Visit Fairfield County Recognized for Marketing Excellence

NEWARK, Ohio – Visit Fairfield County recently received recognition for achievement in marketing and advertising at the Ohio Travel Association’s RUBY Awards presentation, held October 7 at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio. The Visit Fairfield County Website and App were judged as the best in the state, and the Glass Town Trolley Tours received top honors as an Event Campaign. Additionally, the Be A Tourist In Your Own Backyard initiative was granted a Certificate of Excellence. Director Jonett Haberfield and Marketing Director Fran Tharp were on hand to accept the awards.

“It was so gratifying that the tourism community acknowledged and rewarded our efforts on behalf of Fairfield County,” Haberfield stated. “We are thrilled to accept two RUBY Awards, and we are so pleased that we could bring this recognition to our tourism partners and our county.”

The Ohio Travel Association’s RUBY Awards recognize excellence in Ohio’s hospitality and tourism industry for efforts in advertising, marketing, and public relations. In this year’s competition, the Recognizing Uncommon Brilliance Yearly (RUBY) Awards had 177 entries in 17 categories. The awards, sponsored by Ohio Magazine, were presented during the Ohio Conference on Tourism, the state’s largest conference for tourism industry professionals. 

Nine marketing professionals representing academia, consulting firms, and ad agencies judged each entry.  RUBY Awards were presented on the basis of concept, results, and creativity.

“The competition this year was fierce,” said Melinda Huntley, Ohio Travel Association executive director. “Despite the hardships created by the pandemic, these professionals produced some amazing campaigns and projects that resulted in increased sales for businesses in their communities.” 

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.