How would you like some Texas food by a renowned chef, great queso and some rockin’ Texas blues.
Plenty of that around Fort Worth, but last week you could have found it in Pittsburgh.
Visit Fort Worth turned up the heat in its convention sales effort last week with celebrity-inspired spices and queso for potential customers.
Visit Fort Worth took samples of the city’s local food and music on the road to Steel City, where more than 3,500 convention planners were gathering for their industry’s leading conference.
Conventions are big business in Fort Worth, part of the $2.4 billion annual visitor economy.
Visit Fort Worth partnered with Chef Tim Love of Lonesome Dove and musician Sam Anderson of Quaker City Night Hawks (QCNH) to showcase a sample of the city’s creative vibe to meeting planners through hands-on activations:
Chef Tim Love Spice Station: Hundreds of attendees created their own custom spice combo with supplies from Pendery’s. Spices included: rosemary, thyme, Guajillo Chile powder, toasted cumin, brown sugar, cracked black pepper, dried lemon zest, dried garlic, kosher salt, Mexican oregano, ground nori, toasted sesame seeds, dried orange zest, red Chile flakes, fennel, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
Quaker City Night Hawks and Mrs. Renfro’s: Conference goers got a taste of Mrs. Renfro’s Queso Blanco (inspired by a QCNH album) while listening to a live performance from lead Night Hawk Sam Anderson.
Love and Anderson helped share the Fort Worth story with hundreds of planners responsible for signing convention contracts with cities like Fort Worth, Nashville and Charlotte.
“It’s bringing local flair to this convention. It’s nice to connect with people who have an impact on the local community,” said Sekeno Aldred, director of events and sponsorships for Goodwill Industries International.
Visit Fort Worth served as a premier sponsor at the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) Convening Leaders Conference.
“Taking Fort Worth ambassadors on the road showcases our city’s story in an immersive way,” said Mitch Whitten, Visit Fort Worth executive vice president for marketing and strategy. “Sharing the personalities, flavors and sounds gives meeting planners the opportunity to get to know the people who make Fort Worth meetings unique.”
Last year Visit Fort Worth featured partners such as MELT Ice Cream, Craftwork Coffee, Magdalena’s and musicians like Summer Dean, Bonnie Bishop, Grady Spencer and Abraham Alexander at other meeting industry events, including PCMA’s Smart Woman Summit, National Tour Association (NTA) and Meeting Professional International (MPI).