Wilmington,
NC – December 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / The Wilmington
and Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau [CVB], along with area travel
partners, exhibited at the Association Executives of North Carolina [AENC]
2016 Annual Showcase & Exhibits, held December 8 at the Raleigh Convention
Center. The Wilmington and Beaches booth won AENC’s “Best Booth” award
in the category of “Best Food.” The 35th AENC Annual Showcase & Exhibits
tradeshow was attended by approximately 300 meeting professionals from
North Carolina.
The Wilmington and Beaches
booth theme for this year was “Famous Foods,” which was chosen to enhance
the convention’s overall theme of “Connecting People|~|Growing
Business.” As a hallmark of hospitality, food provides a great way to connect
with people. It’s also a great way to showcase a destination like Wilmington
and its island beaches, which is known for outstanding restaurants that
are committed to locally sourced food.
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Celebrity
chefs Jessica Cabo, executive chef of the Blockade Runner Beach Resort’s
EAST Restaurant, and Keith Rhodes, chef/owner of Catch Restaurant/Catch
the Food Truck, were on hand to serve some of their special dishes. Cabo,
who has appeared on FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” prepared a delectable New England-style
Clam Chowder. Rhodes, a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” (season 9), prepared
a variety of tacos with BBQ chicken, shrimp and tuna, served with his signature
cilantro slaw, queso fresco and lime cream sauce. Other award-winning foods
at the booth included Wake-N-Bake Donuts—which was selected by BuzzFeed.com
as the state’s best doughnut shop—and Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, which
was recently chosen as the official coffee of the Rachael Ray Show.
Exhibits in the Wilmington
and Beaches’ food-theme display were manned by sales representatives from
the following travel partners: Blockade Runner Beach Resort Wrightsville
Beach; Courtyard by Marriott Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach; Hampton Inn
& Suites Carolina Beach Oceanfront; Hampton Inn Wilmington Downtown;
Hilton Garden Inn Mayfaire Town Center-Wrightsville Beach, SpringHill Suites
Wilmington-Mayfaire and the Wilmington Convention Center. Booth participants
sported chef uniforms bearing the destination name.
The Wilmington and Beaches
CVB’s President/CEO Kim Hufham, Vice-President of Sales & Services
John Sneed, Director of Convention Sales Molly Johnson and Sales Manager
Jenna Davis attended the event. According to Sneed, the Wilmington and
Beaches booth received a lot of positive attention and feedback from meeting
planners attending the show, several whom expressed a desire to visit to
enjoy more of the chefs’ culinary creations.
“This is the first year that
the Wilmington and Beaches
booth has taken the Best Booth-Best Food honors,” states Sneed. “In years
past we have won in other categories, so it was especially exciting to
be recognized by attendees for our award-winning coastal cuisine. Our goal
at tradeshows is to let planners know that we have a great meeting destination
with a coastal setting and lots of amenities, including great restaurants
and caterers.”
Established in 1955, Association
Executives of North Carolina (AENC) is committed to providing high quality
professional development and networking opportunities to help members develop
their fullest potential and foster the recognition and respect of the association
management profession. Members include CEOs and staff of associations across
North Carolina, as well as representatives from the association service
and hospitality industries. For more information about AENC, please visit
www.aencnet.org.
Media
Contact:
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690
ext. 120
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The
New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches
Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization
of New Hanover County, North Carolina that stimulates economic development
through the promotion of travel and tourism.
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