In my frustrating (and mythical) search to find a place to hold a large sales conference, I have tried a few different, logical combinations in Google, and they haven't paid off well. So now, fed up, I try the commonsensical "a place to hold a business convention." (I learned from my last search that "convention" gets results that are more on target than "conference".) Do the results restore my faith in search engines, and in the web presence of conference facilties? Yes and no, but mostly NO. I'm probably better off calling business associates on the phone and asking them where they hold their conferences.
Here are the top results, remembering the all the sites not mentioned are not CVB sites. Even some of those named below are more general tourism sites, but at least they begin to answer the needs of the Google searcher.
- #2 Natchez, Mississippi [CVBlog kudos!]
- #5 Nottinghamshire, England [Why not? At least they are web-friendly.]
- #6 Haines, Alaska [Umm. Oookayyy.]
- #8 Gaylord, Michigan
- #10 Muskegon, Michigan
With all due respect to Haines, Gaylord, and Muskegon, I am reminded of the dialogue between Marsalis Washburn and Professor Harold Hill in Meridith Wilson's "The Music Man." Speaking of River City, Iowa, Marsalis, played by Buddy Hackett in a strong Brooklyn accent, says, 'Hey, it ain't Brooklyn. It ain't the city of lights and shadows, but..." Professor Hill, played by Robert Preston, replies, "Brooklyn?! Marsalis, this isn't even Dubuque!" And Haines ain't Houston, and Gaylord ain't Gainesville, and Muskegon ain't Minneapolis. Where are the big guys?
It just proves my earlier summation that CVBs aren't yet trying hard enough the place themselves well in Cyberspace.
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