Travel and Tourism: CVB kicks off new program

As summer winds down, the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau staff is gearing up for a program that could bring more large groups and the revenue that comes with them to the city.

Residents of the metropolitan area will play an integral role in that effort as the Select Springfield program moves forward.

The marketing concept, which was conceived about a year ago, provides information and assistance to local members of national, regional and state organizations, and helps them encourage those groups to have meetings, conventions and trade shows in the city.

Working with local contacts is more economical and a better use of taxpayer money than traveling to conventions and following up out-of-town leads, said Dana Maugans, CVB director of sales.

"I'm excited," Maugans said. "It's so important for us to get business from our own back yard."

The CVB, a nonprofit organization supported by a city lodging tax, markets the city as a travel and tourism destination. The staff has set a goal of presenting Select Springfield to at least a dozen groups during the 2000 fiscal year.

The program was presented in August during a Springfield Public Schools teachers' meeting and several leads were obtained, Maugans said. It also will be presented to faculty and staff at Southwest Missouri State University Sept. 28, and a display was set up Sept. 15 during the Primetime Seniors Expo at North Town Mall.

Select Springfield provides information about bureau services that help bring groups to the city. Services include preparing proposal packets, determining dates hotels are available, obtaining invitations from the mayor, arranging site visits and more. Once a group arrives, the CVB can provide visitor information, maps, registration assistance and other service tailored to the group's needs.

Virginia Mee, director of the Management Development Institute at SMSU, said support from the CVB takes the load off her shoulders when the Missouri Association of Career and Technical Education has its annual conference in Springfield.

"All I did was get it started," said Mee, who first invited the group to Springfield 12 years ago.

Though Mee said she doesn't have to invest much effort, she reaps benefits from having the group meet in Springfield. She said she likes knowing her peers enjoy the city's sites and attractions. Showcasing SMSU and associating with convention organizers also is satisfying for Mee.

Maugans said people who help bring events to the city gain recognition within their organization and gain satisfaction from knowing they're helping the city's economy.

To schedule a Select Springfield presentation or for more information about the program, call Maugans at 881-5300, extension 111. Information about the CVB also is available on the Web at www.springfieldmo.org.

(Susan Wade is the public relations manager for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.)