Hanover’s Perspective
Tourism Initiatives in Hanover County Awarded VTC Grants
Green Top Sporting Goods and Center of the Universe Brewing Company were recently named as grant recipients by the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC).
Green Top Sporting Goods has been awarded $27,000 in combined grant and sponsorship funds to help promote and offset production costs for the 2024 Green Top Outdoor Expo occurring on October 5 and 6, 2024. This free family-friendly event is the largest outdoor retailer show in Virginia featuring more than 225 sporting-life vendors, product demos, exhibits, industry expert meet & greets, great food, live music, Kid Zones and much more. For more information about the 2024 Expo and to view highlights from the 2023 event, visit: GreenToHuntFish.com/Outdoor-Expo.
Center of the Universe Brewing Company has been awarded $8,700 in grant and sponsorship funds to help promote and offset production costs for the Summer Moon Music Festival along with other festivals hosted by the brewery. The 10th Annual Summer Moon Music Festival was recently held on May 11 and 12, 2024, and featured 17 local bands, two outdoor stages, food trucks and various adult beverage offerings. On June 8, 2024, the brewery will host its Southern Food Festival from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. packed with southern food, live music, and delicious beer, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverages. Admission is FREE and the event is open to all ages. For more information about Center of the Universe Brewing Company, visit COTUBrewing.com.
More than $3.27 million in matching grant and sponsorship funds will be awarded to 268 tourism programs state-wide as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Marketing Grants programs. This funding cycle, local partners will commit more than $9.2 million to match the VTC funding, providing more than $12.5 million in new marketing and event production activity focused on increasing overnight visitation to Virginia across all nine GO Virginia regions. The funding will be awarded to 268 marketing programs, ultimately impacting 1,230 combined partners.
VTC’s tourism marketing and sponsorship programs are designed to increase visitor spending by leveraging limited marketing dollars, to stimulate new tourism marketing through partnerships, and to extend the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand to drive visitation. Using the hub and spoke tourism partnership model, Virginia entities partner to apply for funding. Partners may consist of Virginia cities, towns, counties, convention and visitors’ bureaus, chambers of commerce, other local or regional destination marketing organizations, museums, attractions, cultural events, and other tourism-related non-profits and private businesses.
These various grant programs assist Virginia Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and established Virginia special events and festivals with marketing and/or event production costs.
- The Marketing Leverage Program is a reimbursable grant program to leverage existing marketing funds available to Virginia travel industry partners including small businesses, DMOs, private sector attractions, accommodations, and events.
- The Virginia DMO Grant Program is awarded to DMOs for marketing expenses that show positive and significant economic impact on tourism and must include marketing plans designed to drive visitation to Virginia.
- The Virginia Special Events & Festivals Program is for marketing and production of Virginia-based special events and festivals occurring in 2024. These events must have at least two years of prior attendance since 2017 with minimum attendance tiers.
To read the governor’s press release, visit the Governor of Virginia Newsroom.
For more information about Virginia Tourism Corporation, visit VATC.org.