Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches Tourism Development Office (TDO) earned high praise for its tourism event marketing efforts, winning a first-place Henry Award at VISIT FLORIDA’s 2024 Flagler Awards. The award was announced during the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism, held August 28-30 in Tampa, Florida. The Flagler Awards were established by VISIT FLORIDA in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida.
The TDO won the top place in the tourism special event marketing category for its efforts in promoting the 2023 Hang 8 Dog Surfing Competition in Flagler Beach. As part of the submission guidelines, the TDO had to provide the overall marketing objectives including details on the strategies, techniques, and
methods used to achieve the stated objectives and reach the target audience. Applicants were required to share marketing budgets for their respective campaigns and describe how funds were utilized in the design, implementation, and measurement process to highlight the entry’s cost-effectiveness.
Additionally, the TDO had to demonstrate meaningful quantitative results of all the marketing efforts by providing credible support materials, including analytics and visitation data. In its entry, Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches highlighted its multi-faceted marketing approach which included out-of-home (billboard), print, and digital advertising as well as its public relations efforts which secured national coverage. The TDO’s promotional campaign also included a one-minute highlight video featuring surfing dogs and attendees, created by CycleHere Films. During the event, Palm Coast and the
Flagler Beaches sponsored a (dog) kissing booth to serve as a photo opportunity for event attendees and participants.
“It is an honor to win a Henry Award from VISIT FLORIDA,” said Amy Lukasik, executive director of Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches Tourism Development Office. “Our marketing and community engagement teams and our partners work diligently together to highlight our destination and its unique events, like Hang 8 Dog Surfing, creatively.”
About Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches
Located on Florida’s northeast coast, Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches is a quirky coastal escape that features unspoiled natural beauty, a spectacular independent foodie scene, and plenty of arts and cultural activities. Attractions include 19 miles of cinnamon-colored beaches, numerous state and local parks and preserves, miles of canopied trails, and bucket-list activities like dolphin interactions and horseback rides along the shore. The area is anchored by the iconic Flagler Beach Municipal Pier, a retro-style A-Frame that opened in 1928. Area accommodations range from branded hotels to a luxury resort and vacation rentals.
For more information, please visit https://www.visitflagler.com/ or call 386.313.4320. Get to know us by following our social channels: https://www.facebook.com/PalmCoastandtheFlaglerBeaches/ or Visit Flagler on Twitter and Instagram.
About the VISIT FLORIDA Flagler Awards
Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards were established in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida. Annually, the Flagler Awards honor many of the countless individuals and organizations that help maintain and improve Florida’s position as one of the world’s most popular
travel destinations. The awards are open to all individuals, private businesses, and not-for-profit organizations offering a product or service that promotes tourism to or within the state of Florida. The 2024 Flagler Awards drew entries from organizations, large and small. Working independently, a
diverse panel of thirteen judges evaluated the creativity, innovation, production quality, and effectiveness of each entry. Based on the judges’ cumulative scores, awards were presented to the top three entries in each category: the Bronze Award for the third highest scoring entry, the Silver Award for the second highest scoring entry, and the highest scoring entry in each category, the Henry Award.
