2004/05 Objectives - Assist the City of Raleigh and County of Wake as progress continues on the new convention center and hotel.
- Finalize and implement a cooperative marketing partnership with the Raleigh Convention Center to book convention, meeting, and event business in the new convention center/hotel complex set to open early 2008.
- As funding allows, expand and realign present staff to focus on convention center-specific groups, while maintaining efforts to continue booking business for all 122 properties and meeting facilities throughout Wake County with specific focus on markets with the greatest potential: corporate, association, direct selling, education, government and religious.
- Focus convention center sales efforts on the development and expansion of target list of 300 groups by establishing and building relation- ships with those most likely to book business in Raleigh area.
- Leverage the $1 billion of downtown Raleigh revitalization and development of new major upscale hotel projects in Cary, Crabtree and North Hills into sales and marketing efforts.
- Pursue additional funding to promote the new convention center and the many facilities and amenities in Wake County.
- Finalize location of GRCVB offices since lease expires in April 2005.
- Work with the State of North Carolina, City of Raleigh and Bureau Board to resolve questions regarding changes in Visitor Center operations.
- Launch the official web sites for the area's sports event industry -- raleighsports.org and carysports.org; develop and implement marketing strategies to promote the two new web sites.
- Coordinate community effort to submit the strongest possible bid for the 2006-08 CIAA Basketball Tournaments.
- Focus on the GRCVB's "10 Most Wanted" sporting events.
- Increase sales focus on baseball and tennis events, to take advantage of new, state-of-the-art facilities in Raleigh and Cary.
- Work with our local partners to successfully host the major sporting events scheduled for 2004/05: NCAA Women1s College Cup; Great American Cross Country Festival; adidas Outdoor Track & Field Championships; PONY Softball Fastpitch Nationals; CIAA Tournament; NCAA Division III Softball National Championships; Pop-Warner Mid-South Football and Cheerleading Championships.
- Provide housing assistance to the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Championship in nearby Pinehurst.
- Implement an aggressive online marketing program with USDM.net that includes search engine optimization and marketing, online public relations to all target audiences, direct eMail campaigns, ongoing eCRM to all market segments, affinity programs, co-marketing programs and affiliate programs, desktop delivery systems and more.
- As the Bureau rolls out a newly redesigned web site (www.VisitRaleigh.com), priorities will shift toward increasing the number of unique web site visitors and growing the registered users email database.
- Focus more on cooperative marketing programs, cross promotion exclusive partnerships, media added value, online and in-kind media trade partnership opportunities.
- Continue to promote RaleighNow! as a cultural program of the Bureau and the TGIF weekend offer as an a la carte booking option featured in conjunction with events and seasonal promotions.
- Develop additional VisitRaleigh.com and RaleighNow!/CaryNow! Cross promotions with Wake County universities, major employers, chambers of commerce, airport, visitor centers, attractions, venues, facilities, shopping centers, events and military bases.
- Grant opportunities for RaleighNow! will continue to decline as more criteria specify funds be used for the development of cultural tourism programs as opposed to the marketing of cultural tourism programs.
- Utilize new database marketing programs to enhance direct selling efforts, personalized visitor messaging, sales tracking, information management and data collection.
- Work with many marketing partners to leverage the City Life, Carolina Style brand and build campaigns and promotions around the Matisse and Picasso exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art and new retail developments at Triangle Town Center and North Hills, as well as unique events like the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Championship.
- Continue working with a public relations agency to gain national media coverage of Greater Raleigh by promoting the many major events and facilities planned for this area.
- Handle all production of the Visitors Guide internally and make it a more comprehensive resource.
- Produce enhanced and updated maps of the Raleigh/Wake County area, featuring pullouts of key areas throughout the region.
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