Maritime Conference Center Blog

On Friday, February 21st, Maritime Conference Center's catering partner, FLIK, hosted it's first annual FLIK Associate Chili Cook-Off!

Two teams (front of house vs back of house) competed during the lunch hour in our Chesapeake Dining Room for a set of golden cooking utensils, gift cards, FLIK bucks, and, of course, bragging rights!

Margie & Isaiah (front of house) took on Tyrone & Toni (back of house). The chili meals also included all the appropriate fixings, chips and cornbread. MCC & MITAGS guests and staff had the opportunity to taste each one, then cast their vote.

The winners were the back of house team of Tyrone & Toni! Congratulations to all participants and to FLIK for a great lunch-time event for all to enjoy!

On Friday, February 14th, MCC Senior Sales Analyst, Brian Senft attended Maryland Tourism Day in Annapolis. The event featured special guest speakers including:

• Mayor of Annapolis, Gavin Buckley
• Comptroller, Peter Franchot
• Secretary, Kelly Schulz

It also featured updates from the Maryland Tourism Coalition's Executive Director, Ruth Toomey and Board Chair, Marian Hrab, as well as advocacy meetings with state delegations and legislators.

Tourism is extremely important in our home state of Maryland! It creates jobs, sustains small business, generates revenue, and supports our future!

According to the Maryland Tourism Coalition:
Visitors to Maryland spent $18.1 billion on travel expenses in 2018, up 2.1 percent from the previous year, according to a report released recently by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development & Maryland Dept. of Commerce. This increase was despite three Federal Government shut downs. While the Federal Government shut down in January 2018 was three days, February for five hours, and during the winter holiday in December, travel to federal installations in Maryland were impacted. In addition, Maryland welcomed more than 41.9 million visitors in 2018.
“Maryland’s tourism industry continues to be a powerful economic driver for our Maryland, proving good jobs for tens of thousands of our citizens and billions in revenue for our state,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our continued investment in tourism will ensure we are able to provide a great experience to our visitors, as well as valuable returns for many communities across the state.”
According to the report, more than 74 percent of visitor spending focused on three areas: food and beverage, lodging, and transportation. This spending has generated $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenues. More than 150,000 Marylanders were directly employed in the tourism industry in 2018, making it the 10th largest private sector employer in the state. The industry supported a payroll of $6.5 billion, which is an increase of 4 percent from 2017.

In addition to the many benefits mentioned above, tourism gives Maryland the opportunity to show-off all of the amazing locations, activities, history, etc. that it has to offer.

Become a tourism advocate with us and join the hundreds of business and association members of Maryland Tourism Coalition working to grow and support tourism throughout Maryland! Learn more at mdtourism.org.  #TourismWorks4MD

According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans are earning even more days off than last year. But more than half (55%) of American workers report not using all their days off—totaling 768 million unused vacation days, up 9% from 2017. What’s more, 236 million of those days were forfeited completely—equaling $65.5 billion in lost benefits and an individual average of $571 in donated work time.

You can work on planning your 2020 vacation with this Maryland Travel Bucket List, put together by the Maryland Office of Tourism!

In case you need more inspiration to visit Maryland this year, check out this article that explains why Charm City is the perfect weekend break for couples, foodies, craft-beer fans and families alike.

Happy Plan a Vacation Day!

Congratulations to MCC's front desk agent, Yonic Machado, on being recognized as our Associate of the 4th Quarter for 2019!

Yonic has only been with us for two years, but has already made a huge impact on our organization! He consistently goes above and beyond for our customers and for his fellow colleagues. AND, even in the midst of "chaos," he always keeps a calm demeanor and a smile on his face. We are so proud of you Yonic! Congratulations and keep up the great work!