Destination 2028 Implementation in Fiscal Year 2023–2024

During the 2023-2024 fiscal year (implementation year-five for the Wake County Destination Strategic Plan), GRCVB leadership and staff logged many accomplishments across the eight priorities. A summary of strategic recommendations that were gotten underway or were completed last year follows. The planned implementation of recommendations for the fiscal year ahead is also summarized in the Destination 2028 subsection of visitRaleigh.com.
 

Meetings and Conventions Priority

• GRCVB participated with the City of Raleigh in the final selection of both architectural design firms and general construction contractors for the $387.5 million future Raleigh Convention Center (RCC) expansion and relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater. Initial design, construction and completion timelines have been established. 
• GRCVB participated with the City of Raleigh and hotel consultant in the selection of Omni Hotels & Resorts to build a 550-room, full-service hotel adjacent to RCC expansion. Providing Interlocal Funding for this project, a required City booking agreement was finalized with the hotel operator.
• Marketing and Communications Department conducted successful engagements with two of six meeting districts around the county, sharing the destination assets/CVB resources available.
   

Sports Priority

• GRCVB worked with Town of Cary staff on final design, construction and revised pricing for its indoor sports complex (The Center), and a multi-million-dollar parks and recreation bond will appear on the forthcoming town ballot for substantial necessary public funding. 
• GRCVB/GRSA successfully hosted the inaugural Southwest Wake County Parks & Recreation Summit. A facility sports cluster model case study was presented and adopted by the towns of Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.
• GRCVB/GRSA entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for countywide parks department cooperation, field standards and aligned level of maintenance with the aforementioned towns of Southwest Wake County.
• GRCVB has worked in partnership with North Carolina State University faculty in the opening of the state-of-the-art NC State Gaming and Esports Lab on Centennial Campus. This temporary facility is the forerunner to a 15,000-square-foot North Carolina State University Esports Production and Performance Center, currently under final design phases on the main campus and scheduled to open by 2026. 
• GRCVB was successful in working with Visit North Carolina to extend N.C. Esports Production Grant authorized by the General Assembly to a reoccurring expense line item in future state budgets.
   

Events Priority

• GRCVB developed partner MOUs and launched annual partner report cards for event economic impact analysis powered via the Bureau’s CRM.
   

Key Attractors Priority

• GRCVB partnered with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on marketing and promotions surrounding its new blockbuster exhibit, Dueling Dinosaurs.  
• GRCVB continues to align with Dorothea Dix Park leadership on the construction of Phase 1 and provides ongoing measurement resources to City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources for economic impact analysis.
   

Individual Leisure Priority

• With contracted ally People-First Tourism (P1t) Inc., GRCVB continued expanding the P1t program countywide to all 12 municipalities. The company offered 12+ prescheduled experiences monthly alongside 30 uniquely local experiences made available for custom booking by groups and served 1,600 visitors during 2023-2024. Microentrepreneur earnings reached $60,000, a 71% increase over the previous year.
• During the GRCVB-led destination brand strategy reassessment, Marketing and Communications reengaged area towns as well as area hospitality business partners/entrepreneurs with direct quantitative and qualitative input for future destination brand positioning.
• GRCVB worked with Wake County’s unique culinary and retail options to successfully host a summit exploring and refining visitor-targeted content, promotions of related experiences as well as reviewing future opportunities for collaboration, growth and sustained business climates.
   

Destination Development Priority

• GRCVB participated in further, ongoing hotel dialogue with developers and major industry cluster leaders for the new biotech campuses in Holly Springs. Proactive participation and engagement align to long-term development objectives for strategic locations countywide.
• GRCVB Administration successfully met with town managers countywide to understand key parcels through town master plans that may have tourism uses and development opportunities.
   

Regional Demand Drivers Priority

• GRCVB partnered with RDU Authority and Regional Transportation Alliance leaders in successfully launching three additional international non-stop flights to RDU International Airport via Copa Airlines, Aeroméxico and Lufthansa.
• GRCVB Public Relations and International Tourism Department held a successful International Travelers Summit with countywide hotel partners to review and promote international travel objectives, resources and future plans.
   

Quality of Place Priority

• Marketing and Communications proactively initiated destination brand strategy concepts with a collective of place-marketers representing all area towns during the destination brand strategy reassessment project. We received valuable input and future alignment on implementation. 
• GRCVB Administration worked with Wake County Affordable Housing Steering Committee, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the Raleigh Police Department, the Wake County Hospitality Alliance, the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association, N.C. Department of Transportation and Capital Area Workforce Development on numerous initiatives the tourism industry was able to assist in addressing underhoused resident opportunities. 
• GRCVB facilitated connections between the statewide Serving Careers campaign and the local Five Stars Hotel Employment Initiative for training and marketing of hospitality job opportunities for residents in Wake County. The paid efforts of the Serving Careers campaign, which ran Oct.-May, generated 187 million impressions, 2.7 million clicks and 687,084 applications for hotels and restaurants state-wide. 
• GRCVB worked closely with the Regional Transportation Alliance to finalize the 540 connection, advance Bus Rapid Transit launch and received federal funding for high-speed rail service from Raleigh to Richmond, Va. Also working on a study to address commuter rail options throughout the region.