| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | January 25, 2017 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit North Carolina, industry partners promote group travel at ABA Marketplace * Spots still available to partner with Visit NC at consumer travel shows in Columbus, Boston
* Visit NC 365's Sunday pre-con session focuses on research
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 | | | Some of the N.C. Dine Around participants |
Visit North Carolina, industry partners promote group travel to N.C. at ABA Marketplace
More than 20 industry partners joined Visit NC's Amanda Baker at the 2017 American Bus Association (ABA) Meeting & Marketplace, one of the premier industry events for group travel, held Jan. 13-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. More than 3,500 delegates attended this year's conference, engaging in pre-scheduled meetings, networking events and educational sessions. Visit NC took more than 40 appointments with tour operators during the week, promoting group travel throughout the state. These qualified leads will be available in the coming weeks. During the Dine Around night, Visit NC and multiple N.C. partners hosted an event for tour operators at Fahrenheit-Cleveland, sister restaurant to Charlotte's Fahrenheit rooftop restaurant. Chef Rocco Whalen made a special appearance for the guests. Charlotte will host next year's ABA Meeting & Marketplace, Jan. 27-30. This marks the third time Charlotte will host Marketplace, which provides a great opportunity for exposure for the whole state as a group travel destination. For more information on Visit NC's group travel program, such as ways to attract this market to a particular destination, contact Amanda Baker at (919) 447-7765. |
| | | Outer Banks VB partnered with Visit NC for the travel show in Washington, D.C. |
Spots still available to partner with Visit NC at consumer travel shows in Columbus, Boston
There are a few spots still available for industry partners to join Visit NC at consumer travel shows in Columbus and Boston this year. These shows offer additional opportunities for Visit NC - and interested partners such as attractions, DMOs, etc. - 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. The rest of Visit NC's consumer travel shows have already filled up with partner participation. Visit NC with have a 10' x 10' booth at each show. Partners interested in participating in either or both shows should contact Andre Nabors at (919) 447-7771 or Hayes Norris at (919) 447-7767. |
 Visit NC 365's Sunday pre-con session focuses on research
This year's Visit North Carolina 365 Conference - at the Greenville Convention Center, March 19-21 - kicks off with the pre-conference session "Tourism Research Symposium," starting at 1 pm. East Carolina University and Visit North Carolina are partnering to offer this pre-conference symposium to bring academics and practitioners together to increase familiarity with their respective roles, further develop tourism research agendas, and encourage opportunities for collaboration. The symposium features speakers from both academia and industry, and includes a number of presentations on applied research projects from across the state. This pre-conference event is of particular value to destination managers who would like to increase their research capacity as well as researchers who would like to work more closely with industry and community partners. Also, from 4:15-5:15 pm on Sunday, join Visit North Carolina and its marketing partner agencies, LGA and DCI, to preview the cooperative marketing opportunities planned for 2017-'18. Learn about all the programs available, how to extend your limited marketing dollars in collaboration with Visit North Carolina, and then have time to follow up with the staff, agencies and media partners for more details. Then head to "Pigs, Pints and Pirates," the opening reception sponsored by Visit Greenville from 6:30-8:30 pm, that. will offer the most impressive showcase of Greenville's pit masters, local brewers and school spirit. We encourage you to adorn your favorite sports jersey and join us as we kick-off the conference Greenville-style. 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 mention the Visit NC 365 Conference group block for the group rate of $129/night + tax. Prospective conference sponsors should contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762 to learn more about sponsorship opportunities. |
 Visit NC PR team's efforts lead to Asheville's Bar at Salsas among '10 tiny bars [that] will give you the world's biggest buzzes'
Visit NC's PR team worked with a writer for the New York Post for the article "These 10 tiny bars will give you the world's biggest buzzes." The writer was seeking information on small bars in the state and had contacted Visit NC. The PR team reached out to partners, put together suggestions and submitted them to the writer, who selected the Bar at Salsas in Asheville for inclusion in the article. Of the Bar at Salsas, the article noted, "An alley bar unlike any other, this teensy-weeny spot in North Carolina is splashed with street art and the enticing smells of the Mexican-Caribbean restaurant next door (helmed by a godfather of the city's farm-to-table movement, Hector Diaz). If you're lucky enough to snag one of five stools, the people-watching is stellar. As are the talented barkeep, who transport you to your very own Tar Heel-esque Shangri-La with some help from some spicy tamarind margaritas." |
| | | A previous TRAC in Swan Quarter |
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. |
 N.C. Sports Hall of Fame announces 2017 inductees
The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2017 induction class. The eight new members, listed alphabetically, are Glenn Bass, Dwight Durante, Mike Fox, Chasity Melvin, Ben Sutton, Caulton Tudor, Steve Vacendak, and Stephanie Wheeler. They will be enshrined during the 54th annual induction banquet on May 5 in Raleigh. |
 Raleigh among '12 Top Destinations of 2017'
Forbes Travel Guide has included Raleigh among its "12 Top Destinations Of 2017." Of Raleigh, Forbes Travel Guide said, "We've screamed of the charms of North Carolina's capital city before, but now that eight restaurants (including James Beard-nominated chef Scott Crawford's Crawford & Son and the 22,000-square-foot Morgan Street Food Hall and Market) have decided to open their doors by spring, we can back up our fawning with a bit of flavor. But just as new places around town start to find their culinary groove, Raleigh-area standards are keeping their kitchens cooking with a commitment to fresh ingredients and a calendar stuffed with epicurean fun." |
 Waynesville, Durham's Scratch highlighted
As part of USA Today's "50 state road trip" series, the website highlighted "Beautiful small towns in each state," selecting Waynesville for North Carolina. The photo gallery explained, "In North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains lies Waynesville, with its quaint urban charm and close proximity to outdoor adventures." In honor of National Pie Day this past Monday, USA Today offered "Famous pie shops across America," which included Scratch in Durham. The photo gallery included two pictures for Scratch with explanation captions. One caption said, "After a stint at one of North Carolina's much-loved fine dining restaurants, Phoebe Lawless opened Scratch in Durham, N.C., a pie shop that crafts pies exactly as they should be crafted - from scratch." The other said, "Scratch's flaky pie crusts are made with good old-fashioned American butter, hardly needed for her creamy pantry pie, whose main ingredients are cream, sugar and more butter." |
 February says 'Welcome Home to NC'
The February edition of Our State magazine heralds "Welcome Home to NC." "City Portrait" highlights Asheboro: Zoo City, "Hotels & Inns" profiles The Dunhill Hotel in Charlotte, "Restaurant" features Sherefé in Fayetteville, "Wineries & Breweries" visits Flytrap Brewing in Wilmington, and "Bakery" spotlights Rachel K's Bakery in Washington. The February issue hits newsstands Jan. 31. |
Hosting sustainable meetings
One way for hotels to add to their sustainability repertoire is to practice environmentally friendly initiatives when hosting meetings. This would be an attractive selling point to businesses and organizations looking to hold meetings or conferences at green hotels. If the hotel has already implemented a sustainability policy, then applying those policies to meetings should be a seamless transition. Some of the components may already exist, such as purchasing food from vendors that source locally grown organic products or practice sustainable seafood harvesting techniques. Locally grown food equates to lower emissions because of shorter transition routes; organic products require fruits and vegetables be grown without certain fertilizers and pesticides that are harmful to the environment. The use of reusable dishware and napkins would provide a more high-end experience to clients as well as reduce waste and increase cost savings over time. Food waste can be minimized by donating leftovers to local shelters or food banks. Another strategy to reduce waste would be to compost applicable paper and food waste. Promotional gifts and gadgets should be minimized to reduce costs and waste. These gifts could be supplemented with products from local social projects or free access to online content. If a lot of information that would typically require printed material has to be given out, it may be more sustainable to put all the information on USB drives to be handed out instead. The USB drives could be reused, as well as serve as mementos. Participants may also be asked to leave provided pens and notepad paper for future use. The meeting rooms should have access to technology that allows for teleconferencing so those attendees whose physical presence is not mandated can still participate. Additional considerations such as providing bike racks and information on local metro routes or ride-sharing services in advance of the meeting could be provided. Signs should be displayed referencing all of the sustainable features and their relative impact. Signage encourages people to participate, makes them feel good about their choices, and promotes a positive image for the hotel. By hosting sustainable meetings, hotels can increase their foot traction which equates to more profit in their pocket. For additional information about hosting sustainable meetings, contact ECU Center for Sustainability Partnership Coordinator Kamara Jones at (252) 737-4312, or NC GreenTravel Initiative Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | On North Carolina Weekend for the week of Jan. 26, discover the new renovations at Greensboro Science Center Aquarium in Greensboro. Admire the artisan quality of Brian Boggs Chairmakers in Asheville. Tempt your taste buds at Bitty and Beau's Coffee in Wilmington. It's game on at Triangle Table Tennis in Morrisville. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Emma's of Salisbury in Salisbury. (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. Please note that beginning Jan. 27, the Friday (re-)broadcast of North Carolina Weekend moves to 7:30 pm. The Thursday night regular broadcast time of 9 p.m. remains the same. | The majority of overnight visitors to North Carolina do not travel with pets. Those who do travel with pets only do so less than half of the time. Resident visitors are more likely to travel with a pet than out-of-state visitors. For more North Carolina regional visitor profile information, visit Visitor Profile Studies or contact Tourism Research Director Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Through Jan. 29 - Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah Jan. 29-30 - NC Assn. of Festivals & Events ShowFest, Charlotte Feb. 6 - NCRLA Annual Meeting, Chapel Hill Feb. 7 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Raleigh 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 27-30 - NASC Sports Event Symposium, Sacramento, Calif. |
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