The “winged” Milwaukee Art Museum overlooks Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee.

What constitutes value? Finding value during the site selection process can be tough. Is it lower room rates or increased attendance because of a destination or perhaps above-and-beyond assistance provided by CVBs? However value is defined, these communities deliver it.

Jacksonville, Florida

“Jacksonville is a destination with so much to offer, and value is one of our greatest assets,” says Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, the city’s CVB. “Not only are our room rates very competitive compared to most waterfront destinations in the state, but our location, our accessibility by plane or car, our extensive venue selection and the overall vibrancy of our city give us an edge when it comes to meeting a planner’s needs and wants.”

Astleford also notes that planners experience value in the outstanding support from the CVB’s services department before, during and after their events. “This makes Jacksonville the best and smartest choice,” he says.

Karen Miller, president of Seneca, South Carolina-based Miller Marketing Communications Inc., whose 2014 Motor Operated Valve Users Group and Air Operated Valve Users Group annual conferences (MUG/AUG conferences) were held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in January with 700 attendees, has already booked Jacksonville for next year’s conference, and value was a key reason.

“We found hotel and restaurant costs very affordable for our attendees, and as organizers, the meeting costs at the hotel were much less than at many other Florida destinations. The hotel was very pleasantly aggressive in pursuing our group,” she adds. “They offered discounts on their already reasonable food and beverage costs, and comped expo hall Internet and two receptions for the group, and provided generous room upgrades. The city’s CVB provided additional incentives, including a monetary sponsorship based on room-night utilization, one incentive I have never experienced anywhere else.”

The conference runs in January when finding value during the site selection process in Florida can be challenging. “It is a unique situation to find a Florida city at this time of year that works hard to win your business within your budget,” Miller says.

And then there’s the setting. “The St. Johns River is such a beautiful feature, and the city skyline against the river and boardwalk create a fantastic setting,” Miller says. “The one caveat is that planners should be aware there are not a tremendous number of restaurants, clubs or shopping options within walking distance of the riverfront, so if your group is looking for that, this may not be a match. However, if most of your evening events and activities are planned in your hotel, then Jacksonville along the St. Johns River is a beautiful and affordable location for a meeting.”

Among recent enhancements at area hotels is a multimillion-dollar renovation at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach — 30 minutes southeast of Jacksonville — where guest rooms, dining outlets, meeting space and access to the adjacent TPC Sawgrass championship golf course were updated.

San Jose, California

One rarely hears “affordable” and “San Francisco Bay Area” in the same sentence, yet groups find value here in many ways, including weekend meetings and taking advantage of free and nearly free entertainment. Planners also can do a little research to discover which local city offers their group the most value. Bea Langsdorf, corporate events manager for global technology company Nvidia Corporation, based in Santa Clara, CA, has done exactly that What constitutes value? Is it lower room rates or increased attendance because of a destination or perhaps above-and-beyond assistance provided by CVBs? However value is defined, these communities deliver it. and believes San Jose is that city.

“The Bay Area is not an affordable meeting destination compared to many others in the U.S.,” she says. “However, out of the three choices you have when you want to hold a large event in the area, San Jose is much more affordable than San Francisco or Santa Clara, particularly when comparing hotel room rates. In the last comparison I ran, San Jose room rates were about 20 percent cheaper than Santa Clara and 30 percent cheaper than San Francisco. For us, lower room rates mean more attendees can afford to attend the conference.”

Langsdorf found savings in other ways, too. “The San Jose (McEnery) Convention Center worked with us to come up with some off-the-standard-menu lunch options that met our budget. By serving lunch there we saved money and our attendees saved time as well.”

Karolyn Kirchgesler, CEO of Team San Jose, the city’s CVB, isn’t surprised. “One of the reasons 98 percent of planners say they’d return is that San Jose offers great value for corporate planners and groups,” she says. “Our one-stop service saves valuable time, and our compact, walkable downtown means there’s no need for group transportation. We offer competitive hotel rates on weekends and a lot of free or budget-friendly entertainment.”

Langsdorf’s GPU Tech­nology Conference in March attracted approximately 3,500 attendees, and Team San Jose was integral to the meeting’s success. First, Langsdorf says, “Team San Jose always helps us promote our conference with signage at the airport and around the convention center. It is part of our package deal and does not cost us extra. Second, the staff helped us put together a dining program for our attendees. They assisted in selecting venues that were walking distance from the convention center and would reserve one or two large tables for group dinners with the specific requirement of splitting the bill between all dinner attendees. Their volunteers also manned the dinner sign-up station at the event.”

Close-in restaurants book­ed by the group included Mezcal, Loft Bar & Bistro, Billy Berk’s, Il Fornaio, PF Chang’s China Bistro and Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant.

Attendees who want to add vacation time to a San Jose meeting are in luck. Monterey, San Francisco and the Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Region are all within a short drive — yet another side of the value coin.

Daytona Beach, Florida

Value isn’t always about the lowest dollar amount. Stewart Doty has been bringing the Racing Promotion Monthly Promoters Workshops to Daytona for 23 years, just as his predecessor did for 19 years before that. The meeting takes place in February during the area’s primo event, the Daytona 500, when prices are typically the highest of the year.

“We convene at the absolute peak time each year, Daytona 500 week, so rates across the community are not as low as they might be at other times, yet they’re competitive for the area at the time,” says Doty, the editor of the Merrill, Wisconsin-based Racing Promotion Monthly. “Our event has been part of Daytona Speedweek since 1972, so the “bang” we get is race-week ambience, the tradition in our industry that is Speedweek, the adjacency of numerous events and the festival atmosphere of race week. It strengthens the draw of our own event by adding the opportunity to attend events during and around our dates at nearby race facilities.”

Doty, whose group of about 350 was based at the Hilton Daytona Beach Ocean Walk Village in February, also points out the “value-added assistance of the CVB. “Since we are small by comparison to the races in terms of public attendance and corporate participation, the CVB has been extremely helpful in explaining the value of our event to Daytona hoteliers, as we must compete with the corporate money surrounding the big race, which has at times been a challenge. The CVB has also assisted us in locating facilities and in recruitment of speakers from the Central Florida area for our events.”

Sharon Mock, who was serving as interim executive director of the Daytona Beach Area CVB at the time of this interview, says that in addition to the International Speedway, NASCAR and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) have a major presence in town. “These organizations offer one-of-a-kind offsite venues ideal for meetings, special events and teambuilding activities,” she says. “Attendees can take three hot laps around the World Center of Racing with the Richard Petty Driving Experience or host a charity golf tournament at LPGA International. The added value Daytona Beach provides is unmatched.”

Those top-tier businesses create a local pool of speaker talent, as do the area’s three universities, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Daytona also is within range of three airports, making getting there easy, and offers 23 miles of beaches, making it a place attendees want to be. All of that combines to make Daytona a value-laden destination at any time of year.

Among the latest developments are enhancements at the Speedway and several new hotels, including the Marriott at Daytona Beach Shores, scheduled to open this fall.

Charlotte, North Carolina

“From the hundreds of affordable flight options and ease of accessibility at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to a wide array of economical hotels all within walking distance of the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte brings tremendous value to the table,” says Mike Butts, executive director of Visit Charlotte.

The value extends to city facilities. “The Charlotte Convention Center has also created value through a one-of-kind asset, the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” Butts continues, “which is attached to the facility and serves as a truly unique special event venue or easy escape for attendees during their downtime. Attendees can conveniently experience the venue with reduced $10 admission thanks to our new Show Your Badge program.”

Charlotte has a lot going on, including the recent opening of Skye Condo­miniums, a mixed-use high-rise featuring a Hyatt Place and an 8,000-sf open-air rooftop restaurant and sky bar. A Sheraton Charlotte and a Le Meridien open this year as well.

As for venues, Charlotte-Concord Sea Life Aquarium opened in February, and among its attributes is Tropical Bay of Rays, a mesmerizing backdrop for events of up to 80 guests. And in April, Charlotte’s LEED-certified ballpark for its AAA baseball team opened to rave reviews just four blocks from the Charlotte Convention Center.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

One upshot to saving by choosing a value destination is that planners can use those savings to create a more robust meeting experience for their attendees.

“The real advantage to Milwaukee as a destination is that you can spend more money on your meeting because the cost of accommodations, food, attractions and events is lower than most first-tier cities,” says Paul Upchurch, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “Planners rate the experience in Milwaukee as exceptional and have the money to invest back into a quality meeting experience.”

Monetary incentives also can positively affect the bottom line for planners. Visit Milwaukee currently offers a $5,000–$10,000 cash incentive to groups booking meetings in the Wisconsin Center from September 2014 through December 2016 (there are restrictions). The center, part of Milwaukee’s budget-friendly convention campus, includes the historic Milwaukee Theatre with 2,500–4,100 seats depending on configuration, and the U.S. Cellular Arena, with additional function and trade-show space plus 12,700 seats of its own. A convenient skywalk connects the Wisconsin Center to more than 1,200 rooms at the newly renovated Hilton Milwaukee City Center and Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, making inclement weather inconsequential.

One of the city’s most notable attractions also is a spectacular setting for a gala or opening reception. The Milwaukee Art Museum, overlooking Lake Michigan, is an architectural wonder, particularly its postmodern Quadracci Pavilion with an evocative 90-foot glass ceiling and outer “wings” that unfold and fold twice daily. Planners who want wow with their value need look no further.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Brian Fullerton, assistant director of events with Bloomington, Indiana-based Solution Tree, a leading provider of educational strategies, planned the Minneapolis Professional Learning Communities at Work Institute in Minneapolis last July. He calls Minneap­olis extremely affordable. “This is one of the major reasons we continue to return,” he says. “Hotel rates are very affordable, especially with the quality of hotels our staff and attendees reserve. In addition, with the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport being a major Delta hub, flights are easy to find and afford.” In 2014, Solution Tree will return to the city for the sixth consecutive year.

The Minneapolis Convention Center provides additional value for the meeting, which attracted 2,200 attendees last year. “We get amazing space for our group size that is really budget friendly,” Fullerton notes. “Our type of meeting requires not only a single space for all attendees to listen to keynote speakers, but also up to a dozen large rooms for breakout sessions. The convention center provides all this under one roof for an affordable price. And the center’s service providers (catering, Internet, security) always deliver top-quality service at some of the lowest prices we see in the country.”

Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, calls the city’s compactness a value element. “There are thousands of hotel rooms within a mile of the Minneapolis Convention Center, saving groups on transportation costs,” he says. “Attendees also can easily access the restaurants, attractions and downtown-located sports facilities after hours by walking around our vibrant downtown or using our terrific free bus rides on Nicollet Mall, which will save them money, as well.”

Fullerton agrees. “The city is very walking friendly; you are never too far away from anything, and if you do need public transportation, it is nearby, easy and always feels safe.” His group has frequented many of the city’s close-in restaurants, including Brit’s, the Butcher and Boar, The Local and Zelo’s, all of which he says provide a great atmosphere and value.

“(Minneapolis) is very walking friendly; you are never too far away from anything, and if you do need public transportation, it is nearby, easy and always feels safe.” — Brian Fullerton

Additionally, Meet Minneapolis offers many free services to planners. In October, for example, it launched Go Minneapolis Signature Experiences, putting the best of the city in one value-packed package for groups. And if planners or attendees wear out their shoes during a conference, no problem: there’s no tax on shoes (or clothing) in Minnesota. Now that’s value.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Planners who haven’t been to Oklahoma City, or haven’t been recently, may be surprised by what this city offers. Over two decades Oklahoma’s capital has been transformed by more than $5 billion of public and private investment and improvements. The CVB is anxious to show it off.

Mike Carrier, president of Visit Oklahoma City, says, “Okla­homa City is a value-oriented city well known for being a great place to do business. Our culture is built on the ideals of good value for price paid and an honest return on your investment. With an average cost of living here more than 10 percent lower than the national average and our ranking in Business Travel News at 74th in per diem cost out of the top 100 cities in the nation, OKC provides an affordable location for planners.

“We have numerous top-quality, full-service hotels in the downtown core with ease of access from Will Rogers Airport, and within an easy walk of several entertainment areas featuring a wide variety of restaurants including Automobile Alley, Bricktown and Film Row,” he says. “Add such attractions as the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum and the Civic Center Music Hall and the area provides an outstanding array of facilities and amenities to make any meeting a success.”

In the heart of downtown, the Cox Convention Center offers more than 150,000 sf of total meeting space including a 25,000-sf ballroom and 100,000 sf of exhibit space. The center also includes a 15,000-seat arena. There are currently 12 hotels and nearly 2,200 rooms within walking distance, including the Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel, connected to the center via a skybridge. Two blocks north, the Skirvin Hilton offers a historical setting with original woodwork and architectural details from its 1911 grand opening.

Oklahoma City has an abundance of intriguing offsite options, including its Boathouse District, located along the Oklaho­ma River on the southern edge of downtown. The Chesa­peake Boathouse offers space for meetings as well as teambuilding activities such as dragon boating and kayaking. Also in the district are the Devon Boathouse and Chesapeake Finish Line tower, both with event space and primo views.

Not yet visible but on the horizon, thanks to a 2009 vote approving $252 million in funding, is a new, expanded downtown convention center slated for completion in 2019.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

A popular coastal community, Vir­ginia Beach has a relatively short peak season and, happily for planners, a relatively long value season.

“Virginia Beach is a perfect setting for corporate meetings and is an especially excellent value destination for the corporate meeting planner from October through May,” says James B. Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. “During this eight-month period, we are able to offer a wide array of convention hotels with affordable rates on the oceanfront, on Chesapeake Bay and in our downtown community, Town Center of Virginia Beach.

“One benefit for corporate meeting planners in choosing Virginia Beach is that they will work with one team when they book our award-winning convention center and when seeking the ideal hotel,” Ricketts continues. “Our CVB sales and services team has been recognized nationally as a team that gives attention to detail and provides excellent customer service.”

While the term “award winning” is often overused, Virginia Beach has garnered well-earned accolades for its stellar LEED Gold-certified Virginia Beach Convention Center. With more than 516,000 sf, the center is ideal for groups of all sizes, especially those wishing to make their meetings environmentally friendly.

Virginia Beach combines the best of urban and resort offerings, giving attendees a downtown core and 35 miles of shoreline and beach. Attractions include the Virginia Aquarium with its live shark gallery, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and the new Adventure Park, where groups can book teambuilding sessions. The CVB also puts corporate groups in touch with local charities and non-profits for CSR events via its One Beach, One World program. Given the city’s location and strong military presence, popular options include beach cleanups and assistance to veterans.

The bottom line is that from coast to coast, planners can find value — and quality — just by looking beyond the most obvious choices. C&IT