By Kathleen Cassedy

Outstanding Marketers Recognized

Top travel and tourism marketers and their work were showcased at the Atlas Awards banquet, a highlight of the 1998 Annual Conference in Alexandria, Virginia. ATLAS awards are designed to encourage breakthrough thinking, innovative marketing, and industry leadership. Nominees are individuals from either public or private organizations, who have been instrumental in creating and executing great travel marketing ideas. Their work is judged 50 percent on innovation, 25 percent on linkage to marketing needs, and 25 percent on results.

ATLAS Inspiration Award

Long-time marketer, Douglas Fyfe, president of Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), received the Atlas Inspiration Award, which honors industry leaders whose efforts and programs have involved multiple levels of constituents, and have provided potential income for diverse businesses and organizations of any size. Fyfe, formerly director general of marketing development for Tourism Canada, has worked to engage all sectors and regions of Canada's tourism industry, and helped to create its successful private and public partnership, which stands as an international model. Within two years, funding for CTC moved from $15 million to $65 million.

To Market Award

The Atlas Award, "To Market," recognizes innovation in attracting new customers through a specific channel. The marketing effort can be business-to-business, travel agency to leisure travel, or directly to consumer. The 1998 "To Market" award went to Mark Weinberger, managing director of Cathay Pacific Airlines (CPA), marketing communications for U.S./Latin America. He and his team were early Internet marketing innovators, beginning with an online auction, followed by a dedicated Cyber Traveler Program. The program aims at a specific target group-non-Asian travelers who are outside traditional gateway markets, and illustrates how a moderately funded, innovative program can successfully compete with much larger companies.

IMC Award

Illinois has done it again. Donna Shaw, director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism and a former Atlas Inspiration Award recipient, received the 1998 Integrated Marketing Award for the state's integrated tourism marketing, and especially its Cultural Chicago program with American Express.

Guerrilla Marketer Award

The Guerrilla Market of the Year award went to "The Davids" of The Vacation Store, i.e., David Wolfe and David Kaufman. These partners maximized their idea for The Vacation Store when they took it to Landmark Communications for funding, which led to TVS on The Travel Channel. When Landmark sold The Travel Channel, the Davids purchased Landmark's interest. Their travel marketing program, via television, exemplifies how a company can serve as a marketing platform for key supplier partners, and provide an efficient way for consumers to evaluate and buy travel.

Daly & Frommer Given Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Arthur Frommer, travel author and guru, who was selected for consistently distinguishing himself as a widely recognized marketing leader for creating a key brand that has stood the test of time. Frommer, whose new quarterly magazine Budget Travel: Vacations for Real People was launched in Spring 1998, also heads one of the most popular travel web sites, "Arthur Frommer's Outspoken Encyclopedia of Travel" at www.frommers.com.

In addition, a Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Don Daly, chairman of ATME and vice president of American Express, who is retiring after a forty-two year career as a pioneer in travel marketing.

Frommer's award was presented by Marshall Murdaugh, a past recipient of the lifetime achievement award. Roger Ballou, Chairman of Global Vacations, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Don Daly.

Bill Maulsby, President of Globetrotters was the master of ceremonies and was the ATLAS Committee Chair. Kudos go to Bill for a terrific job establishing the ATLAS brand and developing the award program. Because of time pressures for 1999 he has passed the Chairmanship of the ATLAS Award Committee to Bob Sullivan, Group Publisher at the Miller Freeman Travel Group.