One size does not fit all!

When it comes to meetings, one size does not fit all.

Before you book your venue, consider how people will be arranged in the space. For example, 250 people can comfortably stand in 1500 square feet (a room roughly 42 ft. x 35 ft.), which is great for a reception, but classroom seating would only allow 85 in the same space and 125 for a seated dinner at round tables. 

Space and Capacity Calculator
This calculator will calculate the capacity of a banquet hall, wedding hall, or meeting room in many setup scenarios. It will also calculate space needed for a specific amount of people. You can also find out how many trade show booths will fit in a space, or how much space is needed. One thing to note, the calculator will not take into account odd shaped rooms. Also, remember to subtract the square footage of dance floors etc.

Need help calculating the size you will need? Vicki Layhew, our Sales and Marketing manager can assist you with site selection issues when you use the CVB to plan your event. Call 800-747-4837 or email her today!

Social Media Marketing Tips, Part 2

In July 2012 Americans spent 74.0 billion minutes on social media via a home computer, 40.8 billion minutes via apps, and 5.7 billion minutes via mobile web browsers, a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites. Social media can be an important part of your marketing strategy. Here are 10 more tips you can use to build strong relationships using social media marketing.

11. Add a Welcome Video

Include a welcome video to your landing page. Use it to tell new members about your company, and what social networking sites your company can be found on.

12. Tag People and Pages on Facebook

When posting or commenting on Facebook, be sure to utilize the status-tagging tool. Using status tagging will alert the person or company when being mentioned. Simply use the @ symbol in front of the person or company’s name; yet another easy way to encourage interaction.

13. Have your Facebook fans tag your photos

Any live events you attend or hold be sure to take plenty of photos. Upload the event photos to Facebook, and ask your fans to tag any photos they are in, or recognize some one they know. Not only does this encourage more fan interaction, but also it will help your company gain more exposure.

14. Perform Facebook activities as your Facebook fan page

What better way to network on Facebook, than interacting with others on Facebook as your fan page? Putting your name out there for people to see, more attention will be drawn to your Facebook page, thus driving more fans to your page.

15. Sweepstakes and/or Contests 

Sweepstakes and contests are the fastest way to increase your fan base. In order for this build up on of fans to be successful, you will need to utilize the Facebook app tool. The guidelines will provide all the information you need to run a successful promotion.

16. Take notice of your most active fans 

Take notice of your most active fans, and take the time to say thank you. Use incentive programs such as “Fan of the Week/Month.”

17. The Facebook Questions Feature 

The Facebook questions tool is an excellent, and simple way to interact with existing fans, and encourage some new fans. Poll your audience using a fun, relevant interesting, and intriguing question. This is a fantastic way to encourage interaction.

18. Utilize Facebook Ads

The best sources of traffic you can purchase are Facebook ads. Not only does it provide you a high

volume of traffic, it will also allow you to see how many users are in your target market area.

19. Network with other website Administrators 

Networking with other website administrators will allow you to build relationships with them. This will then open the doors for you to discuss ways to work together. Thus, increasing your social media marketing traffic.

20. Continue to Learn and Grow with Facebook 

Facebook is another excellent communication tool. Your company can use Facebook for public relations purposes, research and development, recruiting, sharing information, etc. Make the most of this incredible media-marketing tool.

Read more here!

What to do before and after an Event: It’s not just about Tradeshow Exhibits

If you’re attending a marketing event to promote your property or attraction, the work can begin well before the event and isn’t finished when the trade show exhibits are packed away. Follow these tips for beforehand and afterwards and you can help ensure that you have a successful trade show, whether you’re a complete newbie or a veteran marketer.

• Make Sure Your Materials Are Being Shipped To The Correct Place

You can't always bring all your materials with you when going to an event, so having your trade show materials shipped to the right location is vital.  If any of the shipping details are incorrect, such as the zip code or city, or even which hall at the convention center, you could be stuck at the event without your trade show exhibits. Additionally, check that your company’s name or booth location is clearly labeled on the boxes so that the staff knows exactly where it should be placed for installation.

It’s also a good idea to make sure that your company’s name is clearly labeled on the inside of each box or shipping crate.  These crates can sometimes become damaged in transit and it could be a disaster if the container is damaged and no one knows where the contents belong.

• Think About What You Want To Accomplish With Your Trade Show Exhibits

Make sure that you understand what you want to get out of the expo. Many businesses set vague goals — that is, if they set any at all.  If your goals are something like “capture more leads,” sit down and think about what this really means.  How many leads to you want to capture?  Do you want to get 10?  Or is 200 a more reasonable number?  Also consider the strength of the leads.  It’s not enough to capture leads without qualifying them first.  A cold lead is as good as no lead so make sure that your leads actually have a reason or a need for your company before you spend hours following up once you get back into the office.

• Make Good On Your Promises

If you’ve promised to send an attendee information about your company, make sure that you actually do it once the event is over and the trade show exhibits are packed away.  If you promise to send something and don’t actually do it, many customers will assume you don’t want their business and will move on to your competitor.

Even if you didn’t promise information, you should still follow up with people you met at your trade show booth.  If someone filled out a lead card, but it didn’t seem like they were a hot lead, make sure that you call to check in every once in a while.  They were interested enough to visit your booth at the event so it’s possible that their needs could change in the future. Take care to not seem over-aggressive, however, since aggressive tactics can turn customers away.

While these tips aren’t complicated, they are extremely important if you want to maximize sales from a trade show marketing event.  Use these, but realize that they’re not the only things you should be doing.  Sit down with your staff and see if you can come up with other tasks that can help ensure your event is a success.

For more ideas contact our sales department.

Hospitality Training for At-Risk kids

“Busy lives and the social disconnectedness afforded by modern communication technologies are quickly swallowing up the art of hospitality.” 

How do we regain this intangible skill that should never be replaced with modern technology? 
Destinations across the country are embracing a new approach to deter youth violence that is taking the lives of many young adults.  Cities across the country are looking at how hospitality training programs can create respect for others and instill pride in communities.   The program is not only about reducing crime but preparing our youth for a job market and industry that lacks a smile and information needed to make a sale.

Some training initiatives target 15 to 24 year-olds struggling to find work and help them get jobs in the hospitality and restaurant industries while others incorporate grade school students. 

“Virginia Avenue Park's Teen Center is not only about getting kids jobs. The City's realigned Cradle to Career initiative hopes to nip the causes of youth violence in the bud by helping disadvantaged kids find careers that promise more than just a meager paycheck, according to the Julie Rusk, Santa Monica's director of Community and Cultural Services.”

“In the tourism industry, it’s not about pipelining our youth into fast food, and other restaurant jobs but training them to have a career in the hospitality industry that encompasses so much more”.   An initiative program primary focus should be to introduce an industry that youth can see a future and embrace a life time career.  These training programs can be implemented in local high schools, community outreach organizations and community colleges.


Tourism is economic development which includes training our youth for tomorrow’s industry. Contact Larry Williams, Executive Director to find out more about this opportunity.

Teaching Children Hospitality

Hospitality is a dying art and training should start during childhood

How do we engage kids in hospitality under the age fifteen?   Adults who live with kids can invite guest into their homes regularly.  Allow the children to invite them verbally or in writing.  Communication skills are encouraged when you host family, friends and other children into your home.  The art of hospitality starts at home. 

Ask kids to share what makes them feel welcome whenever they visit a new place for the first time.  Encourage them to join your local church or organization’s hospitality committee and have them prepare guest needs before they arrive.  Teach children how to plan ahead of time.  If it’s the guest first time visiting, give them a short tour of the bathroom and play areas.  If the guest is staying overnight show them where to find amenities, such as soap, towels, blankets food and dishes.  Last but not least, let children create a fun basket with toiletries for guest.

Quality customer service doesn’t have to disintegrate if we start hospitality training early on. Teaching our kids and preparing them to be responsible adults will equip them for industries looking for skilled and friendly employees.

Larry Williams, Executive Director
Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Responding to RFP’s

Electronic RFP’s are a standard in the event planning industry. Meeting planners can contact several potential properties with the click of a button, resulting in overloaded in boxes in the sales department. As a result, the vast majority of sales offices fall short on response times, even when it is a hot lead for low demand dates.

More often than not, those who inquire about dates that are sold out, or those that have needs that cannot be met at this time by the property, fail to receive any response. This leaves the meeting planners hanging and leads to frustration and complaints, not to mention a loss of any future business from that client. It seems that at most booking properties, no one responds anymore to say, “We are fully committed for your requested dates, but if your plans are flexible we would welcome a chance to look at other options.” Few if any respond to say “Since your meeting space cannot accommodate a group of this size, we do hope you will keep us in mind when you are planning smaller meetings.”

Here are a few tips to help get more mileage from RFP’s – even if your property is not available:

1.    Respond promptly to all inquiries, even those for which you have no inventory or otherwise cannot meet their specifications. Plans change as meeting details are finalized, and many planners are involved with multiple meetings. A well worded response indicating those dates are not available that provides the planner with alternate dates and a description of what you can offer may make the difference for another meeting date. Utilize your word processing software or brand resource tools to develop templates to streamline the process so every planner receives a response, whether you can accommodate the proposed dates or not. 

2.    Never assume that your property isn't right for a prospective client or that your rates will be too high. Limiting yourself to this mindset could result in missing out on potential future business if the planner coordinates multiple events with different requirements. 

3.    Even if you have hosted an event or group in the past, don’t assume they will choose your facility without receiving a response from you. Perhaps the planner’s objectives for the event have changed or they are not aware of a recent upgrade to your property. Taking the time to send an appropriate response such as “since your last event we now offer (new item) and look forward to continuing to serve you needs.” 

4.    Just because you did not win the bid for an event in the past does not mean you shouldn’t respond to future bids. Consider that although you may not have gotten business in the past, you don't know that organization didn't recently have a problem at the hotel that did get the business. So, always respond.

Need more ideas? Contact the Kankakee County CVB for more information on responding to RFP’s.

Attention Grabbing Strategies for Your Event

Build Local Interest- From the use of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) to partnering with events, the power of grassroots efforts cannot be overstated. 

Think Strategy- Timing is everything when trying to secure local media coverage and encouraged planners to write and distribute press releases to local media groups a few weeks before the event as a general rule.  Strategy  plan your announcement so it is more likely to get picked up. Follow–up is important as well. Following up press releases with a media advisory the day of the event and incorporating as much local focus as possible.  Try to find a unique or interesting local angle. People are more inclined to attend an event if they care about it and can find some local connection. 

Leverage Social Media- Quickly gaining mainstream acceptance, event social media is a great way to gain publicity. Start a few weeks out/check Twitter and Facebook feeds of local media and bloggers. Social media platforms make it easy to search topics and open conversations that bridge the community to the event. 

Brand Carefully- The Branding of the image can go a long way toward attracting attention on its own. You want people to be able to see your signage, website, advertisements and promotional items and automatically know who you are without having to read the logo. Keep a common theme in your Brand. 

Generate Excitement-Keep the promotional momentum going during the event. There is a lot of energy and excitement missed when there is not a welcome party or opening night banquet. Communities need something to rally around. 

For more ideas, contact the Kankakee County CVB!

Dealing with Difficult Clients and Guests

Many of us have to deal with angry or unhappy clients as part of our roles, and it's never easy. But if we know what to say and, more importantly, how to say it, we may be able to save the situation. In fact, we can even end up with a better relationship with our client than we had before.

In this article from Catersource explore how to deal with angry or difficult customers. It highlights specific tips and techniques that you can use to smooth things over, so that you can leave them feeling satisfied. Read the article here.

Meeting Planner's Guide

Kankakee County Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new online Meeting Planner's Guide. This planning guide is designed to assist you with your meeting requirements and to provide you with the information you need to make your meeting a successful event. Download your copy HERE.

Located just an hour south of Chicago off of Interstate 57, the Kankakee River Valley offers a peaceful setting for meetings, retreats, and special events. Find the perfect location for your event from a conference center to auditoriums, classrooms, theaters, and ballrooms.  For a truly unique event consider one of Kankakee County’s historic landmarks or outdoor facilities. 

We are here to assist you with your planning and servicing needs, so please give us a call—it’s toll free: 1-800-747-4837.

How the CVB can help you

What are some of the specific services CVBs offer planners?

·        CVBs can offer unbiased information about services and facilities in the destination.

·        CVBs serve as a vast information database and a one-stop shop, thus saving planners time, energy and money in the development of a meeting.

·        CVBs act as a liaison between the planner and the community. For example, CVBs are aware of community events with which your meeting may beneficially coincide (like festivals or sporting events). .

·        CVBs can help meeting attendees maximize their free time through the creation of pre and post-conference activities, spouse tours, and hosting of special evening events.

·        CVBs can provide hotel room counts and meeting space statistics, and will keep a convention/meetings/events calendar in order to help planners avoid conflicts and/or space shortages.

Other services provided to planners include:

·        Collateral material

·        Help with on-site logistics, including registration

·        Housing bureaus

·        Auxiliary services, such as production companies, catering, transportation

·        Site inspections/familiarization tours and site selection

·        Speakers and local educational opportunities

·        Coordination of local transportation

·        Access to special venues 

 The overall job of a CVB is to market and sell a destination. A CVB wants every single client to be happy. It is going to do everything it can to match every client with the perfect setting and services for its meetings. The bottom line — the CVB is working for you.  

So, make your life easier and let the Kankakee County CVB's fingers do the walking for you!

Creating a Professional Proposal

A proposal is often the first documented impression that you serve up to your client representative of your property. SCENARIO: Your client wants the proposal “yesterday.” You want to give the client the proposal in the requested time frame so you rush through using a proposal you have used before. You forgot to remove references to the past client, the formatting isn’t neat and words are misspelled. If you had used a template, you would be in a better position with your client!

Yes, creating a proposal template that creates a “Wow!” from every client will take hours but they will be hours well spent. Putting together the template at a time when you are not under a tight deadline ensures a better product. After you complete the template you will have time to put it away, let it rest, and review again with a fresh set of eyes or even a new set of eyes of a trusted coworker or editor for fine tuning. When you receive a new request, just tweak your effective proposal template with specific, unique client information that is “dressed to impress!”

Creating a professional proposal template is sure way to give your location the best impression possible to potential clients. The Kankakee County CVB even has a sample template available to style your own. Additionally there are numerous examples available on the Internet by searching "professional proposals". Here is a link to a website with some great examples and ideas.