Athens CVB Newsletter January 2013

Athens Now:

The monthly newsletter of the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau

In This Issue...

Classic Center Expansion

We need Judges!

Sales Updates

Hospitality Newsmakers

Welcome!

Classic Center Expansion

The Classic Center expansion, which will add an 8,000-sq.-ft. atrium and double the Exhibit Hall space and capacity to 6,100, is in its final weeks! Two Grand Opening festivities are planned.

A free Community Open House will take place Saturday, February 16, from 2 - 6 p.m., and feature musical and theatrical entertainment for all ages. The Open House is free and open to the public; tickets are required and are available at The Classic Center Box Office.

On Wednesday, February 27, a Grand Opening Gala will be an elegant affair, followed by The Boston Pops playing in the Theatre. The Athens hospitality community will be represented at displays throughout the new Grand Hall.

Attendees at the Jan. 9 tour

Local elected officials have gotten a sneak preview of the new spaces on a recent series of tours. In addition to seeing the expansions firsthand, Mayor Denson and Athens-Clarke County Commissioners have heard of the economic impact larger groups will have on our community through increased spending at a wide range of local businesses.

Be a star- judge student projects!

We need JUDGES

Spring will be here before we know it, and spring is the season of student conferences in Athens.

One of the reasons Athens has retained these important educational conferences is the level of service they receive, along with the general hospitality and resources of our community.

In particular, the highlight of several of these student conferences is competitions of student projects in a wide range of fields, from photography to web design to the healthcare field. These competitions require hundreds of judges. The Athens CVB and Classic Center, along with the conference planners, are appealing to our local community to volunteer to judge.

Technology Students of America (February 28 and March 1)
Health Occupation Students Assn. (March 7-8)
Family, Community, and Career Leaders of America (March 15)

If you can help, please contact CVB Sales Manager Kelli McCain at 706-357-4410, or kmccain@VisitAthensGA.com. Typically, there are both morning and afternoon timeslots, with a commitment of no more than four hours.

Sales Updates

CVB Director Chuck Jones, Classic Center Executive Director Paul Cramer, and new Sales Account Executive Marvin Nunnally will attend the Religious Conference Management Association's (RCMA) Emerge 2013 Conference in Minneapolis Jan. 29-31, where they will promote the expansion at The Classic Center. The expansion will allow Athens to host larger and more regional and national religious gatherings. For the first time, suppliers and meeting planners are able to request appointments during this year's expo. The CVB and Classic Center are currently working strong leads from previous RCMA shows. This is the third consecutive year that the CVB and Classic Center have exhibited at RCMA.

CVB Director of Sales Tripp McKenney will host a lunch with the HelmsBriscoe team in Atlanta in late January. He will also represent the CVB at the Georgia Society of Association Executives (GSAE) luncheon in February at the Georgia World Congress Center. Tripp continues to make in-person visits to Atlanta-based planners.

In December 2012, the CVB, The Classic Center, and the UGA Hotel co-sponsored the GSAE Holiday Luncheon, with a focus on new and expanded meeting facilities, restaurants, and attractions. Athens plans to be a sponsor at this luncheon again in December 2013.

Hannah Smith

Hospitality Newsmakers

CVB Sales Manager Kelli McCain has been named to the board of Create Athens. Her term began in December 2012 and may be renewed after a year.

Hannah Smith, CVB Director of Marketing and Communications, will serve on the board of the Historic Heartland Travel Association for the 2013-2014 term.

Welcome!

In our December newsletter, we said farewell to several employees. We're thrilled to follow up with words of welcome to new employees! These integral members of the CVB and Classic Center sales staff will be out and about meeting the local hospitality community over the next several weeks; please extend them a warm welcome.

Rachel Watkins

Rachel Watkins is the new CVB Information Coordinator. Rachel has already been a wonderful cheerleader for Athens in her PR and marketing role for Avid Bookshop, and we are thrilled that she will be bringing her talents to the CVB. Rachel will continue working with Avid, in addition to her part-time job with us.

The Classic Center has also promoted and hired several new staff members:

Meredith Faulkner is Director of Marketing, the position held by Angi Harben. A Georgia native, Meredith recently relocated from Jackson, Wyoming, where she gained experience in marketing, promotions, and sales.
Jessica Russell is the new Social & Events Account Manager, the position held by Alicia Brasher, who has moved over to Convention Sales. Jessica had been catering manager for Sweet Peppers Deli.
Lisa Jeffers, hired last fall as New Business Recruitment Coordinator in the marketing department, has moved to the sales department as Outside Sales Account Executive.
Lindsey Gabriel replaces Lisa Jeffers as New Business Recruitment Coordinator.
Allison Perfetti has been hired as Theatre Event Planner and will assist Elizabeth Wythe, who was promoted last fall to Assistant Theatre Manager.
Emily Toon has been hired as Operations Coordinator.
Alex Kibler, formerly operations coordinator, has been promoted to Event Coordinator.