Visit Jackson’s City With Soul Celebrity Fam Tour Video Honored With Best Sales Strategy By Mississippi Tourism Association

The Mississippi Tourism Association (MTA) recognized the impact and accomplishments of the state’s tourism industry at the annual tourism awards program held during the Governor’s Conference on Tourism at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, October 2-4, 2024. This annual educational and professional development event brought together around 200 tourism industry professionals from across the state as well as tourism partners from the surrounding region.

"Mississippi’s tourism industry continues to flourish," said Governor Tate Reeves. "Every day, more visitors are discovering the charm of our state as they are drawn in by its natural beauty and the genuine hospitality of our people. It’s no surprise why Mississippi leaves such a lasting impression on our visitors. I want to extend my gratitude to the Mississippi Tourism Association and its members for showcasing all that our state has to offer and congratulate this year’s outstanding award winners."

These awards give MTA the opportunity to recognize members who excel in various sectors of the industry. Awards were presented in 22 categories, each focusing on a different aspect of the hospitality industry or individual achievement.

This year’s recipient of the Best Sales Strategy award was given to Visit Jackson’s City with Soul Celebrity Fam Tour Video. This is awarded to a strong campaign or strategy used to grow sales for a destination, attraction, hotel, convention center or other tourism entity via traditional or digital methods. Results should include a clear statement of goals and results. Examples would include but are not limited to sales-focused mailers, promotional items, familiarization tours and other sales strategies.

"We are delighted to celebrate these hardworking individuals who consistently go above and beyond for their communities and organizations. The competitiveness of these awards reflects the exceptional quality of work from our partners and highlights the strength of Mississippi’s tourism industry. It’s a privilege to collaborate with such remarkable professionals as we continue to drive growth and success in our field,” said MTA Executive Director Danielle Morgan.

Many familiarization tour videos tout “flexible square footage.” Visit Jackson decided to grow convention sales for Jackson by creating a video tour with so much more. The video was created by Maris, West and Baker, in partnership with Visit Jackson and the sales team.

A story was crafted to feature someone coming to see what the City With Soul has to offer conventioneers. Along the way, they meet the team at Visit Jackson and discover this truly unconventional convention city.

This city offers the kinds of places and experiences that really pull you in—beginning with the warm, welcoming sales team of Shun, Christine, Shana, Sherri, and Floyd at Visit Jackson.

Featured on Visit Jackson’s website and used in the sales team’s proposals, the result is not just a video that introduces viewers to the team and this one-of-a-kind city, but you get to see a bit of the personality of Visit Jackson’s people shining through especially during story time with Dorothy Moore, skipping whimsically through the Mississippi Museum of Art, going long for a pass at JSU Tiger Stadium and the spontaneous second line parade led by Epic Funk at Fondren Guitar.

“Ralph Marson said, ‘Excellence is not a skill; it’s an attitude.’ It is my honor to commend the Mississippi Tourism Association’s2024 Governor’s Conference on Tourism Award Winners. Your passion and commitment to tourism, our state’s fourth-largest industry, and its collective contribution to Mississippi’s economy are fervently articulated by the impactful strategic initiatives and professionalism you execute and demonstrate daily. Thank you and your team for your unwavering passion that contributes to the transformational impact for our individual and collective Mississippi communities,” said Dr. Rickey Thigpen, 2024-2025 President of MTA.