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Wilmington,
NC – January 2024 / NewsmakerAlert: Kim
Hufham, President/CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development
Authority, is pleased to announce that the Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau [CVB] received three Tourism
Marketing Achievement Awards during the North Carolina Tourism Leadership
Conference held November 16 in Raleigh. Presented annually by the N.C.
Travel Industry Association [NCTIA], the Wilmington and Beaches CVB
brought home a Gold Award in the category of Leisure Travel for its Mobile
Trip Guide. The Wilmington and Beaches CVB also scored a Platinum Tourism
Marketing Achievement Award in the category of Meetings for its Video Direct
Mailer. Designed to solicit interest in Wilmington as a meeting and convention
destination, the Video Direct Mailer was also recognized by NCTIA with
this year’s Best Innovation Award.
|
 Video
Direct Mailer
In
addition to winning NCTIA’s 2022-2023 Platinum Marketing Achievement Award
in the Meetings category, the Wilmington and Beaches “Video Direct Mailer”
marketing tool also received the “Best Innovation” award by a panel of
industry judges as the one shining example among all entries that best
exemplifies an innovative approach to communication, organization or promotion.
In
an effort to develop a unique way to promote our destination and solicit
group business that would not get lost in the digital clutter, the CVB
worked with its agency to develop a custom direct mail piece. Upon opening
the Video
Direct Mailer, a meetings and convention video automatically begins
playing, showcasing key messaging and how Wilmington and Beaches offers
everything planners need to host a memorable event, all in one place. Along
with the video, the direct mailer incorporates scenic imagery and complementary
designs into a cohesive marketing piece that represents Wilmington, N.C.
as the best of the Carolina coast.
Mobile
Trip Guide
This
year’s NCTIA Tourism Marketing Achievement Gold Award in the category of
Leisure Travel was awarded to the Wilmington and Beaches CVB for its Mobile
Trip Guide, a mobile-first resource with location-based functionality
designed to enhance the destination experiences of in-market visitors.
Since most visitors access information mobile-first the mobile trip guide
was developed to reach and support visitors during their visit in finding
things to do, attractions, dining, lodging, shopping, and more. Research
indicates that visitors are more hesitant to download apps, so the CVB’s
marketing team worked with a vendor to develop an innovative web-based
mobile trip guide that does not require an app. Upon launching the Mobile
Trip Guide, the CVB engaged industry partners to help promote the mobile
trip guide to visitors upon arrival to hotels, attractions, and restaurants.
In-room placards, cards and table tents were provided to lodging partners
as ways to promote the guide to visitors.
NCTIA
Marketing Achievement Awards
The
NCTIA
Tourism Marketing Achievement Awards are given to honor and showcase innovation,
best practices, creativity, and the results accomplished through the travel
and tourism industry’s marketing efforts. Separate award categories are
established for the target audiences that destination marketers and tourism-related
businesses communicate with on a daily basis. The awards judging committee
is comprised of travel and tourism professionals representing many facets
of destination marketing, including CVB peers from other states, meeting
planners, website designers, and editors from international meeting and
convention trade publications.
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
“It
is exciting for the Wilmington and Beaches CVB to be recognized by NCTIA
and industry professionals for innovative marketing efforts. We share these
honors with the agency and vendors who worked alongside our team to help
turn the CVB’s visions into reality with award-winning destination marketing
tools,” states Kim Hufham, president/CEO of the New Hanover County TDA.
About
the New Hanover County TDA
The
New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), d/b/a Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, markets and develops
the county and its communities’ leisure and group travel experiences for
economic growth and quality of place. Visit us online at www.WilmingtonAndBeaches.com.
View our Visitors
Guide online.
Connect
with us on: Facebook
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Media
Contact:
Hannah
Almeter
Communications/PR
Manager
Wilmington
and Beaches CVB
910-341-4030
x126
866-266-9690
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