Greater Raleigh Teen Scotty McCreery Wins ‘American Idol’!
Scotty McCreery, a student at Garner Magnet High School, won Season 10 of Fox TV juggernaut, "American Idol." More than 8,000 fans packed the RBC Center to watch the “American Idol” finale on May 26 to see if the local teen would take home the title. McCreery’s win marks the second time a North Carolina native has won the title. McCreery, 17, will return to the Raleigh area when the "American Idol: LIVE!" tour comes to the RBC Center on July 27. Six other North Carolina natives have been featured on the FOX show. Fantasia Barrino, of High Point, won Season 3. Clay Aiken, of Raleigh, finished second in Season 2. Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry and Anoop Desai all made it to the Top 10. To watch a video of Scotty’s hometown visit, click here. For all things Scotty, check out and refer area visitors to visitRaleigh.com’s Scotty Spot.

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2011 Annual Meeting
The 24th GRCVB Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, August 31, at the Raleigh Convention Center. The meeting will include a ticketed luncheon, where the GRCVB will present its annual awards, as well as a free, morning strategy session, highlighting sustainable tourism and what it can do for area businesses. Attendees looking to attract more visitors/customers in the coming year may also participate in a morning meet-and-greet session with the GRCVB’s Communications, Marketing, Sales/Sports and Services departments. To reserve a seat for the morning session or to purchase tickets for the 24th GRCVB Annual Meeting, click here. For questions regarding Annual Meeting sponsorship, please contact Linda Bonine at 919.645.2662.

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Hospitality Awards Deadline
The deadline for nominations for the 2011 Isaac Hunter Excellence in Service Awards and the Horizon Award has been extended. Nominations will now be accepted until Friday, June 24. The Isaac Hunter Excellence in Service Awards honor front-line staff for outstanding service to visitors in accommodations, attractions, dining and service providers categories. The Horizon Award recognizes a management-level employee who demonstrates the skills to be a future leader in the hospitality sector. If you would like to make a nomination (free to enter), go to www.visitRaleigh.com/awards.

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Denny Edwards Elected President of DMANC
GRCVB President and CEO Denny Edwards was recently elected President of the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina (DMANC). His two-year term will begin July 1, 2011. DMANC is the trade association for destination marketing organizations in North Carolina and is a collaborative forum for DMOs providing resources for professional development, co-op destination management and marketing efforts and advocacy on common issues affecting the tourism industry in North Carolina. Congratulations, Denny!

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Kumi Anzalone Named President of PMPI
Kumi Anzalone, CMP, CASE, Regional Director of National Accounts for GRCVB, will serve as President of the Potomac Chapter of Meeting Professionals International (PMPI) beginning July 1. Based in the Bureau’s Washington, D.C., sales office, Kumi has been an active member of PMPI since 2005, serving as chair of the Membership Committee, Board Director for Professional Development and, most recently, President-Elect of the chapter. In 2007 she was given the Star Award for excellence in service to the chapter. With more than 1,000 members, PMPI is the second-largest MPI chapter in the world. MPI itself is the world's largest association of meeting professionals, with more than 21,000 members and 67 chapters.

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Pettaway and Yingling Elected to Board of Directors for MPI-CC
Malinda Pettaway, CMP, CASE, Associate Director of Convention Sales at GRCVB, and Loretta Yingling, CMP, a National Sales Manager, were sworn into the Board of Directors for the MPI-Carolinas Chapter on May 22. Malinda will serve as the Vice President of Membership, and Loretta will serve as the Director of Publications. Their terms also begin July 1. Congrats!

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Oliver on the Road
Jana Rae Oliver, Director of Sales at the GRCVB, attended the Futurallia Kansas City 2011 conference from May 18-21. At the conference, she was able to speak with the international public, discussing how the GRCVB assists planners and visitors. The conference hosted more than 850 attendees from around the world. Jana Rae hopes to bring the conference to Raleigh in the future. Jana Rae and local hotel partner Tina D’Erasmo next attended Destination Showcase Chicago. Comprised exclusively of DMOs and key industry associations, the showcase was a one-stop shop for the more than 300 planners in attendance. At the showcase, Oliver and D’Erasmo were able to speak with planners, describing the many features the Raleigh area has to offer. Additionally, they met with 25 planners who requested specific information on bringing their events to the Raleigh area.

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Greater Raleigh Sports Watch
The NCAA Baseball D-II World Series concluded with the national championship Saturday, June 4. CBS Sports Network televised the games as the top eight teams in the nation competed at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. The NCHSAA determined its state baseball and softball championships June 3-4 in Wake County. Two baseball classifications were decided at Doak Field on N.C. State’s campus, and two other championships took place at the Five County Stadium, home of the Carolina Mudcats, in Zebulon. The NCHSAA softball regionals and finals were held at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex in Raleigh. The City of Raleigh hosts more N.C. high school state championships (12) than any other city. The Annual Rex Hospital Open was held at the TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh from June 9-12. The Rex Hospital Open is part of the PGA’s Nationwide Tour and features future stars of professional golf. For the first time, Raleigh will host a U.S. Lacrosse Regional Festival & Qualifier. More than 60 boys and girls teams, ages 11-15, from across the country will participate in the June 17-19 event at the WRAL Soccer Center. U.S. Lacrosse is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse, one of the fastest growing youth sports in this region. CASL and the GRCVB have partnered to host the event.

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Summer Interns
Tyler Armstrong, of Raleigh, is a graduate of North Carolina State University. While at NCSU, Tyler earned a degree in Business Management and a minor in Marketing. He joined the GRCVB in mid-spring as a Marketing intern and will continue his internship through the summer.

Timothy Crawford, of Raleigh, is a rising senior at Leesville Road High School. While attending LRHS, he has enrolled in courses which focus heavily upon business, marketing and technology and is an active member of DECA there. Timothy joins the GRCVB as a summer intern working with the Marketing department.

Jeremey Smith, of Burlington, is a senior at NCSU. Pursuing a degree in Sports Management, Jeremey plans to attend graduate school upon completing his studies at State in the spring. He aspires to work as an athletic director at a university. Jeremey joins the GRCVB as a summer intern, working with the Services department.

Brittany Weber, of Westlake Village, Calif., is a senior at San Diego State University. She is pursuing a degree in Public Relations with a minor in Social Psychology. Upon graduating in the fall, Brittany hopes to work in the field of corporate event planning, possibly for a large hotel chain or a CVB. Brittany joins the GRCVB as a summer intern, working with the Convention Sales department. The Bureau is fortunate to have talented student interns every season of the year; they make significant contributions to GRCVB’s mission just as much as the Bureau provides new learning experiences for them!

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