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June 23, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
With our physical move behind us, we are now focused on settling into our new location while keeping the wheels of business turning. Please continue to reach out to CVB staff through your normal channels or email them directly. Thank you again for your patience with our response time; staff members are working from various locations and also from the road as they prospect.
As we gear up for another big weekend, thanks for all you are doing to help our guests feel glad they chose Virginia Beach; let’s keep the party going all summer!
Virginia Beach Media Coverage - Writers continue to show interest in Virginia Beach and the many experiences we offer. Take a look at some of the great recent coverage we have earned:
- Journalist Carlett Spike features Virginia Beach in the AARP article titled, “8 Ways to Celebrate and Commemorate Juneteenth”
- March FAM trip participant, Latoyia Downs, shares “18 Unforgettable Things to Do in Virginia Beach to Escape the Ordinary” to Savoteur
- First Landing State Park is featured in Outside Magazine’s “The 11 Most Dog-Friendly Beaches in the U.S.”
- Livability recognizes Virginia Beach as “Top 100 Best Places to live in the U.S.”
- Stacker announces Virginia Beach at #2 in “Best beach towns on the East Coast” and #10 in “100 best beach towns in the US”
- Season two, episode five of PBS's Virginia Found features Virginia Beach
CVB Sales Activity & News - The M&C Sales & Service team has been crazy busy on all fronts: After returning from Meeting Planners International’s World Education Congress, Dee Mittman had a site visit with the YMCA for a citywide 2024 opportunity. Amy Overstreet was in DC for a Virginia Destination Marketing Organization Event and also hosted the National Defense Industrial Association’s managers who are considering Virginia Beach for a citywide event in the fall of ‘24 and ‘25! Scott Warren is gearing up for a trip to Niagara Falls this week with the Military Reunion Network and Sally Noona hosted a site visit for Common Users Group coming to our city this fall! The Services team is working hard as well providing services to the many individual hotels as well as the Citywide event in town, assisting the sales team with future travel, sites and amenities for events up & coming.
Directly after graduations the VBCC hosted Warrior Expo East, 4000 active-duty military and first responders were welcomed to see what the cutting edge technology looks like in their respective fields. The facility also hosted the Access College Scholarship Luncheon as well as South University’s graduation and now moves on to supporting the Beach It! effort, the On Point National Dance Competition, and beginning the load in for Beyond Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience.
Virginia Beach will once again serve as a sports hub this week as we host an impressive lineup of six exciting events, attracting thousands of athletes from all over the United States. Kicking off the festivities: the 2023 Teammate National Championships Basketball tournament began earlier this week at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Teams from across the nation have converged on Virginia Beach to showcase their skills and battle it out on the court all weekend long for the coveted championship title. The excitement continued Thursday at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex at the 2023 Atlantic Coast Elite Showcase Softball showcase, where aspiring softball players had the opportunity to exhibit their talents in front of college recruiters and scouts. This event serves as a platform for young athletes to showcase their abilities and potentially secure scholarships or future opportunities in the sport. Today at the Virginia Beach Tennis Center, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Mixed 18 & Over Sectional League Championship begins. This event brings together tennis players from the Mid-Atlantic region to compete for top honors.
Field hockey enthusiasts will have their eyes glued to the 2023 National Club Field Hockey Championship over at the US Field Hockey Training Center. This premier event will witness the best club teams from across the country vying for supremacy. Spectators can anticipate fast-paced action, exceptional stick skills, and remarkable teamwork as these athletes showcase their prowess on the field and call Virginia Beach home for the next week.
Adding to this week’s excitement is the 2023 CWFL Virginia Beach Football Invitational, an event where women flag football teams from different regions will clash in a series of thrilling matches at the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex.
On the water, the 2023 Shoot the Pier Surfing Competition will showcase the skills of surfers as they ride the waves in a thrilling display of athleticism and agility. This event will captivate spectators with breathtaking maneuvers, impressive wave-riding techniques, and the sheer excitement of the sport.
BEACH IT! Festival Weekend - Beach IT! Music Festival is hitting our shores beginning this afternoon. Pending the weather, artists will hit the main stage starting at 2:15pm with the headliner of Miranda Lambert on Friday, Thomas Rhett on Saturday and Luke Bryan on Sunday! Also, the Next from Nashville stage, artists begin at 2:15pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visit https://beachitfestival.com/ for up-to-date information.
Access and Closures for BEACH IT! Festival Weekend - With the BEACH IT! Country Music Festival kicking off today (Friday, June 23), a reminder that areas from 5th Street south are limited or closed to the public.
The following areas are still closed through June 26:
- 2nd Street Connector
- Rudee Loop Parking Lot
- 4th Street Municipal Lot
- 3rd Street Gravel Lot
During the festival, June 23-25, 3rd Street south will be closed to the public to include vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Access south of 5th Street will be restricted to City-issued passes. Access to Rudee Loop will reopen after the festival. Pending any issues with loading out of equipment, all parking areas affected by the festival will be open by Friday, June 30.
Rideshare Service - The designated rideshare, taxi and general drop-off and pickup area will be located from 9th-12th streets on Atlantic Avenue. The location is walkable to the festival and Oceanfront and will allow for easier flow of traffic for drop-off and pick up.
Parking - City-owned parking garages, surface lots and metered spaces will be open during the festival weekend. The City will charge a daily flat rate of $20 at the garages and lots June 24-25. For more information on Resort Area parking, visit www.VBgov.com/parking.
To stay in the know about how to navigate this fun weekend at the Oceanfront, you can:
If you are looking for festival-specific updates like tickets, lineup information and more, visit the official Beach IT! website beachitfestival.com. Click here for the Traffic Advisory.
Celebrate Pride This Weekend in Virginia Beach - Hampton Roads Pride and the City of Virginia Beach invite you to the 3rd Annual Pride At The Beach Party on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at the 24th St. Park. Come out to celebrate with live music, entertainment and of course, the beach! Find out more information about this free public event here.
Beach Blanket Cinema Offers A Unique Night Under the Stars - Try something new - see a movie under the stars this season! Grab your favorite people, a few beach blankets and some treats and head to 29th St. each Thursday through August for family movie night. Free and open to the public, the shows start at 8:30 p.m. each week. Looking for more information? Click here
Town Center Music Entertainment Offers Variety of Genres- If music is what soothes your soul, you’ll want to check out the live music series in Town Center of Virginia Beach. The Fountain Plaza will come alive with performances from local artists and special guest acts. This concert series is free and open to the public. You can enjoy live music on the plaza from 5:30 – 8:30 pm Sunday – Thursday and 6:00 – 9:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The nightly entertainment is provided by the City of Virginia Beach for the enjoyment of our citizens and visitors. Please contact 757-333-0921 for more information about the entertainment schedule and/or updates on cancellations due to weather. These events are weather dependent. You may also click here for more information.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
To view the Resort area nightly entertainment schedule, click here. For Town Center events and activities, please click here.
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 Occupancy for the week of June 4 - 10 - According to Smith Travel Research, Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of June 4 – June 10 was down -3.3% year-over-year at 71.7% occupancy and -5.8% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was up 4.1% at $202.08 for the week but down -0.7% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 0.6% at $144.96 but down -6.5% for the running 28-day trend. In comparison to the month of June 2019, we have a decrease in occupancy of -12.56% but counter this with an increase in ADR and RevPAR of 17.16% and 2.8% respectively.
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