Raleigh, N.C. (Oct. 14, 2016) - The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB), the official destination marketing organization for Raleigh and Wake County, was awarded three top tourism awards at the North Carolina Travel Industry Association's (NCTIA's) Tourism Leadership Conference. Since 2000, the GRCVB has been honored with more than 50 awards from the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina, which recently became part of NCTIA.

The GRCVB was recognized with the coveted Best in Show Award for a series of online videos that showcase the creativity and innovation of individuals who are Rooted in Raleigh and have a passion for an idea; their dreams-that-become-realities make for enriching experiences for residents and visitors alike. The documentary-style online videos, published on YouTube, on social media and on individual profile pages on visitRaleigh.com were produced under the direction of GRCVB's creative agency of record, French/West/Vaughan.

"Winning this year's award for producing the best-looking destination marketing materials in the state feels great, but we also can take pride in how effective they have been in communicating the right messages about Raleigh's smart, savvy entrepreneurs and residents," said Jonathan Freeze, director of marketing for GRCVB. "They've already been viewed online nearly a quarter-million times, giving our potential visitors new ideas and strong reasons for visiting."
Also awarded were two Platinum Awards: Platinum Public Relations Award for hosting a highly-successful Eastern Chapter Conference of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) in April 2016, which brought 100 travel writers to the destination; and Best Collateral for the Bureau's series of reference documents created to help explain and launch the newly-revised Raleigh, N.C., destination brand strategy. These award-winning documents include the brand manual, brand blueprint and brand brief. Materials can be found at raleighncbrand.com.
"These awards are a tremendous honor for our organization and go to show that the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau has some of the most talented destination marketing professionals in the industry," said Denny Edwards, president and CEO of the GRCVB.

As North Carolina's only resource for in-state destination marketing organizations, the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina is dedicated to improving the effectiveness of tourism professionals in over 40 North Carolina communities by providing leading-edge educational resources, networking opportunities, marketing benefits and legislative advocacy for the benefit of North Carolina's tourism economy. It is now an official Special Interest Group of the NCTIA, a statewide organization that encompasses all aspects of this industry sector.

The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, as the official destination and marketing organization of Raleigh and Wake County, accelerates sustainable economic growth and development by increasing visitor and convention business. Through its website www.visitRaleigh.com and other tools, the GRCVB assist local visitors in a variety of ways.