In Virginia Beach, meeting planners will enjoy the ease of event planning with specialized services and features such as customized site inspection tours of the city, the Convention Center, hotels and attractions. The Virginia Beach CVB also provides professional advice and assistance in planning off-site events for convention and group gatherings; assistance in attendance-building materials, such as brochures, maps, and DVD/video; an Online Services Directory with helpful tools to ensure a successful event; as well as housing and event reservations assistance with Passkey, the industry leader for online group reservations management.

The Convention Center staff strives to go the extra mile. In a recent testimonial, one meeting planner said “I consider the Virginia Beach CVB an extension of my office. They took the time to thoroughly understand my event. In every area - they exceeded my expectations. I believe they added value to my event, brought quality and professionalism to my team and helped me take my event to a level higher than it could have obtained without their involvement."
This is just one example of Virginia Beach’s commitment to our patrons. Let us know how we can serve you and make your meeting a successful one.

Great relationships, confidence and morale make great team members, and Virginia Beach offers several activities that promote team building among groups. For example, The Virginia Beach Convention Center offers “culinary team building” for groups or individuals from businesses or organizations.

During this exercise the group is divided into teams of 4-5 people and assigned a leader from the culinary staff. Each team is responsible for a meal component to prepare such as the appetizer or hors d’oeuvres, salad, main course, and starch and vegetable. Afterwards, the group can celebrate their success by enjoying their delicious concoction after the meal is completed.

The Founders Inn and Spa, a premier meeting and conference center in Virginia Beach, also offers "culinary team building" Monday through Thursday and can accommodate nine to 45 participants. Other team-building opportunities are available at Virginia Beach's state parks, museums and other attractions.

Earlier this month, the Convention Center earned a major achievement as the first convention center in the country to achieve LEED® Gold certification for Existing Buildings. This achievement also signifies the facility as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s largest building (over 515,000 square feet) to achieve the LEED® Gold certified project for Existing Buildings. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings, which was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Rating System helps building owners and operators of existing buildings measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. A video clip of the Convention Center’s LEED announcement can be found here.  To add to the mix, the Convention Center is in the running against 13 other buildings to win the EPA’s first-ever National Building Competition. The competition will reveal the most energy-efficient building in the country. Stay tuned for more info.

I’m very proud of the CVB’s hard-working staff and the ongoing sustainable initatives that the city is pursuing. Together, we will ensure that the future of our environment will last for many generations to come.

PICTURED (from left to right): Courtney Dyer, Lori Herrick and Jim Ricketts, Virginia Beach CVB; Kimberly Lewis, USGBC.

When it comes to protecting our environment, there are a number of ways that we can help do our part. The Virginia Beach CVB offers the top 10 to consider when planning your next sustainable meeting.

1. Choose a sustainable venue like the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which is anticipated to be LEED certified in the near future. The facility also is a “Virginia Green” certified & Energy Star Partner that recycles, composts and donates food, incorporates its own vegetables, locally grown and organic food into its menus.

2. Take advantage of the Virginia Beach CVB’s Social Responsibility program and volunteer your time to the multitude of charities hosted by the United Way of South Hampton Roads.

3. Recommend local hotels, restaurants and off-site venues like The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, that participate in the “Virginia Green” program to your attendees. Virginia Green is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s campaign to promote environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of the Virginia tourism and hospitality industry.

4. Encourage attendees to car pool to meetings, conferences and conventions since Virginia Beach is a drive meeting destination in a lot of cases.

5. Conserve paper by posting event materials to your Web site or distributing on flash drives.

6. Purchase name badges that are reusable and collect them at the end of the meeting for use at the next one.

7. Avoid dating promotional items and reuse overages at future meetings.

8. Provide water stations for attendees or encourage the group to provide reusable water bottles.

9. Encourage attendees to enjoy environmentally-friendly activities including walks on the beach or visiting nearby state and national parks.

10. Encourage exhibitors to bring a realistic amount of promotional materials. Have them recycle unused portions rather than dispose of them.

Virginia Beach is more than just a meetings destination. As a local, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the simple enjoyment of living at the beach and taking advantage of its many offerings, like running in the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon at the oceanfront or biking at First Landing State Park in my off time. When the meetings are done for you, I encourage all to explore the various outdoor activities like canoeing or kayaking. Virginia Beach offers over 121 navigable miles of waterways and 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches give visitors a variety of landscapes for exploring the great outdoors. Fishing, golfing, whale and dolphin watching, historic landmarks, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, exciting events and delectable seafood restaurants complete the beach experience.

Unique venues are a hallmark for Virginia Beach meetings. One of the city’s newest offerings is the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. Located in the heart of a bustling downtown, it is a cultural centerpiece of the city. A performing arts venue with theatre-style seating for 1,300, the Sandler Center proudly boasts a Grand Lobby, perfect for catered events. Flanked by grand staircases and illuminated by an exquisite chandelier, the three-story lobby is an ideal place for a banquet or reception. During your event, step outside of the Sandler Center and enjoy a performance in the facility’s outdoor performance plaza, capable of accommodating up to 400 guests, shopping, dining and more.

Just last month, Virginia Beach’s largest attraction – The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center opened its new $25 million Restless Planet renovation, featuring 12,000 square feet of spectacular new habitats, exhibits and aquariums. Home to 6,000 new animals and 367 new species – including Komodo dragons, exotic cobras, hedgehog and more, Restless Planet has more than doubled the Aquarium’s animal collection. Guests can experience four immersive habitats from around the world that existed in Virginia millions of years ago and engage in 36 new hands-on activities designed to demonstrate the processes that shaped Virginia’s current landscape.

Aside from entertaining exhibits, meeting planners will delight in the Virginia Aquarium’s versatility as a unique meeting venue for parties, special events, business functions and more. From an intimate, sit-down dinner for 20 of your closest friends to a cocktail reception for 2,000 convention attendees, the Virginia Aquarium can accommodate any event.

Sports events are heating up in Virginia Beach. The CVB Sports Marketing team recently booked five new sporting events, including US Fencing, USA Judo, National High School Coaches Association Wrestling Duals, USA Gymnastics Tumbling and Trampoline, USA Judo and the Blue Moon Wicked 10K. Its economic impact will bring an additional 13,000 hotel room nights and more than $3 million in direct spending to the local economy.

Sports events make a significant part of the CVB’s convention sales efforts. Last fiscal year, it represented 44 percent of the business booked that fiscal year, July 1 – June 30. Often occurring in the spring and fall, these events help fill year-round hotel capacity and bring valuable business to restaurants and retail shops after summer vacationers have gone.  Great job team!

Click on the video clip below from VBTV’s Access Virginia Beach for a few remarks about this exciting announcement from Virginia Beach City Councilman John Uhrin and CVB Director Jim Ricketts.

 

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.