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San Jose Hoteliers, Convention and Visitors Bureau Execs and
City Reps Converge on New York and Chicago
to Promote San Jose

SAN JOSE, CA (June 19, 2007) �Nearly 20 San Jose hoteliers, convention and visitors bureau sales staff and City representatives are converging on New York and Chicago this week to promote San Jose as a premier meeting destination to meeting planners and media.
�We�re in New York and Chicago this week promoting San Jose�s innovative one-stop shopping program for meeting planners and the fact that offer a fun and exciting destination to explore beyond business,� said Dan Fenton, president & CEO of the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB) and chairman of Team San Jose.  We offer service no one else can because we created Team San Jose, a unique partnership between hotels, organized labor, the arts and business community � all at the table ensuring a seamless experience for meeting planners.�

The delegation will be meeting with 126 planners representing more than 4,000 meetings for 85 organizations in New York June 18-20 and Chicago June 20-22, 2007.  According to Mary Gallagher, SJCVB Regional Director for National Accounts, this is the first time San Jose has reached out on this level to the New York market.

�We�re really excited to reach out more aggressively to the New York market and strengthen our relationships in the Chicago area,� Gallagher said.  �We�ve had an incredible response from corporate, non-profit and association management companies who are interested in San Jose as a potential meeting destination.� 

The expanded sales and media mission was made possible by a new initiative created by the SJCVB and local hotels � the San Jose Hotels, Inc. � a partnership of 35 hotels leveraging resources with each other and the SJCVB to enhance destination sales and marketing.
�We think we represent the new wave in how hotels partner to bring in business,� said delegate Clifton Clark, general manager of the San Jose Marriott and founding board member of San Jose Hotels, Inc.  �Our goal for establishing this organization is to improve our customer focus and establish long-term business partnerships.  Instead of competing with each other, our mindset is that if we all work together we all benefit.�

Delegate Sue Davis, director of special projects for Photonics West, joined the delegation to help promote the Team San Jose service concept which she has experienced first-hand as a client. 

�The wonderful thing as a client is that I only have to deal with one highly trained person who has the authority to arrange everything for me from competitive hotel rates and meeting space to event permits and customized menus.  They make everything easy for me and I want to help spread the word to other meeting planners. My delegates love to come because San Jose feels like a campus; they can walk from the convention center to many of the dynamic hotels, restaurants, bars and performing arts venues and in five minutes they can ride to great shopping at Santana Row or Valley Fair.    If they stay the weekend they can drive to all the local wineries and nearby theme parks as well � and we�re only 40 minutes from the beach and great day trips to Monterey and Carmel.�

To bring service to a higher level, delegates are speaking to clients about how the San Jose visitor industry and City representatives are in the process of planning a redesigned and expanded convention center that will be curated and provide an environment more reflective of the innovation and creativity that made Silicon Valley famous.  The team is also promoting one of San Jose�s greatest assets � the Norman Y. Mineta International Airport (SJC), located just five miles from downtown.  The airport is undergoing a $1.5 billion project to completely re-do the SJC by 2010 with upgraded concessions, state-of-the-art high-speed baggage handling system, convenient and consolidated rental car garage and technologically sophisticated systems that will improve airport operations and service to a customer base of 11 million people and growing.

�We�re here to capitalize on our conveniently located airport which offers great service,� said SJC Aviation Director Bill Sherry.  �We offer direct service from all major hubs or one-stop access from virtually anywhere in the country.  We�re committed to easy access and now have a system where nearly every visitor is in a taxi within five minutes of leaving baggage claim.  I don�t know of many other cities which offer all this.�

Meeting planners who�ve taken advantage of San Jose�s convention facilities, service and destination assets report a customer satisfaction rate of 94 percent, said Fenton.  �Although our Team San Jose and San Jose Inc. concepts are still pretty new, we�re getting great feedback and results.  Team San Jose has increased revenues by 50% in just three years and with the new San Jose Hotels Inc. partnership we have more dollars to do more outreach efforts like this sales and media mission.  Once planners hear about and try San Jose, they want to come back.  We really believe we�re changing the paradigm on how conventions should be sold and executed, which is a win-win for everyone.�

About Team San Jose
Team San Jose�s mission is to ensure that San José�s Convention Center and Cultural Facilities are effectively managed to reduce costs, improve the local economy, and add value for our customers, residents, workers, and businesses within the City of San Jose. Team San Jose�s board includes local hoteliers, organized labor, the arts and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

About The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB)
The San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau (SJCVB) mission is to enhance the image and economic well being of San Jose by marketing San Jose as a globally recognized destination.  The SJCVB offers meeting planners, tour operators, and individual visitors a wide range of services to ensure a successful event and fun visit to San Jose. To receive a copy of the Bureau�s Meeting Planning Guide or Official Visitors Guide, please contact the SJCVB at 1.800.SAN.JOSE (1.800.726.5673) or visit http://www.sanjose.org.

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Contact:

Jeanne Sullivan
650-215-8156
[email protected]
 

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