Greater Raleigh Tourism e-News
Welcome to the Greater Raleigh Tourism e-News … presented by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB). Please let us know about any news pertaining to Wake County's billion dollar visitor industry for possible inclusion in future issues.
IN VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1:
Ground Breakings Galore
Bullish Industry Trends
Another Sports Victory – Community Spirit Award
Concert Kudos
Assisted Bureau Bookings in January
Sales/Sports/Services News
Dateline Raleigh
Events in Greater Raleigh Through Next Month
Official ground-breaking ceremonies are scheduled in the comings months for two significant projects in Raleigh's Renaissance to enhance the economic vitality of Downtown Raleigh, Wake County and the region.
The Fayetteville Street ceremony to reopen Raleigh's "main street" to vehicular traffic is planned for 11:30 a.m., Monday, March 14 at Fayetteville and Martin streets. The $8.97 million project is scheduled for completion in May 2006. Of note, the fish (koi) that have lived in the fountain by the Wake County Courthouse for two decades will soon find a new home at Lake Howell in Pullen Park.
City of Raleigh and Wake County officials will be on hand for the new convention center groundbreaking at Noon on Wednesday, April 6 at the corner of Salisbury and Lenoir streets. The new center will replace the existing 1977 building.
The new convention center complex is expected open in February 2008 and result in 900 additional new jobs and more than $50 million additional economic benefit annually for Wake County. Click here for more details on downtown projects and convention center construction progress.
Meeting Professionals International's annual survey compiled with American Express, titled FutureWatch 2005, predicts meeting planners will see an average budget increase of 5% this year, following a 3% rise in 2004. Suppliers are expected to increase revenues by 13% in 2005; their revenues rose by an average of 10% last year. This bodes well for existing and future business in Wake County.
More than a third of North American business travelers expect to spend more on business travel this year than in 2004, according to a survey by global travel agency Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The survey of 1,200 business travelers and 300 travel managers in the U.S. and Canada found that 34% expect to spend more on travel in 2005.
So it's not surprising to see hotel rates projected to rise through 2006. According to several recent reports, analysts expect the current rebound in lodging industry demand and profitability to last at least until 2007, meaning occupancies and average daily rates will remain high and travel managers can expect hotels to continue to press for aggressive rate increases. This should translate into increased hotel occupancy tax revenues used to finance capital projects and market the Raleigh area for future business if these projections become true for this area.
Another Sports Victory – Community Spirit Award
The GRCVB Sports Marketing Department routinely scores big by winning sports business for the area visitor industry. After all, it assisted with 46 definite sports bookings for a combined estimated economic impact of $20.3 million and 72,000 total room nights last fiscal year.
This time, it tallied another type triumph by receiving the Community Spirit Award at the Sports Council's Feb. 15 Evening of Champions Awards Banquet at the Embassy Suites RDU/Cary. The team of Scott Dupree, Tori Collins and Angela Pratt (pictured right to left) was touted for its exceptional efforts promoting "Sports in the Triangle."
ALLTEL Pavilion at Walnut Creek recently received recognition from Pollstar Magazine when ranked 12th among amphitheatres for concert tickets sold in 2004. It was up against such mega markets as Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.
ALLTEL Pavilion offered more than 150 bands, over 30 nights on three stages, and the14th season brought 372,072 concert fans to 30 diverse events, including an unprecedented nine sellouts. The 15th Anniversary concert season starts in April.
Assisted Bureau Bookings in January
- Joyce Meyer Ministries, May 5-7, 2005 (200 TRN; $3.0 million EEI)
- CASL Boys Showcase, Dec. 9-11, 2005 (9,000 TRN; $2.5 million EEI)
- NCWBA State Bowling Tournament, March 11-April 24, 2005 (6,780 TRN; $1.6 million EEI)
- 2005 AAU Boys Basketball Super Regional, March 24-27, 2005 (2,300 TRN; $678,700 EEI)
Heidi Walters, chair of the Carolinas Chapter of Meeting Professionals International, attended the annual International Professional Education Conference in San Diego. Walters (center) helped promote the 2006 event to be held in Charlotte.
Meanwhile, the sports staff attended the National Soccer Coaches Association annual convention with the primary purpose of promoting the NICK Soccer Tournament this July and August. It also assisted North Carolina State's bid to host portions of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 2007 and 2008.
Director of visitor services Theresa Tyler continues to serve on the advisory council for Raleigh's RSVP Program (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program).
The Angus Barn was featured in the Feb. 10 edition of The Toronto Star in a story titled, "Barn is the Toast of N.C.: Legendary Eatery Gets Better with Age." Said travel editor Marc Atchison in the piece possessing a public relations value of almost $17,000, "At first glance, the Angus Barn restaurant looked, well, like a big, old barn. Nothing special. Just one of those oversized American eateries that look best sitting on the side of interstates. Van Eure, the charming owner of North Carolina's most famous steak house, wanted to prove to her northern guest that looks are deceiving — that the Angus Barn was not simply a meat and potatoes kind of restaurant."
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