The sales team at Visit Fairfax is hard at work promoting and selling Fairfax County as a prime meeting destination. From virtual tradeshows and virtual FAM tours to in-person conferences, events, and meetings, our sales managers are planning many exciting strategies to represent the great assets and businesses of Fairfax County.

Here is a snapshot of some upcoming events, activities, and appointments our sales team is working on. The team is always happy to share updates and notes from these events, so feel free to reach out at any time.
 


On the Associations/Reunions Side:

Dean Miller, our National Sales Manager in the Associations/Reunions markets, has been on the road at tradeshows and seeking new leads for Fairfax County. Here are some recent updates:

  • Flowers Family Reunion - Sales - NewsletterJune saw us host The Flowers Family Reunion, one of the largest family reunion groups we’ve ever had the privilege of having with us here in Fairfax County.  More than 300 extended family members filled the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner and two overflow hotels nearby.  Visit Fairfax assisted the group in obtaining a professional photographer to take their reunion photo on the Hilton’s front lawn. (see photo) 
  • The end of June saw us in Niagara Falls, NY, attending The Military Reunion Network’s annual Educational Summit, where we met with the planners for more than 25 military reunion groups over the course of three days.  Interest in the new National Museum of the United States Army (here in Fairfax County) and the proposed Navy Museum (being planned for downtown Washington, DC) was very strong.  Fairfax County will host this event in June of 2024, at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport.  Planners for more than 40 military reunion groups are expected to attend.
  • July took us to Nashville, TN, where we attended Meetings Today Live! and met with more than 25 association and corporate meeting planners over three days. (see photo) 
  • Mid-August will see us in Minneapolis, MN, for the Connect Marketplace trade show event.  Dean Miller will meet with 30+ association planners over the course of three days, while Eric Kulczycky will meet with an equal number of corporate meeting planners at this national event.
  • Meetings Today Live - Sales - Tradeshows - NewsletterSeptember will kick off with the full-day Summer Camp event at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, VA.  More than 200 locally-based planners are expected to attend, and Visit Fairfax and our friends at Visit Loudoun will be the two “Marquee Sponsors” for this well-attended, well-received educational and networking conference, sponsored by FLEX (the Fairfax Loudoun Event Executives).
  • As we do every October, we’ll travel to Richmond, VA for the annual Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) Fall Conference & Expo, where we’ll exhibit in front of more than 100 state association executives and planners.  Five of our great Fairfax County meeting hotels will join us in our booth at the expo, for what is always a great show.
  • We’ll travel to Uncasville, CT in mid-October for Destination East, where we’ll meet one-on-one with 25+ planners from associations and corporations based in the Northeastern United States.
  • And we’ll wrap up October with a three-day sales mission to central North Carolina, along with nine of our Virginia DMO colleagues from around the Commonwealth.  We’ll meet with planners from various association and corporate groups based in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill metropolitan area.



On the Tour & Travel Side: 

Lori Scott, our National and International Sales Manager, continues our efforts in the tour & travel market both domestically and internationally:

  • It's the summer of preparation here at Visit Fairfax. Many conferences are coming up for the tour market including Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA), CRUSA's Global Travel Exchange, and Brand USA Travel Week.
  • Hotel Surveys have come out. If you are a hotelier who hasn't yet responded, please respond to yours today. They are critically important and allow us to provide more qualified leads to your property.
  • Visit Fairfax has been sourcing and contacting restaurants throughout the county locating those that would like more group business and how we can assist in bringing more to you. Lori is working one on one with restaurants to discuss the difference between groups, and tour and travel groups and how restaurants can tap into this beneficial market.  If you would like to learn more about how to attract larger groups to your restaurant, contact Lori (LScott@fxva.com).
  • If your group-friendly attraction or experience has any updates you would like us to share at conferences please email Lori directly at LScott@fxva.com.
     


On the Sports & Corporate/Government Side:

Eric Kulczycky, our National Sales Manager in charge of the sports, government and corporate markets, has been working hard on furthering Visit Fairfax's foray into sports event tourism and also in the government and corporate landscape:

 

Upcoming Conferences and Meetings:

  • August 22-24, 2023: CONNECT Sports Marketplace (Minneapolis, MN).  CONNECT Sports is an annual education conference and tradeshow bringing together sports event planners and suppliers for three days of general sessions, workshops, and pre-set appointments.
  • September 11-14, 2023: S.P.O.R.T.S. Relationship Conference (South Bend, IN).  S.P.O.R.T.S. is an exclusive, space-limited show offering pre-qualified, one-on-one appointments that are twice as long as those at similar industry events.  Approximately 75 event planners will be on site for eight hours of appointment sessions over the course of the show. 
  • September 20, 2023: Fairfax County Athletic Council Meeting. The FCAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, School Board, and county agencies on matters relating to the use of public sports facilities and the programming of youth/adult sports programs in the county.  Meetings currently take place on the third Wednesday of every month at the Pennino Building (across from the Fairfax County Government Center) at 7:30 p.m.  Please contact Eric Kulczycky at ekulczycky@fxva.com for more information. 
  • October 2-5, 2023: TEAMS Conference & Expo (West Palm Beach, FL).  Visit Fairfax will have the opportunity to network with prospective and current clients and have access to lead information generated through 70+ appointments at one of the sports travel industry’s largest tradeshows.

Past Events/Activities:

  • Fairfax County Athletic Council Meeting (June 21 and July 19, 2023).  The FCAC serves in an advisory capacity to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, School Board, and county agencies on matters relating to the use of public sports facilities and the programming of youth/adult sports programs in the county.  Meetings take place on the third Wednesday of every month (Pennino Building at 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035; 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd floor in room 206).  Please contact Eric Kulczycky at ekulczycky@fxva.com for more information.    
  • 2023 SGMP NEC (June 6-8; Bloomington, MN).  Attended the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) National Education Conference (NEC), the largest annual event in the government meetings industry.  Government event planners from across the country convened for industry education, award ceremonies, and networking.