Definition: Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a not-for-profit organization charged with representing a specific destination and most are largely funded by hotel occupancy taxes.
The CVB’s purpose is to support a wide variety of travelers and travel influencers meeting professionals, travel managers, procurement types, trainers, third parties, volunteers, the media, meeting attendees and people on vacation. That support comes in a wide range of services, beyond visitor guides, maps and other area brochures. And most services provided by CVBs are complimentary.
The CVB knows the resources in a community and how best to access them. While that knowledge gets tapped most often for vendor recommendations (think limo services and local sign shops), it’s also useful for many other needs.
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Convention and Visitors Bureau Q and A
What is a CVB?
A destination organization or Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a not-for-profit organization charged with representing a specific destination and most are largely funded by hotel occupancy taxes. CVBs give planners access to a wide range of services within their destinations, including but not limited to: arranging site inspections, checking hotel and meeting space availability, and linking planners to expert local service providers. CVBs and their destination experts serve as extensions of your planning team.
What is the advantage of using a CVB?
CVBs help planners save time and money with several meeting planning services. CVBs employ sales professionals who serve as destination experts and advise planners on the appropriate hotels, meeting facilities, convention facilities, and other unique meeting locations within the destination. On behalf of the planners’ needs, the CVB contact researches price and availability of guest rooms and meeting space for the specific or range of dates at no commissions. In addition to site selection services, CVBs may also provide site inspections, local business referrals, promotional brochures, registration staffing, housing services and attendance promotions.
Non-Membership CVBs
Non-member bureaus are totally funded by their local governments, much like the fire department, police department, and education. But unlike those non-revenue producing departments, the local government’s investment in the CVB is offset by the revenue the CVB generates and help to underwrite the cost of the community’s firemen, police, and teachers.
How is a CVB funded?
A majority of CVBs are not-for-profit organizations primarily funded by their local governments, usually through a portion of hotel occupancy taxes. Their mission is to promote the long-term development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing and service. As the tourism marketing arm of the destination, the CVB is responsible for creating public awareness about their destination and, ultimately, booking the meeting and event business that feeds the economic engine of the region.
Ultimately, travel and tourism enhances the quality of life for a local community by providing jobs, bringing in tax dollars for improvement of services and infrastructure, and attracting facilities like restaurants, shops, festivals, and cultural and sporting venues that cater to both visitors and locals.
Membership CVBs
Membership-based bureaus are funded by a combination of lodging taxes and annual membership dues from the hotels, convention facilities, and local businesses within their destinations; there may be additional sources of revenue, such as public or private funding as well. Typically, hotel bed taxes comprise approximately 79 percent of their total revenues, while membership dues fund a much smaller portion.
Like any CVB, membership-funded bureaus will only send leads to the members that meet a planner’s criteria. CVBs are evaluated by their stakeholders on a range of return on investment (ROI) metrics, including confirmed meetings — not on how many different properties or vendors receive leads.