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February 2, 2024
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
We are excited to share that plans are underway for this year’s National Travel & Tourism Week Awards luncheon and celebration.
Save The Date
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Virginia Beach Convention Center
Doors open at 11 am
Nominations for the best of the best in the Virginia Beach hospitality industry are now open through Friday, March 1, 2024. Nominate a Hospitality Hero for an award in one or more of 14 award categories, including three new categories: Attractions, Arts & Culture and Green Stewardship. Nominating is easy: simply download the form here, open in Adobe, complete and submit! As part of the celebration a photo presentation of all nominees will be shown from large screens during the ceremony, so be sure to include a great picture of your nominee. No logos, please.
CVB Sales Activity and News: The CVB team supports the bureau’s strategic pillars of Engagement, Growth, Brand Development, Culture, and Accountability.
The 2024 Groundworks conference was a huge success. Special thanks to our Virginia Beach hospitality partners for all their hard work and for helping make this conference a memorable experience for the attendees. We’re excited to be moving toward our next citywide event in late March.
Check out the CVB’s latest social content series, Virginia Beach VIBE! Virginia Beach VIBE was produced as part of our ongoing content efforts to promote engagement via our social channels and highlight the extensive and unique experiences here in Virginia Beach. Make sure to like, subscribe, and follow the Visit Virginia Beach YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook page to stay up to date on all things Virginia Beach, including content, social videos, events, and more! Check out the Virginia Beach VIBE series here!
This weekend, Virginia Beach transforms into a dynamic sports and entertainment hub with five diverse events across three venues. The excitement kicks off with the 2024 Virginia Beach Classic Gymnastics event at Ocean Lakes High School, where 600 athletes are expected to display their agility and skill. Meanwhile, the Virginia Beach Sports Center will be a flurry of activity starting with the 2024 East Coast Invitational, a track & field meet expecting 1,500 athletes on the track side. Simultaneously the court side of the Sports Center will host a unique and engaging activity, the 2024 Brick by Brick LEGO Shipbuilding event by the Navy League of the United States Hampton Roads. This event is set to attract over 4,000 LEGO enthusiasts, offering a creative twist to the weekend's activities. The Richard Drake Invitational track meet, hosted by Virginia Wesleyan University, will conclude the events at the Sports Center on Sunday. Additionally, the Virginia Beach Oceanfront will see the return of the exhilarating Polar Plunge 8k and 1 Mile Dash Splash, supporting Special Olympics Virginia with more than 1,000 participants expected. Each of these events not only showcases the diverse range of activities Virginia Beach offers but also highlights our city’s commitment to supporting athletics, creativity, and community causes.
February is Black History Month - Virginia Beach Cultural Affairs and the Virginia African American Cultural Center (VAACC) invite you to stay connected to the community and celebrate Black History Month together. For a list of VAACC events and happenings, click here.
Capital Region USA (CRUSA) Offering Webinar - Learn more about the power of international visitation to the Capital Region (Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia) this coming Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 10 - 11 am. “CRUSA 101” will provide an overview of CRUSA's efforts to sell the region overseas and highlight opportunities for travel suppliers to sell their product to buyers and travelers. Register here to hear from industry experts ALON Tourism Solutions who will guide participants through the buying process and offer actionable takeaways to start engaging with this key travel market.
Love Bites at The Virginia Aquarium - With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is excited to announce its anti-Valentine’s Ex-perience and FUNdraiser, Love Bites, now through Feb. 14. Some celebrate with roses, candy, and expensive dinners, but the Virginia Aquarium’s fundraiser offers something different this Valentine’s Day. Participants can choose from a menu of feeder animals including a dead rat or fish, creepy crawly cockroach, a slimy worm, or dull vegetable and name it after their ex, rival or friend. These symbolically named feeders will be offered to the jaws of one of the Aquarium’s animal residents—the Komodo dragons, sharks, otters, a toad, and more. This fundraiser will also include some extra items to bid on including artwork painted by one of our harbor seals, the naming rights to our newest animal ambassador, and a personalized Komodo dragon behind-the-scenes tour. Feeder items and bids can be made on Bidpal. Find more information in the Aquarium’s press release.
Love Is In The Air at Virginia Beach Town Center -. Celebrate love in the “Cœur Balançoire” and “lock in your love” now through Feb. 25 at the Town Center of Virginia Beach. Follow the hearts and capture the moment with a selfie with your loved one at the beautiful “Cœur Balançoire,” a 12-foot life-sized heart to embrace you and your special someone during the season of love. The Town Center Love Lock Heart is new this year, designed and crafted specially for Town Center. Bring your personalized lock and attach it to the Love Lock Heart. It will return every year! Click here for more information.
Got She-Crab? - It’s time to buy your tickets and get your taste buds ready for the 2024 East Coast She-crab Soup Classic. Set at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Saturday, April 20, this unique festival offers some of the region’s best restaurants who will compete for the coveted title of Best She-Crab Soup. Attendees can sample and cast their votes for the People’s Choice Awards, while culinary experts specializing in regional cuisine will be dishing out the Critics’ Choice Awards. Don’t let this chance slip by to savor some of the finest She-Crab Soup on the East Coast! For tickets and more information, click here.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
To view the 2024 CVB Events Calendar, click here. To view the Resort area entertainment schedule, click here. For easy access to all of Town Center’s 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
Hotel Occupancy Data for the Week of January 14 - 20: Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the week of January 14 - January 20 was up 2.9% at 41.9% occupancy and up 0.6% for the running 28-day trend. ADR was down -1.6% at $100.84 and remained the same year over year at 0% for the running 28-day trend. RevPAR was up 1.3% at $42.21 and up 0.6% for the running 28-day trend.
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