Press ESC to close

Michigan CVB recognized for excellence

Experience Grand Rapids Vice President of Sales and Service Mary Manier and Director of Sales Kelsey Helstowski receive Northstar Meetings Group Stella Award ||Courtesy of Experience Grand Rapids

Several Michigan convention and visitors bureaus were recognized this year for industry excellence. Experience Grand Rapids received a Gold Award in the 2024 Stella Awards from Northstar Meetings Group. Experience Grand Rapids was named the best convention and visitors bureau/destination marketing organization in the Midwest, earning a Gold Award for excellence in 16 convention industry categories, including overall excellence, food and beverage, employee professionalism, sustainability development initiatives and other key aspects and event experiences of conferences. Awards are voted on and judged by meeting planners.

“We have meeting planners (we call them passionate advocates) who are here to hold meetings or interact with our team to talk about what a great destination we are,” said Mary, vice president of sales and service at Experience Grand Rapids Mary Manier said. “It’s all working. We’re genuinely listening to their needs.”

According to Northstar Meetings Group’s summary of the Experience Grand Rapids awards, the Experience Grand Rapids team tailors the meeting site experience based on pre-personal contact with planners, ensuring attendees’ time in the city is relevant and useful. The bureau also uses feedback from on-site experience guests to help it reshape familiarization tours along similar lines and help train hotel and venue partners to deliver better tours at their sites.

“We really listen to what our customers want and give them what they need, and I think that really sets us apart as opposed to everything being cookie-cutter,” Manier said. “As soon as a customer books a ticket in Grand Rapids, our service team does this immediately.”

Experience Grand Rapids and Traverse City Tourism also received Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Awards. These awards recognize special venues and destinations that meeting planners can consider when looking for partners. The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Traverse City were also listed as Platinum Choice Award recipients.

In addition, the Michigan Convention and Visitors Bureau Destination Ann Arbor and Visit Detroit have been named Meetings Today 2024 Best Of award winners for Best Central America Convention and Visitors Bureau/Destination Marketing Organization. Meeting planners also participated in voting for the winners.

Northstarmeetingsgroup.com/the-stella-awards

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Canopy Tents Professional Customization

- Sponsored Ad -
Canopy Tents Professional Customization