VIRGINIA BEACH HIGHLIGHTS

• Virginia Beach offers more than 12,000 hotel rooms citywide and more than 3,500 committable rooms within 2.5 miles of the convention center.

• Virginia Beach’s cuisine revolves around local seafood and produce. Many of the city’s nearly 300 restaurants, along with the talented F&B team at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, make it a point to use fresh, indigenous ingredients whenever possible.

• Centrally located on the East Coast, Virginia Beach is just 20 minutes from Norfolk International Airport, which offers 80 daily departures and 22 nonstop destinations, and is just 45 minutes from Newport News/ Williamsburg International Airport. Virginia Beach is a four-hour drive from Washington, D.C., and seven hours from New York City.

Convenient CSR Groups looking to give back while meeting in Virginia Beach can pair up with a local charity or nonprofit organization through the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, whose newly unveiled corporate social responsibility program, “One Beach, One World,” has matched groups with organizations benefiting a number of causes, from homelessness to sustainability.

divided halls is supported by its own services, including meeting-room suites, concessions, show-management ofices, storage rooms, prefunction and registration spaces, and other support areas. Virginia Beach’s ideal location combines

the best of a bustling metropolitan city and a laid-back, beach lifestyle — a perfect setting for all kinds of meetings. The first conven- tion center in the country to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings, the Virginia Beach Convention Center has implemented a number of eco-conscious initiatives, including energy-saving lighting, HVAC systems, and recycling, composting, and conscientious F&B programs. These forward-thinking initiatives underscore how the center is leading the destination in a tire- less commitment to ecological stewardship. Finally, there’s never been a better time to

book — and save — in Virginia Beach. When planners book a meeting or event, the Vir- ginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau will extend a credit of up to $2,500 toward

PCMA.ORG

the group’s master account at either its des- ignated hotel or the Virginia Beach Conven- tion Center. To qualify, new future meetings booked between April 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2013, that are actualized prior to December 2015 will receive 100-percent credit based on total, actualized room nights. Total room nights range from 150 to 1,501, and credits range from $150 to $2,500. Additionally, should a meeting or convention actualize during the months of November and Decem- ber, from 2012 through 2015, or January through March, from 2013 through 2015, and book multiple years with the destination, the organization can receive up to an additional $750 bonus toward a charity of its choice or its master account.

For more information: Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau — Al Hutchin- son, Vice President of Convention Sales & Marketing; (757) 385-4700 or (800) 700- 7702; ahutchin@visitvirginiabeach.com; visitvirginiabeach.com/meetings

• Attractions in Virginia Beach are varied and plentiful. Favorites include the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Ocean Breeze Waterpark, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Town Center, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Grommet Island Beach Park & Playground, Military Aviation Museum, and Virginia Beach Boardwalk — to name a few.

CONVENTION CENTER SPECS

Total space • More than 500,000 square feet

Total column-free exhibit space • 150,000 square feet

Total meeting space • 29,000 square feet

Ballroom space • 31,000 square feet

Number of meeting rooms • 26

Maximum theater capacity • 13,000

Maximum banquet capacity • 2,000

Free parking spaces • 2,209

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