Community Relations

While the primary role of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau is generating city revenues by creating and implementing programs that promote our city as a destination for travelers, the Irving CVB also plays an important role at home in the Irving community.

The Bureau's community reinvestment role is seen in a number of ways: involvement with community events, High Spirited Citizen Program, Hospitality Industry Scholarship, Host City Committee and Speakers Bureau.

The Irving CVB also promotes the positive impacts the travel and tourism industry has on the quality of life for Irving residents. Irving hotels pay more than $20 million annually in property taxes. Thanks to these dollars, along with hotel tax collections and visitor spending, the average Irving household saves $309 in taxes annually. The Bureau is funded entirely through hotel/motel tax collections within the city of Irving. Bureau and hotel sales efforts collectively generate more than $10 million annually in occupancy taxes, which fund not only the CVB, but also the Irving Arts Center and Irving's Historic Preservation efforts and the Irving Museum Fund.

For more information regarding the Bureau's Community Relations programs, contact Diana Pfaff, Director of Communications.

High Spirited Citizen Program
The High Spirited Citizen Program was initiated in 1988 by the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau to recognize and encourage the spirit of volunteerism in the community. Each month, Irving citizens are named "High Spirited Citizens" and are recognized with a certificate of honor at a City Council meeting. Recipients also have the opportunity to discuss community issues with the Mayor at a special breakfast and are further recognized by participation in Irving's Fourth of July and Christmas in the Park parades. Click here for a listing of honorees.

Guidelines: Nominees must reside in the City of Irving. Nominees can be individuals or groups. Nominees' volunteer community involvement should not be a designated part of their job responsibilities. Nominations are reviewed by the High Spirited Citizens Committee of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors.

Use this form to nominate an unsung hero. For more details, please contact Jane Kilburn by e-mail or by phone at 972-252-7476.

Irving Speakers Bureau
The Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a number of speaker programs to the community. Various staff members and members of the Irving hospitality industry are available to speak to organizations on various topics, including: What Does A Convention Bureau Do?; How Does Irving Sell Itself As A Visitor Destination?; The Irving CVB and Its Role at Home; High Spirited Citizens; The Bureau's Marketing Partnerships; Tourism: What's In It For Me?; Marketing 101; Working With the Travel Media; and others. Presentations are also available via PowerPoint presentation or as handouts. To schedule a speaker for your organization, contact Diana Pfaff via e-mail or 972-252-7476.

Hospitality Industry Scholarship
In an effort to promote tourism by providing a well-trained and educated workforce interested in careers in tourism, the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau has endowed a tourism/hospitality scholarship through the Irving Schools Foundation.

A $1,500 scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior at one of the three Irving high schools. Scholarship applicants must have plans to pursue a course of study in the field of tourism and/or the hospitality industry at an institution of higher learning. Applicants must have an overall grade average of 85 or above and submit a written statement as to why the tourism/hospitality field is of particular interest. For more information about the ICVB's Hospitality Industry Scholarship, please contact the Irving Schools Foundation.

Irving Arts Center

Historic Preservation