Palm Springs Convention Industry & Destination Development Plan - Palm Springs, CA
In recent years, CSL was retained by the City of Palm Springs and the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau to develop a number of tourism and convention industry development plans for the Greater Palm Springs region. CSL’s work in the destination has encompassed long-term strategies for both general hospitality product development, and for the Palm Springs Convention Center (PSCC) operations, management and future development potential.
CSL recently led an evaluation of key operational metrics for the PSCC in downtown Palm Springs to assist both the City of Palm Springs and the Greater Palm Springs CVB in planning for future management for the building. The analysis focused on a number of key operational and performance areas, including an assessment of PSCC’s event mix and utilization; approaches to booking, pricing and discounting; and, sales and marketing approaches. Key findings included relatively static room night generation levels and a high dependency on repeat business at the building.
Combining our findings from these observations with our firm’s ongoing industry, benchmarking and best practices research, we were able identify opportunities for refinement as part of an upcoming contract management negotiation process. Key recommendations included developing a more formal sales and marketing structure among the CVB, PSCC, the F&B vendor for the PSCC and management/sales staff at the Renaissance Palm Springs; at least doubling the funding for group marketing; creating a bid fund; developing a building-owned event; and, master planning for future PSCC and surrounding district developments.
CSL’s Destination Plan for the Coachella Valley region also led to strategic planning for the creation of tourism-generating programs and events in Greater Palm Springs, increasing international market capture, and bringing together the assets of multiple cities in the region to grow the tourism economy and tax base. Issues addressed in developing the Plan included identifying target markets from which to increase visitation to Greater Palm Springs, defining opportunities to invest in the tourism product that are market-supportable and that can best integrate into existing visitor industry assets and districts in the market, and recommending approaches to coordinate the use of market-wide sales and marketing resources in a more strategic manner.