The sales team at Visit Fairfax is hard at work promoting and selling Fairfax County as a prime meeting destination. From virtual tradeshows and virtual FAM tours to in-person conferences, events, and meetings, our sales managers are planning many exciting strategies to represent the great assets and businesses of Fairfax County.
Here is a snapshot of some upcoming events, activities, and appointments our sales team is working on. The team is always happy to share updates and notes from these events, so feel free to reach out at any time.
On the Associations/Reunions Side:
Dean Miller, our National Sales Manager in the Associations/Reunions markets, has been on the road at tradeshows and seeking new leads for Fairfax County. Here are some recent updates:
- Visit Fairfax's Dean Miller and Eric Kulczycky attended the joint PCMA / MPI meeting at the Washington Nationals ballpark on October 15, where they met with dozens of corporate and association planners from around the Washington, DC metropolitan area. (see photo)
- Dean attended the Destination East trade show event in Niagara Falls, NY in late October, meeting with over 25 association and corporate planners. (see photo below)
- October saw Visit Fairfax head to a one-day sales blitz in Richmond, VA, meeting with seven Virginia state association planners in a single day.
In November, Visit Fairfax attended the Annual Conference of the American Wine Society in Winston-Salem, NC, welcoming the group to their 2025 Annual Conference, which will be held here in Fairfax County, at Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles Hotel. Dean Miller presented the group’s Executive Director, Ms. Natalie Dippenaar, with bottles of wine from our Fairfax County wineries (Paradise Springs Winery and The Winery at Bull Run) and an engraved FXVA wine corkscrew. (see photo)- November saw Visit Fairfax on the road, attending three trade show events in back-to-back weeks: Connect Southeast in Greenville, SC, Meetings Today Live! in Orlando, FL, and Connect DC in Washington, DC. We collectively met with over 90 corporate and association planners at the three shows.
- In early December, Visit Fairfax attended the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) Holiday Luncheon in Richmond, VA. More than 100 state association executives and planners attend this event every year.
- In early January 2025, we will kick off the year at the Independent Planner Education Conference (IPEC) in Atlantic City, NJ, meeting with more than 30 independent meeting planners over two and a half days.
On the Tour & Travel Side:
Lori Scott, our National and International Sales Manager, continues our efforts in the tour & travel market both domestically and internationally:
Stakeholder Spotlight! -
The latest edition of Michelin's Green Guide for Northeast America has recently been published in the French markets. The Green Guide is Michelin's premier French travel guidebook, highlighting destinations, hotels, attractions, and restaurants not to be missed in Northeast America, with a circulation of about 40,000. Visit Fairfax facilitated a January 2024 visit with the writer, in collaboration with Virginia Tourism Corporation, to showcase a variety of experiences that would appeal to the French market. In this new edition, additional places that the writer toured were mentioned along with some previous stakeholders in a special call-out on Fairfax County, including Paradise Springs Winery, Joon restaurant in Tysons, and the Workhouse Arts Center.
Tour Market Updates:
On the Road:
- Lori recently returned from Travel South International Showcase the first week of December having met with 37 international tour planners and receptive operators.
What's Next:
- Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2025, Lori will attend the American Bus Associations’ Marketplace, and Destination DC’s Annual Global Marketplace immediately following.
News and Opportunities for the Tour Market:
- After several conferences, Visit Fairfax has received several requests from International Inbound Tour Operators and Receptive Operators for new hotel product. If your hotel is interested in gaining new international group and FIT visitors for 2025, please contact Lori!
- Calling all restaurants! Did you know that the number #2 need for all leisure groups and visitors is food? In fact, as reported by Tourism Economics and Virginia Tourism Corporation, Total Visitor Spending in 2022 came in at $8.5B making up 29% of the overall spend, only being surpassed by transportation. In Fairfax County, there is a great demand for group-friendly options and more locations are desperately needed near roadways and attractions that groups are visiting. If your restaurant is interested in working with the group motorcoach industry and building upon sales, let us know and contact Lori Scott for further information and insight on this market.
- New international data has been released for our region! This information is available through the Extranet.
- Year-end wrap-up reports for our accommodation partners are available. Please contact us to schedule your reporting and review and share insights and needs in the year ahead.
On the Sports & Corporate/Government Side:
Eric Kulczycky, our National Sales Manager in charge of the sports, government and corporate markets, has been working hard on furthering Visit Fairfax's foray into sports event tourism and also in the government and corporate landscape:
Upcoming Events/Activities:
- December 18, 2024: Fairfax County Athletic Council Meeting (Fairfax, VA). The FCAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, School Board, and county agencies on matters relating to the use of public sports facilities and the programming of youth/adult sports programs in the county. Meetings take place on the third Wednesday of every month (Pennino Building at 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035; 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd floor in room 206). Please contact Eric Kulczycky at ekulczycky@fxva.com for more information.
- January 2-5, 2025: 2025 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention (Fort Washington, MD). The ABCA hosts the world's largest baseball convention (attended by more than 8,000 coaches), which features a tradeshow, meetings, clinics, and award presentations. Visit Fairfax will co-host a special client event at the show to promote Patriot Park North, Capital One Park, GMU’s Spuhler Field, and other baseball facilities throughout the county.
- Patriot Park North Video Launched to Attract Visiting Baseball/Softball Teams! Visit Fairfax has developed a Welcome Video to motivate out-of-town baseball and softball teams to register for tournaments hosted at Patriot Park North, the county’s six-diamond, turf/lighted complex. Click here to watch this video and to visit the Patriot Park North home page that showcases this amazing sports facility with an array of promotional vehicles, including a drone video, fact sheet, and interactive virtual tool.