Winston-Salem Officially Designated a ‘Runner Friendly Community’ |
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Winston-Salem was recently awarded the prestigious Runner Friendly Community Designation by the Road Runners Club of America. Only one other North Carolina destination (and 66 throughout the U.S.) have received the designation.
Communities must meet a set of stringent criteria to be awarded the designation, including community infrastructure, community support, government support, and additional support such as youth programs, physical activity plans, marked pathways, and more.
“The City of Winston-Salem has a wonderful relationship with our running community and supports them in various ways, including how our police department assists in safely hosting numerous running events,” said Allen Joines, Mayor of Winston-Salem. “We will continue to invest in the development of greenways and strollways to seamlessly connect individuals to our City of Arts & Innovation.”
Winston-Salem has seven city parks within five miles of downtown and at least 25 miles of greenways. The city is also home to JDL Fast Track Indoor Facility, a 105,000-square-foot facility sporting a 200-meter oval track.
"From elite athletes to family fun runs, Winston-Salem sets the pace for welcoming and hosting runners to enjoy sporting events and recreational activities," said Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem. "We're honored to be recognized as a Runner Friendly Community by the Road Runners Club and consider it a great addition to our track record as a top sporting destination for competitors and leisure travelers alike."
Run through Visit Winston-Salem’s media announcement on the news here.
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Marketing at AENC’s Annual Trade Show |
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The Association Executives of North Carolina’s (AENC) Raleigh trade show attendees on Dec. 9 got to experience the “Art of the Meeting" thanks to a delegation of Winston-Salem hospitality industry partners exhibiting at the annual event. Visit Winston-Salem sales representatives met with 150 meeting planners.
"The AENC trade show is an excellent opportunity to connect with our clients before the end of the year and thank them for their business," said Christian Schroeder, Director of Sales for Visit Winston-Salem. "It's also a time to learn about their associations' future plans, share Winston-Salem updates such as the recent refresh of the Benton South, and discuss conference opportunities for 2022 and beyond."
For more on meetings and conventions in Winston-Salem, visit here.
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TOP RIGHT: Heather Wrenn, Executive Director of the NC Chiropractic Association and current AENC President, participates in a "paint-by-number" activity at the AENC annual trade show in Raleigh. BOTTOM RIGHT: Kathryn Carroll with the NC Pediatric Society (second from right) was the Visit Winston-Salem booth giveaway winner. Carroll is pictured with Morgan Conley-Hubbard with Graylyn Estate, Karen Wall with VWS, and Christian Schroeder with VWS. |
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November Public Relations Activity |
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The marketing and communications team at Visit Winston-Salem was busy in November helping spread the good word about holiday events and hotel packages.
The holiday e-newsletter highlighting area holiday happenings and special hotel getaways was sent to 45,000 subscribers. In partnership with the Charlotte Observer, the e-newsletter got an additional boost to 900,000 consumers in Raleigh, Charlotte, Spartanburg/Greenville, and Asheville.
This year’s holiday blog posts include:
Spreading even more holiday cheer, Travel + Leisure highlighted Tanglewood's Festival of Lights as the Best Christmas Light Display in North Carolina. To share the fun, view the slideshow here.
A unique landing page dedicated to the holidays in Winston-Salem was created, promoting all the storied traditions, special events, homemade goodies, and enchanting performances the city offers during this special time of year.
To further the awareness, a holiday giveaway, "Pasts & Presents," was launched last week between Visit Winston-Salem and several travel and tourism partners. To join the fun and for a chance to win some great holiday cheer, please join us on Facebook on 12/13, 12/16, 12/19, and 12/22. To view our Facebook page, visit here.
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2022 Wine & Dine Guide Copies Available |
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Visit Winston-Salem’s 2022 Wine & Dine Guides are now available.
Contact Joey Burdette, Communication Services and Visitor Center Manager at Visit Winston-Salem, with questions and to request the guides at joey@visitwinstonsalem.com.
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Advertising Sales Underway for Winston-Salem Destination Magazine |
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Advertising sales for the annual Winston-Salem destination magazine are in full swing and local partners are encouraged to secure their custom content or traditional placement buy no later than Tuesday, Jan. 25.
More than 60,000 copies of the 76-page destination magazine are distributed to meeting planners, conference delegates, and leisure travelers considering (or already planning) visits to Winston-Salem. In addition, approximately 15 percent of the full-color, annual guides are displayed at major welcome centers throughout North Carolina, PTI Airport, AAA offices in the Southeast, and Visit NC's international offices in the UK, Germany, and Canada.
Please contact Marcheta Cole Keefer, Director of Marketing and Communications for Visit Winston-Salem, at 336-728-4211 or email marcheta@visitwinstonsalem.com.
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Reynolda House Museum of American Art Wins Preservation Award |
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Presented annually, the award is given to libraries, museums, archives, historic sites, and other organizations in North Carolina with "a mission to preserve tangible heritage of enduring value." The rehabilitation of the roof began in July 2021 and was completed in early November.
For more info, visit here.
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a/perture Selected as Sundance Film Festival Satellite Screen Partner |
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Next year, Sundance Film Festival will take place not only in-person in Utah and online, Jan. 20-30, but a/perture will show a specially-curated selection of six to eight films from the Festival’s official program during the Festival’s closing weekend.
The program was recently announced and the eight films can be learned about here. For more information, visit here.
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Mark your 2022 calendar for the upcoming tourism industry meetings:
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Association for Visitors Attractions (AVA): Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. – Virtual – For login information, please contact Alanna Meltzer-Holderfield at amholderfield@musews.org.
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VWS Industry Sales / Director of Sales: Thursday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. – Virtual – For meeting login information, please contact Emily Kaartunen at emily@visitwinstonsalem.com.
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SAVE THE DATE: Flip.to to Speak at January FCHA Meeting |
The Forsyth County Hotel Association (FCHA) will host Edward St. Onge, president and creator of Flip.to, as its guest speaker on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Marriott Winston-Salem Downtown.
Flip.to is a marketing platform that connects, inspires, and helps convert travelers to book their next getaway at hotels through Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. St. Onge will provide more information about the platform, as well as helpful marketing tips.
Please note, there is a fee to attend and RSVPs are required.
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SECU Family House Chooses Legacy Stables as New ‘Men Who Cook’ Venue |
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SECU Family House’s annual Men Who Cook fundraiser is back with big plans in 2022.
New venue location Legacy Stables & Events will grant the chefs and participants 12,000 square feet of space for fundraising fun, Saturday, March 19.
Men Who Cook brings together local celebrity chefs and their cooking teams who battle it out to feed 400 hungry attendees. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, visit here.
SECU Family House provides affordable lodging and support services in a caring environment for referred adult patients and/or their caregivers who travel to Winston-Salem for medical treatment. From January to October of 2021, the 45-room SECU Family House served 3,181 overnight guests and remains an important component to Winston-Salem's hospitality industry.
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Upcoming Events & Happenings |
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There is lots of holiday cheer being spread around Winston-Salem this month thanks to an abundance of special events, productions, and more. Below are some highlights. For our entire events list, visit here.
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The holiday exhibit and art sale, “There’s No Place Like Home for The Holidays: A Holiday Exhibit and Art Sale,” continues at Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts through Dec. 31. For more info, visit here.
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Theatre Alliance begins production of “Elf: The Musical” on Dec. 16 through Dec. 21. For more info, visit here.
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The final Salem Saturday at Old Salem Museums & Gardens takes place Dec. 18. For more info, visit here.
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Triad Cultural Arts’ Kwanzaa celebration begins Dec. 26 and lasts through Jan. 1. For more info, visit here.
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Kaleideum rings in the New Year with Noon Year’s Eve from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 31. For more info, visit here.
As a friendly reminder, Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Old Salem Museums & Gardens are closed in January for annual archival cleaning and restoration.
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