The future for events and meetings for smaller cities is brighter than ever. And the proof for Montgomery is in the numbers: for the past three years, Montgomery has led all other Alabama metro cities in the state with the highest hotel occupancy. In 2016, travelers in Montgomery spent over $511,000,000, and tourism was responsible directly and indirectly for more than 12,157 jobs. And, Montgomery is taking a top spot in 2017 as a Trivago Best Value Destination.
No, a SMERF is not a cute, little, blue creature no more than three apples high, but I understand the confusion! SMERF is an acronym used in the travel and tourism industry to describe the five small group meeting market segments – Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal.
Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) identified community alignment as a vitally important ingredient to the branding and marketing success of destinations. Very little can be accomplished within a destination, if entities are not working together. Here are a few ideas on how locals could add some pep to your DMO marketing program.
