EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 17
hotel rooms, at more
than 12,000, as well
as plentiful options
for bars, restaurants
and other activities
is important for the
Ocean Center, a large
convention center 400
feet from Daytona
Beach’s shoreline.
“We can be a great
building and a great
destination, but you also have to have pretty good hotel capacity
and availability,” said Tim Riddle, deputy director of the center.
“If we had a beach but nowhere good to eat at night, we
wouldn’t be that attractive,” he said.
Riddle said people go to conventions for the professional
development, but the leisure activities during the breaks are just
as important.
This is where Daytona Beach gives his center an edge on the
national competition.
“When you have a choice of going to the Midwest in February
versus coming to the beach, we’re a pretty easy sell,” he said.
But he admits that it still takes more than this to compete.
“Where you really make a difference is with your people —
customer service,” Riddle said. “We take good care of our clients
because we all want new business, but repeat business is
great too.”
This means helping customers and making sure the facilities
are clean is important. If there is an off-the-street site visit, having
tables and chairs put away between events “shows that you have
your act together,” he said.
The approach is boosting attendance and bookings. Riddle
expects the number of events to reach 136 in the October-
September fiscal year, up from 123 in the previous period when
attendance totaled 286,000 people.
To promote the venue, the Ocean Center advertises in
specialty magazines in the association, business, religious and
sports markets. But it is the sales team that brings in most of the
business by attending trade shows, Riddle said.
“It is a relationship-based selling world,” he said.
NOT AN ISLAND
While the first sales point for the Ocean Center is the venue,
the second is the area itself.
“We are not an island,” Riddle said. “We sell the hotels,
we sell the entertainment, and we sell the leisure part of our
destination every time we sell our venue. It is a package.”
To do this, the Ocean Center works closely with the
advertising authorities, through activities such as sharing booths
at trade events and running ads side by side in publications.
“It shows that the service will be even better because there is
cohesion,” he said.
The center also sends business to other venues in the area if it
can’t fit them into its schedule.
It’s not alone in this sharing. “By collaborating and using our
marketing resources strategically,” said Campbell Baker, “the
message we’re sending out becomes stronger and more inclusive.
It’s just good business, and it’s a win-win for the destination and
for our visitors.”
Charles Newbery is a freelance journalist and
writer. His work has appeared in the Financial
Times, LatinFinance, The New York Times and other
publications. He also writes business content for
companies and ghostwrites op-eds for executives.
He can be reached at [email protected].
When we understand your priorities, we can make
them ours. Whether you’re looking to buy a house,
a vacation home or an investment property, or
you’re ready to renovate or remodel, your home is an
important asset that should be part of your overall
financial strategy. Speak with your Merrill Lynch
financial advisor today about access to financing
options to help you pursue the home — and
lifestyle — you’ve always imagined.
When it comes to your financial life,
there’s no place like home
Let us help you pursue what matters most to you
Lucas D. Haber, CFP ®
Managing Director
Senior Resident Director
Portfolio Manager
NMLS#: 521574
386.274.3033
[email protected]
Merrill Lynch
1616 Concierge Boulevard
Suite 201
Daytona Beach, FL 32117
fa.ml.com/coughlinhaber
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, a registered broker-dealer and Member SIPC, and
other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.
Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed
May Lose Value
The Bull Symbol and Merrill Lynch are trademarks of Bank of America Corporation.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in the U.S.
© 2018 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. | AR9NTDT7 | AD-09-18-0473 | 471101PM-0118 | 09/2018
NOVEMBER 2018 | 17 |