Sunshine Matters

During the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held September 12-14 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, VISIT FLORIDA announced the recipients of the 2018 Flagler Awards, Hall of Fame Award, Film Florida Legend Award, Iris D. Larson Awards, and FAZA Florida Nature Conservation Award.  Each year, 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 2018 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductee is the late Rhea Chiles, wife of former Florida Senator and Governor Lawton Chiles. Known as an influential force in her husband’s policy initiatives, Rhea Chiles made many contributions to Florida tourism, including the establishment of Florida House, the Polk Museum of Art and the Studio at Gulf and Pine.

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 2018 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 2018 Flagler Award winners in 17 categories, plus Best in Show at three budget levels, are listed below.

Creativity in Public Relations

Bronze: Visit Panama City Beach for Preschoolers In Paradise

Silver:  Winterfest of Pensacola for How the Grinch Stole Christmas (from AL, LA, GA, MS…)

Silver: Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches for Dodge the Dunes

Henry: Visit Tampa Bay for International Activation with Visit Tampa Bay and Norwich City Soccer

Direct Marketing

Bronze: Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa for Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa Email Welcome Series

Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for Spring E‐Newsletter Campaign

Silver: Space Florida for Vacationauts Eclipse Simulator

Henry: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Amelia Island Marketing Automation

Internet Advertising

Bronze: Shephard’s Beach Resort for “4 Decades of Fun” Story Contest

Silver: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Ever So Slightly Digital Advertising

Henry: West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority for What’s Up in West Volusia Video Series (Episodes 1 & 2)

Mixed Media Campaign

Bronze: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Islandology Campaign

Silver: The Florida Keys & Key West for Hurricane Irma

Henry: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Greater Together Campaign

Mobile Marketing

Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for Mobile Co‐op Carousel

Silver: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for Interactive Video Overview

Henry: AD1 Global for Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista SMS

Niche Marketing

Bronze: Florida Disabled Outdoors Association for SportsAbility

Silver: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for The Amelia Island Wellness Festival

Henry: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Underground Lauderdale

Out-of-Home

Bronze: The Florida Aquarium for 3‐D Shark

Silver: Visit South Walton for South Walton Chicago Window Display

Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for Philadelphia Own A City

Print Advertising

Bronze: Visit South Walton for Visit South Walton Beyond the Beach Print Campaign

Silver: The Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau for “A Destination You Can Count On” ‐‐ Print Campaign

Henry: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for “Ever So Slightly Special” Print Ads

Radio Advertising

Bronze: The Florida Keys & Key West for Houston Radio

Silver: Space Florida for Vacationauts Path of Totality Radio Promotion

Henry: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Hello Sunny 2.0 Radio

Resource/Promotional Material – Consumer

Bronze Award: The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for Holiday Travel TV Special – “Sun, Sand and Holiday Fun”

Silver Award: The Florida Keys & Key West for Historic Brochure

The Henry: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Digital Vacation Planner

Resource/Promotional Material – Trade

Bronze Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Group Meetings Campaign

Silver Award: Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades CVB for “Dear Meeting Planner” Meetings Video

The Henry: Town of Surfside for Town of Surfside’s Trade Promotional Material

Rural County Marketing

Bronze Award: South Florida State College for 2017‐2018 Performing Arts Season Brochure

Silver Award: DeSoto County Tourism Development Council for Discover DeSoto “Open for Business” Sweepstakes

The Henry: Visit Sebring for Citrus Golf Trail

Social Media Marketing

Bronze Award: Town of Surfside for Town of Surfside’s 2017 Social Media Marketing

Silver Award: Caribe Royale All‐Suite Hotel & Convention Center for The Caribe Royale Guest Advocacy Campaign with Flip.to

The Henry: Visit South Walton for Visit South Walton Facebook Canvas

Special Event

Bronze: Visit Pensacola for The Pensacola Experience

Silver: Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for 4th Annual Delray Beach Fashion Week

Henry: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau for The Pétanque Amelia Island Open

Television Advertising

Bronze Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Hello Sunny 2.0 Television

Silver Award: The Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau for “A Destination You Can Count On” Television Campaign

The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for The Florida Keys & Key West ‐ Television

Tourism Advocacy   

Bronze Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau for Annual Marketing Plan Presentation Luncheon

Silver Award: Visit Tampa Bay for Memory Makers

The Henry: Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades CVB for “Put Paradise On the Map” Tourism Awards Event

Websites

Bronze Award: Visit Sarasota County for VisitSarasota.com

Silver Award: The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel for Goal Driven Website Personalization

The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West for Authentic Connections, the Florida Keys & Key West Official Website: Fla‐Keys.com

Best of Show

Annual marketing budget less than $500,000: West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority for What’s Up in West Volusia Video Series (Episodes 1 & 2)

Annual marketing budget between $500,000 ‐ $2 million: Town of Surfside for We Are Go, FL – Town of Surfside’s 2017 Social Media Marketing

Annual marketing budget greater than $2 million: Visit South Walton for Visit South Walton Facebook Canvas

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.

Scholarship Award Winners

Daniela Diaz, Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida International University

Alexis Munsell, Dedman School of Hospitality, Florida State University

Matthew Temmer, Rosen School of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida

Hospitality Endowment for Industry Service Award Winner

Molly Ford, Vibe Manager, Hard Rock Hotel Orlando

Film Florida Legends Tourism Ambassador Award
Film Florida and VISIT FLORIDA honored Hip hop artist, reality television series star, philanthropist and Florida resident Vanilla Ice with the Film Florida Legends Tourism Ambassador Award. The award, presented by entertainment production association Film Florida, honors those legends in the entertainment industry that are true ambassadors for Florida. Vanilla Ice was honored for his work in music, television, and in his community.

For more information, visit filmflorida.org.

Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums Florida Nature Conservation Award
This  award  recognizes excellence in field  conservation efforts to benefit  Florida  species  being  carried  out  by  a  Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums (FAZA)  Member  institution  or as a collaboration  of  FAZA  Member Institutions  and their  conservation partners. This year, the award was presented to Brevard Zoo’s  Restore  Our Shores Oyster Restoration Project.

In addition to caring for endangered species in their zoos and aquariums, FAZA members collectively invested over $100 million dollars to saving plants and animals in the wild over the last seven years. Of this, nearly $40 million dollars was dedicated to efforts to help Florida species and habitats.

For more information, visit www.flaza.org.

Ken Lawson
President & CEO