"Keep it Here" hopes to bring conferences to Triangle
Raleigh, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau is encouraging businesses and organizations to keep their conferences here, but they also want to convince other organizations to come to the Triangle.
Do to so, the bureau hosted a star-studded musical event called "Keep it Here" Sunday night at the Red Hat Amphitheatre.
And people came from all over the country to see it. Officials said nearly 1,100 people attended the production.
From Bluegrass to Barbecue and everything in between, this event showcased the best of North Carolina, but more specifically, the Capital City.
The initiative organized by Cary-based company Dude Solutions and Visit Raleigh is aimed to encourage local businesses, organizations, and corporations to keep their conventions and trade shows here.
"We frame it as a million dollars worth of direct impact," said Lorne Gold with Visit Raleigh. "That's money that flows to the hotels, the restaurants, the retail, and the Convention Center."
Gold said Dude Solutions outgrew its annual convention in Myrtle Beach.
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For the first time, the company is holding the four-day event in Raleigh, with Sunday night as the kick-off.
Dude Solutions business clients, some as far as Alaska, got a taste and feel of Southern hospitality.
"I think this is a great event," Gilley Haupt from Colorado said.
The Organization hopes these businesses will one day return.
"Bring the business to North Carolina," said Dan Deliganis with the Houston School District. "We're all a part, share in it. That's what it's all about."
