HSMAI TO HONOR SARATOGA CONVENTION & TOURISM BUREAU WITH A BRONZE AWARD IN 58th ANNUAL ADRIAN AWARDS COMPETITION

Winners Will Be Honored at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala Feb. 23, 2015, in New York

NEW YORK>> The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will recognize the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau with a Bronze Adrian Award for public relations excellence for its winning entry in the 58th annual Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious travel marketing competition globally.

This year’s contest garnered more than 1,200 entries from around the world, with entries judged by top executives throughout the industry.

The campaign for which the Saratoga Convention Bureau is being recognized is the 2014 Saratoga Chowderfest. This annual event was first organized in 1998 and is held each year in late January or early February. Its original intent was to bring visitors and patrons to Saratoga businesses during an otherwise quiet time of the year. The first year saw less than 10 restaurants participate and drew a few hundred visitors downtown.  Through steady growth in marketing and added resources, the Bureau has grown this event into one of Saratoga’s largest annual events all year long. The 2014 Chowderfest saw over 30,000 people enjoying all types of chowder from 86 participating businesses (both numbers were all-time records).

“We are absolutely honored to receive this recognition by HSMAI and our peers in the hospitality industry,” said Todd Garofano, President of the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau. “Our staff, and this community, works so hard each year to keep Saratoga vibrant and the economy strong during the winter months. You really can’t call it an off-season anymore. Visitors came from Montreal, Boston, NYC, NJ and everywhere in between. They stayed in our hotels, shopped downtown and, of course, enjoyed our restaurants and bars. You have to remember that this is largely an outdoor event…in February. So to have 30,000+ people come too this event is amazing.”      

HSMAI will pay tribute to the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau during the annual HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala, a black-tie affair attended by more than 1,000 hospitality, travel and tourism marketing executives at the New York Marriott Marquis on Feb. 23.

“We are continually amazed by the creativity of the Adrian Award submissions,” said Fran Brasseux, HSMAI executive vice president. “We saw imaginative campaigns that got results in all categories, and we’re excited about honoring this year’s Adrian Award winners in February.”

In addition to commending the Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau award-winning work, the Gala and dinner reception honors lifetime achievement in travel/hospitality marketing, as well as The HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization.  All winning entries will be accessible in the Adrian Awards Winners Gallery online following the gala at www.adrianawards.com.   

Visit www.AdrianAwards.com for more information on the event and competition.

About HSMAI

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI’s MEET, Adrian Awards, and Revenue Optimization Conference. HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at www.hsmai.org, www.facebook.com/hsmai,www.twitter.com/hsmai and www.youtube.com/hsmai1.

The mission of the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau is to market and promote Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County as a world-class destination for meetings, conventions and special events.  For information on how to schedule or plan a meeting, conference, convention, wedding, sports tournament of special event in Saratoga, visit the Saratoga Conventionand Tourism Bureau’s website at www.discoversaratoga.org.