The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association hopes local leaders can make its job easier.
Under a new campaign unveiled last week the association has called on top local members of the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to help bring new convention and business meetings to the city and promote Charm City.
The “Meet Local” campaign builds off of Mayor Sheila Dixon?s “Buy Local” initiative and looks to encourage chief executive officers to use their networks and influence to boost BACVA?s own booking efforts, according to BACVA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Noonan.
“I think a lot of organizations from time to time have their meeting in Baltimore and then another city and another city,” Noonan said. “We?re hoping they?ll think about, whenever their next open year is, keeping it at home.”
In fiscal 2007, BACVA said its efforts brought 294 groups and 520,700 convention and meeting attendees to Baltimore, generating approximately $539 million in spending for the region. The spending generated by convention, meeting and leisure visitors is estimated at $3.5 billion.
Even a smaller meeting of 100 people could generate an estimated $103,000 in direct spending and taxes, Noonan said.
“I think we?ve done things like [the new campaign] on a case-by-case basis, but we?ve never done a citywide call-out to help us,” he said. “This is going to be a sustainable program, it?s not going to be a one and done, it?s something we?re going to continue to track.”
BACVA introduced the campaign Wednesday night at the World Trade Center Institute?s 12th Annual Maryland International Business Leadership Awards ceremony, where Noonan said it met with a strong response.
On Friday, BACVA presented the campaign to the Greater Baltimore Committee, which backed the idea, according to GBC President and CEO Don Fry.
“It?s a tremendous idea,” Fry said. “There are a number of companies and corporations in the Baltimore area that host meetings and conferences with people from other branches. It just seems like a good way for people to be aware of what Baltimore has to offer.”
