CEO Baum: Reno-Sparks “shouting with a louder voice”
Things are looking up?way up?for the Reno-Sparks convention business.
According to the Daily Sparks Tribune, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority ended the 2103-14 fiscal year with more than 163,200 room nights of “signed, definite business for Reno-Sparks and North Lake Tahoe in all future years.” That’s a spike of 49 percent over the 110,000 contracted in the previous fiscal year.
“The recession hit the convention business from coast-to-coast hard, and Reno’s drop in gaming volume—due to the increase in California Indian casinos in particular, and the overall growth in casino gaming nationwide—means that convention business is more important than ever before for Northern Nevada,” said Christopher Baum, president and CEO of the RSCVA. “I’m delighted to report that 63 percent of this year’s definite bookings are new business for the Reno area, which bodes well for the region’s future.”
The increase is due to the RSCVA’s more aggressive marketing outreach, in place since 2012; a strategic sponsorship with the American Society of Association Executives; and an expanded presence in industry trade journals.
“By shouting with a louder voice, and telling a more compelling story about our great region, we have made it easier for our sales team to meet face-to-face with convention industry decision-makers,” Baum said. “And that has resulted in more RFPs for larger convention groups than we have seen for many years.”
Though government business has fallen off?apparently some Washington politicians thought it bad form to convene in a gaming community?Baum said the new figures “show that we can bring new business to the region, and that we can be competitive with bigger destinations. … We won’t be satisfied until the RSCVA sales team achieves 100 percent or more of our convention room night goal.”
