FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE|
February
7, 2003
CONTACTS: Nancy Hamilton, Lee Rose
(239)338-3500
Southwest
Florida’s Lee Island Coast earns
destination marketing awards in prominent international competition
LEE
ISLAND COAST, FL – The Lee Island Coast Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB) in
southwest Florida has been recognized for its destination marketing excellence
by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian
Advertising, Golden Bell Public Relations, and Golden Click Web International
Travel Awards Competition presented Jan. 28 in New York City.
The
event is the largest and most prestigious travel event of its kind worldwide.
The 2002 competition attracted more than 1,500 entries from 46 countries.
An innovative Internet campaign garnered the VCB a Golden Click Silver Merit Award. This aggressive and technologically advanced advertising program on various search engines and other online networks proved important in the phenomenal growth of traffic to www.LeeIslandCoast.com . During 2002, the site received approximately 110,000 unique users per month who spent an average of 10 minutes on the content-rich, highly interactive site.
The VCB won a Silver Merit Award in the Adrian Advertising category for its show-stopping display booth at Pow Wow 2002, held in May in New Orleans. Attended by thousands of top journalists, tour operators, and other travel professionals, Pow Wow is the largest expo for the international tourism industry held in the U.S. The VCB literally brought its destination to the show, by creating a 90-foot dock, an art gallery, and other visually interesting features for which the Lee Island Coast is known.
A
Bronze Merit Award in the Adrian Advertising category was given for the
“Reconnect” TV campaign. In
response to the tourism-devastating aftermath of Sept. 11, the commercial
capitalized on the area’s unique attribute as a quiet, unspoiled setting that
is conducive to reconnecting with family, friends, and nature.
The
VCB’s Meeting Planners CD-ROM was recognized with a Bronze Merit Award in the
Adrian Advertising category. This
novel tool contains detailed information on meeting
and event planning, facilities, convention services, transportation, online
requests for rates and dates (RFP), links to various off-site venues, and other
pertinent listings.
“The
Lee Island Coast VCB is honored to once again receive such major recognition for
its marketing efforts,” said D.T. Minich, C.D.M.E., VCB executive director.
“We are proud to share these awards with our partners, BVK Advertising
and Miles Media.”
In
HSMAI’s past three annual competitions, the VCB has received a total of