Gettysburg Meeting Market Opportunities and News

Destination Gettysburg’s Role in the Meetings Market

After review of the Meetings segment of our destination, Destination Gettysburg found it was time to step back and take a new approach to conventions, retreats, meetings and events in the greater Gettysburg market.

It is still our goal to create greater awareness of Gettysburg as a meeting location and to increase bookings in Adams County. How we accomplish this goal will shift from a personal selling approach to a distribution marketing approach.

In working toward this goal, the team of Destination Gettysburg has developed a three-prong approach. The Communication team will work to earn stories in meeting publications, business journals and magazines. Paid advertising will be placed digitally to reach meeting and event planners. This will drive traffic to the meeting subsite and to our various member properties. We will continue to distribute our quarterly newsletter to meeting planners and respond to RFPs on Cvent.

These activities work to increase the number of proposal requests received in market. To turn those proposals into contracts, we will work with planners and partners to provide site visits and support services that include:

• Distribution and response collection for the request for proposal (RFP)
• Organizing and developing site checks – by showcasing the destination, we set Gettysburg apart from other meeting locations.
• Connect planners with key member contacts from specialty tours to living history presenters, off-site networking event locations to caterers and transportation providers.
• Assisting with marketing and promotion of the conference including providing photography, sales materials, public event postings to our online calendar and social media promotions.
• Destination Gettysburg provides Welcome Bags for attendees that includes information on our members with special discounts.

Each planner and each event present a new set of opportunities. From car shows to tradeshows, board retreats to leadership development events, Destination Gettysburg will continue to support this important market segment. Our goal is to increase mid-week and off-season business with this specialized market.

Provide a Welcome to your Meeting Guests

In order to help you, our members, welcome meeting groups and other gatherings to our area, Destination Gettysburg assembles custom welcome bags. Each welcome bag includes an Inspiration Guide, discounts and gift for each attendee. For more information, email Katie Thomas at tammy@destinationgettysburg.com.

Utilizing Leads Available on the Partner Portal

Leads from Meetings Shows and contacts are available on the partner portal. New leads will be added as requests come into the office. If you are interested in the meetings segment and have not recently connected with these leads, you are encouraged to download the contact and notes. Creating a schedule of touchpoints is key to building awareness of your product within the larger destination story.

Note: If you have questions about the meetings market, contact Tammy Myers, Director of Partnerships, at tammy@destinationgettysburg.com.