A New World (and a Trip to the Amazon)
One of the most anticipated events of the year is just a few days away… the April 20-21, 24-hour grand opening of the Nature Research Center (NRC), a new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. If you haven’t seen through social media channels, media coverage or through online advertising, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau is celebrating the opening with the marketing campaign “Raleigh’s New World.” The campaign targets the 24 days leading up to the opening of the new wing and offers: insider information about the wing and events on April 20-21; a sweepstakes awarding one trip to the Amazon rainforest, led by NRC director Dr. Meg Lowman; access to daily deals at hotels, restaurants and attractions and the inside track on what else is going on in Raleigh, including extra events, special offers and more!

Back to Top

Quarterly Marketing Update Meeting
More than 55 hotel, attraction and restaurant partners “mixed and mingled” during the GRCVB Spring Marketing Update Meeting held at the Raleigh Convention Center March 29. The meeting started off with an update on past and current marketing initiatives including “Raleigh’s New World” and concluded with a partner showcase. The Summer Marketing Update Meeting is tentatively set for June 21; save the date!

Back to Top

Awesome April
The weekend of April 20-22 is shaping up as a big one on Greater Raleigh’s Spring sports calendar. The Deep South Classic, which will bring 200 girls basketball teams from throughout the U.S. to Wake County, will take place in multiple gyms and venues throughout Raleigh and Cary, including Cary Academy and Middle Creek High School. The Deep South will bring about 3,000 visitors to the area, generating more than 5,500 hotel room-nights and $1.5 million in direct visitor spending. The ACC Tennis Championships also are scheduled for Cary Tennis Park, April 19-22. Both a men’s and women’s champion will be crowned. See more info at www.theacc.com. And the North American Table Tennis Olympic Trials are set for Bond Park in Cary, April 20-22, as the best players from the United States and Canada compete for a spot in the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Find more info at www.cary2012.com.

Back to Top

A Proper Tribute
If you’ve driven by Lake Benson Park in Garner recently, you may have seen a spot cleared for construction and wondered what is being built. The Garner Veterans Memorial, a collaboration between the Town of Garner, Garner Chamber of Commerce and the Garner Veterans Memorial Committee, is an interactive installation, which will open to the public on November 12, 2012, Veterans Day. The memorial is made up of quiet green spaces for reflection and large, stone pillars listing the names of area men and women who fought in wars beginning with the Revolutionary War. The Garner Veterans Memorial Foundation now is selling Honorary Bricks, which will line the walkways of the memorial. For more information, click here.

Back to Top

GRCVB Wins Again
Have you had the chance to see the newest destination video for Greater Raleigh? Well, we knew it was great, but we were excited to learn that the video was awarded a 2012 Bronze Telly Award. The Telly Awards are the premier awards honoring the finest film and video productions, groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films and outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs. This is the second time the GRCVB has won this prestigious award. The 2012 destination video was created in partnership with Raleigh-based Triangle Blvd and was produced to give visitors a first impression of Greater Raleigh highlighting the area’s unique, smart, celebratory and dynamic attributes. The destination video consists of vignettes of visitors enjoying their trips to the area from arriving at RDU International Airport to hotels, attractions, restaurants, sporting events and outdoor activities. Check out the three-minute video on the Greater Raleigh YouTube channel.

Back to Top