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Home My WebLink About021908 ABA Wrap UpAmerican Bus Association 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace February 19, 2008 City Council Presentation 1 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace ABA’s over 1,000 motorcoach and tour company members own and control destination decisions for more than 25,000 motorcoaches in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, magazine reaches 2,000 Destinations . operators who control another 10,000 motorcoaches 2 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Planning for ABA 3 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Advisory Committees Over 125 hospitality and tourism employees from across the region and the Commonwealth served on 11 advisory committees! 4 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace 2008 ABA Committees Hospitality Education • Welcome • Publicity/Marketing • Evening Events • Host City Booth • Sightseeing Tours • Sponsorship • Volunteer • Pre-Familiarization • Transportation • Tours Dine Around • 5 Virginia Beach rolled out the red carpet! 6 7 8 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Airport Welcome Norfolk International Airport greeted 978 ABA passengers in just 2 days, And said farewell and expressed thanks to over 1,200 passengers on departure day! 9 10 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace By the Numbers Over 700 Motorcoach and Tour Operators • Over 3,300 Travel Industry Professionals • Registered Total Attendance -3,500 • Approximately 12,000 Total Hotel Room Nights • (8,000 Originally Anticipated) 12 Host Hotels • 12 Other Volunteer Hotels • 1,300 Regional Sightseeing Tour Reservations • 11 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Transportation Virginia Beach CVB staff moved over • 3,200 delegates daily from 12 host hotels to the Convention Center. Over 50 motorcoaches were running at • any given time to transport ABA delegates. 12 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Sponsors I FEBRUARY 2-7, 2008 14 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Major Sponsors AII-In-One Tours America's Premier Shopping Places Atlantic Sands Oceanfront Hotel BCF - Boom Your Brand Bedford Tourism Best Western Oceanfront Blue Ridge Parkway Association, Inc. Bryant & Stratton College Budweiser - Hoffman Beverage Co. Catch-A-Wave Partners Cavalier Hotel Charlottesville Albemarle CVB Chesapeake Conventions & Tourism Colonial Connections Courtyard by Marriott Oceanfront North Courtyard by Marriott Winchester Crowne Plaza Williamsburg Days Inn Oceanfront Distinctive Gourmet DoubleTree Hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites Fredericksburg Area Tourism Fun Tours Great Wolf Lodge Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance Hampton Convention & Visitors Bureau HCD Advertising c/o L TO Management Hilton Garden Inn Town Center Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront HMS Host Holiday Inn Sunspree Hopewell Office of Tourism Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Landmark Hotel Group 15 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Major Sponsors Lynchburg Regional CVB Lynnhaven Mall Mid Atlantic Receptive Services Museum of the Confederacy Newport News Tourism Development Office Norfolk Airport Authority Norfolk Convention & Visitors Bureau Ocean Breeze Water Park Oceanfront Inn Phillips Seafood Portsmouth Convention & Visitors Bureau Professional Hospitality Resources Richmond Metropolitan CVB Sand bridge Realty Sandcastle Resort Hotel Sheraton Oceanfront SpringHill Suites The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation The Mariners' Museum Town Center of Virginia Beach Towne Bank Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Virginia Arts Festival Virginia Motorcoach Association Virginia Tourism Corporation Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront 16 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Over 400 volunteers covered nearly 1,700 shifts! (6,800 volunteer hours) 17 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace “Your staff, volunteers, venues, etc. were outstanding! Words cannot express how impressed my staff and I were with everything!I can’t wait to visit again!” Susan K Harris Marketing Director Island Resort & Casino Harris, MI 18 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Providing Stellar Customer Service Bryant & Stratton College’s Virginia Beach Hospitality Academy trained 143 Virginia Beach CVB staff and 180 individuals from the hospitality industry directly involved with ABA. In addition, 400 ABA volunteers and CVB staff attended Virginia Beach ABA volunteer training which included a customer service element. 19 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace “Speaking from experience I know you had a tremendous amount of work and volunteers behind this and it certainly paid off!... It was obvious to me that you educated your hotels very well on who we were and what it might take to get some business out of the buyers.” Joe Donnelly, CDME Director of National Sales, Travel Industry, Transient, Leisure Gaylord Hotels 20 21 22 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace ABA Host Hotels · The Cavalier Hotel · Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront · DoubleTree Hotel Virginia Beach · Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort · Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel · Courtyard by Marriott North · Courtyard by Marriott South · Days Inn Oceanfront · SpringHill Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront · Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront · Fairfield Inn & Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront · Ocean Beach Club 23 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Volunteer Host Hotels · Best Western Oceanfront Virginia Beach · Clarion Beach Quarters · Sandcastle Oceanfront Resort Hotel · Dolphin Inn · Founders Inn and Spa · Ramada on the Beach · Holiday Inn Executive Center · Crowne Plaza Virginia Beach · Oceanfront Inn · Virginia Beach Resort & Conference Center · Atlantic Sands Hotel 24 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Sightseeing tours were sold out! Over 1,300 delegates signed up. 25 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace 15 Different Siqhtseeinq Tours Shopping Tour: Sunday & Wednesday Whale Watching: Sunday & Wednesday Kayaking and Biking: Sunday & Wednesday Edgar Cayce's A.R.E: Sunday & Wednesday Founders Inn Tour: Sunday & Wednesday Fishing Tour: Sunday Hampton Tour: Earth, Moon, Mars & Beyond: Sunday Portsmouth Historic Seaport Tour: Sunday Ghost Tours: Sunday Norfolk's Culture, Wine & Dine: Sunday Spirit of Norfolk & Norfolk Botanical Garden: Sunday Settlers From Land to Sea Tour: Wednesday Hampton Haunts, History & Treasures: Wednesday Portsmouth's Steeples, History & More: Wednesday Military Tour (Norfolk & Virginia Beach): Wednesday 26 Whale Watching –Virginia Beach Historic Seaport -Portsmouth 27 Bob Heinzen of Treasure Valley Tours in Meridian, ID caught a Virginia State Citation 40 lb 3 oz Striper on a chartered fishing trip while here for ABA. Croc’s 19th Street Bistro cooked the fish for 11 of his friends. 28 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Cavalier Beach Club Beach Party Saturday, February 2 · Beach party with two bands - Butter and The Rhondels · Sandcastles sponsored by Virginia Motorcoach Association promoting ABA's Top 100 Events · Seafood, King Neptune & Lifeguards · Fireworks · 1,300 delegates transported by motorcoach "Is there any doubt that Virginia Beach knows how to throw a party?" - Peter Pantuso, President & CEO, ABA 29 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace All-Delegate Breakfast & Opening Ceremony Honoring the Military -Sunday, February 3 Virginia Beach Convention Center U.S. Army Training and Doctrine • Command (TRADOC) Band from Fort Monroe Presentation of the colors by the • U.S. Color Guard Speakers from the U.S. Defense Department’s • “Why We Serve”Program awed the crowd with stories of their military experience. Captain Mark Hunter, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Oceana, was the MC. 30 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace "Freezin' For A Reason" Sunday, February 3 70 plungers braved the 43 degree Atlantic Ocean to help raise $25,000 for the American Cancer Society in memory of Daisy Cohan, a Virginia Beach CVB staff member. 31 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Dine Around Nights Sunday, February 3 & Tuesday, February 5 • 27 Virginia Beach restaurants participated 600 delegates were transported via • motorcoach Six restaurants offered • demonstrations and samples of their signature items at the ABA Marketplace Dine-Around Booth 32 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Broadway Matinee Monday, February 4 Virginia Beach Convention Center Ballroom 33 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Town Center “Edge of Chic” Monday, February 4 Participating restaurants: Guadalajara, McCormick & • Schmick’s, Keagan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant and Gordon Biersch Red carpet to and from each venue • Two AEROS shows at 7:45 pm & 9 pm at the • Sandler Center for the Performing Arts Entertainment, food and drinks at Sandler Center • Westin Hotel ballroom with food, drinks and live band • with dancing 1,500 delegates transported by motorcoach • 34 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Branson Matinee Tuesday, February 5 Virginia Beach Convention Center Ballroom 35 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Norfolk Evening Event Wednesday, February 6 15 different restaurants offered a • “Taste of Norfolk” Food and drinks in Nauticus and the • Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center Jazz Lounge • Dueling pianos • Tattoo Performances • Live Mermaids and Temporary Tattoos • DJ dancing, drinks & desserts dockside • on the Spirit of Norfolk Victory Rover offered two naval base • tours Sponsored by the Norfolk CVB 36 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Closing Event Disco Inferno Thursday, February 7 Sponsored by the Charlotte CVB 2008 Marketplace Chairman John Meier presented Jennifer Lynch, Tourism Sales Manager at the Virginia Beach CVB with a check for $25,000 for the American Cancer Society in memory of CVB employee Daisy Cohan. 37 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Educational Outreach Day 66 students from Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Virginia State University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore participated in the ABA Diversity Committee's Educational Outreach Day. 38 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace ABA Give Back Program Four motorcoach operators attending ABA donated their time and buses to transport underserved students from Portsmouth and Newport News to The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and the Aquarium's Bay Lab. 39 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Virginia Beach Convention Center Set-up The entire convention center staff pitched in to flip the ballroom from one major set-up to another throughout the week. Even adding a third (overnight) shift to accommodate. 40 41 42 43 44 Pre-function area was set for 2,200 for lunch on Monday and Tuesday. 45 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace "You have a beautiful facility and some extremely dedicated staff, it really shows! You did a great job at the Center and the whole city did an incredible job of making it 'all about ABA'... We definitely have a hard act follow!" Elizabeth Wehrheim Catering Manager Visit Charlotte (CVB) 47 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace The Impact 48 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace The motorcoach industry contributes over $16.5 million annually to Virginia Beach's local economy. Source: Bus Tours and Bus Passengers: Impact on Virginia Beach Economy Dr. Lisa Delpy Neirotti, Association Professor of Tourism & Sports Management The George Washington University 49 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace The Marketplace Payoff · $5 million in direct spending to the City of Virginia Beach · $470,000 food & beverage for Distinctive Gourmet, Virginia Beach Convention Center onsite caterer · Over $500,000 direct spending with private dine-around events & sponsored meal events 50 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Hotel Sales First Week of February 2008 Compared to 2007 –Of the 10 ABA host hotels that responded to a survey, all reported revenue increases between 48 and 100%. 51 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace Media Coverage The most media coverage an ABA Marketplace has ever seen! Beach trade show shows off the region • Joel Rubin's "On The Record" • –Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Virginian Pilot WVEC-TV, Virginia Beach-Hampton Roads Region, January 20 Bus event to roll out reasons to come back • Joe Flanagan with WVEC-TV 13 ran a story • –Friday, February 1, 2008 Virginian Pilot February 1 on the 5 p.m. news on the American Bus Association’s Give Back Program. Study: Bus tours bring in $16.5m a year to Beach • -Saturday, February 2, 2008 Inside Business Kristina Rohall with WVEC-TV 13 ran a story • February 1 on Virginia Beach gearing up for ABA. Industry leaders reflect on changing industry • –Monday, February 4, 2008 Inside Business WVEC News at Noon appearance Tuesday, • February 5, 2008 with Donald A. DeVivo, President How does a city attract bus tours? 7 minutes at a time • of DATTCO. –Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Virginian Pilot Convention's success sets tone for future events • College students check out what bus groups offer • –Saturday, February 16, 2008 Virginian Pilot –Wednesday, February 6, 2008 PilotOnline.com 52 53 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace · The Virginia Beach Convention Center performed exceptionally! · The pride & hospitality of the community shined! · ABA Marketplace showcased the entire city, the region and the commonwealth! 54 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace "You, your staff, the convention center staff and really the whole city of Virginia Beach are to be commended on the wonderful event you put on for the ABA convention...my experience in the short time I was there was the best I have ever had at one of these conventions. Since I have been attending these bus related conventions for over 20 years that is saying a lot. I only hope when our Center comes along that we make half as good a showing as you and your crew did this week." Peter F. Martino, C.H.A. Owner/Manager Heritage House Hotel & Chauncy's Bar & Grille Hyannis, MA 55 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace “We continually heard praise from attendees from all over the United States regarding our city, the new Convention Center and the level of hospitality received from everyone. On top of all that good news -Rockafeller’s experienced an 8% increase over the same time period in 2007 –I wish that I could say that about every week.” Elizabeth “BJ”H. Baumann President Rockafeller’s Restaurant 56 ABA 2008 Virginia Beach Marketplace ABA MARKETPLACE 2008 SMASHES ALL PREVIOUS SHOW RECORDS! “The American Bus Association Marketplace in Virginia Beach February 2-7 set records for registration across the board in every delegate member category, producing the most heavily attended Marketplace in the event’s 27-year history.” Statement Released by The American Bus Association 57 58