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 Public Relations
What's New in Virginia in 2010?
Got a new travel product to promote? Now is your opportunity to tell 6 million unique visitors, travel media, hundreds of tour operators and meeting and sports event planners about your new, renovated or expanded attraction, hotel, meeting site, sports venue or industry related services. Give us all the details in the What's New Form by July 17, 2009. Be sure your new information is posted on Virginia.org as well. Get details on how to post your information on Virginia.org here. 2009 Passionate About Spreading the Word Awards Deadline
Again this year, VTC will recognize outstanding efforts by travel industry partners to educate the public about the economic benefit of tourism. Awards will be presented at VA-1. To be eligible promotions must occur between April 15-June 15, 2009. Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2009.
See http://www.vatc.org/pr/toolkit/tourismweekawards.asp for further details.
Virginia.org Call to Action!
Seeking more 40 Off Travel Deals!
The 40 Off Travel Deals are being rotated every four to six weeks. If you have yet to submit a $40 off, 40% off or buy 3/get 1 free deal, please do so now through the Administration Tool. Missing regions: Heart of Appalachia, Chesapeake Bay, Southern Virginia, Eastern Shore. See the Instructions and Criteria. Questions? Contact Casey Higgins July 4th Events Get your July 4th events, festivals, fireworks etc. on Virginia.org! Visitors and locals are looking for those events now to plan their 4th of July holiday. Check out the fireworks map! Don't be left out! Log in to the Administration Tool to enter or update your events. Fall Events Needed Your Fall events are desired for the Virginia.org Fall site. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grab leaf-peepers! Calling All Restaurants The Virginia Green Restaurant Certification application can now be accessed through the Virginia.org Administration Tool. For restaurants already certified, you may access and make changes to your profile through the Admin Tool as well. DEQ reviews all applications. Click for Details Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts Art and culture events that honor women happening between March and June 2010 are eligible to be included on the Minds Wide Open website. Events should be submitted through the Administration Tool and will in turn be fed to the MWO site. See the Instructions and Details for Minds Wide Open Travel Guide Advertising
Advertise in the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide
Get on board now to reserve your advertising space in the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide. The VTC's comprehensive consumer fulfillment piece will be published in December and will have a circulation of 600,000 printed copies plus electronic versions. Get more information here. Events Deadline for the 2010 Virginia Travel Guide Make sure your 2010 events and festivals are posted on www.Virginia.org by July 31, 2009 for possible inclusion in the 2010 travel guide. All events that are listed in the guide are selected from the website. Not all events can be included, however, due to space considerations. To learn how to post your events and festivals, go to www.vatc.org. Log into the Administration Tool to get started. Welcome Center Advertising
Thanks for the Memories!
Virginia Welcome Center staff recently returned from the Central Virginia FAM Tour hosted by cooperating partners: Lynchburg, Bedford, Appomattox, Campbell County and Amherst County. This firsthand experience will help us promote attractions, destinations and lodging establishments in that region. We are currently accepting proposals for the 2009 Fall FAM Tour. To discuss your custom FAM tour, please contact Sandra Hicks at 804.545.5583 or SHicks@virginia.org. Tourism Week 2009: A story of Success More than 65 industry partners participated in the Tourism Week celebration at Virginia Welcome Centers (May 9th-May 17th). But remember you don't have to wait for Tourism Week to schedule a Demo Day. There may still be availability during this tourism season so come and take advantage. For availability contact a Welcome Center Manager at the center of your choice. Virginia Welcome Centers Increase Hours VTC is proud to announce that Virginia Welcome Centers have returned to seven-day operations. Expanding the service hours enables our professional staff to best serve our visitors and continue to promote Virginia's attractions, sites and destinations. A big "Thanks" goes to our industry partners who expressed support and showed great patience during our period of reduced operations. For more information about Virginia Welcome Centers, please visit http://www.vatc.org/WelcomeCenters/VWC.asp Partnership Alliance Marketing Workshop Opportunities Gems of Appalachia RFP: Enhancing Appalachia's Gateways to the Blue Ridge Parkway
ARC is seeking proposals from Blue Ridge Parkway "gateway" communities in the Appalachian Region for projects to enhance economic development opportunities related to the parkway's 75th anniversary celebration. Deadline is June 26, 2009. For more information, please click here http://www.arc.gov/images/aboutarc/grants/pdf/Gems_BRPkwy_RFP.pdf Entrepreneur Express Workshops Entrepreneur Express events are scheduled around the state in the coming weeks in Altavista, Bedford, Chesapeake, Courtland, Hanover, and Virginia Beach. For a complete schedule of dates and locations, click here: http://www.vastartup.org/dates.html Virginia's Business One Stop system The Business One Stop system will help you determine business formation requirements based on your specific type of business and business activities. In addition, the system will pre-fill some of the forms required to start your business. Visit http://www.virginia.gov/bos/index.html Next Help Desk Meet with Virginia Tourism at The Bedford Welcome Center in Bedford on June 16, 2009. Get more information here. Sales and Marketing
Volunteers Needed for SYTA
Are you ready to volunteer for the Student & Youth Travel Association Conference, hosted in Norfolk, VA, August 26-September 2, 2009? SYTA travel providers on average take 25,000 participants on trips and do over $8 (US) million in annual sales volume. You do not have to be a member of SYTA or registered for the conference to volunteer. You can find the volunteer form here: http://www.norfolkcvb.com/site/volunteer-form.php. For questions contact Dana Howe. 2010 VTC Travel & Consumer Show Program The VTC Travel & Consumer Show program is about to start for the 2010 season. Program is open to the first 40 participants. LAST DAY TO REGISTER is July 15, 2009. Get all the information and forms here. Questions? Please Contact: Jim Mathias 804 314-3451; email: gjmathias@verizon.net or Tom Vick, Luray Caverns, 540-743-6551 ext. Meetings Tradeshow Opportunities There is still time left to partner with VTC and get exposure to key meeting planners in the government, association and corporate markets at a reduced price. Partner with VTC at the ASAE & The Center's Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada on August 15-18, 2009 and/or Affordable Meetings in Washington, DC on September 9-10, 2009. Contact Joni Johnson for more details. Leads Available Springtime Expo, April 16, 2009, Washington, DC Sales Lead Report is now available by contacting Robin Mamunes, rmamunes@virginia.org. Virginia Film Office
Warner Hosts Screening
Virginia Senator Mark Warner hosted a special screening of Bedford: The Town They Left Behind, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Shot in Virginia, Bedford: The Town They Left Behind recalls this Virginia community's solemn history as having lost the most men per capita during the D-Day invasion and gives it a contemporary context: in 2004, Bedford's National Guard troops were called up for the first time since 1945 and were sent Afghanistan and Iraq. Thank you to Senator Warner and his staff for recognizing this excellent film about an important part of Virginia's history and giving it an opportunity to be seen by a wider audience. The film is the work of the McLean-based production company, The Johnson Group. Transformers Filmed in Virginia Opens June 24! One of the summers' most anticipated films Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen opens June 24 and promises to be as big a blockbuster as original Transformers film. |
Website Visitation Through May 2009  UP 6.5% YTDLodging Occupancy Rates Through March 2009  DOWN 7.2% from same period of 2008 Car Rentals Through April 2009 DOWN 5.5% from same period of 2008 Gas Sales Through February 2009 DOWN 2.1% from
the same period of 2008Click here to download the pdf for more information ... Virginia in the NewsVirginia Launches a New Promotion for Travel Savings About.com - News & Issues Earlier this week, a statewide program featuring over 200 special Virginia travel offers launched in a unique way at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate ... Steam locomotives celebrated at new Museum of the Shenandoah ... ShenandoahValley.com To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Virginia is for Lovers slogan, the museum is offering a special until the end of 2009: ... Weekend Getaway: Alexandria Old Town Alexandria, an easy weekend getaway from Washington, D.C., has history, art and charm -- all on the Metro line. VIR claims $77.5M economic impact News and Record ... that Virginia International Raceway, located in Halifax County, is not only having an impact here, but is also a driving force for tourism in the region. New and Updated Virginia.org Features New and updated features added to Virginia.org in the last few weeks are:
Admin Tool TipAdd a Photo Uploading a photo with your listing greatly enhances your presence on Virginia.org and increases the odds of the visitor clicking through to your website to book the deal or plan the trip. VTC may also include your image in feature stories that your property, event, package or deal are highlighted. (Photo Specs) Contact Casey Higgins for Admin Tool help. Log in to the Administration Tool Live Passionately Screensaver!Show your passion in 2009 by downloading the Virginia is for Lovers Live Passionately Screensaver! Click here to download the screensaver to your computer and double click it to install. Not on the
email list?Sign up for the Dashboard. If you have comments or suggestions for future issues of The Dashboard please contact Mary Bishop at mbishop@virginia.org or 804-545-5556. |
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