Architectural Designs and Details for Renovated Benton Convention Center Presented to City Officials

"Winston-Salem, N.C. - The $17.5 million renovation of the Benton Convention Center achieved another milestone when the Winston-Salem City Council reviewed the architectural design plans presented at the Special Meeting of the Winston-Salem City Council last night. Slated to begin January 2016 with completion by May 2017, the multi-phased renovation project includes significant structural, design and technological upgrades to the interior and exterior of the 100,000-square-foot building. Key design elements will create more open, flexible meeting space and incorporate architectural nods to Winston-Salem's historic arts, tobacco and textile roots. The plans also include filling in the sunken garden, extending the front façade closer to 5th Street to repurpose the area into more practical, pre-function space. More windows and skylights will be added to give the Convention Center a more contemporary, open and inviting aesthetic. Mayor Allen Joines said that the updated convention center will be catalyst for economic growth. "The additional conventions and events that come to Winston-Salem as a result of this modernization will bring more business to area hotels and restaurants, increase visitor spending, create jobs and grow our tax base," said Mayor Joines. "Combined with other downtown development initiatives, the Benton Convention Center renovation project enables Winston-Salem to more effectively compete for meeting and convention business," said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. The City of Winston-Salem along with Visit Winston-Salem, Twin City Quarter and the architectural/design firms are developing a comprehensive, multi-phased renovation program so that the Benton Convention Center remains operational during all phases of the renovation. "We will continue to work closely with our customers and clients to keep them involved and up-to-date on this important project. We value their business and are working diligently to minimize the impact of the renovation to their events," said Geiger. "There is certain infrastructure that requires updating and renovating. Our Convention Center is that type of infrastructure. The renovation will remake a city landmark into a new venue that will attract new tourism dollars to our city and show groups and organizations that our Convention Center facilities are in line or better than other facilities in the southeast, " said Denise D. Adams, Winston-Salem City Council Member, North Ward.

About Architectural Design Associates Architectural Design Associates, PLLC (ADA) based in Winston-Salem, will provide day-to-day project management and act as liaison between the stakeholders and the design team.  Bobby Patterson, ADA co-founder, has completed 20 projects for the City of Winston-Salem.  Working in tandem with ADA is tvsdesign, an internationally recognized architectural design firm specializing in designing world class convention centers.  The tvsdesign team is headed up by principal, Robert Svedberg, AIA director of convention center practice.  Svedberg is an award-winning architect who has led design teams for national and international convention centers including Raleigh and Charlotte. About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem is the official sales and marketing agency for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County tourism industry. For additional information, contact Marcheta Cole Keefer, director of marketing and communications at Marcheta@visitwinstonsalem.com or phone her at 336.728.4211." - A Press Release

Winston-Salem Wins Bid to Host 2016 USA Ultimate Division III College Championships

"Winston-Salem, N.C. - May 13, 2015 - Visit Winston-Salem announces the Division III College Championships at BB&T Soccer Park, May 21-22, 2016. This championship is expected to bring 500 participants and generate more than $160,000 in economic impact for the area.   This Division III College Championship brings 16 women and 16 open teams from around the country to compete for a national championship.  Open is an ultimate term referring to a team that can include men and women. "Hosting USA Ultimate and the 2016 Division III College Championships provides us with another opportunity to showcase Winston-Salem as a national sports destination." said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. "Triad Area Ultimate is excited to host the 2016 D-III College Championships in conjunction with Visit Winston-Salem and USA Ultimate," said Emily Kamischke of Triad Area Ultimate. "We are proud to be able to bring such a high level of ultimate to the Triad and North Carolina and hope everyone in the region will come out and watch the excitement with us!" "BB&T Soccer Park and Twin City Youth Soccer Association are excited to be hosting the USA Ultimate Division III Championships in 2016," added Scott Wollaston, Twin City Youth Soccer Association Executive Director. "Our soccer park will be transformed into a fantastic location for ultimate, and our community looks forward to making sure all the participants have a great experience!"  About USA Ultimate Each year, USA Ultimate's College Championships crown national champions in the men's and women's divisions. More than 700 teams comprised of more than 14,000 athletes compete in the college regular season and USA Ultimate Championship Series, with eyes on qualifying for the Division I or Division III College Championships.

About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem, the official destination marketing organization of the Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority, sells and markets our assets and attractions to visitors as a convention, sporting events and tourism destination for the economic benefit of the community. " - A Press Release

State Tourism Officials Report Increased Visitor Spending in Forsyth County

"Winston-Salem, N.C. - Friday, August 15, 2014 --The North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development released today its latest domestic tourism spending impact study and according to "The Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties," visitor spending in Forsyth County generated more than $753 million in 2013, up 5.9 percent over 2012 and ranks Forsyth County's economic impact sixth out of 100 counties in the state. The study also reports that the visitor expenditures in Forsyth County generated more than $57 million in local and state tax revenues in 2013.  These county-by-county travel economic impact statistics are prepared annually by the Research Department of the US Travel Association for the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.  "The Division of Tourism's study verifies that Winston-Salem's strategic marketing and sales efforts are effectively connecting with our key audiences especially meeting and convention planners, sports tournament organizers and vacationers resulting in a positive influx of new visitor dollars," said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. Other overall positive indicators were Forsyth County's annual hotel occupancy in 2013 increased 5.3 percent and average daily hotel rate rose 4.9 percent compared to 2012.

About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem is the official sales and marketing agency for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County tourism industry." - A Press Release

CHILDREN’S HOME FARM CART NOW SELLING HOMEGROWN FRESH PRODUCE

Winston-Salem, NC--The Children’s Home Farm Cart began operations on Thursday,

July 17 selling homegrown fresh produce. The Cart is located on the campus of the Children’s Home, 1001 Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem and will travel to select locations during summer and fall harvest seasons. Current produce available includes tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, and eggs.

This coming week, in addition to Krankies Airstream, where the Cart will be parked each Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Cart will be at the YMCA located at 775 West End Boulevard, adjacent to Hanes Park, Monday from 8:00am until 12noon and Tuesday from 4:00pm until 7:00pm. For more information or a schedule of locations, please contact Kim Macpherson at 336-721-7623 or kmacpherson@tchome.org.

Children’s Home Farm Market Cart schedule

Thursday (weekly)            8:00am – 6:00pm Krankies Airstream/Coffee Park, Reynolda Road

Friday (weekly)                   8:00am – 6:00pm Krankies Airstream/Coffee Park, Reynolda Road

Saturday (weekly)             8:00am – 6:00pm Krankies Airstream/Coffee Park, Reynolda Road

Monday 7/28*                    8:00am - 12noon William G. White YMCA, Hanes Park

Tuesday 7/29*                   4:00pm - 7:00pm William G. White YMCA, Hanes Park

*Future dates and times for the YMCA and other locations to be determined. When not on location, the Cart will be on site at the Children’s Home campus.

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The Farm at The Children’s Home preserves the region’s rich agricultural heritage allowing the community to experience an authentic working farm and purchase fresh local farm products. Profits are used to support the programs at The Children’s Home. Eat healthy and support local by purchasing just-picked vegetables raised around the corner.

- A Press Release

Visit Winston-Salem Announces 2014-15 Arts and Events Marketing Assistance Program Funding Recipients

"The Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority (FCTDA) approved $51,000 in Arts and Events Marketing Assistance (AEMA) funding to support eight marketing campaigns. Applications were submitted in this annual funding program launched by Visit Winston-Salem in 2010.  Applicants are required to submit a comprehensive, criteria-based application to be considered for funding. Each of the seven members on the FCTDA's Marketing Committee independently reviews and grades each application then collectively reviews the aggregate scores to make their final recommendations to the FCTDA Board. "Each of the funded recipients that are eligible for reimbursement funds submitted an application that included collaboration with at least one hotel partner and is in alignment with Visit Winston-Salem's strategic marketing goals," said Dana Lu Bryson, chair of FCTDA marketing committee, and owner of Village Inn Event Center and the Historic Brookstown Inn. The marketing campaigns that will receive the following AEMA allocations in fiscal year 2014-15 are: "The Art of Seating" Winston-Salem Campaign - Old Salem Museums & Gardens and Reynolda House Museum of American Art - $7,500 Bookmarks Festival of Books - $2,750 Piedmont Craftsmen's Fair - $9,000 RiverRun International Film Festival - $10,250 Salute! The NC Wine Celebration -- $10,000 Winston-Salem Air Show - $2,000 Winston-Salem Hispanic League - Fiesta 2014- $2,000 Winter Holiday Campaign - Old Salem Museums & Gardens and Reynolda House Museum of American Art -- $7,500 The Marketing Committee is a diverse group comprised of four members of FCTDA Board of Directors, a representative from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, a representative from the Forsyth County Tourism Alliance and a member of the Association of Visitor Attractions. For additional information about Visit Winston-Salem and the AEMA program, visit: www.visitwinstonsalem.com/aema.

About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem is the official sales and marketing agency for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County tourism industry." A Press Release

Aggressive Marketing to Convention Planners and Overnight Visitors Are Top Priorities in Visit Winston-Salem's 2014-15 Marketing and Sales Plan

"The Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority today voted unanimous approval of Visit Winston-Salem's 2014-15 fiscal budget and annual Marketing and Sales Plan at their monthly board meeting. The $3.16 million budget represents a nine percent revenue increase for sales, marketing and promotional activities over the 2013-14 budget.  The additional budgeted revenue is based on a projected increase of hotel occupancy tax collections in Forsyth County. "Together with dedicated industry partners and a diligent staff, our Board's endorsement of our strategic plan and budget enables us to continue to aggressively market and sell Winston-Salem as a viable convention, sports and visitor destination," said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem.  Visit Winston-Salem's 2014-15 plan includes developing a comprehensive marketing and sales plan for the $17.5 million renovation of the Benton Convention Center.  The plan also includes conducting two flights of qualitative research, enhancing sports events marketing and continued development and execution of seasonally-themed advertising, public relations and promotional campaigns to increase consumer and meeting planner awareness of Winston-Salem as a viable leisure and convention destination. Visit Winston-Salem's Convention Sales plan includes an increased presence and sales effort in the national and regional association, and religious-based markets.  Securing additional sporting events/tournaments is also a key goal for Visit Winston-Salem. Approximately 34 groups are earmarked to receive funding for up to $250,000 from the Visit Winston-Salem Convention & Sports Support (CSS) program.  The program allocates incentives to qualified organizations to offset costs such as convention center/facility rentals, convention shuttles and parking as well as bid fees to pursue sport events/tournaments.  The CSS groups will generate more than 40,000 hotel room nights with an estimated economic impact of $28 million dollars and returns $205 to the community for every dollar invested. The Visit Winston-Salem fiscal year is July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.

About Visit Winston-Salem (visitwinstonsalem.com) Visit Winston-Salem is the official sales and marketing agency for the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County tourism industry." A Press Release