Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau

What Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau does

Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau, doing business as Experience Grand Rapids, is a non-profit Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) that promotes the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area as a meetings, conventions, and group-travel destination. It targets corporate, association, and trade-show meeting planners through a sales-led go-to-market motion: a small direct sales team conducts outreach and supports planners from sourcing through on-site execution, complemented by an online RFP submission system, a venue and hotel locator tool, and content marketing assets including the Meeting Minds Blog, a planner newsletter, and a 'Crafted for Meetings' sales brochure. Underlying technology is the Simpleview CRM and content management platform, which powers the experiencegr.com website, RFP workflow, and digital marketing operations. The organization does not charge meeting planners directly; instead, it is funded primarily through hotel/motel taxes and local tourism assessments, with revenue tied to driving overnight visitor spending that generates tax receipts for Kent County. Its competitive positioning centers on the walkable downtown convention district anchored by DeVos Place Convention Center (162,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, 40,000 sq. ft. ballroom, 26 meeting rooms) connected by skywalk to three hotels with 1,200+ rooms, supported by 10 additional hotels within a 10-minute walk (2,500+ rooms total across 13 properties), 300+ restaurants and entertainment venues, and Gerald R. Ford International Airport (16 minutes from downtown, 35+ nonstop destinations). The destination's brand identity ('Beer City USA' since 2012, 'America's Craft Beverage Capital,' CNN Top 10 American Towns) and recent industry recognition (2024 Northstar Stella Award for Midwest's Best DMO, 2025 Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Award) underpin its marketing efforts.

Name

Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Legal name

Experience Grand Rapids

Website

https://meetgrandrapids.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Experience Grand Rapids is a non-profit Destination Marketing Organization that promotes Grand Rapids, Michigan to corporate, association, and group meeting planners through direct sales, an RFP platform, and content marketing, funded by local hotel/motel tourism taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Meeting Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Business Associations (813910), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE), Group Accommodation Sourcing & Contracting (Room Blocks, Allotments) (THAHADAD), MICE & Event DMCs (Meetings/Incentives/Conferences) (THAKAEAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Meeting planning services
• Convention sales bureau
• Venue sourcing services
• Event RFP submission

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism promotion and destination marketing services: As a destination marketing organization (DMO), the CVB operates as a non-profit/public-private partnership funded primarily through hotel/motel taxes and local tourism assessments. Services to meeting planners are provided at no direct charge, with revenue generated by driving overnight visitor spending that produces tax revenue for the region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The organization functions as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan, providing free meeting and convention planning assistance to event organizers. Core services include venue and hotel sourcing, RFP submission and processing, on-site convention services, attendance-building support, and personalized coordination with local hotels, venues, and service providers. It also publishes a sales brochure, a meeting planner newsletter, an industry blog, and attraction/dining guides to support planners and attendees.

Product overview

Experience Grand Rapids operates as a destination marketing organization offering a suite of integrated services for meeting and event planners. The core offerings include the Meetings Services platform, Venue & Hotel Locator tool, and RFP Submission system, supported by Convention Services teams. Additional resources include the Meeting Planners Newsletter, Meeting Minds Blog, downloadable Sales Brochure, and comprehensive attraction and dining guides. The product portfolio is unified around promoting Grand Rapids as a meeting destination, with services designed to support the entire event planning lifecycle from venue selection through on-site execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 Northstar Stella Award winner for Midwest's Best DMO
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SimpleviewcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform and CRM provider powering experiencegr.com. Simpleview is a destination marketing technology company that provides the website infrastructure, content management, and digital marketing tools used by the CVB.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Choose Chicago: DMO for Chicago — much larger Midwest incumbent that competes for the same meeting planner RFPs but with significantly greater scale, brand reach, and hotel inventory.

Direct peers

• Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp: DMO for Nashville, Tennessee — comparable mid-sized U.S. city whose strong destination brand identity drives meeting planner demand in a similar way.
• Experience Columbus: DMO for Columbus, Ohio — similar-sized Midwest state capital competing for the same regional and national association meeting market.
• Visit Indy: DMO for Indianapolis, a comparable mid-sized Midwest convention city with similar walkable infrastructure and group accommodation inventory.
• Visit Pittsburgh: DMO for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — similarly sized post-industrial mid-market city repositioned through cultural branding and convention sales.
• Visit Milwaukee: DMO for Milwaukee, Wisconsin — comparable Great Lakes mid-sized city with similar craft beverage culture and convention infrastructure.
• Meet Minneapolis: DMO for Minneapolis, Minnesota — Midwest competitor with comparable convention infrastructure and walkable downtown hotel inventory.
• Visit Detroit: DMO for Detroit, Michigan — same state peer promoting a Midwest city to meeting planners with comparable convention center and downtown hotel infrastructure.
• Experience Cincinnati: DMO for Cincinnati, Ohio — regional Midwest peer of comparable size pursuing meeting planners with a similar urban convention district.

Others

• Simpleview: Destination marketing technology provider powering Experience Grand Rapids' website and CRM. Operates as a vendor/enabler across the DMO category rather than a competing destination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grand-rapids-kent-county-convention-&-visitors-bureau

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau