Sales

Sales performance

The Sales team produced 286 definite bookings that generated 129,000 total room-nights for Wake County. The direct economic impact of this business totaled more than $98 million.

Notable bookings included: 

• Lenovo 2025 Kick Off Meeting, April 2025, 2,000 attendees, 2,613 total rooms; $1.1 million in economic impact 
• American Association of Woodturners 2026 Annual Symposium, June 2026, 1,200 attendees, 1,500 total rooms; $1 million in economic impact
• North American Society for Trenchless Technology No-Dig Show, March 2027, 1,750 attendees, 2,000 total rooms; $800,000 in economic impact 
• Special Operations Medical Association Scientific Assembly, April 2027 and 2028, 2,000 attendees, 2,200 total rooms; $1.4 million in economic impact (per year)
   

Business development and local connection leveraging

Successfully strategized for prospects that met the targeting guidelines of the Wake County Destination Strategic Plan (DSP). The team utilized a variety of tools to leverage the power and influence of association board and committee members who live in our community in an effort to advocate for state, regional, national and international association meetings to select Raleigh, N.C.
 

Partner engagement

Strategic focus on maintaining and developing relationships with partners. Implemented targeted engagement for full-service meeting hotels, including offering tradeshow partnerships and participation in hosted events.
 

Tradeshows and events  

Promoted Wake County at over 250 industry tradeshows and events, with exposure to planners in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Southeast regions.

Destination site visits  

Executed 32 personalized site visits with meeting professionals representing a potential $13.6 million in economic impact.

Signature client events

Hosted client events to showcase our destination to leaders and meeting professionals who have the potential to influence organizations to host their meetings in Raleigh, N.C., including:

• Visit Raleigh Meeting Professionals Summit (hosted at The Westin Raleigh-Durham Airport) 
• Visit Raleigh "Suite" Hockey Experience, hosted by the Centennial Authority 
• Carolina Hurricanes hockey experiences in Washington, D.C. 
• Six In The City Southern BBQ Experience in Chicago, Ill., and Washington, D.C.

Industry leadership and intellectual capital

Served on panels, boards and committees and in many key industry associations to position the Greater Raleigh CVB and its Sales team as leaders with influence. Organizations include:

• Eight Meeting Professionals International (MPI) chapters  
• Seven chapters of Professional Convention Management Association 
• National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals 
• American Society of Association Executives 
• Association Forum  
• Association Executives of N.C. (AENC)
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events  
• Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP)
• N.C. SGMP
• Five MPI Global Advisory Boards 
• Association of Meeting Professionals  
• Raleigh Chamber’s Young Professionals Network 
• CVBReps
   

Panelist and speaking opportunities 

• National sales manager Loretta Yingling, CMP Fellow
  • Panelist: MPI Chicago Area Chapter Leadership Day (Sept. 2024)
• Regional sales manager Kathryn Short, CMP
  • Panelist: MPI Carolinas Chapter "The ABCs of CVBs: Understanding How Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) Support Planners and Suppliers" (May 2024)
  • Panelist: National Speakers Association Carolinas Chapter "Referrers and Retainers of Professional Speakers" (Dec. 2024)
  • Host speaker: Raleigh Chamber Women’s Leadership Conference (March 2025)
  • Moderator: AENC FUEL Helping Hands panels (fall 2024 and spring 2025)
     

Industry recognition  

Kathryn Short, CMP
Certified Meeting Professional
The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program was launched in 1985 to enhance the knowledge and performance of meeting professionals, promote the status and credibility of the meeting profession and advance uniform standards of practice. Today, the CMP credential is recognized globally as the badge of excellence in the events industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam.