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News
August 28, 2008

New Convention Center Attracting Lots Of Business
 
In its first months of operations, the new Raleigh Convention Center will play host to at least 17 conventions expected to bring more than 18,000 people to Raleigh for an average of three to five days.

“This has been remarkable to see,” said Laurie Okun, the City of Raleigh’s director of sales for the Raleigh Convention Center . “This building started with just an idea. We’ve seen it constructed from the very first piece of steel to the last. So it’s extremely gratifying to witness the reception we’ve gotten so far.”

The first conference held in the new center will be the National Agents Alliance National Leadership Conference. The conference will begin on September 11 and is expected to bring at least 1,800 people to Raleigh for four days.

Other conferences scheduled for the fall of 2008, to name just a few, include the World Burn Congress, the North Carolina Community College System Conference, the Southeast United States/Japan Associations Joint Conference, the National Consortium on Health Science and Technology Education, and the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education.

“Our sales team has teamed up with the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau and our hotel partners to work with our industry and business leaders to invite some of the most prestigious conference committees to book their events in Raleigh,” Ms. Okun said. “It has been a wonderful partnership and we have successfully lured and booked some of the most exciting state, national and international conferences in the meetings market.”

At this time, the Raleigh Convention Center staff calculate the number of room nights for the first four months of operation at nearly 20,000. Additionally, the staff has booked events with some of several local organizations including Wake Med, Rex Healthcare, RBC Centura, Harris Teeter, Ray Price Harley Davidson, YMCA, Junior League, and the Triangle Business Journal’s Fast 50 Banquet.

“Currently, we have over 350,000 room nights in our booking pipeline, of which approximately 200,000 are confirmed bookings with the Raleigh Convention Center and area hotels,” Okun said. “We have many other exciting conferences in the works and in various stages of contract negotiations.”

Looking ahead to coming years, the center will play host to several multi-year events:

• Animazement - Held each Memorial Day weekend from 2009 to 2018, the conference is expected to bring in more than 6,000 visitors. The group expects the number of attendees to reach more than 10,000 each year due to the capacity of the new Raleigh Convention Center;
• North Carolina Veterinary Conference – Scheduled for the month of November beginning in 2009 through 2014, the conference is expected to bring in more than 1,000 people each year;
• The North Carolina Future Business Leaders of America – To be held in the month of April 2009 through 2013, the conference will bring in 2,500 people and occupy more than 1,200 room nights per year;
• The North Carolina Future Farmers of America – Held each June beginning in 2009 and running through 2013, the conference is expected to attract 2,500 people and occupy 1,100 room nights per year;
• The North Carolina Association of the Education of Young Children – Beginning in September of 2009 and running through September of 2011, the conference will attract 3,000 people and occupy 1,300 room nights per year;
• The North Carolina Technology in Education Society – Held in March beginning in 2009 through 2013, the conference will hold 1,000 people and fill 800 room nights;
• The North Carolina Reading Association – Held each March from 2011 through 2018, the conference is expected to attract 1,400 people and occupy 1,000 room nights; and,
• The North Carolina Association of Educators – Beginning in March of 2009 and held every other year through 2023, the conference will attract 2,000 people and occupy 1,200 room nights.

Also, several international conferences have been booked with special thanks to the staff’s partnership through the business community. Those conventions include:

• The International Association of Science Parks – Scheduled for June of 2009, the conference will attract 900 people and occupy 1,800 room nights. The conference was brought in through the efforts of Rick Weddle of the Research Triangle Foundation;
• The American Chamber of Commerce Executives – Scheduled for July of 2009, the conference is expected to attract 1,100 people, for at least 3,200 room nights. The conference was scheduled through the efforts of Harvey Schmitt of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce; and,
• The Southeast US/Japan Associations Joint Conference – The conference is expected to draw 800 people for 1,400 room nights. Jim Fain, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, made the conference possible.

The Raleigh Convention Center opens at noon on Sept. 5.

Prepared by:
David Blount
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department

For More Information Contact:
Laurie Okun
Sales Director
Convention and Conference Center Department
500 Fayetteville St. Mall
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-831-6315

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Caring for Your Lawn in Fall and Winter
Source(www.hgtv.com)
Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-802 -- More Projects »

Figure A

Master gardener Paul James re-seeded his entire lawn with 500 pounds of fescue, the preferred cool-season grass for his area. Ten days after that, he sowed another 100 pounds to fill in bare spots and areas where coverage was less than ideal. Once the grass was up and growing, James allowed it to reach a height of about four inches, before mowing it to a height of three inches. "And now," James says, "I'm pleased with the look of my lawn. It's lush and healthy and ready for winter" (figure A).

But reaching lawn nirvana doesn't mean you can now ignore your verdant lawn. In the fall, perhaps more than ever, it needs your attention.

One of the most important considerations when caring for grass is water. After sowing grass seed, water frequently but shallowly to keep the seed evenly moist. "More specifically, I set my sprinklers to spray 10 minutes twice a day: once in the morning and again in the afternoon."

James also carefully times the afternoon watering so that the grass blades don't remain moist overnight, which minimizes the threat of fungal disease. However, once the grass is up and growing, it's time to revert to his preferred method of watering--deep soaking. In his case, that means turning on the sprinklers every four to five days for up to 45 minutes at a time. This allows the water to penetrate deep into the sub-soil and root zone of the grass, six inches deep.

"And believe it or not," James adds, "I'll water my lawn every now and then even during the winter months, especially if it's a cold dry winter, or if it's warmer than usual." Keep in mind that cool-season grasses such as fescue, rye or even bluegrass don't necessarily go completely dormant during the winter months. So it's a good idea to water them every now and then on a mild day when there's no threat of a hard freeze overnight.

James shares other fall lawn-care tips:

Fertilize. Fall is a great time to fertilize turfgrasses--both warm-season varieties, at least while they're still green, and cool-season varieties. The type of fertilizer you choose is extremely important, whether organic or synthetic. James recommends fertilizer that contains no more than 20 percent nitrogen. "And frankly, I prefer those that contain less than half that amount. Too much nitrogen can lead to rapid growth and winter injury, which is why for the past 25 years, I've used an all-natural product that contains just 6 percent nitrogen, 2 percent phosphorous, no potassium, and 4 percent iron."

Adjust cutting height. Cut your grass higher, especially during fall and winter months. Generally speaking, a grass root system grows about as deep as the grass blades are tall, and a deeper root system always results in a healthier lawn. It's never too late to let the grass grow taller. Raise the deck height of your mower each time you mow until you reach the desired height, which should be at least two inches for warm-season grasses and three to four inches for cool-season grasses. James recommends allowing the grass to grow even a little taller in densely shaded areas.

Remove fallen leaves. If you have lots of deciduous trees on your property or if your neighbors do, chances are you're going to be spending a lot of time dealing with fallen leaves. It's essential to control fallen leaves because they can smother turfgrasses, especially on newly seeded lawns. Moreover, matted leaves left on the lawn can lead to all kinds of insect and disease problems.

	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Be careful to avoid uprooting tender young grass blades. "In my experience," says James, "a bamboo rake (figure B) works best because it seems to do less damage than steel or plastic models." You can also use a blower (figure C), although they can be noisy, and unless your seed has germinated, you may wind up blowing seeds all over the place.

Your best bet, assuming all seeds have germinated, is a mulching mower (figure D), which has the power to shred leaves into tiny particles that decompose in the lawn and add organic matter and essential nutrients to the soil. Depending on the amount of leaves on your lawn and the horsepower of the motor, you may need to make two passes with the mulching mower to pick up all the leaves. But the benefits for the grass make the extra effort well worth it.

Figure E

Minimize traffic on new lawns. Minimize foot traffic on a new lawn as well, at least until it has been mowed two or three times. Young grass blades are tender, and if they're trampled repeatedly during their first few weeks of growth, they may not recover. James has even gone so far as to tape off newly sown sections of turf to keep kids off the lawn (figure E). "Okay, so this is a little extreme," he admits, "but after spending a good 40 hours and no small chunk of change renovating my entire lawn, I like to give my grass every possible chance to grow."

Also avoid walking on the lawn when it's iced over. Doing so can lead to considerable damage to the grass blades. And in the case of clumping grasses such as fescue and rye, the damage can be permanent.

And finally, keep in mind that even if your grass propagation results are less than ideal, you can always re-seed during the spring and summer months, and then you won't have things like ice and leaves to contend with.