Business
Visit The Woodlands Wins Big at TACVB Idea Fair
THE WOODLANDS, TX – Visit The Woodlands received three awards from the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureau (TACVB) Idea Fair at the organization’s annual conference in Conroe, TX on August 26, 2021.
TACVB’s Idea Fair promotes excellence in destination marketing. The goals of the Idea Fair awards are to generate awareness of the quality work done by TACVB members as they promote their destinations to leisure and business travelers. Members may enter their campaigns in the following categories: Tourism Branding & Advertising, Cooperative Marketing, Convention Promotion, Local Awareness, Sports Marketing, Website/Mobile Site/App, Video, and new this year, Pandemic Recovery.
Each award contains three budget categories to allow participation from all TACVB members (Under $1,000,000; $1,000,000 to $3,000,000, and $3 million-plus). “Judges’ Choice” winners are selected by a panel of judges comprised of tourism industry experts. A People’s Choice competition allows tourism industry peers to weigh in on their favorites as well.
Judges Choice Idea Fair Awards
- Convention Promotion | Virtual FAM
People’s Choice Idea Fair Awards
- 1st Place: Convention Promotion | Virtual FAM
- 1st Place: Video | Virtual Hotel Site Tours
“We had a record 119 entries this year,” said Jodi Willard, TACVB Idea Fair Chairman. “The winners encountered strong competition and these awards are well-deserved.”
In their budget group, Visit The Woodlands received Judges Choice in the Convention Promotion for a Virtual FAM (familiarization) visit held for meeting planners. The Virtual FAM was held in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, via Zoom. Qualified meeting planners were invited to attend, during the virtual FAM, attendees were able to see a live virtual tour of The Woodlands Resort and a chef demo. Visit The Woodlands staff also held trivia, in which attendees were able to win Woodlands-specific prizes and giveaways.
Visit The Woodlands also received First Place in the Convention Promotion category for the same Virtual FAM visit.
Lastly, Visit The Woodlands received first place in the Video category for a series of Virtual Hotel Tours highlighting three convention hotels in The Woodlands, The Woodlands Resort, The Woodlands Waterway Hotel and Convention Center, and The Westin at The Woodlands. These virtual tours were created as a resource for meetings planners, to highlight each hotel and its unique amenities and to assist them in selecting The Woodlands as the destination for their next meeting or conference.
Visit The Woodlands was represented at the annual conference by four staff members, Assistant Director, Elizabeth Eddins, Director of Sales, Josie Lewis, Communications Coordinator, Amber George, and Tourism Specialist, Laura Haces. Eddins previously served on the TACVB Board of Directors and was given a commemorative plaque to thank her for her time served. Lewis and George attended the three-day conference focusing on professional development and earning credits towards their Texas Destination Marketer (TDM) certification, and George received her TDM certification.
Founded in 1972, the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (TACVB) provides professional development and training opportunities that give DMO professionals the competitive edge in destination marketing.
The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau (dba: Visit The Woodlands) is the official destination marketing organization responsible for promoting The Woodlands to drive demand for both hotel and retail tax collections. Our mission is to establish The Woodlands, Texas as a beautiful, lively, and welcoming destination recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for first-class business, convention and leisure travel.
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