For the second time in five years, Charlotte hosted the American Bus Association’s Annual Marketplace, one of the premier industry events for group travel. More than 3,000 tourism industry professionals attended the trade show last week, with all receiving a healthy dose of memorable group travel experiences in Charlotte, the region and the state. Attendees enjoyed networking opportunities through more than 100,000 scheduled, face-to-face business appointments, evening events, dine-arounds, sightseeing tours, tradeshow exhibits and more. The N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development and Visit Charlotte were extremely excited to host a convention that plays such a vital role in the group travel industry. According to the ABA, motorcoach travel in North Carolina had a direct economic impact of $1.1 billion and provided more than 18,000 jobs in 2012.
The Opening Ceremony featured the Division’s Director of Tourism Marketing Wit Tuttell welcoming everyone back to North Carolina. Mike Butts, executive director of Visit Charlotte, told the delegates of the exciting events planned throughout Charlotte for the week and Mike Helton, president of NASCAR, revved up ABA attendees with a presentation touting the bright future of the sport and its impact on ABA businesses.
The Division was proud to be the title sponsor for the Marketplace’s first evening event at Discovery Place. The event called “The Big Sh’Bang” encouraged guests to experience the wonders of the state and see Discovery Place’s $31.6 million full venue facelift. Monday’s evening event, “Rev It Up at the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” illustrated the past, present and future legacy that makes the sport one of the nation’s most popular. Tuesday evening, the Division and 36 of its partners hosted 72 tour operators for an event at one of Charlotte’s trendiest restaurants, Mez. The evening provided a time for destination marketing organizations, hotels and attractions to have some one-on-one networking time with many influential U.S. and Canadian tour operators.
The Division took 48 appointments with tour operators during the week, promoting group travel throughout the state. And with more than 70 other North Carolina appointment-taking partners, tourism in the state was heavily promoted to all operators. Most of its constituents and the Division met early Tuesday morning to share leads and discuss market trends. The Division will have these qualified leads available in the coming weeks.