Reno-Sparks CVA Offers a Reward
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 7/24/2006
If you can't charm meeting planners with venue stats and amenities, maybe a little something for their wallet would work.
The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority is offering American Express Reward cards worth up to $500 to meeting planners who book hotels in the area. The "Pick a Date in 2008" incentive program is an effort to generate new leads and book meetings and conventions in the area. Each meeting planner booking a meeting or convention at participating hotels between February and June 2008 receives an American Express Rewards card valued at between $150 and $500, depending on the number of room nights booked.
The program is evidence of how aggressively the Reno-Sparks CVA meetings and conventions sales team is pursuing and securing new business for 2008, said Knud Svendsen, CVA vice president of sales and marketing. By providing such incentives, he said, the bureau hopes to increase the area's value to groups that have thought of booking there.
Svendsen said the Reno-Sparks CVA has a strategy for increasing its convention business in 2008 and beyond, and the rewards program is a first step toward accomplishing that.
Larry Newman, American Express Incentive Services vice president of sales, said prepaid cards are typically very effective for this type of incentive program.
Planners who book a meeting or convention at participating hotels in the Reno-Tahoe area for early 2008 by the end of this year will receive a reward card according to the following breakdown of rooms booked:
- 100–500 room nights: $150 gift card
- 501–1000 room nights: $250 gift card
- 1,001 or more room nights: $500 gift card
