CVB, hotels work to bring groups to Springfield

The Springfield Convention & Visitor Bureau and local hotels work closely together to bring group meetings and activities to Springfield and to serve group events in the local market.

The CVB helped about 120 meeting planners make their events successful in 2001, according to Dana Maugans, director of group sales for CVB.

Of the total number of nights spent at Springfield hotels, about 21 percent comes from groups and conventions, Maugans said. That means about 231,000 room nights, which translates into more than $12.5 million spent using the average room rate of $54.74. The CVB does not have additional economic impact figures available, according to Tracy Kimberlin, CVB executive director.

Selling the city

Maugans and three other salespeople comprise the group sales office. One salesperson is located in Jefferson City.

"A lot of our work is prospecting and research," Maugans said.

CVB representatives travel to trade shows and planners' conventions. They especially focus on religious groups, amateur sports and state associations.

"These are our niche groups and we concentrate a lot of effort on them," she said.

The key to bringing in groups that annually return to Springfield is in building relationships with the planners and organizers, Maugans said.

The National Street Rod Association meets in May each year in Springfield. About 4,500 people attend the event and use 3,225 room nights, said Maugans.

"It's a great piece of business to have because they spend a lot in hotels, restaurants and retail stores," she said.

The American Junior Simmental Association recently held its regional event at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. That event has now brought the CVB in contact with the National Simmental Association, and more new business may grow from that contact.

Monthly sales meetings are scheduled with local hotel staff and the CVB to discuss promotion of Springfield and the surrounding area.

CVB sales personnel and local sales directors recently traveled to Jefferson City to promote Springfield.

"Springfield has so much to offer people don't know about," said Adrienne Watson, area sales manager for the Ramada. "I look at Springfield as the center to everything."

Convention facilities

One convention resource will be put on hold for a while. The University Plaza Trade Center's will be closed while a new parking deck is built and part of the trade center is rebuilt. The last convention at the Trade Center is set for July 19-21, according to Louise Whall, public information officer for Springfield. The new convention center is expected to open in September 2003.

"There will be some inconvenience, there's no doubt about that in some cases," said Kimberlin. "But we hope that will be limited and we intend to do everything we can to see that it is limited. We are going to have to work through some obstacles for 10-months to a year until we get something far superior to what we have."

But groups and conventions have other options to choose from.

Ramada hosts several groups both local and national. They vary from corporate meetings to Avon and home interiors groups, Watson said. Ramada has about 8,000 square feet of meeting space and can handle groups up to 300 people.

The banquet in connection with the recent Simmental event included 400 guests. To accommodate the large group, Watson booked the banquet facility at Atrium Inn and Convention Center.

Atrium recently remodeled the Gateway Theater building to provide an expo center with full banquet facilities of 18,000 square feet, according to Ed Waterman, director of sales for the hotel. The expo center will hold up to 1,000 people, he said.

Atrium holds 10 to 15 group events per month, according to Cathy Elam, assistant manager. Atrium, which is changing its name to Oasis Inn, plans to add another 20,000 square feet to the expo center, more than doubling the current capacity.