R.I. boosters and so much more

IT TAKES A TEAM: The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau team works on multiple fronts to increase the profile of Providence and Warwick, with the goal of growing the tourism and convention business here. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
IT TAKES A TEAM: The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau team works on multiple fronts to increase the profile of Providence and Warwick, with the goal of growing the tourism and convention business here. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

It would be difficult to find a bigger fan of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau than Kristin Stone. She is general manager of the Providence Riverboat Co., which joined the PWCVB’s program about three years ago.

“I cannot even begin to tell you how much it has changed our business and changed our lives,” said Stone, whose partner Thomas McGinn bought the company in 2004. “It’s been an unbelievable shot in the arm for us. That being said, we work it to its fullest.”

That means the couple says yes to every opportunity offered by the PWCVB – which has a goal to grow the meeting and visitor industry in the area – including taking part in giveaways and making tours available to bloggers and journalists, along with attending monthly meetings where marketing experts help educate business owners.

Stone said that what was originally a part-time business for McGinn that catered to locals hanging out at The Hot Club, where the boat embarks from, has tripled its business since joining the PWCVB. It’s shifted to a tourism focus, and she said tourism is 80 percent of the business.

- Advertisement -

Stone said the PWCVB made them see how beneficial a tourism focus could be. She and others in the hospitality industry believe that the organization has been instrumental in bringing more tourism to the area.

Providence has certainly gotten on the map in the last couple of years, garnering attention from national media, including Travel + Leisure, The New York Times, Thrillist, NerdWallet and USA Today.

“That, for us, is important because it tells the potential visitor, from a third-party perspective, that Providence is a great destination,” said Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of the PWCVB.

The bureau helps the city nab high-profile events, such as first two rounds of March’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

“Our team worked really hard for a year preparing for that tournament, and we worked in conjunction with Providence College and our partner at Dunkin’ Donuts Center, and we sold out every game,” Sheridan said. The group added a festival and closed down streets to help expand the event, which the PWCVB estimates generated $3.5 million in direct spending.

Innovative collaborations help the organization put Providence on the map.

The initiative Recommend Rhode Island encourages residents to be ambassadors, prompting their associations and groups to consider the Ocean State for their events. The bureau recognizes these residents through newspaper ads, website mentions and an annual Shining Star Award. This year, the award was given to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo for her part in securing Rhode Island for the National Governors Association’s summer meeting in July.

The PWCVB also serves as the go-between for businesses and organizations here, and those considering coming to the area.

A significant tool for the organization’s marketing efforts is social media. On Facebook, it offers giveaways and utilizes live video, which seems to resonate. Facebook followers increased 19 percent in the 2015 fiscal year to 27,680. In the 16 months since, the number of likes has grown 65 percent to more than 45,800.

PWCVB’s overall efforts appear to be paying off too, with a 37 percent increase in convention-related hotel rooms booked in 2016 over 2012, despite more people booking directly online, Sheridan said. And PWCVB income, which mostly comes from a hotel tax, increased 27.6 percent in 2016 over 2011 to $3.8 million.

“It’s remarkable to me the amount of income they are generating for the state that nobody even knows about,” Stone said. “They are really the under-the-radar, unsung heroes of this state of ours.” •

No posts to display