Welcome...to the March issue of Pulse, the official newsletter of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. If you have questions, or would like to be included in the April edition of Pulse, please contact Ryan Smith at rsmith@visitRaleigh.com

In this issue...
"The Green View" | A Place to Call Home | Restaurant News | Did You Know... | Are You Following? | Have You Reserved Your Space? | Hot Deals Request | Potpourri

"The Green View"
The Bureau’s regional director of national accounts Kumi Anzalone, CASE, and the Raleigh Convention Center’s director of sales and marketing Laurie Okun channeled the ladies of ABC’s “The View” for their own take on the daytime talk show at the Association of Convention Sales and Marketing Executives (ACME) Convention, February 23-24, in Washington, D.C. "The Green View" featured panelists consisting of a green caterer, meeting planner and marketing executive, all discussing their perspectives on sustainable meetings.

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A Place to Call Home
The LGBT Center of Raleigh (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) finally has a physical location at 316 W. Cabarrus St. in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District. According to a press release, the space will serve as an office and conference area, as well as an informal gathering spot for individuals and groups with ties to the LGBT community. To access more information about the area’s LGBT communities when assisting visitors, check the GLBT travel site at visitRaleigh.com/glbt.

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Restaurant News
Rocky Top Hospitality, owner of numerous Wake County restaurants including Bogart’s and Michael Dean’s, has opened Tribeca Tavern in Cary. The family-friendly restaurant will focus on regional microbrews and gourmet burgers. Urban Food Group’s Hillsborough Street favorite, Frazier’s, has closed and will re-open this spring as a wine bar. Irregardless Café and Catering has been selected as the recipient of the 2010 Business Support of the Arts Award, Small Business category. This annual award is jointly sponsored by the United Arts Council and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and recognizes outstanding contributions to the arts in Wake County by businesses, organizations and individuals. The Irregardless Café is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2010 and hosts more than 100 musicians on a two- to three-month rotation.

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Did You Know...
That you can find out what meetings and conventions are coming to the Raleigh area up to a year in advance? The Convention Services section of visitRaleigh.com keeps a current list of all arriving groups to help your organization prepare and staff appropriately by knowing when there will be an increase in visitors to our area. One upcoming group to note is the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., National Conclave, July 22-31. This is the largest convention to be held at the Raleigh Convention Center, as more than 10,000 Omega Psi Phi members will convene in downtown Raleigh. For more information and to obtain the password to the Arriving Groups Calendar, contact Julie Brakenbury.

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Are You Following?
If you didn’t know, the Bureau has two Twitter accounts (leisure and sports), three Facebook accounts (leisure, meeting and sports) and a blog that is updated weekly. Make sure to follow us or be our friend and be the first to hear about special offers, ticket giveaways or events—then pass along these opportunities to your visiting guests.

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Have You Reserved Your Space?
More than 10.3 million visitors traveled to Raleigh and Wake County in 2008 and spent an astounding $1.53 billion! Make sure your business gets in front of these consumers by advertising in the Bureau’s yearly publication, Visit Raleigh, the Official Visitors Guide to Raleigh, Cary and Wake County. The space reservation deadline is April 15; rates start at just $1,450. Contact Kris Schultz, S&A Cherokee, for more information and to reserve your space!

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Hot Deals Request
An important part of visitRaleigh.com is our ability to offer visitors to Raleigh and Wake County special rates, incentives and packages, all in one convenient place. The Bureau encourages hotels, restaurants and attractions to submit packages corresponding with college graduation, the grand opening of the N.C. Museum of Art and other Spring deals. Contact Charissa Todd with submissions.

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Potpourri
Change your Rolodex to reflect the following staff changes at area hotels – Mary Noser is the director of sales at the Hampton Inn & Suites RDU/Brier Creek, and Jason Berry is the director of sales at the Embassy Suites Hotel Raleigh/Crabtree. Congratulations to both these Wake County hoteliers on their new positions! The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts has announced it will not feature Broadway Series South performances after the current season, instead focusing on shows around rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. (North Carolina Theatre will continue to produce hits of Broadway.) Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University was named one of the “Best New Courses in 2009” by Links magazine.

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Restaurant photo courtesy Flickr Creative Commons/hikikomori
Woman walking photo courtesy Flickr Creative Commons/abbyladybug