2010 RedBud Awards Call for Entries is Now Open

We are proud to announce that the 2010 RedBud Award Call for Entries is officially open! Two new award categories have been added this year, “Outstanding Eco Tourism” and “Outstanding Lodging Property”, so please make sure to spread the word to anyone you think deserves to take home the prize!

The RedBud Awards Ceremony will take place October 18th at the Governor's Conference on Tourism, held October 17 - 19 at the Embassy Suites in Norman. For information on how to register to attend this year’s Governor’s Conference, visit the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association’s website at http://www.otia.info/.

You can find information on how to submit entries for the RedBud Awards by clicking the following link: http://www.travelok.com/files/RedBudAwards.pdf. The deadline for entering is 5 p.m. on July 30, 2010.

Thanks, and please feel free to contact Austin with any questions you may have.

Austin Tackett
Travel Communications Coordinator
Travel Promotion Division
Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
Phone: 405.230.8413
Austin@TravelOK.com

Register Now for Governor's Conference on Tourism

Please join us at The Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism, October 18-20, 2009 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Cox Convention Center.

During these challenging times our individual and collective success depends on our ability to strategically combine our resources. This year’s conference theme stresses the importance of working together to move our industry forward and will provide inspiration and insight for the actions we need to take.

This is the “don’t miss” event for our industry, featuring two days of workshops, keynote presentations and opportunities to connect with colleagues. (You may even have some fun!) I guarantee you will leave the conference with several ideas you can put into action the minute you return to your office. You will also learn how to take advantage of the hottest trends in the travel and tourism industry.

Workshops and general sessions will cover topics such as using and optimizing social media, finding your personal leadership style, developing tourism initiatives with American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, attracting film projects to your community, writing itineraries that work, engaging value seekers, exceeding customer expectations and more. Click here to see a full schedule and register for the conference.

And, as always, our industry’s all-stars will be honored during the annual Redbud Awards dinner on Monday night.

I look forward to seeing you there!

2009 RedBud Award Call for Entries

The call for entries is now open for the 2009 RedBud Awards, an honor given by the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. The RedBud Awards recognize Oklahoma’s tourism attractions, destination marketing organizations and travel writers for their outstanding efforts to serve and promote Oklahoma’s tourism industry.

“The RedBud Awards represent the highest honor given in recognition of tourism excellence in Oklahoma,” said Hardy Watkins, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. “These awards showcase the best of our state and reward our industry partners for their outstanding efforts operating and promoting world-class attractions.”

Entries must have been produced, published, broadcast or held between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009. To be eligible for consideration, entries must arrive by mail or be hand-delivered to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department by 5 p.m. on July 31, 2009. Absolutely no extension will be made to this deadline due to judging schedules.

Winners will be announced during a special gala held on Oct. 19, 2009 during the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Please contact OTIA at 405-942-1121 or register online at www.OTIA.info to make reservations for the awards banquet and conference. Winners and runners-up will be notified a minimum of two weeks prior to the awards presentation.

For full details on this award program or to download a RedBud Award entry form, visit the Tourism Industry section of TravelOK.com (http://www.travelok.com/industry/forms.asp) or contact Austin Tackett (Austin@TravelOK.com or 405-230-8413).