Celebrating 16 years with Visit Lubbock, Sales Manager Lisa Grinstead did not start her career in the association world. “Before my first job in an association, I had never heard of a CVB (convention and visitors bureau), much less know what they do,” she says. Grinstead started in the corporate and business arena, but today, the hustle and bustle of a CVB feels like home. She worked her way up through a variety of roles and understands the business from all angles, including assisting with conferences, tracking memberships, editing publications, managing education programming, accounting, and, as she puts it, “the proverbial ‘other duties as assigned.’”
For Grinstead, at the end of the day, there is one priority that tends to top all others. “One particular director in the corporate world taught me that customer service is my primary job in any workplace,” she says. The good news for Grinstead—and her clients—is that serving customers is also her favorite part of the job. She loves the site visits, in particular. “Showing people that have never been to Lubbock what we have to offer to them and their attendees, then seeing how surprised, pleased, and excited they are with what we have is the best!”
Her days stay varied, and she travels often to conferences for industry education and to meet with planners from around the country. Her in-office work centers around creating proposals, communicating by email and phone, and managing data. When she is on-site, you can find her working registration for a client, making any number of deliveries, and visiting new venues in and around Lubbock so she can share the latest with planners.
As a Lubbock insider, Grinstead has this advice to planners heading to any Texas city: “Reach out to the local CVB first. Our knowledge and familiarity of our venues and other resources can help you plan a successful event in our city,” she says. “Remember you do not have to do it alone. Let us know where you need assistance so we can support you when it is in the realm of what we can do as a CVB. We want your event to be successful, not stressful.”
