Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners
November 1, 2017
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Visit NC 365 Early-Early Bird registration available until Nov. 15
* Visit NC PR efforts lead to golf sites coverage
* Travel to N.C. promoted at international 
travel show in Montreal
Visit NC 365 Early-Early Bird registration available until Nov. 15
 
Registration is now open for Visit NC 365 Conference, March 4 -6, 2018 in Winston-Salem at the newly reinvented Benton Convention Center. The Early-Early Bird rate is $425/person now through Nov. 15. Register now for this special discounted conference rate. Tell everyone you've registered by tagging #VisitNC365 and @NCarolinaTourism on your industry social accounts.
 
The Visit North Carolina 365 Conference, named for the year-round tourism industry across the state, brings together more than 500 of the state's tourism industry leaders during this three-day premier travel industry event.
 
Opening keynote speaker Phil Hansen's artistic journey taught him to "Embrace the Shake:  How Limitations Could Become The Passageway To Creativity." Tom Owen, from PGAV Destinations, will provide valuable insight on "The Voice of the Visitor," a glimpse into attraction research and the future of attractions. Tuesday's closing keynote, Rohit Bhargava, is a global brand advisor who has a reputation for seeing and executing innovative ideas.
 
New this year, Visit NC is offering a Photowalk with world, travel and lifestyle iPhone photographer Jack Hollingsworth. Walk along with him on an afternoon photowalk and learn how to use your iPhone to craft, create and share daily. Hollingsworth will provide photo tips, recommend apps, and teach you the basics of iPhone photography. Participation in this workshop is limited and you must sign up in advance when you register for the Visit NC 365 conference. There is an additional fee to attend this session in addition to the registration fee. The session will be Sunday, March 4, from 1 - 4 p.m. This is an active session so it's best participants are able to walk or stand for three hours.
 
For more information on the conference or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Dana Grimstead at (919) 447-7761.
Visit NC PR efforts lead to golf sites coverage
 
Visit NC's PR team assisted golf writer Mike Bailey in October and their efforts led to him visiting Cumberland, Lee and Moore counties. Bailey played several N.C. golf courses and produced two articles in Golf Advisor. "Big updates happening in the Carolina Sandhills, and improvements go beyond the Pinehurst Resort" spotlighted Pinehurst Resort's new Thistle Dhu putting course and The Cradle, plus other course renovations; examined makeovers at Talamore Golf Resort and Mid South Club; mentioned golf packages that included play on multiple area courses such as Pine Needles and Mid Pines, and highlighted new lodging at Tobacco Road Golf Club. A second article, "Trip Dispatch: The hunt for the perfect October golf trip in Pinehurst, North Carolina Sandhills," started with a round on Anderson Creek Golf Club then noted, "There are golf trips and there are golf pilgrimages. Pinehurst falls under the latter category"; the article also included mentions of playing several Pinehurst Resort courses, Talamore, Mid Pines and Tobacco Road. The online edition of Golf Advisor has 148,000 unique monthly visitors.
Freed-Burns (lf) and Martineau
Travel to N.C. promoted at International Travel & Tourism Show in Montreal
 
Visit North Carolina's Canadian representative Stephanie Freed-Burns participated in the International Travel & Tourism Show in Montreal, Oct. 21-23. As the largest show of its kind in North America, this was an amazing opportunity to showcase North Carolina's tourism offerings and meet thousands of targeted visitors eagerly anticipating their next trip. This year's show saw more than 34,200 attendees. Yvan Martineau, a Montreal TV and radio host (TVA Sports, Salut Bonjour, 98.5 FM), stopped by Visit NC's booth. Martineau recently completed Cycle NC's Mountains to Coast ride.  He was sponsored by Visit NC and Cycle NC, as Martineau will be writing about his experience prior to the 20th anniversary of the cycling event. To learn more about Visit NC's international marketing program, contact Heidi Walters at (919) 447-7762. 
Southeastern State Parks Directors learn about Visit NC's efforts to promote N.C. State Parks
 
Visit NC's Wit Tuttell spoke at the Association of Southeastern State Parks Directors Conference in Winston-Salem last week. He discussed how Visit North Carolina promotes the state park system.  Working with the N.C. Assn. of Broadcasters, N.C. Press Foundation and N.C. Outdoor Advertising Association, Visit NC ran a focused "Reclaim Your Weekend" campaign that generated $6 million in media exposure, representing a 20:1 ROI in exposure for the dollars invested. The campaign ran in 150 newspapers and on 100 radio and TV stations.  N.C. State Parks-related content and listings on VisitNC.com saw an increase of 11 times the usual traffic. N.C. State Parks saw a 9 percent increase in visitation, resulting in 18.8 million park visitors.
$15 million program available to help small businesses affected by Hurricane Matthew
 
Small businesses affected by Hurricane Matthew should apply now for special financing assistance from the N.C. Dept. of Commerce and nonprofit lenders, Gov. Roy Cooper encouraged business owners via an announcement. The N.C. Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Small Business Recovery Assistance Program launched with a website and application information. The Governor's Recovery Office and Commerce have awarded $7.5 million to support small businesses still recovering from the storm that hit last October. The funds will be matched by private lenders to provide at least $15 million in loans available to small businesses in Matthew-affected areas, especially in Robeson, Cumberland, Edgecombe and Wayne counties. Funds can be used to: make repairs and property improvements; purchase and install equipment, furniture and fixtures; cover working capital or pay for marketing, operating costs and inventory; and/or relocate people displaced if the small business moves into or replaces a residence. More information can be found here.
(photo from Biltmore Company)
William A.V. Cecil, Biltmore owner, dies

William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, owner of The Biltmore Company, died yesterday (Tuesday) at his home in Asheville. William A.V. Cecil was the grandson of George W. Vanderbilt III, who built Biltmore House in the 1890s. He retired from the company's day-to-day operations in 1995. Cecil considered tourism, preservation, and heritage as natural partners. "We don't preserve Biltmore to make a profit. We make a profit to preserve Biltmore," Mr. Cecil was known to say. A private funeral for family, friends and close associates will be held this Friday. A reception will follow at 2 - 5 p.m. at Deerpark on Biltmore Estate. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the "Building Preservation Fund" at All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan Street, Asheville, N.C. 28803.

'The Ultimate Walking Weekend in Durham'
 
In its Thanksgiving issue, Bon Appétit offered "The Ultimate Walking Weekend in Durham." The writer noted, "Over the last decade, [downtown Durham has] turned into exciting new restaurants and stores within blocks of one another - many opened by North Carolina natives who wanted to bring life back to the city they love. Today that central square mile, mostly a cluster of places lining Main Street and the surrounding blocks, has emerged as one of the country's most vibrant-and most walkable-dining, drinking, and shopping destinations."
November issue highlights 'Homecoming & Harvest'
 
The November edition of Our State looks at "Homecoming & Harvest," plus a section on North Carolina's Native American Heritage. "Hotels & Inns" profiles The Sunset Inn in Sunset Beach; "Restaurant" features Bia's Gourmet Hardware in Asheboro; Wineries & Breweries" visits Jones von Drehle Vineyards & Winery in Thurmond; and "Bakery" spotlights Café Yuzu in Asheville. The November issue is on sale now.
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
 
F&B's new buffet mandate: Speed up, shrink waste - In the on-demand culture driven by Amazon and Uber, "wait" is a word of the past and hotels are eager to ditch inefficiencies plaguing F&B, according to Hotelsmag.com. "There's this kind of constant need now for brands to achieve that sense of 'I want it and I want it now,'" explains a representative with a design firm with an F&B specialty. "I want eggs for dinner and I want spaghetti for breakfast and having the opportunity to do that has been easiest through the quick-serve world. If you maintain focus."  Focus in this case means scaled-back buffets that reduce waste but not taste, coffee bars that morph into cocktail bars and back again, and forward-looking technology that will ultimately allow guests the chance to use digital menus, with food delivered tableside.
 
Drinks at high-end hotel bars - Hold the booze - Renowned hotel bars - the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, for example, or Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle in New York - are often well-regarded for their innovative cocktails. Today, creative nonalcoholic concoctions are catching on - most notably in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, reports The New York Times. Just don't call them mocktails. "I consider our nonalcohol cocktails to be as complex and as important as our ones with alcohol and refer to them simply as cocktails," said the founder and owner of one bar in a hotel, which offers four nonalcoholic drinks. "Mocktails, on the other hand, have a negative connotation. They tend to be overly sweet and an afterthought at bars." The bar sells an average of 50 to 100 nonalcoholic cocktails a day, and this number is only growing. "The people ordering them aren't necessarily teetotalers," he said. "They're often drinkers who want to take a night off from alcohol but still want to go out and socialize."
Free technical assistance for going green

If a tourism-oriented business is looking for ways to save money, check the free technical resource pages at the NC GreenTravel Initiative. There, you can access tutorials and information about green cleaning, energy, landscaping, green meetings, organics, purchasing, recycling, transportation and water. NC GreenTravel can provide free consultation and technical assistance to help you learn about ways to become greener. Going green will help a business save money, resources and time by providing cost-efficient ways to protect the environment and help reduce the cost of doing business. Becoming a recognized NC GreenTravel Initiative business will also help promote your green program by listing your business on NC GreenTravel for free. To learn more about NC GreenTravel and how you can step into the green arena at no cost to you, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative Manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140.
On North Carolina Weekend for the week of Nov. 2, see the newest collection of 17th century European masterworks at the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill. Try your luck at Doc's Rocks Gem Mine in Blowing Rock. Tempt your taste buds at The Hen and the Hog restaurant in Halifax. Explore the Vedic community of Mount Soma near Clyde. And discover the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville. (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 Weekend available online
Forty-eight percent of Piedmont Region visitors lodged in a hotel/motel, and 48 percent also stayed in a private home. One percent of overnight visitors to the region reported staying in a shared economy property such as AirBnB or VRBO. For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies or contact Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748.
Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events

Through Nov. 2 - TEAMS Conference & Expo, Orlando, Fla.
Through Nov. 3 - SATW Conference, Portland, Ore.
Nov. 6-8 - WTM, London
Nov. 6-8 - Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Nov. 7-10 - ARVC Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo, Raleigh
Nov. 9-10 - MPI-CC Meeting, Greensboro
Nov. 15-17 - AARC Annual Conference, Wilmington
Nov. 27-30 - Travel South USA International Showcase, Charleston, S.C.
Dec. 5 - Visit NC T&T Board Meeting, Raleigh
Dec. 5-6 - STS Fall Forum (rescheduled from Oct.), Biloxi, Miss.
Dec. 11-13 - Carolinas Recreation & Parks Assn. Conference, Greensboro
Dec. 12 - NC Sports Assn. Quarterly Meeting, Greensboro
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