HAMILTON COUNTY TOURISM WINS AWARD FROM INDIANA TOURISM ASSOCIATION
Brenda Myers Receives Distinguished Service Award

Indiana’s annual tourism conference was held March 11 to 13 in Evansville, Ind., and Hamilton County Tourism was awarded Best Advocacy Initiative in its category. HCT created the More to Explore campaign, an in-market, inter-connected partner promotions that deepens the visitor experience and drives guests to similar or compatible experiences.

Additionally, Hamilton County Tourism President and CEO Brenda Myers was recognized as the recipient of the Indiana Tourism Association Distinguished Service Award. The award is for individuals who have seen the importance of developing, promoting, and protecting Indiana’s tourism industry. They have used their position and influence to ensure the success of Indiana tourism assets.

Brenda Myers speaks to the crowd gathered at the event

“Tourism has provided me a career that has enriched my life in ways I cannot begin to describe,” Myers said. “My tourism family is very special to me.”

The Indiana Tourism Awards were presented on Tuesday. The awards honor tourism businesses who are creative, innovative and maximize the dollars invested.

Two hundred tourism leaders from around the state came to the Indiana Tourism Conference for networking and educational sessions over three days.

SPRING CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES

This year HCT opted to shift the emphasis away from weekday travel and instead concentrate on travel opportunities throughout the county, with a specific focus on its cities. The revamped message aimed to convey a sense of human connection, vibrancy, excitement, charm, community, relaxation, and, importantly, be evergreen.

The target audience for the messaging comprised married females aged 35 and above, with children. Considering the attractions in Hamilton County, the campaign features activities such as kayaking, zip-lining, horseback riding, balloon rides, biking trails, golf, water parks, dining, shopping, concerts, art, trains, history, and more—all while creating lasting memories.

Utilizing HCT’s extensive archive of footage, the campaign aligns the messaging with existing visuals to convey the excitement of a getaway to Hamilton County, Indiana. Distinct personas emerged, including the adventure seeker, local foodie, unique shopper, ultimate finder, and art lover.

The resulting campaign is intelligent, sophisticated, and takes the Hamilton County Tourism brand to new heights.

This relaunch will target Chicago starting mid-March-May and August-October.

The goal for this campaign is to build brand equity and recall, enhance our partnerships and expand insights with data and analytics, along with hotel booking to Hamilton County, Indiana.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

DISABILITY JUSTICE TRAINING

Q2: Beyond Limits: Dismantling Systemic Barriers Together
May 6 | 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Carmel Public Library

Join accessABILITY on a meaningful journey to break down barriers and explore the challenges faced by the disability community in areas such as healthcare, transportation and housing. This interactive session will provide an opportunity to engage in conversations, share insights and explore effective strategies to foster incusivity and dismantle systemic obstacles.

REGISTER HERE

ITA SUMMIT SERIES

Each year ITA offers in-person professional development opportunities that rotate around the state. New in 2024, these will be part of our summit series which are designed to give practical examples of tourism operations from executive, marketing, attraction and advocacy perspectives. The 2024 sessions will be:

  • Executive Summit - Wednesday, May 15: Attendees will have the opportunity to complete a Birkman Assessment and 1:1 hour coaching session before meeting. At the meeting, participants will focus on tools and strategies for self-awareness, self-management, relationship awareness and team culture development.
  • Marketing Summit - Wednesday, September 18: Attendees will hear national perspectives on destination marketing, stories of challenges and success from peers and dive into current marketing trends and strategies.
  • Attraction Summit - Wednesday, November 13: This day's programming will focus on challenges and opportunities specifically with an attraction's perspective in mind. Hosted in partnership with Notre Dame, attendees will learn practical ways to address their needs as well as the opportunity to network statewide.

Each of these summit events will:

  • Be held from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern (Light breakfast and lunch included)
  • Offer an opportunity to enjoy dinner and an evening activity with colleagues
  • Provide an update from ITA and IDDC
  • Cost is $149 per summit; However, if the same person is attending all of the events, they may register for all three for $399
REGISTER HERE

ITA CALENDAR

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