Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board wins national economic development awards
The Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board is bringing home two national marketing awards. The local destination marketing organization received the two honours from the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) at its Marketing Canada Awards in
Edmonton on Tuesday.
EDAC is Canada’s national organization of economic developers providing professional development, accreditation and resources for economic development.
The annual awards ceremony recognizes communities across Canada whose marketing projects and campaigns have positively contributed to local economic development efforts. Bay of Quinte RMB submitted its Discovery Series to the Marketing Canada Awards, which included the 5th edition Discovery Guide, 2019 Discovery Map and Industry Experience Handbook.
Bay of Quinte RMB was recognized with the award for Best Publication in the country (four or more pages, budget category $201,000 – $600,000). The submission was also selected as a Cup Contender, recognized by EDAC as the best overall marketing submission for that budget category.
Dug Stevenson, executive director for Bay of Quinte RMB, remarked that this is a sign of great momentum for the organization: “We’ve never won a national award before, so it feels pretty validating for our team. This is a strong follow-up to winning the provincial equivalent from the
Economic Developers Council of Ontario in 2017 and 2018.”
“I’ve spent two decades either creating these pieces or evaluating them for clients,” said Greg Klassen, principal at Twenty31 Consulting and former Canadian Tourism Commission President and CEO, about the 2018 Discovery Guide.
“I have to say that [this] guide is far and above the best I have ever seen. It tells a story, is informative and just plain interesting. I’m certain that it’s
truly capturing the imagination of prospective visitors and residents to the region.”
The Bay of Quinte Discovery Series aims to hit all of the organization’s strategic economic development and tourism touch points in an effort to drive visitation and resident attraction. The economic activity generated during the time frame of these marketing pieces as a result of
increased hotel occupancy, tourism events secured and digital ad campaigns was estimated at $12.5 million.
The Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board is a public-private partnership that markets the region for tourism and resident attraction on behalf of its seven regional partners: Belleville, Brighton, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Quinte Accommodations & Attractions Association, Quinte Home Builders’ Association, Quinte Restaurant Association and Quinte West.
