Virginia Beach tries to attract prospective businesses with VIP tickets to Something in the Water

VIRGINIA BEACH — Something in the Water festival fans who shelled out hundreds of dollars for top tier tickets this weekend will be rubbing elbows with a select group that Virginia Beach’s economic leaders are trying to woo.

The city’s agreement with festival organizers states the promoter will provide the city with VIP tickets for up to 50 attendees for promotional purposes. The city plans to distribute the tickets to individuals and companies that could potentially bring a major event or new economic opportunity to Virginia Beach, according to Jina Gaines, city spokesperson.

Three-day VIP passes cost about $600 plus fees and are sold-out, according to the festival website. They include dedicated entry lines, exclusive viewing areas, separate restrooms and more.

[ Guide for Something in the Water: Here’s what you need to know ]

The city’s communication’s office has not yet shared how many passes the city will receive and how much they will cost the city.

The Virginian-Pilot first inquired April 12 about who will receive the tickets. Tiffany Russell, director of city communications, referred the question on Wednesday to the office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests, which has five working days to reply.

The FOIA office could withhold the names of individuals or entities who receive the tickets if there’s been no previous announcement of the business’ or industry’s interest in locating or expanding its facilities in Virginia Beach, Russell said.

Virginia Beach is providing a $2 million sponsorship for Something in the Water, making it the largest incentive the city has given a festival. The sponsorship money, most of which will be paid after the festival, will come from admissions, meals and sales tax generated within the festival footprint.

The city also recently approved a $1.5 million sponsorship of Beach It!, a three-day country music festival from June 23-25 at the Oceanfront. Up to 50 VIP tickets will also be made available to the city, according to the festival agreement.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com