eTSY Awards Archives - The Travel Vertical

eTourism Summit Announces Winners in Fifth Annual eTSY Awards for Digital Excellence

June 7, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

LIVE FROM ORLANDO! — June 7, 2022 — Connect Travel, owner and producer of eTourism Summit, is pleased to announce the winners of the 5th Annual Excellence “eTSY” Awards in partnership with Expedia Group Media Solutions and Zartico.

The recognition goes to destination marketing organizations and their media partners to applaud the best of 2021-2022 campaigns and programs with awards in categories that include innovation in brand refresh, viral campaign, influencer marketing, podcast, social media, video, and website. The audience used a QR code to pull up a new category on the spot, entering their votes for “Best of the Best.”

The awards were presented live on June 7 during the 23rd Annual eTourism Summit in Orlando, co-located with IPW and Connect THRIVE Summit.

“Once again, the quality of digital marketing in the travel and tourism industry was so impressive,” said J. William Seccombe, president of Connect Travel. “We applaud everyone for submitting such outstanding entries and congratulate all the winners.”

Big appreciation (!) goes to our panel of three expert judges: Monya Mandich, Global Vice President, Marketing at Expedia Group Media Solutions; Zeek Coleman, Head of Marketing – Tourism & Hospitality at ADARA, Inc.; and Josh Collins, Chief Product Officer at Zartico. The judges considered budget as well as three key criteria: strategy and objective, creativity, and impact/measurability.

Double thanks to Derek Price, Director of Business Development-North America, Expedia Group Media Solutions and to Josh Collins for sponsoring and hosting the fun awards presentation.

2022 eTSY Award Winners

*Winners in order per list below, left to right, top to bottom*. *Discover Puerto Rico CMO Leah Chandler (below) accepts*
*“Best of the Best”*
*based on the audience vote.*

Innovation in Brand Refresh

Winner: Visit Corpus Christi for “Positioning Corpus Christi as the Gulf Coast Capital”

Innovation in a Campaign That Went Viral

Winner: Discover Puerto Rico for “Live From Puerto Rico! Dick Clark’s First-Ever Spanish Language Countdown”

Innovation in Influencer Marketing

Winner: Visit Laredo for “Welcome Back to Laredo”

Innovation in a Podcast

Winner: Discover Long Island for “Long Island Tea”

Innovation in Social Media

Winner: Alabama Tourism Department for “The Most Relaxing Trip Ever”

Innovation in Video

Winner: South Carolina Division of Tourism for “Go For It – Season 2”

Innovation in a Website

Winner: Visit St. Pete Clearwater for Visit St. Pete Clearwater Website Relaunch

“Best of the Best” — Audience Vote

Winner: Discover Puerto Rico

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ABOUT eTOURISM SUMMIT: Founded in 2000, eTourism Summit is the signature event for destination marketing professionals focused on digital media. Attendees at the annual eTourism Summit get up-to-the-minute, real life examples of the latest applications in video, content marketing, email marketing, search, social media, AI and VR, mobile and web design. They share case studies that demonstrate how fellow tourism marketers, vendors and other partners innovate to build incremental traffic at every stage of the funnel. For more information, visit www.eTourismSummit.com.

ABOUT CONNECT TRAVEL: Connect Travel creates efficient and effective environments to expedite the sales process by connecting tourism professionals with the products, services, people and ideas that allow them to thrive in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive global marketplace. For more information, visit connecttravel.com.

We Are eTourism Summit and So Are You!

April 19, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

The Countdown Begins

The 23rd Annual eTourism Summit 2022 on June 6-8 is less than eight weeks away.

#eTS22 connects destinations and leading vendors with the latest practices and innovations in digital media.

Destination marketers and their strategic partners in data, research, analytics, content, video, media and creative form a collaborative community not found anywhere else in the world.

In an intimate setting, you get up-to-the-minute, real-life examples of the latest applications in video, content marketing, email marketing, search, social media, mobile and web design. You’ll learn how fellow tourism marketers and their media agencies are using the newest tools to build incremental traffic at every stage of the funnel while hearing dozens of case studies to find out what’s working and what’s not.

So many outstanding speakers have committed that we cannot tag them all…but here’s a start. Thanks to Alvaro Melendez (CRANT), Laura Fernandez (SiriusXM), Justin Farmer (MMGY Global), Ana Reyna Arzate (Visit Laredo), 🗺 AJ B. (Wander App, Inc.), Marina Petrova (Places.), and Reshonda Perryman (Visit Jackson) for joining the speaker lineup…and there are more names to come all the time. Visit the eTourism Summit website for regular updates.

Who Should Attend?

Destination Marketing Organizations
City, state, county, and regional travel associations
Attractions
Cruise lines, airlines, and hotels
International tour operators
Interactive marketing agencies
Advertising, public relations, and marketing agencies with travel industry clients

Benefits of Attending

Pick the brains of pre-qualified experts on all aspects of interactive tourism marketing
Meet and network with the country’s leading e-commerce travel companies, all in one place.
Have access to selected presenters to answer any of your questions.
Get a deeper understanding of the trends that will be affecting your business over the next five years.

Register now to be there in person* for the greater-than-ever networking and to hear compelling case studies, expert panels, stimulating roundtables, Emerging Tourism Leaders, eTSY Award winners and lots more. *yes, there is a virtual option

(Still) Seeking Excellence: eTSY Awards 2022 Closes Soon

March 15, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

You gotta be in it to win it…closes March 25

APPLY NOW

See last year’s happy winners here

eTSYAwards@eTourismSummit.com

Will You Help Us Find? Most Influential Leaders in Travel, Emerging Tourism Stars, Excellence in Digital Marketing

February 15, 2022 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr Leave a Comment

On June 6-8 in Orlando, eTourism Summit will announce the names of the most influential leaders in travel. That’s where you come in. Now is your chance to nominate deserving industry leaders to be recognized. The deadline is March 14, 2022.

Here’s The Plan

In 2021, through the use of AI, we were able to identify the 10 most active leaders in the DMO community on LinkedIn. That survey certainly piqued everyone’s interest.

In 2022, we’ll expand this exercise to encompass travel industry leaders beyond destination marketing.

Think about leaders from associations, accommodation, airlines, attractions, ad agencies as well as destination marketers and vendors. Who do you follow on LinkedIn? Do you know of someone that has truly made a mark in the industry? Who deserves a shout-out for their industry insights as we all navigate our new reality together?

How It Works

Nominate your choice(s) of leader.

The results will be determined by tracking activity and highest engagement on LinkedIn with the expert help of CRANT as our partner. We’ll uncover what themes the most influential names are talking about using AI.

Who Is It For?

Must be employed by a travel business such as a DMO, CVB, attraction, hotel, airline, agency, tour operator or other travel-related business.
Nominate yourself? Absolutely. Nominate more than one person? Sure!
Submission form(s) must be completed by March 14, 2022.
Results will be revealed at eTourism Summit on June 6-8, 2022 in Orlando.
NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN

Registration is open! The 23rd Annual eTourism Summit is June 6-8, 2022 in Orlando.

Reminder: Nominations are also open for Emerging Tourism Stars and the eTSY Awards.

Destination Inspiration: VisitLEX Presents Non Fungible Thoroughbreds

December 21, 2021 by Laurie Jo Miller Farr 2 Comments

Digital horse alternatives from VisitLEX are sure to disappoint, but it’s for a good cause.

Truism #1 — VisitLEX and media partner CORNETT consistently produce some of the most creative destination content we’ve ever seen.

Truism #2 — “Horse Capital of the World,” VisitLEX aligns to core branding = Bluegrass Region and Thoroughbreds.

Truism #3 — They are reliably fast to catch a trend and cleverly exploit it, frequently in a cheeky tone of voice.

Truism #4 — They’ve done it again.

*VisitLEX non fungible thoroughbred, Suckretariat* (courtesy CORNETT)

“NFTs are definitely hot right now,” said VisitLEX VP of Marketing Gathan Borden, “but they’re no substitute for the real deal. You might not be able to get your kids an actual pony, but that doesn’t mean you have to disappoint them. You can give them an experience they’ll never forget with a convenient, affordable trip to Lexington to see the finest Thoroughbreds in the world.”

Executive Creative Director Whit Hiler at Team CORNETT explains, “I know you’re probably sick of hearing about NFTs, but let me explain. Every year, kids around the world beg their parents to get them a pony for Christmas. But horses—especially Lexington, Kentucky’s, world-class Thoroughbreds—are super expensive and a huge responsibility.

With that in mind, VisitLEX is offering up for sale a collection of “Non Fungible Thoroughbreds” this Holiday Season, 10 disappointing digital images that look absolutely nothing like the beautiful analog horses that actually live in Lexington, the Horse Capital of the World.

As seen in this launch VIDEO, kids can barely tell the difference and really appreciate the cost-saving practicality.

For a limited time and for a fraction of the cost of a real pony, folks can buy their little helpers one of these pixelated square JPGs of something that looks vaguely equine.

Just imagine children around the world crying tears of joys on Christmas morning when they finally lay eyes on an 8-bit ‘OpenSea Biscuit,’ ‘Man o’ Snore,’ or ‘The Ohio of Horses.’

Heartwarming isn’t it?

And parents will be happy to know that Non Fungible Thoroughbreds require no feeding, training, or upkeep of any kind. You just can’t ride them, feed them, pet them or, like most NFTs, do much of anything with them at all because they only exist on every child’s favorite online ledger: the blockchain!

The VisitLEX collection of Non Fungible Thoroughbreds is available now at NonFungibleThoroughbreds.com. And proceeds from the auction will be donated to Old Friends Farm, a nonprofit organization in Georgetown, Kentucky, that provides a dignified retirement for real Thoroughbreds once their racing and breeding careers are over.”

NOTE: The fifth annual 2022 eTSY Awards for Excellence in Digital Marketing will launch in January and be presented at eTourism Summit in Orlando in June (registration is open and discounted through 12/31/2021). Think ahead about your most innovative campaigns and watch this space for more details on submitting your entries.

eTourism Summit Announces Winners in Fifth Annual eTSY Awards for Digital Excellence