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March 7, 2025
Dear Valued Tourism Partners,
Congratulations to the Virginia Beach Hotel Association (VBHA) on an outstanding job with the 2025 Coastal Virginia Hospitality Expo this past Wednesday afternoon at the Wyndham Hotel. It was even more fun than last year’s phenomenal show, which was a total blast with a throwback to the 1980’s era theme.
From my experience attending this event for many years, I think this year was one of the best ever and the theme, Celebrating Your Favorite TV Sitcom /TV Show, was a grand slam!
The CVB was proud to sponsor “The Classics” room with our version of the hit 1950’s-based series, Happy Days.
A huge shout out to Teri Wiley, her team and the VBHA board for their tremendous effort with this event every year. Thanks to all the vendors, sponsors and everyone who took part in this awesome opportunity to network and see the latest and greatest in products and services.
Here’s a peek at some of the Expo fun!
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, now is the time to block your calendar to take part in our annual “Cheer In” on Friday, March 14 at 10:45 a.m. for the opening of the Expo for the 53rd annual Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend. As in past years, we will gather in the pre-function area inside the Convention Center near the Exhibit Halls to welcome those participants coming to the Center on Friday for packet pickup. We’ll have tons of celebration beads to give away to the excited crowds. I look forward to seeing you there! Read more race news later in this newsletter.
We’re fast approaching the time of year set aside to honor those in the travel and tourism industry who consistently bring their “A” game to the table. This year, U.S. Travel has designated May 4 – 10 as National Travel and Tourism Week 2025. This weeklong celebration was designed to highlight those in our industry who shine the brightest and bring their best to our industry, keeping the tourism wheels turning all day, every day! Locally, my team and I are thrilled to be planning our annual celebration and invite you to save the date and nominate your top tier talent today! Visit our website here to find our NTTW site, including a downloadable Adobe form for nominations.
Help spread the word and let’s get ALL deserving members of our workforce to the table this year - I look forward to seeing the nominations start rolling in!
There’s a full array of fun to be had in Virginia Beach this month. Read about just some of your options in our Things to Do in Virginia Beach in March article found here.
Last weekend the Convention Center was home to the annual meeting of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) where more than 5,000 high school students from across the state came to compete and showcase skills they have been working on all year. On Sunday, March 2nd, the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad held their annual Oyster Fest. One of the major fundraisers for the organization each year, it was well attended, and fun was had by all. This evening at 5:30 p.m., the Virginia Beach Fire Department will hold graduation ceremonies for its latest class of recruits. Congratulations to all the graduates and thank you in advance for your service! This weekend the facility welcomes Cheer & Dance Extreme’s Cheer for Charity Grand National Championships on Saturday & Sunday. An estimated 4,700 athletes will compete and raise money for the Casey Cares Foundation which supports children fighting life threatening illnesses and their families. We are also looking forward to Virginia Beach’s State of the City Luncheon taking place next Wednesday, March 12th. Produced by the Hampton Roads Chamber, this annual event brings together business, community, and city leaders and provides a recap of successes and updates as well as a look at the agenda for the year to come.
In CVB sales news, another busy two weeks are down in the history books for the M&C Sales & Services Team. As previously mentioned, last week DECA held their statewide competition with a record breaking number of 5,200 attendees! Way to go VA DECA & TEAM VA BEACH - the Convention Center and the Sports Center were filled to capacity! Meanwhile, the Sales Team is actively engaging and making great strides in their respective markets. Jamie Rawls attended the Virginia Society of Association Executives' Meeting Planner Summit in Danville, VA and served on a panel as an industry expert on the benefits of using CVBs and DMOs. Amy Overstreet is attending the Old Dominion Conference for the Society of Government Meeting Planners in Lynchburg, VA and Sally Noona conducted a site visit for a national account this week which could put a fall 2028 annual meeting on our books. Scott Warren and Eric Logan are meeting with representatives from the Mid-Atlantic Shrine Association this week to fine tune this year’s event. Dee Mittman is busily meeting with partners and local clientele while also preparing for out of town travels in mid-March.
Jim Coggin recently attended the Heritage Peer Group Conference in Sioux City, Iowa. Heritage Clubs International is the leading bank travel club organization in North America. Conference activities included 25 desk-side appointments with bank travel club directors, and a dinner hosted by the Virginia Beach CVB. We are very excited that Virginia Beach has been selected as the host city for this enthusiastic group from February 23 through 27, 2026.
In Sports news this weekend, Virginia Beach will host six exciting sports events across the city, drawing thousands of athletes and visitors.
At the Virginia Beach Sports Center, we welcome the highly anticipated return of the AAU Indoor National Championship, where over 3,000 athletes from across the country will compete for top honors. This event continues to grow each year, solidifying its reputation as a premier showcase for the next generation of elite youth athletes. Also taking place at the Sports Center is the AAU Virginia Beach Grand Prix volleyball tournament, which will bring 1,440 talented volleyball players from around the nation, adding to the high-energy atmosphere. Across campus at the Convention Center, the Cheer for Charity Grand National Championship returns, one of the East Coast’s most renowned cheer and dance competitions. With approximately 5,000 athletes expected to participate throughout the weekend.
The action doesn’t stop there! Several more events will be happening across the city.
- The East Coast Spring Shootout soccer tournament will bring 1,500 athletes to the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex.
- At the U.S. Field Hockey Training Center, the Adult Regional Club Championships will welcome 150 top-level field hockey athletes.
- At the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, Division 3 College Lacrosse Play Days – Session 2 will host 200 collegiate athletes in competitive play.
In total, more than 11,000 athletes along with their families and supporters will be in Virginia Beach this weekend, contributing to the city’s vibrant sports tourism scene.
Looking ahead, this weekend sets the stage for an even bigger week as we gear up to host the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championship, the Shamrock Marathon, and the Virginia Beach Spring Classic Soccer Tournament all in the same week.
Sports continue to shine a spotlight on our city, attracting visitors from across the country. We extend our gratitude to everyone who plays a role in making these events a success and showcasing Virginia Beach as a premier destination for sports.
Please find the road closure notices for the 2025 Shamrock Marathon Weekend for Saturday, March 15) here and Sunday, March 16 here . These road closures will impact Oceanfront and Resort Area roads, as well as portions of Shore Drive, General Booth Blvd., and Birdneck Rd. Visitors, businesses, and residents will be temporarily affected by these road closures. Please take a moment to review the notices and contact Kate Miller of the Resort Management Office at either 757-385-6640 or 757-987-1278 for further information.
To stay updated on the progress of the 2025 Army Corps of Engineers dredging project at the Oceanfront, click the link to the project tracker found here.
Partner Professional Development Opportunities - To support our strategic pillar of accountability to the industry, we are pleased to share information about upcoming opportunities for professional development:
Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association Hospitality Training Offerings - The Virginia Restaurant, Lodging, and Travel Association (VRLTA) offers a variety of training and certification opportunities in the hospitality industry. These include online courses, career and technical education programs, and certification programs. Visit https://www.vrlta.org/hospitality-training/ for more information.
2025 Miles Partnership Professional Development Dates - For more information about the following opportunities and/or to register, visit https://www.milespartnership.com/how-we-think:
- March 18 – Destination Decisions, Powered by the State of the American Traveler
- May 15 – Harnessing the Power of AI
- June 24 – Technology Trends, Powered by the American Traveler
- September 16 – Traveler Segments, Powered by the State of the American Traveler
- November 18 – Stewardship & Sustainability Insights, Powered by the State of the American Traveler
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
Find the 2025 CVB Event Calendar here, the Virginia Beach Events entertainment schedule here, and a link to the events at Town Center of Virginia Beach here.
My team and I are committed to you and our industry and are here to help in any way we can.
Sincerely,
Nancy Helman
CVB Director
nhelman@visitvirginiabeach.com
CVB Strategic Pillars:
Engagement|Growth|Brand Development|Culture|Accountability
Hotel Occupancy for January 2025 - Virginia Beach’s hotel occupancy rate for the month of January was down -1.4% from Jan. 2024, at 39.1% occupancy, and down -1.4% year to date. ADR was up 4.1% from Jan. 2024, at $103.56, and up 4.1% year to date. RevPAR was up 2.7% from Jan. 2024, at $40.49, and up 2.7% year to date.
Source: STR, LLC. Republication or other reuse of this data without the express written permission of STR, LLC is strictly prohibited.
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