2002 Meeting & Convention Guide.

• Position: Special Advertising Section

Across various segments of the economy, one thing that many North Carolina companies and organizations have in common is tight budgets. And while an economic slowdown certainly presents a number of challenges, it also opens up new and interesting opportunities. The 40 member destinations of the North Carolina Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus and the state's business community can explore some of these mutually beneficial opportunities together.

How? By working together to encourage meeting planners and companies to select a North Carolina site for upcoming meetings. Besides their own company, many businessmen are members of an academic, professional, fraternal or other organization. And most of these organizations hold meetings each year. NCACVB hopes business people will encourage and influence these organizations to keep meetings in the state and lure conventions here. Regional, state and national meetings provide a huge boost to the community that hosts them.

And the professional staffs at each of the NCACVB members can provide a range of services -- at no charge -- to ensure that meetings are successful. Not only can the association help develop the initial proposal to the organization and assist in getting competitive hotel rates, but it also can provide other amenities, including housing services, promotional literature, ideas for spouse and children activities and ideas for special events.

What kind of activities are available? They vary widely according to when you travel and which region you visit. For example, visitors to the Triangle in November have the opportunity to see Buddhist sculpture and religious objects from Nepal and Tibet on display at the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill. If that's too high-minded, the Raleigh City Museum has a display of "Businesses that Built Raleigh." In the mountains, the Timber Fest at Bryson City features a lumberjack competition. And then there's the Beer and Wine Festival at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem. And these are just a few of the events going on during the month.

NCACVB and its members have a long and successful history of working in close partnership with North Carolina businesses. In turn, the events and meetings promise to bring thousands of visitors to various parts of the state. While here, they'll help fuel the local economy by shopping, dining, staying in hotels, visiting attractions, among other things.

Many people may not realize just how critical this visitor spending is to the economy. Travel and tourism generated more than $12 billion in North Carolina last year.

The benefits of travel and tourism are not limited to the hospitality industry. Visitor spending generates tax revenue that helps pay for local government services.

Visitor spending is an economic engine that benefits everyone, and with a small individual effort, a great impact can be made to boost the economy. Everyone can help by rallying around the abundance of amenities in North Carolina. Whether a trip is planned for the coast, mountains or the Piedmont, visitors can check out the state's official Tourism Division Web site, www.visitnc.org, to help plan it.

The North Carolina Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus is a fast-growing organization of often-visited cities and counties that have nonprofit agencies dedicated to the promotion of travel, tourism and conventions.

Founded in 1976 by seven member cities -- Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Hickory, High Point, Raleigh and Winston-Salem -- NCACVB now includes 40 North Carolina destinations. The combined budgets of these bureaus exceed $35 million. The association was organized to form a network of local tourism promotion agencies working to promote North Carolina, thus benefiting each member organization. This is done through a cooperative effort that promotes each member agency under the sales-and-marketing marque of North Carolina.

Through a continuing exchange of information and ideas, as well as participation in educational programs, NCACVB members are better prepared to manage their organizations in a manner commensurate with the ever-growing competitive environment in which they must succeed. Insight into competitive efforts and improved marketing techniques help individual members to enhance the economic position of the community he or she represents. NCACVB also provides members with special opportunities to market their areas as tourist attractions.

NCACVB subscribes to the principles of the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus to promote sound professional practices in the solicitation and servicing of meetings, conventions, and tourism business. The association is a sustaining member of the Travel Council of North Carolina and the North Carolina Travel and Tourism Coalition. It maintains a close working relationship with other travel-related organizations. This keeps members current on the...