| Weekly e-newsletter for VisitNC partners | September 5, 2018 |
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| IN THIS ISSUE: * Five regional Mid-Year Marketing locations still available to attend
* TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region Oct. 11
* N.C. celebrates Wine and Grape Month in September
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 | | | Stewart-Haas Racing's Kirby Boone (standing left) welcomed the group to Kannapolis |
Five regional Mid-Year Marketing locations still available to attend
This first of Visit North Carolina's six scheduled regional Mid-Year Marketing Update sessions was today (Wednesday) in Kannapolis. But there are other dates and locations still available to attend. Registration is open to all tourism-related businesses who are interested in attending any of the remaining five, free sessions, which will be held 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dates and towns for the remaining sessions are: Sept. 18 - Plymouth Sept. 19 - Jacksonville Sept. 20 - Chapel Hill Sept. 25 - Wilkesboro Sept. 26 - Haywood County This year's fall meeting is a return to the Mid-Year Marketing Update, showing attendees Visit NC's current marketing programs and co-op initiatives, and programmatic updates from marketing, film and partner and industry relations. Visit NC 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. |
| | A previous TRAC in Marion | |
TRAC coming to Sanford/Lee County region Oct. 11 OnOct. 11, 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. |
N.C. celebrates Wine and Grape Month in September September is N.C. Wine and Grape Month, and wineries and vineyards across the state are planning wine pairings, grape stomps and other special events to celebrate the industry. North Carolina is home to nearly 200 wineries. "North Carolina has a lot to celebrate when it comes to our wine and grape industry," said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "The wine and grape industry contributes $1.97 billion to the state's economy and employs more than 10,000 people." Read N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper's proclamation of September as Wine and Grape Month here. |
Werz new president/CEO for CVB of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen
Phil Werz is the new president/CEO for the CVB of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen. He's taking the reins from Beverly Stewart, who has been acting as interim since May. Werz may be contacted at (910) 692-3330 x 234 or via pwerz@homeofgolf.com. |
Williams new executive director for Murfreesboro Chamber
Daryl Williams is the new executive director for the Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce. He may be contacted at (252) 398-4886 or via murfreesborochamber@gmail.com. |
Some hotels getting rid of miniature shampoo bottles
According to Patricia Griffin, with the Green Hotels Association, many hotels have been switching from distributing the miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion in favor of installing wall-mounted bulk dispensers on shower walls. However, Marriott is distributing larger bottles in wall-mounted racks in 450 hotels, with more hotels to join in the effort. What is the reasoning behind this change? Hotels have found that billions of partially-used bottles are thrown away annually, so actually, bulk dispensers cost less and are better for the environment. Some of the budget brand hotels are sticking with the small bottles, but that may change over time as they realize the cost savings and environmental benefits of bulk dispensers. Noelle Nicolai, with Wyndham Hotel Group, says the brand is still providing bottles, but increasing bottle size from 30 milliliters to 50 milliliters to encourage guests to take them home. She adds, "If it's done right, it can be one of the top drivers of delight and guest satisfaction." Some hotels send leftover soap products to Clean the World, a charity organization that donates the sanitized soap to children and families around the world. For more information, contact NC GreenTravel Initiative manager Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140. |
| | For the week of Sept. 6 on North Carolina Weekend, the program continues its new schedule that will preview the format for the new season, which starts in October. North Carolina Weekend will run 8 episodes, one each week, and then repeat those episodes for the next 8 weeks. So this week's episode is a repeat of the one that ran the week of July 5. Enjoy a Glass Art Tour in Asheville. Explore Southport for a weekend. Take in part 1 of a segment on the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City. And discover Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center in Lake Junaluska.(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. | In 2017, Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville (18.3 percent) was the top advertising market of origin for daytrippers to the state, followed by Charlotte (18.0 percent), Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville (12.0 percent), Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem (11.2 percent), and Greenville-New Bern-Washington (9.1 percent). For more North Carolina visitor information, visit the Visitor Profile Studies, or contact Visit NC's Marlise Taylor at (919) 447-7748. |
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Upcoming Industry Meetings & Events
Sept. 12 - NCAF&E Fall Seminar, High Point Sept. 19-20 - BRPA Regional Fall Meeting, Lynchburg, Va. Sept. 20-21 - MPI-CC XChange, Charlotte Oct. 1-4 - TEAMS Conference & Expo, Louisville, Ky. Oct. 11 - Visit NC's TRAC, Sanford Oct. 18-19 - AENC Fall Conference, Pinehurst |
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