2011 Annual Meeting
On August 31, the Bureau handed out four annual awards to leaders in Wake County tourism. Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes accepted the Thad Eure Jr. Memorial Award on behalf of the organization, while Paul Seiler accepted the John B. Ross Jr. Leadership Award on behalf of USA Baseball. Both of these organizations are a cornerstone to the area’s sports industry and have made significant impacts on tourism in Wake County. Also this year, a Lifetime Achievement Award was given to John Brantley, Airport Director at RDU. The Isaac Hunter Awards, which recognize excellence in customer service, were given to Troy Kent, a concierge at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, Allison Miller, Server and Head Wait Staff at The Irregardless Café & Catering, and Charity Van Horn, Event Host at Marbles Kids Museum. Stephanie Watts of the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown took home the Horizon Award. Congratulations to all winners! Click here for the full news release.

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USA Baseball National Team Identification Series
USA Baseball held its annual National Team Identification Series (9/9-9/11) at its National Training Complex in Cary. This prestigious event brought 756 of the top young players in America, ages 13-17, to Cary where they competed for spots on three of USA Baseball’s 2012 National Teams (18-U, 16-U and 14-U). Games were played Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with college and professional scouts in attendance. The event was expected to generate approximately 2,000 hotel room-nights and an estimated $475,000 in direct visitor spending. The Greater Raleigh CVB is a host partner of the event.

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"Greater Raleigh Goes Dutch"
In advance of the North Carolina Museum of Art’s blockbuster exhibition Rembrandt in America, the Greater Raleigh CVB is launching the "Greater Raleigh Goes Dutch" integrated marketing campaign to draw overnight and day-trip visitors. The campaign will launch publicly on October 1 and run through December. The Bureau will support the campaign through Internet marketing, publications, packaging and sweepstakes, conversational marketing and public relations.

In addition, NCMA and preferred partners will be featured in GRCVB print ads running in AAA Carolinas Go Magazine, AirTran’s GO magazine, Carolina Heritage Guide and Southern Living. "Greater Raleigh Goes Dutch" online ads also will appear on Expedia.com, Priceline.com, TravelChannel.com, TripAdvisor.com and visitnc.com. The Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown is the exclusive hotel partner and Crabtree Valley Mall is the exclusive shopping partner for the leisure marketing campaign.

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Help Support GRCVB’s Bid to AENC with Sponsorships
The Bureau is currently putting together a bid to host the Association Executives of North Carolina (AENC) Annual Meeting in June 2013, and the Bureau is presenting Wake County hospitality partners with options for sponsorship opportunities. Sponsors will be included in the bid, will receive recognition at the event and on printed and online collateral materials and will receive a complimentary registration for the entire meeting. Additional incentives are offered for sponsorship of reception, meal or break functions. Follow this link for full details, and to get involved, contact Loretta Yingling, CMP, (lyingling@visitraleigh.com) by Friday, September 23.

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Greater Raleigh CVB Wins 2011 Gold Service Award
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau was awarded the 2011 Gold Service Award by Meetings & Conventions Magazine. The annual award honors CVBs that have excelled in professionalism and dedication in their service to meeting professionals. Selected by magazine readers, this is the fourth time the Greater Raleigh CVB has been awarded this prestigious honor. Winners will be featured in the November edition of Meetings & Conventions. M&C (www.mcmag.com) is a division of NORTHSTAR Travel Media LLC, publishers of worldwide directories, periodicals, electronic products and destination information services for travel, meetings and the hospitality industry.

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Cary Gets New Train Depot
The Town of Cary has a new full-service train depot. The new 6,200-square-foot station opened September 1 and includes an automated ticket kiosk and checked baggage service and has an on-duty Amtrak agent. Eight daily trains provide passenger service from Charlotte and 11 other North Carolina cities to Cary. A formal dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held October 13.

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DMO Partnership Highlights Community Arts
Three area destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have formed a new partnership that aims to cross-promote arts throughout the region through the dedicated website portal, www.artsinthetriangle.com.

The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau (CHOCVB), the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) and the Greater Raleigh CVB have joined forces to encourage residents to visit and explore arts offerings in their neighboring Triangle destinations.

The new website portal highlights the many arts assets, the upcoming events and sample itineraries that will appeal to arts-lovers across the region. The website provides a snapshot of the three counties, Wake, Durham and Orange, with arts offerings and links to each of the DMOs’ individual and robust arts listings, allowing visitors to connect further for more detailed information, special packages and ticket options for venues, events and exhibitions.

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2010 Visitation Numbers Show Positive Growth
2010 visitation numbers for Wake County show positive growth in leisure and business travel. D. K. Shifflet and Associates calculated approximately 10.72 million travelers visited Wake County in 2010, while the United States Travel Association (UTSA) shows those visitors contributed more than $1.54 billion into the local economy. Visitor spending in the Capital City area generated more than $124 million in state ($80.76 million) and local ($44.11million) tax receipts last year, according to USTA. In 2010 tax revenues from visitor spending saved Wake County households $260.20 in state taxes and $142.10 in local taxes for a total of $402.30 savings per household.

More than 18,000 people are employed in the hospitality industry in Wake County representing an estimated $490 million in payroll income. More than 183,000 jobs throughout North Carolina are attributed to tourism.

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Congratulations
Congratulations to Stephen Jackson, National Sales Manager at the GRCVB, who recently received his Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification. The CMP program, the leading certification of the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry, recognizes individuals who’ve achieved the industry’s highest standard of professionalism. Congratulations, Stephen, on this exceptional accomplishment!

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