Greater Raleigh Tourism e-News
Welcome to the third issue of Greater Raleigh Tourism e-News… presented by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. This monthly e-News is the metamorphosis of two CVB communications tools (Visitor Advance and Matter of Fax). Please let us know about any news pertaining to Wake County's billion dollar visitor industry for possible inclusion in future issues.
IN VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3:
• New Convention Center/Hotel Update
• NCAA Basketball Generates $2.3 Million in Visitor Spending
• National Tourism Day Fair on May 11
• CVB Seeks Award Nominations
• Raleigh Artists' Paintings Grace New Raleigh Tourism Ads
• Bureau Teams with Other CVBs on Delta Favorite Cities Promotion
• (TGIF) Weekends Offer Potential in Leisure Market
• Assisted CVB Bookings in March
• Sales/Sports News
• Travel Trends
• Events in Greater Raleigh This Month
New Convention Center/Hotel Update
"Meetings and conventions is the only segment of the business travel market that has a bright future, and it's the most popular form of business travel." So said Peter Yesawich, managing partner of travel marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, while unveiling the results of the firm's National Leisure Travel Monitor last month, a biennial survey on the travel habits, preferences and intentions of Americans.
That news certainly bodes well for the construction of a new downtown convention center. In the coming months, officials will finalize a memorandum of understanding with hotel developer Stormont-Noble Development and agree upon conceptual plans for the new convention center being led by national architect Thompson Ventulett Stainback (TVS) and local architects Clearscapes and OBrien Atkins Associates. The hotel development agreement will likely be presented to the Raleigh City Council in May 2004, while both elected bodies will review the costs of four final convention center schemes from the architects and possibly make a decision on the final scheme in June 2004. The facilities are scheduled to open in late 2007.
The sales department hosted a luncheon last month in Charlotte for the Association Executives of North Carolina Charlotte Chapter, with 42 planners and suppliers in attendance (see photo to the right). State association business is a top target market for the new convention center and ongoing CVB sales efforts.
The new convention center complex will result in 900 additional new jobs and more than $50 million additional economic benefit annually for Wake County. Click here for more details.
NCAA Basketball Generates $2.3 Million in Visitor Spending
While area teams Duke and Wake Forest benefited from fellow ACC school N.C. State hosting NCAA Men's Basketball first- and second-round games at the RBC Center on March 18 and 20, the area economy benefited as the GRCVB calculated the economic impact of "March Madness" as more than $2.3 million.
This economic impact information uses an economic impact model developed by the National Association of Sports Commissions and used nationwide; however, it has been adjusted to reflect the NCAA average daily room rate figures. The event generated approximately 4,844 total room nights and the $2.3 million figure is a conservative number that does not use a multiplier, but instead reflects direct visitor spending only.
N.C. State served as the official host as eight teams competed at the Raleigh site, including Duke, Alabama State, Seton Hall, Arizona, Wake Forest, Virginia Commonwealth, Florida and Manhattan. Six games with more than 12 hours of national television exposure on CBS highlighted Raleigh and the RBC Center for millions more in potential future business. Plus, writers and broadcasters from across the country were in Raleigh to cover the six games.
N.C. State, with support from its partners GRCVB and the RBC Center, has submitted a bid to host the NCAA tournament again in 2007 or 2008. A decision is expected this summer.
National Tourism Day Fair on May 11
Come celebrate National Tourism Week with the Band Of Oz, Carolina Hurricanes mascot "Stormy" and members of the Storm Squad at the Tourism Day Fair on Tuesday May 11 from 11am-2pm at the Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh (between the Education Building and the Legislative Office Building). The GRCVB will take part in recognizing Wake County's billion dollar visitor industry along with hosts the NC Division of Tourism and the NC Travel Industry Association.
The event, which will feature entertainment and exhibitions from tourism destinations throughout the state (as well as food and refreshments), is intended to promote a wider understanding of the economic impact and importance of North Carolina's travel and tourism industry. It also represents an opportunity to keep tourism initiatives in the minds of invited legislators during the upcoming short session. For more information, please contact the Bureau's director of tourism and partnership marketing Shawn Braden at 919-645-2663 or sbraden@visitraleigh.com.
CVB Seeks Award Nominations
The Bureau will honor outstanding individuals in the Wake County hospitality industry with two award programs. The Horizon Award recognizes a management-level employee who demonstrates the skills to be a future leader in the industry and the Isaac Hunter Excellence in Service Awards honor front-line staff for outstanding visitor service. The winners will be acknowledged during the Bureau's 17th Annual Luncheon on Wednesday, July 14.
Take a few minutes and nominate a worthy person today via our online process (www.visitraleigh.com/awards) or contact director of visitor services Theresa Tyler at 919-645-2659 or ttyler@visitraleigh.com. The entry deadline is May 18.
Raleigh Artists' Paintings Grace New Raleigh Tourism Ads
A new series of advertisements promoting Raleigh tourism have launched featuring the work of Raleigh native Kay Hutchison. The ads sell various highlights of a Raleigh visit, including festivals, shopping and strolling City Market. Each features an original Hutchison painting commissioned for the project by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. It's part of an effort to define tourism in Raleigh as offering "City Life, Carolina Style." in campaigns featuring print ads, television and radio spots, brochures and a pending website redesign.
Hutchison was born and raised in Raleigh and her love of art was inspired by her art teacher at Broughton High School, Nancy Carty. In addition to her paintings for the GRCVB, Kay specializes in mural design. Currently a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design, Kay has painted murals in North Carolina, Rhode Island and New York.
"It's exciting to help show others all the great things my hometown has to offer, and it's been a new experience to have my work showcased in an advertising campaign. That's a very different medium than I'm used to," Hutchison said.
Bureau Teams with Other CVBs on Delta Favorite Cities Promotion
The GRCVB joined forces with other Convention and Visitors Bureaus across the country for an online Delta Favorite Cities promotion with the likes of Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Daytona Beach, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Orlando, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Portland, Salt Lake City and San Diego. The promotion is being coordinated through www.OfficialTravelGuide.com and will run through June 15.
(TGIF) Weekends Offer Potential in Leisure Market
Data from the Travel Industry Association (TIA) indicates that almost a third of households take 5 or more weekend trips per year; another 20 percent take 3-4 trips. That's a lot of potential. The weekend opportunity is simple mathematics. There are 104 weekend days per year. This represents more that 25 percent of the year available for weekend leisure, six times more than what the typical American has available in paid "vacation days." The visitor industry's ability to sell weekend travel has been helped dramatically with the onset of the Internet. Most weekend trips are planned with short lead times, and consumers now can make their bookings easily and quickly using online services. Since 2001, the Bureau has exploited this opportunity with its TGIF weekend promotion featuring 29 participating properties this year. www.TGIFRaleigh.com.
Assisted CVB Bookings in March
• 2Hot4 Ice National Games [Roller Hockey] (June 2004; $1.3 million EEI)
• BPA Baseball 11&12 World Series (July 2004; $732,000 EEI)
• Connections (July 2004; $219,600 EEI)
• North Carolina Council of Community Programs (June 2004; $191,700 EEI)
• North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police (January 2005; $110,025 EEI)
Sales/Sports News
The Sales Department hosted site inspections in March for North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, Next Generations Ministries and Manufactured Home Owners Association of America
The Bureau submitted a bid to North Carolina Amateur Sports to host the N.C. State Games in 2005 and 2006. The majority of the events would be held in Town of Cary facilities. The sports team also assisted Town of Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources on a bid to host the USA League Tennis Mixed Doubles Sectionals for 2005 and 2006 at the Cary Tennis Center.
Congrats to sales manager Amy Higgins, who was one of six educational scholarship recipients from the Meeting Professional International (MPI) Carolinas Chapter. The Nancy B. Holder Scholarship Awards were established to provide educational opportunities to MPI members, encourage professionalism, return benefits to members and encourage involvement in the organization.
Kudos to sports sales manager Angela Pratt, who recently clocked an impressive 4:08:55 and finished in the top third among 20,000 runners in the Boston Marathon.
Travel Trends
RESTAURANT SLUMP IS ENDING. Americans are dining out again, putting an end to the worst downturn in the restaurant business in a decade. After a sharp downturn in sales growth that lasted three years, customers are returning to the table as a result of a healthier economy and an uptick in consumer confidence. The largest chains are reporting 5% to 6% sales growth in January and February compared to the year-earlier period. For customers, tables will be harder to get and many of the deals offered last year are gone. This news is certainly reflected in the continued growth of Wake County's prepared food and beverage tax collections.
ORBITZ STUDY FINDS BUSINESS TRAVELERS STILL COST-CONSCIOUS. A national survey conducted on behalf of Orbitz for Business by Harris Interactive reveals the majority of business travelers are equally or more cost-conscious when it comes to saving their company money in 2004. According to the poll, 83% of business travelers feel "more" obligated to save their company money when traveling for business this year. The survey also found that 35% of business travelers plan to use an online agency to book their business travel in 2004.
MARRIOTT, FOUR SEASONS TOPS AMONG MEETING PLANNERS, SURVEY SHOWS. An extensive study of meeting and event planners conducted by the Maritz Research Hospitality Group shows that Marriott International ranks first within the upscale convention hotel market when it comes to providing a positive experience for its meeting and event planners. Similarly, Four Seasons was rated best within the luxury category. The 2003 Meeting Planners Choice, Experience, Loyalty Study surveyed more than 1,700 meeting planners by telephone in late 2003. These findings certainly bode well with a Marriott flag likely to fly atop Raleigh's new convention center hotel.
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