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March 3, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying Mother Nature’s playful temperatures! Considering the severe winter weather much of the country is experiencing, we’re sitting pretty nicely here on the East Coast and it’s barely March!
Speaking of March, to ensure everyone has more than enough time to help us capture and celebrate all our local hospitality heroes, we have extended the Virginia Beach Travel and Tourism Award nomination deadline to Friday, Mar. 10th (next Friday). Nominations in more than 10 different categories will remain open until then.
The easy-to-submit online form may be found here. Remember, there is no fee to nominate, and nominations are open to anyone working in the Virginia Beach hospitality industry, your staff and those at your favorite places included! All nominees are invited as guests to the luncheon, headlined this year by FM 106.1 radio personality “Some Guy Named Allen.” We’re planning for a great time you won’t want to miss!
#FirstFriday and March Arts Events in the ViBe District - From tours by foot or bike, to showcasing new exhibits and offering opportunities to meet the artists behind the work, the ViBe District is hopping! Click here to check out all there is to see and do in March, including info on this evening’s #FirstFriday festivities. The fun starts at 6 pm!
Leveling Work to Begin Week of March 14 - Leveling work on the east and west sidewalks along Atlantic Avenue will begin the week of Tuesday, March 14 and is targeted for completion in May. Work will begin in the Rudee Loop area and is scheduled for completion of 3 - 4 blocks per day. It is described as low impact work. The immediate area of repair will be surrounded by a 10-12’ perimeter for safety reasons. Plumes of dust can be anticipated as the higher edge of the concrete sections are planed even with the lower sections. Every effort will be made to mitigate disruption to the farthest extent possible. Call the Resort Management Office at (750) 385-4800 for more information.
Shamrock Marathon Weekend March 18-19, 2023 - Please take note and help get the word out in advance to your guests and staff that on March 18, the Shamrock 8k will close portions of Pacific Ave, Atlantic Ave, 25th Street, 27th Street, 37th Street, and the boardwalk. As well, please be aware that on March 19, the full and half marathon will result in partial road closures in the resort area. The official Road Closure notice can be found here. For race/registration information, course maps, and more, click here
Sales Activity - It was another exciting, busy week in Sales and Services but first, hats off to Director of Convention Sales & Marketing Sally Noona on her recent recognition from Smart Meetings. Sally is one of 100 business women selected as a 2023 Smart Woman in Meetings winner for her many contributions as a leader in the meetings industry. Read more about this outstanding accomplishment here. Congratulations and way to go, Sally!
Jamie Mitchell had three site visits: Turning Point Counseling and Consulting; Virginia Association of Marketing Educators; and Virginia Pest Management Association. Amy Overstreet conducted a site visit with the Virginia Department of Health which looks promising and could draw 550 attendees in the Fall. Dee Mittman finalized the last contract for Auto Glass coming this September. A combined team from across the department are busy working on our Shriner visit in 2023 and strategizing about 2024. Jim Coggin is in Lafayette, LA attending the Heritage Club Peer Conference. Heritage Club is the premier organization devoted to Bank Club Loyalty Directors who plan travel across the United States.
Convention Center Activity - After a very successful conference for the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association, the VBCC welcomed the Society of American Military Engineers Small Business Outreach Conference, the Annual Meeting of Distributive Education Clubs of America, the Navy League, Commonwealth Challenge, and the Department of Environmental Quality this week.
Events & Happenings
Our current Calendar of Events is available here. Take a look and see more of what’s on the horizon for the first half of 2023.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry and are here to help. Please let me know how we can assist. Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
Hotel Performance for the week of February 12 - 18: According to STR, Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of February 12 – 18 was down -4.3% at 51.4% occupancy but was up 0.6% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was up 6.4% at $116.16 for the week and up 7.4% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 1.8% at $59.66 and up 8.1% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to the month of February 2019, we have an increase in occupancy of 2.8% and an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 39.71% and 43.44% respectively.
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