Readers' Choice: Best CVB Websites

Readers' Choice: Best CVB Websites

Fifteen websites have been selected for ConventionSouth magazine's first-ever Readers' Choice for Best CVB Website Award for 2009. Earlier this year, we asked you to name the convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) that you believe has the most useful online tools for planning events and website resources for marketing their destination to attendees.

Nominated websites were reviewed in-depth by our editorial team and a field of 15 sites were selected.

The award-winning CVB websites along with an explanation of why the reader nominated them include:

—Columbia (S.C.) Metropolitan CVB (www.columbiacvb.com): Offers a blog especially oriented for meeting planners and has a "meeting planner's corner" with tips and advice from the CVB staff.

—Fort Worth CVB (www.fortworth.com): Allows attendees to map out a tour of the city with specific sites for their personalized itinerary. Meeting pros can search for hot dates/rates.

—Galveston Island CVB (www.galveston.com): Posts videos and updated podcasts on what's going on in the area, and has up-to-date information on area hotels following Hurricane Ike.

—Greater Birmingham (Ala.) CVB (www.birminghamal.org): Allows planners to search for meeting facilities based on several criteria such as square footage of meeting space, number of meeting rooms and area of the city. Provides in-depth information for planning sports events.

—Greater Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) CVB (www.sunny.org): Provides information on holding green meetings, including which meeting hotels have been certified by Florida Green Lodging and where planners can find vendors that offer green services. Shares info for groups who wish to volunteer their time.

—Greater Miami CVB (www.miamiandbeaches.com): Provides a special page for planning meetings for groups of 100 or less, offers hot dates and rates for area hotels, and has an in-depth travel guide for attendees.

—New Orleans Metropolitan CVB (www.neworleanscvb.com): Has a detailed meeting planning toolkit that includes insight on marketing the destination to attendees, housing attendees and special request forms for services need. Also shared information on holding green meetings.

—Northern Kentucky CVB (www.nkycvb.com): Provides a 360-degree aerial tour of the region, offers hot dates and rates, and has a special section for religious, sports, military and similar groups.

—Nashville CVB (www.visitmusiccity.com): Offers a special public relations manual for meeting planners to assist them with promoting their event in Nashville and has an attendee discount program for attractions in the area.

—Tallahassee (Fla.) CVB (www.visittallahassee.com): Provides an online version of the city's facilities guide that is easy to navigate and smaller in size so it loads faster. Shares information on special housing needs when state legislature is in session.

—San Antonio CVB (www.visitsanantonio.com): Allows you to create your own room block map by selecting properties in certain parts of town.

—Tampa Bay (Fla.) & Company (www.visittampabay.com): Offers a blog specifically gear toward meeting planners and details of social responsibility—or volunteering—programs for groups.

—Virginia Beach CVB (www.vbfun.com): Has an interactive planning map and allows you to customize a Virginia Beach postcard to send to attendees.

—Visit Charlotte (N.C.) (www.charlottesgotalot.com): Has a presentation assistant application to assist planners with bringing a meeting to the city.

—Visit Jacksonville (Fla.) (www.visitjacksonville.com): Offers detailed information on promotional materials available for attendance boosting as well as other planning tools.