Sunshine Matters

Last week, Florida’s tourism industry participated in the 2015 Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) Convention in Austin, TX.  The Sunshine State was well represented, with 19 individuals or DMO Partners bringing home accolades and designations for their continued success and engagement with DMAI.

• CDME – Rosemarie Payne, Director of Leisure Travel for Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater; Tamara Pigott, Executive Director for the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel; John Pricher, Executive Director for Visit Gainesville; Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports for Visit Sarasota County; Tracy Ward, Vice President of Sales for Experience Kissimmee; and Meredith DaSilva, Director of Executive Operations for VISIT FLORIDA earned the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation.
• DMAP – Visit Jacksonville achieved accreditation through the industry-wide Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) for being a DMO that meets or exceeds industry standards.  In addition, the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB and Visit South Walton completed their re-accreditation process and the Bradenton Area CVB, Visit Sarasota County and Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater received renewed accreditation.
• 30 Under 30 – Katy Brantley, Partnership for Visit Tampa Bay; Megan Heron, Director of Domestic Marketing & Sales for Experience Kissimmee; and Vanessa Zigich, Meeting & Group Sales Manager for Visit Sarasota County were selected for the 2015 30 Under 30 Program.
• Speakers – Jack Wert, FCDME, Executive Director at Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB; William D. Talbert III, CDME, President & CEO at Greater Miami CVB; Susannah Costello, VP, Global Brand at VISIT FLORIDA; and David Downing, Executive Director at Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater were all chosen as speakers on topics ranging from building brand advocates to secrets of destination research.

As part of the convention, VISIT FLORIDA hosted the 4th annual Florida Delegation Reception with 40 Florida industry representatives in attendance.  This event was established as a way to provide an opportunity for our statewide tourism industry Partners to network and share contacts and experiences in the midst of the convention.

The next opportunity for the statewide industry to come together will be the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism this Aug. 31 – Sep. 2 at the Tampa Convention Center.  If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to register today.