DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997             TAG: 9702280583

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   70 lines

SALES PITCH SET TO MUSIC THE VIRGINIA SYMPHONY WILL HELP WOO NEW BUSINESS FOR HAMPTON ROADS FROM THE STAGE OF CARNEGIE HALL.

Mixing cocktails and business introductions in a social setting has always been a way of greasing the wheels of commerce.

Discussions start. Executives spot common interests. They seize opportunities. Relationships are sealed.

Hampton Roads will test that tried-and-true formula when the Virginia Symphony takes on Carnegie Hall.

Forward Hampton Roads will use the symphony's April 15 New York City appearance as a platform to introduce Northeast executives to the region and to offer them a sample of the area's quality of life.

Economic development officials from South Hampton Roads will host executives from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in a pre-concert reception, said Ann Baldwin, director of research at Forward Hampton Roads.

The idea was the brainchild of symphony organizers, who have always ranked Carnegie Hall high on the list of the orchestra's long-range goals.

``As we began to look into this idea, we began to explore tying in economic development,'' said Daniel Hart, executive director of the Virginia Symphony. ``This was one way we saw we could play an active role in it.''

The symphony approached Forward Hampton Roads, the economic development arm of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, six months ago to discuss this partnership. The chamber accepted gratefully.

``It's the first time we've done anything like this for the region,'' Baldwin said. ``The New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region is prime territory for our economic development marketing.''

Economic development officials have always favored the Northeast as a prime hunting ground because thousands of big, growing companies operate there. High labor and real estate costs associated with doing business in that region often tempt Northeast companies to look elsewhere. State and regional officials from Virginia understand that and seduce Northeast companies with talk of cheap abundant labor and land, tax breaks or other financial incentives.

The General Assembly approved a one-time appropriation of $100,000 to help underwrite the orchestra's New York appearance. Forward Hampton Roads will commit about $65,000 toward the pre-concert reception and performance tickets from its regional marketing fund, to which the five southside cities contribute, Hart said. NationsBank and Norfolk Southern Corp. are also big corporate sponsors.

Forward Hampton Roads is coordinating the reception but the cities' economic development departments will play a significant role too. South Hampton Roads cities will draft lists of prospective companies, suppliers or vendors who have shown interest in the region. Peninsula economic development officials chose not to participate, Baldwin said.

Metropolitan New York executives will receive invitations to a reception featuring Hampton Roads images and Southern fare such as Smithfield Ham and crabcakes. Organizers hope for about 100 guests at the reception who will also be Forward Hampton Roads' guests at the concert, Baldwin said.

``Part of the reception will be to talk about the arts and that quality of life we have in our community,'' she said. ``It'll be a soft sell reception.''

Symphony organizers say their inclusion of marketing efforts during this New York adventure constitutes one way to ``give back'' to the area. The symphony developed out of the early steps of regionalism, when the Peninsula Symphony, the Norfolk Orchestra and the Virginia Beach Orchestra merged in 1979, Hart said.

``I think more and more the cities need to be creative in how they promote themselves,'' Hart said. ``The arts play a more important role. It's important to do these kinds of things that are mutually beneficial.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo illustration by Robert D. Voros/The

Virginian-Pilot

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