Stephanie Dunham, executive director at Fayette County Travel & Tourism, at the Ohio Conference on Travel at Shisler Conference in Wooster.
Submitted photo
Stephanie Dunham, executive director at Fayette County Travel & Tourism Bureau, recently attended the Ohio Conference on Travel at Shisler Conference in Wooster. She joined nearly 300 other travel industry leaders to discuss travel trends and opportunities, as well as to hear from national experts. The conference, sponsored by the Ohio Travel Association, was held Oct. 4-6.
During the conference, Fayette County Travel & Tourism Bureau was recognized for achievement in marketing and advertising at the Ohio Travel Association’s RUBY Awards presentation. The RUBY awards recognize excellence in Ohio’s hospitality and tourism industry for efforts in advertising, marketing and public relations. In this year’s competition, there were over 230 entries and Fayette County was recognized as a finalist for the 2023 Fayette County Visitor Guide and Video.
“We were honored to be recognized as a finalist in the RUBY awards,” said Dunham. “To be honored by marketing industry professionals lets us know we are doing high quality work.”
Conference attendees heard from Sarah Wickham, TourismOhio state tourism director, and Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. Adams Sacks from Tourism Economics provided information on the economic forecast and its potential impact on travel. The conference agenda also included sessions on marketing, social media, America 250-Ohio, micro-influencers, World Heritage inscription of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks and more.
“Travel demand is constantly changing,” said Melinda Huntley, Ohio Travel Association executive director. “Cities, communities, hotels, attractions, museums and others seeking business from travelers need to keep up with travel sentiment and how travelers are inspired to book trips. The state tourism conference is one way to stay up-to-date, as well as to learn best practices and generate new ideas.”
The Ohio Travel Association is a nonprofit trade association representing travel and tourism-related businesses throughout the state. For more information on OTA, visit www.ohiotravel.org.