Maryville, Tenn. — The Blount Partnership’s Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority received one of ConventionSouth’s Readers’ Choice Awards for outstanding meeting sites that provide exemplary service. ConventionSouth is the national multimedia resource for planning events in the south.
The Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority (SMTDA) is among 175 convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), meeting facilities and hotels located across the south to receive the award. Throughout the year, meeting professionals nominated the conference venues they believe provide excellent assistance for group events. The nominated sites are then compiled onto an online ballot where meeting professionals and fans are asked to vote for the best of the best. More than 4,800 voters participated this year in the selection process – the highest vote count ever recorded.
“It’s such an honor to receive this award because it comes from the visitors to our area who took the time to vote about their experience,” said Director of Tourism Kim Mitchell. “It’s also a reflection on the outstanding service provided by meeting site hosts and staff.”
“ConventionSouth readers and fans have voted to decide the best meeting sites in the south, and it is no surprise to us that Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority has been selected to receive our annual Readers’ Choice Award,” said ConventionSouth Publisher J. Talty O’Connor. “The value in receiving this prestigious recognition is that it comes from the United States’ top meeting professionals who hold events in the South. These planners demand the highest level of customer service and quality facilities, and they have contributed in determining that Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority indeed displays the commitment to professionalism, creativity and service that they require.”
The SMTDA will be featured as an award recipient in the December 2014 Awards Issue of ConventionSouth magazine. This exciting issue also showcases some of the most talented meeting professionals in the nation as ConventionSouth also presents planners with its annual “Meeting Professionals To Watch” designation. “Featuring peer advice and trade secrets from our Meeting Professionals to Watch in 2015, our Awards Issue is one of the most popular must-read resources within the meetings industry,” O’Connor said.
Celebrating over 30 years as a leading meeting planning resource, ConventionSouth magazine is based in Gulf Shores, Ala., and is distributed to more than 18,000 meeting professionals located across the country who book meetings held within the South, according to O’Connor.
A complete list of award winners can be found online.