Local Convention Visitors and Information Centers can be a great help to those who are planning conventions and other events in a particular city. Generally speaking, these organizations do not charge for the assistance they give to convention planners. In most cases, the local visitors bureau is financed by a combination of public funds that are designated to support tourism in a particular area and donations from local hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. The Local Convention Visitors and Information Centers have two major areas of responsibility. First, they promote tourism for their area. This is usually done through a combination of advertising and direct promotion to professional event planners and large organizations that have annual conventions. While all tourism is welcomed and encouraged by these centers, a large portion of their budgets is dedicated to convention tourism since it brings in so many visitors. Most cities consider the promotional expenses as an investment since convention tourism creates jobs and increases sales and hotel tax collections for local government. Many cities and states receive a large percentage of their tax revenue from tourism. Some businesses such as hotels rely almost entirely on tourism for their incomes while others such as restaurants and amusement parks gain a significant portion of their profits from travelers. All of these businesses enthusiastically support the work of the visitor bureau in promoting convention tourism. The services provided by Local Convention Visitors and Information Centers include assistance in booking hotel rooms and meeting rooms. They usually maintain a complete list of local hotels and they can often find available rooms on short notice. They provide help to all travelers even those who are not traveling to a convention. However, large conventions who need to find hotel rooms for a substantial number of visitors find their services extremely valuable. Most Local Convention Visitors and Information Centers also keep a database of businesses that can provide specialized services for convention events.
