TIAK Marketing Awards Winners for 2023

Congratulations to the 2023 TIAK Marketing Award Winners!

TIAK Marketing Awards focus on overall marketing initiatives and recognize state-level winners only. See this year’s winners listed below with some of the judge’s comments included for each submission.

Visitor Guide

Northwest Kansas Travel Council won in the small budget category for its Northwest Kansas Ultimate Guide.
Click here to learn more about this winning entry.

  • Clean. Well balanced. Useful. A ton of content engagingly designed.
  • Love that you included all the scenic byways. The map and location finders were a plus.
  • Appreciate the stats of how many copies and where you display and distribute the copies.

Visit Emporia received bragging rights in the medium budget category for 2023 Visit Emporia Community Guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Keep printing Spanish/English. Love that the covers are different.
  • Love the videos. Well designed. Great images. Appealing stories. Appreciate the Spanish version.
  • Colorful, lively and fun, while also containing well-written and strategic content. The collaboration and goal of attracting new visitors = evident! Great work team.

Visit Topeka was the large budget winner for its 2023 Topeka City Guide.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Love that you have a Spanish guide as well as English. Your ads are there, but they are not intrusive.
  • Good layout and engaging content.
  • High-level design creates content that is both informative and attractive to potential visitors.

Online Marketing

The entries for the Online Marketing category include digital advertising, social media, e-mail marketing, website.

Chase County Chamber of Commerce was recognized in the small budget category for its Travel and Tourism website.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • I found it easy to navigate, appealing, engaging and useful. Very well done.
  • This website really captures who you are. LOVE IT!
  • The landscape photo is welcoming and striking, and the event listing on the homepage is a strategic way to provide the info to potential visitors.

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau received honors in the medium budget category for its Little Town of Mansions website design and photography.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • What a wonderful tool. I will be visiting and using this guide.
  • Such a unique way to digitize information on Abilene’s mansions – creative planning and execution!
  • Very nice, consumer-friendly website.

Visit Manhattan received recognition in the large budget category for its online itineraries for Manhattan.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Inviting video. Exceptional itineraries. Very well done.
  • Great idea. These itineraries will hopefully get your visitors to stay longer and spend more money.
  • These are targeted, well-researched and creative! I love how easy it is for website visitors to find out the recommended itinerary – the large buttons for each category and corresponding image are easy to navigate and make the user experience excellent.

Event

The entries for the Event category include various events, meetings or conferences.

Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact garnered recognition in the small budget category for its “Wine about Winter” downtown shopping event.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Great job coordinating the design of all your elements. I appreciate the data tracking, I hope that helps you make future marketing decisions.
  • Graphics are excellent – I really like this is your 7th year and it is still going strong! Really like the theme!
  • Great way to spur shopping downtown during the winter months!

City of Great Bend CVB received honors in the medium budget category for their Wall That Heals mobile education center.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Such a good way to bring press and awareness to the area while also honoring our country’s history. Bravo!
  • Great event for locals and visitors. The signage and promotion was executed nicely.
  • What an honor to be chosen! Kudos to Great Bend. It looked like you handled it exceptionally well! Great job!

Visit Kansas City Kansas received large budget honors for its Midwest Travel Network Conference.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Love the education elements you provided for the conference attendees. Your consistent message in the advertising piece made a clear impression as the attendees navigated through the city. Well done! Impressive!!!
  • Wow. Great results. Well-coordinated.
  • Love the Influencer Kit report + metrics it provides! Huge numbers showing the success of the conference.

Print Marketing

The entries for the Print category include newspaper ads, magazine ads, brochures, direct mail, inserts, anything print.

Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm won in the small budget category for its Mahaffie Grounds map.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • This is so needed as visitors come to your site. Great job!
  • Printed map design provides a substantive way for visitors to orient themselves and have a positive experience – good job directing/guiding the graphic designer here!
  • Attractive. Useful. Fun. I like them both.

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau was the medium budget winner for their Cowboy Art Trail brochure.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Good effort! Good way of identifying the location for those who want to only see that. Colorful and eye catching.
  • Nice design. Good information.
  • Excellent overall design/font/color/images.

Visit Kansas City Kansas received the large budget win for their Visit KCK Lookbook.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • The gift book is a first class gift for your first class clients!
  • What a great tool. It would get my attention and stay on my desk.
  • This is awesome. Something unique and different that other DMOs do not provide.

Community Awareness

The entries for Community Awareness category include community events and promotions targeting locals.

Lindsborg Convention and Visitors Bureau was honored in the small budget category for its Wild Dala Search.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • A beautiful and unique effort well-executed.
  • Very neat project. A thinking outside the box project for sure!
  • Disability is often a forgotten piece in DEIB initiatives and goal-setting. By partnering with a disabled artist, Lindsborg CVB has accomplished a meaningful and successful community awareness campaign. Love this one and how it continues to have a long-lasting impact!

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau won in the medium budget category for its World’s Largest Belt Buckle project.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • Great JOB! So much media attention – put Abilene on the national “Western Attention” map!
  • Love the art and execution. Great job with promotion and earned media. Very well done.
  • Great press coverage! The result of in-depth public relations legwork.

Visit Kansas City Kansas received the large budget category win for their “Bet in KCK” campaign.
Click here to learn more about this entry.

  • You have succeeded when your competition asks you to remove your billboard! Good creative. Exceptionally well executed. Amazing results. Score!
  • Very successful campaign. Good media mix to hit audience in all settings.
  • “Bet in KC” was a strategic way for KCK to capitalize on the legalization of sports betting – and emphasize that KCK has it but not KCMO. The metrics are outstanding, proving substantial ROI for the project.

Thank you to all our participants for sharing their creativity, and to all our judges who diligently reviewed each entry. Will you be the next TIAK Marketing Award winner?