Vortex Alley Brewing wins RedBud tourism award

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Travel Industry Association held its annual RedBud Awards Gala at the Oklahoma History Center Tuesday.

Open to all Oklahoma tourism entities, the RedBud Awards represent the highest honor given in the Oklahoma tourism industry. The Gala was held as part of the 2019 Oklahoma Conference on Tourism.

Emceed by Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell and Jenifer Reynolds, 32 awards were given in 16 categories. The awards recognize Oklahoma’s top tourism attractions, events, programs and organizations for outstanding efforts to serve and promote Oklahoma’s tourism industry.

Competition entries must have been produced, published, broadcast or held between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. All entries were evaluated by a slate of tourism professionals on specific criteria including customer service and experience, marketing effectiveness, media relations, variety of audiences reached, value and overall creativity.

The winners include:

Vortex Alley Brewing of Ponca City, located at 220 E. Central Avenue. Vortex Alley Brewing received the Oklahoma Tourism RedBud award for Outstanding New Attraction.

Zach Trantham, the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Director, nominated Vortex Alley Brewing for this prestigious award.  Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell and Discover Oklahoma’s Jennifer Reynolds presented the award to David Thomas and Melanie Wood.

Merit winner was the Chickasaw Nation Information Center

Other awards presented were:

Outstanding Agritourism Attraction

Redbud: Oasis Animal Adventures

Best Social Media

Redbud: Koch Communication – Project: Time Off

Redbud: Muskogee War Memorial Park – Remembering Our Fallen

Merit: Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce: Tourism Department – Tasty Tuesday

Best Brochure or Publication – 11 pages or more ($30,000 to $50,000 budget)

Redbud: Lake Texoma Association – 2019 Guide to Lake Texoma

Merit: Oklahoma Hall of Fame & Gaylord – Pickens Museum Visitor Guide

Best Brochure or Publication – 11 pages or more ($25,000 or Less Budget)

Redbud: Visit Norman – Official Visitors Guide of Norman/University of Oklahoma Visitors Guide

Redbud: Philbrook Museum of Art – Museum Confidential Exhibition Booklet

Merit: Great Plains Country Association – 2019 Southwest Oklahoma Destination Guide

Best Overall Marketing Campaign

Redbud: City of Pauls Valley 19th Annual Okie Noodling Tournament & Festival

Merit: Visit Stillwater

Best Website

Redbud: Chickasaw Country

Merit: Koch Communications – Be Native Website

Best Partnership

RedBud: Edmond Convention & Visitors Bureau, Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, University of Central Oklahoma

Merit: Philbrook Museum of Art & Public Radio Tulsa – Museum Confidential Podcast

Outstanding Media Coverage: Online

Redbud: RSU – TV’s Living Grand on Grand Lake

Merit: Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau

Outstanding Media Coverage: Overall

Redbud: Koch Communications – COOP Ale Works 23rd Street Armory Announcement

Merit: FireLake FireFlight Balloon Festival

Outstanding Attraction

Redbud: Visit Stillwater – Tumbleweed Dance Hall & Concert Arena

Merit: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

Outstanding Temporary Exhibit

RedBud: Philbrook Museum of Art – Museum Confidential

Merit: American Banjo Museum – Jim Henson – Life and Legacy

Outstanding Event

RedBud: City of Pauls Valley – 19th Annual Okie Noodling Tournament & Festival

Merit: Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce – National Indian Taco Championship

Outstanding New Event

RedBud: Main Street Guymon – Pangaea: An International Evening

RedBud: Chickasaw Cultural Center – Native Pottery Market

Outstanding Lodging Property

RedBud: Candlewyck Cove Resort

Merit: Ben Ranch Cabins of Osage County

Tourism Organization of the Year

Redbud: Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau

Founded in 1987, the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association (OTIA) was formed primarily to provide tourism education and lobby on behalf of the tourism industry as well as support the efforts of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department in its funding of the State’s tourism promotion campaign. In 1992, OTIA developed an alliance with the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association to provide administrative services and support membership education initiatives statewide.