Campaign under way to market
new conference center

It doesn't yet have walls, a roof or even a floor, but a strong push is already under way to begin filling the university's new hotel/conference center complex with visitors.

"Many organizations book their conferences a year or two in advance," said Carla Andrews-O'Hara, director of marketing for the new conference center. "With the complex scheduled to open in early 2008, we need to get out now to capture those opportunities."

Lipman Hearne, the marketing firm that helped develop NAU's new logo and branding initiative, is again helping the university position itself for the future, this time as the springboard behind the efforts to market the new hotel/conference center complex.

This is a sample of the messaging in the "Where to Meet?" campaign to market the new hotel/conference center complex. The answer to the query above is "Where work meets wonderful." Click here for a larger view.

A number of marketing materials have been developed around the theme "Where to Meet?" as part of an early awareness campaign, which involves the development and testing of key messages, naming the complex and general marketing and branding.

"The theme reflects the distinctiveness of the university conference center experience by combining place with purpose—along with a dash of chic and fun," Andrews-O'Hara said.

Initial marketing will concentrate on key targets, including higher education groups, natural resource groups, medical and allied health organizations, governmental associations, religious groups, car and motorcycle associations, and some corporate organizations, particularly those with close ties to the region.

Andrews-O'Hara, along with Jane Kuhn, fiscal and operations director for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, launched the campaign over the weekend at the annual Meeting Professionals International conference in New Orleans, introducing the new facility to more than 2,500 meeting professionals.

"We were able to hold our own against some big players," Andrews-O'Hara said. "We looked really competitive."

She added that a number of NAU alumni visited the booth at the show and were excited about the project. "Alumni connections will be a huge channel for us."

What became clear to both of them at the show was that it's not just about selling the conference center, but the whole experience. "Everyone we talked to said it was about the experience you get in the place that you go," she said.

Kuhn agreed. "We need to really set ourselves apart from Phoenix and Scottsdale and talk about what is unique about Flagstaff," she said. "Our climate, our blue skies, the star gazing and sunshine…it seems to be all about location and environment and the experience that comes with that."

Plans are in the works to continue marketing the complex at a number of other industry trade shows over the coming year, including shows for the International Association of Conference Centers in April, the Society for Human Resource Managers in June and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing International in the fall.

In the more immediate future, potential names for the complex are being market tested, and the university will announce the name selected in the coming months.

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