Visit Oakland – Oakland Convention & Visitor Bureau

Date: 9÷19÷2015 Time: 12:30 PM 73° Sunny & warm
Husband and I are walking on Water Street on our way to the Eat Real Festival when we see the three framed storefront windows have Go Raiders Nation etched on it. On the Unilocal site, it shows the place is closed for today.
I thought the business sold Raiders memorabilias until I walked in and noticed an assortment of tour leaflets and books about Oakland — This is Oakland, A Guide to the City’s Most Interesting Places by Melissa Davis; Brown Sugar Kitchen by Tanya Holland with Jan Newberry; and Oakland, CA Home Field Advantage, The City that Changed the Face of Sports by Paul Brekke-​Miesner. The visitor’s bureau was probably opened because of the Eat Real Festival and most likely there were out-​of-​town visitors in the area.
I already have two of the books from two other local businesses — Urban Indigo and Oakland Supply Company — in my collection. Inasmuch as I love sports (baseball, basketball and football), I just could not walk out without purchasing Home Field Advantage for $ 27.00, a recommended reading for people who are interested in memories of some of the talented sports figures coming out of Oakland and the surrounding areas.
The gentleman assisting me was friendly, helpful and personable. Thank you, Kenneth Brown, CO’70 BHS Yellowjackets (school colors — red & gold) alumni, for sharing the sports memories of certain ballplayers and coaches from back in the days, Mosswood Park, its basketball courts and legends, etc.
Even though I am a native of Oakland (born and raised), I will return to browse over the various leaflets regarding points of interest to visit in Oakland, admire the wall mural and share more memories with Kenneth. I feel very fortunate to enjoy the best of three cities — Oakland, Alameda and San Francisco — for all they have to offer in arts, culture, dining, entertainment, shopping, the sports teams and the weather.

Through my constant addiction to Instagram I came across Visit Oakland. I am an avid amateur photographer and am constantly with my camera. One of my favorite photography spots is, you guessed it, Oakland.
Visit Oakland has a contest on Instagram where if you follow them and then tag your Oakland photos #oaklandloveit, you could potentially win a prize pack, based on everything Oakland.
Well you’re reading a twice winner right here! Wooooo! I love Oakland, even though I don’t live there I’m here a lot.
Besides visiting my Unilocal page you should really go to their website, or call (I’m sure they would love to hear from you). They have all the info in regards to what to do in Oakland.
Planning a corporate event? They know who, what and where to call.
Have a toddler? They know those Kiddy Oakland spots that will make your baby smile.
Have a hot date? Another great resource to make your other baby smile.
I now have two «Oakland-​To Know It Is To Love It» shirts. Which I wear at least once a week. I know how to represent!
Visit Oakland People!

I’ve not had good experiences with the Oakland Convention & Visitor Bureau. They have not responded to numerous attempts by a certain local destination to update their listing with the Bureau.
IMHO, the whole point is for the Bureau to have up-​to-​date listings for ALL Oakland attractions so folks coming to visit can make educated choices about their activities.
It is also my experience that when working with these folks on joint events, they will not give you or your organization any credit for your effort and hard work. They will not even say thank you. They will either take the credit themselves, or they will give the credit to someone else.
Perhaps this is more a reflection of the Board and not the staff on the ground, but I must say that the Board members I’ve interacted with left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.
In summary, the OCVB is not responsive to community organizations and is not very pleasant to work with on joint events.

Marie and Laura were very friendly on my first visit to the convention and visitors bureau. They are a wealth of invaluable information and I look forward to working with them in the future.