Attendees are always looking for authentic experiences when they travel, and they don’t want to wait to experience the destination until the end of the meeting. Planners can integrate local knowledge assets and intellectual capital into their meeting to create a unique and authentic attendee experience.

What is Intellectual Capital? Intellectual capital is a result of creativity/innovation belonging to a particular individual, organization, or community. Examples include: Businesses, entrepreneurs, award winners, government, arts and sciences, colleges and universities.

Follow these three tips to leverage the intellectual capital of a destination

Prepare for the conversation with the host city to support meeting design concept.

Tapping into the intellectual capital of a destination isn’t as simple as doing an internet search, but requires an in-depth conversation with an expert. While in the early planning stages, be prepared to discuss with the CVB the meeting’s overall goals and objectives so that they can help provide ideas and resources available in their destination to meet those goals.

Q: What type of information and/or questions should planners ask when meeting with the CVB?  Examples include: providing the attendee profile, the goals of the meeting, budget baseline, and the top three hot topics attendees are talking about.

Align the goals of the meeting and attendee profile with destination appeal.

By aligning the goals of the meeting and attendee profile with the host destination’s appeal, planners are providing differentiation at its finest! Enrich program offerings with certain local industry clusters or business segments.

Q: What are some examples of intellectual capital a planner could utilize? Perhaps the topic of your upcoming meeting content can be enhanced with local powerful speakers, a panel of experts, offsite educational tours, or cutting-edge ideas and innovations. The possibilities are only limited by one’s own creativity!

Utilize the CVB as a conduit to differentiate the meeting.

The CVB is fully equipped to help planners orchestrate a meeting that is not generic in nature, but one that is tied to what planners are trying to accomplish and appeals to the attendees. Initiating the call to the CVB upfront assures planners they can make a fully informed decision. Think of the CVB destination experts as the gateway to the city’s offerings.

Q: When is the best time to start working with the CVB to utilize its intellectual capital? Get in touch with the local destination experts at the CVB at least 18 months before your meeting or before you send out your RFP. By engaging with them from the beginning of the planning process, you’ll ensure that you have a partner dedicated to the success of your meeting program. Best of all, their services are free.

By being prepared, aligning the goals of the meeting with the host city’s destination appeal and utilizing the experts at the CVB, planners can feel confident they are fully integrating the destination into their meeting.