VTC's Annual Fall Marketing Caucus - Nov. 15
The fall marketing caucus takes place at Holiday Inn Select Koger South in Richmond. Registration is $25 per person and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Registration deadline is Nov. 10. For highlights about this year's caucus and to register, please visit: www.vatc.org/marketing/fallcaucus.htm

2007 Consumer Show Program
VTC and the Shenandoah Valley Travel Association promotes the Virginia brand in targeted states. Program benefits include brochure display and representation at each of the 20 scheduled shows. Participant costs vary depending on the level of involvement and are limited to the first 40 registrants. Register by Nov. 30. For more information: www.vatc.org/marketing/consumershows.htm

Media Nix Large eMail Attachments
Please don't send large email attachments or images directly to your media contacts. Rather, place major content items and media kits on your Website, and send the URL to the media, inviting them to view the information online. Many travel writers often use dial-up to access their email, especially when out of the office. Some attachments can literally take hours to download, overloading their mailboxes in the process.

New Features on Virginia.org
New and Updated Features on Virginia.org include: November in Virginia; December in Virginia; November Winery Events; Veterans' Day Events & Sites; 10 Holiday-Shopping Tips; Christmas in Alexandria; Virginia for the Holidays; Holiday Home Tours; and First Nights & New Year's Events. More Features about Virginia:
www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?FeatureID=197

Sales Leads Available
The NYC Receptive Operator Sales Mission Leads from July 2006 are available. Contact Kimberly Petersen at kpetersen@virginia.org
Leads from the AAA National Conference held October 14-17, 2006 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada are now available by contacting Robin Mamunes at rmamunes@virginia.org.

Co-op Reminder
Remember that camera-ready materials for VTC co-ops should be sent directly to respective magazines. Please check with reps and reference www.vatc.org/advertising/coopadprog/partneradvertising.htm for deadlines.

VTC's 18-Month Media Plan
VTC and ad agency partner BCF have begun the process of negotiating and reviewing media for the next 18-month advertising media plan, which will begin in July 2007 and run through December 2008. We look forward to bringing more valuable and exciting opportunities to industry partners in the coming months. Stay tuned to the Dashboard and Vatc.org for updates on announcements of the new plan.  

Admin Tool Tip
Adding a Photo. Enhance your listing with an image! It's a simple process. On the screen with address information, simply click "Browse" at the bottom of the page to find your image (.jpg, .gif or .bmp) on your computer. Once you click OK, the image is automatically uploaded to Virginia.org and resized, if necessary.  If you have problems uploading an image, please email webmaster@virginia.org and attach the image you were trying to upload and the name of the listing you were trying to add it to.
To log in to the Administrative Tool go to
www.virginia.org/admin/login.asp.

For questions, please contact Angela Wiggins at 804-545-5553 or awiggins@virginia.org.

Merchandise of the Month

Put the Virginia Pewter Heart Ornament on your Christmas tree this year. Printed with 2-color "Virginia is for Lovers" logo on dangling metal disk. Packaged in a clear-top display box. $8.50.

Go to the Virginia is for Lovers Shop to order.

Website Visitation
Through October 2006
UP 49% YTD

Virginia Welcome Center Visitation
Through September 2006
DOWN 14.9% YTD

Lodging Occupancy Rates
Through September 2006
DOWN 0.9% over same period of 2005

Car Rentals
Through September 2006
UP 1.5% over same period of 2005

Gas Sales
Through June 2006
DOWN 0.7% from the same period of 2005

Click to download the PDF for more...

The National Museum of the Marine Corps

A monument dedicated to honor, courage and commitment opens to the public on Nov. 13. The National Museum of the Marine Corps adjacent to Quantico features interactive exhibits and surrounds visitors with the sights and sounds of Marines in action.

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If you have comments or suggestions for future issues of The Dashboard please contact Sandy Westmoreland at swestmoreland@virginia.org or 804-545-5557.