Tourism Talk blog

GRCVB released the highly anticipated 2020 tourism numbers recently, and we're reposting here in case you missed the announcement. We will share more about the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and, more importantly, its impact on the future of the Wake County tourism industries, at the

You should have seen an invitation by now to the Bureau's Annual Meeting on Thurs., Aug. 19, 2021, at 10am. The theme of this year's event is "The Next Normal," and that concept couldn't be more relevant than it is right now. We're all still trying to discern what the...

The last 17 months have no doubt been unprecedented in their overall effect on the revenues, employment and economic performance in the hospitality sector. Contingency planning, recovery tactics and long-term resiliency are the objectives for the GRCVB and all our community partners. The old saying

We announced in the Tourism Talk blog on June 21 that there are several significant staff changes underway in the Destination Services Department here at the Bureau. As of July 31, 2021, Julie Brakenbury, CGSP ® , director of services since 2007, is taking her much-deserved retirement, while...

Most sports fans know that the NFL Draft Combine is held every year in Indianapolis. But they may not know that the first-ever Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft Combine was held last month right here in Cary and Raleigh. The inaugural event featured approximately 175 of the premier college and high

Past attendees received an Annual Meeting invitation email last week, but in case you didn't, we're also sharing the information here this morning. Please join us for the Bureau’s first hybrid Annual Meeting: The Next Normal: Perspectives from industry thought leaders about...

We feel your pain. We are hearing from all sides about how hard it is to find staffing across the hospitality industries right now. It's not just us either—this is a national problem. GRCVB wants to help. It's a little early in the recovery period for a full, in-person job fair for...

Many GRCVB staff members volunteer on local boards and committees that support the work of tourism in Wake County. For example, Bureau president and CEO Dennis Edwards is a board member of the Triangle Trails Initiative. Read more here about the work of this group and their plans for the future.

You’ve heard us talk about accessibility a lot in the past. As recently as Dec. 2020 we hosted Episode Three of our Meeting Professionals Summit Virtual Series, “From Leaders in the Field: Practical tips for making in-person and virtual events accessible.” In that episode, we...

Sports was hit especially hard by the pandemic. And sports will lead our recovery here in Wake County. Those statements provide a good summary about the importance of the sports event industry to our local economy. Looking back, the local sports industry was basically crushed by the onset of the