Communications campaigns that focused on supporting community during the height of the pandemic won Hamilton County Tourism (HCT) major accolades at the Indiana Tourism Association (ITA) 2022 Awards held Tuesday.
The county’s tourism agency won top honors in the categories of Best Advocacy Campaign and Best Culinary Focused Marketing Campaign.
HCT’s Strategic Recovery Plan won the advocacy campaign category for the strategy and execution used to support communities and hospitality partners. When COVID-19 forced the economy to shut down, HCT immediately went into action, conducting surveys and interviews to prepare a plan for assistance and recovery focused on three key drivers – people, place and prosperity.
With support from a $300,000 CARES grant, HCT’s Strategic Recovery Plan helped in part with a faster than expected rebound for the Hamilton County tourism industry.
In the “Best Culinary Focused” campaign, HCT was honored for “The Great Dine Out,” which ran from Jan. 4 to Feb. 7, 2021. In conjunction with experiential e-commerce company Bandwango, HCT created a smart phone-exclusive passport program linking participants with 40 Hamilton County restaurants offering deals on in-person and take-out dining. The program was a resounding success, with more than 3,000 central Indiana residents signing up over the month.
The Indiana Tourism Awards dinner took place at the 2022 Indiana Tourism Conference, which took place March 14-16 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Noblesville and drew more than 200 tourism industry professionals from around the United States. Nearly 120 attendees enjoyed Hamilton County hospitality at a pre-convention event, hosted by HCT on the evening of March 14, featuring a ride on the Nickel Plate Express excursion train and dinner at signature downtown Noblesville restaurants.
About Hamilton County Tourism
Hamilton County Tourism Inc. is a nonprofit, destination management organization that promotes tourism growth through strategic marketing, hospitality and development initiatives providing hospitality to more than 4 million visitors to Hamilton County each year. Learn more at visithamiltoncounty.com.