Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau exists to increase visitation to and awareness of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. The CVB encourages groups and individuals to visit Baton Rouge for both business and leisure travel and points them to area accommodations, attractions, meeting spaces, restaurants and other hospitality related businesses and services to help them have a pleasurable experience in Baton Rouge and encourage them to return.
Chartered in 1972, the Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau was first established to solicit visitors into the city and the surrounding area. Over the years, the Convention and Visitors Bureau has expanded its impact on the city and developed into the major marketing arm for the Baton Rouge area, with a mission to increase visitation and awareness of the area, thereby enhancing economic impact.
The Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau first came AbOUT by an act passed by the Louisiana State Legislature authorizing the governing authorities of the city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish to create and establish a commission for the promotion of convention and tourism in the metropolitan area.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau was initially created as a not-for-profit organization supported largely by membership fees, but became a political subdivision of the state of Louisiana in 1996.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded by a three percent hotel occupancy tax and is governed by a ten member board representing the Greater Baton Rouge Hotel/Motel Association, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, the Foundation for Historical Louisiana, Baton Rouge’s Metro Council, the Downtown Development District, the Arts Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Office of the Mayor-President.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau is made up of five departments – Convention Sales, Tourism, Communications, Projects and Administration – who collectively work to achieve the mission of attracting visitors and raising awareness of the Baton Rouge area. Each department works closely with the area’s hotels, attractions and restaurants to sell Baton Rouge to both tourists and conventioneers.
During the 1990’s, the Convention and Visitors Bureau produced several festivals, including FestForAll, Blues Festival, Carnival Latino and Christmas on the River. Each of these attracted both locals and visitors from out of town, giving them a taste of what Baton Rouge has to offer with food, music and fun. Although the Convention and Visitors Bureau no longer produces these festivals, it still maintains its support and promotion of these and other quality family events in and around the area.
In 1999, the Convention and Visitors Bureau organized and hosted one of the cities largest public events, Bonne Fete, which was the celebration of Baton Rouge’s 300th birthday. This celebration, like no other, brought more than 100,000 people together on the streets of downtown Baton Rouge to commemorate with the likes of Bill Conti directing the Baton Rouge Symphony, Randy Travis, Better Than Ezra, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Stroke 9, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Gap Band, The Village People, Aaron Neville and The Neville Brothers, LeRoux, Kool & the Gang, War and Tabby Thomas. A laser light show, Illusion’s of the Night, concluded this spectacular event.
In August 2003, the Convention and Visitors Bureau played a major role in attracting Harley-Davidson to choose Baton Rouge as one of the four host cities for its 100th Anniversary Ride Home. About 7,000 Harley owners convened in Baton Rouge to begin “riding home” to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to help celebrate a century of great motorcycling. Hundreds of other riders, family members, dealers and citizens of the Baton Rouge area also came out to join in the fun.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau brought national attention to the Baton Rouge area in 2003-2004 by bringing “Josephine Le Grand Amour de Napoleon,” a major exhibition illuminating the life and times of Josephine Bonaparte, to downtown Baton Rouge. The Capital City was the only site in the United States where this exceptional collection of treasures from France was displayed. The four month long exhibit coincided with the bicentennial celebration of the Louisiana Purchase and attracted thousands of people to the Baton Rouge area.
In December 2004, the Convention and Visitors Bureau was proud to be a part of the unveiling of the newly-expanded Baton Rouge River Center. The new facility features more than 200,000 total square feet of meeting space, several multi-divisional meeting rooms, on-site catering and much more. The expansion of the River Center is a major factor in the success of bringing large meetings, trade shows and events to the Baton Rouge area.
In 2005, Baton Rouge served as the host city for the 102nd American Bowling Congress National Championships Tournament. Through the tournament, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, in conjunction with several partners such as TEAM Baton Rouge and the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation, brought more than 65,000 bowlers, friends and family members to the Baton Rouge area over a six month period. The choice of Baton Rouge as the host city was due in part to the success of the 1993 Women’s International Bowling Congress tournament, which was also hosted inBaton Rouge. With a direct spending of more than $75 million, Baton Rouge’s residents, businesses, hotels and restaurants were delighted to welcome the bowlers with open arms. In turn, the bowlers were delighted with the capital city, setting tournament attendance records and repeatedly expressing their gratitude for the city’s hospitality. At the beginning of 2006, the organization also committed to hold the 2012 Open Championships in Baton Rouge.
The Miss Teen USA Pageant chose Baton Rouge as its host city in August of 2005. The Convention and Visitors Bureau brought the nationally-televised event to the Baton Rouge River Center and in turn, brought the Capital City valuable network exposure with an audience of more than 5 million household viewers. The two-hour event featured nine minutes of footage of contestants enjoying a variety of Baton Rouge’s attractions. including the Old Governor’s Mansion, Boutin’s Cajun Restaurant, Louisiana State University and Southern University. The clips showed Baton Rouge as a hospitable city that welcomes families and young people. Miss Ohio was the only one who walked away with the crown as Miss Teen USA 2005, but all of the contestants and all of the viewers walked away with a taste of Baton Rouge.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau brings millions of visitors to the Baton Rouge area each year and continues to seek new ways to bring even more people to the city. The Bureau continuously works to attract visitors for both business and leisure purposes, directing them to its website, and inviting them to stop by and learn more about Louisiana’s capital city.