Estonian CVB invests in digital to keep its Baltic attractions top of mind for planners

The Estonian Convention Bureau has bolstered its digital communication offering by launching a much-upgraded version of its www.ecb.ee website that now delivers better tools and new features for event planners. The new site includes the addition of a ‘My Digital Planner’ feature which allows users to choose specific destinations, venues, hotels, activities and suppliers for their events, save their results as ‘favourites’, convert them into PDF files for sending the information on via email. The website has an improved Conference Calendar listing all the main international events taking place in the country. There is an upgraded search function, and virtual conferences are now included as well as major city-wide events, such as festivals and sports competitions, that may interest delegates or impact room availability. The Group Activities section has similarly been upgraded and offers planners authentic, Instagrammable experiences that can be searched for by region, duration and theme. ECB marketing manager Riine Tiigi says she is “thrilled” with the new site. “Planners have been telling us that it’s so packed with great information that there’s no need to contact our bureau any more,” she said. Tiigi noted that the ECB made the move to upgrade the site with an eye on the expected recovery of the conference tourism sector once the Covid-19 crisis abates. “Nobody can say exactly when the meeting industry will ramp up again, but it’s only a question of when. International travel will no doubt pick up slowly, so we wanted to give our clients the most extensive planning tools possible, reducing the need to travel here in-person for site inspections. And as we’re still a lesser-known international destination, our clients really value the inspirational ideas and advice we provide about what to do here.” Other features of the site include blogposts providing inspiration and practical tips, information on available conference support schemes, and a list of updated Covid regulations. The Estonian Convention Bureau has 39 members including the cities of Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, and a number of DMCs, PCOs, hotels, venues and universities.. It is co-financed by the Estonian Tourist Board and Enterprise Estonia.