Oklahoma's Top Tourism Entities Honored During RedBud Awards
Oklahoma's Top Tourism Entities Honored During RedBud Awards
The Oklahoma Travel Industry Association (OTIA) held its annual RedBud Awards Gala at the Oklahoma History Center on May 15, 2018. Open to all Oklahoma tourism entities, the RedBud Awards represent the highest honor given in the Oklahoma tourism industry. The Gala was held as part of the 2018 Oklahoma Conference on Tourism.
Emceed by Lt. Governor Todd Lamb and Jenifer Reynolds, 32 awards were given in 16 categories. The awards recognize Oklahoma's top tourism attractions, events, programs and organizations for outstanding efforts to serve and promote Oklahoma’s tourism industry.
Competition entries must have been produced, published, broadcast or held between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. All entries were evaluated by a slate of tourism professionals on specific criteria including customer service and experience, marketing effectiveness, media relations, variety of audiences reached, value, and overall creativity.
The winners include:
Outstanding Agritourism Attraction
Redbud: Agape House Berry Farm
Merit: Blue River Valley Winery
Best Social Media
Redbud: Bartlesville Convention & Visitors Bureau
Merit: Tulsa Sports Commission - 40 Faces of the Tulsa Run
Best Brochure or Publication - Tri-fold or single sheet
Redbud: Greater Sapulpa Area Attractions Map
Merit: Chisholm Trail - 150th Anniversary Rack Card
Best Brochure or Publication - 11 pages or more ($30,000 budget or more)
Redbud: Oklahoma City CVB Spring/Summer Visitors Guide
Best Brochure or Publication - 11 pages or more ($25,000 or Less Budget)
Redbud: Choctaw Country Summer, Fall/Winter Guide
Best Overall Marketing Campaign
Redbud: Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism
Merit: Visit Norman
Best Website
Redbud: Visit Norman
Merit: Chickasaw Country
Best Partnership
RedBud: Visit OKC, Visit Norman, Visit Stillwater for their "Influencer Campaign"
Merit: Chisholm Trail 150th Anniversary Partnership
Outstanding Media Coverage
Redbud: Chisholm Trail 150th Partnership
Merit: Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism
Outstanding Attraction
Redbud: Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
Merit: Pawhuska Chamber - The Pioneer Woman Mercantile
Outstanding New Attraction
RedBud: Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism - Sequoyah's Cabin Museum
Merit: Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum
Outstanding Temporary Exhibit
RedBud: Downtown Oklahoma City Initiatives - Make It Rain Poems
Merit: Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc. - Return From Exile
Outstanding Event
RedBud: Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon - A Run to Remember
Merit: City of Pauls Valley - 18th Annual Okie Noodling Tournament
Outstanding New Event
RedBud: POSTOAK Lodge - POSTOAK Wine & Jazz Festival
RedBud: Visit Stillwater - Stillwater's Winter Wonderland
Outstanding Lodging Property
RedBud: Shangri-La Resort
Tourism Organization of the Year
Redbud: Chickasaw Country
In addition to the RedBud Awards the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Cristy Morrison of Visit Stillwater. The award is presented annually by AAA Oklahoma and is designed to recognize a tourism professional who has spent decades working in and improving Oklahoma’s travel industry.
“Cristy is a true professional who has worked for over 29 years to grow Stillwater's visitor travel market," said Debra Bailey, President & CEO of the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association. "Many in the industry have benefited from her wealth of knowledge and we are proud to name her the recipient of the 2018 AAA Oklahoma Lifetime Achievement Award.”
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