Tourism Talk blog

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...

Once again... the announcement is bittersweet. GRCVB’s director of destination services Julie Brakenbury, CGSP ® , has announced her retirement. Just as with the retirement of Theresa Tyler in Dec. 2020, saying goodbye to these colleagues comes with mixed emotions; we’re happy for...

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...

Open your calendars and add this date for the 2021 GRCVB Annual Meeting. Thurs., Aug. 19, 2021 • 10-11am For the first time, the GRCVB Annual Meeting will be a hybrid event originating from A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Partners may attend in...

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...

In part one of the summary of the March 18, 2021, GRCVB/N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) virtual meeting, we noted the disparity in relief to the hospitality sector, as reported by Lynn Minges, NCRLA president and CEO. In this second segment, we are summarizing a document NCRLA has

GRCVB and the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) hosted a virtual meeting on Thurs., March 18, 2021, to share the latest developments related to Wake County's hospitality sector and NCRLA's plan for tourism rebuild/recovery advocacy. This is the first of two reports...

As we have reported throughout fall 2020 and into 2021, GRCVB was grateful to have received CARES Act funding through Wake County. We have written in previous Tourism Talk posts about how the funds were allotted for four, significant tourism projects during that time. One of those projects that is