Cincinnati State helps visitors feel welcome
June 30, 2011
When the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau landed several major conventions that will bring exceptionally diverse audiences here to the heart of the American Midwest, its executives decided to conduct special training sessions for the hundreds of volunteers who would be key to making these events a success.
One of these conventions, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), is kicking off this week; under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble it is bringing a raft of celebrities to Cincinnati. Also coming in 2011 are conventions of the Improved Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW) and the Prince Hall Shriners, and then, in 2012, the World Choir Games.
To help plan and deliver training sessions for the volunteers who will be working at these events, the Visitors and Convention Bureau turned to Cincinnati State and its Workforce Development Center. Not only did faculty and WDC staff help develop content, two of our own – Bob Baylor (Health and Public Safety Program Chair for Safety & Security Management) and Gema Bahns (Adjunct Faculty Member) – were among those invited to deliver the instruction.
The “More Welcoming” training sessions received considerable media attention, and by nearly all accounts the instruction was warmly received.
According to Jane Dunigan, a WDC Business Manager who was involved with the project, the training program focused on encouraging front-line workers to be aware of the importance of each of their individual interactions with every visitor to the Cincinnati region. No matter how small, their interactions become the “faces” and “personalities” of the city that visitors will remember.
The “More Welcoming” content involved “customer service,” “diversity awareness” and information about the three main conventions coming this summer.
By design, the training was not intended to replace customer service training from an attendees’ workplace, but rather to focus participants on their role as being a part of a regional “welcoming” message.
