COLUMBUS – Debbie Stamper, Executive Director of the Clinton County Convention & Visitors Bureau, recently attended the Ohio Conference on Tourism at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris hotel in Columbus. She joined 500 other tourism industry members to discuss tourism trends and opportunities, as well as to hear from national experts. The conference, sponsored by the Ohio Travel Association, was Nov. 16-18.
At the Conference, the Bureau received recognition for achievement in marketing and advertising at the association’s RUBY Awards presentation, accepting a Citation of Excellence for its 2014 Annual Report. The Ohio Travel Association’s RUBY Awards recognize excellence in Ohio’s travel and tourism industry for efforts in advertising, marketing and public relations.
In this year’s competition, the Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance (RUBY) Awards over 190 entries in 16 categories. The awards, sponsored by Ohio Magazine, were presented during the Ohio Conference on Tourism, the state’s largest conference for tourism industry professionals.
At the conference, TourismOhio, the state’s tourism marketing office, released the new brand for the state which connects the emotional components of travel with a tagline motto: Find It Here.
Keynotes at the conference included David Baker, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who discussed the leadership opportunities of the tourism industry; Roger Brooks, expert in tourism, branding, and destination marketing, who advised attendees to make memorable marketing campaigns; Amir Eylon, president of Longwoods International USA, Inc., who introduced new research on tourism advertising and economic development; and Lee Fisher, President and CEO for CEOs for Cities, who engaged with the audience on how to build cities that are destinations. The conference agenda also included sessions on event creation, creative branding, outdoor recreation, and more.
The Ohio Travel Association is the nonprofit association representing museums, attractions, hotels, destination marketing organizations, suppliers, restaurants, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, and other businesses who make up Ohio’s $40 billion tourism industry.
