Register for GRCVB’s Annual Meeting, Thurs., Aug. 21, 2025! We have another great event planned this year with plenty of networking time and a packed program.

At this Annual Meeting, we're celebrating the growth and successes of Wake County's food scene, hosting a panel of some of the area's brightest minds in the restaurant business, moderated by Raleigh Magazine publisher Gina Stephens.

Here are a few compelling reasons we'd ask you to consider as you're deciding to attend...
 

We've said this before, but it bears repeating: it’s good to be together.

No matter what we do in hospitality and tourism in Wake County, we’re all part of a team working together for the same goal—to encourage more visitors to come to Wake County and to provide great experiences for them while here. It’s easy to become so fixated on our own agendas and pressing to-do lists that we lose sight that we’re a part of something much bigger than any of us are alone. The GRCVB Annual Meeting is one time and place every year where that community can be experienced face-to-face... and you can celebrate with the four visitor-sector peers winning our annual awards.
 

It matters (a ton) to us that you're there. 

If you were listening in to Bureau meetings and even hallway conversations, you would hear over and over again: “How can we support our partners more? How can we engage with our partners this month? How can we work more effectively with our partners year-round?” You, all of you, are always top of mind as we’re doing the work of destination management in our area every day. We see you all as absolutely crucial to the work we do, and to have you present at our Annual Meeting is incredibly important to us. Plus we count it as a significant show of support for GRCVB for you to take the time and to make the effort to honor us with your presence.
 

Here’​s another one and a big one—tourism numbers from 2024.

It takes quite a while for all of the numbers to be crunched and the economic data to be collected to be able to report tourism numbers from the previous calendar year. We're getting the economists' report next month, and we will be releasing those 2024 numbers at the meeting and to the media at the same time. We hope you will be as interested as we have been in the overall growth in tourism since the deployment of Wake County's 10-year Destination Strategic Plan in 2018. It’s valuable intel and annual reporting to have in your back pocket.
 

Our restaurant scene deserves celebrating. Especially now.

Thanks to the brilliant minds of our talented chefs and restaurant owners, Wake County's food scene continues to make headlines—chefs are nominated for coveted James Beard Awards annually, major national publications continue to write stories about our dining experiences and, most recently, the MICHELIN Guide announced it would be coming to the South to explore our restaurants and produce the MICHELIN Guide: American South. Any time is a good time to celebrate our restaurant scene, but now is an especially good time.

Mentioned up top, during our program we're hosting a panel of four incredible minds in the restaurant business, moderated by Raleigh Magazine publisher Gina Stephens. Attendees will hear directly from thought leaders about what makes our food scene so special and attractive and perhaps be inspired to find synergies in promoting their own businesses to visitors alongside their culinary hospitality peers.

Panelists will include:

• Steven Devereaux Greene, executive chef, Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa
• Cheetie Kumar, proprietor/chef, Ajja
• Christopher Prieto, head barbecue nerd/owner, Prime Barbecue
• Angela Salamanca, chef and owner, Centro and Mala Pata
   

Hear about the food scene all the way across the county.

New for this year during the networking hour and light breakfast, catch up with each Wake County municipality at designated tables to hear about new or must-try restaurants across the destination! From Apex to Zebulon, representatives will be ready to share delicious dining ideas. There are tons of great places to eat all the way across Wake County, and this is a great chance to learn about some places you may not know about. 
 

Again, the meeting is on Thurs., Aug. 21, 2025, in A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. The networking and breakfast begin at 9am, the session at 10am.

We genuinely hope to see you there!

Registration closes Aug. 7, 2025, 5pm.
 

This year's sponsors:

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^{Photos by David Kuhn}