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What is the difference between the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce?
The CVB is a non-profit destination marketing organization that represents Monterey County. We represent all significant travel/tourism-related businesses at the local and regional levels, and also serve as the "official" contact point or "broker" for Monterey County for convention and meeting professionals, tour operators and individual visitors. The CVB encourages groups to hold meetings in Monterey County, assists with meeting preparation, and encourages both business travelers and tourists to visit and enjoy the local, historic, cultural and recreational opportunities. The CVB exposes local businesses globally.
The COC promotes member businesses through its services, educational programs, business-to-business relationships, mixers, showcases and legislative advocacy, with the goal of creating a prosperous, thriving community.
I belong to the COC, why should I join the CVB?
This depends on the exposure you are looking to gain for your business. Many businesses belong to both organizations as they each serve unique purposes. Whether or not you rely on the tourism industry for your revenue, membership with the CVB is a win-win for networking and getting your business marketed outside Monterey County and California.
For the CVB, it's a "strength in numbers" issue. The more members we represent, the more impressive Monterey County is as a destination when we market the area outside the state.
How is the CVB funded?
We are a non-profit organization with funding from the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Monterey County, the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey, Marina, Salinas, Seaside, Sand City and Soledad, and individual memberships.
What is the CVB going to do for my business that I can't do for myself?
The CVB actively markets, advertises and promotes to the public the full range of destination assets available throughout Monterey County. We provide your business with worldwide exposure through free listings on our newly redesigned website (including links to your own site) and in the Monterey Land & See Guide, distributed free to thousands of visitors. We will display your company brochures at two local Visitor Centers, provide you with valuable marketing tools, and represent your business at trade shows across the United States.
Does the CVB focus mainly on big hotels and not smaller businesses?
No. One of the CVB's goals is to bring more business -- both conferences and individual travellers -- to the County. In addition to sourcing the housing for conference delegates, we actively recommend smaller properties suitable for a wide range of visitor needs. If the hotels are at full capacity, we believe that all local businesses will flourish as a result, whether through visitor spending or because steady wages for hospitality industry workers allow purchases of all manner of local goods and services.
We welcome all kinds of businesses: retail shops, restaurants, wineries and services. Please contact our Membership Committee to discuss how you can work together with the MCCVB, by calling Dominic Gregorio at 831-657-6420 or [email protected].
What has the CVB accomplished lately?
The MCCVB garnered more than $6.8 in media coverage, and generated or assisted with 324 articles. Some 578 media received bureau assistance, including 115 visiting professionals. Paid advertising ran in VIA, Sunset, 7x7, Travel + Leisure and . Departures, and the bureau garnered more than $1 million in unpaid media exposure through added-value promotions in the Bay Area, Central Valley and Canada. Convention Services assisted 65 groups and meeting planners during the first half of the fiscal year; year-end numbers are now being updated.
We're also mailing informative and colorful E-newsletters to more than 18,000 potential visitors each month. And, the monthly Monterey County eSpecials blast reaches 108,000 subscribers interested in area travel discounts. If you'd like to submit information for this newsletter, please contact Shannon Marshall, Director of Communications, at 831-657-6409 or [email protected].
The bureau communicates regularly with CVB members via our monthly MemberLink e-newsletter. If you're not receiving MemberLink, or emails from the CVB, please send your email address to Dominic Gregorio at [email protected].
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