VALDOSTA — Valdosta will be hosting one of three Georgia Tourism Meet and Greets in 2019.

The meet and greet will be held 10 a.m.-noon, March 27, at the Rainwater Conference Center, said Chris Hamilton, chief executive officer and executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority.

Hamilton said the meet and greet is one way for Valdosta to become a destination at the recent tourism authority meeting.

“I know when I first got here a big topic with this organization was that we wanted to be recognized more by the state,” he said. “So, we have been taking steps to do that. … So, this was a pretty big deal because they are only doing three of these in the state, and we got one of them here. So we are representing all of South Georgia.

“It will be a pretty rare opportunity. You know where they will be here, the state tourism officials will be here, and it will be a pretty casual atmosphere.”

To register for the free event go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwZwOd-HiyZrQEJsJp1RStq8pedHUgpqf8iagb8AAGcZb8hQ/viewform and register by March 1.

The tourism authority also reviewed presentations from three architect offices including BFB Gladden Architects, Tvsdesign and The McCall Companies. Each company was given a chance to give a 15-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer session.

The chosen office will oversee the tourism authority’s master plan to build a bridge over a lake, renovate portions of the James H. Rainwater Conference Center and other projects on the authority’s docket.

Hamilton announced he and the Rainwater department heads have started work on budgets for Fiscal Year 2019-20. He anticipates the finance committee to be reviewing potential budgets within the next month.

The tourism authority meets 8 a.m. the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Rainwater Conference Center. The meetings are open to the public.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.