Restart Industry Associations Success Story: Destination Colorado

Destination Colorado was approved to participate in the Restart Industry Associations Program by the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) in September 2021.

The mission of Destination Colorado is to make the site selection and planning experience convenient and straightforward for meeting planners and incentive buyers looking to hold meetings and events in Colorado. With a reach of 100 members, Destination Colorado provides resources and information for meeting and event planners, while also supporting its members through a national marketing program, networking, and educational programs.

Destination Colorado was paired with Kyle Blakely, a CRAFT Mentor with experience in tourism marketing and communications and strategic planning, to deliver 75 hours of free consulting to conduct the activities listed below.

The purpose of the project was to develop a membership plan to reposition Destination Colorado for a broader audience of stakeholders, and expand the scope of recruitment geographically and by size of the targeted organization. 

Project objectives included:

  • research membership advancement best practices and strategies 
  • implement a survey to Destination Colorado members to determine what member benefits are most valuable, and determine the organization’s strengths and areas of improvement 
  • implement a survey to non-member meetings and events professionals to identify competing member organizations, priority benefits, and capture insight into the reticence in joining Destination Colorado
  • develop a membership advancement plan that includes suggested levels, pricing, target audiences, recruitment strategies, and success metrics

Destination Colorado achieved the following results with its Restart Industry Associations Mentor: 

  • membership advancement plan that includes new membership levels and pricing, target audiences, recruitment strategies, retention strategies, measurable objectives, and a 12-month action plan
  • summary of industry associations best practices that includes organization structure and membership level pricing 
  • member and meeting professionals surveys and findings to better understand member benefits and competition 
CRAFT Recovery assistance for Tourism

About Restart Industry Associations Program

The Restart Industry Associations Program supports Colorado tourism industry associations to drive faster recovery as they emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded industry associations receive 75 hours of free consulting and $10,000 in direct marketing support from the Colorado Tourism Office. This program was made possible by a CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.