Greater Phoenix CVB Launches Web Site That Caters to Religious-Meetings Market

faithinphoenix.com touts city's convention capabilities and encourages faith-based delegates to stick around for family fun

PHOENIX - Moses spent 40 years in the desert. The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau is asking modern-day believers to spend just a week or two.

The Greater Phoenix CVB and its partners have launched faithinphoenix.com, a Web site that caters to the growing religious meetings market. The site promotes recent enhancements to Phoenix's convention package, which include the expansion of the Phoenix Convention Center, the addition of 1,200 hotel rooms downtown and the construction of a state-of-the-art light rail system. More specifically, faithinphoenix.com touts the city's family-friendly attractions, downtown safety and proximity to the Grand Canyon - all selling points for faith-based delegations.

"We really set out to create a Web site that would provide one-stop shopping for religious-meeting planners," said Donald Oswald, National Convention Sales Manager for the Greater Phoenix CVB. "We can provide extraordinary value and have all the components to become one of the premier religious-conference destinations in the West."

According to a survey conducted by the Religious Conference Management Association, more than 17,500 religious meetings were held in 2005, an 8 percent increase from 2004 and the third year in a row of big gains. These meetings often attract tens of thousands of delegates. The Seventh-Day Adventists Church, for example, expects to bring 70,000 people to its general conference in 2010.

This is the market the Greater Phoenix CVB is reaching out to with faithinphoenix.com, whose launch is being accompanied by a mailing campaign that is sending customized planning guides to religious-meeting planners already in the convention sales team’s database, as well as to members of the Religious Conference Management Association.

The Web site and mailings showcase Greater Phoenix's many meeting attributes. Phoenix boasts more than 55,000 rooms at 30 full-service resorts and nearly 400 hotels; the Phoenix Convention Center is undergoing a $600 million expansion project that will triple its meeting space to nearly 900,000 square feet; and a 20-mile light-rail line will connect the expanded convention center to Sky Harbor International Airport in late 2008.

Because rising hotel and travel costs are forcing many religious groups to rethink how they plan events, faithinphoenix.com takes care to point out that Phoenix is not just an excellent site for a faith-based conference - it’s also an ideal destination for delegates who want to transform their trip into a family vacation.

"Many religious-conference attendees combine their attendance at annual conventions with summer vacations," said James Jessie, Vice President of Sales for the Phoenix CVB. "So it’s important that faithinphoenix.com provide resources and information on trips to places like the Grand Canyon, Sedona and some of local water-park attractions, just to name a few."

Sightseeing at the Grand Canyon? Driving through the red-rock buttes of Sedona? Floating along a lazy river at a resort water park? Most religious-meeting attendees would agree that these activities are indeed cause for rejoicing. Certainly Moses never had it so good.

Contact: Stephanie Heckathorne
Media Relations Manager
(602) 452-6243
sheckathorne@visitphoenix.com

posted by luv2travel! at 1:32 PM

Milwaukee's my Winter Wonderland!

There's no reason to hibernate when the snow begins to fly. Chase away the winter chill with Milwaukee's entertainment, celebration and fun in a season that's red hot. Two lively theater districts, a full schedule of non-stop professional and collegiate sports action, historical attractions and a world-class lineup of Milwaukee museums with dynamic exhibitions really turn up the heat.

Step into your own personal winter wonderland. Milwaukee County Parks offer outdoor enthusiasts the high-speed excitement of sledding and iced toboggan runs as well as the quietude of a cross-country ski excursion. And Milwaukee’s Slice of Ice in Red Arrow Park in the heart of downtown is a local favorite for two reasons: free ice-skating and a warming house with a gourmet coffee shop to ease the chill.
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A diverse restaurant scene will warm you from the inside out with everything from homegrown brewpubs, which serve up a wide variety of handcrafted beer in the best Cream City tradition, to elegant bistros overlooking Lake Michigan.

posted by luv2travel! at 1:30 PM

Festivals in Corpus Christi

March brings out the festivals in Corpus Christi - be sure not to miss these great celebrations in Southern Texas!

MARCH 1-4
Oysterfest
Salute to the oyster industry.
Plenty of food, entertainment, arts & crafts.

MARCH 2-18
Festival of the Arts
This fifth annual festival celebrates all the arts. Cultural organizations throughout the city will offer exciting events during this festival. Some events are FREE admission.

MARCH 20 - April 1
Texas Sand Fest
Master and amateur sand sculptors from around the world.

MARCH 30 - April 1
Festival of the Arts
Enjoy the fun and celebrate cultural art as the City of Corpus Christi Arts and Cultural Commission’s Performing Arts Committee presents "Chalk it up for the Arts" for the 2007 Corpus Christi Festival of the Arts.

Find these and more great events in the Corpus Christi area at the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau website!

posted by luv2travel! at 1:29 PM