Over the next few days, meeting planners and executives from professional associations around the country will be visiting Rochester to get a sense of whether they want to host a future meeting or conference here.
Don Jeffries, president and CEO of Visit Rochester, says the opening weekend of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival is the perfect time to sell the city to out of town visitors.
"They hear the music, they see a couple of shows, and they see all the people having fun and that's what we sell them on. We say, 'this is a fun place to be.' "
Tourism officials will also be taking representatives from 15 different groups to the Strong Museum, Memorial Art Gallery, George Eastman Museum, and other local attractions.
Each year Rochester hosts approximately 200 meetings and conferences for out of town groups. Jeffries said the city has an advantage even in the winter months.
"Rochester is the only upstate city with two major hotels connected to the convention center," he said. "So if you book your meeting in Buffalo or Syracuse, you have to get your boots and your hat and you have to walk to the convention center. Here, you don't have to, and that's a great selling point for us."