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 trade shows and seeking new leads for Fairfax County. Here are some recent updates:

  • Fairfax County played host to the Annual Conference of the American Wine Society at Marriott Westfields in early November. We enhanced the group’s event by arranging for Thomas Jefferson, the Father of Virginia Wine, to attend the group’s opening reception and speak about viticulture in the 18th and 19th centuries.  At the group’s opening breakfast the following morning, Visit Fairfax President and CEO Barry Biggar offered words of welcome to the attendees and drew the name of the winner of a “Taste of Fairfax County” gift basket. Both of our Fairfax County wineries - The Winery at Bull Run and Paradise Springs Winery- were actively involved in the group’s conference.
  • Also in early November, we attended the Meetings Today Live! trade show event in New Orleans, LA, where we met with twenty corporate and association planners over two days.
  • And we closed out the month at the Fairfax Loudoun Event Executives (FLEX) breakfast meeting, held at the Archer Hotel Tysons.  The group’s January 2026 breakfast meeting will be held at the Hilton Fairfax.  Visit Fairfax was instrumental in securing both programs for Fairfax County hotels.
  • We’ll kick off December at the Connect DC trade show event in downtown Washington, DC, where Dean Miller and Eric Kulczycky will each meet with more than 25 association and corporate planners based here in the National Capital area.
  • And we’ll travel to Richmond, VA, for the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) holiday luncheon, where more than one hundred state association executives and meeting planners will be in attendance.
  • The December 2025 issue of Reunions magazine (www.reunionsmag.com) is full of mentions of Fairfax County, including a full-page article about George Washington’s Mount Vernon, an article about the USS Ranger Association, a Navy reunion group that held its 2025 reunion at the Hyatt Regency Dulles, and Dean Miller’s regular “Hospitality Answerman” column.

AND, in case you missed it, at the end of 2025, we will be bidding farewell to our colleague Dean Miller as he sets off into retirement after 35 amazing years in the Fairfax County hospitality industry. Congratulations, Dean! We will miss you!


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!

Congratulations to the National Museum of the United States Army for being awarded as one of the American Bus Association's “Best of the Best-Cultural Institute in the United States” for 2025.


Events and Happenings:

  • In partnership with Visit Williamsburg and Visit Charlottesville, Visit Fairfax sponsored the WorldStrides Vendor Showcase, promoting the official VA 250 itinerary; the American History Road Trip, and our VA250 Commemorative Partners at George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the National Museum of the United States Army, who are prominent, and pivotal destinations and experiences for groups focusing on America’s 250th in 2026. 
  • As part of Visit Fairfax’s and Lori’s dedication to student youth travel, we partnered with the Student Youth Foundation, and the Student Youth Travel Association, at its Golf Tournament and Reception at Disney Springs Planet Hollywood and Eagle Creek Country Club in Orlando, hosts of the foundation’s annual fundraiser where Visit Fairfax sponsored youth in the tournament and did branding at both the tournament and Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs. Visit Fairfax would also like to thank our stakeholders at Primo Family Restaurant and IHG Hotels, and our neighbors at Medieval Times for their support of the event and for the foundation. 
  • In early November, Visit Fairfax attended the National Travel Association Conference meeting with tour planners from one of our top markets, Mexico with meetings with Despegar and Julia Tours, and with domestic planners, including Tauck Tours and Mayflower Cruises and Tours as we finalize itineraries for 2026 and into 2027. 
  • In early December, Visit Fairfax attended Travel South International Showcase holding appointments with 32 international planners from our top markets of Brazil, Germany, India, and the UK. 
  • Following Travel South International Showcase, 16 tour planners and travel agencies from 7 countries came back to Virginia with Lori to visit the state of Virginia for a multi-day Familiarization Tour where the group made up of buyers and agencies from Germany, India, the UK and Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Italy spent time in Shenandoah, Loudoun and Winchester before returning and visiting for a day and a half in Fairfax County where we showcased George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the JW Marriott, Great Falls Park, Tysons Corner Center, Bombay Tandoor, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, and the Winter Walk of Lights, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy/National Air and Space Museum. Thank you to our incredible partners for demonstrating and showing the world why Fairfax County is the place to be! 


What's Next:

  • At the start of the new year and in the first quarter of 2026, Lori will be attending the American Bus Associations’ Marketplace followed by Heritage Club International – Peer Group 2026 and returning for a sales mission to India with Virginia State Tourism. 


Opportunities for You:

  1. We need more experiences! We receive countless requests for group experiences for seniors, outdoor soft-adventure experiences, guided tours, culinary classes and demos, etc. If you are interested in attracting more groups and more visitors, please contact Lori Scott.
  2. After the past several conferences, Visit Fairfax continues to receive requests from International Inbound Tour Operators and Receptive Operators for new hotel product. This is expanding with notice on Europe, India, and Latin America. If your hotel is interested in gaining new international group and FIT visitors let us know. We soon will be running campaigns with hotel third-party sellers so why not get ahead of the market and the promotions by securing a better rate with direct contracting.

 

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:

  • New Sports Venues Expand Year-Round Event-Hosting Opportunities. There are two new exciting sports venues in Fairfax County: the renovated Mount Vernon Rec Center (MVRC) in Alexandria and the Down the Line Sports Center in Annandale.  After a comprehensive renovation, MVRC now features two state-of-the-art, NHL-regulation ice sheets, making it an ideal location for hockey, figure skating, and other events. The Down the Line Sports Center offers 12 championship pickleball courts, golf simulators, a pro shop, and a full-service restaurant and bar.  Together, these venues enhance the county’s ability to host year-round travel sports competitions while also serving as valuable community assets that promote active, healthy lifestyles for residents of all ages.

Past Events/Activities:

  • October 13-16, 2025: TEAMS Conference & Expo (Columbus, OH). In partnership with other CVBs in the state that are part of the Sports Virginia tourism alliance, Visit Fairfax will have the opportunity to network with prospective clients and have access to lead information generated through 70+ appointments at one of the sports travel industry’s largest tradeshows. At TEAMS, Visit Fairfax will also host two client events, one in partnership with Visit Prince William and Tour Stafford as part of its SportsNOVA regional sports tourism alliance, and the other with Sports Virginia, the coalition of DMOs, sports commissions, and other tourism partners dedicated to promoting Virginia as a premier destination for sporting events and tournaments.
  • October 15, 2025: 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.