The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), a not-for-profit organization representing over 105,000 members in the veterinary profession, hosts an annual convention that provides more than 650 hours of continuing education within every veterinary specialty, along with special events and activities and unique networking opportunities.
Just a few months before its 2023 event in Denver, Colorado, AVMA learned of an unexpected challenge that could potentially jeopardize the convention’s success and attendee satisfaction — a major music event would be happening in the city at the same time as the convention, drawing thousands of people who would need accommodations. This would drastically reduce hotel availability and inflate housing costs for AVMA.
The Challenge
The influx of over 85,000 music fans to Denver during the AVMA Annual Convention dates created a critical accommodation challenge. Hotel rates soared nearly fourfold, and the availability of rooms near the Colorado Convention Center became scarce, posing a risk of decreased attendance and financial strain on both attendees and the association.
Partnership and Solutions
In response to this challenge, AVMA leaned on its strong partnership with MCI USA, a relationship built on trust and proven results since 2015. MCI USA’s strategic approach encompassed:
▪️ Proactive housing management: Working with their hotel partners and the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau, MCI USA ensured that the initial 15,000 room nights across 19 hotels would be secured at the initial contracted rate, ensuring that attendees had access to affordable and convenient housing options.
▪️ Registration, lead cultivation and enhanced attendee experience: By streamlining the housing process and offering dedicated support to exhibitors, sponsors, and VIPs, MCI USA not only alleviated the logistical challenges posed by the competing event but also enhanced the overall attendee experience, contributing to higher engagement and satisfaction.
Outcomes
The strategic interventions led to notable achievements for the 2023 AVMA convention:
▪️ Increased attendance: The convention attracted over 7,000 attendees, achieving the highest in-person participation since the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a strong recovery toward pre-pandemic engagement levels.
▪️ Successful room night sales: Despite the circumstances, nearly 14,000 room nights were sold, demonstrating effective demand management and attendee support.
▪️ Extended partnership: The 2023 convention’s success reinforced AVMA’s confidence in MCI USA, leading to the extension of their partnership through 2025, as well as returning attendees and exhibitors in 2024’s event. “What keeps us in partnership with MCI is their customer service and the wonderful people we work with,” said Erika Martinez, AVMA senior meeting planner. “AVMA has experienced great growth over the past couple years, partially because of working with MCI USA. [They give us] good data from our registration platform and that helps us navigate our trends and market segmentation, which we use to design our next events.”
Through effective communication, strong relationships and a customer-centric approach, MCI USA helped AVMA not only navigate a potential crisis but deliver a highly successful event that reinforced the value of the annual convention. This event demonstrated that flexibility and strong partnerships are essential for the smooth and successful execution of large professional events, especially when faced with challenges.
