Cruising down Mill Street, drivers might spot two pineapple-shaped statues outside the front doors of the John S. Knight Center. A sharp contrast to the massive steel and glass structure, these Colonial-era symbols of hospitality are the center’s welcome mat.
Within the building is the office of Susan Hamo, president of the Knight Center and of the Akron-Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau. Pittsburgh-born Hamo moved to Akron when she got married 36 years ago.
“I’m starting to finally call myself a native,” she jokes.
She began her career at the visitors bureau 20 years ago as a sales manager, encouraging trade associations and corporate meeting planners to bring their conventions to the Greater Akron area, and she became its president in 1993. When the John S. Knight Center and bureau consolidated their locations in 1995, she became president of the Knight Center as well.
Celebrating the center’s 10th anniversary last month, Hamo says the bureau and the center are “a great place to be and to work. People like to be here and like to work here, so they like their job, and they do a good job. That’s the whole domino effect. … I love living here, so why wouldn’t I love telling other people why they would love at least visiting here?”
Smart Business sat down with Hamo to discuss tourism and economic development in Akron.
How has promoting Akron changed in the last five years?
We’ve had such wonderful development in the whole area that the product we now promote — the Greater Akron area — is just an easier sell. We have more amenities to offer guests and visitors. We have Canal Park, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the John S. Knight Center; Lock 3 is a wonderful addition to the landscape downtown.
Akron is a hard first-time sell to someone who’s never been here, but our repeat business is exceptionally high. … (We host) familiarization tours of the area with clients — corporate and association meeting planners, the true meeting planner who’s going to decide where an event will be held — because once they see everything we have to offer, the sell is so much easier. … Of course, there’s no cost to the client; this trip is on us, to let them see what we have.
We’re seeing (clients from) Pennsylvania and New York, although probably 75 percent of our association business comes from Ohio. We see much more of the leisure travel and bus groups coming from the contiguous states.
How does promoting Akron locally differ from promoting Akron regionally?
Locally, we try to encourage the citizens of the area to take advantage of what’s in their own backyard, through TV spots and media buys. Bureau personnel will speak to any group that asks us, just to let them know we’re here and what we do.
During those speeches, we always say, ‘How many of you have ever been to Stan Hywet, to the Soap Box Derby, to any of these other wonderful attractions we have?’ And you’d be surprised how few hands go up. … So our job locally is to educate the people on what they have in their own backyard and encourage them to be a tourist in their own hometown.
Our needs outside are more client-based: What does the client need, and how can we fill those needs? … Regionally, statewide and nationally, we’re in industry publications, resource manuals, the National Tour Association manual and the American Bus Association manual. We’re in the national publications used for resources, as well as national publications and newspapers.
About two years ago, we did a buy with the Chicago Tribune — not very large, obviously — promoting day trips. We had a wonderful response because it’s a nice, close inexpensive trip for these folks. We really carefully weigh our budgeting and advertising dollars. … To be honest with you, we did that pre-9/11. Obviously, our dollars tightened up post-9/11. As we see that slow increase and the increase to normalcy in the tourism industry, I think we’ll look at that again.
We’re very fortunate here. We’ve found that being a third-tier city — where the majority of our guests don’t fly, they drive — we were affected (by Sept. 11) probably as little as anyone. We were almost a safe harbor for some people. … They could still have their annual meeting or association meetings with us and drive.
They were probably as comfortable coming here as they were anywhere. I don’t want to ever sound like it was good for us, but the reality of it is, business was affected minimally here.
In the last year, we’ve seen a steady increase, where we’re just starting to return to normal, to pre-9/11, (due to) the economy, the comfort level of people and increased security measures. We’re seeing a big increase in the number of bus groups because historically, the people in bus groups are a little older.
These people are taking trips on their savings and their portfolio money; after 9/11, they weren’t going to do that anymore because they didn’t know how the economy was going to be or how long their money would have to last. Now that they’re seeing positive signs in the recovery nationally, they’re not afraid to spend some of that.
What plans lie ahead for the bureau and the center?
(The bureau staff continues to) sell the area as the ideal destination for conventions, associations, tours and leisure travel. We’re very pleased with the results; every year, business increases. We represent Akron and Summit County, and we’re seeing these communities develop more destinations as part of the county.
Business is good at the Knight Center. The city commissioned a study with Peat Marwick pre-building to determine the feasibility of the need. I’m happy to tell you today we are exactly where we should be, based on the 10-year projections of that study, (looking at) the number of conventions, meetings, people through the doors and certainly the budget.
The biggest problem we have is not unique to the Knight Center. It’s a problem nationwide with convention centers: the illusion of being busy. If local people don’t see lines of people outside a center waiting to get in, they assume we’re not busy, when 80 percent of our business is private: FirstEnergy and Diebold meetings, state association meetings, corporate meetings and videoconferencing, where you wouldn’t see people waiting in line to get in. … It’s all perception, but it is still something that is a concern to us.
We want people to know that, yes, indeed, we are busy, even though you don’t see 1,000 people in line to get in. … That’s why it’s important to know that we are right on target based on the projections of the study.
What role does the local business climate play in promoting Akron?
(It’s) absolutely pivotal to our success here at the Knight Center. The local businesses and corporations knew we needed a convention center; they lobbied for it and are now the major users of the facility for meetings and conventions. … It says a lot to me about the morality of our business community. I think that’s important. …
We are the envy of (cities statewide) because our local politicians understand the value of this partnership and understand that the Knight Center and the Convention Bureau are part of their economic development. How to reach: Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau and the John S. Knight Center, (800) 245-4254 or www.johnsknightcenter.org
