Durham Celebrates 25 Years of Success as a Visitor Destination

“That’s billions – with a B,” said Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) President and CEO, Shelly Green referring to visitor dollars spent in Durham over that last 25 years. Since 1990, when the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) started tracking metrics, 124 million visitors have experienced Durham and they spent $12.9 billion in Durham’s economy. The growth over that period, according to Green, is “pretty remarkable.”

The last four years coming out of the recession have seen steady growth. “Given the resources available, I am extremely proud of all that Durham has accomplished. The DCVB team is really skilled at spinning gold from hay,” Green said referring to Durham’s visitor growth measured against its investment promoting the destination.

DCVB benchmarks metrics annually that paint a picture of Durham’s performance as a visitor destination. The numbers are estimates for the past 25 years in total.

• $24 Million Visitors to Durham
• $12.9 Billion Spending by Durham Visitors
• $139 Million Occupancy Taxes Collected 
• $578 Million Local Tax Revenue Generated by Visitors
• 14.7 Million Visitor Inquiries Generated
• 15,764 Conventions and Groups Serviced
• 102,905 Conventions and Meetings Held in Durham
• 3.5 Million Convention and Meeting Attendees
• 5,149,485 Hotel Room Nights Used by Conventions and Meetings
• 1,172,662 Hotel Room Nights Booked by DCVB 
• 21,833 DCVB-Assisted Stories in the Media 

These statistics become more meaningful when considered in the context of real examples of praise and accomplishments earned by the community. Durham consistently ranks highly on measurements of quality of life, business climate, education, healthcare, and more. Fueled by its ranking as the number one retirement destination in the US and its title as Tastiest Town in the South, as well as the combination of diverse population and an engaged and welcoming community, Durham’s pattern of growth looks assured. A searchable database of Durham’s accolades is online here.

“Durham is successful because it is a great community that prides itself on things like authenticity and being genuine. These things matter more and more to visitors and residents alike, and we are now benefitting from that trend,” Green said. “To look back on the last 25 years at today’s Annual Tribute Luncheon has been a tangible validation of our work at DCVB, and of the community we represent. I couldn’t be more proud.”

A video shown at the luncheon traced DCVB’s inception back to 1982 when discussions of the need for a destination marketing organization dedicated to Durham were first chronicled in municipal and economic development circles. Legislation in 1986 permitted the collection of an occupancy tax on hotel room sales beginning in 1989 when DCVB started out with a modest office in Brightleaf Square.  Included in the video were former board and staff members as well as President Emeritus Reyn Bowman who ran DCVB from its inception in 1989 through 2009 when Green took the helm.   Watch the 25 year retrospective video online here.

The Annual Tribute Luncheon is produced by DCVB to celebrate Durham’s unique sense of place. Former honorees include Pastor Shirley Caesar, Dr. John Hope Franklin, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Durham festivals, and acclaimed Durham chefs, among others.

Durham Visitation Tops 9 Million in 2012 - Part 1

According to data recently released by D.K. Shifflet and Associates, Durham hosted just over 9 million visitors in 2012, the largest number since measurement began more than a decade ago.

*in Millions

Almost 30% of these visitors, or 2.64 million, were here for business purposes including meetings and conventions.

The remaining 6.37 million were in Durham for leisure and personal reasons.

This represents an increase of 15.8% over 2011 when 7.77 million visitors came to Durham.  Overall visitation in the United States grew by 5.4% during this same period.

The largest growth was in leisure travel which grew 20.9%.  Business travel grew a modest 5.6%.

"I'm very pleased with the data," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President & CEO.  "Because business travel has been on a long slow decline, not keeping pace with the growth in overall travel, we've been putting more emphasis in marketing to leisure travelers," she said. "These numbers demonstrate a great return on that investment," she added.

*in Millions

To put this into perspective, 15 years ago, in 1997, there were 1.74 million business travelers to Durham and 3.15 leisure and personal visitors, for a total of 4.89 million.

However, growth in the number of people travelling to Durham for leisure and personal reasons has far outpaced growth on the business side.

That trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Next up in Part 2:  A closer look at the data, specifically looking at the type of travel, whether day visitation or overnight travel.

2013 Annual Tribute Luncheon "The Gospel of Durham"

The 2013 Annual Tribute Luncheon, held today at the Durham Convention Center, welcomed more than 300 attendees according to Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO Shelly Green. DCVB produces the event each year to celebrate an aspect of Durham's unique sense of place, and the people, places, events, and things that make Durham distinct.

From left to right, DCVB President & CEO Shelly Green,
Annual Tribute Luncheon Honoree Shirley Caesar and
Co-host, Minnie Forte-Brown, Vice Chair,
Durham Public Schools Board of Education

Durham native and eleven-time Grammy winner Pastor Shirley Caesar was this year's honoree, with the theme, "The Gospel of Durham."  According to Green, "We are extremely excited to share the good news about Pastor Caesar, and Durham, today. We don't hold a traditional annual meeting. Rather, we use this event as a showcase to help people understand Durham, and all its facets," she added.

A short documentary video about Pastor Caesar debuted at the event. Local weekly newspaper, The Indy Week, featured Caesar as their cover story this week, and a very special greeting was read to Pastor Caesar, from former president, Bill Clinton. President and Secretary Clinton are close personal friends of Pastor Caesar, and they sent their congratulations in a personal note read aloud as a special surprise during the event. Pastor Caesar was excited to hear their kind words. "I am so glad I had the privilege to be a part of the Durham City Council. I always come back home. I love Durham."

Caesar's contributions to Durham are numerous and far-reaching. Pastor Caesar was elected to the Durham City Council and served from 1987 to 1991. She is also a cheerleader for Durham wherever she goes, and as an international Gospel star, that's a lot of places. Pastor Caesar also personally funds the Shirley Caesar Outreach Ministries in Durham to help the less fortunate. The Pastor has also acted in Hollywood films, and performed on Broadway. While Pastor Caesar has won Grammy Awards and dozens of other music awards, this award from her local Durham community holds special meaning.

Upon accepting the award, Caesar expressed appreciation for the recognition from the community, “This is a privilege. It's an honor. Even when I left the clay hills of North Carolina, I always came home. You can always come home when you can't go anyplace else. Thank God for home."

This event is produced annually and in the past has recognized the culinary arts, architecture, authors, events, and civic organizations. To see an image of the 2013 Annual Tribute Luncheon honorees click here.

The event is always a "who's who" of Durham and of the respective community being celebrated with today's event being no exception. "Events like this help to remind us all how special Durham is, and why we are all so proud to be here," Green said.

The Power of Pride - OP/ED

This is an opinion/editorial from the desk of Shelly Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

It's been a busy two days. My email and phone lines burned up yesterday and today with people upset about the front page article about Durham in yesterday's The Daily Tarheel.

Indignation, disgust, disappointment, outrage...you name it, I heard it all.

So my first reaction was that I needed to assemble and distribute data and educate the author about the REAL facts about Durham!  Our organization has plenty of data on our website for the media and the public alike. If you want to know how Durham's crime compares to benchmark cities in the state and country, take a look.  But Chapel Hill isn't a peer city. The two are as different as apples and lug nuts.

This story evoked such deep, visceral negative reactions not because it reported on Durham's crime.  Durham isn't perfect and its crime rate is average - in fact, it's currently at a 23-year low.  The reaction came so swiftly and with such vigor because Durhamites felt disrespected and insulted by the tone.  Judging from the comments on the story, many Chapel Hillians did, too.  Many question the quality of the journalism, but that's an assessment and debate I'll leave to the academics.

The thing is, if this happened at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, an uproar like this from residents of nearby Des Moines would be unlikely.  It just wouldn't be on their radar.

But Durham is different.  The level of Durham residents' pride has been measured for nearly 20 years, and although it's always been very high, it's off-the-chart compared to other communities.  Orange County residents, by and large, think highly of Durham, too.  That's also been measured for the same two decades.

Am I upset?  A little, but my emotions are tempered by the fact that so many stepped up to Durham's defense so swiftly.  I did, however, send a letter to the writer, Chelsey Dulaney early this morning.  I haven't heard back yet, but  if you are curious about what I said to her and her editor, read it here.

Durham to Host 2014 Triple A Baseball All Star Game

The Durham Bulls announced today they will host the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The 27^th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will take place on July 16, 2014 and will be nationally televised on MLB Network. It will serve as the centerpiece of a five-day celebration that will make the Triangle the focal point of the Minor League Baseball world.

“This is a five day window for Durham to show its great assets,” said Mike Schoenfeld representing Duke University and the Durham Chamber of Commerce.

The Triple-A All-Star Game, featuring the premier players and most promising prospects from each of Major League Baseball’s top affiliates in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues, headlines a multi-day extravaganza which will include an All-Star Fan Fest, Luncheon, and Home Run Derby featuring Minor League’s Baseball’s most iconic home run target – the DBAP’s famous Snorting Bull.  Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling excitedly discussed the Home Run Derby saying that no other stadium has “such an iconic home run target” as the Snorting Bull.

“Hosting the Triple-A All-Star Game is a tremendous honor and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase not only the Bulls organization, but Durham and the entire Triangle community,” said Birling. Hosting this game also packs an economic punch.  According to Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau's Shelly Green, the event will bring about $3.3 million in visitor spending and bump the local tax rolls by over $100,000 as fans, media, and baseball executives from around the country converge in Durham for Minor League Baseball’s signature event.

During the announcement made at a press conference this morning, the Bulls also unveiled the logo for the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game. The logo (see above) features depictions of some of the iconic buildings of the Durham skyline, including the Lucky Strike water tower and smoke stack, all set on a blue star representing the great players who have participated in the game – 77 of whom have gone on to play in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, and Joey Votto are among the game’s most notable alumni.

“When baseball executives from around the country gathered in the Triangle last September for the Triple-A National Championship Game, players, fans and officials were treated to a first class experience which made the decision to award the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game to the Bulls and the City of Durham a very easy one,” said International League President Randy Mobley. “The Bulls represent all that is right about Minor League Baseball and with an MLB Network broadcast, this will be yet another opportunity for Durham to shine in all its glory on a national stage.”

“Durham is a city of champions and championships,” said Schoenfeld.  That’s true.  Learn more about all of them online.

DPAC Showcases Deeper Connections to Durham

This is a different kind of story about DPAC - The Durham Performing Arts Center.  Although DPAC is undeniably known for its incredible programming diversity, the biggest theater shows in the world and unmatched customer service, that’s not the particular focus of this article.  This is a story about some of the artists who have graced the stage of DPAC and their connections to Durham as a place.

When Harry Connick took the stage at DPAC - Durham Performing Arts Center on February, 16, 2010, he was hoarse from lack of sleep and Mardi Gras/Super Bowl victory revelry. He said he hadn't slept but was excited to be in Durham.  He was performing for an adoring crowd that included a long-time friend of his who took the stage to play along.  The night was special for both Connick and a man with whom he grew up, Branford Marsalis.  Marsalis lives in Durham.

Before the band's August 4th, 2011 show, Steely Dan vocalist Donald Fagan was perusing letters and packages left at the theater for him by fans.  Among them was a simple card accompanying some photographs of the sign on the front of the Liggett & Myers building at Main and North Duke Streets that pays tribute to those who made and smoked Chesterfield cigarettes, a brand Fagan famously immortalized on his solo album, The Nightfly.  The card thanked him for visiting and offered, "Bet you didn't know that Lester the Nightfly's smokes were made here in Durham, NC."

When she takes DPAC's stage in July and August, Christie Brinkley will perform in Chicago for thousands of fans.  One of them will be more responsible for her performance than any other.

...

As the rotors of two plexiglass-bubbled Siloy choppers beat their concussive rhythm above the mountains of Telluride, Colorado on April 1, 1994, international supermodel Christie Brinkley lay dazed and bleeding in the snow.  It was late morning and the chopper from which she and friends had been heli-skiing had crashed.  A storm was approaching and the unfortunate fact was that their chopper was also the one San Miguel County Search and Rescue used in the event of just such an emergency.  Fortunately, SMCSR was able to borrow two Siloys from a neighboring community to execute their mission.

Jimmy Rosen started his day at 3:45 AM that day responding to a 911 carbon monoxide poisoning call, during which the Telluride EMT Association (for whom he served) saved all affected.  At 7 AM, his team's pagers were taken by Assistant Chief of the Telluride Fire Department with the admonishment that they needed to go home to rest after such a call.

Rosen, however, was also a member of the San Miguel County Search & Rescue team.  April 1, 1994 would turn out to be extraordinarily long - "It was far and away the hairiest day of my life," he says recounting that he worked into the evening in the face of a storm that threatened the survival of all involved. Rosen was in the second chopper on the scene at Brinkley's crash site and was the first to attend to her.  She, and her friends, owe their lives to him and his SMCSR team mates.

...

At Bean Traders on Ninth Street in Durham, Rosen cuts the figure of a regular guy; he's a fit and trim early forties husband and father saddled with the challenges of balancing a personal life and the demands of an incredibly successful career in finance at Durham's Intersouth Partners. He is a Duke '91 graduate who had hopes of a future in medicine.  Clearly, things went another way, but not before saving some lives.

Rosen and his wife are season ticket holders at DPAC.  Watching Chicago show will be special beyond the fact that the facility is highly lauded for its excellence as a venue and the show is a great production, but because he is a bit responsible for Brinkley being there.

...

Durham is a place to which people from all corners of the globe have connections.  "DCVB is all about encouraging people to visit Durham, but when we have the opportunity to showcase great stories like these to local audiences, we love to do so," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.  “Durham is lucky to have a world-class facility like DPAC; and stories like this make that connection to place even stronger.”

Opened in November, 2008, The Durham Performing Arts Center has 2,700 seats and the largest stage between Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA. The theater is routinely ranked by industry trade magazine Pollstar as one of the ten busiest in the United States.

For tickets to Chicago starring Christie Brinkley, or other upcoming shows at DPAC, go to tickets page of their website.  Check out the Durham Event Calendar for information about all events in Durham.

Culture Communication Evolving With Technology

Travelers who do so for the purpose of experiencing culture are a big market for Durham.  With so many museums, working artists and galleries, theaters and festivals of all types, Durham really is where great culture happens and an obvious destination for people interested in that subject.  In fact, North Carolina is overall. 

Areas endowed with a wealth of cultural offerings often suffocate under the load of opportunities and how to communicate them.  Many years ago, DCVB took the proactive step of creating a database driven calendar.  For years, that has stood alone, but now DCVB, in partnership with the EverWondr Network and Durham Arts Council are teaming up to bring Durham’s cultural opportunities to visitors as part of a statewide network  sites 

“At this point, DurhamCulture.com is a way for the culture segment to present information to people looking to learn more about cultural offerings,” said Shelly Green, DCVB President and CEO. “The new site is intuitive, user friendly and is a big step forward in cultural visitation marketing,” she added.

Run by DCVB,  durhamculture.com, houses one of the most comprehensive collections of information about cultural offerings in Durham.  While complete, the site was limited in capability.  Now with the  improvements in technology powering the site it offers users much more than just information.  While the web address won’t change, site visitors have access to an artist’s marketplace, special offers, map/location search, videos, reviews and more.

DCVB is making this move in an effort to make information gathering easier for potential visitors.  The process by which stakeholders in the community enter data will change a bit, but mostly those changes are cosmetic.  They will still use the My Durham Info portal they have always used, but the appearance of the forms will change and some of the options will allow more information to be shared.  Seminars to demonstrate this portal and its additional capabilities will be held at DCVB on May 24 at 2PM and 6 PM to demonstrate the new interface.  Those desiring to attend should email Carolyn Carney at Carolyn@durham-cvb.com. 

Durham Culinary Powerhouse Magnolia Grill to Close 5/31

In a surprise announcement, Magnolia Grill owners Ben and Karen Barker say they are closing after nearly three decades in business.  The news will shock many loyal fans and patrons.

Known for blazing a culinary trail in North Carolina, the couple are both James Beard Award winners.  The honor is considered the Oscar of the food world.

“This is sad news for Durham.  Ben and Karen are two of the reasons Durham has a food scene.  They trained many, many chefs in their restaurants who went on to open their own establishments," said Shelly Green, Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau President and CEO.  "We promote Durham's prowess as a dining destination.  They have given us so much of the opportunity to do that."

Durham is widely known as a place with an intense food scene.  The accolades are numerous, but most recently the New York Times listed Durham as one of the Top 41 Places to Visit in the world and noted the food and dining offerings as a key reason.

Citing a desire to spend more time with friends and family, the couple will close the property on May 31.  Having written two books and being in demand within the national food community, this is likely not the last word from this duo. 

The Barker's were honored at Durham's Annual Tribute Luncheon in 2007, alongside other chefs here who helped shape Durham as a culinary destination and contributed to it's unique sense of place.  "We can't thank them enough for that," Green added.  Dare we say that tens of thousands of diners would say the same.

Volunteering at DCVB

Erma Bombeck said it well with this: "Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another."

In Durham, a place that highly values such attributes, that quote is especially resonant.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official marketing agency of Durham, North Carolina.  Its funding comes from a portion of the occupancy tax paid by those who stay in one of Durham's nearly 10,000 hotel rooms, as well as support from stakeholders who endorse the bureau's publications.  It uses those funds exclusively to forward the objective of promoting visitation to Durham - a job made easier by volunteers.  To DCVB, marketing the community is a labor of real affection, and having community members on hand to help those visiting the place is especially important.

"We have amassed thousands of hours with volunteers in our 22 years of work in Durham, and we're truly thankful for every one of them," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President and CEO. "Every time I get a chance to meet and talk with our volunteers, I am struck by their passion for this place...and it makes my job that much more enjoyable.  Our volunteers really make this place so special."

Currently, DCVB has openings for five volunteers to work in its Visitor Information Center at 101 E. Morgan Street on the Downtown Loop.  The opportunity is ideal for people in retirement and stay-at-home parents with children who are in organized care.  Not only is volunteering an opportunity to stay active and interact with people, but it's also a chance to be easily within walking distance of Downtown's shops, restaurants and bakeries, as well as the free-to-ride Bull City Connector.  

Those interested in volunteering at DCVB should contact Carolyn Carney, the organization's Director of Visitor Services.

Durham's Centerfest Wants Your Input...Really

Centerfest has been a landmark event in Durham for dozens of years.  Having changed in format over the years, the event is now taking a one year hiatus to be envisioned anew - a process into which the public's commentary is welcomed.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with Downtown Durham, Inc and the Durham Chamber of Commerce, have offered their assistance to the Durham Arts Council in conducting focus groups and lending organizational expertise to help ensure that the new event is both representative of Durham's unique sense of place and brand values, as well being inviting to the modern event-going crowd.

"We're excited to help with this process because Centerfest, historically, has been such a major visitor draw," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President and CEO. "We're looking forward to working with peer organizations and the general public's input to refashion this event into one with national appeal and one that will garner a lot of visitation," she added.

The focus groups are open to the public.  Since Durham owns a reputation as being a place with great community involvement, it is hoped that people will come out and voice their opinions and share their input and ideas.  Six different focus groups, each with a different emphasis, will be held and details are available on the web.

Local Favorites Winners 2011

Well, it was quite a year for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau's Local Favorites Survey.  A record number of people perused the questions, the answers were quite varied and, in some cases, rather entertaining.  DCVB would like to thank its respondents for their generous sharing of preferences.

Visitors are always in pursuit of information about what residents think.  For years, DCVB has conducted this survey to deliver exactly that sort of feedback, and this year's list is a great example of why Durham is where great food and dining happen.

"Coming out on top in this survey is pretty important to some of the local restaurants," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President and CEO.  "We promote Local Favorites on our website and in  the Official Visitors & Relocation Guide, our highest volume print piece that is dispensed to both those considering visitation and relocation."

"Given the impact of our distribution channels, and sheer visitation traffic, a place on this list is worth more than just bragging rights," added Sam Poley, DCVB's Director of Marketing and Communications.  "Past winners are also listed on a dedicated web page, so the value continues over time.  This is not a very perishable ranking - that's one of the reasons those on the list get a plaque to accompany their victory.  We've seen folks post those for years...they consider it quite an honor."

So, on to the 2011 list...

Favorite Beer from a Durham Brewery: Triangle Brewing Company Golden Ale

Favorite Lunch Under $5: Chubby's Tacos

Favorite Dinner Under $10: Broad Street Cafe

Favorite Local Food Product: Baked Goods from Scratch Baking

Favorite Place for a Healthy Meal: Tie - Toast and Whole Foods Market

Favorite Durham Dining Experience: Watts Grocery

Favorite Place for a Grown-Up Night Out: Broad Street Cafe

Favorite Place to Get Your Food Truck Fix: Rigsbee Street in front of Fullsteam Brewery and Motorco Music Hall

Favorite Place for a Midnight Snack: Cosmic Cantina

When Big Isn't Big Enough - OP/ED

This is an opinion/editorial from the desk of Shelly Green, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

I read a great article yesterday in Forbes by Patrick Rishe, Director of Sportsimpacts and an Associate Professor of Economics at Webster University in St. Louis, MO., entitled "Educating Sports Commissions and CVBs about the Economic Impact of Sports."  He was summarizing a presentation that he made earlier in the week at a conference of the National Association of Sports Commissions (of which DCVB is a member.)

In the article, Rishe does a great job outlining in simple language the basics associated with measuring the impact of sports events.  He bemoans the fact—as do I—that there are still people and organizations out there inflating the economic impact of events for either political, financial or public relations reasons.  

Some just blindly take the impact amount reported by the city that hosted the event the prior year and mark it up 5 or 10%.  Some just do the math in their heads, i.e., “Let’s see.  I’ll bet each person spent about $1,000; times 50,000 people; equals…” with no basis to substantiate the numbers.

Rishe advises organizations to do the type of things that DCVB has espoused for 20-some years:

·       Don’t include spending by local residents.  If residents hadn’t spent money at this event, they would have likely spent it elsewhere in the local community. 

·       Report the net income of the event.  That includes the direct spending, the indirect and induced impacts (sometimes referred to as multipliers) but it also includes SUBTRACTING the amount of leakage that occurs when local businesses and vendors buy their supplies outside the community or when national and regional suppliers send a portion of the proceeds back to their corporate headquarters.

·       Consider displacement and how that impacts the bottom line, particularly when looking at mega events.  If a huge sporting event is supposed to bring 50,000 people to the community, it will have much less impact if it displaces any of the community’s existing business.  Think Super Bowls and Olympic events.  If hotels are typically 70% occupied during that time frame, the true impact is only the difference between the typical occupancy and the total occupancy achieved during the event (which is rarely 100%.)

As I noted in the comment section at the end of the article, the bottom line is, a CVBs job is to stimulate economic activity in its community AND generate tax revenue for local governments.  This reaps great rewards.  There is no reason to inflate these numbers...unless of course you need to cover up the fact that the huge incentive you ponied up (using public money, of course) actually made the event COST your community more money than it reaped.  But don't get me started on that...

DCVB and Green Recognized by Peer Organizations

In the 12th year of independent out-of-state judging, the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina announced the winners in its annual Destination Marketing Achievement Awards program.

Durham's marketing agency, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, received four awards, bringing its total over twelve years to 68 awards. This year DCVB received two platinum awards for its 2010 Annual Report and for its innovative use of the social gaming application Scvngr.  Two gold awards for the new Durham Hospitality Jobs website and the Durham News Service website were also earned.

Awards to Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are broken down by the organization's size and into different categories of innovations and marketing initiatives. Durham is evaluated in comparison to places including Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. 

Additionally, DCVB President and CEO Shelly Green was awarded the NC Travel Industry Association Public Service Award in honor of Bill Sharpe who was North Carolina's first tourism director.  It is bestowed in recognition of outstanding individuals and/or organizations for their past or current contributions to the promotion or development of the travel industry in North Carolina.  Given annually since 1987, previous winners include famed NC-born broadcaster Charles Kuralt, The North Carolina Zoo and Keep NC Beautiful.

"Receiving these awards is always special," said Shelly Green, President & CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.  "Having also earned the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Workplace Flexibility last week, too, leaves me particularly proud of DCVB and the work it does." 

Recognized nationwide for innovations in Destination Marketing, DCVB has received more than 130 awards and recognitions over the past 15 years.  Such recognition serves as affirmation of one the organization's most important core values:  CANI – Continual and Never-Ending Improvement. 

DCVB Honored for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility

For the third time since the award's inception in 2005, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau has been recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for its excellence in workplace flexibility.  "Flexibility in the workplace is as much about helping employees be effective and productive as it is about yielding positive business results for an organization," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President and CEO.  "We see great benefits (as do our employees) from the policies and practices we have in place that promote work/life balance."

The awards are part of a research-based initiative called "When Work Works."  The Foundation surveys employees and employers about the flexibility programs and practices at their workplace as well as the perceived level of  support fostered in their workplace culture.

"DCVB ranks in the top 20% of employers nationally in terms of its programs, policies and culture for creating an effective and flexible workplace," states Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute.  "What makes this honor so special is that their employees have corroborated this, affirming that it is indeed an effective and flexible workplace."

In addition to three Sloan Awards, DCVB was the first CVB in the nation to achieve Green Plus certification  recognizing organizations that have achieved a high level of commitment to people, performance and the planet.  In total, DCVB earned 130+ awards and recognitions over the past 15 years.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is Durham's official marketing agency and primary point of contact for visitors.  They operate the Visitors Information Center at 101 E. Morgan Street in Downtown Durham.

Durham Bullls to Host 2012 National Championship Game

The Durham Bulls and their namesake Athletic Park in Downtown Durham were today announced as the site of the 2012 National Championship Game to be held Thursday, September 20th, 2012.  Held most recently in Oklahoma City from 2006 to 2010 and Albuquerque this year, the event is expected to bring more than 10,000 visitors and representatives of 30 baseball teams to Durham over the two day span of the event.

The Bulls are the most famous team in Triple A baseball and The Durham Bulls Athletic Park, modeled after Camden Yards and tucked into a bustling downtown district adjacent to dining, is a popular destination for visitors and residents alike.  Games have an average of 7,000 attendees and approximately 10 sell out per year, according to the team's spokesperson.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the Bulls and Durham," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We estimate approximately $2.5 million in visitor spending from this event and we are hugely appreciative of the hard work the Bulls did to bring next year's National Championship Game to Durham, " she added.

At the announcement of this game, Randy Mobley, International League President, of which the Bulls are a part, said "I made no secret of my fandamonium for this area and this ball club, and did all in my power to keep encouraging them.  Fortunately, it worked out," with regard to bringing the game to Durham. 

The game will be held in a different city each year as of this year, and Durham quickly rose to the top of the list of considered locations.  Mike Birling, General Manager of the Bulls continually referred to Durham as "The City of Baseball" given the number of events and entities related to the sport that make their home here.

Also announced at today's event is that Bulls player Russ Canzler is the 2011 International League MVP, the fitth Durham Bull in 14 years to do so.

Durham is Ready as Irene Pushes Visitors Inland

While the coast is a few hours to the east, Durham is playing an integral role in helping to manage the situation caused by the first hurricane to make landfall in NC is several years.  At Category 3, Irene is on a path of destruction that will affect many of the more than 60 million Americans on the Eastern Seaboard.

This is an unexpected boon for inland hoteliers.

As evacuations are continually announced along NC's coastline, residents and visitors (it's their high season for visitation) are mandated to move to safer havens.  That mass of humanity comes West, and Durham--with its two interstate highways--is a stopping point for many. 

For perspective, according to State officials, Dare County alone has 35,000 residents and 150,000 visitors at this time of year.  Many will need a place to stay.  As of Friday afternoon, four Coastal Counties had been issued mandatory evacuations and several others such as New Hanover county, had been urged to initiate voluntary evacuations.

To demonstrate the impact on Durham:  Durham has nearly 7,700 hotel rooms.  The number of available rooms on Friday night dropped by 30.2 percent in approximately 18 hours.  In that same time period, Sunday's dropped 43.8 percent.  One hotel front desk operator offered when asked if the uptick in bookings was evacuees, "Yes, absolutely."

To aide those in need, DCVB activated its Lodging Hot Line on Wednesday afternoon and started providing information to the State on Thursday.  According to Shelly Green, President & CEO of DCVB, "The Hot Line is really a great service to both travelers and lodging operators - it's a great supply and demand tool that is easy for both parties.  DCVB has even improved its hotline to indicate properties that accept pets as well as exit numbers of those along Interstate highways." 

The State has available rooms in Durham and other destinations up on it's website now.  "Since we provide this information to the State as a link to a document on our server, we are keeping that list up to date all the time, so those needing the information are getting it accurately."

Below is official information provided from North Carolina Department of Commerce.  

Hurricane Irene

VISITOR MESSAGE:
Safety is the first priority for our visitors. Our primary communication with them is to make sure that they stay connected with their accommodation provider, to news broadcasts and stay up-to-date on current conditions. Our hope is that the storm will pass quickly and that the entire North Carolina coast will be open for a fantastic Labor Day weekend and week.

VISITNC.COM
As we receive notice of closures and evacuations, we will update the weather advisory on the main page of VisitNC.com with the most current information from several sources throughout the state. We also link to several other sites for storm information. http://www.visitnc.com/

LODGING:
Travelers in need of accommodations can call the state’s visitor assistance line at 1-800-VISIT-NC (847-4862) which will be open 24/7 through the weekend, or contact the locations listed below. VisitNC.com also has a list of accommodations throughout the state at www.visitnc.com/lodging.

We are receiving media reports that hotels in nearest proximity of the coast are filling up with evacuees. Please ask your area hoteliers to stay in touch and direct visitors to VisitNC.com or 1-800-VISIT-NC (847-4862) if they run out of rooms. It is very important that no one gets turned away during the storm.

 

PRICE GOUGING:

It is a good time to remind property owners and area businesses of the state’s gouging law. Here’s a link to the specifics. http://ncdoj.gov/News-and-Alerts/News-Releases-and-Advisories/Press-Releases/Price-gouging-law-in-effect-due-to-Irene,-says-AG-.aspx

TRANSPORTATION:
The North Carolina Department of Transportation provides real-time information about travel conditions through its Twitter feeds. NCDOT immediately sends out tweets about road closures, flooding, ferry cancellations and evacuation routes.

NCDOT Northern Coastal Region feed:http://twitter.com/ncdot_ncoast
NCDOT Southern Coastal Region feed:http://twitter.com/ncdot_scoast
NCDOT Ferry System feed: http://twitter.com/ncdot_ferry

The Department of Transportation’s Travel Information Management Systems (TIMS) system also gives comprehensive information on events that affect road conditions.

TIMS Updates: http://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/default.aspx

OTHER USEFUL LINKS
NC Department of Transportation – www.ncdot.org
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – www.noaa.com
National Weather Service – www.nws.noaa.gov
National Hurricane Center – www.nhc.noaa.gov 
NC Emergency Management (Department of Crime Control and Public Safety) –www.nccrimecontrol.org

POST-STORM

Marketing the Coast After the Storm
The Division will update its website and all of its marketing assets to encourage visitors to return to the coast as soon as areas re-open for business. Through the public relations staff, editorial media will be used to highlight areas as they re-open and as visitors return. The Division will also incorporate social media outlets and digital advertising with our in-state media partners to encourage visitation.

BUSINESS RECOVERY
Businesses seeking disaster assistance can call Business Link North Carolina (BLNC) at 1-800-228-8443. Businesses will be guided to regional resources including the SBTDC and Small Business Center Network.   Services will include: 1) assessing financial impact, 2) reconstructing financial statements, 3) preparing SBA disaster loans and 4) exploring options with creditors.

Going Where Others Have Gone Before

Among the many great wonders of the internet is the ability to share information more quickly and freely.  Admittedly, sometimes that freedom can lead to content of dubious value posted by those enjoying the anonymity afforded by technology.  However, savvy consumers of information can quickly glean useful tidbits from the posts of others when researching things to do, places to eat, etc.

Understanding this, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau’s newly redesigned website has an exciting new feature.  As site users pull up information about specific places, user reviews from the popular consumer review site, Yelp.com, will also populate on the page giving the site user additional information with which  to make decisions. “This addition is another great leap forward in our quest to fully equip visitors to Durham with all the information available to get the most out of their visit,” said Shelly Green, DCVB’s President and CEO.

Of course, the Visitor’s Information Center is still staffed during normal business hours and Saturday from 10AM to 2PM  where visitors can get information directly, as well as through the site’s enhanced Live Chat function - because sometimes, there’s just no substitute for another live human being.

Duke Launches New Arts Portal

Those with feet on the ground in Durham know it is the place where great things happen.  Be it visual art, performance, food, or community, Durham plays host to a wide breadth of options to experience and get involved.

Durham's accolades are so numerous that there's a website devoted to them, and the destination continually shows up in articles lauding its quality of life, food and art.  That said, Duke felt a need to highlight not only the community's offerings, but also the university's involvement and enabling of some of the features.  To wit, this site was born.

"The arts scenes at Duke and across Durham have both blossomed over the past several years. Members of the Duke community are deeply involved in Durham concerts, shows, classes and other arts activities. Duke Performances and others at Duke are holding events at venues across town. We developed this site to highlight how this artistic synergy is benefiting both sides," said David Jarmul, Associate Vice President of News and Communications at Duke.

"Duke has certainly helped to pave the way to some great enhancements that make Durham a continually growing visitor destination," said Shelly Green, President and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.  "This site gives students a great starting point in exploring Durham by providing a type of lens or filter through which they can become introduced."

The site will be used in a variety of ways by Duke, primarily as a way to inform prospects that Duke is part of a significant community of cultural offerings on par with many larger places, and that the university plays a significant role in forming the cultural experience options in Durham.

Durham CVB Completes Successful International Accreditation Renewal

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau was one of 10 destination marketing organizations (DMO) in the country to receive its accreditation renewal from the independent, Washington D.C.-based Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP).  This  achievement distinguishes DCVB as a bureau performing at the highest standards and best practices in destination marketing and management.

DCVB was the first DMO in North Carolina and among the first 2 dozen in North America to receive its accreditation in 2007.  Since that time, DMOs in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Raleigh, and most recently Asheville, have obtained accreditation.   DCVB received an unprecedented 11 exemplary citations in its original application and an additional exemplary citation in its renewal.  This brings the number of areas considered where DCVB is considered a model bureau worthy of imitation to a total of 12 areas.   

Since first achieving accreditation, DCVB President & CEO Shelly Green was elected to serve on the international Board of Directors for DMAP.  She is currently Vice Chairman and will move to Chairman in 2012.

Corey D. Bizzell Recognized by Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter as 2011 Supplier of the Year and for Long-Term Industry Impact

Meeting Professionals International Carolinas Chapter (MPI-CC) recently announced Corey Bizzell, Director of Group Sales and Services at DCVB, was named Supplier of the Year by his peers at the MPICC annual awards banquet. He was lauded for his outstanding achievements and exemplary service to the hospitality industry not only during the course of the year but throughout his service to the chapter.

 
A 17-year Hospitality Industry veteran, Bizzell has held positions as both a supplier and planner.  Coupling skills used while planning meetings for clients and back of the house knowledge gained while working in lodging facilities Bizzell has been able to provide the highest quality of service to Groups and Conventions during his nine year tenure at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB).  Karen Knox, CMP of Blue Cross Blue Shield, NC says of Bizzell, “Always accessible and responsive, Corey conducts himself with poise, professionalism and confidence, and doesn’t hesitate to raise his hand to assist in any way possible.”

Shelly Green, President and CEO of the DCVB, has supervised Bizzell for 8 years.  “Corey cares deeply about the clients he works with on behalf of our community.  I’ve heard him say many times, his job isn’t to sell someone on Durham.  His job is to understand what his clients need for a successful meeting.  Sometimes Durham is the answer to those needs; other times, it is not.  If not, he tells them so, knowing that the relationship is always more important than the sale.”

Bizzell has served MPI-CC in a variety of different volunteer leadership positions including in the past including chair and director positions.  MPI-CC is dedicated to the professional and personal growth of its members and the meeting industry through education, networking, and communications and is part of a larger organization of over 23,000 members.

DCVB is Durham’s official marketing agency and works through various channels to enhance both business and leisure visitation, sustain place-based assets and support the local economy.  Durham is within an hour flight or a day’s drive for more than half the US population and can accommodate more than 85% of the meetings held in the US annually.