Message from Chairman Doyle Parrish

We are certainly growing in new directions as we celebrate another successful year for the Wake County visitor industry. Fiscal year 2004/05 demonstrated further positive growth in the economy which translates into stronger confidence in travel. This upturn in travel is projected to continue and result in an optimistic outlook for 2005/06.

With the groundbreaking for the new convention center complex and the reconstruction of Fayetteville Street along with new restaurants, nightlife, office and residential space, downtown Raleigh's renaissance is in full swing. Cary also has several major construction projects underway and/or approved as have many of the other towns in Wake County making our overall product more saleable to visitors.

We have revised our GRCVB mission statement and gained a renewed commitment from our Bureau Board of Directors. Four vision task forces are working to help raise the image of the GRCVB and the visitor industry as well as becoming more involved in key decisions and initiatives affecting our community's tourism and economic well-being. We are encouraged with the support we are receiving in this effort from our advocacy partners…The Conference Table.

This year has shown strong results in sports marketing, meeting sales, partnership and tourism marketing, visitor services and communications. This year 41 bookings of sports events (including the 2006-08 MEAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament among others) amounted to over $26.5 million in future economic impact, and the Bureau assisted with such high profile events as…NCAA Women's College Cup, CIAA Basketball Tournament and NCAA DIII Softball National Championship.

Even with the planned demolition of the current civic center, the convention sales staff partnering with the hotels assisted in booking 202 new meetings generating more than $17 million in economic benefit. An aggressive 2005/06 joint marketing plan and budget were developed by the Bureau and Convention Center sales staffs, and results are already coming in for the new facility.

VisitRaleigh.com continues to be our most critical marketing tool and is constantly adapting to best meet user needs. A cross-section of partners was further engaged with the growth of the RaleighNow! cultural initiative and TGIF promotion and the launch of the Concert Venue Consortium (Summer Rocks) and CaryNow! endeavor.

Our services department provides a variety of services to our groups and visitors which helps assure return business and good word-of-mouth advertising. The services department helped 187 groups amounting to $41.1 million in visitor spending.

The highlights and goals detailed in this annual report show where we have come in 2004/05 and where we are headed in 2005/06. None of this could happen without a focused GRCVB staff, direction and support of the GRCVB Board of Directors, The Conference Table, Raleigh City Council, Wake County Board of Commissioners and the local hospitality and corporate community.

It has been my pleasure to serve as Chairman of the GRCVB Board of Directors for the past two years to help guide the future of the GRCVB and the hospitality industry, and I wish Russ Smith much success as he becomes the 2005/06 Chairman.