USA Track & Field (USATF) announced that Virginia Beach will host its 2010 Annual Convention. The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) competed against other cities including Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Greensboro for the event.

On December 4, the USATF General Membership approved the site selection committee's recommendation to bring the 2010 event to Virginia Beach at the 2005 USATF Annual Convention in Jacksonville, Fl. The Sports Marketing staff of the Virginia Beach CVB submitted the bid.

USATF is the National Governing Body for track and field, long- distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. "We chose Virginia Beach for three main reasons: The Virginia Beach Convention Center and the opportunity it presents to host our meeting, a hotel package with oceanfront rooms and value for our attendees and the enthusiasm of the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau and local community," said Jim Elias, USA Track & Field CFO/COO. "We are looking forward to 2010."

The 2010 USATF Annual Convention in Virginia Beach will feature 1500 delegates and more than 3,000 hotel room nights. The majority of events will be held at the new Virginia Beach Convention Center from December 1-5, 2010.

The $202.5 million Virginia Beach Convention Center opened its doors August 2005, showcasing the first phase of the facility which features 31,029 square foot ballroom, a 56,516 square foot exhibition hall and 19,249 square feet of meeting space. The Virginia Beach Convention Center is scheduled for a grand opening in early 2007. When completed, it will offer 516,522 gross square feet of space, including a 150,000 square-foot column-free exhibit hall, 28,929 square feet of meeting space and 2,230 free parking spaces.

Virginia Beach was one of 14 cities to respond to an RFP issued by USATF in spring 2005. After Virginia Beach was selected as a finalist, USATF representatives visited the city where they were met by a team of Virginia Beach supporters including Mayor Meyera Oberndorf, Acting Chief Financial Officer Jack Whitney, Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Jim Ricketts, Director of Convention Sales & Marketing Al Hutchinson, Sports Marketing Coordinator Buddy Wheeler, Convention Center Manager Courtney Dyer, and Tom Pauls of the Virginia Beach Planning Department.

Upon the request of USATF, Virginia Beach sent a delegation to Jacksonville to make a final presentation to the selection committee. Virginia Beach was assisted in their presentation by Executive Vice President of Elite Racing Tracy Sundlin, longtime member of USATF and promoter of the Virginia Beach Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon, as well as Jim Holdren, President of the Virginia Chapter of USATF.

"The entire Virginia Beach team came together to win this bid," Wheeler said. "The Sports Marketing staff has been working on this for many months and I am excited that the hard work paid off. The USATF specifically recognized that the City's support from the Mayor down and enthusiasm of the community was a key factor in their decision."

USATF is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization. The mission of USATF is to provide vision and leadership to the sport of track and field in the United States, and to promote the pursuit of excellence from youth to masters, from grassroots to the Olympic Games.

Virginia Beach entices meetings planners to "Bring it to the Beach!" Located in the southeastern corner of the state, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of Washington, DC by car and within a day's drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population.

For visitor information and more information about Virginia Beach's new $202.5 million convention center, visit the Web site www.vbfun.com. For media information and digital images, click on www.vbpressroom.com.