AFTERWORDS
The Unexpected Buffalo
BY CATHERINE PRATHER
AS I READ invitation to the Buffalo
Niagara Travel Industry Summit,
the tagline jumped out at me: The
Unexpected Buffalo. Yep, I thought,
that’s for certain. I had never been to
that part of New York State and didn’t
know what to expect.
It turns out I wasn’t alone. I was one of
nine invited representatives from national
travel and tourism associations, and only
one of my fellow attendees had visited
Buffalo (and that was decades earlier).
Longtime industry friend Patrick Kaler,
president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara,
told me the city had experienced a trans-
formation with billions of dollars of new
tourism investment, including a redevel-
oped waterfront, restored architecture,
and a boom in new hotels, restaurants,
breweries and distilleries.
Through their 2014 strategic planning
process, Visit Buffalo Niagara determined
this renaissance provided an opportunity
to reintroduce the destination—or intro-
duce, as in my case. For the leadership of
the associations at the summit, Patrick
said they wanted to “shatter precon-
ceived notions of our city and region and
show them the unexpected Buffalo that
our destination has become.”
That really was the strategic purpose
of the summit … and it worked brilliantly.
Every single one of us went from hav-
ing little or no expectations to having
them blown away. The summit brought
together a broad cross-section of travel
and tourism industry professionals to
Together in Buffalo
Besides NTA, these organizations also
participated in the Buffalo Niagara Travel
Industry Summit:
• American Society of Association
Executives
• Brand USA
• Destinations International
• International Association of
Venue Managers
• National Association of Sports
Commissions
• Religious Convention Management
Association
• U.S. Travel Association
56
January 2018
Participants in the Buffalo Niagara Travel Industry Summit (including NTA’s Catherine
Prather, far right) gathered in front of a mural by Buffalo artist and architect Casey
Milbrand. The mural, inspired by vintage postcards, is a frequent photographic
backdrop for visitors and for wedding parties.
tour the city, confer with local and state
government officials, meet with media
and share our thoughts with some 150 of
Buffalo’s local industry partners.
The result: Our eyes were opened,
our perceptions were changed and our
positive, constructive feedback not only
reaffirmed the pride and enthusiasm
that was evident with everyone I met,
but also it helped the local industry
leaders see that Visit Buffalo Niagara is
involved and connected at the national
tourism level. They saw that Patrick and
his team—including the fabulous Judy
Smith and Leah Mueller—are working
diligently on the destination’s behalf.
I encourage other DMOs to “borrow”
the idea of this summit, so let me give a
few more details. It was a whirlwind trip
to Buffalo, and they packed in a lot for
us. Our guided city tour included stops
to visit examples of the amazing revi-
talization, including The Westin Buffalo,
the Harborcenter Hotel and Ice Rinks,
Hotel Henry and dinner at the Darwin
Martin House, which was designed by
famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The next morning we met with Mayor
Byron Brown, U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins and
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and shared our
thoughts about what we had experienced
the previous day. We next had a media
meet-and-greet, and finally, we had
lunch with local tourism industry reps
and, during a panel discussion, shared
our insights on trends and opportunities
for the different market segments each of
our associations represented.
When I travel for work, there are two
questions that always, immediately,
come to mind as I’m experiencing a
destination: Would I want to come back
with my family? And what’s here for an
NTA operator? In Buffalo, the answers
were Yes! … and so much!
And now that I’ve been, I really
encourage my friends there to rethink
their tagline. To me, it’s absolutely
“Buffalo—Beyond Expectations.”
Catherine Prather is the executive
vice president of NTA.