LED Site Consultant Outreach
Site selectors/consultants are an important part of the business location decision-making process. Because of their influence over location decisions, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) cultivated relationships with site consultants who work in Louisiana’s target industries and/or have access to significant clients.
From 2008 - 2015, as a part of the site selector outreach program, LED:
Conducted 120 one-on-one meetings with site consultants
Conducted 23 one-on-one conference calls with site consultants
Attended 15 events to specifically target site consultants
Conducted 29 outbound missions which also included site consultant meetings
Developed a ‘Top Influencer’ database with 237 top influencers in the inward investment/foreign direct investment industry
Developed a database of 621 international site consultants
Developed a database of 6,000 domestic site consultants and key commercial/industrial real estate intermediaries
Consultant Emails
From 2013-2015, LED sent email messaging to site selectors, promoting various key points targeted specifically to what influences site selection decisions. These include rankings, logistics, wins, tax advantages, FastStart® and other workforce training, cost of business and more.
Site Selectors GuilD
Another key consultant cultivation effort was recruiting the annual Site Selectors Guild to New Orleans. The Site Selectors Guild is an elite group of site consultants who meet regularly to share information amongst themselves and with economic development organizations. After the first Guild meeting in 2012, we quickly realized that this event could bring a lot of attention to the state if hosted in Louisiana.
LED, along with the state’s eight regional economic development organizations and three major utilities pitched to host the event in New Orleans in 2012. And won. Not only were we able to showcase the city, but the team created unique opportunities to reinforce Louisiana’s message of economic opportunity while capitalizing on our rich culture.
The traditional hotel conference space communicated the unique culture and advantages of Louisiana through strategically placed banners in the meeting space and social areas. The images were a mix of iconic images as well as business-related advantages that might not traditionally be associated with the state.
Because the Site Selectors Guild gave us a unique opportunity to interact directly with the consultants, Louisiana pitched a unique opening night party just for them. The invitations to the VIP event were signed, personalized copies of celebrity Chef John Besh's cookbook and he did a cooking demonstration for the attendees. The space included framed artwork about Louisiana project wins, and environmental signage highlighted Louisiana's improving business climate. The event was a huge success and has inspired other cities to host creative VIP events for the annual Guild conference.
My role in these projects was to make them happen—from pitch to execution. For outreach efforts, I coordinated the scheduling in partnership with our agency, developed the presentation content and attended meetings with the Secretary of Economic Development. My team developed the RFP response, cultivated the selection committee, worked seamlessly with the conference organizers, developed a logo and promotional materials for the meeting, hosted an exclusive VIP pre-party for the consultants and Louisiana stakeholders, rolled out the carpet for a memorable opening night event and made the meeting space come alive with Louisiana-themed banners that not only featured cultural icons but also business images.
Agency Partners: The PONT Group, Peter Mayer Advertising
Internal Team Members: Chelsea Harris, Jennifer Berthelot, Danielle Russo
“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Lori as a consultant for over four years now. I’ve been in the economic development industry for over 28 years and it is always a thrill for me when I have clients that teach me. Lori has done just that. She is highly creative, analytical, and a true innovator. I learn from her every day and look to the work she has done for Louisiana as an example of best practice. Her leadership in LED and the marketing department has helped propel the state to its current level; “the one to beat”. Lori’s energy and intellect make our work both fun and interesting. Without hesitation, I give her my highest recommendation.”