| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | February 22, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Register now for Visit NC 365 before prices increase * TRAC in Montgomery County/Uwharrie region March 9
* N.C. announces three new Film and Entertainment Grants
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 Register now for Visit NC 365 before prices increase
If you haven't registered for Visit NC 365 conference, March 19-21 at the Greenville Convention Center, now is a great time. There's no better opportunity to network with more than 500 of the state's tourism industry leaders and gain insights into North Carolina's growing travel industry. It's the last week to register at the regular rate of $499 for Visit NC 365. Any registration made after March 1 will be a late registration. All registrations include attendance to the three-day conference; keynote and breakout sessions from industry leaders, motivational speakers and educational opportunities; networking with exhibitors; and access to the NCTIA Tourism Education Foundation's Silent Auction, with proceeds going to support scholarships for students in the hospitality or tourism industry, to name a few. Find the full schedule here. We're showcasing Greenville's pit masters, local brewers, and school spirit. Don't miss Visit NC 365, Greenville-style. This year's Visit NC 365 breakout sessions offer a host of industry experts. Keynote speaker Andrew Davis will inspire you to rethink the way you win over new clients and transform the way you service your current customers with "The Loyalty Loop: How Small Things Add Up to Big Business." Chris Cavanaugh of Magellan Strategy Group will present "Research Findings & Motivational Preferences of Craft Beer Consumers." Hear insights from 2,300 North Carolina craft brewery consumers. The research covers a number of topics related to craft beer enthusiasts' travel planning processes, activities participated in while visiting craft breweries, and attitudinal preferences. Author of It's a Crisis! NOW what?, Peggy Bendel will help you prepare a targeted PR plan for when disaster strikes. PR professionals will have two opportunities to attend this breakout, during the first set of concurrent sessions and then repeated again in the second set. Other sessions at the conference will explore in-demand industry topics, including "How to Start a New Social Media Account" with the LGA social team's Gretchen Voth and Kristen Bilger; "Civil War Trails," a multi-state program that connects visitors and history; the challenges and successes of DMOs and how to maximize the value of room tax to build communities; what's new in group travel; and the ever-popular Media Roundtables. View the complete conference schedule here. |
 | | | TRAC in Dunn |
TRAC in Montgomery County/Uwharrie region March 9
On March 9, tourism-related businesses in the Montgomery County/Uwharrie region will have an opportunity to work with Visit North Carolina staff to learn about its research, development and marketing services, and discuss best practices in reaching travelers, the media and increasing tourism visitation and spending. Visit North Carolina's Tourism Resource Assistance Center (TRAC), a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses, will be held in Troy. The location and time are being finalized so look for the information in future NewsLinks. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there are no PowerPoint presentations. This is a come-when-you-can/stay-as-long-as-you'd-like event opportunity for all tourism-related businesses to meet one-on-one with program managers to discuss better ways to promote their property or event. TRAC brings Visit North Carolina's program managers to local communities to discuss the nuts and bolts of working with the organization. This invaluable program is designed to help tourism-related businesses engage more fully with programs offered by Visit North Carolina and its partners.
Representatives from the EDPNC's BLNC, N.C. Dept. of Commerce, N.C. Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources and NC GreenTravel will also be on hand to discuss services they can provide businesses, including strategic planning, assisting with identifying funding sources and serving as liaisons with other local, state and federal agencies. For additional information on this session or to learn more about scheduling a TRAC visit to your community, contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
N.C. announces three new Film and Entertainment Grants
N.C. Commerce Sec. Anthony Copeland and the EDPNC have announced three new productions are receiving N.C. Film and Entertainment Grants. The second season of the TNT series Good Behavior, the independent feature film American Animals, and a national commercial for Audi will all be filming in North Carolina. Combined, the three projects are expected to generate a direct in-state spend of approximately $46.2 million. The productions will create more than 2,725 job opportunities in the state, including 208 well-paying crew positions. "Our state's film professionals have an opportunity for work once again," said Sec. Copeland. "I look forward to catching a glimpse of their talent as well as some familiar North Carolina scenery on the big and small screen." Good Behavior returns to North Carolina for filming of its second season, which will primarily take place in the Wilmington region. Production for American Animals is taking place in the Charlotte region. A national television spot for Audi also filmed in the Charlotte area. "We look forward to showing off our state's great assets including the work of our world-renowned crew base with these three projects, and are continuing to bring more opportunities to further showcase North Carolina," added N.C. Film Office Director Guy Gaster. |
 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards includes N.C. sites The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary was awarded Five-Stars Hotels. Herons at The Umstead and Fearrington House Restaurant were recognized as Five-Star Restaurants. Four-Star Hotels are Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge and The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, and Fearrington House Inn in Pittsboro. Four-Star Restaurants are Carolina Crossroads Restaurant in Chapel Hill, Gallery Restaurant at The Ballantyne in Charlotte and Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham. Four-Star Spas are The Umstead Spa in Cary, The Spa & Wellness Center at The Ritz-Carlton and The Spa at Ballantyne in Charlotte, The Spa at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, and The Spa at Fearrington in Pittsboro. Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Hotels include Sanderling Resort in Duck, The Washington Duke Inn in Durham, and The Carolina Hotel at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst. Recommended Restaurants include the Dining Room at Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, BLT Steak at The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, Kimball's Kitchen at Sanderling Resort in Duck, and Madison's Restaurant and Wine Garden at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. |
 Sunset Beach among '21 Best Beaches in the World'
NationalGeographic.com includes Sunset Beach among its "21 Best Beaches in the World"; it was one of only six beaches in the U.S. included. Sunset Beach, in the Brunswick Islands, was spotlighted under the "Soulful Solitudes" category, with the article noting, "At the west end of this remote beach, a mile from the access point, a solitary mailbox stands, planted by local Frank Nesmith in the '70s, and continually replenished with notebooks inviting visitors to jot thoughts, dreams, wishes, and whatever else moves the spirit." |
 Kindred Spirit mailbox is Sunset Beach's 'sweet secret'
In USA Today's Travel section last week, the newspaper spotlighted Sunset Beach and its Kindred Spirit mailbox. Of Kindred Spirit, the article said, "Regardless of the true history of the mailbox, it has now become a place where people share special and intimate moments by writing notes in the mailbox's journals. Visitors can also read through the notebooks and see stories of love, loss, heartbreak and triumphs. The mailbox has even been the location of marriage proposals and baby announcements, which is why many believe it to be a spiritual, even magical destination." The article also included a video and 6-picture photo gallery. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
Real-time guest interactions are causing hotels to take notice of social media - In the past few years, social media has begun playing a more integral role in the marketing and communications strategy of hotels and hotel brands, reports to Hotel Management. According to Penn State University's May 2016 study "U.S. Hotels and Social Media: Objectives, Reporting, Measurement and Results," hotels are strengthening their presence across these platforms largely to increase room reservations (61 percent) and guest satisfaction scores (59 percent). Yet another reason for the hospitality industry's growing presence in the social media sphere is the need to interact with future, current and potential guests in real time. Hotels give to receive: An analysis of complimentary services and rooms - The offering of complimentary services and amenities by U.S. hotels is on the rise, reports Hotel Management. From 2007 to 2015, hotel expenditures on complimentary food, beverages, in-room media, services and gifts just within the rooms department increased at a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent. For comparison purposes, all hotel operating expenses rose at a 1.1-percent CAGR during the same time period. Much of the proliferation can be attributed to brand standards that mandate the offering of complimentary food, beverages, newspapers, internet and other services and amenities. Most frequent travelers, especially those staying at properties within the lower-priced chain scales, have come to expect at least a free breakfast. At the upper-priced properties, an increasing number of frequent-guest programs now provide complimentary internet access. In response to the increased incidence of complimentary services and amenities, the 11th edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry expanded the number of expense categories to capture this rising cost. To analyze recent trends in complimentary services and amenities, Hotel Management examined the combined expenditures for complimentary services and amenities within the rooms department. |
Saving festival energy for the festivities
Festivals are one of the best traditions in the tourism industry. While festivals are a wonderful way to celebrate a community's heritage, they take a lot of energy to put on. There are a lot of things every event manager can implement to help reduce the amount of electricity needed without having to enjoy the event in the dark. One way events can start saving energy that doesn't cost any additional money is to have a plan in place to make sure lights and equipment are turned off when not needed. Using best idling practices for shuttles will not only save energy but reduce local air pollution. Some festivals have taken steps to work with vendors to be more energy efficient as well by providing a maximum power draw per vendor or requiring energy efficient lighting. Other festivals are greening up their energy usage by purchasing renewable energy credits or using on-site renewable energy such as recycling stations and biodegradable food/beverage containers. To learn more about energy efficiency at festivals and events, you can download a Greening Festivals and Events tip sheet. For more information about greening festivals, watch the Greening Green Festivals video. For more information on renewable energy in tourism, contact NC GreenTravel Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140, or ECU Center for Sustainability Partnership Coordinator Kamara Jones at (252) 737-4312. |
| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of Feb. 23, explore the Schiele Museum in Gastonia. Hunting enthusiasts will enjoy the Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh. Discover Curb Motorsports and Music Museum in Kannapolis. Relax with a good book at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. And the "House Special" samples the fare at The Raleigh Times in Raleigh. (Please note: listings are subject to change.) North Carolina Weekend is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, UNC-TV has made recent editions of North Carolina Weekendavailable online. | Room supply or inventory in North Carolina was up 1.6 percent in 2016 from 2015, the largest increase since 2010. Room supply has increased 4 percent in the last five years and was at a record high in 2016 with more than 54.5 million room nights available for the year. For more North Carolina lodging information, visit the Lodging Reports, or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
March 9 - Visit NC TRAC, Troy March 10-19 - South by Southwest Conference and Festivals, Austin, Texas March 12-15 - Travel South Showcase, Branson, Mo. March 14 - NC Sports Assn. Meeting, Charlotte March 16-17 - MPI-CC Meeting, Myrtle Beach, S.C. March 24-26 - Mountain-to-Sea Trail Annual Meeting, Elkin March 27-30 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Sacramento, Calif. April 6 - MPI-CC Global Meetings Industry Day, Charlotte, Raleigh & Myrtle Beach April 6 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Elizabethtown April 20 - Visit NC TRAC, Marion |
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