"We look forward to welcoming you to Rochester this September!" — Don Jeffries, President & CEO of Visit Rochester

On behalf of our entire team at Visit Rochester, we are delighted to be your destination hosts for the 2023 NYSTIA Annual Meeting and Tourism Excellence Awards!

If you have not yet already, I encourage you to register for next month’s event and book your room at the Hyatt Regency Rochester – it is shaping up to be a wonderful gathering of industry representatives from across the country and around the state, along with interesting programming and off-site events at some terrific Rochester venues.

Join us in Rochester for the pre-conference FAM tour on Wednesday, September 13 featuring “sips and sights” of Rochester. This guided tour will bring attendees to several iconic Rochester locations. Our tour begins with the Genesee Brew House, the oldest brewery in New York State offers guests sweeping views of High Falls – a 96-foot waterfall in downtown Rochester. A visit to the George Eastman Museum is fundamental to understanding the lasting impact and legacy of Rochester’s most famous entrepreneur. The tour will conclude at Black Button Distilling, which recently celebrated the move to a new and expanded tasting room in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts.

Following our tour on Wednesday, you will find many dining options for Wednesday evening. Browse some of our favorite Rochester restaurants here, or reach out to any member of the Visit Rochester team for additional recommendations.

Another highlight of our time together in Rochester will be the 2023 Tourism Excellence Awards at The Strong National Museum of Play. If you haven’t previously visited The Strong, you are in for quite a treat. The Strong just cut the ribbon on a transformational 90,000 sq. foot expansion featuring new (and highly interactive) exhibits dedicated to the history of electronic games and their influence on play. The Strong is one of the largest history museums in the United States and is a must-visit; our time together at the museum is sure to be memorable and playful.

While the formal program will conclude on Friday, I invite you to extend your stay in Rochester over the weekend. The Rochester Fringe Festival will be going on with national headliner entertainment throughout the weekend. In addition to the festival, explore other Rochester locations including the Rochester Public Market, one of our two dozen breweries, a local winery, or one of the many museums or cultural attractions in the Rochester area.