INSIDE THIS EDITION THE BUZZ NEXT UP. A Word from Chairman CVB Staff Addition New Brand Identity The Big Tradeshows The Buzz CURRENT

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July, several Pavilion concerts to choose from, Wine & Food Week and so much

events and more, The Woodlands is entering an exciting season.

1 INSIDE THIS EDITION THE BUZZ NEXT UP A Word from Chairman CVB Staff Addition New Brand Identity The Big Tradeshows The Buzz Summer is here in The Woodlands, Texas and things are sizzling. Don t miss out on the 20th Annual Red, Hot and Blue festival this Fourth of July, several Pavilion concerts to choose from, Wine & Food Week and so much more. With a staff addition, a new brand identity, new digital tools, big events and more, The Woodlands is entering an exciting season. The vision of Visit The Woodlands Board of s and staff members will market The Woodlands better than ever before. CURRENT Summer 2017

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN Hello friends and families of The Woodlands! As your Chairman of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of s, I welcome you to the summer issue of Current.

Families can relax in a lazy river, on a kayak or in one of the area s interactive water features, and couples can take in the sunset and a wine menu in one of the area s preeminent dining delights.

All the Fourth of July fun starts July 3rd with the Star-Spangled Salute featuring the magniﬁcent Houston Symphony at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

Don t miss the 20th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza. Plan a weekend you won t forget with details inside Current or check out visitthewoodlands.com to learn more.

2 A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN Hello friends and families of The Woodlands! As your Chairman of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of s, I welcome you to the summer issue of Current. Inside this edition you will ﬁnd the latest information on the many upcoming summer activities offered along with the annual Red, Hot and Blue festival, learn about upcoming convention development, read about a brand new steakhouse addition to the dining scene and more. Here in The Woodlands there s a little something for everyone in the summer. Nature enthusiasts can enjoy hundreds of local parks or take a bike ride or hike through the 1,700-acre George Mitchell Nature Preserve. Families can relax in a lazy river, on a kayak or in one of the area s interactive water features, and couples can take in the sunset and a wine menu in one of the area s preeminent dining delights. Part of the magic of The Woodlands this time of year is the proud patriotic tradition of 4th of July weekend activities. This year, plan a four day stay for the perfect fun ﬁlled vacation! All the Fourth of July fun starts July 3rd with the Star-Spangled Salute featuring the magniﬁcent Houston Symphony at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The morning of July 4th, ﬁnd the perfect spot to take part in our community-wide parade before donning your red, white and blue gear for the festival named after our country s colors. Don t miss the 20th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza. Plan a weekend you won t forget with details inside Current or check out visitthewoodlands.com to learn more. We hope you will join us this summer and share your experiences on one of our social media pages. Have a happy and safe summer. Bruce Rieser, Chairman, The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of s John Anthony Brown Vice Chairman Fred Domenick Secretary/Treasurer Bruce Reiser Gordy Bunch Chairman JohnLong Anthony Brown Jeff Vice Chairman FredAnn Domenick Dr. Snyder Secretary/Treasurer 2 Brian Boniface J.J. Hollie BrianDomenick Boniface Fred Nick Wolda President J. J. Hollie Elizabeth Eddins Emilie Harris Assistant Brand Development Manager Emilie Harris BrandBroussard Development Alie Manager Development Convention Manager Don Norrell KevinParsons Viteri Greg Don Norrell Kevin Viteri Alie Molly Broussard Redus Convention Marketing Specialist Development Manager Molly Jennings Danielle Gatlin Marketing Specialist Administrative Assistant Josie Lewis Convention Development Mariana Almanza Specialist Intern Mariana Almanza Intern

ELIZABETH EDDINS NAMED ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR VISIT THE WOODLANDS Up to the Plate Elizabeth Eddins has been named Assistant for Visit The Woodlands.

During this time, Elizabeth led Beaumont s development of Cattail Marsh, the city s 900 acre water reclamation center, establishing it as a premiere birding and nature destination.

3 ELIZABETH EDDINS NAMED ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR VISIT THE WOODLANDS Up to the Plate Elizabeth Eddins has been named Assistant for Visit The Woodlands. Elizabeth Eddins served as the of Tourism for the Beaumont Convention and Visitor s Bureau for the past 10 years. During this time, Elizabeth led Beaumont s development of Cattail Marsh, the city s 900 acre water reclamation center, establishing it as a premiere birding and nature destination. She has also successfully led the Beaumont Destination Training, a local awareness and lead generating tour that has turned over 3,800 locals into Beaulievers. Elizabeth s destination training and tour has been used as a model for tourism professionals across the state of Texas and beyond. Elizabeth currently serves on the Board of s for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureau (TACVB), a state-wide organization providing exemplary destination marketing education and advocacy for its members. She is the current Education Chair that oversees the 2017 TACVB Annual Conference that brings together over 400 Texas tourism professionals. She also serves as a board member for the Texas Forest Trail Region, a tourism initiative that supports 35-counties in East Texas. In 2014, Eddins was presented the Rising Star Award by the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA). The Rising Star Award is presented to a young professional in the Texas travel & tourism industry who is recognized for their accomplishments, demonstrated leadership, and commitment to the industry and TTIA. As Rising Star, she held an honorary position on the TTIA board and served as the Young Professional Committee chairman. Eddins is an established leader within the travel and tourism community. She looks forward to bringing her experience in stakeholder and local awareness training to the outstanding team at The Woodlands CVB. Tourism is a leading industry in Texas. It creates jobs, generates revenue, and enhances the quality of life in a community. The Woodlands has been highly praised and recognized as one of the best destinations in Texas to live, visit and conduct business, Eddins said. I am honored to be given the opportunity to be a part of the visionary efforts underway in The Woodlands. 1 3

People around the world know The Woodlands is one of the greatest places to live, said Bruce Rieser, Chairman of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau.

4 THE WOODLANDS REVEALS NEW BRAND IDENTITY Visit The Woodlands As The Woodlands continues to evolve as a destination for convention and corporate business as well as leisure travel, a new brand identity has been unveiled to have visitors think about The Woodlands in a different way. People around the world know The Woodlands is one of the greatest places to live, said Bruce Rieser, Chairman of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau. But we re also a premier place to visit and hold corporate and convention meetings. The brand identity process began when The Woodlands CVB began making its presence known at large meeting planner trade shows, said Nick Wolda, President of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau. The Woodlands has become a great place to visit, not just live, so we needed marketing components that embodied that evolution. Brand research conducted in 2016 kicked off the identity conversation and as the Board and staff grew to understand visitor perceptions of The Woodlands, it became clear that the new identity of Visit The Woodlands would need to embody and elevate current perceptions. During the research, descriptions of The Woodlands as a destination helped narrow down the feelings the new brand identity including logo, name and campaign would need to evoke. People who visited The Woodlands described it using words like beautiful, lush, relaxing and peaceful. With these words in mind, staff worked with agency to come up with initial brand identity thoughts. Throughout the process, more than 15 different logos were considered, 4 different branding campaigns were presented, 6 different taglines were used in drafts of the new campaign and more than 45 different colors were evaluated. We really wanted to showcase The Woodlands natural beauty, but we also wanted the brand identity to showcase a dynamic destination, Chairman Rieser said. We chose deep colors and clean lines with taglines and headlines that evoked a sense of excitement to really make The Woodlands brand promise come across in all advertising, marketing, public relations and sales efforts. Throughout the creative process, the objective was always to further the Visit The Woodlands goal of bringing more brand awareness to the destination. Making the logo, taglines and campaign, itself, distinctive from other destinations and in line with brand research took months. The Woodlands Convention & Visitor Bureau Visitors Services program, in conjunction with The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, surveyed 114,671 visitors in 2016 that came from 998 unique Texas zip codes, 94 countries and all 50 states and territories. The Visitation and Spending Study showed that 78 percent of visitors in The Woodlands Town Center come from outside of The Woodlands by reporting that visitors to The Woodlands generated $10,600,000 in local tax revenue in The new identity is just one of the ways Visit The Woodlands is accomplishing this goal. With an increased presence at national and international trade show and destination events, a continued focus on digital and innovative technology approaches and more involvement in the industry s national and international advocacy for travel to Texas, the staff and Board of s are excited to see what success will be measured from this year s initiatives. PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH PINTEREST Travel Inspiration Visit The Woodlands is expanding its horizons across the social media realm. Over the past few months, the staff has been building out a Pinterest page. With Pinterest, followers can easily brainstorm, form ideas and plan their trips to The Woodlands with a click of a button. The social platform is heavily populated with Visit The Woodlands blog posts which allows Pinterest users to be redirected to VisitTheWoodlands.com to read more blog posts or explore the rest of the website. To bring awareness to the new platform, the staff created a promotional video to communicate the ease of planning trips via Pinterest. The video was released through social channels the day of the Pinterest launch. Check it out on Visit The Woodlands YouTube channel! 4

Public school ratings, cost of living, crime rates, resident education levels, neighborhoods, average commute time, resident reviews and even weather were some of the major factors leading into the

5 THE WOODLANDS NAMED #1 SUBURB The Best of the Best Recently, The Woodlands was named the #1 Suburb to Live by Paper City Magazine. Not only was The Woodlands named the number one place to live in Texas, but was named the number six place to live nation-wide. Public school ratings, cost of living, crime rates, resident education levels, neighborhoods, average commute time, resident reviews and even weather were some of the major factors leading into the final decision. The Woodlands is honored to have been named the number one suburb to live in. Now we re excited for visitors to come experience what the residents experience each day, said Visit The Woodlands President, Nick Wolda. UPCOMING CONVENTION DEVELOPMENT A Summer of Travel Visit The Woodlands is participating in many tradeshows in 2017 to gain brand awareness and to encourage visitors and meeting planners to visit and plan meetings in The Woodlands. Visit The Woodlands staff started the year off with a trade show in Washington D.C. with Destination Marketing Association International s Destination Showcase. The showcase hosted 150 destinations along with 500 meeting planners for Visit The Woodlands to market the destination to. Later in the month of March, staff attended SXSW where 68,600 attendees walked the floors of the exhibit hall throughout the festival. Visit The Woodlands provided a virtual bike experience for attendees to bike through The Woodlands. Upcoming trade shows include the U.S. Travel Association s IPW which is an VISIT THE WOODLANDS MARKETING COMMITTEE Community Marketing Partnership international trade show that brings over 6,000 attendees from 73 different countries. Visit The Woodlands will also participate in a Media Marketplace, where staff will have the opportunity to meet with media outlets from around the world. Cvent Connect and Meeting Professionals International s WEC are both trade shows based solely for meeting planners and suppliers to meet one-on-one. In 2016, Cvent Connect brought in 1,800 planners. Lastly, Visit The Woodlands will participate in IMEX America, another international trade show that brought in 3,200 meeting planners in Visit The Woodlands is very excited to be able to have the opportunity to promote The Woodlands as a destination to planners and visitors from around the world. Visit The Woodlands partners with several community leaders to promote The Woodlands as an exciting destination for tourism and business meetings. This year s committee members consist of Chairman Rieser, Chairman of The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of s, Amy Everitt of Hyatt Centric, Catherin Beyt of TMI Hospitality, Jayson Garcia of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, Jenny Taylor and Noemi Gonzalez of Trademark Property, Lorrie Parise of The Woodlands Development Company, Kim Phillips of The Woodlands Development Company, Tory Enriquez of The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, and Cameron Klepac of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Marketing Committee meets bi-monthly to create marketing programs, including advertising and public relations and to develop strategies to bring visitors to The Woodlands. 5

THE REFUGE STEAKHOUSE & BOURBON BAR OPENS A New Dining Experience on the Scene Nick Sinisi- Assistant General Manager, Mark Zientek Owner, Luis Padilla - GM/Owner and PJ Morales - Executive Chef

C800. The new steakhouse is a sister restaurant of The Refuge Bar & Bistro, also located in The Woodlands at Waterway Square.

6 THE REFUGE STEAKHOUSE & BOURBON BAR OPENS A New Dining Experience on the Scene Nick Sinisi- Assistant General Manager, Mark Zientek Owner, Luis Padilla - GM/Owner and PJ Morales - Executive Chef LIDIA BASTIANICH NAMED WINE & FOOD WEEK S WIZARD GOURMET Wine & Food Week is Back The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar opened in Creekside Park on March 18, 2017 at 8540 Creekside Forest Drive, Suite C800. The new steakhouse is a sister restaurant of The Refuge Bar & Bistro, also located in The Woodlands at Waterway Square. The Refuge Steakhouse Bourbon Bar features an extensive bourbon selection and offers premium wood-fired steaks, seafood, pasta and more. Enjoy live entertainment every Friday and Saturday evening at both locations. The restaurant also offers full catering services. Check out the full menu online at It is an honor to host such an accomplished chef, nationally-syndicated TV host, restauranteur and entrepreneur who not only embraces her culture, but uses her culinary skills as an ambassador promoting her Italian heritage. We cannot wait to reveal Lidia to Houston s nationallyacclaimed diverse restaurant scene and showcase our culinary masters alongside her. Wine & Food Week s Wizard Gourmet, Lidia Bastianich, on set of Lidia s Kitchen. The Woodlands is going red, white and green with Inspired Flavors for renowned Italian chef, best-selling cookbook author and Houston Public Media Emmy award-winning celebrity Lidia Bastianich, Wine & Food Week s Wizard Gourmet at the 13th annual event scheduled for June 5-11, As Wizard Gourmet, Bastianich is the Wizard Gourmet Master of Ceremonies at Wine & Food Week s Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase held Saturday, June 10 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott. Bastianich will be on site with an Italian culinary display of her own line of products where she ll be on hand to greet guests and sign her recent book; Lidia s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine (Knopf 2015). Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, a best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. She is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurants - Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia s Pittsburgh and Lidia s Kansas City along with her daughter Tanya. Along with her son, Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali, and Oscar Farinetti, the team opened Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace, in the Flatiron District of New York City and at the World Trade Center in New York City. An epicurean extravaganza with more than 10,000 participants each year, Wine & Food Week s gastronomic grandeur features scores of events with more than 500 wines, 75 restaurants throughout the week, legendary wine producers and culinary personalities. A myriad of education classes, chef demonstrations, cookbook author events, and casual to fine wine-and-dine experiences for the novice to the enthusiast round out the weeklong culinary classic. To purchase tickets or for more information visit 6

20TH ANNUAL RED, HOT AND BLUE FESTIVAL RETURNS A Patriotic Celebration Getaway Summer is just around the corner which means vacations, popsicles and Fourth of July celebrations!

The event includes great food, live entertainment, children s activities and family fun at multiple locations throughout The Woodlands.

The Houston Symphony will take the stage to perform a selection of patriotic classics.

7 20TH ANNUAL RED, HOT AND BLUE FESTIVAL RETURNS A Patriotic Celebration Getaway Summer is just around the corner which means vacations, popsicles and Fourth of July celebrations! The Woodlands will host the 20th Annual Red, Hot and Blue Festival. The event includes great food, live entertainment, children s activities and family fun at multiple locations throughout The Woodlands. Head to town early and stay longer to make it a great weekend getaway for everyone! Monday, July 3, 2017: Enjoy a free concert at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion! The Houston Symphony will take the stage to perform a selection of patriotic classics. Tuesday, July 4, 2017: Put on your red, white and blue and get a prime viewing spot for the exciting South County Fourth of July Parade. The 1.3-mile parade around The Woodlands features marching bands, fire engines, clowns, floats and more! Tuesday, July 4, 2017: Don t miss out on the 20th Annual Red, Hot & Blue Festival. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with great food, live entertainment and various children and family activities at several different locations. The 9:30 p.m. fireworks show can be seen at the following locations: Town Green Park, Hughes Landing, Waterway Square, Rob Fleming Park and Northshore Park. For more information about Fourth of July in The Woodlands, please visit TRENDING IN THE WOODLANDS: Patio Season kimberemm Spending time with my favorite people on the beautiful day! SideBar is located within the Westin hotel along The Waterway. When the sun goes down, the bar merges chic indoor and outdoor spaces with a rooftop view of Waterway Square. SideBar prides itself on the unique cocktails served by the bar s master mixologist. Happy hour occurs Sunday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. This is the perfect spot to meet a group of friends after work on a Friday evening. currentlysavvy Today s tranquil breakfast backdrop Located in the heart of Creekside Park Village Green, Fieldings Local Kitchen + Bar overlooks the green belt in the middle of the shopping center. The patio is spacious with modern, fun furniture for your comfort and relaxation. The Fielding s Local patio is perfect to share a mimosa flight with your significant other or your best friend. jose_antonio_gomez_guerra 1252 Tapas is a lively and locally owned restaurant and bar sits along Market Street, a high quality shopping, dining and entertainment center in The Woodlands. The menu is full of great wines, cocktails and Spanish-inspired tapas. The best part of all, the patio is pet-friendly! Bring the fur babies to enjoy patio season with you. 7

8 CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 6th It s a Guy Thing Wine and Food Week 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Mercedes-Benz of The Woodlands June 7th Women, Wine & All Things Fashionable Wine and 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Food Week Rob Fleming Park 2801 Technology Forest Blvd. The Woodlands, Texas June 8th H-E-B Wine Walk Wine and Food Week 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm Market Street June 8th Spring Concert Series 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm Market Street June 8th Jimmy Buffet and The Coral Reefer Band June 9th Ladies of the Vine Tasting, Panel & Luncheon Wine 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm and Food Week The Club At Carlton Woods June 9th Sips, Suds & Tacos Wine and Food Week 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center June 9th Houston Symphony: Matilda in Concert June 10th Northwestern Mutual Platinum Wine Vault Tasting 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Wine and Food Week The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center June 10th Waterway Nights 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Waterway Square June 10th The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Wine and Food Week The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center June 17th The Suffers with the Houston Symphony June 18th Chicago & The Doobie Brothers 7:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion June 22nd Future with Migos, Tory Lanez, Kodak Black 7:00 pm & Zoey Dollaz The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion June 23rd Texas Music Festival Orchestra June 24th Waterway Nights 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Waterway Square June 26th Deftones and Rise Against 6:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 1st Prince Royal 7:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 2nd Majic Summer Block Party with Jill Scott and 5:30 pm Bell Biv Devoe The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 3rd Houston Symphony: Star-Spangled Salute July 4th All Day Fourth of July in The Woodlands Town Green Park July 8th Houston Symphony: Symphonic Sights & Sounds July 13th Rock the Row 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Hughes Landing July 14th Third Eye Blind with The Silversun Pickups 7:00 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 15th Scuderia Exotic Car Show 8:00 am - 11:00 am Market Street July 19th Houston Symphony: Lemony Snicket s 8:00 pm The Composer is Dead The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 28th Nickelback with Daughtry & Shaman s Harvest 6:15 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 29th REO Speedwagon and Styx with Don Felder 7:00 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 4th Incubus with Jimmy Eat World & Judah and The Lion 6:45 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 6th The Woodlands Car Club Cars & Coffee for a Cause 8:00 am - 11: 00 am Market Street August 6th John Mayer 7:00 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 9th Straight No Chaser and Postmodern Jukebox 7:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 18th Deep Purple with Alice Cooper 6:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 19th Foreigner with Cheap Trick and Jason Bonham 7:00 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 27th Lady Antebellum with Kelsea Ballerini and Brett Young 7:30 pm The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 2nd Jeff & Larry s Great American BBQ: Jeff Foxworthy and 6:00 pm Larry the Cable Guy with The Marshall Tucker Band and Eddie Money The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion September 3rd Labor Day Weekend in The Woodlands 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm Waterway Square CONNECT WITH US Request our free Visitor Guide by going to VisitTheWoodlands.com. Keep up with all the exciting things happening in The Woodlands by following us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.

INSIDE THIS EDITION THE BUZZ NEXT UP

INSIDE THIS EDITION THE BUZZ NEXT UP INSIDE THIS EDITION www.visitthewoodlands.com THE BUZZ NEXT UP Getting around in The Woodlands just got a whole lot more fun! The world s largest bike-share platform, Mobike, launches in The Woodlands.