Sunshine Matters

It was my distinct pleasure, during the 44^th Annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held September 25-27 at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, to announce the 2011 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame and Tourism Honor Roll inductees, as well as the winners of the Flagler and Iris Larson Awards.  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, one individual is chosen annually to be inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame. This honor, presented by VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Commission on Tourism, recognizes contemporary and historic figures whose vision, creativity and drive has had a positive and significant impact on the development of Florida as a desirable visitor destination.

The 2011 Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductee is Director Emeritus of the Florida State Park System, Ney C. Landrum.  Considered the “Father of our modern Florida Park Service,” Landrum was responsible for protecting, promoting and preserving Florida’s state parks.  During his tenure, he exhibited great leadership in directing Florida’s Division of Recreation and Parks, expanding the small state park system into one of the largest in the country and being awarded two consecutive National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Awards.  Even while retired now, he mentors park service employees, is the past president of the Florida Park Service Alumni Association and has even authored a book entitled “The State Park Movement in America,” tracing the evolution of the state park movement from its origins to its present status as an essential and established entity.

Florida Tourism Honor Roll

Created in 2007, the Florida Tourism Honor Roll serves to acknowledge those historical visionaries whose achievements and extraordinary careers significantly impacted the growth of Florida tourism.  The Honor Roll inductees are displayed alongside the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame in the lobby of VISIT FLORIDA’s corporate office in Tallahassee.

The 2011 honoree inducted into the Florida Tourism Honor Roll is the late Newton Perry. As a former U.S. Navy SEALS instructor, he was responsible for putting the small city of Weeki Wachee on the map.  Weeki Wachee, known for having only 9 residents and a mayor who is a former mermaid, is where Perry’s business venture began.  Perry had a vision of creating one of the first underwater shows in Florida featuring, of course, mermaids.  In the 1950’s, after inventing a method of breathing with free-flowing air hoses supplying oxygen, giving the illusion that humans could thrive twenty feet underwater without breathing, Perry had turned Weeki Wachee Springs into one of the nation’s most popular tourist stops.  Movies were filmed there and other sights at the park included orchid gardens, a jungle cruise and beach area.  Today, Perry’s theater seats 500 and has internationally recognized mermaids performing three shows each day.  Perry has also been recognized as a member of the Florida Sports Writers and Sports Broadcasters Hall of Game, in addition to being a past-president of the Florida Attractions Association.

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.

Working independently, a panel of five 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 2011 Flagler Award winners in 16 categories are listed below.

Tourism Advocacy

• Bronze Award: Visit Jacksonville – “Visit Jacksonville Tourism Matters”
• Silver Award: Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau – Tourism Week Celebration
• The Henry: Visit Tallahassee – Tallahassee T.O.U.R. Guide Campaign

Creativity in Public Relations

• Bronze Award: SunStream Hotels & Resorts – The SunStream Beach Team
• Silver Award: Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa – Hilton Sandestin Beachside Reports with the H-Team
• The Henry: Visit Orlando – “Orlando World Smile Search”

Special Event

• Bronze Award: Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park – Stephen Foster Festival of Lights
• Silver Award: Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau – Great Southern Tailgate Cook-off on Amelia Island
• The Henry: The Florida Aquarium – SudsFest Beer Bottle Cap Napkins

Niche Marketing

• Bronze Award: Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau – Honeymoon/Romantic Getaway Giveaway Promotion
• Silver Award: Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency – Royal Caribbean Hollywood City Pass
• The Henry: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau – “Lights, Camera, Action! Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Office of Film & Entertainment”

Resource/Promotional Material-Trade

• Bronze Award: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater – 90 Miles West Campaign
• Silver Award: Tampa Bay & Company – “The Game Is In Tampa”
• The Henry: Visit Orlando – Plastics Industry Trade Association Pitch

Resource/Promotional Material-Consumer

• Bronze Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau – Vacation Playbook
• Silver Award: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau – Lonely Planet Partnership
• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West – Key West LGBT Brochure

Direct Marketing

• Bronze Award: The Florida Keys & Key West – “The earth is your recreational vehicle”; “There’s nothing like the end of the road to turn you around”
• Silver Award: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater – Wide Open Email Campaign
• The Henry: Sterling Resorts – Sterling Resorts Happy Hour E-blast

Out-of-Home

• Bronze Award: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau – Visitors Welcome Center Transparency Display
• Silver Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau – “Sunny in the City”
• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West – “You’re not a sardine, get out of this tin can”; “Please step to the end of the line”; “Call in and say you caught something”; “You wanna piece of ‘dis?”  

Print Advertising

• Bronze Award: Visit Tallahassee – Comes Together Beautifully Meeting Ad
• Silver Award: The Florida Aquarium – Cloud Ads
• The Henry: The Florida Keys & Key West – “Big eyes, full lips, drives men crazy (Angelina, is that you?)”; “More fans than all of Facebook”; “Stay anchored at 35 mph”; “One part theatre, one part spectacle”

Web Sites

• Bronze Award: The Shores Resort & Spa – The Shores Resort & Spa Website
• Silver Award: Tampa Bay & Company – www.visittampabay.com
• The Henry: Visit Pensacola – VisitPensacola.com   

Internet Advertising

• Bronze Award: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau – “Our History is Not the Same Old Story” Interactive
• Bronze Award: Seminole County Convention and Visitors Bureau – Online Ad
• Silver Award: Visit St. Pete/Clearwater – “Where the Beach Takes You”
• The Henry: Visit Pensacola – “Curious About Our Coast” Interactive Ads   

Mobile Marketing

• Bronze Award: The Florida Keys & Key West – Florida Keys Smartphone App
• Silver Award: Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau – Mild to Wild GLBT Mobi Site
• Silver Award: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau – Lonely Planet Mobile App
• The Henry: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood – Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Mobile App    

Social Media Marketing

• Bronze Award: Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau – i.seeKissimmee Guest Blogger Program
• Silver Award: Visit Pensacola – Visit Pensacola Facebook    
• The Henry: Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – Biketoberfest® Social Media Marketing Campaign   

Radio Advertising

• Bronze Award: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau – “Our History is Not the Same Old Story” Radio Campaign
• Silver Award: The Florida Aquarium – “Pretending to be a Kid”
• The Henry: Visit Orlando – “Orlando’s Magical Dining”    

Television Advertising

• Bronze Award: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau – “Our History is Not the Same Old Story” TV Campaign
• Silver Award: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau – “Sunrise & Traditions Brand TV”
• The Henry: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood – “Beeping”     

Mixed Media Campaign

• Bronze Award: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau – “Our History is Not the Same Old Story” Campaign
• Silver Award: Visit Orlando – “Brazil – ORLANDO É SÓ ALEGRIA!”   
• The Henry: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau – “Still Pristine” Campaign

The Best of Show in three budget categories were also announced.

The following companies were recognized:

• Marketing Budgets Under $100,000 – Florida by Water
• Marketing Budgets $100,000 to $1 million – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood
• Marketing Budgets Over $1 million – Visit Orlando

Iris D. Larson Awards

Created by Bob and Iris Larson, owners of a small motel in Kissimmee, Florida, the Iris D. Larson Awards were created to recognize hospitality/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

Aline Ibanes, Assistant Guest Services Manager, Emerald Grande Hotel, Destin

Philosophy: “Make sure all guests are treated as VIP’s – offer excellent service and follow up on any issues to ensure their satisfaction. Employees need proper training and appreciation because when employees are happy, guests are happy.”

Scholarship Award Winners

Fabiana Ferrer, Junior, Hospitality Management & Psychology, Florida International University

As a current Guest Representative at Don Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club Resort, Ms. Ferrer strives to go beyond the basic customer needs, treating her guests as facilitators of knowledge, to understand the true meaning behind a smile and politeness.

Precious G. Ndebele, Senior, Hospitality & Tourism Management, University of Central Florida

As a current Director of First Impressions at Rosen Shingle Creek, Ms. Ndebele believes service excellence is much more than meeting the customer’s expectations. It is the provision of unforgettable, consistent and unsurpassed service.

Kelsey Griffin, Senior, Florida State University

Currently employed in Guest Services at the Emerald Grande in Destin, Florida, Ms. Griffin believes one may be a great salesman, but at the end of the day, the product being sold to the customer will eventually be replaced by a newer, updated version. So it is the privilege of selling an experience that lasts a lifetime.