Earlier this year I had announced a major multicultural booking. I’m proud to say that Virginia Beach has done it again. The city has recently booked the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) 2012 national convention.

The multicultural conventions sector is a growth area for the city, which provides $13 million in future business for Virginia Beach. NFBPA will bring an estimated 1,500 delegates and 3,100 hotel room nights to Virginia Beach in April 2012, a non-peak month, helping Virginia Beach become more of a year-round destination. NFBPA will result in an estimated $1.2 million dollars in direct spending to the community.

We’re very excited as this is a big victory for the city. After pursuing an unsuccessful bid for NFBPA several years ago, we were determined to bid again and compete for this important piece of business.

PICTURED: (from left to right) Jim Ricketts and Reggie Stevenson, Virginia Beach CVB; John E. Saunders, III, CAE, NFBPA; Al Hutchinson, Virginia Beach CVB; Deborah Morton, NFBPA Hampton Roads.

Recently I sat down with a local radio personality to discuss the affects of the green movement on the meetings industry as well as what Virginia Beach is doing to support this great cause. A brief excerpt of the interview can be heard here:

 

In addition to the city’s ongoing initiatives, Virginia Beach is proud to have reached a new milestone with green and sustainability practices. The city is the Commonwealth’s first Virginia Green destination with 100 green hospitality businesses including the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which is currently in pursuit of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. This designation should be obtained next spring.

Virginia Green is the Commonwealth’s new campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of the Virginia tourism and hospitality industry. Other Virginia Green certified businesses include hotels, restaurants, events and unique meeting venues like the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. To further the city’s resources in the green industry, the CVB entered into partnerships with Convene Green Alliance and the Green Meeting Industry Council – (GMIC), which include hundreds of other organizations committed to being environmentally friendly.

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to Rock! For the past nine years, Virginia Beach has been the host of the Rock ‘n Roll ½ Marathon over Labor Day Weekend and yes, I have run the race each year that I have been with the Virginia Beach CVB.  As an experienced meeting planner, I am sure you know what it is like to walk the convention floors for the 13 miles during your meetings and conventions, so I don’t need to tell you what it feels like to cross the finish line at the race or at the end of your convention. Both situations offer a major sense of accomplishment to say the least (and the need for a cold drink).

What makes the Rock ‘n Roll ½ Marathon in Virginia Beach so unique is the live bands on each mile of the course, a finish line on the beautiful oceanfront boardwalk, cheerleaders on the course and running-party atmosphere. After the race is over, we host a headliner concert right on the beach. The people and the destination make this race a huge success every year. If you don’t believe me, ask one of the 20,000 runners that participate every year!

I am confident that the same two ingredients listed above; the people and the destination, will make your next meeting in Virginia Beach a winner.

The attached picture is of my staff and I on race morning. I am the happy guy in the blue shirt who looks ready to run.

See you at the Finish Line – Bring it to the Beach!
Al

Giving back to the community is a growing priority for meeting planners nationwide. That is why the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with the United Way of South Hampton Roads to provide convention delegates the opportunity to make a difference during their time in Virginia Beach. Whether it’s leading a game of bingo to disabled adults or helping a child with homework, the visitor’s interaction bridges the gap between age, race and culture.

To volunteer during your next meeting, contact the CVB‘s Volunteer Resource Manager, Renée Berry, at (757) 385-2000 or rberry@vbgov.com. Click here for a full list of opportunities.

To meeting and event planners, continuing education is key. That’s how the City of Virginia Beach attracted more than 70 meeting planners, industry publications, restaurateurs, and hoteliers from throughout region to its Convention Center for the Get Green Already Conference. Featuring executives from the US Green Building Council, National Restaurant Association, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels (Proximity Hotel) and TFC Recycling, the expert panel educated the audience about the advantages of going green, how to budget for it, and how to measure its success. A photo slide show of the conference can be found here, courtesy of Organization Management Group, Inc.

During the conference, the City of Virginia Beach proudly announced a partnership with Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) and The Convene Green Alliance. Teaming up with these types of organizations will enhance Virginia Beach’s position to market the destination to the rapidly growing segment of meeting planners who want and need a green/eco-friendly destination for their clients.
 
As the first green destination in the Commonwealth with more than 90 Virginia Green certified restaurants, hotels, attractions and events, Virginia Beach is paving the way for a greener tomorrow.

Photo: Lynne Forsman, Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) (left.) Al Hutchinson, (center) and Tracey Messina, Executive Director, The Convene Green Alliance (right).

Virginia Beach is gearing up for Groovy & Green June 4-5, an exciting event to showcase the city’s newest products like the Sandler Center for Performing Arts in Town Center, the Virginia Aquarium’s $25 million renovation, Restless Planet, as well as highlight major CVB initiatives focused on green and sustainability. The 2-day event will include participation from 20 meeting planners, the city’s hospitality partners – restaurants and hotels, national trade media, an expert panel on green as well as keynote speaker Kimberley Lewis of the US Green Building Council. Agenda for “Get Green Already” Conference can be found here.

Two partnership announcements will also be shared at this event. Stay tuned for photos and updates.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center is gearing up for a busy month.  In early May, we hosted the US Finals-Cheer and Dance Competition, one of our largest events to date with nearly 16,000 spectators and more than 11,000 participants.  This past week, we hosted Advanced Placement exams for over 700 students from Virginia Beach City public schools.  The facility is currently hosting The Association for Communications, Electronics, Intelligence & Information (AFCEA) Joint Warfighting Convention showcasing the newest and latest military communications technologies.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VBCC and become a fan of our page on Facebook.Meetings happen naturally here.

Contact us to coordinate your next meeting, conference, banquet or wedding at (757) 385-2000.

As research shows, clients are interested in doing business with environmentally conscious organizations. That is why the City of Virginia Beach has made a pledge to being green. In 2008, Virginia Beach became the first Virginia Green destination with more than 60 certified hospitality businesses. The Virginia Beach Convention Center also became the first in the Commonwealth to achieve Virginia Green certification.

The Convention Center, which is making significant strides in operating as an energy efficient facility, recently reported a cost savings of more than $204,000 between February 2008 and January 2009 as a result of their participation in the Energy Star program. During that period, the facility reduced natural gas usage by 40%, used 22% less power & conserved 3.9 million gallons of water. Earlier this year, Governor Tim Kaine came to Virginia Beach to recognize this industry for their efforts. Additional sustainability initiatives and recommendations for green meetings can be found at www.vbconventioncenter.com/green.

Just a few weeks ago, I received some exciting news at the Hampton Roads Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (COMTO) press conference. Julie Cunningham, the president of the national minority advocacy group, announced that COMTO would be coming to Virginia Beach in 2010 and 2013. In addition, this was the first time in the history of COMTO that a local chapter was chosen to host the organization’s national conference for 2 subsequent years.

I had a moment to reflect on how proud I was of the Hampton Roads COMTO Chapter and the Virginia Beach CVB’s sales team for working together to make this happen. Having the support and leadership of the local chapter was a significant factor in Virginia Beach winning the host city bid. This type of partnership is the prototype for successfully closing national accounts for Tier 2 meeting destinations such as Virginia Beach and it further demonstrates how significant local partnerships are to our success.

The multicultural conventions sector is a growth area for the city, which provides $13 million in future business for Virginia Beach and COMTO is just the beginning. In 2010 and 2013, we’re also looking forward to showcasing the city’s true downtown area, Town Center, offering upscale dining, entertainment and 4-star hotels like the Westin. Here’s a recent Inside Business article on the news announcement. http://tinyurl.com/cxr65v.

Hi, sports fans. The Virginia Beach Sports Marketing Team is hard at work this week as the host of the largest youth wrestling championship in the U.S. What do you get when you mix the 150,000 sq. ft. column-free Virginia Beach Convention Center X-Hall, 28 wrestling mats, 3,800 wrestlers, 250 college coaches, 400 high school coaches and more than 6,000 fans? The answer to that question is easy...one action-packed week at the National High School Coaches Association's 20th Annual Wrestling Championship, March 31-April 5.

Whether you have 25,000 runners, 250 surfers, 1,800 field hockey players, 600 judo athletes, 1,200 gymnasts, 8,000 soccer players, 2,500 cheerleaders or anything in between, Virginia Beach can host your event. Our first-class sports venues, quality hotel rooms, sports-friendly hospitality community and professional CVB Sports Marketing staff will ensure that your event is a success. Check out our venues, event calendar and meet some of our partners at www.vbsports.com.

Give us a shout if we can help you plan, promote and host your next championship event or sports-related meeting/convention. Buddy Wheeler, bwheeler@vbgov.com, Nancy Helman, nhelman@vbgov.com, Matt Robinette, mrobinet@vbgov.com.

If you're in the area, stop in and see us this week at the Convention Center if you want to catch any of the wrestling action. See you there.