We are pleased to share this blog entry from Tim Mabe, President HPCVB
It has been an honor and privilege to serve as President and CEO of the High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau over the past four years. During that time, our organization has undergone quite a transformation. Not only have we moved to a more prominent location, but we have also created a state-of-the-art Regional Visitors Center, equipped with touchscreen interactive kiosks and a broader regional focus to better serve our visitors.
The new Regional Visitors Center is only the second one of its kind in North Carolina. And, the number of visitors to the new Regional Visitors Center since our grand opening last August has already surpassed the total number of visitors for the entire fiscal year at our former location, which indicates that the Regional Visitors Center is serving well the needs of people who are coming to our city.
We have also developed strong partnerships and relationships that matter to both our citizens and our visitors. By engaging key leaders in conversations impacting the city of High Point, we are leading visionary initiatives to foster changes in our city that will result in a more positive experience for residents and guests alike as a prominent year-round destination for people from around the globe.
We not only have recognized the need for broader economic development initiatives to add to the ones that are already working, but, we are also the leading advocate for crucial development that is needed to revitalize the core city. Our partners and sponsors support our vision and have contributed more than a quarter million dollars to our efforts. This money is now being used to further broaden our vision to bring more retail and dining options as well as other attractions to draw tourists into the core city.
We have many new and innovative initiatives that are highly successful:
- Community Relations Program – A diverse and broad set of community leaders from throughout the city are now working to bring together people from different sections of the community to generate ideas and feed energy and information to the High Point CVB Board members.
- Interior Designer Program – Local interior designers available to assist visitors with furniture purchases in local retail stores and select showrooms otherwise not open to the public.
- Preferred Member Program – Partnerships with service providers in High Point and the surrounding area to ensure that High Point is a destination that meets the high expectations of quality and service of our visitors.
- Realtor Certification – A training program for realtors about the city of High Point. Attendees will be included on a list of Certified Real Estate Agents, which will be given to people who are interested in moving to our city.
- Saturday Events – Events designed to shine a spotlight on area businesses including restaurant tastings, wine tastings, new technology, and even arts and crafts.
- ServSafe Program – A training program that leads the way in providing current and comprehensive educational materials to the restaurant industry.
The High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau has a new logo and tagline, and is continuing to build upon that new vision. We are ever more effective, flexible, unifying, inclusive, responsive, innovative, and action-oriented. Tourism in High Point accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars a year, so achieving our mission and purpose is extremely critical to the entire greater High Point area as a tourist destination.
High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau successfully markets High Point to the world. Visitors (not including the Furniture Market) totaled more than 200,000 last year alone. Clearly, tourism and the economic impact from visitors is critical to our local economy. The High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau believes that significant growth in tourism is the most critical piece to creating successful revitalization efforts, as well as ensuring the sustainability of the assets that we already have.