| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | November 30, 2016 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
* Talley joins Visit North Carolina as PR manager * Now available: Outside magazine full page ad
* #NCFallofFame wraps with strong numbers
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 Talley joins Visit North Carolina as PR manager
Eleanor Talley is joining Visit North Carolina as its new public relations manager, effective Dec. 1. Her duties will include directing the office's public relations efforts, managing the PR agency relationships domestically and internationally, and working with partners to develop editorial coverage of the state. Many partners may remember Talley when she worked as industry relations manager at the N.C. Division of Tourism, prior to Visit NC's privatization. A North Carolina native, Talley has a degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in Journalism and Mass Communications and eight years of experience in the tourism industry in North Carolina. She most recently was a senior account manager at Clean Design, a North Carolina advertising agency, where she worked with tourism clients located in the coast, piedmont and mountains. Talley may be contacted at (919) 447-7783 or via eleanor.talley@visitnc.com. |
 Now available: Outside magazine full page ad
Visit North Carolina just recently had one (1) full-page partner advertising opportunity open up in Outside magazine's May 2017 issue, which is now available for $8,000. If a partner was to approach Outside directly on their own, this same opportunity would cost $15,000, but due to the number of pages Visit NC purchases in their books, it is able to offer this tremendous opportunity at a reduced rate. Outside targets a younger, more adventurous male traveler with an average household income of $94,000. The regional circulation is more than 225,000 and includes Georgia. Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C. If interested in taking advantage of this special co-op opportunity, please contact Michelle Reino at LGA at (704).552-6565. |
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 #NCFallofFame wraps with strong numbers
The second annual #NCFallofFame user-generated content (UGC) campaign wrapped earlier this month, with eight new inductees chosen from Instagram and Twitter. Throughout the campaign, @VisitNC promoted eight unique themes using fan photos and videos and partner-provided insider tips. A multi-channel content strategy (including the website, e-newsletters and social media) aimed at generating usage of the #NCFallofFame hashtag resulted in 3,319 hashtag mentions and 15.7 million potential impressions. Strong fan engagement from influencers like @oibmickey and @MichaelALanza helped garner a 59 percent increase in total impressions compared to 2015. |
 Visit NC tweet about Wilmington among top-performing
A @VisitNC tweet in mid-November about One Tree Hill actor James Lafferty's upcoming return to Wilmington became Visit North Carolina's top-performing tweet of all time. Lafferty - who has 569,000 followers - retweeted the post, helping boost its performance to nearly 64,000 impressions and 2,000 likes, retweets, replies and clicks. The social media team at LGA credits four things for the tweet's success: - Listen. The team identified this opportunity during its regular monitoring of North Carolina travel-related keywords. More on social listening here.
- Know your audience. Based on the past success of #NCfilm content on Twitter, the team knew this news would be of significant interest to its followers.
- Tag related accounts. Lafferty doesn't follow @VisitNC but because the team tagged him, he saw the tweet and shared it with his own highly engaged fan base.
- Use images. The team included a beautiful sunset shot from Wilmington because they knew tweet with images receive 150 percent more retweets than those without.
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 Welcome Center managers meet in Greensboro, plan additional familiarization tours
The Greensboro Area CVB hosted N.C.'s Welcome Center managers' semi-annual meeting this month, including a familiarization tour of the area. Director of Visitor Services Bryan Gupton and Program Manager Wally Wazan facilitated the discussion-style meeting, which covered budget issues, customer service training, event planning, technological improvements and other matters. Tourism Call Center Supervisor Teresa Smith also participated. With accommodations at the O. Henry Hotel, the group toured the Proximity Hotel, Greensboro Children's Museum, LeBauer Park and the Greensboro Science Center, where they experienced the SkyWild rope course. "Familiarization tours are such an important part of our training program," Gupton said. "Our travel counselors have credibility with visitors because they are familiar with North Carolina and its attractions. There's just no substitute for a first-hand visit." Gupton said he and Wazan are currently considering proposals for spring familiarization tours. "Not only do our travel counselors share their fam experiences with co-workers back at their Welcome Centers," Gupton said, "But more importantly they share them with visitors, every day." Travel entity partners such as a CVB, TDA or chamber interested in hosting Welcome Center staff to provide them with first-hand knowledge of their destinations should contact Wally Wazan at (919) 814-4649 for more information. |
 'Lost Colony' mystery featured on Travel Channel series
In the episode airing tonight (Wednesday), the Travel Channel series Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates features "The Lost Colony of Roanoke." According to the program description: "Gates joins leading archeologists as they investigate America's first missing-persons case, The Lost Colony of Roanoke. Following newly discovered clues, he'll reach new heights as he digs for answers to this over 400-year-old mystery." The episode also includes some of the various stories and sights along the Manteo and the Outer Banks. |
 | | | (photo courtesy NCMA) |
N.C. Museum of Art Park celebration draws record visitors
The N.C. Museum of Art's NCMA Park Celebration on Nov. 6 attracted approximately 10,000 visitors to an afternoon of outdoor art, live music, and recreational activities - making it the best-attended event ever hosted by the Raleigh-based museum. Additionally, the museum counted more than 25,000 visitors during the 11 days of Australian artist Amanda Parer's "Intrude" installation in the Park. The free exhibition featuring five giant glowing bunnies was shown Oct. 27 through Nov. 6. The museum hosted the celebration on Nov. 6 to invite visitors to experience the recently completed park expansion project, which added new gardens, lawns, and tree-lined parking to the existing landscape. The free event included art-making activities; bike tours; live music and dance. |
N.C. airport & airline news
New gallery brings local art to ILM flyers-Local North Carolina artists are getting a wider audience through a new gallery in the Wilmington International Airport (ILM). The gallery space was dedicated by the airport and will curated by the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County. The inaugural installation, appropriately entitled "Flight," features interpretations of the theme by North Carolina painters, sculptors and metalworkers. ILM joins a growing trend of smaller airports expanding their cultural role as they develop beyond simple commuter hubs. |
 December brings 'The Christmas Issue'
The December edition of Our State magazine brings "The Christmas Issue," featuring a Photo Essay on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree on several N.C. tree farms. Mistletoe, Christmas ornaments, garden centers and more will get anyone in the holiday spirit. "City Portrait" highlights Shelby, "Hotels & Inns" profiles Bunn House in Asheville and "Studio Tour" visits Walter Gaskill in Harkers Island. The December issue is on sale now. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
'No Vacancy' signs are vanishing from America's highways - The "(No) Vacancy" sign, a beacon of hospitality and/or disappointment, has greeted road-weary American travelers for generations. But just as paper maps and toll booth clerks increasingly seem quaint relics of the analog age, the classic "(No) Vacancy" sign may soon become another victim of shifting travel habits and market forces, reports Bloomberg. Even the "freewheeling road trippers" can now use smartphone apps, or simply Google lodging options in the next town down the highway and call ahead to check on availability, rendering the "(No) Vacancy" sign somewhat moot. The digital revolution isn't the only threat to vacancy indicators. Another factor is the dwindling number of independent mom-and-pop motels and the corresponding growth of chains such as Days Inn and Super 8, as they tend to not have these type signs. Despite all this, the landscape is still dotted with countless vacancy indicators that were installed decades ago, and many motel owners still use them, at least for now. Some operators have even put their own spin on them - ranging from "Welcome" to "Full House" and "Sorry.".
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Composting: It's easy being green
A great way to reduce food waste for hotels and restaurants is to compost. Reducing food waste means savings in trash removal and production of nutrient rich soil additive. To start, decide whether a pile or specialized bin is best. Bins are easier to turn, can be completely sealed, have built-in drainage, and are easier to insulate. Sealing a compost pile is advantageous to keep out rodents and pests. Insulation is not required in climates that are warm year-round. If space is not a concern but purchasing a pricey bin is, then a 3' x 3' pile may work best for you. With proper drainage, manual turning and covering of the pile during rain, a compost pile can be just as successful as using a bin. Complete decomposition should take 2-3 months, but can be delayed by many different factors including improper aeration, reduced temperature, too much/too little moisture, and imbalance of carbon/nitrogen ratio. Anyone willing to put in a little bit of effort can be composting and reducing food waste in no time. For more information about food waste recovery and composting, contact NC DEACS Organics Recycling Specialist Jorge Montezuma at (919) 707-8123. For information about becoming a recognized NC GreenTravel destination, contact Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
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| | For North Carolina Weekend for the week of Dec. 1, UNC-TV presents "N.C. Night" on Thursday (tomorrow). a live pledge event featuring its locally produced programs with a special emphasis on food and beverage stories. In this week's, lift a glass at Linville Falls Winery in Linville. Find a sweet spot at French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville. See what's old is new again at The Mecca Restaurant in Raleigh. Discover Curate Tapas Bar in Asheville. And the "House Special" samples the fare at Heritage Food and Drink in Waxhaw. (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. | In 2015, approximately 11.7 million daytrips were taken in North Carolina. North Carolina ranked #8 in the U.S. in terms of daytrip visitation. A daytripper is defined as a visitor who did not spend any nights away from home, but traveled at least 50 miles one-way from home. 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
Dec. 1 - Carolina Thread Trail Forum, Mooresville Dec. 13 - NC Sports Assn. Meeting, Wilson Dec. 13 - NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, TBD Jan. 11-12 - 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 |
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