Shawshank promotions were honored again at a statewide competition! The Ohio Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (OACVB) held its 22nd Annual Awards of Excellence and President’s Luncheon in Gahanna, Ohio on Thursday, November 14, 2019. At the luncheon, STAR Awards are presented for destination marketing and tourism development efforts. Destination Mansfield – Richland County was presented with STAR awards for our Shawshank Marketing Campaign, our ShawshankTrail.com website, and a 2nd place award for the Shawshank Digital Marketing Campaign.
The OACVB STAR Awards (“State Tourism Achievement Recognition”) honor outstanding efforts by Ohio Convention & Visitor Bureaus in their work to market and promote their area destinations and to generate overall awareness of the tourism industry. Recipients were honored for their innovation, creativity, effectiveness, and impact in travel and tourism marketing and advertising.
Our award-winning “Return to Shawshank” Marketing Campaign included print ads in Midwest Living Magazine and other publications, social media ads, digital marketing, geo-targeting, “Over the Top” video streaming ads, and even a digital billboard in Time Square in New York.
Convention and Visitors Bureaus are best described as destination marketing organizations and are responsible for promoting travel and tourism product awareness to visitors. 81 outstanding marketing projects were submitted for the annual awards competition. Being recognized for a job well-done in the promotion of travel and tourism throughout the state of Ohio is a highly valued achievement. In 2019, Destination Mansfield has won 5 statewide marketing awards including two Ruby Awards from the Ohio Travel Association. Since 2012, the organization has won 31 awards for its destination marketing efforts.