Whether you’re selling widgets or meeting destinations, the cost of acquiring a new customer far outweighs that of retaining an old one. It makes sense: you have to expend time and resources going out and finding a new client, while you just have to keep the one you have happy.
At Experience Grand Rapids, we’re fortunate to have a significant base of meeting and convention clients that return to the city on an annual basis. Roughly 20% of our 2023-2024 bookings came from groups who’ve held past events here.
Our largest repeat customer, the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo (3,125 total rooms per year, 4,000 attendees), has been coming to Grand Rapids every year since 1993 – an uninterrupted stretch of 32 years. The Michigan School Business Officials Annual Conference & Exhibit Show (2,595 total rooms, 2,000 attendees) is a 30-year repeat customer – they also started here in 1993 but skipped two years during that stretch. Business Professionals of America - Michigan Association (2,410 total rooms, 2,200 attendees) has been coming here since 2004, missing only the Covid years of 2020 and 2021.
Our clients enjoy Grand Rapids so much, they come back year after year.
Photo by Brian Kelly for Experience GR
Reasons to Repeat
There are a variety of reasons these and other groups choose to meet in Grand Rapids every year. They may have a tie to the local community. Our city and venues might be just the right fit for them. Our cost structure might align perfectly with their budget. Plus, not having to research new destinations and plan from the ground up each year can save them considerable time and money.
But they wouldn’t keep coming back if our services team didn’t keep meeting their needs. We never take their continued presence for granted. Because we no longer have to sell them on Grand Rapids, we can get right to work helping them plan a great event.
Some might think meeting in the same place every year would drive down attendance. It’s true, attendees could get bored with the same old-same old – but there’s no such thing in Grand Rapids. If you were here in 1993, you know how different the city is today, and it continues to transform itself into an even more exciting visitor destination thanks to such upcoming developments as a new amphitheater and soccer stadium, improved river recreation opportunities, an expanded airport and more.
A Foundation for Growth
Most organizations and associations that plan meetings rotate host cities so their attendees can experience new destinations and different members can act as hosts. Since about 80% of our bookings are new business, we’re grateful that they do. But we’re also extremely appreciative of the groups who continue to put their faith in us, year after year.
“Repeat customers provide a solid foundation for us,” says Mary Manier, vice president of sales & services at Experience Grand Rapids. “We layer in new clients on top of that to build a robust book of business.”
It’s a formula that obviously works, as meetings and conventions helped Grand Rapids and Kent County once again break tourism records in 2024.
Do you belong to a group that holds regional or national meetings or conventions? You can help us Bring It To GR – and who knows, maybe they'll become a repeat customer!
