Fall Marketing Update Meeting
Some 50 Wake County hospitality partners from hotels and attractions gathered at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on December 8 and 9 for the Bureau’s Fall Marketing Update Meeting. Presentations were offered to industries in individually tailored sessions, providing industry-specific information for area attractions, restaurants and hotels. During the meeting, the Bureau presented the results of the GRCVB partner marketing survey, provided an update on the current marketing campaign “Greater Raleigh Goes Dutch” and announced the launch of the next major marketing campaign. For more information regarding the Bureau’s Spring 2012 leisure marketing campaign and to find out how your business can participate in this free co-op opportunity, contact tourism marketing manager Nolan Garner at ngarner@visitRaleigh.com or 919.645.2654.

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The Event of the Season
Jana Rae Oliver, Bureau director of sales, participated in the Association Forum Holiday Showcase Chicago on December 14, where she sold the Raleigh area’s appeal as a meeting destination to regional meeting planners. During the week of Showcase, the Bureau partnered with the Sonoma County Tourism Board to co-host a holiday reception in Trump International Hotel & Tower, where Chicago-based meeting planners mingled overlooking the historic downtown Chicago skyline. Local hotel partner The Umstead Hotel & Spa participated alongside GRCVB in “The Event of the Season” reception.

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‘Destination I.D.’ Press Tour Garners Media Coverage
The “Destination I.D.” Media Familiarization Tour facilitated by GRCVB was held October 25-28, 2011. In response to the tour, there have been numerous articles published in print and online outlets during the past month. The Communication Department has compiled a report of all media coverage to date as a result of the tour. To see the full report, click here.

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visitRaleigh.com Holiday Microsite
GRCVB makes it easy for out-of-town guests to plan their holiday schedule with its seasonal microsite. Visitors to the Bureau’s official website, visitRaleigh.com, will find an easy to use holiday calendar which lists the hottest Greater Raleigh events. From holiday tree lightings, sleigh rides and ice skating to Christmas parades, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa festivals and New Year’s Eve bashes, you’ll find it all at www.visitRaleigh.com/holiday.

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The Official Visitors Guide Now Online
The Official Visitors Guide to Raleigh, Cary and Wake County is now online! Your visitors will love this updated, online version, which allows users to flip the pages and view the guide in its 76-page entirety; it’s easy to use and eco-friendly. Add a link to your hospitality business’s website or company’s email signature to help guests and patrons find their way through Greater Raleigh. To view the Official Visitors Guide online, visit www.raleighvisitorsguide.com.

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Highlight Your Business
Don’t miss the opportunity to have your business or organization featured in the next Official Visitors Guide to Raleigh, Cary and Wake County. To purchase an ad in the upcoming edition or find out more information, click here.

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GRCVB Offices Closed for Holidays
Bureau offices will be closed on Dec. 26-27 and Jan. 2 for Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

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Sports Overload
The CASL visitRaleigh.com National Soccer Series Girls Showcase was held November 18-20. Approximately 320 teams from throughout the U.S. traveled to North Carolina’s capital city. The tournament was expected to generate more than 11,000 hotel room-nights and more than $3 million in direct visitor spending. More than 90 area hotels blocked rooms for the Girls Showcase. Games were played on fields throughout Wake County (and additional sites in Wilson and Rocky Mount), with Raleigh’s WRAL Soccer Center serving as the primary venue. Additionally, the N.C. High School Athletic Association men’s soccer state championships were played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. State finals were contested in all four classifications. This marks the 4th of 12 NCHSAA state championships to be hosted this year by the City of Raleigh and its local partners, in this instance the Town of Cary and GRCVB.

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Egads!
Loretta Yingling, CMP, and Malinda Pettaway, CMP, CASE, exhibited at the AENC Annual Tradeshow at the Raleigh Convention Center, Dec. 8. The Bureau sales team partnered with Summit Hospitality, the Raleigh Convention Center, the Raleigh Marriott City Center and the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel in a “mad scientist” theme, highlighting how research and science have been important to this area in the past, are strong in this area in the present and will continue help attract meetings to this area in the future.

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