The TTRA awards program was developed to encourage and recognize excellence in the field of travel and tourism research and marketing. Entrants are judged on quality, originality, creativity, usefulness, results, and benefits to the travel and tourism industry.
These pages list the winners of the awards presented at the Marketing Outlook Forum.
TTRA celebrates all of its historical award winners HERE.
2019 Marketing Outlook Forum
October 7 – 9, 2019
Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Washington, DC USA
John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award
Hailey Post, Masters Student, Parks Recreation and Tourism Department at North Carolina State University
Hailey Post is a first-year master’s student in the Parks Recreation and Tourism Department at North Carolina State University. Through her research, she hopes to identify strategies for improving advocacy efforts among leaders in the tourism industry and stakeholder engagement efforts. She is originally from Greensboro, NC and attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her Bachelors in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality. Her love for tourism and the outdoors led her down a number of different paths including time working for Walt Disney World, a management position at a high ropes course, and eventually to NC State to pursue her master’s. Hailey is passionate about cultural sustainability and intends to use knowledge and experience gained from her time in the Parks Recreation and Tourism Management department to drive positive change in the tourism industry.
View the Winning Submission.
View the Press Release.
Yesawich Award for Marketing Excellence
Will Hare, Director of Digital Marketing and Analytics, Discover Durham
Will Hare joined the DMO world with a background in data-driven digital marketing agencies. Since he joined the Discover Durham team in June 2017, he has made an immediate impact and proved to be an efficient, strong leader for the organization. Hare’s tireless efforts and sharp mind have positioned him well to effectively lead some of the largest, most dynamic marketing projects in the organization’s 30-year history. His experience in agency marketing has armed him with a keen focus on research and data, one he has been harnessed to inspire Discover Durham to push forward on significant marketing efforts with evidence, analysis and statistics first. In just over two years, Hare has led the company’s rebrand, launched a new website, deployed several integrated advertising campaigns, and helped steer the organization’s audience targets for all marketing channels.
View Discover Durham’s Destination Guide.
View Press Release.
Top Banana Award
NYC & Company
Award given to the destination with the ‘Best Dressed’ Table at the Forum’s destination breakfast.
2018 Marketing Outlook Forum
October 23 – 25, 2018
Plant Hollywood, Las Vegas, NV USA
John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award
Patrick Robbins, Masters Student, Fox School of Business at Temple University
Experienced Department Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the tourism and hospitality industry. Skilled in Customer Service, Sales, Hospitality Management, Microsoft Office, and Airline business processes and tools. Influential operations professional obtaining a Master of Science focused in Tourism and Travel Services Management from Fox School of Business at Temple University.
J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award
Gail Bryant, Director, City of Hannibal / Convention & Visitors Bureau
Approximately 100 miles northwest of St. Louis is historic Hannibal Missouri. As the boyhood home to author Mark Twain, Hannibal is famously known as the setting for his timeless novels. Today they are proud to say that they have more parks for citizens than most towns in the Midwest, they have an amazing trail system that is growing yearly and Hannibal is becoming a thriving haven for artisans. If you like history, you will love Hannibal!
This little town of 17,800 provides a home to not only a great destination but an outstanding director for their Convention and Visitors Bureau: Gail Bryant. Gail has led the marketing efforts as a director for the Hannibal CVB since July 2011. Prior to starting her position in Hannibal, Bryant served as the tourism director in Lebanon Missouri, a small town in the south central part of the state. She is known to have a knack for development and implementation of marketing plans. And, her strong communications skills have served her well in this small Missouri community. In addition to her position as Hannibal CVB director, she serves as an active member of the “Promote Missouri Fund” advisory committee for the co-op marketing program for the Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) having been reappointed in November 2016 to a another three year term.
Emerging Leaders Rising Star Award
Whitney Knollenberg, Assistant Professor, NC State University
Dr. Whitney Knollenberg’s research focuses on the role of leadership in the forces that shape tourism development, including planning, power, policy, and partnerships. Recently she has examined political leaders in tourism and tourism advocates and their efforts to gain political influence for the industry. Whitney has also studied how leadership and its connections to power and partnerships can initiate and sustain successful rural tourism development. Her continuing research strives to understand how tourism leaders can utilize planning, power, policy, and partnerships to support sustainable tourism development.
Yesawich Award for Marketing Excellence
Lauren Hansen-Flaschen, Director of Research, Visit Philadelphia
Lauren Hansen-Flaschen is Director of Research at VISIT PHILADELPHIA. She drives the organization’s quantitative and qualitative research to guide and evaluate marketing campaigns and new initiatives. Lauren currently serves on U.S. Travel Association’s research taskforce and co-leads TTRA’s Young Professionals group. She also leads a peer professional network of researchers, policy analysts, marketers, and executive leaders from Philadelphia’s economic development agencies. Lauren holds a MPA from University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and a BA from Boston University.
2017 Marketing Outlook Forum
October 23 – 25, 2017
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD USA
Young Professionals Rising Star Award
Nick Breedlove, Executive Director, Jackson County Tourism Development Authority
In 2015, following his diverse, non-tourism professional history, Nick stepped into his current role as the Executive Director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA), a role which he is the first to fulfill. It didn’t take long for Nick’s hard work, leadership, and influence to be felt. Despite its small size (only 41,000 full-time residents) and his relative lack of prior category experience, Nick has exhibited a dedication to industry metrics.
As part of his current role, Nick oversees the advertising and marketing programs, long-range strategy, organizational and financial plans and also publicizes activities, programs and coordinates efforts with the Chambers of Commerce and community groups.
The JCTDA was established to strategically market the county to tourists using occupancy tax funds collected by area lodging facilities.
To read the full press release on Nick’s Accomplishment, please click HERE.
John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award
Juleigh Giberson, Undergraduate Student at Ryerson University
Juleigh Giberson is currently enrolled full-time in the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University, where she is also a research assistant.
Among her many outstanding achievements, Juleigh earned a research scholarship in the fall of 2016. She conducted her own study and qualified to present it in Hong Kong at a graduate research conference, where she won second place. She also presented her research earlier this year at the Annual TTRA International Conference in Quebec, where it was well-received by industry professionals.
In the letters recommending her for the John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award, Juleigh was described as “smart, dependable, insightful, and curious,” as well as “a rare kind of undergraduate student who deserves this recognition.”
To read the full press release on Juleigh’s Accomplishment, please click HERE.
J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award
Heather LeMoine, Marketing Manager, North Dakota
Twelve years ago, Heather LeMoine began her work at North Dakota Tourism as a marketing program manager. Her role has expanded to her current position as Marketing and Research Manager, and Heather rose to the challenge she was given of becoming the state expert on tourism research.
An early adopter of affordable research she has helped drive better-informed marketing decisions with countless partners, media, and stakeholders.
Heather also sits on the board of the CenStates TTRA chapter and speaks at various industry functions.
To read the full press release on Heather’s Accomplishment, please click HERE.
NEW Yesawich Award for Marketing Excellence
Jay Kinghorn, Managing Director, Utah Office of Tourism
Jay Kinghorn used data to greatly improve the office’s winter marketing. He and his team analyzed data to identify a leading key performance indicator to optimize campaign performance while the campaign was still in market, as well as comprehensively measure digital ad effectiveness based on ad-exposed hotel and flight bookings and arrivals in Utah. Jay and his team developed a key message that they delivered to their target audience under-budget.
Under Jay’s leadership, the campaign was built around a full arsenal of digital tactics, carefully matched to traveler profiles, awareness levels, and behavioral characteristics, then optimized carefully around new key performance indicators and analytical tools to create the most rigorously measured campaign the Utah Office of Tourism has ever executed. The objectives were achieved by personalizing the messaging to the different affinity groups and optimizing the days and times that the message was delivered.
The results of the campaign Jay led exceeded expectations.
To read the full press release on Jay’s Accomplishment, please click HERE.
2016 Marketing Outlook Forum
October 24 – 26, 2016
Weston Beach Resort and Spa, Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
Young Professionals Rising Star Award
Andria Godfrey, Director of Tourism Research, Georgia Department of Economic Development
Andria Godfrey is the Director of Tourism Research for the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), where she is responsible for driving the agency’s research programs that provide insights to inform GDEcD’s marketing and strategic program development efforts. Prior to joining GDEcD, Ms. Godfrey served as the Research Coordinator for Texas Tourism.
She currently serves as Vice President for the Southeastern Travel and Tourism Research Association and Chair Woman for Travel South USA’s International Research Committee.
Andria holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Master of Science from Texas A&M University.
John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award
Kari Roberg, Research Assistant, Arizona State University’s Center for Sustainable Tourism
J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award
Jarrod Lyman, Communications Specialist, Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Jarrod has been working with DMOs for 12 years. In that time, he’s had roles in his home town in Arizona, in Yosemite, California, and now his goal destination of Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory. He fell in love with this region when he first visited on a work trip in 2005 and finally was able to call it home in 2013. Since then, he’s helped Mt. Hood Territory grow its social media following several fold, kept engagement rates several times higher than average, and crafted award-winning social media campaigns.
When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his wife of 16 years Cindy, 12-year-old daughter Kaylee, and almost-4-year-son Collin.
2015 Marketing Outlook Forum
October 26 – 28, 2015
Loews Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Young Professionals Rising Star Award
Leah Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer
Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau
John and Joan Markham Tourism Marketing Award
Cassandra Ball, Graduate Extern: Marketing and Recruitment Temple University, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
