Vortex Alley Brewing wins RedBud tourism award
Ponca City Now - May 10, 2019 2:36 pm
Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell and Discover Oklahoma Jenifer Reynolds presented the award to David Thomas and Melanie Wood.
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.