A collaborative study commissioned by the convention and visitors bureaus in Springfield and Branson marks a change in attitude among the competitors. It also highlights a well-known weakness for larger conventions in the city of Springfield.
In the study, Springfield-based H2R Market Research surveyed some 171 regional meeting planners about their convention experiences, and its report recommended Springfield learn from its neighbor to the south if it wants to compete for large groups.
The key difference between the two markets is the net promoter score, which weighs the likeliness of planners to recommend the city versus those who were disappointed in their experience.
Springfield’s net promoter score, 11, fell well behind the city of Branson’s 55. Convention officials say a lack of direct access to the city’s downtown Expo Center is a factor in the low score.
Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau sales and marketing managers say a growing need for more cooperation between the two CVBs led the parties to request the study last fall.
“While we recognize that in some respects we are competitive, there are other areas in which we can complement one another,” said Laura Whisler, marketing director for the Springfield CVB. “Visitors don’t recognize city and county boundaries. They know they are coming to southwest Missouri, so there are times when it makes sense for us to work together.”
The differentiatorsThe study found meeting planners consider Springfield’s biggest differentiator as value, while Branson stands out for its entertainment and activities.
In comparing Springfield and Branson with other destinations in Missouri, more planners selected Springfield as offering the best value among all other Show-Me State destinations while the planners felt Branson had the best nightlife and most things to do. Kansas City and St. Louis scored high when it came to available meeting space, while Lake of the Ozarks scored high for quality of meeting facilities.
The study conducted in December included interviews with 38 planners who had booked meetings in Branson and 35 who had booked meetings in Springfield.
Ninety percent of planners who came to Branson thought it was a safe and wholesome environment compared to 77 percent in Springfield – the single most important desirable attribute of a destination, according to all planners interviewed. Next was affordability, and Springfield won that battle with 94 percent describing Springfield as affordable compared to 87 percent of planners who have come to Branson. While nearly seven in 10 agreed Branson and Springfield each offered unique local restaurants, 50 percent of those who visited Branson said it had great live entertainment, but only 29 percent said the same for Springfield.
The net promoter score revealed the greatest divergence between the cities. A total of 40 percent of planners who visited Springfield said they were likely to recommend it to other planners, while 29 percent said they weren’t likely at all – giving the Queen City a net promoter score of 11 percent. By comparison, 60 percent of planners would speak highly of Branson and only 5 percent would fall into the detractor category.
H2R researchers concluded most planners desire “facilities that are affordably priced and have adequate meeting space that is physically connected to hotel accommodations,” which was a key takeaway of the $7,000 study for Springfield CVB officials, according to Whisler.
“We’ve talked for years about the need for connectivity between University Plaza, the Expo center and the planned new hotel – if and when that is built on the lot next door,” Whisler said. “Affordability is important, but so is the quality and number of hotel rooms connected to that meeting space and the amount of meeting space.”
She added she felt the small sample size could have skewed the net score results.
In August 2011, Chicago consultancy Hunden Strategic Partners recommended the city of Springfield work with developers to build an anchor hotel connected to the Expo Center as well as University Plaza across the street if it wants to be a significant regional player for convention business. John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts founder John Q. Hammons before his death committed to building an Embassy Suites next to the Expo Center, but those plans were shelved when the recession took hold.
Audience connectionsBranson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Meeting and Convention Sales Deborah Cohen said in requesting the study she was primarily interested in what advertising would be most effective as her group tries to attract more groups to Branson. Last year, groups that elicited help from the CVB booked 25,000 room nights. Branson officials aim to grow that number by 5 percent, or 1,250 rooms, this year.
“We were really interested in (the) meeting publications planners paid attention to, because we can’t do them all,” Cohen said.
She said the city of Branson already advertises in a number of trade publications. The ones that were most popular with survey participants prompted a change in advertising spends with such magazines as Prevue and Associations Now to nearly 40 percent of this year’s $100,000 print budget.
Cohen also took note that word-of-mouth advertising among planners was important. Roughly two out of every three planners said they seek inspiration for destinations from colleagues.
According to the study, 84 percent of meeting planners would prefer to be contacted by a destination-sales representative via email as opposed to other forms. For example, 31 percent said they prefer learning about potential meeting destinations at trade shows, and 19 percent said they prefer a phone call. Though only 19 percent of respondents said they prefer face-to-face meetings, three out of four planners said personal contact with a sales representative is influential when considering the right location for a future event.
“That’s something that our gut told us, but it was really good to hear that it’s not just emailing people or sending them information in the mail – which are fine and are components of our marketing strategy,” Whisler said as the CVB tries to attract more groups to town such as the United Methodist Church conference coming in June or the classic Thunderbird Club International slated for July. “The importance of that personal interaction and (the sales) department really come through in this survey.”
