Fairfax County, VA - August 30, 2010 - Late next month, Visit Fairfax (www.fxva.com) and the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport will play host to more than 20 military reunion planners during a four-day workshop and familiarization tour to help them coordinate future gatherings with their "brothers (and sisters) in arms" in Fairfax County and the greater National Capital Region. The participants, who represent groups from all four branches of the US Armed Services, are members of The Reunion Friendly Network (RFN), a national organization dedicated to educating military reunion planners (www.reunionfriendly.com).
"Fairfax County and the National Capital Region are particularly attractive to military reunion groups because of the wide variety of area attractions celebrating the service and sacrifice of America's veterans," says Dean Miller, National Sales Manager for Visit Fairfax.
In addition to Fairfax County's own George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the County's central location and close proximity to the monuments and memorials of Washington, Civil War battlefields, Arlington National Cemetery and the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico all make it a popular choice.
Over the course of the visit, which is scheduled to run from September 23rd through the 26th, participants will sit in on planning seminars and keynote speeches, spend time in a special exhibitor marketplace, and tour attractions throughout the region that make it a premier "Military Reunion Friendly" destination. In addition to visits to the Smithsonian, the US Capitol Visitors' Center and the monuments, tour highlights include:
-
A sneak peek of the planned National Museum of the United States Army, which will be located at Fort Belvoir (groundbreaking is scheduled for 2012) - presented by retired USMC Lt. Col. Jeb Bennett, Program Director of the museum, who led the development of the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico;
-
A poignant, private wreath-laying ceremony at General Washington's tomb at Mount Vernon (available to any group upon request); and
-
A virtual tour of the available Spy Tours in and around Washington, DC.
"We're proud that Fairfax County will be a part of their reunion experience," says Miller. "September's program is a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation and give a little back to those who have done so much for all Americans at home and abroad."
Visit Fairfax is the official tourism organization for Fairfax County, Virginia. Charged with destination marketing and tourism promotion, it is directed by many of the County's top tourism and hospitality leaders. For more information, please visit www.fxva.com.
# # #