Coming in 2011 - Athens FAMs

Two great opportunities for Athens to promote to a wide audience are just around the corner.  International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) will hold its annual Symposium in Atlanta January 16 - 20, and the Travel South Showcase will occur in Atlanta February 22 - 24.  

Athens will benefit by being part of scheduled FAM tours for the leading tour operators and journalists attending these major events.  The Athens FAM for Travel South was the first to fill up.  It is entitled "Musicians, Muscadines & Mansions." Athens is features, along with six other GA cities.  The ITMI FAM, a day trip to Athens, will include 100+ operators and escorts from around the country.

In addition, the editor of BusTours magazine has scheduled a multi-night visit to Athens on her own during her time in Georgia for Travel South, as part of research for an upcoming feature on college towns.

Deadline: March 5, 2011

Vote for Athens

It's that time again . . . . time to help get out the vote for Athens as one of America's Top 25 Arts Destinations.  Athens has been on this list from AmericanStyle magazine every year since 2002, but we need votes for 2011 to make this year's list.  As competition from other cities has increased, Athens has eased down the list a bit-- we need to regain our former Top 10 status!

So. . .

• vote from every home and work computer you have access to
• spread the word to your email lists and in your scheduled newsletters
• post to Facebook and Twitter
• place a link on your website
• tell your friends, family, and colleagues to do likewise

Link to survey:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9RM8DXV

Alternatively, there is a prominent link on http://www.AmericanStyle.com

Hospitality Newsmakers

• At the recent World Wide Annual Conference of IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group), the Holiday Inn Express of Athens was one of only 25 properties nationally to be given an IHG Renovation Award. The competition was judged by a panel of IHG Executives, architects and design professionals, based on standards of excellence set by IHG in renovation design. 
   
• Congratulations to ACC Leisure Services!   The Georgia Recreation and Park Association recently honored the department with seven awards recognizing outstanding programs and dedicated volunteers. For more a complete list of awards, visit  www.accleisureservices.com/awards.shtml.
   
• Chuck Jones, CVB Director, has been re-elected treasurer of Georgia's Civil War Heartland Leaders Trail and re-elected to the Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia (TDAG) board.  TDAG is the voice of Georgia tourism.
   
• Amy Clark, CVB Leisure Travel Marketing Director, is the incoming president of the Historic Heartland Travel Association.  She will serve a two-year term, the first representative from Athens ever named to the position.  At the organization's December meeting, Amy was also recognized with a Special Recognition Award for her role as local host committee chair for the Governor's Tourism Conference. 
   
• Megan Mauldin,CVB Convention Services Manager, has accepted the position of Director of Sales for Candlewood Suites Athens.  We will certainly miss Megan's presence in the office, but look forward to continuing to work with her in the local hospitality industry.