Weekly e-newsletter for Visit NC partners, October 26, 2022

IN THIS ISSUE:

* Samantha Brown keynote speaker at

2023 Visit NC Tourism Conference

* PR team, partners pitch at Visit NC’s

NYC media mission

* Visit NC PR team-led trip yields Beaufort coverage

Samantha Brown keynote speaker at 2023 Visit NC Tourism Conference

The keynote speaker at the 2023 Visit NC Tourism Conference will be Samantha Brown, author, travel expert and Emmy Award-winning travel series host. During the last 20 years, Brown has traveled the world, visiting more than 250 cities in 75 countries and 45 U.S. states, creating more than 200 hours of engaging and informative television programming along the way. In 2018, she joined PBS with “Samantha Brown's Places to Love,” which quickly became the highest rated travel program on public television. In this program, Brown finds the destinations, experiences and, most importantly, the people who make you feel like you belong to a place, and not just a consumer passing through. Her fun-loving style has made Brown a revered and engaging television personality whose approach is less expert, less host and more a person you would want to travel with.

Registrationis open for the Visit NC Tourism Conference in Asheville March 6-8. Please note the conference will be Monday-Wednesday, instead of the Sunday-Tuesday of past conferences. The Early Bird rate at $475/person is available now throughJan. 8. While the full program is still in development, you can find the latest details, registration and hotel information, here.

The conference will be at the Omni Grove Park Inn. The hotel block is now also open for registered attendees. The accommodations conference rate is $259/night (plus taxes, fees and incidentals).

Sponsorship opportunities are also available, offering a wide range of new options. Contact sponsorships@visitnc.com for more information.

PR team, partners pitch at Visit NC’s New York media mission

Seven destination partners traveled to New York City with the Visit NC PR team last week for a three-day mini-media mission. In deskside and virtual meetings, contributors and editors heard pitches from the Outer Banks VB, Visit Ocracoke, Crystal Coast TDA, Wilmington and Beaches CVB, Halifax County CVB, Discover Durham and Wilkesboro TDA. A highlight of the mission was a drop-in lunch at the Dotdash Meredith publishing house with more than 40 writers, editors and other staff from 15 outlets including Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple and Parents. The menu highlighted coastal cuisine in collaborations featuring Ana Shellem of Shell'em Seafood in Wrightsville Beach, Dean Neff of Seabird restaurant in Wilmington, Ryan Bethea of Oysters Carolina at Harkers Island and Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, plus caviar from Marshallberg Farms in Smyrna and wine from Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg. Partners and the Visit NC PR team (including reps from J Public Relations) will follow up with journalists to maximize connections from the event.

To find out more about Visit North Carolina's public relations program, contactMargo Metzger.

Visit NC PR team-led trip yields Beaufort coverage

Thanks to the efforts of Visit NC’s PR team, Beaufort is featured by Fodor’s Travel in its “How Novelists Made This the Most Romantic Place in the U.S.” The online coverage, which resulted from a spring media tour, draws on the town’s transcendent allure as reflected in books by Nicholas Sparks (“A Walk to Remember,” “The Choice”) and Kristy Woodson Harvey (“The Peachtree Bluff” series). “I’ve had a family of four from Dubai fly in just to do the [Ride to Remember] tour,” Hungry Town Tours’ Betsy Cartier told the writer, who had resisted Sparks’ romances until she fell in love with Beaufort. The media tour, which followed the 2022 Visit NC 365 Conference in Durham, was organized by the PR team with hospitality from the Crystal Coast TDA and other partners on the route. Fodors.com attracts more than 424,000 unique monthly visitors. 

Two new projects approved for N.C. Film & Entertainment Grants

Two new television and film projects have been awarded N.C. Film and Entertainment Grants to support productions in several locations around the state, which were announced by the N.C. Department of Commerce last week. Combined, the projects are estimated to generate direct in-state spending of $30 million while creating more than 1,500 job opportunities in the state.

-       “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” – A feature film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Edward Kelsey Moore. Production on the project is currently underway with filming primarily taking place in New Hanover County.

-       "Mother Couch!” – An independent feature film project filming in the greater Charlotte area.

The N.C. Film and Entertainment Grant program provides financial assistance to attract feature film and television productions that will stimulate economic activity and create jobs in the state. Production companies receive no money initially and must meet direct in-state spending requirements to qualify for grant funds, which are paid following the completion of the project and a successful audit. To find out more about the grant program, click here.

The average number of leisure trips expected in the next 12 months is 2.8, with most of them later in 2023.

Vote for N.C. sites among ‘Best of skiing & snowboarding’

North Carolina has several sites among the nominations for 10Best's Readers' Choice Awards categories for the “Best of Skiing & Snowboarding.” Online voting by readers is now open via USAToday.com; click on the hyperlink to vote. Voting ends Nov. 21 at noon.

Best Ski Bar - 5506' Skybar, Beech Mountain Resort, Beech Mountain

Best Ski Town – Banner Elk

Best Snow Tubing Park - Hawksnest Snow Tubing, Seven Devils 

N.C. Civil Rights Trail final informational session in Charlotte Nov. 18

The final in-person informational session on the N.C. Civil Rights Trail will be held in Charlotte on Nov. 18. Presented by the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, the session will cover the basics and offer a broad overview of the program. Click herefor information and to pre-register. To learn more about the N.C. Civil Rights Trail, including trail applications, click here. 

November highlights ‘Carolina Born & Bred’

The November issue of Our State magazine highlights “Carolina Born & Bred,” along with “A Pirate’s Life” photo essay. “Local’s Guide” visits Fayetteville; “Restaurant” highlights A Place at the Table in Raleigh. The November issue is available now.

‘North Carolina Weekend’

For the week of Oct. 25, "North Carolina Weekend” offers Brewery Tours. Featured segments include Spaceway Brewing Company in Rocky Mount; Hillman Beer in Old Fort; Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Biergarten in Charlotte; Outer Banks Brewing Company in Kill Devil Hills; and Wicked Weed Brewing Company in Asheville. (Check local listings for schedule; segments are subject to change.) "North Carolina Weekend" is underwritten by Visit North Carolina. In addition, PBS North Carolina has recent editions of "North Carolina Weekend" available online. 

Upcoming industry meetings & events

through Oct. 27 –TEAMS Conference, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Nov. 7-9 -World Travel Market, London

Nov. 8 – Visit NC monthly webinar: Year of the Trail and other NCDNCR Initiatives in 2023

Nov. 13-16 - NTA Travel Exchange, Reno, Nev.

Nov. 16-17 – NCTIA Tourism Leadership Conference, Charlotte

Nov. 17 – Visit NC TRAC, Old Fort

Nov. 27-30 - Travel South International Showcase, Louisville, Ky.

Dec. 8 – Visit NC monthly webinar: "Portrait of American Travelers" Fall Edition review

Dec. 8 - AENC AnnualTrade Show, Raleigh