Hospitality Net

McLean, Va. | Hospitality marketing professionals work hard all year to develop creative campaigns to entice guests to visit their destinations, stay in their hotels, come to their attractions and use their transportation services. Now is the time these professionals can have their hard work recognized. The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has opened the 2008 Adrian Awards “Call for Entries” at www.adrianawards.com.

The awards recognize achievements in advertising, marketing and public relations in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries. The Adrian Awards continue to capture and showcase industry achievers and ROI-producing materials from hotels, airlines, attractions, car rental companies, casinos, convention centers, cruise lines, destinations, restaurants, and spas, as well as time share and extended stay properties and industry suppliers.

The 2007 Adrian Awards honored Delta Airlines’ for the company’s “Change” advertising in the brink of bankruptcy and hostile takeover threats, Zero-Gravity for its success in reaching millions of readers on a weightless flight to broaden its appeal to a mass audience, and www.24nola.com (New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau) for the CVB’s interactive website encouraging visitors to “Experience this city like locals” as recipients of the “Best of Show” awards.

“Each year hospitality and travel professionals amaze us with innovative entries outlining creative methods being implemented within the industry,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “The Adrian Awards serve as an outlet for professionals to be recognized for their achievement and take a minute to celebrate the past successes.”

Entrants will find many new features this year with the launch of a new Adrian Awards Web site coinciding with the call for entries. Winning entries will be honored at the Adrian Awards Gala, a black-tie networking extravaganza that will be held Jan. 26, 2009 at the New York Marriott Marquis, and will be showcased in the new Adrian Awards online winners’ gallery. The gallery will also act as a repository of winning entries that HSMAI members can access for years to come.

HSMAI's Adrian Awards judging panel consists of more than 200 industry experts from advertising, public relations, media, and Internet marketing professions, along with leading members of the travel community. Industry professionals can apply to join the judging panel by completing the judging application at www.adrianawards.com. For more information on the Adrian Awards Competition please contact Desiree LaFont at (703) 506-3297.

Additionally, the 2008 Adrian Awards will recognize top-level achievement with the following specialty awards:

HSMAI is also accepting nominations for the 2008 HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing. For more information, or to find out about other sponsorship opportunities, contact Kim Almstedt at (703) 506-3299 or awards@hsmai.org.

The early deadline for entries is Aug. 22. The final deadline for all entries is Sept. 5. For competition rules, submission guidelines, and answers to the most frequently answered questions, visit www.adrianawards.com.

About HSMAI
HSMAI is an organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry, and bringing together customers and members at annual events, including HSMAI's Affordable Meetings(r). Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. For more information on HSMAI, contact the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Va. 22102; (703) 506-3280; fax (703) 506-3266, or visit the website at www.hsmai.org.