Make no mistake: Group business is returning to Anaheim. In a marketing campaign dubbed “Calling All Characters,” Visit Anaheim, the official destination marketing organization for the city, is spreading the news that the home of Disneyland is open and welcoming both leisure and business visitors back.
The message is resonating. In mid-June, Visit Anaheim announced that 55 events had been confirmed for the remainder of 2021. With California’s economy reopened and conventions, tradeshows, meetings and events resuming, Anaheim will welcome 187,000 attendees to the destination, generating more than 95,000 room nights and an impact on the local economy of over $231 million.
“The reopening of California has allowed our industry to take a giant step toward recovery,” says Jay Burress, president & CEO, Visit Anaheim. “After 15 months, events are once again occupying the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center and bringing in much-needed business to our hotels, restaurants and attractions.” There are currently 19 events scheduled for the Anaheim Convention center in the next six months; eight of these events are considered “citywide size,” drawing 105,000 attendees. Among the groups meeting in 2021 are VidCon, Specialty Advertising Association of California, Medical Design and Manufacturing Event and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
“Despite the pandemic, our destination has seen tremendous development in the last year including the opening of three new AAA Four Diamond hotels, the first outside of Disneyland Resort,” says Junior Tauvaa, chief sales officer, Visit Anaheim. “These luxury offerings expand Anaheim’s hotel portfolio and attract a new wave of clientele.”
To encourage the support of local businesses when groups are in town, Visit Anaheim has released a free savings pass exclusively for meeting, event and convention attendees. The Attendee Perks Pass offers a range of deals from nearby hotels, restaurants, breweries, rooftop bars, transportation, and more.
In just a few clicks, attendees can access exclusive discounts throughout Anaheim and Orange County. Whether guests are looking to bookend a meeting with a bite to eat or weave-in a teambuilding activity, the Attendee Perks Pass encourages visitors to get out and explore the destination beyond their meeting space, while supporting the local economy.
To receive the pass, meeting and convention attendees can sign up for free on Visit Anaheim’s website. From there, the pass is delivered instantly to their phone via text and email and is ready to use immediately. When visiting a participating business and ready to redeem a deal, attendees simply present their phone to a staff member and cash-in on the savings.
Examples of deals available on the new Attendee Perks Pass include free parking at Anaheim area hotels, 20% off The FIFTH Rooftop Restaurant, 10% off at Blu Skybar, $20 off Strack ground transportation and 2-for-1 wine tasting at Pali Wine Co. To discover all the deals currently available, visit the Attendee Perks Pass.
