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September 8, 2023
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
It is always a pleasure to welcome new visitors to our destination and create new memories with those returning. This week has been like a big family reunion as our dearest friends, the Mid-Atlantic Shrine Association (MASA), are arriving to conduct their annual business meetings while spreading goodwill, reuniting, and providing Virginia Beach some good family fun. Don’t miss their annual Parade which kicks off tomorrow morning on 17th Street and Atlantic at 9:30 a.m. Please see the Road Closure Notification here .When you see our Shrine friends around the City, please thank them for all they do for the children.
It was great to see Mayor Dyer at the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier yesterday to meet, greet and offer well wishes to another set of visitors, the participants and team of the 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball Run. The Motorcycle Cannonball Run is a cross–country challenge for riders with motorcycles manufactured in 1933 or earlier and is the most difficult antique endurance race in the world. Mayor Dyer wished the group a safe journey as they head toward their end destination of Oceanside, California. Earlier in their visit, the Motorcycle Cannonball Run group gave back to the Virginia Beach community by donating 24 balance bicycles to a local elementary school. Click here to see a short clip of the news coverage. Thank you to all involved and best of luck as you cross our beautiful country. Read more about this amazing race later in the newsletter.
Convention & Visitors Bureau To Host Open House - Please stop by our new main offices at 600 22nd Street, Second Floor, on Monday, September 18, 2023, between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. We’d love to see you, so please RSVP here and let us know you’ll be able to stop in!
CVB Sales Activity and News: This coming weekend, Virginia Beach is set to become a hotspot for kickball enthusiasts as the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex hosts the 2023 WAKAPalooza Kickball Tournament. The event is uniquely designed to offer two separate tournaments catering to players of all skill levels. The FC Regional Kickball Tournament, also known as the Founders Cup, is targeted at elite players seeking high-stakes competition with cash prizes for the top teams. On the other side, the Kickball Open Charity Tournament serves as a platform for intermediate-level players to not only showcase their skills but also contribute to a greater cause - the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Whether you're in it for the intense competition or the charitable contribution, this weekend promises a unique blend of sporting excitement and social impact. We’re excited to share that it is open gym time at the Virginia Beach Sports Center on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. for basketball or volleyball for $5. No registration required!
Scott Warren has two groups in town this week that are making the news. First the Motorcycle Cannonball Run group arrived with a donation of 24 balance bikes for College Park Elementary, a much needed addition to their PE department equipment. This year’s Run will see close to 100 riders traversing the back roads of the United States for a 17-day endurance run covering 3,800 miles from Virginia Beach, VA to Oceanside. CA. This endeavor is extremely challenging, as riders and machines could endure fatigue, mental exhaustion, cold, heat, elevations, and all the ferocious elements of Mother Nature, not to mention the demands of keeping their vintage machines in running order. Riders will navigate the course with the assistance of paper maps, no GPS routing is allowed. Following the Cannonball Run, it’s time to continue to welcome our Mid-Atlantic Shriners Association as they arrive in Virginia Beach to celebrate their legacy of giving back to children in burn units across the country. Don’t miss their parade along Atlantic Ave tomorrow morning - it's a hometown favorite!
The marketing team has been busy this summer, onboarding our new agency partner, Miles Partnership, and building out our marketing infrastructure to set our department up for success now and moving forward. From hosting production teams in town every few weeks to capturing assets of our destination and events, to planning out content and social calendars, and building out future brand and seasonal campaigns, they've had their hands full. This week, they are putting the finishing touches on their new seasonal campaign, "Happiness is a Real Place" (to support our brand development). This campaign, set to launch in October, will be presented in its final form to stakeholders this month, along with plans for future content and social media efforts.
The VBCC team welcomed the Shriners back to Virginia Beach and hosted Neptune’s Seniors' Gala and a Military Recognition Reception for the Hampton Roads Chamber. Tomorrow is India Fest from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and brings delicious food, music, dancing, yoga demonstrations, henna artists, fashion shows, and fun for the whole family. Next week the facility will be filled with an estimated 2,000+ people expected to attend the Water Jam Conference.
Virginia Beach City Council Seeks Resident Feedback on Two-Year Focused Action Plan - Following the Virginia Beach City Council retreat in August, council members are asking residents to weigh in with what they believe City Council’s focus should be when it comes to policy development and decision making. During the retreat, council members were invited to identify and share up to seven priorities, which were then consolidated into individual themes. These themes and priorities will shape the focused action plan, which will outline where the city manager and staff will focus their efforts. Before the plan is finalized, City Council has requested resident input. A brief survey is available on SpeakUpVB.com where residents are encouraged and invited to share their input on how much focus each theme should receive. In addition, residents can share what success looks like for the areas they marked as a high priority. The resident rankings and comments gathered through the survey will be provided to City Council prior to finalizing the FY24-26 focused area plan. The survey will be available until Monday, September 18.
The 2023 NAS Oceana Air Show Is Coming Soon! Featuring the Navy’s premiere flight demonstration team, The Blue Angels, who will perform during the show September 16 & 17th. Click here for more information.
Virginia Aquarium E-cycling Event Set for September 23 - The Virginia Aquarium will be hosting an E-Cycling event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 23. The event is presented by PRA Group and will give participants the opportunity to responsibly recycle old electronics, prescription medicine, and used/broken child car seats. Recycling events like this one provide a sustainable way to dispose of items that would otherwise pose an environmental or health risk if sent to the landfill. Read more about the Aquarium here. For a full list of accepted items or if you would like to volunteer, visit VirginiaAquarium.com.
September & October Brings Movie Nights to Virginia Beach Town Center - Town Center is pleased to offer “MOVIES IN THE PLAZA,” a series of free outdoor movie screenings each Saturday night at sunset, through the end of October. The films will be presented on a large outdoor screen in the recessed area of the Town Center Fountain Plaza. Limited seating available and on a first come basis. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets and prepare for an evening of family friendly fun. And remember, there is always free parking at Town Center. On movie night, the popcorn is FREE while it lasts! For more information and a list of the scheduled movies, click here. For more information about how you can explore all Town Center has to offer, click here.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
The CVB Events Calendar for July 1 - December 31, 2023 may be found here. To view the Resort area entertainment schedule, click here. For Town Center events and activities, click here.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry and are here to help any way that we can. Please let me know how we can assist you.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
CVB Strategic Pillars:
Engagement|Growth|Brand Development|Culture|Accountability
Note: Hotel occupancy data was not available at publishing; we will resume publishing when the data is available to us.
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