Gdansk Convention is the 1st sign up to Foursquare and Google+

Social media are gaining more importance in cities promotion. Gdansk is the first Polish convention bureau that signed up to Foursquare - social media portal based on geolocation. Recently, GCB has also joined Google+. Social media are effective tools for professional meeting planners and for conference attendees in Gdansk & Region. They allow to conduct an intensified promotion for both business products and destination themselves. Such marketing solutions is a relatively new trend on the business tourism market. Promotion in social media is an added value for business tourism venues, tourist attractions and GOT/GCB members. One of the key tools for convention bureaux is a brand page on Foursquare. It is dedicated mostly to smartphone and tablet users. Gdansk Convention Bureau profile (https://foursquare.com/gdanskregioncvb) will feature recommended tourist attractions, business tourism locations (e.g. hotels, conference centres, unusual conference venues, events, incentive offers), selected restaurants and PCOs. Users can see the location on the map, browse through photos and see opinions of other users about the venue. Meetings organisers can see the list of places created by GCB or make ones of their own, related to their planned business events. One of Foursquare's options is to make a "check-in", which is informing about your place of stay and your impressions of it. These pieces of information are available to friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter. "In Poland it is still an innovative tool, in the USA and Western Europe it is more popular " says Jaroslaw Marciuk, Inspiros Consulting Group. "Creating GCB profile on Foursquare is also a chance to educate business tourism representatives to effectively use this portal and what benefits can it bring." Currently, guides for four business tourism products are in preparation. The four products are: Solidarity, amber, sea and medieval castles. A good example of a place connected with Solidarity is a BHP Hall, where Lech Walesa signed an Agreement in August 1980. Now, this famous, historical building serves also as a conference venue. Other portals which GCB signed up to are Google+ and Twitter. According to Anna Gorska GCB CEO, presence in different social media gives the opportunity to establish a bigger cooperation network. "For example - after industry meetings and international business tourism fairs, social media let us keep in touch and exchange information with the attendees" concludes Ms. Gorska. Over 300 people follow Gdansk Convention Bureau on Twitter. Among them there are international experts, skilled meetings organizers, industry media, bloggers and other people professionally connected with meeting industry. GCB social media strategy is conducted by Inspiros Consulting Group, which is also a GOT/GCB member. Additionally, Inspiros prepares virtual guides of Gdansk and Region on Foursquare, accordingly to certain themes.