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•Pg_68-82__BMT_pg86-162 1/9/14 1:23 AM Page 78 AREA GUIDES nationally renowned entertainers while providing a world class home for the area's finest performing arts organizations. Centrally located on the MidAtlantic coast, Virginia Beach offers easy accessibility for meeting attendees and planners alike. Within a day's drive of half the U.S. population, Virginia Beach is minutes away from Norfolk International Airport, major train stations and seaports. ••CHARLOTTESVILLE•• Photo Credit: Virginia Beach CVB Virginia Beach Convention Center size meeting imaginable, with over 525,125 gross sq. ft., over 150,000 sq. ft. of column-free exhibit space, nearly 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, over 31,000-sq. ft. ballroom (one of the largest on the east coast), and 2,209 free parking spaces. Need some help planning your meeting in Virginia Beach? Be sure to reach out to vice president of Convention Sales & Marketing Al Hutchinson and his team at the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. They are ready and waiting to assist you. There is no shortage of options for staying in Virginia AL HUTCHINSON Beach. The beautiful shores of the fabulous East Coast beach and intriguing inland possibilities are home to almost as many options for where to stay as there are ways to play. Adjacent to the Virginia Beach Convention Center and just eight blocks from the world famous Virginia Beach oceanfront is the DoubleTree by Hilton - Virginia Beach. Its convenient location and facilities make it ideal for a family vacation as well as major conventions. 78 Virginia Beach offers conference attendees and leisure travelers alike a plethora of options that will surely entertain the mind and stimulate the soul. For beach goers looking for kinder, gentler waves, refuge can be found along the calm waters of the Chesapeake Bay, just off Shore Drive. From swimming to sand castles to volleyball, all the traditional beach rituals are here. In the heart of Town Center, the region's newest performing arts facility, The Sandler Center For Performing Arts, hosts scores of • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS DoubleTree by Hilton - Virginia Beach Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center The Holiday Inn & Suites North Beach 292 295 238 EXHIBITION FACILITIES Virginia Beach Convention Center Total Exhibit Space Meeting Rooms 150,000 sq. ft. 26 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Virginia Beach CVB (800) 700-7702 www.visitvirginiabeach.com Along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlottesville and Albemarle County offer a unique experience in a picturesque setting. Delight in the finest restaurants, attend the cities events, stroll the brick-lined Downtown Mall or taste fruits and vino at one of the 20+ local orchards and vineyards. Charlotteville's unique meeting spaces range from facilities at Monticello, the historic home-site of Thomas Jefferson, to contemporary elegance at downtown hotels, from the multimedia-ready John Paul Jones Arena on the UVA grounds, to luxury resorts that combine upscale accommodations, golf and spa facilities with up to 22,000 sq. ft. of meeting space on more than 500 acres of grounds. The John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia offers a huge area floor which can accommodate a large trade show with up to 200 vendors or a reception for 600 guests to the versatile Courtside Club space which can accommodate banquet, theater, classroom, hollow square or horseshoe arrangement. The Omni Charlottesville Hotel is downtown Charlottesville's only full-service hotel and features 208 recently renovated guest rooms and suites and a 7-story glass Atrium. The Charlottesville Albemarle airport (CHO), just eight miles from downtown, offers 50 daily non-stop flights to and from Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta. B M & T ••• November/December 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com