| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | August 15, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * Visit North Carolina at ESTO * Opportunities still available at two consumer travel shows * Visit NC survey deadline this Friday; chance to win $3,000 co-op credit * Register now for regional Mid-Year Marketing Updates |
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Visit North Carolina at ESTO Visit North Carolina's Wit Tuttell, Mark Shore and Heidi Walters attended ESTO (Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations) this week in Phoenix, Ariz. Partners with Explore Asheville, Haywood County TDA, Outer Bank VB, Visit Charlotte, Visit Cabarrus, Visit Currituck, Visit Lake Norman and Visit Raleigh, along with N.C. Dept. of Commerce's Wally Wazan, also joined the group. The Cabarrus County CVB won a Destiny Award for its Printed Collateral Materials and also the People's Choice, both for its Destination & Motorsports Guide. ESTO, an event of the U.S. Travel Assn., is unique in that it was created by and exclusively for destination marketing professionals to learn about new tools and techniques, share best practices and debate pressing issues affecting destinations in a non-sales environment. In addition, Tuttell was the moderator for "Flip or Flop Marketing: Unexpected Successes and Unfortunate Misses." He led the discussion with three DMO panelists about DMO marketing campaigns that flip the page forward or flat-out flop; and about how a DMO reacts to both and what can be learned can make the marketing and customer experiences better overall. |
Opportunities still available to partner with Visit NC at two consumer travel shows There are a few spots still available for industry partners to join Visit NC at consumer travel shows in New York and Philadelphia. These shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC - and its interested partners - for promoting travel to North Carolina to potential visitors who are actively looking for travel suggestions and information. The cost to attend is $850 per partner, per show. Visit NC is requiring 100 percent participation for all of the consumer travel shows next year. If you'd like to participate in any of these shows, contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771 by tomorrow (Thursday). |
Visit NC survey deadline this Friday, chance to win $3,000 co-op credit Visit North Carolina has extended the deadline for the online survey of its North Carolina industry partners to gain insight and feedback in a number of program areas. The survey is available online until this Friday, Aug. 17, at 5 pm. North Carolina travel industry partners completing the survey will be eligible for a random drawing that will award one N.C. organization a $3,000 co-op credit for use on VisitNC.com. The survey should only take 20 minutes or less to complete. To take the survey, click here. Visit North Carolina appreciates the continued support of its partners and welcomes input through this annual partner survey regarding marketing and communications priorities as Visit NC begins the initial planning for FY 2019-2020. Visit NC values partner perspectives regarding geographic markets, audiences, seasonality and Visit NC programs of greatest value to partners. Results will be incorporated into Visit NC's planning for the coming fiscal year and beyond. |
| | | 2014 MYMU in Winston-Salem |
Register now for regional Mid-Year Marketing Updates next month
Register now for this year's regional Mid-Year Marketing Update sessions. Each session will be held 10 am - 2 pm. Sites and dates for this year's free sessions are: Sept. 5 - Kannapolis Sept. 18 - Plymouth Sept. 19 - Jacksonville Sept. 20 - Chapel Hill Sept. 25 - Wilkesboro Sept. 26 - Haywood County This year's fall meeting is a return to the Mid-Year Marketing Update, informing attendees on Visit NC's current marketing programs and co-op initiative, and programmatic updates from marketing, film and partner and industry relations. Visit NC seeks to gain insight from partners to help fuel Visit NC's strategic planning. |
| | | Blackbeard was a big hit at the Visit NC. tent during the music festival |
Visit NC leads sales mission to U.K., Cambridge Visit NC's Heidi Walters - along with Visit Charlotte's Kristen Moore, Visit Cabarrus' Katie Eagle and Visit Raleigh's Scott Peacock - traveled to the U.K. last week to promote North Carolina as a destination. Trade activities included meetings with key tour operator partners in both London and regionally. A series of media meetings were also conducted during the week. Part of the delegation attended the Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge, where Visit North Carolina were a key sponsor. The festival was chosen not only because it is a great demographic for North Carolina visitors but also because American musician Rhiannon Giddens, a North Carolina native, was the guest curator. Visit North Carolina worked with the event organizers to not only deliver the music message but also had key N.C.-related elements of barbecue (with a N.C. BBQ hog roast), beer (with N.C. beer available in the beer tent) and key sponsorship of the child's play area. which was pirate themed to tie-in with the Blackbeard anniversary. There was a daily draw for a North Carolina "goody bag" during the music festival with the grand prize f a Martin Guitar, courtesy of Visit Raleigh. North Carolina received extensive radio coverage from BBC Radio Cambridge and was also able to host a key operator partner and some media on the Saturday evening when Giddons was the main performance. |
North Carolina to be featured in Oxford American's annual Music Issue; print co-op opportunities available Visit NC is excited to offer partners the opportunity to advertise in Oxford American's North Carolina Music Issue coming out this fall. Oxford American is a Southern literary magazine that dedicates one issue per year to one state's music scene. The North Carolina issue will launch in November and Visit NC has space available for partners to include a quarter page ad in the issue for only $1,000. If a focus on music, culture and the arts is important for your destination or attraction, this is a great opportunity. Partners interested in participating should contact LGA's Michelle Murdoch at (704) 552-6565 as soon as possible to reserve their space. |
Meat Masters features Asheville restaurants, chefs Next week's episode of the Cooking Channel's Meat Masters features several Asheville restaurants and chefs. Slated to be featured on the show are Buxton Hall BBQ and chef Elliott Moss, Taco Temple with chef John Atwater, and Cúrate and Nightbell with chef Katie Button. The episode is slated to air on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 9:30 pm. |
Cúrate among '40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years' Food & Wine included Cúrate in Asheville among its "40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years." The article explained that during the past four decades, the restaurant world has undergone massive transformations - in the realms of service, style, leadership, and design. These restaurants paved the way for the country's current dining landscape. Of Cúrate, the article noted, "Before Asheville was the trendy restaurant city it's considered to be today, Katie Button was making magic at Cúrate, her brilliant Spanish tapas haunt, which she followed with the equally charming cocktail lounge Nightbell in 2014. Button helped nudge along the country's love affair with the once-sleepy town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which continues to attract the country's top culinary talent (and the most discerning eaters)." |
Creating a sustainable landscape
Whether maintaining a lawn, garden or simply flower pots on a sidewalk, most businesses have some sort of landscaping. NC GreenTravel offers a Landscaping webpage, with many suggestions and methods to create a more sustainable landscape. The primary goals of sustainable landscape design are to conserve water and energy, reduce waste and decrease runoff. There are several principles to be observed. Those include conserving water, preserving existing natural plants, keeping soil loose to avoid runoff, and conserving material resources to minimize yard waste. Xeriscaping is a great way to conserve water by planting drought-resistant plants, meaning there is low maintenance, and fertilizers and pesticides can be eliminated, and it helps to create wildlife habitat. A well designed landscape can also add value to your property. For further information on sustainable landscaping, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of Aug. 16 on North Carolina Weekend, the program continues its new schedule that will preview the format for the new season, which starts in October. North Carolina Weekend will run 8 episodes, one each week, and then repeat those episodes for the next 8 weeks. So this week's episode is a repeat of the one that aired the week of June 14. It will feature segments on the Fort San Juan and Joara Exhibit at the History Museum of Burke County in Morganton; behind- the-scenes at The Lost Colony outdoor drama in Manteo; the mysteries of Judaculla Rock in Cullowhee; and Seavisions Charters in Beaufort; the "House Special" visits Crabby Abby's in Marion.(Check local listings; segments are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekend available online. | The fall (September-November) was the most popular season for day travel to North Carolina, with 26.1 percent of all 2017 day-trippers, followed by spring (March-May) with 25.6 percent, summer (June-August) with 24.5 percent, and winter (December-February) with 23.8 percent. April was the single largest month for day travel to the state with more than 9 percent, followed by November with 9 percent. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Aug. 16 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Charlotte Aug. 16 - NC Coast Host Meeting, Greenville Aug. 27-28 - NC Restaurant & Lodging Expo, Charlotte Sept. 12 - NCAF&E Fall Seminar, High Point Sept. 19-20 - BRPA Regional Fall Meeting, Lynchburg, Va. Sept. 20-21 - MPI-CC XChange, Charlotte Oct. 1-4 - TEAMS Conference & Expo, Louisville, Ky. Oct. 8 - Visit NC's TRAC, Sanford Oct. 18-19 - AENC Fall Conference, Pinehurst Oct. 22-25 - National Trails Conference, Vancouver, Wash. |
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