RACVB sweeps awards at tourism conference

Staff Report

The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau walked away from the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism with the most awards received by any agency. RACVB received four Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards (IETA) at the close of the conference, which took place in Rosemont, March 14-16.

RACVB was honored to receive the following awards:

• Best in Show for the Hideaway in Rockford campaign — The social media campaign featured a video trilogy launched shortly after 14 Wisconsin state senators took refuge in Rockford. It was followed by a summer leisure campaign inspiring visitors and residents to escape the everyday world by hiding away in Rockford.

• Best Website, Division A (organizations with budgets greater than $700,000) for www.gorockford.com — The site features interactive elements including a virtual visitors guide, photo and video tours, e-postcards and a downloadable mobile app.

• Best Event or Festival, Division A for the Screw City Beer Festival — The Screw City Beer Festival was created to highlight Rockford’s burgeoning niche beer scene and promote Rockford as a great place to drink quality beer. Festival organizers hoped to achieve a total attendance of 1,000 patrons and enhance Rockford’s beer marketing by attracting new brewery distribution. RACVB worked with organizers to promote the event through mainstream and social media.

• Best Marketing Campaign, Division A for the Hideaway in Rockford campaign

“It’s always great to be rewarded for good, results-producing work,” said RACVB President/CEO John Groh. “Our team has a tradition of capitalizing on possibilities created by new media and finding innovative ways to promote the region. It’s an honor to have those efforts recognized and rewarded.”

Additionally, in state meetings prior to the conference, RACVB Marketing Manager Bridget French was elected to the position of vice chairman of Market Illinois. The group is a committee of the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

From the March 28-April 3, 2012, issue