Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/999395
Albert Tucker is highly fond of the personal approach.He feels that it's important to invest time and energy in learning all he can about the conferences, conventions and religious groups that his city desires to accommodate. "The main thing that I do," says Tucker, "is make it a point to begin a personal relationship with them. When I'm interacting with an individual that is looking for their next destina- tion for an upcoming event, I make it a point to learn a little about them from a personal standpoint; what are some of their interests, what their specific role is in the planning procedure, their desired outcome for this ven- ture. My national sales manager Angela, attends the var- ious African-American meetings and conventions in representation of our CVB. This enables us to also reach out to the religious market. When planning a FAM tour I invite the organizers to activities in Greater Fort Lauderdale that I think would be of interest to them. We have a major music element here called Jazz in the Gardens. I'll invite an organiza- tion's meeting planners and decision makers to that activ- ity. We also highlight our Convention Center and put them in one of our best hotels, namely the Westin Diplomat Hotel. "I always tell people that you have to put your money where your mouth is. In order to keep our destination before the African-American market, I really focus on making sure that we spend our dollars utilizing the mar- ket that's going to get the word out to Black meeting plan- ners and suppliers. Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB adver- tises in Black Meetings and Tourism magazine, Black Enterprise and Pathfinders. The African-American audi- ence that we are interested in traditionally reads these magazines as their culture is highlighted and they feel connected to them. ALBERT TUCKER, Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB the personal approach.He feels that it's important to invest time and energy in learning all he can about the conferences, conventions and religious groups that his city desires to accommodate. "The main thing that I do," says Tucker, "is make it a point to begin time at personal hosted websites than any other group. "Learning about a desired consumers behavior allows advertisers to see them as opportunity markets. If their need is high, but access is low, that may be a great segment to market your product to. Additionally, companies in this industry need to be sure they are talking to their desired consumers and not at them. Talking at them is when your advertisement relays no sensitivity to things that are impor- tant to your audience and it becomes obvious that you are unable to truly relate. Talking to them means you humanize the Black experience, which helps them know that "I'm thinking about you, I'm empathetic to you and I under- stand you. Music is always a good way to reach people and Black people have a big connection to music; it matters cul- turally to us. As listed in the Nielson report, television is high with African-Americans. Festivals, be they neighbor- hood, destination, or music are very attractive also," reports Brown. "When destinations are serious, about reaching multicultural busi- nesses, they'll demonstrate involve- ment on a regular and full-time basis; not just on Martin Luther King day and Cinco de Mayo. They have to know the customer and what their particular needs are. The more time a company invests in getting to know a cul- ture, means they are more likely to be the ones that get the bulk of the business. "Some CVBs and hotels just aren't trained or qual- ified. Their representatives may have big titles or degrees and salaries, but they are not trained to know how to deal with a diverse audience. They've never been in any effective multicultural training. However, there are some destinations that work harder than oth- ers to successfully reach out to the multicultural mar- ket. They know the importance of spending the money to advertise in Black Meetings & Tourism for example. By having a presence in BM&T one can see which hotels and CVBs are involved on a regular basis, not just once a year. Additionally, those who consistently invest in reaching this market are sensitive to tailor their ads specifically towards African-Americans. ROY JAY, Association of African-American Meeting Professionals (AAAMPRO) about reaching multicultural busi- nesses, they'll demonstrate involve- ment on a regular and full-time basis; not just on Martin Luther King day and Cinco de Mayo. They have to know the customer and what their particular needs are. 31 B M & T ••• May/June 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com