Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?

Project Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the project and your company efforts to demonstrate good corporate citizenship in the areas of community involvement, environmental, or socially responsible practices.The Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (AICVB) serves as the official organization charged with developing a comprehensive tourism marketing program. The AICVB produces and delivers professional destination marketing services targeting domestic and international visitors who choose Amelia Island. We apply a wide range marketing and promotion strategies to lure meetings, conventions, and corporate incentive meeting programs. Nassau County is twice as dependent on tourism as the average county in Florida. Tourism generates 37.4% over of the County sales taxes, employs one in four workers, and results in over $700 million in economic impact. As the economic engine, the damage done to Amelia Island’s tourism industry in 2020 was catastrophic. In 2020 we worked to provide support to displaced hospitality workers, provide alternative distribution channels for products and services, and jump start the local economy through a new funding source and create a “first by a destination” unique economic stimulus plan. The policy of the AICVB is to maintain significant reserves for use in times of crisis. The pandemic certainly qualified. In March 2020 over half the hospitality workforce was laid off. That situation extended into 2021. Most of them had no healthcare, assistance with living expenses, and food services. Barnabas Foundation provides such services. We created a support program – “Amelia Island Cares” with an initial investment of $50k. We were able to leverage that amount with a $50k match from Nassau County, then leverage that total of $100k with an equal amount from the private sector bringing the total to $200k. Over 80% of the services provided assisted displaced hospitality workers. To facilitate economic activity, we created an online Amelia Island Marketplace, a free service to local businesses, providing an internet presence for small businesses without the financial or technical services to do themselves.

Objectives and Goals: What did organization set out to achieve in undertaking this project in CSR? What were the goals you set to measure your success?In 2021, the AICVB knew we needed to extend our creative programming to help positively impact our economic contribution to our community. The creation of the Amelia Island Foundation was modeled after several successful 501(c)3 organizations allowing for the voluntary donation of one percent of sales by restaurants, lodging, and retail for uses not allowed by bed taxes or other governmental resources. Amelia Island Perks is the first of its kind financial program to utilize virtual geofencing allowing businesses located with the defined destination to accept the $100 incentive card. To maximize return on investment, visitors had to stay a minimum of two-nights at lodging partners. Qualifying stays had to pay in full at check-in and the visit was non-refundable. The $100 prepaid card could be used at any business on Amelia Island that accepted Visa. Together, Amelia Island hospitality and the AICVB built the foundation for recovery in 2021. The hospitality industry reports record earnings. The unemployment rate is the lowest in travel industry history, and government tax revenues are robust. With the 2021 marketing efforts yielding unprecedented results, Amelia Island is positioned to continue measured development of a sustainable tourism industry.

Results: How did you measure the effectiveness of your efforts and what direct and tangible results did you achieve? Please be as specific as possible and share the full impact of your efforts in CSR. In the first month of operation the Amelia Island Foundation raised over $8,000 with 100% of funds going to worthy organizations. Among the recipients was Keep Nassau Beautiful, Fernandina Beach Lifeguards for beach communication equipment, Council on Aging to provide transportation for hospitality workers, and the Fernandina Beach High School culinary training program. The Island Perks program was highly successful, with 14 lodging partners participating. Guests from 22 states generated 551 room nights. Based on the Average Daily Rate during the program of $281.47, an estimated $155,090 of room revenue was generated. Incentive cards utilized for Amelia Island purchases totaled over $12,337 with 148 businesses benefiting. The Island Perk program helped contribute to the outstanding performance of the overall tourism industry on Amelia Island in fiscal year 2021 which resulted in 29% growth in economic impact ($715 million) and a 17% increase in visitation (663K visitors) year over year. Over 52.5% of visitors saw or heard our brand messaging prior to their trip, a 6% increase over 2020, and visitors have a 97.7% satisfaction rating for the destination.

Leadership: Please list the individual in a leadership role responsible for the project and how would you characterize their commitment to promoting corporate social responsibility in the travel and tourism industry? Gil Langley, CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. Gil is committed to the continued success of Amelia Island's tourism industry. As a past winner of HSMAI's Top 25 Extraordinary Minds, Gil has always worked tirelessly to bolster our local tourism industry. His efforts led to10-year period of unprecedented growth for the destination, overseeing innovative, award-winning sales and marketing strategies resulting in record-breaking numbers, year after year. During the pandemic, Gil's "big ideas" helped to soften the impacts of covid-19 in our tourism industry and quickly helped lead the destination's rebound in 2021. His personal commitment to the success of our local small businesses, our city and county government and our tourism industry brings the true meaning to corporate social responsibility.

Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals and audience. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?

Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)

Budget: Please include total budget vs. total actual cost. How much revenue has the piece or campaign generated and how does this compare to your goal? What was the return on investment?

Situational Analysis: Please provide a brief background on the original initiative and how it evolved as conditions changed from pandemic to recovery.

Goals: Clearly state your goals. What did you strive to achieve with this initiative and how did your goals change over time?

Results: Which of your goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the initiative?

Objective(s): What problems did the sales, marketing & guest satisfaction, or revenue optimization technology aim to solve?

Innovative use of technology: The extent to which new directions are charted or old challenges are resolved by using the technology in a new way.

Implementation & creativity: How was the technology implemented so that it was easy to use, solved a manpower problem, streamlined a function, or fueled recovery?

Results & Evaluation: How did the technologiy move the department or business foward to achieve goals, revenue or otherwise?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your marketing?

Initiatives: Describe the promotion. What was your organization's message and how does it foster diversity? How was the target audience channel developed/pursued?

Results: Please describe how your organization was purposeful in advancing diversity through this initiative. Please describe the metrics you used to judge success. What were the forecasted and actual outcomes described in your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)? What impact did the initiative have on your organization and for your customers?

Goal: How did you demonstrate that you are committed to advancing diversity in your organization through your campaigns?

Initiatives: What was your approach to this campaign and how was the organization purposeful in advancing diversity through it? What types of data did you use to support your plan? How many locations were involved in the campaign? How did you effectively reach diverse audiences? What was the message?

Results: What metrics are you using to evaluate diversity (soft and/or hard metrics)? Were you successful at meeting forecasted goals? Was it limited to a specific promotion or across multiple creatives? What impact did the campaign have on your organization? How did this campaign change your brand’s perception amongst travelers?

Entry TitleIsland Perks on Amelia Island

DivisionCorporate Social Responsibility - Corporate Social Responsibility

CategoryCorporate Social Responsibility