Governor’s SMART Awards for Marketing Excellence through Social Media deadline March 22

The Vermont Travel Industry Conference (VTIC) is pleased to announce an evolution in our marketing awards to be presented at the annual conference April 3 & 4 in Stowe, Vermont. The Vermont Governor's SMART Biz and SMART Buzz Awards for Marketing Excellence will recognize Social Media in Arts, Recreation, and Tourism.
The SMART Biz Award will honor a tourism-related business, region, association, or special event that has leveraged the Vermont Brand through social media marketing; in addition, the SMART Buzz Award will recognize the best use of social media by a travel journalist or blogger. Social platforms may include any or all of the following vehicles: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blog, Video, Chat/TweetUp, or Mobile Optimized Campaign. Entries will be reviewed on an individual basis to determine how social media platforms addressed strategy, creativity, innovation, results and brand.
Both awards recognize an ongoing commitment to Vermont’ s tourism industry and will be selected by an independent panel of social media experts assembled by the Vermont Travel Industry Conference (VTIC) Board of Directors. Judges for the award will include: Rich Beattie, Executive Digital Editor, Travel + Leisure Magazine; Rich Nadworny, owner of digital marketing group Digalicious; Chris Miranda, founding principal of the NYC-based travel and lifestyle marketing agency Redpoint Marketing PR. The Governor’ s SMART awards will be presented during the VTIC Welcome Luncheon on April 3, 2013 at the Stoweflake Resort & Spa, Stowe, VT.
‘ Vermont is the best place to visit for skiing and outdoor recreation, the arts, great restaurants, spectacular foliage and much more,’ Gov. Shumlin said. ‘ Social media has transformed how we get that word out to influence decisions in Vermont’ s travel and tourism sector. These awards will honor those Vermonters in the travel industry who are doing an exceptional job using social media to ensure Vermont remains the first choice for travelers.’
Eligibility, criteria and an entry form can be found online through the Vermont Travel Industry Conference website at www.VTIC.org. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 22.
If you are part of a tourism-related business or have an interest in the Vermont travel industry, we invite you to attend! Registration is available online through the conference website at www.vtic.org.