| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | October 10, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region tomorrow
* Registration open for MYMUs in Plymouth, Jacksonville and Chapel Hill
Visit NC excursions prove popular with Cycle NC participants * As travel marketers utilize Atlas Obscura, Visit NC offers partnership opportunity
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 | | | A previous TRAC in Warrenton |
TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region tomorrow
Tomorrow (Thursday), tourism-related businesses in Sanford and Lee County - plus 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) is a community-based training program designed to help small tourism-related businesses. TRAC will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, located at 1801 Nash St. in Sanford. There is no charge to attend, no reservation is required, and there is no PowerPoint presentation. 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. Welcome Centers/Visitor Services, N.C. State Parks, Agritourism, and NC GreenTravel are often 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. |
| | | MYMU in Kannapolis |
Registration open for rescheduled MYMUs in Plymouth, Jacksonville and Chapel Hill
Registration is open for the rescheduled Mid-Year Marketing Updates. The Visit NC team is visiting Plymouth on Oct. 16, 11 am-1:30 pm; Jacksonville on Oct. 17,1:30-3:30 pm; and Chapel Hill on Oct. 22, 1:30-3:30 pm. Registration is open to all tourism-related businesses who are interested in attending either session. Please register for the MYMU, even if you had registered for an originally scheduled session. The Mid-Year Marketing Updates are a return to the original format in which Visit NC will show attendees its current marketing programs and co-op initiatives as well as present programmatic updates from marketing, film and partner & industry relations. Visit NC also seeks to gain insight from members of the N.C. tourism industry to help fuel its strategic planning. In addition, Visit NC is interested in hearing from tourism businesses and DMOs about their initiatives, concerns and upcoming large events. The eastern meetings will also focus on efforts to promote the area in the aftermath of Florence. |
| | | An excursion stop at STARWorks in Star, where the group learned about glass-making |
Visit NC excursions prove popular with Cycle Visit NC has worked with Cycle NC for several years and, for the third year, the two partnered together to offer day Cycle NC/Visit NC Excursions for the Mountains to Coast Ride last week. The MTC ride brought nearly 1,000 cyclists from 36 states, Washington, D.C., England and Canada. The excursions gave participants and their families and friends the opportunity to take a break from the ride and experience the state, while expanding the economic impact of the MTC ride. A dedicated motorcoach took participants from the MTC Ride's overnight host city in the morning to attractions and a destination for lunch each day before arriving at the next overnight host city in the late afternoon. People had the opportunity to visit 14 attractions in 13 counties. Participants varied from cyclists wanting a day off to rest or simply explore different areas of the state, to associates of the cyclists who weren't riding but were traveling with the group. Daily excursions hosted six to 25 participants, and each day brought positive feedback from the participants on their experiences. |
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As travel marketers utilize Atlas Obscura, VisitNC's offers partnership opportunity
Atlas Obscura comprises a variety of interests for travelers; as a "global community of explorers, who have together created a comprehensive database of the world's most wondrous places and foods," the company also publishes stories on hidden places, gastronomical wonders, incredible history and more. Plus it hosts unique events across the U.S. and leads unique tours across the world. Suffice it to say, Atlas Obscura is one of the hottest topics in the travel industry as travel providers want to offer travelers memorable experiences only the providers can supply. Case in point: credit card giant Chase went to Atlas Obscura to create tours and experiences for its Chase Sapphire cardholders. But it's not just the elite that can take advantage of what Atlas Obscura can provide. Visit NC has the special AtlasObscura.com - Wondrous Travel co-op as one of its digital partner packages. This co-op offers diverse program options to cater to varying partner needs, including targeted display, e-newsletter sponsorships and the ability to work with Atlas Obscura's editorial team to add a new "Place" entry to their database of more than 13,000 unique, hidden and wonderful things to see and do. Atlas Obscura's website gets more than 5.1 million unique monthly visitors. The Visit NC digital partner program offers exposure among a passionate, socially engaged community of explorers looking for their next destination; an assortment of tactical options at various price points; and complete and detailed reporting of key performance indicators. For more information on the Atlas Obscura or other Visit NC advertising programs, contact Michelle Murdoch with LGA at (704) 552-6565. |
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SportsNC team promotes North Carolina at TEAMS Conference A SportsNC delegation attended the annual TEAMS (Travel, Events And Management in Sports) Conference & Expo in Louisville, Ky., last week. The SportsNC team participated in 40 pre-scheduled appointments during the conference. TEAMS is one of the premier trade shows for sports planners to meet with destinations and sports organizations to conduct business as well as learn about industry trends and best practices related to sports. Participating SportsNC partners included Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, Cabarrus County CVB, Explore Asheville, Fayetteville Area CVB, Gaston County T&T, Goldsboro Wayne County T&T, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, Greensboro CVB, Greensboro Sports Commission, Greenville-Pitt County CVB, Haywood County TDA, Hickory Metro CVB, Nash County T&T, Visit Charlotte, Visit Lake Norman, Visit Winston-Salem, and Wilmington and Beaches CVB. For more information on statewide sports marketing efforts, contact Amanda Baker at (919) 447-7765. |
Festival attendees learn about N.C. film incentives N.C. Film Office's Guy Gaster led the "Tax Incentives, What Does It Do?" seminar held during Film Fest 919 last week in Chapel Hill. Gaster, who first made sure the audience understood that the state does not offer a "tax" incentive and thus the real title of the seminar should be "Film Incentives, What Do They Do," told attendees about the 25 percent rebate on qualifying expenses and purchases made by productions while working in North Carolina; the rebate is funded by the N.C. Entertainment and Grant program. Gaster was joined by Brad Grantham, vice president of French West Vaughan, who has previously worked on helping to advance and stabilize the film and television industry in Louisiana. Film Fest 919 showcased juried and audience award-winning feature films from festivals all around the world, as well as notable filmmakers that expressed fresh voices and global perspectives during the five-day event. |
Florence's impact on performance in Carolinas, Virginia - Demand typically decreases prior to a storm's arrival, then increases due to recovery efforts once the storm passes, as seen in the map below.
- 68 hotels are confirmed to be closed due to storm-related damage, with the majority of those concentrated on the North Carolina coastline.
- North Carolina saw the greatest performance lift following the storm, while South Carolina and Virginia saw statewide declines.
Out of the directly affected hurricane areas, North Carolina saw the greatest positive impact in KPIs in the week following Hurricane Florence's landfall. The nearly 25% increase in revenue per available room over that week last year was driven mainly by occupancy growth, while South Carolina and Virginia saw a decrease across almost every KPI. This difference is even starker at the submarket level. The top 5 submarkets by RevPAR growth that week saw increases of between 44 percent and 101 percent over the same week last year. Four of those submarkets were in North Carolina. |
McCoy new executive director for New Bern-Craven County CVB |
Moser new president for Davie County Chamber
Caroline Moser is the president for the Davie County Chamber of Commerce. She may be contacted at (336) 751.3304 or via cmoser@daviecounty.com. |
Surveys, Industry, Marketing & Travel Trends
How hotels need to balance the amenities guests want versus those guests actually use - Guests' anticipated use of certain hotel amenities is often greater than their actual use, according to the findings of a new study from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration's Center for Hospitality Research and reported by Skift. More often than not, researchers found, guests expect to use certain amenities such as an alarm clock, spa, and in-room dining than they actually do use them. And for other amenities, such as lobby seating, valet parking, and concierge service, guests tend to underestimate their use. The study examined a total of 50 different hotel amenities, which could be loosely divided into in-room amenities (bottled water, Internet access, a safe) and hotel-service amenities (valet parking, bellhops, a concierge desk), as well as into amenities that serve utilitarian purposes (such as a safe or a working desk), versus those that are more hedonic (such as a spa or a bar) in nature. Researchers also looked at whether there were differences in anticipated versus actual use of certain amenities among females and males, and among business and leisure travelers.
Hoteliers adapt to guests' in-room streaming needs - In-room, on-demand video is a thing of the past now that travelers across all generations prefer streaming from their personal devices, according to hoteliers as reported by HotelNewsNow. And the key way to cater to this demand is making connectivity as seamless as possible in the guestrooms to accommodate usage of multiple mobile devices per room as well as ensuring bandwidth is up to par. One general manager at a New York City hotel said he continues to see his guests become more technologically savvy and they want access to the streaming services they use at home - like Netflix, Hulu and Pandora - at a hotel too. He said a few years back, his hotel was one of the first adopters of streaming services in guestrooms, and people were migrating away from pay-per-view services. The hotel no longer offers the pay-per-view service, he said. "Also, our TVs are hardwired into the internet, so when people are streaming Netflix and Hulu, they're not actually taking any bandwidth from the Wi-Fi, so it's an extra service that we have here that we're not pulling that Wi-Fi (and) bandwidth away from the customers." Though there is a cost for owners and operators to increase bandwidth within the hotel as well as adding access points to ensure there is smooth coverage throughout, he realizes it's the cost of doing business. Producing less waste is quickly becoming a priority for events worldwide - The meetings industry has a huge environmental impact - from the millions of miles delegates have flown to attend events to the reams of paper squeezed into bulging delegate bags and the kilowatts of energy used to light exhibitions and displays around the world. Now green culture is taking hold and event stakeholders are thinking carefully about environmental impacts, becoming keen to show their sustainability credentials. One manager with U.K.-based International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), has noticed increased awareness of the importance of sustainability in meetings and events around the world from clients, organizers and the various stakeholders involved. A representative with a meeting & events agency noted clients who have a strong company culture based on sustainability require it as part of any event, and this can influence the venues, activities, and even menus selected as a part of the event. The stakes are even higher when staging events for younger delegates. Insiders stress the importance of a holistic approach to sustainability, looking to "green" all stages of sourcing, organizing, planning, and executing events.
Technology, localization drive new trends in hotel art - Perhaps no element of a hotel is as changeable as its artwork - and no design trend changes as quickly as what artwork guests expect to see when they walk in the door, reports Hotel Management. With "authenticity" going from industry buzzword to baseline in a short period of time, and with technology making it easier than ever to connect guests to their locations, hotel artwork has to constantly evolve. For instance, LIDA - live interactive digital art - makes a building's artwork part of the visitor experience. This could mean everything from images of local landmarks (with information on how to get there and what else is nearby) to photos of popular dishes from local restaurants, explains one business artwork representative. However it is used in a hotel, LIDA should emphasize engagement rather than promotion. As hotel design increasingly focuses on a narrative, the artwork has to feed a story. |
Geothermal and solar energy help conserve resources, save money Making wise choices about energy conservation can make a big difference in a hotel's bottom line. As new hotels are built and others retrofitted to conserve energy, there are a couple of great options. Using geothermal energy to conserve electricity can save a significant amount of money, however, the upfront costs may be daunting. One resort in Nevada installed a geothermal well and shut down all their boilers, saving 2.6 million dollars in natural gas therms, and had a payback in less than three years. A representative said that maintaining geothermal resources is less expensive than maintaining boilers. A hotel in Arizona installed solar panels on the top levels of its three garages. In doing so, the hotel met its sustainability standards, used the energy in daily operations and provided shading for cars parked in the garages. From a conservation standpoint, the hotel has saved energy equal to taking 140 automobiles off the road and generated enough energy to power 90 homes. For more details or information about how a property could benefit from natural energy sources, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative program manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of Oct. 11 on North Carolina Weekend, enjoy a weekend in West Jefferson. Take a Machapunga EcoTours along the Pungo River in Belhaven. And "Collecting Carolina" visits Gibsonville Antiques & Collectibles in Gibsonville. (Check local listings; segments 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. | Of the 100 counties in N.C., five of them generate more than $1 billion in visitor spending each: Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Buncombe and Dare. For more North Carolina visitor spending information, visit the Economic Impact Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Oct. 11 - Visit NC's TRAC, Sanford Oct. 16, 17 - Visit NC's Mid-Year Marketing Updates - Plymouth (16), Jacksonville (17) Oct. 18 - NC Coast Host Quarterly Meeting, Currituck Oct. 18-19 - AENC Fall Conference, Durham Oct. 22 - Visit NC's Mid-Year Marketing Update, Chapel Hill Oct. 29-30 - NC TIA Leadership Conference, Winston-Salem Nov. 8-9 - MPI-CC Meeting, Spartanburg, S.C. Nov. 14 - Visit NC Travel & Tourism Board Meeting, Cary |
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