Fredericksburg, VA . . . The Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center announced today that the Harley Owners group Virginia chapters, sponsored by the Virginia Harley Davidson dealers has selected the Expo Center and the City of Fredericksburg to host it annual convention. The convention is scheduled for June 19 – 21, 2008 at the Fredericksburg Expo Center.

The 2007 event was held in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Expo Center and the City of Fredericksburg competed against Staunton, Virginia and Shenandoah Valley to win the event.

The 3 day event, which draws approximately 3,500 convention attendees from through out the country, could generate as many as 5000 room nights. It is estimated that the event will infuse an estimated 2.6 million dollars of spending into the local economy. That translates into direct tax revenue to the City of Fredericksburg to the tune of $65,000 to $100,000. The city will receive this revenue in the form of hotel occupancy tax, meals tax, and sales tax.

“We are very excited to host this event” says Tom Ballantine, President and CEO of the Expo Center.” “This is the perfect example of just one of the types of events that we can attract should we have a working partnership with the city.” Ballantine stated. “The event has a minimal budget for facility expenses, although they generate a substantial amount of economic impact for the city and the region.

When asked about choosing Fredericksburg to host the 2008 event, Richard Becker the 2008 rally coordinator stated; “The Virginia State HOG Rally is very fortunate to have access to the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center. There is no greater venue than what we have found with this facility. We have found the Expo Center facilities, ownership, management and operational staff to be second to none.”

“The HOG Rally Committee is planning a large number of riding events which will focus on riding in and around the Fredericksburg area, and bringing all the HOG participants back to what we call "Rally Central," the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center. Other activities at the rally will be vendors, Harley-Davidson dealerships from across Virginia, games, food, prizes, spectator activities such as a HOG members "Ride In Bike Show," Bike Games, Police Motor Officer Demonstrations and much more. The Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center facility and parking lot areas make all of this possible."

“The Virginia State HOG Rally is traditionally a very robust gathering of Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners and enthusiast. This particular rally draws H.O.G. members from not only Virginia, but from as many as 15 other states across the nation. The 2007 Virginia HOG rally drew HOG participants from two nations abroad and we look for a repeat of that in 2008 with attendance anywhere from 3,400-4,000 people over 3 days.”

To prove that Fredericksburg was up to the task, it took a Herculean effort on the part of the cities tourism department to secure enough hotel rooms to host the event. The event has booked rooms at 19 hotel properties located in the City of Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties. “As the City has been saying all along, we need to continue to invest in our tourism development program. Having the Harley Owners Group choose the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center shows our partnership is moving forward. We are very excited about hosting this event and the tremendous economic impact this is going to have on our City. These large events with multiple overnight stays from thousands of people are exactly the type of business we are seeking and will continue to seek in partnership with the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center”. Commented, Kevin Gullette, the Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the City of Fredericksburg.

For additional information please contact

Sam Voisin, GM – Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center – 540-548-5555 x 104
Kevin Gullette, Director of Economic Development and Tourism – 540-372-1216