USAEXtra Convention Center Focus
V O L U M E 4 | ISSUE 10
SEPTEMBER 2, 2025
Elliott L. Ferguson II, President & CEO of Destination DC, spoke on August 26 at Capital Turnaround about the organization’s 2026 marketing and sales strategy during its annual Marketing Outlook Meeting. Topics included an initiative to advance the award-winning creative campaign “Only One DC” by deepening the personal story of city residents, plans to leverage America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, a report on the latest visitor trends, and an updated forecast for visitation. Credit: Destination DC
N.C. Bar & Tavern Association Pursues Lawsuits After State Supreme Court Ruling By Todd McElwee
A pair of lawsuits that seek to recoup income lost after former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 shutdown orders—including one brought forth by the North Carolina Bar & Tavern Association (NCBATA)—are proceeding after a favorable decision from the North Carolina Supreme Court. In late August, the court issued a victory for private bar and tavern owners, who had filed a separate lawsuit, by ruling their legal pursuits may proceed under the state constitution’s “fruits of their own labor” protections. This refers to the right to earn a livelihood without unreasonable government interference. NCBTA said the decision confirms what the association has been arguing since 2020: the governor’s orders
unfairly singled out private bars while allowing thousands of similar businesses to reopen. “From the beginning, we never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment,” said NCBATA President and bar owner Zack Medford. “This ruling is a clear message that hardworking small-business owners cannot be shut out of their livelihoods without accountability. Today the Court made it clear: the right to earn a living is fundamental in North Carolina.” On Facebook, NCBATA said it first filed suit on June 4, 2020, on behalf of 185 private bars and taverns forced to remain closed for more than a year while restaurant bars, breweries, wineries, and hotel bars were allowed to operate. “We are proud of the persistence of our members and deeply grateful
to our legal team including former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and attorneys Matt Vaughn and Mike Tadych for fighting tirelessly on behalf of small-business owners across this state,” Medford said. “This is another important step toward justice for the bar and tavern community.” Seeking to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Cooper—a Democrat who left office last December and is now running for U.S. Senate—issued a series of executive orders closing bars starting in March 2020. By summer, bars still had to remain closed, but restaurants and breweries could serve alcohol during certain hours. Later that year, bars could serve alcoholic drinks outdoors with time limits later added, but the plaintiffs say it was unprofitable to operate. All temporary restrictions on bars were lifted in May 2021.
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