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Tourism officials campaign to boost convention industry

Date: 2/24/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD -- Local tourism officials have launched a new $500,000 campaign to help market the MassMutual Center to the convention industry.

The first stages of "Springfield First" have already yielded results, according to Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau (GSCVB).

Wydra told Reminder Publications that a mailing about the city and the facility has brought about interest from meeting planners.

This isn't the first time there has been an effort to market the city as a convention location, but Wydra said this is a "multi-layered approach with more partners involved."

Those partners include the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) which owns the MassMutual Center and Global Spectrum, the private management firm responsible for the day-to-day operations of the MassMutual Center.

Representatives of each group meet three out of the four Fridays a month, Wydra said.

Components of the "Springfield First" program include a new Web site, www.springfield-first.com, that will provide meeting planners with a user-friendly, interactive guide to the MassMutual Center facility, along with the latest information on the transportation, hotels, restaurants and other amenities of Greater Springfield.

Ads in targeted trade publications, a year-round direct mail program, Web-based marketing including a quarterly series of electronic newsletters and promotional "e-cards," and participation in meeting planner industry events are the other elements of the campaign.

The campaign will focus on the MassMutual Center's expanded facilities; the city's features and affordability; and the Pioneer Valley's central location and transportation services.

Wydra said the participation of the MCCA has been vital to the effort. The organization has been very successful with the convention business at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, she explained. The "Springfield First" campaign uses a similar template to the on the MCCA used to help sell those buildings, she said.

The difference, though, is the MassMutual Center is smaller and has a different price point, she added. There isn't any competition for business between the Springfield and Boston facilities, she said.

"The 'Springfield First' program is a truly collaborative effort designed to have positive economic impact on the convention, hotel, entertainment and overall business environment in Springfield and the Pioneer Valley," James E. Rooney, executive director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, said. "This initiative is about communicating the many benefits of Springfield and the MassMutual Center to the meeting professionals responsible for venue selection and event planning."