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AV Adventure highlights sold‑out headliners and tourism draws as council readies contract vote
Summary
AV Adventure Productions reviewed five signature events at the May 11 work session and urged council to renew the year‑round events contract; organizers said festivals such as the comedy and cat festivals attract out‑of‑town visitors and fill hotel blocks, and noted partnerships with Visit Williamsburg and local nonprofits.
AV Adventure Productions presented a year‑in‑review at the Williamsburg City Council May 11 work session and described event growth that city staff and council said has supported local businesses and tourism.
Joanna (city staff) introduced Adam Stackhouse, founder of AV Adventure, who reviewed five signature events under the three‑year contract the city awarded in 2022: the Last Word Comedy Festival, Ampersand International Arts Festival, Williamsburg Whiskey & Wine Weekend, Berg Quest (gaming festival) and the Virginia Cat Festival. Stackhouse said Last Word and the Cat Festival in particular draw nonlocal attendees and that some headline shows sold out months in advance.
"Those tickets sold out immediately when it went on sale several months before the festival," Stackhouse said of a headliner performance, noting the comedy festival this year had about 2,800 attendees.
He described programming experiments intended to broaden appeal — a comedy academy at Last Word, expansion of Ampersand beyond film into live performing arts and industry summits, and a move for Berg Quest into the new Sports and Events Center. Stackhouse said partnerships with Visit Williamsburg and local businesses amplify marketing and help track hotel blocks and headcounts for return‑on‑investment metrics.
Council asked which events most often bring people to town; Stackhouse said Last Word, Ampersand and the Cat Festival are most likely to draw air travel and out‑of‑region attendees, while whiskey and wine events tend to be more locally focused. He described social media and partnerships as the most effective marketing channels while maintaining print and radio outreach for broader reach.
Council members praised the programming and noted the Sports and Events Center will create new venue capacity. The council will consider renewing the event management contract at its upcoming regular meeting.
No formal action on the contract was taken at the work session; council scheduled additional agenda review at the May 14 meeting.
