Visit Fairfax Insider

August, 2016
www.fxva.com

Visit Fairfax Staff Recognized by Prestigious Organizations

Vote for the World Police & Fire Games in 2016 SportsTravel Awards

Increase Your Reach by Advertising with Visit Fairfax

Visit Fairfax Sales Team Updates

Fairfax County Events Calendar

Roll Call

New Technology to Speed Customs at Dulles

Virginia Tourism Revenue Increases

Fairfax County Tourism by the Numbers

Barry Biggar Receives Duke Nyhus Award; Melissa McClure Named to DMAI 30 Under 30 Class of 2016

Visit Fairfax is proud to announce that both Barry Biggar, our President & CEO, and Melissa McClure, our Destination Sales Manager, Domestic/International Packaged Tours, have recently been recognized by two highly prestigious organizations.

Barry was the 2016 recipient of the revered Duke Nyhus Award from the California Police Athletic Federation, the parent organization of three multi-sport programs designed for first responders, including the World Police & Fire Games, which were held in Fairfax County in the summer of 2015. Barry has been involved in five World Police & Fire Games, and his commitment, efforts, and enthusiasm were an integral part of the Games' success in Northern Virginia.

Melissa has been chosen as one of Destination Marketing Association International's (DMAI) "30 Under 30" – a renowned program that focuses on identifying and developing the talent of destination marketing professionals, 30 years of age and under, through increased access and exposure to industry networking and thought leadership. In Melissa's year and a half with Visit Fairfax, she has worked tirelessly to put Fairfax County on the map in many target markets around the world and currently sits as Chair of National Travel Association's (NTA) Young Professionals Advisory Committee. She was recognized as a member of the "30 Under 30" Class of 2016 at DMAI's Annual Convention in Minneapolis on August 1.

We are so incredibly proud of the continued achievements of both Barry and Melissa and the work they do to support tourism in Fairfax County.

World Police & Fire Games Supports Local Scholarship; Support Games by Voting

The 2015 World Police & Fire Games were quite a success when they were held in Fairfax County last June through July. Today, you can support these Games by casting your vote in the 2016 SportsTravel Awards, where the Games were nominated for Best Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event (Amateur) and Best Sports Event of the Year. Voting ends August 15, 2016 at 5pm PDT. Winners will be announced September 27, 2016 at the TEAMS Conference in Atlantic City, NJ.

Vote by clicking here.

In related World Police & Fire Games news, Visit Fairfax was pleased to participate in the presentation of a 15,000 dollar check to the Fairfax County Park Foundation Youth Sports Scholarship Program. Kevin Reynolds, Board Chair of Fairfax 2015 – the organization responsible for the Fairfax WPFG – presented a contribution from proceeds of the Games to Bruce McLeod, Board Chair of the Park Foundation for the Youth Sports Scholarship Program. The scholarship provides assistance for youth in Fairfax County to participate in organized athletics.

Please help support the World Police & Fire Games by voting in the SportsTravel poll by Monday, August 15.

Advertise with Visit Fairfax to Further Your Reach

If you are looking for ways to further your reach through Visit Fairfax, you might want to take a look at some of our cooperative advertising programs. We offer affordable options when it comes to advertising your business on our website, www.fxva.com, our custom visitors guide (both print and online), and our highly successful e-newsletter program, which is split into five segments – Sites & Attractions, Civil War, Epicurean, International (with subscribers from the United Kingdom and Canada) and Meeting Planners.

We'd like to introduce you to our friendly sales representatives who you may be hearing from when it comes to advertising opportunities with Visit Fairfax.

Dave Gleeson works with Destination Travel Network (DTN) on Visit Fairfax's behalf, and is your contact for any advertising space on www.fxva.com and/or the Visit Fairfax e-newsletter program. Dave will work with you to create a custom package that meets your needs to ensure you get the most out of your marketing dollars. Reach out to Dave at (520) 382-0582 or DGleeson@DestinationTravelNetwork.com.

Loren Jordan works with Miles on Visit Fairfax's behalf, and is your contact for any advertising space in the Official Fairfax County Visitors Guide. We are gearing up to publish the 2017 version of this guide, so now is the time to get in touch with Loren to place your ads for this year. You can reach him at 304-400-7052 or by email at Loren.Jordan@MilesPartnership.com. Check out the 2017 media kit here.

For any other questions regarding updating your no-cost listing on www.fxva.com, or for any other no-cost resources, please reach out to Ali Morris at amorris@fxva.com.

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:

In June, we traveled to Chicago with representatives from the Virginia Tourism Corporation and six of our fellow DMOs from around the Commonwealth for three days of sales calls on association and corporate accounts. These included extended presentations to two major third-party meeting planning and association management firms, Experient and The Kellen Company. (see photo)
In July, Visit Fairfax attended the Smart Meetings event in downtown Washington, DC to meet face-to-face with corporate and association planners. (see photo)
This month, Visit Fairfax will attend the Overseas Brats "Homecoming" event in Colorado Springs, CO to meet with planners looking to place their "Brat" reunions.
Also this month, we will attend the Connect Marketplace event in Grapevine, TX to meet face-to-face with planners of larger, national association meetings.
You'll see us at the long-awaited groundbreaking of the Museum of the United States Army, which will take place on the grounds of Fort Belvoir, here in Fairfax County, on September 14th. The museum, which is scheduled to open to the public in 2020, will make Fairfax County a "must-see" destination for US Army reunion groups.
Also in September, we'll be at the Reunion Friendly Network's "Northeast Regional Roundtable" event in Harrisburg, PA in search of additional military reunion bookings.
In October, we'll travel to Richmond, VA with 11 of our great Fairfax County hotel partners to exhibit at the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) Fall Education Seminar & Expo for the 11th consecutive year.

Tour and Travel Market:

IPW 2016 took place this year in New Orleans, LA with over 6,000 attendees. Visit Fairfax had appointments with tour operators and wholesalers representing more than 12 different countries to build relationships and look to build future partnerships. With IPW 2017 in Washington, D.C. next year, the Capital Region aisle had a large representation and we hope to keep aggressively pursuing the international market through IPW next year. (see photos)
On July 21, the CRUSA International Marketing Summit took place at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. This overview looked at this past year as well as what is coming in the year ahead in terms of inbound internationals to the Capital Region. If you would like more details on partnership opportunities with Capital Region USA or would like to learn more about Visit Fairfax's focus on international arrivals, please email mmcclure@fxva.com.
Note from Melissa: "It is such an honor to be included as one of DMAI's "30 Under 30" Class of 2016. With this amazing designation, I was able to attend DMAI's annual conference, which took place this year in Minneapolis, MN. This was a great learning opportunity as I met with many key influencers in the destination marketing industry, as well as attended many educational sessions."
Student and Youth Travel Association's Annual Conference is coming up this August 18 - 23 in Orlando, FL. This show allows Visit Fairfax to have one-on-one appointments with key players within the student market who contribute tens of thousands of room nights to Fairfax County every year.
Special shout out to restaurateurs: If your Fairfax County restaurant is looking for more group business, I would love to meet with you. Please email mmcclure@fxva.com so that we can talk about future partnerships.

Sports Market:

Visit Fairfax will attend the Connect Sports Marketplace in Grapevine, TX from August 25-27, 2016. It is an annual education conference and appointment-only trade show bringing together active planners and rights holders, suppliers, and experts in sports events for three days of general sessions, workshops, and pre-set appointments.
Visit Fairfax also attended the Sports Virginia meeting in Richmond, VA to discuss upcoming trade shows and marketing opportunities. Visit Fairfax's Eric Kulczycky serves on Sports Virginia's Education and Advocacy committees.
Visit Fairfax conducted a site inspection of the 2016 Transplant Games of America in Cleveland, OH, an event that Fairfax County may bid on in the future.
Visit Fairfax participated in a special check presentation to the Fairfax County Youth Sports Scholarship Program by representatives of the local organizing committee of the 2015 World Police and Fire Games. (See story in What's New section for details.)

Government Market:

Visit Fairfax worked with other members of the Society of Government Meeting Planners local chapter to plan a tournament at Westfields Golf Club to raise funds for charity.

Visitor Services:

Visit Fairfax's Ambassador Program hosted another successful Ambassador Tour of Fairfax County, a no-cost service to attendees of the class. These are great opportunities to learn about sites and attractions in your backyard to help you sell and promote Fairfax County to the patrons of your business. Martha Powers, a Citizen Ambassador, Board Member of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and a recent attendee, said, "Having lived in Northern Virginia my whole life, I am in awe of the fact that your efforts are eye-popping for me. Your efforts are making me a much better ambassador for Fairfax…" Thanks, Martha. Learn more about the program by contacting Sue Porter at sporter@fxva.com. (Photo from Frying Pan Farm Park, a stop on the latest tour.)

Public Relations/Communications:

Visit Fairfax will attend Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance (MATPRA)'s annual Marketplace on the Eastern Shore of Maryland this September, which will bring together 40+ journalists to learn about destinations in the Mid-Atlantic.
In cooperation with VTC and CRUSA, Visit Fairfax was honored to be a part of a large international FAM (alongside Virginia Beach) that welcomed a total of 10 writers from our target countries of China, Brazil, Canada, Germany, and France this past summer. A huge thanks goes out to all the partners who helped support us with this tour and to Virginia's First Lady, Dorothy McAuliffe, who greeted the journalists at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel. (see photo)
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.

	Fairfax County Events Calendar
	Please go to www.fxva.com/events for details and updates. Keep up with seasonal happenings at http://www.fxva.com/things-to-do/seasonal-holidays/. Got an event coming up? Submit your Fairfax County event listing using this form on our website.

August
August 13	Workhouse BrewFest at Workhouse Arts Center
August 13-14	Civil War Encampment Weekend at Sully Historic Site
August 15	All-American Girl: Living Dolls at Colvin Run Mill
August 15	The Funx + Snowday at Jammin' Java
August 17	Newsboys Love Riot Tour at EagleBank Arena (formerly Patriot Center)
August 17	Little Tots at Fairfax Corner
August 18	123 Andres at Frying Pan Farm Park Visitor Center
August 18	U.S. Navy Commodores Band at Evenings on the Ellipse at Fairfax County Government Center
August 19	NextStop's Dark Nights Series presents "Masterfights Theatre" at NextStop Theatre Company
August 19	The Mount Vernon Inn and Port City Brewing Company's Garden Fresh Vegetarian Dinner at Mount Vernon Inn
August 19-21	International Gem & Jewelry Show at Dulles Expo Center
August 20	Date Night: Chef's Table at Workhouse Arts Center
August 20	Smithsonian Sleepovers at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
August 20	Global Arts: Balalaika at Mount Vernon Nights at Workhouse Arts Center
August 20	National Honeybee Day at Green Spring Gardens
August 20	9:30 Club presents Johnny A at Jammin' Java
August 21	Civil War Day at The Winery at Bull Run
August 21	Wagon Ride to Poohsticks Bridge at Riverbend Park
August 24-25	Ricky Martin at Wolf Trap
August 25	A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel performed by Aztec Two-Step at the Fairfax County Government Center
August 25	Jr. Farmer Family Fun at Frying Pan Farm Park
August 26	Lake Anne Summer Film Festival featuring "Lady Sings the Blues" at Lake Anne Plaza
August 27	31st Annual Begonia Show and Sale at Green Spring Gardens
August 27	Ben Tufts & Friends Charity Show at Jammin' Java
August 31	Boney James with Martha Ambrosius at Wolf Trap
August 31	The Nighthawks at Lee District Park Amphitheater

September
September 2	JamBrew Herndon at Herndon Town Green
September 3	Roots Rockin Reggae Nite with Dub City Renegades, The Pocket, Sub-Radio, FeelFree, DJ AAROCK at Epicure Café
September 3	Walking Tour: All The President's Pups at George Washington's Mount Vernon
September 3	Lake Anne Jazz Festival at Lake Anne Plaza
September 5	Herndon Labor Day Festival at Herndon Town Green
September 5	Labor Day Morning with Rocknoceros at Jammin' Java
September 8	"Catch Me If You Can" at NextStop Theatre Company
September 8-Oct 9	"Lobby Hero" at 1st Stage Tysons
September 9	Sunset Cinema at Cherry Hill Park
September 9	Gentleman Distiller: Whiskey Tasting & Dinner at George Washington's Mount Vernon
September 10	Leon Bridges with Lianne La Havas at Wolf Trap
September 10	Hemlock Off-Road Half Marathon and 10k at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park
September 10	ChalkFest at Reston Town Center
September 10-11	Workhouse Fine Arts Festival at Workhouse Arts Center
September 10-11	Burke Centre Festival at Burke Centre Conservancy Grounds
September 10	Lez Zeppelin: All Girls, All Zeppelin at The State Theatre
September 11	Tiffany "A Million Miles" Storyteller Tour with Special Guest Kathryn Dean at Jammin' Java
September 17	Workhouse Jazz Weekend featuring Potomac River Jazz Club at Workhouse Arts Center
September 17-18	Virginia Wine Festival at Bull Run Regional Park
September 17-18	Colonial Market & Fair at George Washington's Mount Vernon
September 18	Birding for Beginners at Huntley Meadows Park
September 19	Make America Rock Again featuring Trapt, Saliva, Saving Abel, Alien Ant Farm, Crazy Town, 12 Stones and Tantric at The State Theatre
September 23-25	Capital Home Show at Dulles Expo Center
September 24	Archaeology Day at George Mason's Gunston Hall
September 24	"The Midtown Men" at George Mason University's Center for the Arts
September 28	Billy Collins at Reston CenterStage
September 29	Constantine Maroulis at Jammin' Java
September 30	Aquila Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing" at George Mason University's Center for the Arts
September 30	Marc Anthony Live at EagleBank Arena (formerly Patriot Center)

October
October 1	JamBrewOktobrewfest at Herndon Town Green
October 2	HernDOG Bark Bash at Bready Park
October 6	Chance the Rapper at EagleBank Arena (formerly Patriot Center)
October 7-9	Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour at George Washington's Mount Vernon
October 8	Tea Time with a Furry Friend at Sully Historic Site
October 8	Evening Stroll at Huntley Meadows Park
October 8-9	Virginia Opera's "The Seven Deadly Sins" and "Pagliacci" at George Mason University's Center for the Arts
October 8-9	The Heritage India Festival at Dulles Expo Center
October 8-9	Oktoberfest Reston at Reston Town Center
October 15	Jammin' Java's 15th Anniversary Party at Jammin' Java
October 15	Cabaret Series: Once Upon A Time at Workhouse Arts Center
October 15-16	Northern Virginia Fall Brewfest at Bull Run Regional Park
October 15-16	1771 Market Fair at Claude Moore Colonial Farm
October 15-16	Great Falls Studios 2016 Art Tour at various Great Falls locations
October 19-25	Washington West Film Festival at various locations
October 19-23	Disney on Ice Presents "Follow Your Heart" at EagleBank Arena (formerly Patriot Center)
October 21-23	Craftsmen's Classic Arts & Crafts Festival at Dulles Expo Center
October 22	The Annandale Parade at The Annandale Shopping Center
October 24	Historic All Hallows Eve at Sully Historic Site
October 25	Candlelight and Cocktails at George Mason's Gunston Hall
October 28	Spooktacular at Herndon Community Center
October 31	Halloween events at various locations

Roll Call

You may have recently spotted Visit Fairfax at or with:

Tending to business at our fiscal year-end Board Meeting at Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Discussing conference center needs and tourism revenues at the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce meeting – read more in this Inside NOVA article
Tasting the summer menu from the new Chef at Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro with local media
Talking private dining and event space with the folks at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons
Welcoming the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil production of "KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities" on opening night to Fairfax County – learn more on our special landing page
Discussing group tour, corporate sales meetings, and marketing tactics with the team at La Sandia Mexican Kitchen
Celebrating the summer at Crowne Plaza Tysons' patio party
Brainstorming with Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association over cold brews at Caboose Brewing Company
Catching Pokémon here, there, and all over Fairfax County – check out our special landing page
Working with partners to put the finishing touches on the 1st Annual Workhouse Brewfest, happening August 13 at the Workhouse Arts Center
Celebrating Christmas in July at the Sheraton Reston Hotel

A few upcoming groups coming soon to Fairfax County:

2016 WAGS Tournament – 6187 room nights
2016 DC United Elite Cup – 3280 room nights
Cadillac & LaSalle Club, Inc. Grand National – 1670 room nights
American Legion Department of Virginia Annual Convention – 745 room nights
USS Forrestal (CVA/AVT-59) Association Reunion – 705 room nights
The Hershey Company Global Supply Chain Conference – 622 room nights
Paintball Extravaganza International (trade show) – 607 room nights
American College of Gastroenterology Second Year Fellows Meeting – 280 room nights
The Society of the 39th Engineer Battalion Reunion – 200 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.

New Technology to Speed Customs Processing at Dulles International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport now accepts the Mobile Passport App in all of its Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities. The no-cost app allows eligible passengers to save profiles securely on their smartphones, submit them electronically and proceed directly to dedicated lanes upon arrival to Dulles for expedited CBP processing. Use of the app is authorized for citizens traveling with a U.S. passport or a Canadian passport with B1 or B2 visa status.

The new app was developed for U.S. airports in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to expand the options beyond filling out paper forms and waiting in a general queue to speak to a CBP official. Thanks to airport investments in new technology and increased cooperation with federal agencies, average wait times at Dulles in 2016 are among the shortest when compared to other major international airports.

Read the full press release here and check out this Wall Street Journal article to learn more about how the technology works.

Metropolitan Washington Ariports Authority

Virginia Tourism Revenue Continues to Climb

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently announced that Virginia's tourism revenues reached 23 billion dollars in 2015, a 2.3 percent increase over 2014, and supported 222,600 jobs, an increase of 2.6% or 5,700 jobs compared to 2014. The tourism industry also provided 1.6 billion dollars in state and local revenue, an increase of 5.6 percent. Virginia welcomed over 41 million visitors from all over the country in 2015.

"Having a strong tourism industry is vital to job creation and economic growth in Virginia," said Governor McAuliffe. "Travelers are coming to Virginia from across the country and the globe to experience our world-class restaurants, wineries, craft breweries, music festivals, oyster farms, beaches, mountains, and more. Our rich history, scenic beauty, vibrant arts, and burgeoning culinary scene make Virginia a destination like none other. It's easy to see why travelers are eager to discover why Virginia is for Lovers."

Read the full press release here. Tourism statistics from Virginia localities will be made available soon.

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 June 30, 2016

Occupancy: 70.2%
Room Night Leads: 103,737
Website Unique Visitors: 539,399

* FY16: July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016

Did you know?

Fairfax County is one of the top contributors of expenditures to Virginia's tourism industry.
Visitors to Fairfax County contributed over 2.85 billion dollars to the local economy in 2014.
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 70,000 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.

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