The Shenandoah Convention and Visitors Bureau will host a grand reopening July 7. The Shenandoah Convention and Visitors Bureau will host a grand reopening July 7.[/caption]

The Shenandoah Convention and Visitors Bureau will celebrate its grand reopening with city officials and residents July 7.

The free event will take place from 3:30-6 p.m. at 19265 David Memorial Drive in Shenandoah and will give residents and visitors alike the opportunity to learn more about the city, participate in a drawing for prizes and enjoy light refreshments.

“Our goal is to remarket the visitors center,” Shenandoah CVB Director Jennifer Calvert said “We believe it is such a great resource of travel information that everyone will reap the benefits of it. We are striving to provide the best customer service as well as keep up with the travel and tourism trends. We want to appeal to all generations and create an environment that promotes face-to-face interactions.”

Originally a part of the Montgomery County CVB, the Shenandoah CVB was housed in City Hall until relocating in 2010. The city has since remodeled the facility and adopted state-of-the-art, interactive technology to help visitors plan their stay.

“Our focus was on making the center more inviting,” Calvert said. “We gave it a more modern look and brightened it up. We also wanted to reach all generations. For those who like the traditional brochures, we have those. For those who are more accustomed to using technology, we’ve created an interactive map that will allow people to build digital itineraries and either print or send to oneself electronically.”

Calvert said the technology uses Google Maps and also enables visitors to use geo fencing to create personalized geographic boundaries when planning their trips. In the future, Calvert said she hopes to add the interactive map to participating hotels to enable chat capabilities between visitors and the CVB staff.

“The event gives people an opportunity to see what the Visitors Center has to offer,” Calvert said. “People stumble into the center on a regular basis and are always amazed at the resources. We will demonstrate the interactive map and give people an opportunity to see the updated informational video on David Vetter—also known as the Boy in the Bubble—our most famous resident.”

Between the facility’s new appearance and the advanced technology, Calvert said she hopes the reopening will benefit both Shenandoah businesses and residents.

“The Visitors Center gives visitors and residents a place to go to get information on where to eat and sleep as well as fun things to do,” Calvert said. “Our businesses are fantastic and we want to showcase them to everyone. Our purpose is to help our businesses and hotels by making visiting Shenandoah a great experience so visitors come back again and again.”