 |
|
|
Trends & Statistics |
|
|
Hotel occupancy down 5.3% in December |
|
|
Hotel revenue per room up 3% in December |
|
|
Website visitors up 6% YTD |
|
|
Visitors Center traffic down 83% YTD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PRINTING TIP: |
|
To print the Compass, set your page margins to .25 inches. |
|
|
|
February 2007 |
|
|
Cold weather may have finally hit, but everyone is definitely gearing up for spring! The LCVA is entering the input from our industry partners into the new LCVA Strategic Plan and the Tourism Destination Strategy. Your input is always welcome. The LCVA Board of Directors will begin their discussion about the LCVA's 5 Year Plan in April and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will receive the recommendations for the FY 08 Tourism Destination Strategy Growth Initiatives this spring.
Thank you to everyone who nominated individuals and organizations for the 2006 Tourism Awards. There are several wonderful stories told during the LCVA Tourism Awards and Annual Meeting on March 30th. Help us celebrate tourism, honor shining stars, and welcome new board members.
|
|
|
|
- The LCVA 11th Annual Meeting and 2006 Tourism Awards will take place at the Clubhouse at Lansdowne Resort on Friday, March 30, 2007 from 11:30 am - 2:00 pm. Elections for the LCVA Board of Directors will also take place during the event. Invitations have been mailed out and the deadline to RSVP is March 20, 2007. Tickets are $ 35.00 per person and can be purchased online by clicking here. For more information, contact Greg Harp at 703 771 2170 ext. 14 or Harp@VisitLoudoun.org.
Table sponsorships are still available. Please note that we cannot guarantee that groups will be able to sit together unless they purchase a table. For further information, please contact Grafton deButts at 703 771 2170 ext. 12 or deButts@VisitLoudoun.org. We would like to thank the following organizations for their sponsorship of the event: Platinum Sponsor: Lansdowne Resort; Patron Sponsors: Dulles Hotel Connection,The National Conference Center at Lansdowne, Salamander Hospitality and Marriott Washington Dulles Airport, Table Sponsors: Reston Limousine, Town of Leesburg, Loudoun County Economic Development, Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club, Tarara Winery, Dodona Manor, Washington Airports Task Force.
- As mentioned in the last Compass, the LCVA is serving as the community liaison for the America's Cup of Polo on May 12, 2007. There are three options for local Loudoun wineries to participate and have their wine poured at the event. Wineries interested in receiving more information are invited to contact Chris Geno at 703 771 2170 ext. 17 or Geno@VisitLoudoun.org to learn more about how local wines will be featured during the event. Chris is also serving as the local media contact.
Tickets to the event are being sold through the LCVA and also via America's Cup of Polo website. For more information about the event, visit the event organizers' website, AmericasCupofPolo.com, or contact Chris Geno 703 771 2170 ext. 17 or Geno@VisitLoudoun.org or Cheryl Kilday at 703 771 2170 ext. 15 or Kilday@VisitLoudoun.org at the LCVA.
- Registration is currently underway for the Virginia Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus's Tourism Summit & Annual Meeting. The VACVB Tourism Summit and Annual Meeting, the association's event of the year, will take place from April 23 - 25, 2007 at Mariners Landing, Smith Mountain Lake, VA. Over two days, the membership comes together for networking, information, education and celebration. The Tourism Summit & Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for DMO representatives and local tourism professionals to learn what products and services are available from the Allied members, not to mention the invaluable exchange of ideas and thoughts among other bureaus and organizations across the Commonwealth. This year's program has been developed by the LCVA's President and CEO, Cheryl Kilday, who is also the Vice President of Development for VACVB. For Tourism Summit Information & Registration Click Here.
- Cheryl Kilday was a guest on Comcast Channel 3's Loudoun Magazine which will be airing at various times during March. To receive a copy of the programming schedule, please contact Chris Geno at 703 771 2170 ext. 17.
- The LCVA has Visitors Center Host positions available. Click here for more details and a job description.
- The winner of the first LCVA Photo Contest has been selected. The winner will receive a weekend stay at the new SpringHill Suites by Marriott Dulles. Thank you to the SpringHill Suites for the donation! The winning photo is on the homepage of VisitLoudoun.org.
|
|
|
Industry News |
- Warren Breaux has been hired by Lansdowne Resort as the new Director of Sales & Marketing.
- Dorri Morin with Loudoun County Economic Development Department has been promoted to a senior management position as Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Communications. Warren Howell has been promoted to the new senior management position of manager of innovative economic development.
- Jackie Gosses has been promoted to General Manager at the Hampton Inn & Suites Leesburg after the departure of Alex Mai to the Hilton Corporate Offices in Memphis. Jeffrey Crane has been promoted to Director of Sales at the hotel.
- At the Hampton Inn & Suites Leesburg's "Employee of the Quarter" luncheon in February, Roy Trivett was presented the award for the Employee of the 4th Quarter 2006.
- Kristina Bouweiri, President and CEO of Reston Limousine has been named a winner of the prestigious 2007 Enterprising Women of the Year Award in the category of a business with more than $ 10 million and up to $ 25 million in annual sales revenue. The award ceremony took place in Orlando on February 23, 2007.
- Serene Acres in Bluemont, has recently renovated an 18th century farm cottage on the property, which is antique furnished and provides accommodation for 2 people. Trail rides are offered to all cottage guests and the general public, and are available on Mon-Fri from $45 per rider. All rides are accompanied and offer a wonderful way to view the majestic Bluemont countryside. Bookings are also currently being taken for Serene Acres Summer Riding Camps for any visiting family members to Loudoun from June to August. For details on all of the above, contact Pamela Smith at 571 233 0162 or visit www.sereneacres.com.
- The new SpringHill Suites Hotel Dulles Airport held its Grand Opening and ribbon-cutting event on February 22, 2007.
- Books & Crannies in Middleburg will host a book signing with award-winning photographer, Phil Borges and his new book "Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World", on Saturday, March 10, 2007 from 1 - 4 p.m. The photos from the book are currently on exhibit in the lobby of the United Nations Building in New York. For more information on this and other events, go to www.booksandcrannies.com.
- Morven Park, a sponsor of the Virginia Association of Museums "Rediscovering Virginia" program in the UK, which has invited a group of ten colleagues from the UK to take part in VAM's Annual Conference in Williamsburg on March 10 - 13, will host one member of the group from March 13 - 16 at Morven Park. Objectives of the visit are to "shadow" their counterparts on the job, see the sites and discuss comparisons between museums and historic sites in the UK and the US. Visits to the Mosby Heritage Area, the Loudoun Museum, and the Heritage Farm Museum are planned. For more information, please contact Tracy Gillespie at Morven Park: tgillespie@morvenpark.org.
- Starting March 10, 2007 Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets will be a designated pick-up point for Reston Limousine's wine tours to Loudoun County which run every two weeks. For more information, schedules and pricing, please contact Reston Limousine at www.restonlimo.com or 703 478 0500.
- The U.S. Department of Commerce announced in February that International visitors to the United States spent more in 2006 than ever before ($ 85.8 billion, an increase of 5% over 2005).
- The Virginia Regional Transportation Association shuttle bus service connecting The Dulles Town Center and intermediate stops with Dulles Airport and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums Steven D. Udvar-Hazy Center continues to service the community. During January more than 2150 riders used the service to visit the Udvar-Hazy Center's many aircraft and space craft. Buses run every 45 minutes from Dulles to the center and the cost is .50 each way.
If you have any news about your organization you would like to share with the tourism industry in Loudoun County, please contact Chris Geno, Geno@VisitLoudoun.org. |
|
|
Program Updates |
- The LCVA Sales and Marketing Advisory Committee hosted a meeting to gather industry input on the Tourism Destination Strategy and strategic growth initiatives for FY 08. The LVCA will continue to gather input through your calls and emails so if you missed the meeting or the brown bag idea luncheons don't hesitate to contact Jeremy Harvey at Harvey@VisitLoudoun.org with your comments.
- The LCVA is producing a new, expanded Loudoun Shopping & Dining Guide. Visitors use this publication as their one-stop source for finding shopping and dining options during their stay. It is distributed at the Loudoun County Visitors Center, in Loudoun hotels, and at other distribution points around the county. Retail shops that visitors would likely patron and dining establishments (excluding fast food restaurants) within Loudoun County are eligible to be included in the guide. For a complete list of eligible categories and inclusion criteria for your business click onto VisitLoudoun.org/shopdine and complete the form. The deadline to submit your business for your free listing is Friday, March 16, 2007. For paid advertising opportunities (ranging from $ 100 - $ 200) please contact Grafton deButts at 703 771 2170 ext. 12 or deButts@VisitLoudoun.org.
- The LCVA is currently producing a new Fairs & Festivals Guide to Loudoun County, Virginia. The new piece, which lists fairs and festivals throughout the year, is the second edition after last year's popular debut. This year's piece will include many new festivals that visitors will just love such as Great Country Farms' Easter Egg Hunt & Marshmallow Harvest, Chrysalis Vineyards' Hottest Smooth Jazz Festival, Purcellville's Summer Thunder Cruise-In and Leesburg's Court and Market Days as well as popular long-standing events such as the Lucketts Fair and Waterford Fair. The brochure will be available in late March.
- A new "destination" piece on Loudoun County was developed and has been inserted into the press kits being sent out by the national PR company for the America's Cup Event.
- If you have already seen the new Visit Loudoun: The Official Guide to Loudoun County, VA and would like to receive more copies of this comprehensive new guide or other LCVA brochures to distribute at your business or hotel, please contact Grafton deButts to arrange a pickup at 703 771 2170 ext. 12 or deButts@VisitLoudoun.org.
|
|
|
Sales Activity Report |
- The LCVA exhibited at the New York Times Travel Show and attracted sincere interest from the attendees who stopped at our booth.
- The LCVA exhibited at the New York Society of Association Executives tradeshow.
The LCVA exhibited at the Destination Showcase tradeshow in Washington DC. |
|
