Emporia CVB wins SIX AWARDS from Travel Industry Association of Kansas!

The Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has six new trophies to display in the Visitors Center at 719 Commercial Street.

Emporia CVB staff attended the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK) annual Tourism Conference this week in Garden City, Kansas. The three day conference is an opportunity for tourism professionals across the state to network and learn about the latest trends in travel through educational seminars. The conference concluded with an award ceremony to recognize outstanding travel marketing efforts in the state of Kansas.

The CVB has partnered closely with local advertising agency IM Design Group to develop Emporia’s marketing campaigns. Additionally, in 2014, the CVB commissioned Kansas City firm Guts Branding to conduct consumer research. This consumer opinion research has been used extensively to shape the marketing message for Emporia.

For the TIAK competition, the CVB staff submitted Emporia’s marketing materials in six different categories and won an award in each category entered, including two first place trophies. The TIAK awards received by the Emporia CVB are:

Print Material (Magazine Ads) – 1st Place

In 2016, Emporia’s downtown district won USA Today’s 10 Best Main Streets in the USA competition. Downtown Emporia has a phenomenal mix of local businesses, big events like the Dirty Kanza and Glass Blown Open, and a nationally acclaimed Main Street program that have put Emporia on the map. Spreading the word about this honor has been an important part of the Emporia CVB’s marketing over the last year. The print campaign focused on enticing day trippers and shoppers with ads placed in regional and local magazines in targeted geographic areas.

[su_button url=”https://visitemporia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Print-Marketing-Presentation.pdf” style=”flat” background=”#8c194d” color=”#ffffff” size=”4″]View Emporia’s print ads[/su_button]

Outsourced Visitors Guide – 2nd Place

The Visitors Guide is one of the primary pieces for visitor outreach. The 2017 guide built on Emporia’s brand, portraying a bold, unique and playful city to visit.

[su_button url=”https://issuu.com/emporiacvb/docs/visitors_guide_proof_6″ style=”flat” background=”#8c194d” color=”#ffffff” size=”4″]View the 2017 Emporia Visitors Guide[/su_button]

Print Material (Billboards) – 2nd Place

Emporia is home to large communities of both cyclists and disc golfers, and hosts major annual events for both sports. The billboard campaign promotes cycling in the Flint Hills and playing disc golf on Emporia’s award-winning courses year round.

[su_button url=”https://visitemporia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Billboard-Print-Campaign-Presentation.pdf” style=”flat” background=”#8c194d” color=”#ffffff” size=”4″]View Emporia’s Billboard Campaign[/su_button]

Online Media – Honorable Mention

The Emporia CVB commissioned an all new website for visitemporia.com in 2017 which launched in July. A primary objective for the new website was to get all of the CVB’s content online that was previously only available in print. The new site aims to increase visitor engagement through blogging and social media initiatives. The site has an improved mobile experience and allows users to explore activities in Emporia by interest category. The new website also features a special section dedicated to event planners, which include venue options, activity ideas for groups, event vendors, and resources available from the CVB and the community.

Integrated Campaign – Honorable Mention

Attracting meetings and events is a major focus of the Emporia CVB. To reach out to event planners, the marketing team IM Design Group proposed an innovative gift box, dubbed the “Meeting Planner Survival Kit.”  The gift box contained print collateral about hosting a meeting in Emporia, as well as small items to help make planning more bearable. The items inside the box represented the Emporia experience, and included a chocolate bar from Sweet Granada, coffee from Gravel City Roasters (locally roasted) or Granada Coffee Company and a mini disc golf disc.

[su_button url=”https://visitemporia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Integrated-Campaign-Presentation.pdf” style=”flat” background=”#8c194d” color=”#ffffff” size=”4″]View the Meeting Planner Survival Kit[/su_button]

People’s Choice – 1st Place

The “Meeting Planner Survival Kit”, which won an Honorable Mention in the Integrated Campaign listed above, took first place in the People’s Choice category. People’s Choice is a peer award voted on during the conference by others who work in the tourism industry.