The essential element all CVBs have in common is working to bring outside visitors into their locales. A CVB exists to market a location’s hotels, meeting facilities, dining facilities and attractions in order to generate revenue for the community. This means marketing many different aspects of the area’s general tourism industry to people outside the community.

CVBs are funded in several different ways. In the US, a CVB is often funded by a hotel tax. Other sources of funding might include government allocations, dues and membership fees from local entities, corporate sponsorships or a combination of these.

The backbone of a CVB is its partnership between civic entities and the private sector. For example, a planner develops an event in a downtown area, which has limited parking or rigorous parking laws.

The planner might not even be aware of a problem such as this. A CVB that has partnered with a planner will relay any potential issues and proactively help solve the issue. This could include acting as a liaison between parking authorities in the civic realm as well as working with the convention facility to possibly work out a shuttle schedule.

Some CVBs also work in tandem with a city’s convention facility. This can be a win-win situation. For example, when the CVB acts as the facility’s public relations branch and also works with meeting planners, the CVB has some authority to ensure the facility cooperates to the fullest. Some cities do not use this type of setup, but the relationship between the CVB and convention facility still remains intertwined to better serve visitors and planners.

CVBs can minimize risk, provide information, collaborate on solutions to issues and help eliminate any surprise elements. Utilizing this type of one-stop resource is vital to the success many planners achieve.