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Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge has a new sports initiative, and with it, a passionate new director to lead the way.
Liz Long
Bree Nidds, Director of Sports Development for Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge
When Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge kicked off their new initiative, VBR Sports, they didn’t have to look long for the ideal candidate to lead the way. Bree Nidds, the Director of Sports Development for Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, moved to Roanoke in September 2017.
Nidds, now 26 years old, grew up in Lenoir, North Carolina and attended college at the University of Hawaii, spending much of her time on the sailing team and working in the athletics department. After graduation, she moved to Wilmington, first working as a surf camp director and later in a tourism position at their convention and visitors’ bureau.
With her background, along with a communications degree, she was building her resume in sports tourism without even realizing it.
“I was stoked when [Visit VBR] approached me,” she says. “I wanted to make change and they brought me on board to see this vision through. To be director of this new department, it’s been an amazing professional development move, but I also feel like I’m bringing something to the region that’s a little bit different.”
VBR Sports launched in late January 2018 and will focus on making the entire region a desirable place for sporting events enjoyed by both athletes and fans. The five jurisdictions–the cities of Roanoke and Salem, and Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt counties–also help comprise the sports council, with members from each district representing the wants and needs for this new initiative. The team works closely with their council, as well as the parks and recreation departments. They have an incredibly high percentage of sports-related group business, with goals to not only maintain that number, but to diversify their portfolio.
“We’ve done well in softball, baseball and NCAA–the folks out in Salem have been rock stars in that department,” Nidds says. “I want to be that extra support to encourage them to keep building. We’re preparing ourselves so, if for instance, an event does leave the region, we can easily fill that void with another major sporting event. We want to keep the momentum of tourism business.”
Nidds says the biggest part of sports that brings people in are youth sports (“parents, siblings and grandparents want to support little Johnny”), while adult amateur and collegiate events are also huge for the region. Not only do they bring in events and host the athletes and their family and friends, but Nidds and her team reach out to local organizations to support such events.
“I immediately connect event organizers with Local Organizing Committees (LOCs). That boots-on-the-ground approach ensures people in the community are on board with what we’re doing, too,” Nidds says.
When the U.S. Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic chapter came to town for a tournament, the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association stepped up, gathered volunteers and did everything they could to make the event a success. That support and passion makes a huge difference, and urges organizations to return each year. For Nidds, it’s exciting to connect so many enthusiastic people. It’s a lot of balls–and Frisbees and bikes–in the air, literally!
Nidds is currently in an online program earning her master’s degree in Parks Recreation Tourism and Sports Management at NC State, building a more formal education in tourism.
As a new resident, she often still feels like a visitor, enjoying first-time experiences around town. The greenway was a large selling point, so much that she’s even convinced her family to move here as well.
Her spare time is still very much about athletics, as she spends nearly every waking minute outdoors, particularly on the water. A new member of the Visa Yacht Club at Smith Mountain Lake, she’s excited to work on her fixer-upper boat. When on land, she’s usually found on the greenway, road biking or, a more recent addiction, golfing. Hiking is also a favorite activity.
“Roanoke has all the amenities I could need right now. Having nature in your backyard and accessibility, like how close we are to the Appalachian Trail, it’s perfect for me…to be able to walk from downtown or where I live and be on this hike where you’re fully immersed in the woods within minutes, it’s incredible.”
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