Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau Wants
to Know: What do you love about Raleigh?

Contact: Ryan Smith
Director of Communications
(919) 645-2654
rsmith@visitraleigh.com

(Raleigh, NC) – The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) announced today the launch of a new website, www.ShareYourRaleigh.com, designed to give local residents and visitors the opportunity to answer the question: What do you love about Raleigh?

The website is part of a larger research initiative coordinated by the GRCVB that seeks to determine the city’s position in the mind of those who live here and those who travel here. The ultimate goal of the research is the creation of a new brand position for the area that best reflects the vibrant experience Raleigh offers. A successful brand position will in turn generate more resources for the county, its residents and businesses through destination marketing.

The public site offers the community the opportunity to "share their Raleigh." Residents can log on to www.shareyourraleigh.com directly or through www.VisitRaleigh.com and participate in the process by responding to a brief survey and uploading images of their favorite things and sites around the area. The information gathered from residents will be used as input in creating the new destination brand for Raleigh.

"Residents of Wake County are the area’s biggest cheerleaders, so we want to ensure that we incorporate their perceptions in this research and ShareYourRaleigh.com is a fun, interactive way to do it. With a majority of visitors traveling to the area to see friends and relatives, we want to know what makes Raleigh unique from all other places” said Denny Edwards, President and CEO of the GRCVB.

Marketing, branding and positioning a destination is just as important as any other consumer product. The image of a city can determine whether people choose to visit, live, attend a university or locate their business there. The stakes for destination marketing are high - particularly in Raleigh - where more than 11 million visitors pump more than $1.3 billion annually into the local economy.

The goal of the project is not only to create a particular tagline, logo or advertising campaign, but also to create a common vocabulary of images, words and emotions that will guide collective marketing efforts for the county. Wake County residents share their city with more than 11 million visitors each year so, by forming a stronger, more personal connection with potential visitors, residents and businesses, the county stands to increase visitation.

The GRCVB is coordinating this project in conjunction with Cundari-Longwoods, a branding and communication agency located in Toronto and Washington, DC, and with guidance from its Brand Strategy Taskforce, comprised of leaders representing the city, the hospitality industry and cultural entities. The Taskforce will act as a steering committee throughout the process, providing overall guidance for the direction of the project and aiding in the implementation of the study findings. The website will remain live throughout the duration of the research initiative, which is expected to be completed by November 2007.

The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, as the official destination marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business.