NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: SUSAN STECMAN, 410-263-0511 OR SSTECKMAN@VISITANNAPOLIS.ORG
DATE: SEPTEMBER 13, 2010


 

Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau

Invites Area Residents to Boost the Local Economy

by Bringing their Meetings Home

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND—The Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau (AAACCVB) is launching a public awareness campaign that encourages area residents to help bolster the local economy by bringing their meetings to the destination.

The month-long Be a Star – Shine Home campaign that kicks off September 17th is designed to let area residents and individuals who work in and around the destination know the many ways that the AAACCVB can assist them in bringing conference and meetings’ business to Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay. The Be a Star icon on the www.VisitAnnapolis.org website connects individuals to a host of services that the AAACCVB routinely provides to groups who are considering Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay as a meeting location.

According to AAACCVB President and CEO Connie Del Signore, “Many residents and individuals who work in and around the destination belong to regional, national, and international organizations that rotate the location of their annual meetings and conventions. They are part of families participating in reunions or are veterans who gather regularly to stay in touch. Our Be a Star – Shine Home campaign invites members of the local community to encourage their groups to choose Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay as the site of their next convention, reunion, or event. Who better than our own residents to invite others to experience the beautiful destination that we call home?”

Individuals who are considering holding their event within the destination need only contact Director of Sales Bill Adams or Director of Group Sales Jo Ellyn McNees at 410-280-0445 or visit the website for details on the many services the organization provides from the pre-planning stages through event execution.

Del Signore says the AAACCVB simplifies the planning process on many levels – from sending out requests for proposals to area hotels, to arranging for site inspections and familiarization tours, to providing collateral and promotional materials for meeting attendees, among other things. To help spread the word about these services, the AAACCVB is running local banner ads for the duration of the campaign.

At the same time, the AAACCVB website is saluting individuals and organizations whose efforts to bring meetings to the destination have or will be making a positive impact on the local economy. They include: Annapolis Town Crier Squire Frederick Taylor for bringing the North American Towne Crier Competition to Annapolis in 2008; Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch for his hosting of the National Speakers Conference in Annapolis this summer; and Annapolis’ Chief of Historic Preservation Patricia Blick’s and Chairman of the Annapolis Historic Preservation Commission Sharon Kennedy’s successful efforts to bring Maryland’s annual Preservation and Revitalization Conference to Annapolis in May 2011. The AAACCVB will continue to add names to the list of stars who are bringing their meetings home long after the Be a Star campaign wraps up on October 17th.

The AAACCVB Sales Department actively markets Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay to meeting planners and the group travel market worldwide through trace shows, conventions, and sales blitzes. In FY 2010, the department booked 18,627 group hotel room nights with an economic impact of $5.4-million. With the help of area residents and businesspeople who elect to hold their meetings in Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay in the months ahead, the AAACCVB expects to exceed its projection of 20,000 room nights booked for FY 2011.

The AAACCVB is a nonprofit, membership-based, destination marketing organization that generates revenues for the local economy by promoting Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to leisure and business travelers across the country and around the world.

 

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