The Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau, otherwise known as CTMEETINGS, was saved from the budget axe in June when state lawmakers passed a two-year, $55.8 billion spending plan. Previously funded out of the Office of Tourism, it emerged from the legislative process with its own line item in the state budget, and will be funded […]
The Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau, otherwise known as CTMEETINGS, was saved from the budget axe in June when state lawmakers passed a two-year, $55.8 billion spending plan.
Previously funded out of the Office of Tourism, it emerged from the legislative process with its own line item in the state budget, and will be funded with $500,000 in each of the next two fiscal years.
There were concerns that Gov. Ned Lamont’s initial budget proposal cut tourism funding in a way that threatened the bureau’s future.
“We became an advocacy group all of a sudden,” said
President Bob Murdock of his successful lobbying effort. “Most people just didn’t know what we do.”
The four-person group works with event planners to pitch Connecticut venues for everything from sports tournaments and business conventions to weddings. The bureau said it helps attract up to 260 new events to Connecticut each year, resulting in a $72 million economic impact in 2024 alone.
In addition to state funding, the bureau raises about $200,000 in private contributions annually — a figure Murdock says he hopes to grow.
While he markets venues all around the state, Murdock echoes the call for Hartford to cultivate more hotel spaces to help sell the city to visitors, and says he’ll continue to work closely with the Connecticut Convention Center to bring business to the capital. He’d also like the state to establish a fund that offers incentives to help attract major events.
“That’s one thing we’re lacking,” he said. “That puts us at a disadvantage compared to a Providence or a Boston; they do have those funds, where we don’t.”
Another thing that Murdock says is very much part of his future plans — he’ll stay in touch at the Capitol, talking to legislators about the organization’s work.
“We found some friends that we didn’t know we had,” he said.
