Please help us in congratulating Teresa Diaz, who has completed New Supervisor Training! She will be supervising Curtis Weaver, our CMS Specialist.
Congrats, T!
The Newest CMP
The Virginia Beach Convention Center is proud to announce that Sabrina Rinaldo is the latest in the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP). The prestigious CMP certification acknowledges a rigorous course of study of professional standards of the Events Industry Council, formerly Convention Industry Council. Sabrina, an employee of the Center’s exclusive catering firm Distinctive Gourmet is Director of Catering Sales. She has been with the Center since 2011 and was formerly with the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Sabrina has an MBA from Florida International University, is active in the local chapter of the International Live Events Association and recently served on the board of directors of the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association.
Showing our pride
Check out our new logo variant for use at a LGBT show in New York in September, and more!
CD- IAVM Conference
VBCC General Manager Recognized at National Conference Courtney Dyer recently traveled to Nashville to attend the International Association of the Venue Managers (IAVM) Conference where Courtney was recognized for 40+ years of service and won a great table A Virginia Beach native, Courtney began his career with the City of Virginia Beach in 1972 at the Virginia Beach Civic Center (aka The Dome) where he learned the fundamentals of venue management. In 1980, Courtney became part of the opening team for the Pavilion Convention Center, where he held various positions including event coordinator, assistant manager, to general manager. In 2001, Courtney was intricately involved in the planning, design and construction of the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Courtney is a Certified Facilities Executive who has also served on the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad for 30 years as an EMT. He is now on the Advisory Board and Foundation Board of Directors.
VB featured in Jon Schmieder’s new book!
Jon Schmieder, a widely known sports tourism industry consultant, is writing his second book on Sports Service. We are highlighted in Chapter 1.
Check the excerpt below!
Event Bidding Best Practice Spotlight – Virginia Beach
Nancy Helman, Director of Sports Marketing for Virginia Beach, says her organization has a Golden Rule, “Don’t write checks with your mouth, that your body can’t cash.” Virginia Beach Sports Marketing is widely considered one of the top sports commissions in the country. That didn’t happen by chance, as Nancy points out, “If you commit to something during the bidding or negotiation process, you better deliver. Every time. This industry, even with the rapid growth over the past 10 years, is still relatively small and close knit. Event owners talk to each other. Remember that.”
Their record speaks for itself. Virginia Beach Sports Marketing has a client return rate of 86%, which is something critically important to their work and Nancy points out, “That number is really important to us. Our team is dedicated to ensure that every event in Virginia Beach is successful.” One of the things that she says sets the Virginia Beach team apart is their staff make-up. They are all event professionals first, sales people second, “Every member of our team from top to bottom started our careers in the event business. We aren’t “sales people,” we are a team of professionals who know how to locate, bid on, negotiate and deliver successful events. We know what event owners want because we try to see events through their eyes. In order to create a mutually beneficial relationship, having the ability to create a fiscally responsible event is necessary, so business decisions need to be made. However, at the end of the day, when the event is wrapped up, we want event owners to say, ‘This was my most successful event ever and if the opportunity presents itself, I am coming back to Virginia Beach because they get it.’”
VBCC Forklift Training
Check out Event Coordinator, Samantha Bernheim, acing her VBCC Forklift training by Instructor, Event Coordinator Keith Bernstein!
