Why Your Business Should Work With Discover Saratoga
Saratoga Springs has been considered a top tourist attraction for centuries. As early as the 1800s, tourists have flocked to Saratoga for a taste of our bubbling mineral springs. Saratoga is synonymous with thoroughbred racing and Saratoga Race Course is one of the top tourist attractions in the region. With impressive performance venues like Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Universal Preservation Hall and Caffe Lena, the Spa City also has a rich history of arts and culture. Elegant hotels, upscale shopping and dining, and state-of-the-art meeting facilities provide a perfect mix for hosting meetings, conventions, and events.
With prime conference season right around the corner, there’s no better time to get to know your local convention and tourism bureau.
What Is a CVB?
A convention and tourism bureau (CVB) is typically a nonprofit organization that provides free education and resources to local communities and travelers with the goal of promoting travel to a destination for conventions and events, as well as other hospitality businesses. CVBs boost local economies by drawing in outside travel spending to the areas they serve. Their comprehensive knowledge of a region’s venues, culture, activities, and other amenities is second to none.
About Discover Saratoga
The mission of Discover Saratoga, also known as the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau, is to deliver a positive impact on the local economy by promoting and marketing Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County as a world-class destination for meetings, conventions, and groups. Discover Saratoga serves as a hub that connects visitors, event planners, and guests with local venues including the Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center and the many establishments managed by our 500 members. As a key economic development engine for our community, Discover Saratoga continues to drive millions of tourism and event dollars into the Saratoga Springs economy.
We Are Destination Experts
Discover Saratoga helps meeting planners find the perfect destination for their convention, meeting, conference, or event by offering the following FREE services:
- Offering deep, insider information about transportation, lodging, dining, and attraction options across Saratoga County;
- Facilitating relationships between clients and hospitality partners, including distribution of requests for proposals (RFPs);
- Conducting on-site facility tours that provide meeting planners with firsthand experience of the hotel and/or meeting venue;
- Providing meeting planners with valuable resources, like destination maps and guides, a customizable landing page, room block coordination, dining reservations, welcome letters and VIP gifts, volunteers, and more!
Discover Saratoga Weddings is a growing segment of our operation that attracts new destination weddings and groups to Saratoga County. During our sales process, we refer couples to local wedding vendors, helping our businesses and communities thrive!
Why Work With Discover Saratoga?
The goal of Discover Saratoga is to connect visiting groups with all the resources they need to have the best possible meeting experience. We market the collective services of our 500 member businesses to visitors and meeting planners, and through other marketing channels, like website, email, and social media. Our members provide visitors and event attendees with lodging, event space, dining, shopping, entertainment, recreation, and more. At the same time, we are enhancing the economic vibrancy of Saratoga Springs and the region.
In 2019, Discover Saratoga worked with 592 groups, who generated 98,765 room nights, with an estimated annual economic impact of $65.6 million! In fact, the Discover Saratoga group market was responsible for 1 of every 5 room nights booked in the city.
Saratoga Springs remains a vibrant, in-demand destination that people want to visit, hold meetings and conduct business in, and of course, live and play!
To learn more about becoming a member of Discover Saratoga, please contact Connie Crudo at connie@discoversaratoga.org or (518) 584-1531. You can also visit www.discoversaratoga.org.
