Strategies to Help Boost Attendance Numbers

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Q&A with Shelly Moore, Membership Director at the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Shelly Moore is the Membership Director with Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and shares her recent experience holding a meeting in Kalispell, Montana. From the attendees utter awe in experiencing Glacier National Park to the CVBs hands on approach throughout the planning process, Shelly’s experience with Kalispell and the CVB was nothing short of great.

Tell us, what does your job entail?

Shelly: On a daily basis much of my time is focused on providing member support and overseeing the services we offer to our members, including posting content to and monitoring our website and member promotion via social media.

I’m responsible for our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, to ensure the smooth operation of membership applications and renewals processing. I also assist in the planning of our annual business conference, where I handle the majority of the logistics for the event at our main venue.

Tell us your favorite meeting planner hack?

Shelly: I’ve learned to keep a spreadsheet with the hour-by-hour and day-by-day details of our event, which I populate with the current year’s information. Everything from how many garbage cans we need to meal selections to the banner hanging schedule. This helps cut down on errors and omissions of details such as A/V needs, room setup, etc. I provide this to the venue in the early planning stages so they have a clear layout of our needs, and I also use the document when it comes time to review our BEOs.

What is one of your significant job challenges that working with the Kalispell CVB team helped you solve?

Shelly: One major challenge that the Kalispell team helped us solve was boosting our registration numbers. They provided some great incentives to our members to help offset their conference expenses, and it worked very well. In addition, they provided some fantastic volunteers to help during the event. They met, and exceeded, all of our needs from a CVB.

What are some of the distinctive destination offerings of Kalispell that helped to make your meeting great? 

Shelly: Glacier National Park was without a doubt the most distinctive attribute of Kalispell. Our attendees fell in love with the mountains and all the beauty that Kalispell had to offer. The CVB also found us amazing locations for our off-site events.

How would you describe the relationship you have with the CVB? What would you compare it to?

Shelly: The CVB is like a right arm for our organization during the planning stages. They are our boots on the ground during a crucial time when we’re not able to be there. They are a liaison for us between not only our main venue, but also  with our off-site venues as well. CVBs really can make or break POMA’s conference.

What did your attendees say about your overall experience in Kalispell? 

Shelly: The majority of our attendees had nothing but positive things to say about Kalispell and their experience there. Again, from Glacier National Park to the natural beauty of the location in general, along with the many outdoor recreation choices that it offered, this all made our attendees very happy.

Did you use a unique venue for a gathering or event while in Kalispell? 

Shelly: We were lucky enough to utilize two unique venues for functions. First, we experienced a phenomenal welcome event, planned by the Kalispell CVB, which included a cocktail cruise on the Far West that took attendees to our destination of the Flathead Lake Lodge. It was an amazing evening with fantastic food, a great local musician and a warm welcoming feel to kick off the event.

The second was the Lakeside Club, which we used for our POMA Camps event. Lakeside was a spectacular location that resulted in a very successful event.

What do you see as innovative or trending in the future of the meeting’s industry? 

Shelly: Our industry tends to run on different trends than the “norm”, but I feel that providing a great experience for attendees will continue to be a crucial part of the meeting’s industry as a whole. Our attendees don’t want to just sit in a room learning for the entire event, they want to experience the area and take advantage of opportunities it has available. In my opinion, this can usually only be achieved when working with a CVB. Utilizing their knowledge of their destonation is essential to taking advantage of all the area has to offer and, as a result, giving attendees what they want.

Plane your next meeting in Kalispell, Montana. Learn more here