The Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau serves as the official marketing and sales agency for the Greater Greenville, South Carolina area. Greenville is located in the Upstate region of the state, and is nestled on I-85 between the metropolises of Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. The CVB Visitor’s Guide describes Greenville’s location by stating, “South Carolina is shaped like an eagle looking westward. Greenville is situated like the eye of the eagle” (Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2009). The city’s population stands at approximately 70,000, while the metro area is home to 400,000.
Each year over 4.8 million visitors choose Greenville as their destination of choice. This accounts for over $876 million in visitor expenditures and $51 million contributed in state and local tax revenue. Local residents reap these benefits of visitor travel with $228 million in wages/salaries (GCVB, 2009). AARP: The Magazine named Greenville as the country’s #2 “Best Place to Live.”
The Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit 501 (c) 6 organization that was established in 1984. The CVB is governed by a Board of Directors, and its staff of nine is led by a President. The Board is comprised of key players in the hospitality industry. The funding for the organization comes from membership sales (dues and other sponsored support) as well as from a percentage of the accommodations tax (currently set at 2%). The GCVB’s current operating budget stands at $1.8 million. The CVB’s staff is small, thus there aren’t any traditional departments. Of the nine positions, three are dedicated to sales. To adapt to current economic conditions, the organization has streamlined the services offered and allocated 70% of resources to meeting and convention sales. The sales structure used to be based on industry; however, it has just recently been revamped to be geographically focused.
The Greenville CVB works with several other agencies whose...