When it comes to converting business from a convention, the 2008 Rejuvenate Marketplace held last November made true Virginia Beach believers of the nearly 550 faith-based meeting planners who came to town for the three-day event.
According to the Virginia Beach CVB—which hosted 165 of the planners for the conference--the destination received some 60 RFPs resulting from the confab (www.rejuvenatemeetings.com), which was attended by meeting planners from throughout the U.S.
And when you ask the actual conference manager, Rejuvenate’s Dean Jones, the destination’s seaside location, low cost and ample off-site offerings, along with its new convention center, combined for a winning formula that succeeded in inking the event for a return visit in 2013.
“The ocean—you can’t really go wrong when you have the ocean,” Jones says. “And for a city of its size, [the Virginia Beach Convention Center] is a very quality, well-planned facility that really meets the needs of that market. It’s affordable, has very functional space, and it’s new.”
Jones used the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the Ocean Beach Club and the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel for accommodations—it’s obviously a group that favors an ocean breeze. Although the hotels are located about a mile away from the convention center, Jones notes that the Virginia Beach CVB more than met the challenge of providing seamless transportation.
“Virginia Beach has become experts over the years because they have to,” Jones says. “They’ve become very proficient in making that work, so it wasn’t really an obstacle at all to my event.”
Attendees were divided into three groups for first-day tour programs: a hands-on culinary experience at the Founders Inn, which boasts an award-winning chef and culinary team; a tour of the many upscale shopping areas in the destination; and a multicultural, historical tour that started with a visit to First Landing State Park, on the shoreline, to learn about the different cultures of the area and ended at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts for a private concert.
A truly memorable off-site social event was held at the Officers Club at the Naval Air Station Oceana.
Jones says the Virginia Beach CVB leveraged a connection with a fighter squadron captain whose unit had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. The Navy provided catering and a music ensemble, and attendees took advantage of the rare opportunity to get their photos taken in flight suits and examine an F-18 fighter jet up close.
“That’s really a huge piece of Virginia Beach—that military presence,” Jones says. “It’s not something that probably a lot of people will get to do again.”
And although Virginia Beach is located in the Hampton Roads area, and can easily be combined with Norfolk, Hampton and other nearby locales, Rejuvenate found all they needed within city limits, with a sizable assist from the CVB.
“The CVB was our host and committed a lot of things to make that happen,” Jones says. “It was a great experience, and I would highly recommend it to other planners. The commitment of the CVB is a meeting planner’s dream. They truly took ownership of my event to make both of us successful.”
