GOOD TIMES RETURNING: As COVID restrictions wane, business at North Carolina's meeting and convention destinations is nearing, and in some cases surpassing, pre-pandemic levels, thanks to updates and additions.

• Author: Saylor, Teri
• Position: CORPORATE: MEETING GUIDE

Association executives, lobbyists and hospitality professionals mingled with lawmakers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh last June. Hosted by trade group Association Executives of North Carolina, the gathering was the first time that they were under the same roof since before C0VID-19 arrived in early 2020.

Attendees saw the meeting as a sign that North Carolina's meetings-and-conventions business is bouncing back from pandemic-induced restrictions that stalled business travel and closed venues. AENC Executive Director and CEO Rich Phaneuf is optimistic that the state's hospitality industry is nearing pre-pandemic levels of business. "I wouldn't say we are 100% back yet, but we are quickly moving in that direction," he says. But it won't be an entirely smooth path.

Hotels and convention centers continue to face challenges, especially when it comes to hiring staff and creating space for social distancing. But Phaneuf says they are adjusting. "Meeting planners and convention services teams are beginning to get a handle on how to manage conferences rather than focus on complying with state COVID protocols," he says. "And at this moment, I don't know of any associations that have made the decision not to meet in person going forward."

Many convention and meeting space operators used the down time during the pandemic to renovate and expand their offerings. AENC, for example, recently held a convention at New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. It not only closed for a time because of the pandemic, but it had to undergo extensive repairs after a stormy 2018. "We did a great job putting our best foot forward after Hurricane Florence, then COVID hit," says Melissa Riggle, executive director of Craven County Tourism Development Authority. "We had this beautiful building, but no one could come to see it."

New Bern has been a popular destination during the pandemic. Its abundance of outdoor activities and fresh air offered people socially distant escapes. "We had a strong leisure business and were able to sustain ourselves at a time when people wanted to be in the rural and coastal communities, where they felt safe," Riggle says.

Craven County has more than a dozen bed and breakfasts, hotels and motels. Many also offer meeting space. They, along with local businesses, governments and others partners, are working to bring that business back. "We realize we overlap and spill out into each other worlds and industries, and if one...