Marketing Visit Sacramento'sConvention Center Expansion
Here’s how we helped Visit Sacramento boldly market their newly expanded Convention Center.
Author: Melanie Schultz
THE CHALLENGE
Visit Sacramento needed an integrated campaign to build excitement for their newly named and expanded SAFE Credit Union Convention Center — and do it in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.
*Challenge Accepted*
THE PARTNERSHIP
Digital Edge marketed an awareness campaign for the new offerings while the convention center was being enhanced. In addition, we bolstered the campaign with a striking design that played off the destination’s bold new branding, developed in-depth content marketing to build excitement, relayed cleanliness and safety, and generated future booking interest.
Making It Happen: During Construction
Digital Edge’s integrated campaign for Sacramento included a comprehensive, always-on digital campaign, layered with meetings trade media, geofencing at major industry shows and sales strategies.
We used content marketing to ensure the website messaging was on point and robust to create more depth of knowledge around the convention center’s expansion and renovations. The strategy included an awareness-focused landing page, a recovery guide, supplemental blogs and fresh website pages. Content was shared via a paid social media strategy, email marketing and video marketing.
Digital Edge researched, wrote and designed a recovery campaign in parallel with marketing the new convention center expansion. We brought health and safety information together with a designed safety seal that Visit Sacramento implemented across businesses in the community. This helped bridge the gap between the campaign and the local implementation for stakeholders.
In addition, because of the timeline of the convention center’s renovation and expansion (January 2019–mid-2021), we were able to leverage the fact that the facility was not exposed to outdoor elements during COVID-19 – a key selling point for meeting planners.
Making It Happen: The Grand Re-Opening
Prior to completion, the Visit Sacramento team managed an email campaign to previous convention center clients, planners who were interested in the project and to local stakeholders. Plus the destination utilized live webcams and time lapse photography.
When the center re-opened in June 2021, Digital Edge took over the email marketing campaign. This included monthly emails that continued to raise awareness for the new facility being open and ready to host. We also created quarterly emails to promote Visit Sacramento’s stacked groups campaign — developing messaging on how multiple groups could meet in the convention center simultaneously, separately and uninterrupted.
“When I became the Chief Sales Officer at San Francisco Travel, Digital Edge customized a digital sales strategy that not only produced results but was embraced by our convention sales team. Now, as Chief Operating Officer at Visit Sacramento- we have hired Digital Edge to elevate our sales effectiveness to a whole new level.”
-John G. Reyes, Chief Operating Officer Visit Sacramento
Key Metrics By Phase
During Construction
177%
Increase in Visit Sacramento Website Sessions
1,870,956
Total Media Campaign Impressions
9,406
Website & Landing Page Total Visitors
Re-Opening/Post-Construction
170%
Increase in Visit Sacramento Website Sessions
2,156,253
Total Media Campaign Impressions
10,224
Website & Landing Page Total Visitors
25.92%
Avg. Email Open Rate (B2B Industry Average = 21%)
Let's Chat
To learn more about how we’re helping destination marketing organizations with their convention center expansions/renovations or new meetings product, reach out to see how we can work with you.
