| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | January 11, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* TRAC coming to Dunn/Harnett County region Feb. 16 * Spots still available with Visit NC at consumer travel shows
* Davis doing double duty as keynote, breakout speaker for Visit NC 365
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 TRAC coming to Dunn/Harnett County region Feb. 16
On Feb. 16, tourism-related businesses in the Dunn/Harnett County region - including the surrounding counties - 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 10 am - 2 pm at the Dunn Center (Historic Harnett Rosenwald School) at 660 East Johnson St. in Dunn. The Dunn session is being held in partnership with the Central Carolina Community College Hospitality Program. 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. |
Spots still available to partner with Visit NC at consumer travel shows
There are still a few spots still available for industry partners to join Visit NC at consumer travel shows this year. These shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC - and its interested partners - to promote travel to North Carolina to potential visitors who are actively looking for travel suggestions and information. The cost to participate is $750 per show per partner. Visit NC with have a 10' x 10' booth at each show. Partners interested in participating in any or all of the shows should contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771 or Hayes Norris at (919) 447-7767. |
 Davis doing double duty as keynote, breakout speaker for Visit NC 365
Andrew Davis will be Tuesday's keynote speaker and also conduct a breakout session on Monday for the Visit NC 365 conference, in Greenville March 19-21. Davis' 20-year career has taken him from local television to the NBC's Today. He's worked for the Muppets in New York, marketed for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands, and produced for Charles Kuralt and MTV. His latest book, Town INC, hit shelves in 2015. In 2001, Davis co-founded Tippingpoint Labs, where, as the chief strategy officer, he and his team helped companies like Putnam Investments, Breville and TomTom. They built digital strategies for publishers like Rodale and Meredith. For more than a decade, Davis has led the charge to change the way publishers think and how brands market their products in a digital world. His first marketing book, Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships, is one of Amazon's top 100 marketing books. The conference schedule and more can be found here. Now is a great time to register for the Visit NC 365 conference, March 19-21 at the Greenville Convention Center. 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. Online conference registration is available. Directly book hotel reservations online or call the Holiday Inn Greenville at (877) 271-2616 and ask for the Visit NC 365 conference group block for the group rate of $129/night + tax. Prospective conference sponsors should contact Heidi Walters (919) 447-7762 to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. |
 Visit NC PR team's pitches lands NC cities on two great getaways list
Blowing Rock, Hendersonville, Wilmington and Winston-Salem are included in the |
 As a result of pitching efforts and ongoing conversations, Asheville was included in Tasting Table's "In Plane View: The 7 Under-The-Radar Cities You Must Visit This Year." Of Asheville, the online article noted, "Asheville is, without a doubt, North Carolina's best-kept secret. The mountainous college town is bursting with life everywhere you look, from Hacky Sack-tossing hippies (yes, they still exist) to beer snobs frequenting the city's award-winning breweries. Local farmers blend in with tourists and paint-spattered artists on hilly streets lined with galleries, record shops, beer bars, live-music joints and some of the country's top restaurants." Tasting Table is a website aimed at providing culinary enthusiasts the latest news on food culture in cities across the country with regional editions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The online story reached an audience of 936,404 readers and was also shared across social media for a combined additional reach of 1,412,970. |
 RetireNC sees another strong attendance in Long Island
Partner Relations Manager André Nabors, along with Grow Sanford and Greenville-Pitt County CVB, promoted North Carolina as a retirement destination at the Ideal Living Resort & Retirement Expo in Long Island, N.Y., this past weekend. The Expo drew approximately 500 potential retirees from the region who were interested in exploring opportunities and conversing with exhibitors from across the Southeast. Attendees talked with experts from towns and community developers to gain insights and get answers to help plan, design and enjoy their retirement. North Carolina has consistently been one of the most requested states by the attendees. Visit North Carolina attended the Expo to continue its efforts to promote the N.C. Certified Retirement Community Program, which consists of Asheboro, Eden, Edenton, Jamestown/High Point, Laurinburg, Lenoir, Lumberton, Marion, Mount Airy, New Bern, Pittsboro, Reidsville, Sanford, Tarboro and Winterville. For more information about the Certified Retirement Community Program or Visit North Carolina's marketing initiatives for retirement relocation, contact André Nabors at (919) 447-7771. |
 | | | Visit NC's Canadian rep, Stephanie Freed-Burns, welcomed attendees with her energy. |
Visit NC in Toronto for Gourmet Food & Wine Expo
This past November, Visit North Carolina's Canada office participated in the Toronto's Gourmet Food and Wine Expo, one of the largest shows of its kind in North America. The four-day event drew more than 45,000 attendees. To showcase and promote North Carolina's culinary scene, Visit NC's partners contributed cookbooks, hotel stays, restaurant vouchers, wine openers and barbecue sauce. Contesting and giveaways at the booth resulted in more than 250 social media posts in addition to trade media coverage. To learn more about partnership opportunities in Canada, please contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. |
 N.C.-filmed Masterminds coming to DVD, digital this month
The N.C.-filmed movie Masterminds will be available on digital Jan. 17; its DVD release is scheduled for Jan. 31. Masterminds is a comedy feature based on the 1990's Loomis Fargo bank heist in Charlotte and incidents that followed. The production, which was heavily recruited by the N.C. Film Office for two years, filmed in Bumcombe, Haywood and Macon counties in Summer 2014. It had a direct in-state spend of more than $18 million while creating 982 job opportunities, including approximately 300 well-paying crew positions for the state's highly-trained film professional work force. Masterminds was one of 50 productions that year which combined accounted for $316 million being spent in North Carolina and more than 19,000 job opportunities being offered with production taking place in more than one-third of the state's counties. To generate additional interest in the movie, VisitNC has offered "See Where Masterminds Was Filmed and Dine Like a Star" as a way for potential visitors to find more information on film site locations around Asheville, Waynesville and Old Fort, plus places where the cast dine, drank and enjoyed themselves while they were here. |
 'Asheville beer trail: The south's standout brewing scene'
A writer for USA Today visited Asheville to experience the city and more, resulting in the article "Asheville, N.C. beer trail: The south's standout brewing scene." After taking a self-guided tour of 12 breweries in just five days, the writer noted, "It's no secret that Asheville is doing some progressive and impressive work in the beer department and gaining steam in the national scene." After wondering what makes Asheville such a great city for drinking beer, the writer concluded, "For the beer lover, it's paradise and for those looking to immerse themselves into the scene, Asheville's a great place to start." The article also included a photo gallery of six beer destinations in Asheville. |
Cost-effective ways to go green
In the tourism industry, as in any business, it is essential to give consideration to the bottom line when making decisions about ways to create an environmentally sustainable facility. The NC GreenTravel Initiative offers some great ways to go green with little or no cost. The partnership provides free, non-regulatory, technical assistance to help tourism-oriented businesses reduce their reliance on the energy and water resources as well as to help them reduce their waste disposal. For free, non-regulatory assistance, contact NC GreenTravel to get started with your sustainability program. View the list of businesses recognized by the NC GreenTravel Initiative for their environmental excellence here. For information about becoming recognized as a sustainable tourism business, contact NC GreenTravel Program Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of Jan. 12, search for clues at the "History and Mystery: Discoveries in the NCMA British Collection" exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. Tempt your taste buds at Round Mountain Creamery in Black Mountain. Experience Stanfield's General Store in Four Oaks. Go behind the scenes at Brunk Auctions in Asheville. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Webb Custom Kitchen in Gastonia. (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. | Out-of-state visitors to North Carolina spend sixty-three percent more on average per trip than resident visitors, particularly in the categories of lodging, gasoline/transportation and food/beverage. For more North Carolina regional visitor profile information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
through Jan. 12 - Blue Ridge Parkway Assn. Winter Meeting, Meadows of Dan, Va. Jan. 19-20 - MPI-CC Meeting, Raleigh Jan. 19-29 - Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah Jan. 29-30 - NC Assn. of Festivals & Events ShowFest, Charlotte Feb. 7 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD Feb. 16 - Visit NC TRAC, Dunn 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 26-30 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Sacramento, Calif. |
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