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Media News & Information
Article by Travel Writer Tamar Alexia Fleishman of the Herald-Dispatch/Huntington, West Virginia
Article by Travel Writer Robert Sandlass of the Baltimore Sun
Press Release: Chocolate Lover's Event, Friday, February 12, 2010
Press Release: Community Ambassador Program (CAP), January 25, 20100
Press Release: Olde Towne Curb Market's New Manager Announced, February 26, 2010
Press Release: "Pork-a-razzi" Photo Contest, February 23, 2010
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Press Release: Smithfield & Isle of Wight CVB Visitation Increase in 2009
(left to right) Collin Norman, Docent, Cheryl Whitener, Visitor Center Manager and Karen Vogel, Docent at the Visitor Center’s welcome desk on tourism’s half of 319 Main St.
(left to right) Patti Garver, Arts Center@ 319 Assistant Director, Val Johnson, Resident Artist and Kathy Beem, Volunteer Docent at the Arts Center’s gallery/gift shop on their half of 319 Main St.
Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism
announces 2009 Increase in Visitation
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Smithfield, Virginia
The end of the year numbers are in and Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism is pleased to announce a 91% increase in annual visitation to the Visitor Center for 2009. The Smithfield & Isle of Wight Visitor Center has posted double digit increases every month this past year with better than a 100% increase in visitation during the months of April, May and December and a better than 200% increase in visitation during the month of June.
Smithfield & Isle of Wight Director of Tourism, Judy Winslow, attributes the increases to the passionate partnership between Tourism and the Arts and the opening of the new Visitor and Arts Centers at 319 Main Street in Smithfield. According to Winslow, additional contributing factors include a strong special events program; successful target marketing including Williamsburg blitzes, a new state-of-the-art website and weekly email blasts; superb customer service from Visitor Center staff and management; and the unwavering support from Smithfield & Isle of Wight tourism stakeholders including the attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops.
The most significant percentage of visitors come from Virginia with Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida as the other state’s topping the Smithfield and Isle of Wight visitation list. Smithfield and Isle of Wight were also able to retain a high rate of return visitors with 51% having previously visited the destination and 49% being first time guests.
Contact us for further information or high resolution images of the Visitors Center or Arts Center.
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Press Release:
Smithfield & Isle of Wight at the state's East Coast Gateway Welcome Center
Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism featured
at the State's East Coast Gateway Welcome Center
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Smithfield, Virginia
Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism is the featured Virginia destination at the state’s East Coast Gateway Welcome Center on I-64 in New Kent County for the month of January 2010. As the featured destination, Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism has created a display featuring banners exclaiming the destination’s tag line Hams, History, Hospitality and HeART as well as objects that exemplify each word. Also included in the display are large banners featuring Smithfield and Isle of Wight images, affixed to the front of the Center’s information desk; an entry box for registering to win a genuine Smithfield Ham; brochures featuring the destination as a get-away or day trip and one for upcoming special events; a digital screen featuring scenes from Smithfield and Isle of Wight; and suspended flying pigs created by the artists of the Isle of Wight Arts League and the Arts Center @319.
Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism’s display will be seen by the many visitors who stop by the Center - on average 150,000 per month. In addition to the display, Tourism staff, as well as the towns’ and counties’ tourism stakeholders, have an opportunity to “man” the East Cost Gateway Welcome Center at a table promoting the destination.
Contact us for further information or high resolution images.
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Press Release: Smithfield Ham featured in Saveur Cover Story
Smithfield, Virginia’s HAM featured as cover story in December issue of Saveur Magazine
Friday, December 11, 2009
Smithfield, Virginia
One doesn’t often think of a Smithfield Ham as “cover girl” material but this December, Saveur Magazine has featured the succulent holiday treat in all its glory on the cover and in a 20-page full-color spread. The December issue of the magazine is dedicated to the pursuit of ham and Smithfield, Virginia is front and center. Saveur's cover story by Executive Editor Dana Bowen compares the ham making traditions of Smithfield, Virginia and Parma, Italy. It's a beautiful story that will leave you craving a ham biscuit and wanting to visit Smithfield in person.
The crew from Saveur Magazine made its pilgrimage to the home of hams, history, hospitality and heART, September 25th, 26th and 27th - just in time to attend the Isle of Wight Museum’s commemoration of building the world’s largest Ham Biscuit (as documented by the Guinness Book of World Records. The biscuit was built in 2002 during Smithfield’s 250th anniversary celebration.). The magazine calls Smithfield, Virginia one of the most important capitals of cured pork in the world and chronicles’ the history of ham in the Smithfield and Surry areas. The article also recounts the magazine crews visit to Smithfield Station Hotel, Restaurant and Marina and Smithfield Foods; as well as encounters with Henrietta Gwaltney, the great granddaughter of the legendary Smithfield ham producer, P.D. Gwaltney; Larry Santure, Smithfield Foods Senior Business Manager for dry-cured meats; and local resident, Janice Scott-the former manager of the Smithfield Inn and caterer extraordinaire. Plus, the article highlights 14 recipes for dishes incorporating honey glazed to country style ham.
If you've never been to Smithfield, make a point of going, not just for the ham, but for the charming Main Street, which is traditional small town Virginia at its best. Besides a plethora of superb historical attractions, you’ll find the Genuine Smithfield Ham Shop and many restaurants that serve the town’s celebrated claim to fame.
There is more than one way to get to Smithfield, but the car ferry is a favorite. Drive to Jamestown and take the Jamestown-Surry Ferry, a free car ferry that transports you across the James River and into Surry, from there drive into downtown Smithfield where Victorian homes and Ham, History, Hospitality and HeART await.
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Press Release: Tourism & Arts Center Award
Marjette Upshur, Director of Economic Development for the City of Lynchburg and VDDA 2009 Awards of Excellence Chairperson and Judy Hare Winslow, Director of Tourism for Smithfield & Isle of Wight County
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Smithfield, Virginia
A 2009 Virginia Downtown Development Association Annual Award of Excellence for Organizational Development was presented to the Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism Bureau and The Arts Center@319 (referred to by the VDDA as The Centers @ 319) on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at the VDDA’s Annual Awards of Excellence Dinner in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The VDDA was impressed with the transformation of 319 Main Street into a shared arts and visitor center, but noted that the non-profit and public partnership in the launch of a cultural tourism initiative was particularly deserving of recognition.
The Virginia Downtown Development Association’s mission is to bring attention to the significance of historic downtowns to Virginia's economic vitality and to enhance the effectiveness of organizations, individuals and communities to foster vibrant economic development. It recognizes excellence in the organizational aspects of a local revitalization program such as consensus building, development of partnerships and outreach activities with an annual award. Awards of Excellence are presented to projects that are outstanding in concept and implementation.
The Art Center@319 and the Smithfield & Isle of Wight Visitor Center and Tourism offices jointly opened their doors in March of 2009 after forming a public-private partnership and following the extensive renovations of the aging hardware store, they now call home. The co-located centers exhibit the works of local and regional artists throughout the year and the Art Center@319 hosts working studios for eight resident artists and a gift shop. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the resident artists “in their natural habitat” as new works of art are being created.
In addition to the shared space, the partners had a greater vision- to raise awareness of the cultural tourism initiative, highlighting the partnership between a community arts organization and its tourism bureau, and enticing visits to the Smithfield Historic District for its visual arts galleries and many cultural arts program offerings. Thus far, the gambit has worked spectacularly with both organizations reporting sizeable gains in visitation, sales and exposure.
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Press Release: Hospitality HEROES
Smithfield and Isle of Wight County Convention and Visitors Bureau announces the “Hospitality Hero” Program
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Smithfield, Virginia
As the Smithfield & Isle of Wight Visitor Center numbers continue to increase, we are instituting a program to recognize and thank the rank-and-file front line employees that can “make or break” the visitation experience for the public…everyday. This program is called HOSPITALITY HEROES!
Why are we establishing this program? Because, while marketing and advertising from Smithfield & Isle of Wight Tourism can entice a guest to visit our area once, it is the hospitality experience that the folks representing our attractions, accommodations, restaurants and retail establishments provide, that encourages our visitors to come again and again. Our goal, and the goal of each of your businesses, is economic vitality-the kind that comes from repeat business! The good news--Repeat business is less expensive to capture! The bad news---it’s extremely difficult to maintain because it is experience driven! But here is where the bad news becomes good again-customer loyalty is EVEN stronger if a guest has had a bad experience and it has been well handled with a positive outcome! So this program is about all the folks who make a good visitation encounter, GREAT, and about the folks who turn a negative occurrence into a positive one!
Here’s how the program works. HOSPITALITY HERO postcards will be available at local attractions, accommodations, restaurants and retail establishments throughout the area for visitors to nominate their hero by filling out the card, describing their experience and mailing the card back to the CVB. Guests will also be able to nominate their “Hero” via email at JWinslow@isleofwightus.net.
Next May (2010), we will celebrate National Tourism Week by announcing the names of our HOSPITALITY HEROES and offering special recognition to those who have made an exceptional impression on our guests. Stay tuned for more info! We look forward to this opportunity to say “thank you” to those who do such a tremendous job offering hospitality to all the visitors to Smithfield and Isle of Wight County!
Press Release: Tourism Website Launch
Smithfield and Isle of Wight County, Virginia CVB launches newly redesigned travel website
Smithfield & Isle of Wight CVB on Facebook
Smithfield & Isle of Wight CVB on Twitter
Smithfield & Isle of Wight CVB Staff:
Judy Hare Winslow, Director of Tourism
Lois Chapman, Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Cheryl Whitener, Visitor Center Manager
Terry Thompson, Event Coordinator
Kristin Wilda, Farmer's Market Manager
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Smithfield & Isle of Wight CVB and the Isle of Wight Arts League are partially supported by funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
