How many ways can one say thank you to their customers? Well, this week Savannah has a golden opportunity to do just that – say “thank you for your business” to the many Georgia associations that do conventions and meetings in our community each year.

The Georgia Society of Association Executives (GSAE) will hold their annual convention in Savannah. That’s especially newsworthy for a couple of reasons, but mainly because they are one of the very few groups that did not cancel their event this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 150 or so association executives and their vendors will fill hotel rooms and restaurant seats in town this week. Many of these folks are the decision-makers or decision-recommenders for where their organizations will do their annual conventions each year and many of their smaller meetings as well.

Some examples of these groups are the Georgia Municipal Association, the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.

The Savannah area has the good fortune to be a popular choice for those groups mostly because of all that our city has to offer. From restaurants and nightlife to tours and attractions, Savannah provides that ideal get-out-of-town experience for those that make our state’s industries click all year long.

We are most grateful that GSAE opted to not cancel their event. Not only does this decision continue to provide us the opportunity to showcase Savannah’s unique and special style of Southern hospitality but as importantly, the event will keep folks in the local hospitality industry working through the end of the month. And that in itself is a terrific byproduct of being the host city.

Similarly, having the event here gives us the opportunity to show off some of our newest venues like the Metal Building at Trustees Garden and the shiny new J.W. Marriott Hotel and the Plant Riverside District. These unique facilities will be quite popular for not only the meeting planners but more importantly, the convention attendees. Folks always want to know what’s new in town and the Savannah visitor experience continues to evolve and improve, even throughout this difficult time.

Meetings mean business. When a corporation or association plans a meeting or a conference, it means bringing people to our city. And when they do, those attendees drive economic activity in town via their visitor spending. The GSAE convention this week will generate upwards of $100,000 while they are here.

However, the exponential impact of the many meetings and conventions associated with the attendees and the groups that they represent is many times that amount.

And that’s not to mention the many leisure trips that their attendees make to Savannah and Tybee Island as well.

So to the GSAE and its members, thank you for your business. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Joe Marinelli is the president of Visit Savannah, the local convention and visitors bureau.