(Virginia Beach, Va. November 3, 2009) - The Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sports Marketing team recently booked five new sporting events for Virginia Beach, bringing an additional 13,000 hotel room nights and more than $3 million in direct spending to the local economy. These events include US Fencing, USA Judo, National High School Coaches Association Wrestling Duals, USA Gymnastics Tumbling and Trampoline, USA Judo and the Blue Moon Wicked 10K.
Sports events represented 44 percent of the business booked by the Virginia Beach CVB’s convention sales team last fiscal year (July through June). The CVB Sports Marketing team was established in 1999 to expand the current sports marketing base by targeting amateur sporting events and tournaments sanctioned by national sports organizations.
“The sports market has grown to be a proven staple for Virginia Beach tourism,” said Jim Ricketts, Director of the Virginia Beach CVB. “The Convention Center’s 150,000 sq. ft. column-free exhibit hall combined with its seasoned service-oriented staff, a variety of additional sports venues, hotels, restaurants and family-friendly attractions make Virginia Beach a favorite destination for youth tournaments and traveling teams.”
Experts agree. Don Schumacher, executive director of the National Association for Sports Commissions, spoke at a recent Virginia Beach CVB press conference and explained that sporting events are often booked based on relationships and the marketing staff’s “great reputation.” Having traveled to different conferences around the country, Schumacher reports that Virginia Beach is a fierce competitor. Schumacher adds that it is a good time to be in the sports marketing industry because it is recession resistant and teams will continue to meet.
The Sports market continues to grow for Virginia Beach. The five most recently booked events include:
• US Fencing North American Cup Division 1/Youth 14/12/10 - April 23-26, 2010 with 660 athletes and 1,740 hotel room nights, www.usfencing.org
• National High School Coaches Association 11th Annual National Wrestling Duals - May 28-31, 2010 with 2,800 athletes and 2,500 hotel room nights,
www.nhsca.com
• USA Gymnastics Tumbling and Trampoline Junior Olympic National Championships - June 25-27, 2010 with 1,800 athletes and 5,200 hotel room nights, www.usagymnastics.org
• USA Judo Senior Nationals - April 12-17, 2011 with 800 athletes and 1,070 hotel room nights, www.usjudo.org
• Blue Moon Wicked 10K - October 31, 2009 with 5,000 athletes (1,300 from outside of Hampton Roads) and 2,500 hotel room nights, www.wicked10k.com
This year’s race is sold out. (New annual event – 2010 race will be Oct. 30)
For a complete list of Sports Marketing events booked for Virginia Beach, visit www.vbsports.com or contact the Virginia Beach CVB at (757) 385-4700.
The Virginia Beach CVB invites meeting planners to “Bring it to the Beach!” Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of Washington, D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population. For the latest information and project updates on the new Virginia Beach Convention Center, visit www.vbmeetings.com and the new Bring It to the Beach blog at http://blog.vbmeetings.com. Media information and digital images are available at www.vbpressroom.com.
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