|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exciting News from Visit Fairfax Stakeholders
- Mustang Sally Brewing Co. recently announced the long-awaited launch of its bottling production line. Beginning this month, MSB will bottle its brands at its 14,000-sq.-ft. brewing facility in Chantilly and will distribute to a wide range of retailers throughout Northern Virginia. Learn more here.
- Congratulations to the team at the brand-new Fairfield Inn & Suites Dulles Airport Herndon/Reston, which opened its doors this past February with 108 rooms. Read the press release here or learn more about one of Fairfax County's newest hotels here.
- Congratulations to the Embassy Suites by Hilton Springfield! The hotel was recently honored with the Connie Award, the top National Brand Award from Hilton, for the second consecutive year. The award was presented to the hotel for outstanding performance in quality assurance measurements, customer satisfaction scores and quality of the hotel's physical accommodations. Learn more about the hotel here.
- Be on the lookout for LOVE! The Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks will be playing host to Virginia Tourism Corporation's LOVEwork sign from May 1 – 8. The famous sign is a state-wide branding initiative, designed to promote Virginia as a destination for lovers of all things that Virginia has to offer. Look for the sign outside of the hotel, and also visible from Fair Oaks Mall. Be sure to stop in to the 703 Bar + Kitchen, located inside the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks, for specials coinciding with the hotel's effort to extend love to the community. Read more about it here.
- Big changes are coming to Burke Lake Golf Center! Be on the lookout for updated facilities including a double-decker, 64-station driving range with 24 covered and heated stations that will accommodate practice and classes for kids, teens and adults (offered by the new Burke Lake Golf Academy). In addition, construction has begun on the new clubhouse that will open this fall featuring updated dining facilities. Read more here and be sure to follow Fairfax Golf on its new Twitter handle, @GolfFairfax.
|
|
|
Do you have exciting news to share about your business? Please send information to AMorris@fxva.com so we can help spread the word.
|
|
Plan for the 2018 Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide
|
The 2017 Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide, which is now in distribution, will reach more than 100,000 potential visitors by the end of year through Visit Fairfax's integrated print and digital campaigns. The Visitors Guide is the primary fulfillment piece for Visit Fairfax's marketing efforts, and is requested by highly qualified visitors actively planning their trips – or already in market spending their tourism dollars.
Be sure to plan ahead by budgeting funds now to advertise in next year's 2018 edition. There are several opportunities available for all budgets, including display ads, photo listings and highlighted listings starting at just $225.
For more information, contact Carly Stedman, our new Fairfax County representative for our guide publisher, Miles, at 202-681-8169 or carly.stedman@milespartnership.com. Carly will be reaching out to partners during the coming months with more information and an opportunity to showcase your business in 2018. Also, feel free to browse the media kit here.
In the meantime, you can check out the online version of the current guide here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IPW Coming to Washington, DC this June
U.S. Travel Association's IPW is the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S. – and this year, it is coming to Washington, DC for the very first time. In just three days of intensive pre-scheduled business appointments, more than 1,000 U.S. travel organizations from every region of the USA (representing all industry category components), and more than 1,300 international and domestic buyers from more than 70 countries conduct business negotiations that result in the generation of more than $4.7 billion in future Visit USA travel.
|
|
|
Visit Fairfax, as well as some of the county's attractions, are working hard to make sure that Fairfax County is a major part of this landmark event, which occurs from June 3 - 7.
- Visit Fairfax, as part of the Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium, has joined Destination DC and U.S. Travel as an official partner for IPW.
- Visit Fairfax will have a shared Fairfax County booth within the Capital Region USA aisle at IPW, allowing for appointments focusing on target inbound international markets to the County. The Hilton Washington Dulles Airport and Tysons Corner Center will join Visit Fairfax as booth partners for these appointments.
- On Monday, June 5, Visit Fairfax will participate in IPW's Media Marketplace with a booth, pitching media ideas for Northern Virginia in conjunction with the Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium.
- Forty tour operators will be staying in a Fairfax County hotel and treated to an evening event at a Loudoun County winery on their first day of arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport before beginning tours of the region.
- A familiarization tour for tour operators before IPW begins will be run by Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium. The group will be visiting Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William & Manassas.
- A familiarization tour for journalists before IPW begins will be run by Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium in conjunction with Virginia Tourism Corporation, and will see the group visit Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William & Manassas, in addition to some locations in southwest Virginia.
- George Washington's Mount Vernon is hosting an IPW sightseeing tour entitled Boat Ride to George Washington's Mount Vernon, which includes visiting the estate and grounds on Sunday, June 4, 2017.
- Tysons Corner Center is hosting an IPW sightseeing tour entitled Shop 'Til You Drop! Elite Shopping Excursion with Tysons Corner Center, including shopping and a reception on Sunday, June 4, 2017.
- Adventure Links will be hosting complimentary rock climbing for IPW attendees at Carderock, in conjunction with Destination DC's "Delegate Deals" program.
Did we miss other events? Let us know what you might be doing to support this huge event coming to the region. Looking for volunteer opportunities at IPW? Click here.
|
|
|
|
|
Visit Fairfax Sales Staff Busy Selling Fairfax County
The Visit Fairfax sales team is busy selling and promoting the county at various tradeshows and events! Here is a list of recent activities as well as what will be happening over the next few months:
Associations and Reunion Market:
- Visit Fairfax traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC in February to meet with 15 military reunion planners at the YMRC (Your Military Reunion Connection) event and talk with them about holding their reunions here in Fairfax County.
- In February, Visit Fairfax hosted our Family Reunion Workshop for the ninth consecutive year. Over 110 planners (a record turnout!) spent the day with us at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park learning how to organize great family reunions. Following the workshop, planners toured the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in downtown Washington, DC. Fifteen of our great Fairfax County hotels and service providers joined us for an amazing event! (see photo)
- Visit Fairfax partnered with our fellow DMOs from Fredericksburg and Virginia Beach and participated in the Rendezvous South trade show in Roanoke, VA, meeting face-to-face with 18 corporate and association meeting planners from around the South. (see photo)
- In March, we treated a select group of locally-based meeting planners to dinner and a show at The Barns at Wolf Trap.
- This month, we'll conduct two days of concentrated sales calls on the state association accounts based in the Richmond, VA metropolitan area.
- In May, we'll attend both the VSAE (Virginia Society of Association Executives) Annual Conference in Roanoke, VA, and the Connect NYC trade show event in New York, NY, in search of more association and corporate bookings.
Government:
- Visit Fairfax facilitated site inspections and helped develop the winning proposal for the 2018 iWomen Conference, beating out Philadelphia and other destinations for the right to host. The governing body of iWomen (international association supporting issues important to female firefighters) will conduct additional site inspections of Fairfax County properties to select the host hotel.
- In June, Visit Fairfax will attend the 2017 Society of Government Meeting Planners (SGMP) National Education Conference. This conference is the largest annual event in the government meetings industry.
- Eric Kulczycky was featured in the March 2017 SGMP National Capital Chapter Newsletter. His efforts on behalf of the organization's Special Events Committee were highlighted.
Tour and Travel:
-
Visit Fairfax attended National Travel Association (NTA)'s Travel Exchange, holding over 20 scheduled appointments with both domestic and international inbound tour operators. Please email mmcclure@fxva.com if you would like the notes from this tradeshow.
- Visit Fairfax's Melissa McClure was invited to speak on the Women in Travel panel at NTA's Travel Exchange. She sat on the panel with three other travel professionals. Melissa discussed her perspective of being a young professional woman breaking into the tourism industry and representing Fairfax County as an international (and domestic) destination. (see photo)
- On March 12-13, Visit Fairfax hosted nine of the top selling travel agents of the Brazilian tour company, Agaxtur, in Fairfax County, Virginia. Agaxtur is one of the largest tour operators in Brazil and is one of United Airline's top clients – leading us to a successful promotion of United's direct flight from Sao Paulo to Washington Dulles International Airport. Thank you to all of the supporting partners on this familiarization tour, especially The Westin Washington Dulles Airport. (see photo)
- Visit Fairfax participated in Capital Region USA's Annual China Sales Mission from March 27 – 31, 2017. This sales mission included direct sales calls, travel trade seminars, and media interviews in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.
- Visit Fairfax is also pleased to present a new marketing tool to the Chinese market – a Mandarin language promotional video and article through Brand USA. Thank you to our partners at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, The Winery at Bull Run, George Washington's Mount Vernon, Tysons Corner Center, and Tysons Galleria for making this possible. This video and link is free for anyone to use as a promotional tool to the Chinese market. Click here to see the article and video.
- For the second year, Visit Fairfax will be attending Active America China. This tradeshow will be taking place from April 23 – 25, 2017 in Portland, OR, bringing tour operators from China to the US for pre-scheduled appointments.
Sports Market:
- Visit Fairfax attended the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) Sports Symposium in Sacramento, CA from March 27-30. One of the sports travel industry's largest tradeshows, the NASC Symposium generates lead opportunities through appointments with 25+ sports event planners and decision-makers responsible for selecting destinations for state, regional, national, and international events.
- Visit Fairfax participated in the Sports Virginia (coalition of CVBs pursuing sports tourism opportunities) March meeting to discuss upcoming trade shows and marketing opportunities. Eric serves on Sports Virginia's Education and Advocacy committees.
-
Visit Fairfax's Eric Kulczycky met with clients to discuss potential bids on the Corporate Games and CrossFit Games; conducted site inspections to select host hotels for the 2017 Virginia State Babe Ruth Championship (U16-U18).
Media & Communications:
- Fairfax County was prominently featured in the February issue of Smart Meetings as one of the Top 10 meeting destinations in Virginia.
- In the March issue of Small Market Meetings, National Sales Manager Dean Miller was quoted extensively about the essential components of putting on VIP meetings. All three of the photos illustrating the article were of Fairfax County attractions.
- In March, Visit Fairfax hosted a journalist from Montreal, Canada in conjunction with the Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium, which is made up of the five destinations in Northern Virginia.
- In May, Visit Fairfax will host a major influencer from China as he tours around the Capital Region.
- In June, leading up to the IPW tradeshow, NVVC will host an estimated 5-6 international journalists on a tour around Northern Virginia.
- Visit Fairfax continues to see incredible growth on our social media accounts. Please help us continue to grow by tagging us (@VisitFairfax) on your own accounts and by using our hashtag, #FXVA.
|
| Through April |
The National Cherry Blossom Festival will continue through April 16. Washington, DC isn't the only place with blossoms, though. Check http://www.fxva.com/events/cherry-blossom/ for details on the great events and blossom locations throughout FairfaxCounty. |
| April |
|
| Through April 16 |
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Out of This World at EagleBank Arena |
| April 8-9 |
The 7 Fingers of the Hand: "Cuisine & Confessions" at George Mason University's Center for the Arts |
| April 8-9 |
Easter Egg Hunt at Sully Historic Site |
| April 8-30 |
"Boeing Boeing: A Non-Stop Comedy" at NextStop Theatre |
| April 9 |
John 5 & The Creatures at The State Theatre |
| April 9 |
Bluegrass Barn Concerts: The Boxcars at Frying Pan Farm Park |
| April 9 |
Easter Egg Hunt at Lake Fairfax Park |
| April 12 |
Museum Lecture: History in the Making – a New Workhouse for the 21st Century at the Workhouse Arts Center |
| April 14 |
Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer at Jammin' Java |
| April 15 |
Bluebells at the Bend Festival at Riverbend Park |
| April 15 |
Baskets and Bunnies at Burke Lake Park |
| April 16 |
Easter Sunday Mimosa and Pastry Bar at Paradise Springs Winery |
| April 17 |
Bluebells and Bloodroots at Riverbend Park |
| April 18 |
Lecture: Beginning from a White Oak Tree in Fairfax County at Historic Fairfax Courthouse |
| April 19 |
Tinariwen at The Barns at Wolf Trap |
| April 19 |
Civil War Forum: Introduction to the Railroads of the Civil War at Fairfax Station Railroad Museum |
| April 19 |
O-Town at Jammin' Java |
| April 21-22 |
Spring Garden Market at River Farm |
| April 21-22 |
The Reduced Shakespeare Company – William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) at Reston CenterStage |
| April 21 |
Hollywood Goes to War: World War I on the Big Screen: "Hell's Angels" at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center |
| April 22 |
Earth Day Celebration at E.C. Lawrence Park |
| April 22 |
Discovery Day at Historic Huntley/Huntley Meadows Park |
| April 22-29 |
Historic Garden Week in Virginia at various locations |
| April 23 |
L.A. Theatre Works "Judgment at Nuremberg" at George Mason University's Center for the Arts |
| April 23 |
Civil War Life at Frying Pan at Frying Pan Farm Park |
| April 23 |
Charlotte Martin at Jammin' Java |
| April 25 |
Historic Garden Week in Virginia: Reston at The Lake House (Hospitality Center for Garden Week) |
| April 28 |
ValeArts Spring Art Show at Historic Vale Schoolhouse |
| April 29 |
Model Classic 2017 at Fairfax High School |
| April 29 |
Saved By The 90s – A Party with the Bayside Tigers at The State Theatre |
| April 29 |
Fairfax Civil War Day at Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim |
| April 29 |
Touch-A-Truck at Lake Braddock Secondary School |
| April 29 |
Taste of Vienna at Town of Vienna |
| April 29 |
Springfest Fairfax at Sully Historic Site |
| April 29-30 |
The 2nd Annual Fairfax Corner Art Festival at Fairfax Corner |
| April 29-30 |
D.C. Big Flea & Antique Market at Dulles Expo & Conference Center |
| April 30 |
Britain on the Green at George Mason's Gunston Hall |
| May |
|
| May 1 |
Trace Bundy + Willy Porter at Jammin' Java |
| May 3 |
"Kaleidoscope" at Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace Falls Church |
| May 5-6 |
30th Annual Evening of Comedy at The Barns at Wolf Trap |
| May 5 |
Trees are Terrific Campfire at E.C. Lawrence Park |
| May 6 |
Meteor Shower & Night Sky Kayak Tour at Pohick Bay Regional Park |
| May 6-7 |
Pirate Fest at Lake Fairfax Park |
| May 6-7 |
Revolutionary War Weekend at George Washington's Mount Vernon |
| May 12 |
Friday Night Live at Town of Herndon |
| May 12 |
The Later Late Show: Main Stage Comedy Showcase at Jammin' Java |
| May 13-14 |
The Heritage India Festival at Dulles Expo & Conference Center |
| May 14 |
Mother's Day Rose Tea at Green Spring Gardens Historic Manor House |
| May 13 |
Spring Farm Day at Frying Pan Farm Park |
| May 13 |
Children's Fairy Garden Workshop at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens |
| May 16 |
Buddy Guy at The State Theatre |
| May 19 |
Hot Dog, S'mores! Wagon Ride & Campfire at E.C. Lawrence Park |
| May 19-21 |
Spring Wine Festival & Sunset Tour at George Washington's Mount Vernon |
| May 20 |
Revolutionary War Festival at George Mason's Gunston Hall |
| May 20 |
Falls Church Civil War Day at Cherry Hill Farmhouse |
| May 20 |
Spring Garden Day – The Big Plant Sale at Green Spring Gardens |
| May 20 |
United Punjabi MELA 2017 at Bull Run Regional Park |
| May 20-21 |
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival at Reston Town Center |
| May 20-21 |
Spring 1771 Market Fair at Claude Moore Colonial Farm |
| May 20-21 |
Cabaret Series: Musical Madness! at Workhouse Arts Center |
| May 20 |
McLean Day at Lewinsville Park |
| May 24 |
Lecture: Who Was the Fairfax Family? The Colonial History of Fairfax County at Historic Fairfax Courthouse |
| May 24 |
TOOL at EagleBank Arena |
| May 25 |
The Dylz present a 76th Birthday Tribute to Bob Dylan at Jammin' Java |
| May 25 |
Mary J. Blige at Wolf Trap |
| May 25-June 25 |
"Urinetown, the Musical" at NextStop Theatre Company |
| May 27 |
Tea is Served at Sully Historic Site |
| May 27 |
Wetland in Bloom at Huntley Meadows Park |
| May 27-29 |
ViVa! Vienna! Festival at Town of Vienna |
| May 28 |
19th Annual Ride of the Patriotsbegins at Patriot Harley-Davidson Fairfax |
| May 28 |
Birds of Prey Kayak Tour at Occoquan Regional Park |
| May 28 |
Wolf Trap Summer Blast Off at Wolf Trap |
| May 29 |
Herndon Memorial Day Observance at Town of Herndon |
| May 29 |
Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival at City of Falls Church |
| June |
|
| June 1-4 |
37th Annual Herndon Festival at Town of Herndon |
| June 2-4 |
44th Annual Quilters Unlimited Show at Dulles Expo & Conference Center |
| June 1-25 |
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at 1st Stage Tysons |
| June 3 |
Summer Saturdays at George Mason's Gunston Hall |
| June 3 |
Civil War Living History Day at Fairfax Station Railroad Museum |
| June 3-4 |
Vintage Virginia Wine & Food Festival at Bull Run Regional Park |
| June 4 |
Thai Indian Fusion Cooking Class at Workhouse Arts Center |
| June 7 |
An Evening with Two-Time Grammy Winner Laurence Juber at Jammin' Java |
| June 9-10 |
Summer Escape at George Washington's Mount Vernon |
| June 9-11 |
Celebrate Fairfax featuring Bush and Everclear, and a Sunday Brew beer festival at Fairfax County Government Center |
| June 9-11 |
Tinner Hill Blues Festival at City of Falls Church |
| June 10 |
River Monsters at E.C. Lawrence Park |
| June 10 |
Ice Cream Social at Workhouse Arts Center |
| June 11 |
Tea at the Royal Court at Green Spring Gardens |
| June 15 |
Signature 275th Anniversary Lecture: Nicholas Fairfax, 14th Lord Fairfax of Cameron at The Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center |
| June 15 |
Jr. Farmer Family Fun at Frying Pan Farm Park |
| June 16 |
Farm to Table: Reception, Tour & Dinner at George Washington's Mount Vernon |
| June 16-17 |
Taste of Reston at Reston Town Center |
| June 17 |
Fairfax County's 275th Anniversary Celebration at Historic Fairfax Courthouse |
| June 17 |
Boardwalk Astronomy at Huntley Meadows Park |
| June 17 |
Sounds of Summer Tour with Slightly Stoopid, Iration, J Boog, and The Movement at Wolf Trap |
| June 18 |
44th Annual Antique Car Show at Sully Historic Site |
| June 21 |
Little Tots: Kara & Matty D at Fairfax Corner |
| June 22 |
Elvis Costello & The Imposters: Imperial Bedroom Tour at Wolf Trap |
| June 23 |
Deanna Bogart Band with Special Guest Ron Holloway Band at Jammin' Java |
| June 24 |
Chronology of the Civil War in Fairfax County, Part I at Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim |
| June 25 |
Escape from the Workhouse 5K Adventure Run at Workhouse Arts Center |
| June 24-25 |
10th Annual Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest at Bull Run Regional Park |
| June 30 |
Independence Fireworks at George Washington's Mount Vernon |
|
 |
Roll Call
You may have recently spotted Visit Fairfax at or with: |
|
A few upcoming groups coming soon to Fairfax County:
- Cadillac & La Salle Club Grand National – 1670 room nights
- USS Forrestal (CVA/AVT-59) Association Reunion – 705 room nights
- FB 111 Association Reunion – 395 room nights
- Retired Law Enforcement Association and Friends Annual Reunion – 265 room nights
- Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association Spring Convention – 198 room nights
- National African American Mission Conference – 180 room nights
If you'd like to meet our team to talk about how we can help you, please contact us at 703-790-0643. We'd love to help in any way we can!
|
|
|
|
National Travel & Tourism Week Returns May 7-13
|
The first full week of May is annually recognized as National Travel & Tourism Week, a tradition first celebrated in 1984. Localized events are presented in cities, states and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel. It was established as National Tourism Week when the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution in 1983 designating the week to be celebrated in May. In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan signed a Presidential Proclamation urging citizens to observe the week with "the appropriate ceremonies and activities."
Since its establishment, the U.S. travel community has collectively marked the event in a number of creative ways, from staging local rallies and conducting media outreach to securing proclamations and resolutions from local legislative bodies.
This year, it's all about celebrating the power of travel, and particularly the people who make this industry remarkable. Learn about this year's theme – "Faces of Travel" – and get the National Travel & Tourism Week toolkit at http://www.ustravel.org.
Visit Fairfax is in the planning stages for National Travel & Tourism Week. Stay tuned to http://www.fxva.com/ for information about this exciting celebratory week. Be sure to join the conversation on social media using #nttw17 and #fxva!
|
|
|
Panelists Discuss State of Hospitality Under New Administration
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce gathered some heavy hitters to offer their thoughts and answer questions from a standing-room-only audience at the "State of Hospitality Under the New Administration" symposium this past March. While they weren't forecasting a banner year, the panelists were cautiously optimistic about how the local industry would fare under the new administration.
Panelists included Visit Fairfax CEO Barry Biggar, B.F. Saul Hospitality Group President Mark Carrier, STR Director of Destination Research Chris Klauda, and Vice President of Research and Analytics for Brand USA, Carroll Rheem.
|
|
|
Read a full overview of the meeting in this great Connection Newspapers article. Image courtesy Andrea Worker, Connection Newspapers.
If you have any local or national industry news to share, please send it to amorris@fxva.com so we can help spread the word. Thank you.
|
Fairfax County Tourism Indicators
Fiscal YTD* through February 28, 2017
- Occupancy: 66.9%
- Room Night Leads: 91,624
- Website Unique Visitors: 427,890
* FY16: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
|
Did you know?
-
Fairfax County is one of the top contributors of expenditures to Virginia's tourism industry.
-
Visitors to Fairfax County contributed over $2.93 billion to the local economy in 2015.
-
Fairfax County's tourism industry creates almost 30,000 jobs within the County.
-
On average, visitors to our website clicked on and viewed individual stakeholder listings approximately 40,000 times per month. Ask us how to maximize your property's results.
Source: Virginia Tourism Corporation's Tourism Economic Impact Data
*Share your information with us. Is there something you would like to share with the Fairfax County tourism community? Send your news to Visit Fairfax so that we can include it in the next newsletter. Email amorris@fxva.com.
|
|
Copyright ©2017 FXVA, All Rights Reserved.
3702 Pender Drive | Suite 420
Fairfax, VA 22030
|
|
