fbpx

The eTourism Summit Excellence Awards (the eTSYs) Are Back!

Thank you for the record number of submissions we received. We are no longer accepting entries. Look for the announcement of winners at the eTourism Summit in April!

In celebration of our 25th anniversary, the eTourism Summit proudly presents the return of the Fifth Annual eTourism Summit Excellence Awards (eTSY Awards). These awards are our way of honoring and celebrating the best digital tourism marketing campaigns and programs from the dynamic year of 2023. We invite you to be a part of this digital tourism extravaganza by submitting your entry before the deadline on February 16, 2024.

 

Let’s Dive into the Excitement

 

Have you mastered the art of going viral? Did you create an attention-grabbing marketing campaign centered around sustainability, diversity, or economic development? Have you discovered innovative ways to engage your community, support local small businesses, or inspire unforgettable road trips? Perhaps you’ve unleashed a data-driven campaign that redefined ROI. These are just a few ideas to spark your creativity, but the possibilities are limitless!

Award Categories

Best Content Marketing Program

Recognizing excellence in content marketing. Judges will evaluate how well the campaign utilized creativity and resourcefulness to engage the audience and meet objectives.

Best Customer Engagement Excellence

Honoring travel industry suppliers that have excelled in engaging and building lasting relationships with their partners. This award focuses on efforts to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention through marketing initiatives.

Best Email Marketing Campaign

Judges will assess factors such as open rates, click-through rates, personalization, and the campaign’s ability to nurture leads and drive conversions.

Best Emerging Technology Integration

Honoring campaigns that successfully incorporate emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, or IoT to enhance the user experience and achieve marketing goals. Judges will evaluate innovation, implementation, and results achieved through technology integration.

Best Experiential Marketing Campaign

Experiential marketing is all about creating immersive brand experiences that resonate with audiences. This award honors the campaign that best brought brands to life by engaging consumers on a personal and memorable level. It celebrates creativity, innovation, and the ability to connect with consumers in meaningful ways.

Best Implementation of TikTok/Reels in Marketing Campaign

Describe case studies using short-form videos to assist in marketing campaigns, as well as results from these efforts.

Best Incorporation of Out-of-Home in a Marketing Campaign

This award recognizes the outstanding use of out-of-home advertising in a marketing campaign. Whether it’s billboards, transit ads, or other forms of physical advertising, this category celebrates the campaign that effectively leveraged the out-of-home medium to capture audience attention and convey a compelling message.

Best Influencer Marketing Campaign

Honoring outstanding influencer marketing campaigns that leveraged influencers effectively. Judges will evaluate influencer selection, content authenticity, and the campaign’s impact on the target audience.

Best Local Marketing Campaign

Recognizing campaigns that effectively target and engage local audiences, promoting a sense of community and local pride. Judges will assess the campaign’s relevance to the local market and its impact on driving local business.

Best Multichannel Marketing Campaign

Celebrating campaigns that excel in coordinating and optimizing marketing efforts across multiple channels, ensuring a consistent and cohesive brand experience. Judges will evaluate the integration, synergy, and overall effectiveness of multichannel strategies.

Best Paid Search Campaign

Recognizing excellence in paid search marketing, this award goes to the campaign that demonstrated exceptional strategy, execution, and results in the realm of pay-per-click advertising. Judges will look for campaigns that effectively utilized paid search to drive targeted traffic, conversions, and ROI.

Best Partnership Marketing Campaign

This award acknowledges the successful collaboration between a Destination Marketing Organization and a travel industry supplier. It celebrates innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships that have enhanced the organizations’ marketing efforts. The winning campaign will demonstrate creativity, strategic alignment, and a positive impact on the travel industry.

Best Social Media Campaign

Celebrating excellence in leveraging social media platforms to achieve marketing objectives. Judges will evaluate strategy, engagement, creativity, and the impact of the campaign on social media channels.

Best Use of Augmented, Mixed, or Virtual Reality

Recognizing innovation in campaigns that effectively incorporated augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), or virtual reality (VR) experiences to engage and immerse the audience. Judges will assess creativity, user experience, and technological integration.

Best Use of Innovative Marketing in a Campaign

Recognizing the most innovative and groundbreaking digital marketing campaigns that pushed the boundaries of creativity, technology, and strategy. Judges will consider how the campaign disrupted the status quo and delivered results beyond expectations.

Best Use of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Recognizing campaigns that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. Judges will consider how the campaign promotes ethical practices, environmental responsibility, or social causes.

Best Use of Video

Celebrating exceptional video marketing campaigns in travel and tourism. Judges will consider storytelling, production quality, engagement metrics, and the campaign’s overall impact.

Best User-Generated Content Campaign

Honoring campaigns that leverage user-generated content (UGC) creatively and effectively to engage the audience, build trust, and enhance brand credibility. Judges will assess UGC integration, authenticity, and campaign results.

Best Viral Campaign

Celebrating the campaign that achieved extraordinary virality, captivating audiences and generating widespread buzz. Judges will consider the campaign’s creativity, shareability, and its impact on the digital landscape.

Best Website

Honoring the best-designed and user-friendly websites with ample financial resources. Judges will assess user experience, visual design, functionality, and how well the website aligns with the brand’s objectives.

The Countdown Begins

The moment we’ve all been waiting for—the announcement of the winning entries! Mark your calendars for eTourism Summit, taking place from April 2-4, 2024, at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas. It’s an event you won’t want to miss, where we’ll come together to celebrate excellence in digital tourism marketing, learn from industry leaders, and set the stage for another year of innovation and success. If you are interested in registering for our 2024 eTourism Summit and being a part of the action in person, please contact [email protected] for more information. Submit your entry now and be part of the digital marketing revolution at eTourism Summit 2024. We can’t wait to see what digital dynamite you bring into the picture! Winners will be announced on March 20 and recognized at the eTourism Summit, April 2-4.

 

See tomorrow TOGETHER.

eTSY Digital Marketing Excellence Awards Rules

 

  1. Eligibility: Submissions must be related to digital marketing campaigns executed in the field of tourism and travel between October 1, 2022, and December 29 2023.
  2. Submission Deadline: All submissions must be made through the eTourism Summit Digital Marketing Excellence Awards website by February 16, 2024. Submissions via mail or express delivery will not be accepted. All submissions must be in English.
  3. Eligible Entrants: Submissions will be accepted from digital marketing organizations involved in digital marketing campaigns in the tourism and travel industry, including destination marketing organizations, PR firms, marketing agencies, and vendors working with CVBs. The entry form must include the person responsible for the campaign within the organization that executed it.
  4. Submission Details: Each submission must include a written explanation containing the following:
    > Name of the submission
    > Organization Name
    > Contact Person
    > Contact Email
    > Contact Phone Number
    > Website URL
    > Campaign Title
    > Brief Description of the Campaign
    > Campaign Objectives and Goals
    >All persons/organizations involved in the campaig
    > Target Audience
    > Duration of the Campaign
    > Geographic Scope (e.g., local, national, international): Intended result of the campaign and how it supported that result
    > Video options/links (Vimeo and YouTube links only; please provide passwords for private videos)
    > Photos/screenshots (if applicable to the category)
  5. Photography Requirements: Each submission must include up to five (5) high-resolution photographs, submitted as individual JPG or PNG files without watermarks. Ensure that the photographs relate to the specific category. For example, if submitting to the Best Social Media Campaign category, include photos related to the social media campaign’s content or results.
  6. Publication Rights: By submitting an entry for consideration for the eTourism Summit Digital Marketing Excellence Awards, entrants authorize eTourism Summit and its affiliates to publish any portion of the entry, including but not limited to submitted images and materials. Entrants must own the rights to distribute the images and videos to eTourism Summit. All entries become property of eTourism Summit and its affiliates and will not be returned.
  7. Award Shipping Costs: In the event a representative from a winning company is unable to accept the award at our eTourism Summit 2024, winning entries from outside of the United States will be responsible for shipping costs of the award(s).
  8. Questions: For inquiries about the awards, please email [email protected].
  9.  

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the judging process work?

Entries are reviewed and scored by both eTourism Summit team and industry experts using the following criteria:

  • Creativity, Innovation, and Content Quality (30 points)
    • Originality and creativity in concept, content, and execution.
    • Quality and relevance of visuals, videos, and written materials
  • Effectiveness (25 points): Impact on engagement, reach, conversion rates, and ROI
  • Audience Engagement (25 points): Level of engagement, including likes, shares, comments, and user-generated content
  • Measurable Results and Data Utilization (20 points): Achievement of measurable goals and KPIs. Effective use of data and analytics for performance improvement.

Submission Deadline:

Submissions for the eTSY Awards will close on Feb. 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. No submissions will be accepted after this date.

Will you release my score total?

Scoring totals will not be released, but we will announce a winner (submission with the highest total score) and runner(s) up. Winners will be announced on March 20 and recognized at the eTourism Summit, April 2-4.

Why has my category changed?

After extensive vetting and qualifying by trusted industry experts, your entry may have been noted to better fit within another category. We always strive to ensure your submissions get the recognition they deserve.