# Convention Sales and Marketing Activities Study

**Publisher:** Destinations International  
**Published:** n/a  
**Category:** Destinations, NTOs & DMOs  
**Type:** Study  
**Access:** Free PDF  
**Official source:** https://destinationsinternational.org/reports/convention-sales-and-marketing-activities-study  
**Canonical:** https://tourismintel.ai/reports/convention-sales-and-marketing-activities-study-0bdba5

## At a glance
- Study covers 180 destination organizations and convention centers across multiple market tiers globally.
- Respondent organizations collectively spent more than one-third of a billion dollars on meetings and conventions sales, marketing and services.
- Report examines online and digital marketing activities, attendance support and onsite convention services by destination tier.
- Breaks down revenues, expenses, and programme practices to guide strategic planning and budgeting for convention sales teams.

## What the report covers
The 2013 Convention Sales and Marketing Activities Study examines the strategies and spending patterns of 180 destination organizations and convention centers active in the meetings and conventions sector. Published by Destinations International, the study provides benchmarking data on sales and marketing programmes segmented by destination market tier, including digital activities, attendance support, onsite services, and financial performance. The research aims to guide destination professionals in programme design, budgeting and strategic planning.

## Key findings
The study surveyed 180 destination organizations and convention centers globally, representing collective spending of more than one-third of a billion dollars on sales, marketing and services activities in the meetings and conventions marketplace. This scale of investment underscores the significance of convention business to destination marketing strategies and the substantial resources committed by the sector.

Findings are segmented by destination market tier, enabling organizations to benchmark their practices and spending patterns against peers operating at similar scales. The report breaks down online and digital marketing activities, attendance marketing support programmes, and onsite convention services by tier—reflecting how destination scale influences sales and marketing approach and investment allocation.

The study captures both revenues and expenses across responding organizations, providing financial transparency on convention sales and marketing operations. This dual focus on spending and returns enables destination leaders to evaluate programme efficiency and justify budget allocation to stakeholders.

## Key numbers
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Destination organizations and convention centers surveyed | 180 | Global sample, 2013 study |
| Collective spending on convention sales, marketing and services | More than one-third of a billion dollars | Reported by 180 respondent organizations, 2013 |

## Why it matters
**DMOs & destinations** — This study provides destination leaders with benchmarking data on convention sales and marketing spending, programme components and financial performance segmented by destination tier. Access to peer practices and budget allocations supports informed strategic planning, justifies investment decisions to boards and stakeholders, and identifies best practices within comparable market segments.

**Hotels & hospitality** — Hotels and convention facilities benefit from understanding how destination organizations structure their convention sales support, digital marketing and onsite services programmes. This intelligence clarifies destination-level strategy, helps hotels align their own convention services with DMO activities, and informs partnership discussions on marketing support and client servicing expectations.

**Travel tech & distribution** — Convention technology and distribution platforms gain insight into how 180 major destination organizations allocate budget to online, digital and marketing systems in the meetings sector. Understanding spending patterns, tool adoption and programme structures across market tiers helps vendors design products, pricing models and partnership strategies tailored to destination organization needs.

## Methodology and limits
The study surveyed 180 destination organizations and convention centers globally. Respondents reported spending and programme data across sales, marketing and services activities in the meetings and conventions marketplace. Results were segmented by destination market tier to enable comparative analysis. This brief is based on the publicly available summary only; the full report PDF details methodology, findings and segmented benchmarks.

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© Destinations International for the original report. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel (https://tourismintel.ai). Read the original: https://destinationsinternational.org/reports/convention-sales-and-marketing-activities-study