Tourism Talk blog

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...

Start tuning up those banjos and dust off your boots—IBMA World of Bluegrass is coming back! We’re excited to announce that the International Bluegrass Music Association and local planning team are working on a full schedule of festival events, along with a few virtual additions and...

GRCVB has long been an active and accredited member of Destinations International, the industry association for professional destination marketing organizations (DMOs). The association purposes to "make members and their destinations successful. As the world's largest and most reliable...

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...

Now that many of us are sporting red Walgreens bandages on our arms after first and second vaccine doses, the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel seems brighter than ever. There are sports groups (and big ones) already on their way for national championships and tournaments in Wake County this

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

As we have reported in the past, the Greater Raleigh CVB received $1.25 million in CARES Act funds from Wake County on Aug. 11, 2020. The County agreement required the funds to be spent by Dec. 30, 2020, which meant we had a little over four months to create and execute a sales and marketing plan

For the last few weeks, we have been telling you about Visit Raleigh Studio, a project we've been working on during this time of COVID, designed to benefit all of Wake County’s hospitality community. Parts of the Studio were funded through CARES Act dollars, invested with us by the...

Last week, we were delighted to share with you a project we have been working on at GRCVB during the pandemic (and before). Visit Raleigh Studio is a curated collection of digital assets (video footage, including from aerial drones at over 75 sites around the county), 360° virtual tours of 90

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