Sunshine Matters

Last night, during the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Tampa Convention Center, VISIT FLORIDA announced the 2015 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductee, as well as the winners of the Flagler Awards, Iris Larson Awards and Film Florida Legends Tourism Ambassador Award.  Annually, leaders in Florida tourism are chosen by a selection committee to receive these prestigious honors and awards.

Florida Tourism Hall of Fame

Since 2001, individuals have been chosen annually to be inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame.  This honor, presented by the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, recognizes contemporary and historic figures whose vision, creativity and drive have had a positive and significant impact on the development of Florida as a desirable visitor destination.

The 2015 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductee is John Ringling.  John’s life represents the epitome of the American Dream, coming from poor beginnings, then creating his own destiny filled with wealth, power and International fame.  His prosperity, as one of five brothers who owned and operated the circus rightly called “The Greatest Show on Earth,” funded the expansion of the City of Sarasota during the 1920’s.  He was a visionary, creating a master plan for a Mediterranean-style resort that would bring tourism to the west coast of Florida.  As the Florida land boom became a depressed market, he saved the local economy by bringing what would become a world-renowned entertainment attraction to Sarasota, ultimately becoming a zoological park featuring rare and exotic animals that was one of the top tourist attractions in the State of Florida.  He promoted Florida’s winter season tourism by sponsoring a Florida state exposition at Madison Square Gardens in New York City and he worked with film companies to document local festivals and beaches promoting the beauty of Florida.  He and his wife established the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, completed in 1930, and ultimately made a bequest of all his art collections and property to create The Ringling, the State Art Museum of Florida for all the world to enjoy.

Flagler Awards

Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards were established in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida. Annually, the Flagler Awards honor many of the countless individuals and organizations that help maintain and improve Florida’s position as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. The awards are open to all individuals, private businesses and not-for-profit organizations offering a product or service that promotes tourism to or within the state of Florida.

As in previous years, the 2015 Flagler Awards drew entries from Florida’s tourism partners, large and small. Working independently, seven judges evaluated the creativity, innovation, production quality and effectiveness of each entry. Based on the judges’ cumulative scores, awards were presented to the top three entries in each category: the Bronze Award for the third highest scoring entry, the Silver Award for the second highest scoring entry, and for the highest scoring entry in each category, the Henry Award. The 2015 Flagler Award winners in 17 categories, plus Best in Show at three budget levels, are listed below.

Creativity in Public Relations

• The Henry: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for the “Love is Love Wedding with *NSYNC Star Lance Bass in Fort Lauderdale”
• Silver Award: The Florida Keys & Key West for “Florida Keys Key Lime Pie Food Truck Attracts Canadians through Their Taste Buds”
• Bronze Award: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater for “Mythical Creature Goes Viral”

Direct Marketing

• The Henry: Visit Pensacola for Send Your Self(ie) To Pensacola
• Silver Award: The Florida Keys & Key West for the “Take a Step Back”, “Tarzan Like Paddleboarding” and “Art Seen vs. Art Scene” Direct Marketing Campaign
• Bronze Award: The Seminole Casino Hotel for the “For Your Eyes Only” Designer Sunglasses Giveaway Invitation

Internet Advertising

• The Henry: The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau for the UK and Canada Southern Elegance Campaign
• Silver Award: Experience Kissimmee for “Becoming Dad: How a Trip to Kissimmee Brought a Family Together”
• Bronze Award: The Seminole County Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Team Seminole: The Destination Matters”

Mixed Media Campaign

• The Henry: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Love is Love in Greater Fort Lauderdale”
• Silver Award: Visit Jacksonville for the Jax Ale Trail
• Bronze Award: Machine Gun America for the Machine Gun America Launch

Mobile Marketing

• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for The Florida Keys & Key West Mobile Site
• Silver Award: The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau for their Sea Turtle Texting Campaign
• Bronze Award: The Florida Sports Foundation for the Florida Grapefruit League MLB Spring Training App

Niche Marketing

• The Henry: Visit Jacksonville for the Jax Ale Trail
• Silver Award: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Momentos Sunny”
• Bronze Award: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Bradenton Area Dog Days of Summer Promotion

Out-of-Home

• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for Chicago Station Domination
• Silver Award: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for their Chicago Public Art Promotion
• Bronze Award: Visit South Walton for Visit South Walton Dallas Love Field Outdoor

Print Advertising

• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for the “Fish Until The Cows Come Home”, “Get Bent”, “World’s Largest Strip Joint” and “Every Day is Hump Day” Print Advertising Campaign
• Silver Award: The Florida Aquarium for the Shark EKG Ad
• Bronze Award: Visit Tampa Bay for “Winter Obituary”

Radio Advertising

• The Henry: The Florida Aquarium for “Cute and Ugly”
• Silver Award: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for “Interrupted”
• Bronze Award: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for “Always Exploring”

Resource/Promotional Material – Consumer

• The Henry: The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for “It’s So Miami: People & Places Video Series”
• Silver Award: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Digital Vacation Magazine and Playbook
• Bronze Award: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Bradenton Area Agri-Tourism Mobile Tour Guide

Resource/Promotional Material – Trade

• The Henry: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Bradenton Area Sports Playbook
• Silver Award: The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau for their Meetings Mailer to Local Influencers
• Bronze Award: The Seminole County Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Team Seminole: The Destination Matters”

Rural County Marketing

• The Henry: The Gilchrist County Tourist Development Council for the Gilchrist County Blueway Trail Marketing Campaign
• Silver Award: The City of Apalachicola for the Apalachicola Historic Interpretative Displays and Walking Tour Map
• Bronze Award: The Levy County Visitors Bureau for the Cedar Key Sport Fishing Television Network Campaign 2014

Social Media Marketing

• The Henry: The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau for the LGBT Paint Miami Rainbow Social Media Campaign
• Silver Award: Visit Jacksonville for the #onlyinjax Instagram Campaign
• Bronze Award: Pure Florida for “Best Catch”

Special Event

• The Henry: Visit South Walton for the Visit South Walton 900 Shops Chicago Takeover
• Silver Award: The Florida Aquarium for “Brews by the Bay”
• Bronze Award: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for “The Beach Looks Good on You” Washington DC event

Television Advertising

• The Henry: The St. Johns County Visitors and Conventions Bureau for “El Conquistador Returns”
• Silver Award: The Florida Keys & Key West for the “Life’s Journey” and “This Is Where” TV Campaign
• Bronze Award: The Space Coast Office of Tourism for “I Need My Space”

Tourism Advocacy    

• The Henry: The St. Johns County Visitors and Conventions Bureau for the 2014 St. Johns County Tourism Advocacy Initiative “The Hero Tour”
• Silver Award: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Destination Marketing Luncheon
• Bronze Award: Visit South Walton for the Visit South Walton Annual Report Infographic

Websites

• The Henry: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater for LiveAmplified.com
• Silver Award: The Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau for AmeliaIsland.com
• Silver Award: The Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau for the “Let’s Go #EmeraldCoasting” Website
• Bronze Award: The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium for Mote.org

Best of Show in three budget categories

• Marketing Budgets under $500,000: The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium for Mote.org
• Marketing Budgets $500,000 to $2 Million: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for the Bradenton Area Sports Playbook
• Marketing Budgets Over $2 Million: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Love is Love in Greater Fort Lauderdale”

Iris D. Larson Awards

Created by Bob and Iris Larson, past owners of a small motel in Kissimmee, the Iris D. Larson Awards recognize hospitality and tourism industry professionals and students who exemplify the qualities of selfless spirit of service and leadership in their work experience.

• Hospitality Endowment’s Industry Service Award Winner – Armando Gonzalez 

Mr. Gonzalez has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 40 years and, for the past 14 years, has been employed by the Columbia Restaurant Group.

Scholarship Award Winners

• Sabina Swanson, Rosen School of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida

Ms. Swanson has a passion to serve and a need to help others. With a skill that is vital in the hospitality industry, Sabina efficiently solves problems and goes out of her way to keep her guests happy. She currently works for Marriott and as a Reservations Agent for the Baha Mar in the Bahamas. She also enjoys volunteering for hospitality events such as the annual Bacchus Bash. Sabina hopes to one day become a General Manager of her own hotel.

• Luis Galindez, Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida International University

Mr. Galindez is passionate about helping others and creating happiness. Though he works a full-time night shift as an At-Your-Service Agent/Night Auditor for Marriott, Luis doesn’t consider it work because it’s what he loves doing. As a hospitality student at Florida International University, Luis is working toward a career in hotel lodging or event management.

• Caitlyn Fetzer, Dedman School of Hospitality Management, Florida State University

Ms. Fetzer’s philosophy as a student is to “have a passion to learn and a love to serve.” As a senior at Florida State University, Caitlyn already has five years of experience in the hospitality industry. She has moved from a Room Service Operator for the Gasparilla Inn & Club to a Front Desk Agent for Old Edwards Inn & Spa to a Guest Service Representative for Hotel Duval. She is also a member of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Caitlyn hopes to carry her philosophy with her throughout her career in the hospitality industry.

Film Florida Legends Tourism Ambassador Award

Film Florida and VISIT FLORIDA honored Hollywood leading man and longtime Jupiter resident Burt Reynolds with the Film Florida Legends Tourism Ambassador Award.  Reynolds was selected for his storied legacy as an actor, director, international icon and proud Florida resident who has supported the state’s film and television industry by attracting production and investing in the education of our Florida students.

“When the plane touches down in Florida, my blood pressure goes down,” Mr. Reynolds has said. “So many actors, big actors you don’t know where they are from.  Everybody knows I am from Jupiter, FL.”

While presenting the award, Film Florida President Michelle Hillery emphasized the film and entertainment industry’s ties to tourism.  Showcasing Florida’s diversity through the lens of a camera brings the publicity and worldwide attention that promotes our state as a premiere destination across the globe.

See more at filmflorida.org.