High Performance Connections for Meeting Planners in Cabarrus County

(June 1, 2009) – Cabarrus, NC – For those who haven’t been paying close attention, the Racing Side of Charlotte has quietly become a high performance destination for meetings and conferences. Just take a look at some of our dramatic breakthroughs in recent years.

• Concord Convention Center. When the Concord Convention Center/Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord opened in January 2007, it focused the meetings market spotlight on 42,000 square feet of flexible event and conference space, including an impressive 28,800 square foot ballroom and 26 breakout rooms offering the latest in meeting technology and first-class service. The Convention Center, in conjunction with the Embassy Suites Hotel, golf course and other amenities, has become a popular choice among meeting planners.
• Great Wolf Lodge. In April 2009, the Great Wolf Lodge opened with 20,000 square foot, state-of-the-art conference center, including over 8,500 square feet of flexible meeting space equipped for virtually any type of meeting and scaled to accommodate events as small as 10 people and as large as 600. This unique northwoods-themed resort, with a wing entirely dedicated to meetings and conferences, is also home to the Southeast’s largest indoor waterpark, making it a great place to combine business with pleasure for the whole family.
• North Carolina Research Campus. New at the North Carolina Research Campus is additional meeting space providing a more academic setting. As the Research Campus builds out with more and more meeting amenities, it will become a super-magnet for biotech-related conferences and meetings throughout Cabarrus County.

These new venues join other favorites in Cabarrus County:

• Cabarrus Arena & Event Center. Cabarrus Arena & Event Center’s flexible, state-of-the-art facility has 115,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space with seating up to 6,000.
• Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Nationwide Garage and Sprint Cup Garage each boast 22,000 square feet of unobstructed space in the infield of this legendary superspeedway. The elegant Speedway Club’s banquet rooms can accommodate from 10 to 400 guests for a seated meal or meeting.

WINNING COMBINATION
To make the most of opportunities presented by this menu of meeting facilities, the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CCVB) has expanded its marketing programs to reach meeting and conference planners throughout the southeast, launching a new campaign to showcase Cabarrus County’s attributes as a meeting and conference destination with a number of new assets:

• High Performance Connections. The new High Performance Connections logo and message play on Cabarrus County’s identity as a world-class racing destination, generalizing racing’s high tech, team-oriented culture with a message meaningful to meeting planners – the same tools, training, motivation and opportunity can inspire attendees to achieve, maximize and exceed meeting objectives and goals.
• Trade Show Booth. In the 2009-10 fiscal year, CCVB staff will attend industry trade shows including Association Executives of North Carolina, Meeting Quest, Destination Showcase, Affordable Meetings, Religious Conference Management Association and Rejuvenate, as well as many more. A new state-of-the-art trade show booth showcasing Cabarrus meeting facilities will reinforce the new High Performance Connections messaging.
• Meeting Venue Photographs. The CCVB has just acquired dozens of new photographs of meeting facilities at Cabarrus Arena & Event Center, Great Wolf Lodge, Concord Convention Center, Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina Research Campus and more. The new photo collection was produced by former National Geographic photographer Don Sparks and will be featured in ads, with media releases, online and in other marketing materials.
• CVBHotRates. The CVB has contracted with CVBHotRates.com, a one-stop service for group planners that operates in conjunction with MINT (Meeting Information Network) to locate open dates and special value offers from hotels and meeting venues, track leads and produce reports. MINT is a DMAI (Destination Management Association International) approved database.
• Meeting Planner Guide. Currently in production and scheduled for an early summer release is the CCVB’s new Meeting Planner Guide that describes Cabarrus County’s appeal as a meeting destination and makes the following promise to planners:

“As a planner, you’ll find Concord/Kannapolis an ideal location for meetings and events of all types and sizes, including:

• Corporate meetings, team building programs and retreats
• Scientific, medical educational and association meetings
• Weddings, reunions and clubs

“Here attendees from racing fans and families to scientists and academics can find common ground. The creativity, energy and collaboration in Concord/Kannapolis create a destination primed for high performance results.”

Complimentary Services for Event Planners
CCVB encourages local residents to bring their organization’s next conference or event to Cabarrus County and offers a number of complimentary services to make event planning easy and efficient:

• Helping recruit volunteers to assist with welcome stations, greeters, registration, and more.
• Staffing a hospitality table for groups larger than 400 attendees (six-week advance notice required)
• Providing activity ideas for themed events and itineraries and for spousal tours
• Helping secure bids for transportation, group dining, recreation, guide services, team building exercises and more
• Preparing welcome bags for registration materials, visitor information of promotional items
• Assisting with pre-convention attendance building with PR materials and presentations

June Events
June 5-7 Top Gun Basketball Girls & Boys Tournament, Concord
June 6-7 AAU 8u, 10u, 12u Softball Summer State Championships, Concord
June 6-7 Top Gun Baseball Summer State Championships-West, Concord
June 7 & 8 DMANC Annual Meeting, Concord Convention Center
June 13-14 CABA Summer State Championships-West, Concord
June 12-14 USSSA Boys Baseball Tournament, Frank Liske Park
June 12-14 AAU 14u, 16u AAU Softball Summer State Championships, Concord
June 14-18 2009 National Cushman Meet, Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 14 2009 British Car Day South, Frank Liske Park
June 19-21 Top Gun Softball World Series, Concord
June 20-21 CABA Mid Atlantic Open Summer National Championships, Concord
June 21-22 USSSA 4th Annual Softball June Shootout, Frank Liske Park
June 24-28 Professional Stunts Man Invitational, Concord Speedway
June 26-28 ISA Softball Women’s Open State Championship, Frank Liske Park
June 27 Hot Import Nights – Nightshift Car Show, Cabarrus Arena & Event Center
June 27-28 IFA Softball Summer Challenge, Frank Liske Park
June TBA TEAM USA Baseball vs. TBA, Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium

July
July 3-5 IFA Girls Fast Pitch Tournament, Frank Liske Park
July 11-12 Nations Baseball Select Championship, W.W. Flowe
July 10-12 IFA Softball Summer Extreme, Frank Liske Park
July 13-15 CTA Tennis Junior Fire Starter, Les Myers Park
July 15-17 Tarheel Tour Golf Tournament 10, Cabarrus CC & The Club at Irish Creek
July 18-19 NC Wood Bat State Championship, W.W. Flowe
July 18-19 USSSA Softball Carolina Legends Shootout, Frank Liske Park
July 18-19 Top Gun Baseball All Star Extravaganza, Concord
July 22-26 AAU Softball National Championships, Concord