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Richmond to host 2026 national speech and debate tournament
The Richmond region will host a June 2026 national speech and debate tournament that’s expected to bring 10,000 students and visitors to the region. The National Speech & Debate Association, Richmond Region Tourism and the nonprofit Richmond Forum made the announcement Monday. “I know this will be one of the best tou[...]
No dice: Richmond casino referendum fails by large margin
Richmond’s do-over casino referendum failed at the ballot box Tuesday by a much larger margin than the first casino referendum did in 2021, as about 61% of Richmond voters said no to the $562 million Richmond Grand Resort & Casino. It was not a good night for gambling interests in Virginia, as voters in Manassas [&hell[...]
Urban One chair, radio hosts slam casino foes on air
Updated Nov. 4 Richmond casino referendum rhetoric took an ugly turn this week, as an Urban One radio host in Richmond compared anti-casino campaigner Paul Goldman to biblical traitor Judas and negatively referenced his Jewish faith — drawing condemnation as antisemitic speech — while speaking on air Wednesday about the casi[...]
Kings Dominion parent Cedar Fair and Six Flags announce $2B merger
Cedar Fair Entertainment, the parent company of Kings Dominion, is merging with Six Flags Entertainment in an all-stock deal valued at $2 billion, the companies announced Thursday. Cedar Fair unitholders will own 51.2% and Six Flags shareholders will own approximately 48.8%. Together, the two companies will have a combined 27 am[...]
Distinguished visitors
Event planners and hospitality industry experts worldwide will converge upon Richmond to grow their professional networks, discuss the latest developments in the tourism sector and celebrate travel in Virginia during the 2023 VA1 Governor’s Tourism Summit. Taking place Nov. 12-14 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, [...]
High cost, higher rewards
Michael Meyers is always looking for an advantage. Like many in the meetings industry, the Greater Richmond Convention Center’s general manager has seen his facility’s costs spike from inflation. Likewise, the price tag to run conferences has increased, so planners and venues are striving to ensure a good return on i[...]
Conventional wisdom
Business-related travel and events are slowly making a comeback in the post-pandemic era. In 2022, visitors to Virginia spent $30.3 billion in the commonwealth, exceeding 2019 spending by 4%. Of that spending, $4.8 billion was from business travelers, says Dan Roberts, vice president of research and strategy for Virginia Tourism[...]
Checking in
Neither Radford University nor the University of Virginia had to look far for collaborators on projects that have altered their campus footprints. The universities called on their own foundations to push forward the construction of two new on-campus hotels — The Highlander Hotel Radford and The Forum Hotel at U.Va. — and an [...]
Fed’s Fifth District economy shrinks slightly
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) contracted slightly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Be[...]
Nauticus Foundation hires CFO
Amy Owens has been named the chief financial officer of the Nauticus Foundation in Norfolk. Owens joins the Nauticus Foundation, which runs the Nauticus maritime museum in Norfolk, after serving as CFO at RDS of Virginia, a recycling and disposal company, according to her LinkedIn. Before that she was director of finance and non[...]
