News
February 9, 2017Welcome Back, MAAC Fans!
The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACCVB) is pleased to welcome the MAAC Basketball Tournament back to Albany March 2-6.
In 2017, the event is expected to result in 2100 hotel room nights. That’s a lot of visitors! How do we get ready for them? This year, the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau launched and invested in a new hospitality training program to help teach frontline staff how to make visitors feel welcome, and how to introduce them to the very best Albany has to offer. Upcoming live classes will focus on MAAC; future courses could focus on other big events and ongoing engagement.
The training program, which is a mix of online teaching and live experiences, arms graduates with knowledge about local resources and beefs up their service skills, so they can guide visitors with expertise.
The Visitor Journey A2D also increases students’ understanding of how tourism works, and what its impact is. For instance, the MAAC Tournament is expected to result in $21M in direct sales, and an additional $13M in indirect sales. This tournament supports local jobs and local tax revenue, which is why it’s so important that we treat these guests well.
“Visitor Journey A2D is about creating positive visitor experiences in Albany. We want to empower hospitality staff and small business owners to welcome visitors, and help them get the most out of their time in Albany. We want to make sure visitors speak about Albany positively, and most of all, we want to encourage them to come back,” says Michele Vennard, President and CEO of the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The program is also sponsored by SEFCU.
