Visit Pensacola was honored by VISIT FLORIDA with a Flagler Award at the recent 2023 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Orlando. Visit Pensacola took home the coveted Henry Award, the top award given in each category, for the special event category for its work on the 2022 Sun Belt Basketball Championship Promotion.
Why this matters
In 2021, the Sun Belt Conference chose Pensacola to host its basketball championship from 2021 – 2023, with an option to extend the contract. Visit Pensacola, Pensacola Sports, Escambia County, and the Pensacola Bay Center worked collaboratively to build a world-class
experience for the event.
- Visit Pensacola led the marketing efforts and designed a fully integrated marketing and advertising campaign with goals to generate awareness and interest for out-of-market and in-market target audiences, drive visitation to the destination, drive ticket sales to the event, and drive local support and community enthusiasm for the event. The campaign garnered over 29,000 attendees, nearly 7,000 room nights, $2.8 million in visitor spending, and $2.4 million in economic impact.
“This is such an exciting honor for our destination and our team at Visit Pensacola,” President and CEO Darien Schaefer said. “Our team works tirelessly to promote Escambia County and this is a nod to what we all know, that Pensacola is a premier vacation destination.”
Dig Deeper
Named for Henry Flagler, the Flagler Awards were established in 2000 to recognize outstanding tourism marketing in Florida. Annually, the Flagler Awards honor many of the countless individuals and organizations that help maintain and improve Florida’s position as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. The awards are open to all individuals, private businesses and not-for-profit organizations offering a product or service that promotes tourism to or within the state of Florida.
For more information on Visit Pensacola’s marketing efforts, visit www.visitpensacola.org.
