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Business & Tech

Hospitality Association Holds First Annual Meeting

About 20 area business leaders discussed what they could do to help each other grow

The Herndon Hospitality Association held its first annual meeting and networking reception, Monday night, at the Crowne Plaza, in Herndon.

The goal was to reach out to local business owners and discuss what they can do to create and execute a marketing plan for promotion of the organization and its members.

Member and ArtSpace employee Robin Carroll said that a lot of people don't even know that there is a Hospitality Association in the area so the event was a great way to broaden the awareness of the organization while getting everyone involved.

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“ArtSpace is a member because obviously we're an attraction and we want the hotel goers and the restaurant goers to know that we exist,” Carroll said. “The association is focused on hotels and restaurants and getting them more connected in the town and it's a great way to serve everyones unique needs.”

During the event, board member Tom Lackey presented a draft marketing plan for the association, which included five goals: to advocate, educate, coordinate, engage and promote.

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Lackey said the main goal of the association is to get everybody tied in together. Networking is key, he said, and although Herndon businesses are used to working with the public they are not used to networking with one another.

Lackey said if everyone learned to network with one another it would really help each business gain more share within the community. The marketing plan was unanimously approved.

“There's a common goal. The community is a common goal, the type of business is a common goal. Everyone just has to work together,” Lackey said. “Everybody's going in different directions right now. One hundred restaurants, nine hotels in Herndon, they're all kind of going into different directions. They're all trying to go out for the same group of people. We just need to work together to bring them all here.”

The town's Public Information Officer Anne Curtis was also in attendance Monday night present the Town's economic development strategy recommendation that was presented to the Town Council in April.

Recommendations included making someone responsible for economic development in the town.

First and foremost, Curtis said, this person would be responsible to reach out to businesses throughout the local area. They would also be responsible for setting up a clear protocol to make sure owners know that there is help, if needed, when it comes to being a success within the town.

They would also make sure that the town could work closer and support Fairfax County's economic Development team, which was quoted as being “outstanding."

Other recommendations included creating a brand that conveys everything the town has to offer, to focus on the hospitality industry and develop marketing for the group, and to establish an economic development council that would keep everyone engaged. The association will consider these recommendations in the near future.

“It sounded like some of those things were very in line with what we were doing,” Lackey said. “So I think there's a lot of overlap that we might be able to work together on.”

Following the presentation, everyone had some time to network with one another while familiarizing themselves with each business. President Vinay Patel said he was happy to see a good turnout Monday night but hopes to connect with more businesses in the future.

“This is our first year and we're still progressing,” Patel said. “When you talk to people face to face you learn a lot. So it's a great way to network and learn about different things. There are issues that our common to all of us and we want to work with everyone and help send business throughout Herndon.”

“We're trying to get people to come into this area and share some of their time with the Town of Herndon,” said Chairman David Welliver. “I don't think people realize how many people visit here. It's a business community. So our mission is to go forward and do a better job of developing an outbound marketing message for the town of Herndon as a leisure spot to enjoy some down time.”

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