Branding the convention experience

With an industry in flux an agency needed a new path.

In Massachusetts, meetings and conventions generate economic activity, spark innovation, and keep us at the forefront of industry. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) operates several of the most important convention and event venues in the region, including the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) in South Boston, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Back Bay, and the MassMutual Center in Springfield. These venues do more than attract over 700,000 visitors and generate nearly $800 million in economic activity: they also drive innovation. But the convention market has been changing: new technology has transformed the way people gather, exchange ideas, and network. How does an agency dedicated to growing the convention business stay relevant in such an environment? How can Boston compete with larger cities?

Services Provided:

• Branding
• Marketing
• Strategic Messaging
• Content
• Design
• UX/UI
• Digital
• Video/Photography

Marketing Boston as a brand and Destination

Our own formative, competitive, and survey research showed us that venues were no longer the selling point for meeting professionals and other decision makers. What the market wanted was remarkable experiences for exhibitors and attendees – something that, fortunately, the MCCA and Boston could provide in spades. This insight led us to a three-fold strategy: first, we would refocus external communications toward experiences, rather than venues; second, we would work to break internal barriers and create seamless customer relationships with meeting organizers; and third, we would create a unified brand for the Boston convention experience, one that put all Boston has to offer front and center.

This strategy drove our work to write, design, and produce an innovative sales kit that brought the Hynes Convention Center and the BCEC together and prioritized outstanding service over architectural features and square footage. We also worked with the MCCA’s strategic team to redefine the entire sales process and put the customer – not the MCCA’s internal departments – as the primary focus.

The capstone of our work with the MCCA was Signature Boston: a new brand strategy to increase revenue and maintain Massachusetts’ domestic and international leadership in the meetings and conventions industry. By focusing on experiences – rather than venues – Signature Boston has gone a long way towards unifying a wide range of MCCA’s products and services and building a customer-centric perspective across the organization. Signature Boston has also become the public-facing brand of the MCCA, visible in everything from building banners and signage to marketing materials and online presence.