2011 Virginia Tourism Summit

April 18-20, 2011 | Chesapeake, Virginia

2011 Sponsors

The Virginia Tourism Summit & VACVB Annual Meeting is the association's event of the year. On April 18-20, 2011, the membership came together for networking, information, education and celebration. The Tourism Summit & Annual Meeting was a great opportunity for DMO representatives to learn what products and services were available from the Allied members, not to mention the invaluable exchange of ideas and thoughts among other bureaus and organizations across the Commonwealth.

Schedule highlights included a field study on day one to the Triple R Ranch, a Chespeake retreat facility and summer camp, that taught participants how to strengthen their brand. Following the field study, attendees gathered to commemorate the Sesquicentennial with a Blue and Grey Sesquicentennial Reception. Virginia wine and hor d'oeuvres were served while a live reenactment took place.

On day two and three, attendees heard from a number of general session presenters including, the Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, Phil Bruno, Dennis Castleman, Joe Veneto and Dave Neudeck. There were several breakout sessions to choose from that offered topics for everyone: wine, meetings, marketing, online travel company tax issues, etc. For complete schedule details, click here.   

Presentations

Below are links to the presentations that our presenters has given approval for distribution

Keynote and General Session Presentations

Phil Bruno - Surviving and Thriving
Karen Scherberger - Commemorating the War of 1812: OpSail 2012

Breakout Sessions

Phil Bruno -Just the Meat- Phil Bruno's Business Case Outlines 
John Johnson - Mixing Four Generations in the Workplace & Managing Four Generations
Randy Thompson - Virginia Wine: Opportunity is Clinking its Glass Part 1
Christine Vrooman - Virginia Wine: Opportunity is Clinking its Glass Part 2
 

VIRGO Travel & Tourism Awards

The 3rd Annual VIRGO Travel and Tourism Awards paid tribute to individuals, groups, businesses and destination marketing organizations that significantly contributed to the Commonwealth of Virginia's economy through tourism promotion and development.

Virgo Award Category Descriptions

Destination Event of the Year - Events, festivals, sports tournaments, concerts, reenactments, shows that generated a significant number of visitors

Eco-Tourism - Sustainable tourism and responsible initiatives to promote tourism efforts in an environmental-friendly way

Heritage Tourism - Initiatives that preserve and celebrate the culture, history and personal interaction within a community

Regional Marketing initiatives - Two or more cities, counties or towns that have established a program, event or campaign that markets a region as a consolidated destination

Visitor Center of the Year - Parks and recreation departments, visitor centers and civic centers

International Marketing & Promotions - Activities, events, and marketing initiatives that increased international travel

Public Relations Initiative - Community awareness campaigns and community pride initiatives

Sales Manager/Team of the Year - Honors the sales efforts of an individual or team whose destination greatly benefitted from the direct booking of a meeting/convention resulting in significant economic impact, media attention and/or additional bookings

Advertising & Promotions: Online & eMarketing - Online search engine optimization, pay-per-click, e-mail, eNewsletters, social network marketing

Advertising & Promotions: Print - Brochures, magazines, newsletters, supplements or ads (including print ad campaigns)

Advertising & Promotions: Interactive - Web sites, interactive CDs/DVDs, kiosks

Advertising & Promotions: Combination

DMO “Rising Star” Leadership Award - Honors a DMO tourism professional whose leadership efforts have greatly benefitted the travel and tourism industry