Hundreds of tourism, business and government leaders from throughout North Carolina will meet in Raleigh March 1-3 for the Governor’s Conference on Hospitality & Tourism. This year, the focus will be on how to continue growing the state’s tourism industry, despite a down economy.
“Tourism is an incredible economic engine for North Carolina,” said N.C. Secretary of Commerce J. Keith Crisco. “In 2007, visitors to North Carolina spent a record $16.5 billion, an increase of 7.2 percent from 2006.” The travel and tourism industry employs more than 190,000 across the state, many of them in small businesses, Crisco noted.
The premier educational and networking event for the state’s tourism professionals brings together representatives from chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, attractions, historic sites, the lodging and restaurant industry and state and local governments.
More than 400 are expected to attend the event, being held for the first time in conjunction with the annual meeting of the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association.
“North Carolina has a phenomenal number of natural, cultural and heritage tourism sites that attract thousands of people each year,” Crisco added. “One of my goals as secretary is to make sure we do everything possible to strengthen this important industry.” In recognition of the industry’s importance to the state, Crisco last month promoted Lynn Minges, formerly executive director of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, to the position of assistant secretary of Tourism, Marketing and Global Branding.
Despite the current economic challenges, Minges said, “We are very excited about this year’s event. Our state and local industry partners have historically succeeded in leveraging scarce resources to promote North Carolina. This conference has never been more important as we come together to talk about these challenges and collaborate on how we will tackle them together.”
The conference includes keynote speakers, breakout sessions on public relations, research, sustainability and a policy panel discussion of the key topics facing the tourism industry at the state and federal level. The Division of Tourism also uses the conference to unveil its marketing and co-op advertising program for the upcoming year. Tourism agencies from throughout the state team with the Division of Tourism to amplify their advertising and marketing messages at a fraction of the cost of going alone.
“This is the only statewide event we will travel to this year,” said Peggy Cosica of the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce. “Our board counts on this meeting to set our marketing plans for the coming year. Our board is extremely eager to see what the state is planning so we can align our marketing plan – especially this year when things are so difficult. ”
Headlining the conference are New York Times best-selling author and branding guru Dan Heath, online marketing expert Hannah Parramore and anti-architect Kevin Kelley, who will speak on the concept of “Perception Design.” Breakout sessions include “Turning Your Event Green,” “The Quest for Relevance,” “Sports Marketing,” “Using Technology to Maximize PR,” “Research: Dodging Asteroids and Mining Gold,” “How the Tourism Industry Can Contribute in Creating Community” and a panel discussion with top freelance travel writers from across the state. The policy panel discussion will feature Dana Simpson, legislative counsel for the N.C. Travel and Tourism Coalition; Connie Wilson, legislative liaison with the N.C. Travel Industry Association; and Paul Stone, president and CEO of the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association.
For more information about the conference, visit our Web page at http://www.nccommerce.com/en/TourismServices/PromoteTravelAndTourismIndustry/TourismEvents/GovernorsConference/GovernorsConference.htm