Call for Nominations New Company Event of the Year Tourism Partnership Social Media and/or Marketing Initiative The Ottawa Tourism Awards celebrate the individuals, companies, organizations and events that have set high standards and demonstrated outstanding achievement, contributing to the growth and development of tourism in Ottawa and Canada s Capital Region. The Ottawa Tourism Awards: Recognize and reward excellence; Provide a benchmark for best practices within the tourism industry; Support improved business planning, development and internal analysis among tourism operators; Recognize tourism partners that reinforce the vision of Ottawa Tourism Ottawa offers the complete capital experience, tells the story of Canada and gets people talking; Reinforce the value of the tourism industry; Reinforce consumer confidence in the tourism industry; Promote networking opportunities for tourism professionals; and Encourage continuous improvement and development in the tourism industry. The Ottawa Tourism Awards are presented annually at an event which provides the tourism industry the opportunity to look back on its accomplishments and forward to its exciting future. Presenting Partner
Process Nominations for the Ottawa Tourism Awards will close at 12:00 noon, Wednesday, February 21, 2018. 1) Obtaining Nomination Information: Copies of this nomination package are available online at www.ottawatourism.ca or from our Membership Coordinator, Ottawa Tourism, at membership@ottawatourism.ca or 613-237-5150, ext. 125. 2) Nomination Submission Format: Each award category has specific eligibility and evaluation criteria, which are listed in this nomination package. Each nominee must adhere to the eligibility criteria and answer all questions at the time of the initial nomination submission. The nomination submission must be completed using the online form and be submitted by the deadline. 3) Who Can Nominate: Self-nominations are accepted in all categories. Nominations in more than one category are permitted, however a separate submission must be completed for EACH nomination. Specific eligibility requirements are noted in each award category. The 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards will be giving special recognition to Ottawa 2017 for 4) Nomination Deadline: Nominations close at 12 noon, Wednesday, February 21, 2018. In fairness to all nominees, the deadlines will not be extended. We would encourage you to advise us by February 1 st if it is your intention to submit a nomination in a particular category. 5) Judging: An independent panel will complete the judging in each award category. Any judges who have a familial or financial interest in any nominations will be removed from the judging of the award category in question. Three (3) to five (5) finalists will be identified in each award category. Finalists will be announced no later than Friday, March 16 th, 2018. The judges selections are final and will remain confidential until the evening of the Ottawa Tourism Awards at Brookstreet on Thursday, May 3 rd, 2018. ** If insufficient nominees are received in a category, the Membership Committee of Ottawa Tourism reserves the right to eliminate the category. ** Please direct all nomination submissions to: membership@ottawatourism.ca Tel: 613-237-5150, ext. 125 All nominations must be submitted online.
2018 Award Categories New Company This award recognizes a new business or organization that has demonstrated high standards, outstanding achievement and contributed to the growth and development of tourism in Ottawa and Canada s Capital Region. Eligibility Requirements Nominees must have a startup date between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017, and must still be in operation. Nominees must not be a name change or a new location of an existing business. Nominees must complete the online Nomination Form and answer the criteria below in their submission. Nominees must be a member in good standing of Ottawa Tourism. Criteria Nominees should clearly describe how they meet the following criteria: The company profile, mission and vision; The company startup date and number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees; The financial success of the company, as well as the growth and development of their customer base; The nominee s impact on the tourism industry in the region (for example, does the nominee address a new or emerging tourism market, niche or trend, or demonstrate other impacts on the tourism industry?); What makes the nominee s company unique; How success was measured (quantify results where possible); Highlight the nominee s most successful marketing initiative. Involvement in / support of the vision of Ottawa Tourism Ottawa offers the complete capital experience, tells the story of Canada and gets people talking. Include social media account addresses, channel handle, reach/impressions, and engagement. Nomination may include a maximum of five (5) supporting documents (photos, screenshots, pdf s, marketing collateral). Nomination may include additional supporting media if appropriate (i.e., Screen grabs from Twitter/Facebook with visitor feedback, YouTube video links, etc.). Event of the Year This award recognizes a one-time or ongoing event, festival, themed celebration or exhibition which occurred within the past year that encouraged visitation to Ottawa and Canada s Capital Region and contributed to a remarkable visitor experience. Eligibility Requirements Nominees must be a member in good standing of Ottawa Tourism whose event, festival or exhibit took place between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Nominees must complete the Nomination Form and answer the criteria below in their submission. The 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards will be giving special recognition to Ottawa 2017 for
Criteria Nominees should clearly describe how they meet the following criteria: The event, event date and number of employees/volunteers involved; Total cash operating budget; Creativity of event programming; Highlight the effectiveness of the nominee s most successful marketing initiative.; Involvement in / support of local tourism initiatives or partnerships; Involvement in / support of the vision of Ottawa Tourism Ottawa offers the complete capital experience, tells the story of Canada and gets people talking; and Outstanding performance, including but not limited to: o Overall attendance o external visitor attendance o media coverage o sponsorship support o o revenue results Include social media account addresses, channel handle, follower growth from previous year, reach/impressions, and engagement Describe how the event highlighted Canada s 150 th Anniversary and/or promoted Canadian pride. Nomination may include a maximum of five (5) supporting documents (photos, screenshots, pdf s, marketing collateral). Nomination may include additional supporting media if appropriate (i.e., Screen grabs from Twitter/Facebook with visitor feedback, YouTube video links, etc.). Based on the number of nominations received, the Committee reserves the right to split the Event of the Year category into more than one category. Tourism Partnership This award recognizes an outstanding effort by two or more businesses, organizations, attractions and/or events to combine their resources in creative, innovative or cost-effective ways to promote tourism in Ottawa and Canada s Capital Region. Eligibility Requirements At least one of the participants in each nomination submission must be a member in good standing of Ottawa Tourism. Nominees must have collaborated between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Nominees must complete the Nomination Form and answer the criteria below in their submission. The 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards will be giving special recognition to Ottawa 2017 for Criteria Nominees should clearly describe how they meet the following criteria: A description of the partnered event, product or campaign; Highlight the effectiveness of the nominee s most successful marketing initiative; Impact of the partnership on the local tourism industry; Impact of the partnership on each partner;
Involvement in / support of the vision of Ottawa Tourism Ottawa offers the complete capital experience, tells the story of Canada and gets people talking; and How success was measured (quantify results where possible); and Include social media account addresses, channel handle, follower growth, reach/impressions, and engagement; Nomination may include a maximum of five (5) supporting documents (photos, screenshots, pdf s, marketing collateral). Nomination may include additional supporting media if appropriate (i.e., Screen grabs from Twitter/Facebook with visitor feedback, YouTube video links, etc.). Based on the number of nominations received, the Committee reserves the right to split the Tourism Partnership of the Year category into more than one category. Social Media and/or Marketing Initiative This award recognizes an innovative social media and/or marketing initiative by a business, organization, attraction or event that positively impacted visitor perception of the destination, product, service or experience. Eligibility requirements Nominees must be a member in good standing of Ottawa Tourism whose social media and/or marketing initiative took place between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Nominees must complete the Nomination Form and answer the criteria below in their submission. The 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards will be giving special recognition to Ottawa 2017 for Criteria Nominees should describe how they meet the following criteria: The implementation date or time frame of the social media and/or marketing initiative; Clearly demonstrate innovation in their social media and/or marketing initiative; The objectives and activities of the social media and/or marketing campaign; How success was measured (quantify results where possible); Demonstrate how the marketing initiative increased tourism or otherwise benefitted the local tourism industry; How the campaign supported the vision of Ottawa Tourism Ottawa offers the complete capital experience, tells the story of Canada and gets people talking; and Please include any related social media account addresses, channel handle, follower growth, reach/impressions, and engagement Nomination may include a maximum of five (5) supporting documents (photos, screenshots, pdf s, marketing collateral). Nomination may include additional supporting media if appropriate (i.e., Screen grab from Twitter/Facebook with visitor feedback, YouTube video links, advertisements, etc.).
2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards Nomination Form Please complete the information requested and submit the Nomination Form with the information for judges by 12:00 noon, Wednesday, February 21, 2018 by email to membership@ottawatourism.ca in order to be eligible for judging. You will receive an email confirming receipt of your nomination. Award Category: Please check the appropriate award category for this nomination. One (1) nomination form must be completed for each nomination submission. New Company Event of the Year Tourism Partnership Social Media and/or Marketing Initiative Nominee Information Company Name: Website: Contact person for the nomination: Contact e-mail: Contact telephone: Signature of contact person: Verification of Eligibility (Please check the box to confirm.) I confirm that my nomination meets the eligibility requirements as described in the Call for Nominations for the Award Category selected above. Information for Judging The nomination submission must be completed using the online form and be submitted by the deadline to be considered by the judging panel. This information should clearly meet the criteria for judging for the relevant award category as well as include an overview, successful aspects of the business and marketing plan and measures of success as they relate to tourism. Nominations may include a maximum of five (5) photographs. ** Note: the Committee reserves the right to amend and/or remove categories based on submissions received. ** Return by email, marked as Nomination Ottawa Tourism Awards by noon, Wednesday, February 21, 2018 to: membership@ottawatourism.ca Tel: 613-237-5150, ext. 125
Appendix A The 2018 Ottawa Tourism Awards will be giving special recognition to Ottawa 2017 for its unparalleled contribution to Ottawa s big year. A list of Ottawa 2017 events that are ineligible for nomination is below. 1) New Year s Eve Celebration 2) Red Bull Crashed Ice 3) Stanley Cup Tribute 4) Inspiration Village 5) Red Bull Global Rallycross 6) Interprovincial Picnic on the Bridge 7) Kontinuum 8) Sky Lounge 9) La Machine 10) YOWOttawa 11) Canada s Table 12) Mìwàte Illumination of Chaudière Falls 13) Canadian Video Game Competition & Expo 14) Ottawa Welcomes the World