The Visit Loudoun Annual Meeting
& Tourism Awards 

May 9, 2024 11am - 2pm

Stone Tower Winery
 

Tourism Award Categories & Nomination Forms

Submit your completed entry along with any & all supporting materials and photos, by the deadline of March 8, 2024.  We suggest that you contact Visit Loudoun to confirm receipt of your nomination form. Visit Loudoun is not responsible for nominations not received by the deadline.  All nomination submissions should include a high resolution photo of the individual nominee or high resolution logo for any business nominated, which will be used in the awards presentation.

Instructions:

• Click the title of the award to access the nomination form for each particular category.
• Click on the download arrow in the upper right hand corner--if you do not download and save before filling out the nomination, the document will not be saved and you will lose your information.
• Save the nomination form to your computer desktop or other file folder
• Use the saved file as the nomination form to fill out
• Submit your nomination using the submission form at the bottom of this page

When saving your nomination form please use the following format “award name”_”nominee name”.  Please note that all entry materials become the property of Visit Loudoun and may not be returned. If you have any questions regarding submission of your nomination form please contact Greg Harp at 703-669-2008 or Harp@VisitLoudoun.org.

Tourism Manager of the Year
This category recognizes our employees in management that make a difference and contribute to our tourism destination success. This person is a dynamic and effective leader that inspires their team to provide exceptional service and, in doing so, gives back to the industry. The evaluation and criteria should include as many of the following as possible:

• How the manager inspires their team.
• What makes this manager effective in promoting tourism?
• Letters, comments or reviews from customers complimenting the employee.

Loudoun Certified Tourism Ambassador of the Year

 This person is someone who has completed the Loudoun CTA certification and is in current standing as a CTA. This person possesses an in-depth knowledge of Loudoun and its attractions, exemplifies excellence in hospitality and customer service and promotes the CTA ideal of ensuring that every visitor has a positive and memorable experience. The nominator for this award must also have completed the Loudoun CTA certification.

• How did this nominee help create a positive experience for a visitor in Loudoun?
• How did this nominee go beyond customer service expectations?
• How did this person share their knowledge of Loudoun to ensure a memorable experience?
• Letters, comments or reviews from customers highlighting how this person contributed to their experience?

Diversity in Travel
This category is open to businesses, attractions and individuals who can demonstrate actions taken to enhance engagement with diverse travelers, creating welcoming experience that earn customer loyalty.  The nomination should include as many of the following as possible:

• What opportunities or challenges are you addressing?
• How did you determine the actions taken and how did you execute your plan?
• What is the lasting benefit? As an example, was there positive economic impact, improvement to the community, improvement to the culture of your business or an improvement in the quality of life for Loudoun’s residents?

Tourism Event of the Year
This category recognizes a first-time or recurring event that had significant community support and partnership, which attracted visitors to Loudoun County and/or its incorporated towns, can demonstrate visitor spending and/or overnight rooms and was effectively promoted to out-of-county visitors. The evaluation and criteria should include as many of the following as possible:

• The level of community support through volunteers, corporate sponsorships and civic group participation.
• The lasting benefit the event had on the community such as positive economic impact, improvement to the community or an improvement in the quality of life for Loudoun residents.
• The positive value of the event to the customer in terms of the event as a whole, entertainment, length of time to experience the event, desire to attend multiple days (if applicable) and cost per ticket.
• The number of overnight rooms generated in local hotels, bed and breakfasts and inns as a result of the event.
• The promotion of the event to out-of-county visitors in terms of creativity, effectiveness and results with examples of promotional materials, newspaper articles, photographs, etc.

Community Event of the Year
This category recognizes a first-time or recurring event that had significant community support and partnership, which attracted visitors from both within Loudoun County and/or its incorporated towns, effectively promoted to out-of-county visitors. The event should demonstrate the unique assets of the area, integrate local businesses, restaurants and/or community organizations and promote community building. The evaluation and criteria should include as many of the following as possible:

• The level of community support thorough volunteers, corporate sponsorships and civic group participation.
• The lasting benefit the event had on the community such as economic impact, positive impact for the community, building a sense of spirit or pride in the community or an improvement in the quality of life for Loudoun residents.
• The attendance generated for the event.
• The promotion of the event both within Loudoun and outside Loudoun and the results of those efforts
• Copies of promotional materials, newspaper articles, photographs, etc.

Tourism Marketing Promotion/ PR Campaign of the Year
Entries in this category may include marketing campaigns, public relations promotions or earned media coverage. This category recognizes creativity in campaigns or pitches, innovation, clearly stated objectives and how those are measured and the demonstrated results. The evaluation and criteria should include the following:

• The stated objectives, targeted audience and key performance indicators.
• The creative design, innovation of the program and message.
• The implementation process for the marketing campaign/public relations promotion.
• The results from the program, which can include final campaign analytics (impressions, engagement, reach, likes, shares, etc.), ad value equivalency or circulation numbers.

"Front-of-the-House" Tourism Employee of The Year
This award recognizes those professionals performing above and beyond in the spirit to serve and provide outstanding hospitality while promoting Loudoun County. This person is someone who has been recognized in online customer reviews for providing superior customer service, ensuring visitors and residents alike “Love Loudoun.” If the nominee is a personnel manager in the “Front-of-the-House,” they should be nominated under the category of Tourism Manager of the Year. The evaluation and criteria should include as many of the following as possible:

• What makes this nominee a “Front-of- the- House Hero? How did the employee go above and beyond in providing outstanding hospitality?
• The length of service of the nominee?
• Role of the nominee with the organization?
• Letter, comments or reviews from customers complimenting  the employee and service provided

“Back-of-House Hero” Tourism Employee of the Year
This award recognizes those professionals who may not interact directly with visitors but are the heart and soul of our industry; working behind the scenes to ensure visitors to Loudoun County have a seamless experience. If the nominee is a personnel manager in the “Back-of-the-House,” they should be nominated under the category of Tourism Manager of the Year. The evaluation and criteria should include as many of the following as possible:

• What makes the nominee a “Back-of-the-House Hero”? (Going beyond performance expectations, etc.)
• The length of service of the nominee?
• Role of the nominee with the organization?

New Tourism Business of the Year
This award recognizes excellence in the planning and development of a NEW tourism business and/or service that opened in calendar year 2023. Businesses in this category attracted visitors to Loudoun County, can demonstrate visitor spending and effective promotion of the business. The evaluation and criteria should include the following:

• Promotional materials/collateral announcing the opening or digital campaigns/ads and posts promoting the business.
• Provide an overview of your business/service as it relates to the tourism product of the county.
• Describe the rationale for opening the business and the process of development.
• Provide an overview of the positive economic impact and improvement to the community.
• Describe the marketing strategies used to differentiate your tourism business. Why were these strategies chosen and what was the result?

Judy Patterson Tourism Award
This is Visit Loudoun’s highest honor, selected by the Visit Loudoun Board of Directors. The award honors the legacy of Judy Patterson a founding board member of Visit Loudoun. The award recognizes an individual or organization that has made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the Loudoun County tourism industry. * The Judy Patterson Award nomination and any supporting documents, should be submitted directly to Visit Loudoun c/o Greg Harp at Harp@VisitLoudoun.org or via mail  to 112 South Street , SE, Suite 200 Leesburg, VA 20175

• How this individual or organization made an outstanding contribution to the tourism industry in Loudoun County?
  • What will be the lasting legacy of this tourism contribution?
  • How did this contribution affect the entire tourism industry and not just a segment of the industry?