Visitors Bureau

1/8 TC I will be going to New York with my three granddaughters -- aged 22, 20 and 19. I would love to show them a great time. I would appreciate any help you could give me.The New York Convention and Visitors Bureau has one of the best help lines operated by an American city. Call 800-NYC-VISIT for information on events, attractions, accommodations, shopping, theater, dining, bargains and more. The line provides taped help around the clock; information counselors are available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The same information is available at the city's Web site (nycvisit.

My husband and I are planning a trip to New York City this fall. We are on a limited income, so we hope we can afford a three- to five-day stay in a moderate-price hotel.The Convention and Visitors Bureau can supply a list of hotels and package deals, many of which are on weekends. Gray Line of New York packages hotels, show tickets, some sightseeing and meals, for two and three nights. Call 800-669-0051.Call the Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-NYC-VISIT or find the information on the bureau's Web site (http: //www .nycvisit.

SAN DIEGO -- Sea World is offering Republican delegates half-price tickets to see Shamu. Qualcomm, a local telecommunications company, is giving them nearly two months of e-mail service for free.And for visiting reporters, a news center's staff answers questions, places restaurant reservations and fixes broken laptops at no charge.With the opening of the Republican National Convention today, everyone from Mayor Susan Golding to local restaurateurs is working relentlessly to make a good impression.

With a $100,000 county grant in hand, a reorganized Baltimore County Conference and Visitors Bureau is moving forward with an ambitious agenda to attract more tourism dollars to the county.It will work to increase the county's conference business, and serve as a clearinghouse for the area's hotels, restaurants and attractions."The most important thing is to be out there and be visible," said Monica T. Baeuerle, the new executive director of the not-for-profit organization. "There's a lot of water, beautiful scenes, historical attractions, lovely hotels, great eateries and shopping here."

If Annapolis and Anne Arundel County tourism officials have their way, Marylanders may soon have to contend with throngs of out-of-state visitors to see the county's attractions.That is because the Maryland Tourism Development Board awarded a $48,000 grant yesterday to the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau to help local officials reach a wider national market.The board approved the grant in recognition of the visitors bureau's marketing, advertising and development programs, said Andrea Thomas, a spokeswoman with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

City Council members, divided over a proposed multimillion-dollar conference center in Annapolis, will debate paying $140,000 for a site review during a hearing at 7 p.m. tonight.The Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau wants the money to study an 11.2-acre parcel at West Street and Taylor Avenue.A $30,000 feasibility study, paid for by Annapolis, the county and the visitors bureau, was conducted two years ago. The tourism group contends it needs the extra money to study the impact of development on the environment, transportation and the local economy.

Two executives at California convention bureaus and two officials at the Baltimore Convention and Visitors Association have emerged as candidates to lead the city's convention bureau.The search for new leadership comes at a critical juncture for BACVA, which has been dogged by controversy since Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke ousted its governing board in June in the midst of a major expansion that will double the convention center's size.BACVA has been without a permanent director since Wayne C. Chappell resigned at the height of the feud over spending and control to head the Kansas City (Mo.)

Efforts to promote Baltimore County received a setback yesterday, as the county executive refused to earmark part of hotel tax revenue for the Baltimore County Conference and Visitors Bureau.Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III, however, did offer a challenge grant of up to $40,000, committing the county to allocate $2 for every $1 the bureau raises by March."I know it's not good news to you," Mr. Ruppersberger, citing county budget restraints, told bureau members at a monthly meeting.

A group that wants to use public funds to build a $25 million conference center in Annapolis is expected to ask state lawmakers for a down payment, even though a site has not been chosen.About $1.5 million would pay for real estate appraisals and traffic and environmental studies to evaluate two sites and to begin architectural design, said Jules Smith, president of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.Hotel, restaurant and other tourist industries are counting on the conference center to draw visitors to the city.

When supporters of a conference center in downtown Annapolis lost a bid for state money last spring, the project seemed to slip into political no man's land.But now the group promoting the multimillion dollar plan is back, and it is asking for more money -- this time from the city government."We never went out of existence," said Jules Smith, president of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, a group consisting of representatives from the local hotel and restaurant industry.

Increased online marketing efforts are leading Annapolis tourism officials to expect an influx of international travelers this spring. The city's tourism department recently partnered with the U.S. Travel Association's newly created Web site, DiscoverAmerica.com, to highlight Annapolis' unique features for international travelers. In particular, Annapolis is targeting travelers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. The four countries are "primary feeder markets into the U.S.," said Catalina Burke, marketing director of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.

Looking for a place to stay for the inaugural festivities? How about $5,800 for a week in a 7,000-square-foot house in Mitchellville? Or $6,000 for "Large Estate Style home in Montgomery County"? On a tighter budget? Maybe a New Carrollton "1 BDR, 1 bath Condo" for $200 a night would do the trick. Four-night minimum, but take heart: There's a high-speed cable modem, and smoking is negotiable. Excited supporters of President-elect Barack Obama are busy laying plans to travel to Washington so they can witness history in the making.

County Executive John R. Leopold has announced that the county has purchased thousands of gallons of gasoline at less than $2 per gallon, under a purchasing process that aims to help save taxpayer dollars. The county purchased a total of 34,000 gallons of regular gas for $1.97 a gallon and diesel for $2.30 a gallon on Oct. 30. It was the lowest amount the county has paid for gasoline in almost two years and will result in a projected 11 percent savings against the 2009 budget allowance if prices remain constant.

Annapolis is clinging to rumors and tidbits about a Mideast peace conference that is supposed to take place in the historic state capital. It's just that no one knows exactly when it will be. The city has learned the summit is likely to be one day -- not two days long as previously rumored. City officials also have heard from protesters who want to demonstrate but don't know when to arrive. The mayor said she doesn't know either. Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said she had been told the conference is likely to happen on a Tuesday.

Thomas J. Noonan President and chief executive officer, Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA) Salary --$185,000 Age --42 Time on the job: --Seven months How he got started --Before promoting Baltimore as the best location to hold a conference, he promoted Dallas for 18 years with the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau (DCVB). For eight of those years, he worked out of the DCVB's Washington office and fell in love with the Mid-Atlantic. When the opening for BACVA came up, he scheduled a video interview and became a finalist for the job, eventually securing it. He started in January.

Pasadena Man dies after police confrontation In the second time in seven months that a mentally disturbed man has died during a confrontation with Anne Arundel County police, a 24-year-old Pasadena man stopped breathing after being subdued by six officers. Steven Ray Ellison allegedly assaulted four people Wednesday night, then struggled with a half-dozen officers who got him onto the ground and into handcuffs before he lost consciousness, county police said. The autopsy showed no sign of trauma, Anne Arundel County police said Friday, but the cause of death has not been released.

When the visitors bureau for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County set out to create a new marketing slogan - one it hopes will bring more tourist traffic to the area - it was not the fine dining, historic sites or charming cobblestone streets it turned to for inspiration. It was the water. "We talked about what represented us best, and what came across were the maritime activities," said Connie Del Signore, president and chief executive officer of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - It took Anne LeClair a split second to realize that there was opportunity in the murder trial of Scott Peterson, who is accused of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. As soon as her county was identified as one of a handful of possible trial locations, LeClair, a tourism official, was collecting business cards and putting together promotional materials. "I FedExed the package the next day to the presiding judge," said LeClair, president and chief executive of the San Mateo County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

After years of fudged numbers that led to a top-level shake-up at Baltimore's convention and visitors bureau, the group's new leader told a gathering of hotel and restaurant executives yesterday that she will bring more accountability to the agency. Leslie R. Doggett, at her first public event since being hired as president and chief executive officer, pledged quarterly reports about meetings brought to town, future hotel room bookings, leisure inquiries and lost business. She also unveiled a new mission statement for her organization, vowed to hold regular town hall-style forums and promised to rebrand Baltimore.

Baltimore's convention business dipped in the most recent fiscal year to its lowest level since the size of the city's convention center was tripled in 1997, according to statistics released this week. Convention-related hotel bookings also slumped to two-thirds the budgeted level in the fiscal year ended June 30, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association reported. Months of turmoil at the city's convention and visitors bureau - while its operation underwent a review that led to its president's ouster - along with a national convention travel slump contributed to the miserable showing, industry officials said.