The Branson Convention Center, a client of Geile/Leon Marketing Communications, one of St. Louis’ Best Public Relations Firms, is featured prominently in the latest issue of Meetings Mid-America. Geile/Leon PR worked with the editors to have Branson Convention Center executives included as experts in the story about the growing trend of Family-Friendly Meeting Destinations. The article points out the recent popularity of family-friendly meeting locales because of families being more short on cash and leisure time.
Family-friendly meetings are also a growing source of business in Branson, Mo., according to Bill Derbins, general manager of the Branson Convention Center, Branson Downtown Hotel and the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing.“That is our market, especially in the summer,” he says. “We have so many fun things to do—amusement parks, waterparks, lakes for boating and fishing—you can even go hiking in the Ozarks. Back in town, you can visit 80 theaters where we have 120 live shows.”Branson’s numbers speak for themselves. According to Derbins, more than 60 percent of the city’s meetings have a family component from June through August. During the school year, they are down just 10 percent.
Increasingly, destinations and properties are courting the market with amenities that encourage people to combine a meeting with a family vacation.