Weddings & Events Hotels In California | "Virginia Beach Elevates Giving to the Next Level"

Source      : visitvirginiabeach.com
Category    : Weddings & Events Hotels In California
By              : Hotels In San Diego
Posted By   : San Diego Rancho Bernardo CA Hotels


“Bring it to the Beach” isn’t just a catchy phrase our Meeting & Conventions sales teams use to entice business to Virginia Beach. Sure, they’d be thrilled to host your next conference, convention or sports event, but what they’d more enjoy is the chance to help your group make a significant mark on our city that will remain long after your return home.

The Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (VBCVB) is proud to have created a culture of compassion and empathy for our local community and the world. Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is not an occasional activity for us. As a bureau, our staff is involved in local give-back efforts throughout the year.  When our sales teams are on the road, they arrive with enthusiasm and their sleeves rolled up, ready to support whatever community project their host city has organized.  We’re leaders in the CSR realm; we walk the talk.

So we were intrigued last year when we recognized a movement within the travel and tourism industry:  meeting planners were interested in learning CSR opportunities which could be easily and seamlessly included into their conference itineraries. Sensing an emerging trend, the VBCVB decided to take the wheel and develop a program that would take CSR to the next level.

Weddings & Events Hotels In California

Our vision was realized this past fall with the rollout of a program we named “One Beach, One World.”  A comprehensive CSR initiative, “One Beach, One World” offers visiting groups the ability to build a customized CSR event into their agenda.

Currently, there are 11 local non-profits and one international organization aligned with OBOW with contacts in each entity ready to work with willing groups.  Based on area research and environmental scanning, there are involvement opportunities in six focus areas:

Several factors determine the type of project created for a particular group, including how much time a group has, how many volunteers will be involved and finally the needs of the designated organization.  In rare cases where a hands-on project may not be realistic, a monetary donation is welcomed, as was the case for our first official OBOW project.

The organizers of the 2013 Bank Travel Conference desired to support our military community during their meeting in February; however, they found themselves under strict time constraints.  We were able to successfully match them with Vetshouse, Inc., an OBOW partner which helps homeless veterans. Their unique 12-month program provides living quarters in a group environment, assistance in job hunting, transportation, and personal skill and development guidance.

At their opening gala held at the Virginia Beach Military Aviation Museum, Bank Travel officials made a $1,000 donation to Vetshouse.  This match was a perfect fit and mirrored the success we envisioned during the conceptual stages of OBOW.