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Virginia Beach, VA—After years of planning, debate, construction and anticipation, the final phase of the $202.5 million Virginia Beach Convention Center  officially opened in January with celebratory fanfare— City leaders, dignitaries and distinguished guests gathered  to dedicate this state-of-the-art, award-winning venue  that offers 500,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space and one of the largest meeting facilities in the state.

Virginia Beach,  well known as a popular Mid-Atlantic resort town, can now add a new venue with 500,000 square feet of flexible meeting space to its list of attractions. This remarkable facility features five meeting suites totaling 28,929 square feet of meeting space, including the 972-square-foot VIP meeting room, a 150,012-square-foot column-free exhibit hall, 53,800 square feet of pre-function space where a video art wall spanning 360 feet provides both digital art and information and a 147 foot observation tower showcasing panoramic oceanfront views. The facility offers the latest wired and wireless technology, including utility service on a 30-foot grid in the exhibit hall floor with 60 and 100-amp electrical service, as well as fiber-optic and category VI cable.

"This is an important milestone for the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and our city," said James B. Ricketts, director of the Virginia Beach CVB. "After over 15 years of discussion and planning, we are celebrating the opening of the final phase of our incredible new Convention Center."

On hand for the celebration was Meyera E. Oberndorf, Mayor of Virginia Beach, who provided the keynote address for the Dedication Ceremony. Other speakers included Rick Siger, Virginia's Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and Leigh Breslau,of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) LLP, designers of the venue.

"This facility has put Virginia Beach on the map as a premier meetings destination, while drawing recognition from both the national and international business community," emphasized Ricketts.

The ceremony took place in the Convention Center's ballroom, and was followed by tours of the newly completed facility and the start of the Hampton Roads Auto Dealers Association International Auto Show—the chrisenting event of the new venue and the first organization ever to utilize the entire exhibit hall.

The Virginia Beach CVB invites meeting planners with its tagline "Bring it to the Beach!" The CVB retains a full-time, award-winning professional staff ready to assist meeting professionals with all aspects of meeting and event planning. The Virginia Beach CVB recently announced a successful first half of Fiscal Year 2006/07. In that six month period, over 59,000 total room nights were booked by the CVB sales team for the new Virginia Beach Convention Center bringing the bookings for that six-month period to over $23 million. These figures do not include smaller group business booked by the CVB sales team that is accommodated in one or more hotels in the city.

Some of the upcoming events  and organizations booked for 2007 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center include: North American Association for Environmental Education;  International Church of our Lord Jesus Christ;  Virginia Family Career and Community Leaders of America Recognition Conference;  Redskins Beach Blitz; Virginia Association of Mortgage Brokers  and American Cheer & Dance Express.