If you believe that the best things in life are free, then you’ll love the meeting planning services you can receive from convention and visitors bureaus.

“We are like an arm of [meeting planners’] planning,” says Madonna Carr, director of convention services at Meet Minneapolis (www.meetminneapolis.org). “We’re their partner.”

How exactly can a CVB help your group? You may be surprised at the number of services you can receive – and all for free.

Whether your group is traveling to another city or staying in your hometown, the services available from a CVB are wide-ranging. With services such as contacting hotels, sending e-mails to promote your event, providing information about local attractions, contacting local sponsors, working with host committees and assisting with requests for proposals, a CVB is your one-stop planning shop. “We’re the one place to call to get all their questions answered,” Carr says. “We are an authority on the area.”

There are a few things a meeting planner will need to know prior to contacting a CVB: your group’s budget; the number of people who need accommodations (if any); the size of meeting space needed; and whether you want to be close to a certain church, attraction or free parking. Then make one call to the CVB in the city you’ll be meeting in and voila! Your meeting planning is nearly halfway completed. ...