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 10:
Concerts Rock Promotion
See America Week Set for May 13-21
June 27 Industry Update Meetings
July 19 Annual Luncheon
Bureau Seeks Award Nominations
Two Core Pubs Plucked
Big Web Award
Reserve Space in 2007 Visitors Guide
2006 Destination and Cooperative Marketing Opportunities
CVB Caniacs
Sales Slate
Sports Headlines
Events Through Next Month
Concerts Rock Promotion
Concerts rock and never more so than Summer 2006 as the Bureau joins forces with seven local organizations and venues to unveil its Concerts Rock promotion via a dedicated web site www.visitraleigh.com/concerts featuring hotel deals and special ticket offers as they become available and Ticketmaster and American Express partnerships.
Experience the 16th anniversary roster of shows at long-time area favorite Alltel Pavilion, or see why Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre was recently voted the nation's best small concert venue. Enjoy old favorites, like the City of Raleigh's Alive After Five or, the free, all-day, multi-show event known as Bud Light Raleigh Downtown Live featuring nationally acclaimed artists. Revel in the intimacy of smaller shows at the North Carolina Museum of Art's Park Theater, immerse yourself in the full-on charge of the RBC Center or take in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The choices, and the range of musicians, are unique and varied.
See America Week Set for May 13-21
See America Week (formerly National Tourism Week) is an annual event sponsored by the Travel Industry Association of America where hundreds of cities and towns across the nation promote greater public awareness of the powerful economic, social, and cultural impacts of travel and tourism through local events and celebrations.
Besides producing its yearly tourism overview insert for visitor and community stakeholders and receiving proclamations from the Raleigh City Council and Wake County Commissioners, the Bureau will focus its National Tourism Day advocacy efforts on May 16 at the Legislative Building and a reception to be held in the Museum of Natural Sciences for most of the 170 state legislators. Among the key issues are support of funding and building a State Visitor Center, need for appropriate interstate, county and city signage and increased marketing of central region and its assets in state tourism positioning, marketing and advertising.
June 27 Industry Update Meetings
The GRCVB will update the industry at a pair of meetings on Tuesday, June 27 at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in the Fletcher Opera Theater. Among the highlights will be a new convention center sales update, discussion of the Bureau's new three-year strategic plan and presentation of 2007 cooperative and partnership marketing opportunities. A Hotel/Lodging Strategy Meeting will take place from 9-11 am, with an Attractions/Venues Meeting following from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Be on the lookout for meeting notices to be sent in May. For more information about the June 27 meetings, please contact the Bureau's director of partnership and tourism marketing Shawn Braden at 919-645-2663 or sbraden@visitraleigh.com.
Save the Date: CVB Annual Luncheon on July 19
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau's 19th annual luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at the RBC Center. The keynote speaker is new N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe. The agenda features the presentation of the Thad Eure, Jr. Memorial Award and the John B. Ross, Jr. Leadership Award. Previous recipients of the Eure Award include Dr. James and Ann Goodnight of SAS Institute, James F. Goodmon of Capitol Broadcasting, Bill Cavanaugh of Progress Energy and The News & Observer. For more information about ticket information, please contact the Bureau's director of operations Linda Bonine at 919-645-2662 or lbonine@visitraleigh.com.
Bureau 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 honored during the Bureau's 19th Annual Luncheon. The nomination deadline is Tuesday, May 16. Nominate a worthy person today via our online process or contact director of visitor services Theresa Tyler at 919-645-2659 or ttyler@visitraleigh.com.
Two Core Pubs Plucked
The Bureau's two most important publications (Visitors Guide and Meeting Planners Guide) have been honored among 5,200 worldwide entries by The Communicator Awards.
The 2006 Meeting Planners Guide received an Award of Excellence, the highest honor and most prestigious award presented by The Communicator Awards to those entrants whose ability to communicate elevates them among the best in the field. Only 14% of entries enjoyed this lofty designation. The 2005 Visitors Guide garnered an Award of Distinction for projects that exceed industry standards in design or communication skills. Roughly 18% of entries picked up this plaudit.
Big Web Award
The Bureau just won a 2006 Internet Advertising Competition Award from the Web Marketing Association for its fall online campaign. Greater Raleigh was one of three clients of USDM (the CVB's internet marketing partner) to be recognized along with Atlantic City and Pigeon Forge. It also picked up a 2005 web award for participation in a cooperative golf online campaign.
The IAC Awards were created by the Web Marketing Association to award outstanding work in online advertising, recognize the individuals and organizations responsible, and showcase the award winning work. They are the first and only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising. The IAC Awards consist of 80 industry categories which are judged on creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, and use of the medium.
Reserve Space in 2007 Visitors Guide
Ad sales are commencing for the 2007 Visitors Guide to Raleigh and Wake County – featuring a broad distribution of 300,000 copies. The Bureau will partner again with Our State Custom Publishing – which also produces the highly-acclaimed Our State Magazine and the Triangle Adventures Hotel Book. Many new features are planned for the 2007 edition slated to arrive in early December with ad sales running now through mid-October. For ad information, contact Chris Walker at 800-948-1409 or cwalker@ourstate.com. Other questions can be directed to Martin Armes at 919-645-2654 or marmes@visitraleigh.com.
2006 Destination and Cooperative Marketing Opportunities 
There are many ways to leverage CVB programs and assist your business goals through the area's billion dollar visitor industry. Many beneficial cooperative partnerships have been developed that offer ways to join forces with CVB campaigns via online, magazine and guidebook advertising with participation rates starting from $250. Sign-ups are taking place for many fall programs.
For more information about these co-op marketing opportunities, please contact the Bureau's director of partnership and tourism marketing Shawn Braden at 919-645-2663 or sbraden@visitraleigh.com.
CVB Caniacs
As the Hurricanes skated toward the Southeast Division title, the Bureau hosted a client event at the RBC Center taking in the hockey action for 28 top sales and sports clients. Pictured are (l-r): Greg Moore, N.C. Alliance for Athletics Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Stormy; Kevin O'Barr, N.C. Department of Labor.
Sales Slate
The sales staff recently submitted formal proposals for more than $6.0 million of future business (2007 N.C. Society of Research Administrators, 2007 N.C. Insurance Crime Info Exchange, 2007 Southern Regional Animal Care and Control Conference, 2008 National Speakers Conference, 2008 Babcock Home Furniture, 2008 International Food Distributors Association, 2008 N.C. Association of Free Clinics, 2009 N.C. Veterinary Medical Association, 2010 Carolina Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors and 2012-2014 N.C. Alliance for Athletics Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance).
Sports Headlines
Raleigh and Wilson were named co-hosts of the 2008 USYSA Southern Regional Soccer Championship. Partners in the bid were the N.C. Youth Soccer Association, Capital Area Soccer League, the City of Wilson and the Greater Raleigh CVB, which coordinated the bid effort. The event is expected to generate about 20,000 hotel room nights and approximately $4.2 million in estimated economic impact for the region from June 19-25, 2008. The Bureau also assisted in securing the USFA (Softball) Eastern Nationals in August 2006 that will generate more than 2,700 hotel room nights and approximately $725,000 in estimated economic impact.
Meanwhile, the sports staff continued bid preparations for the 2007 USA Hockey Inline Championships and assisted N.C. State and the RBC Center in hopes of landing NCAA first and second round action for the 2009 or 2010 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. It also submitted a bid for the 2007 N.C. State USTA Adult League Tennis Championship, which would be co-hosted by the cities of Raleigh and Cary in June 2007 and generate an impact of approximately $435,000.
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