
- Planning and executing public relations and publicity.
Finance and Administration
There is little difference in the finance and administration functions at a convention and visitor bureau vs. most other service-related organizations. Employees perform such tasks as accounting, planning, budgeting, personnel, payroll and general clerical operations. In large bureaus, each activity would likely be assigned to a specialist. In smaller bureaus, the functions are usually combined, leaving one or two people responsible for the entire operation.
Entry-level positions for high school graduates are mainly clerical, college graduates with expertise in finance, personnel, purchasing, and/or business administration may be able to enter higher up the professional ladder.
Membership Services
Some (though not all) bureaus are membership organizations, recruiting members from among community businesses and featuring them in sales materials and presentations. Membership personnel identify prospects, make presentations, and serve as liaison between the members and the bureau.
Many bureaus consider membership sales and support positions as entry-level opportunities that can lead to assignments in convention or tourism sales and service.
Getting Your Foot in the Door
Convention and visitor bureaus generally fall into one of three categories, a division of a chamber of commerce, an arm of local government or a private, nonprofit corporation. Whichever type is in your community, rest assured that it is always understaffed. Many bureaus solicit-and most bureaus welcome-volunteer workers, generally in convention services, tourism services and clerical positions. If you're interested in a career in the travel industry, a volunteer position with the bureau in your city offers a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the industry and gain invaluable experience that could help you eventually secure a paid position after graduation.
