DMO of the Year - $501,000 - $1 Million
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DMO of the Year - $501,000 - $1 Million

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Discover Victoria, Texas

1 of 5

In-house or Agency: In-house

Description: The Victoria Convention & Visitors Bureau has had a banner year in our contributions to the City of Victoria and our residents, as well as working to further establish our identity as a tourism destination. Through our tourism rebranding project, we have embraced our rich Hispanic heritage and the vibrancy of the current arts, music, and culinary scene in Victoria. The CVB led the City's planning of our Bicentennial celebration, culminating in what was honestly a perfect series of community gatherings that is still being talked about to this day. All of these accomplishments include record high statistics for the CVB in regards to online and social media exposure for Victoria as a Texas travel destination.


Objectives: While Victoria has always had a small CVB, I could not be more proud of what my team has accomplished over the past year. With only 4 employees, we spearheaded and saw through the completion of an incredible Bicentennial celebration, developed an entirely new identity with our Discover Victoria, Texas "True to Tejas" tourism brand, and are now in the midst of planning a new signature community festival, similar to the preceding Bootfest event of 2011-2019, that has a budget over $300,000. We have with a servant's heart and passion for our community seen through these efforts while accomplishing record high statistics for website visitation, social media reach, and hotel room nights generated from sports events and awardees of our annual Hotel Occupancy Tax Funds Awards program, which our department also administers over each Summer. Our staff, with all of these projects in hand, also contribute to local and regional tourism organizations, our local travel partners, and lead our community's Texas Music Friendly and Texas Film Friendly programs. Our passion for Victoria and our belief in its potential as a premiere South Texas tourism destination push all of us at the Victoria CVB to strive every day to see that potential become a reality.


Visit Tyler

In-house or Agency: In-house

Description: As a division of the Tyler Chamber, Visit Tyler worked with leadership to create a Travel and Tourism Committee with for-profit tourism businesses, higher education, hospitals, and the school district, who now meet monthly. Visit Tyler also formed a Tourism Alliance with Chamber members interested in the tourism industry who meet quarterly. Visit Tyler requested a budget increase after not having seen one in 12 years. The organization received a 12% increase to $754,000. In 2023-2024, we launched a successful website, created a successful four-day eclipse weekend event, earned the Texas Music Friendly Community and the Brew City Texas designations. At the end of 2023, Tyler saw an increase of $900K more in direct travel spending and 3,300 jobs, up 200 from the previous year. Tax receipts were also up. We have seen double and triple digit increases in our website analytics and our social media numbers. Due to budget, Visit Tyler has only participated in the Mid-Winter conference and this year’s Annual Conference. The President of Visit Tyler has previously served on the TACVB board three times. In the past six months, Tyler has been in the media due to the efforts of the staff to promote our city in our public relations efforts. Texas Highways and AAA have included Tyler in recent articles based on recent media visits. The team of four currently serves on several local and regional boards/committees including the Northeast Texas Tourism Council; Tyler Music Friendly Advisory Board; Texas Music Office East/South Region; First Tee of Greater Tyler; Tyler Sister Cities; Tyler Chamber Contact Club; Boathouse Ministries; and Texas Historical Commission Music History Trail Subcommittee. Visit Tyler recently conducted SWOT analysis with the Visit Tyler Travel and Tourism Committee and the Tyler Music Friendly Advisory Board. SPORTyler will is conducting a strategic planning session in August. The Visit Tyler team will incorporate this information in a future strategic plan.

Objectives:

1. Create a strategic plan.

2. Develop partnerships with local tourism businesses and community partners.
3. Increase budget.
4. Rebrand
5. Seek designations for public relations.
6. Increase statewide and national media presence for Tyler.

Project costs: Tourism Rebranding Project - $57,000
Annual HOT Funds Awards Program - $135,000

Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau

1 of 4

In-house or Agency: In-house

Description: The mission of the Brownsville Convention and Visitors Bureau is to promote Brownsville as a premier destination for leisure, business, and cultural experiences. We aim to attract visitors from near and far by showcasing the city's unique attractions, rich heritage, and vibrant community spirit.


Objectives: Our vision is to position Brownsville as a globally recognized destination known for its warm hospitality, diverse cultural offerings, and unparalleled natural beauty. We envision a city bustling with tourism activity year-round, where visitors are drawn to our historical sites, cultural events, outdoor adventures, and thriving business opportunities. By fostering partnerships, embracing innovation, and preserving our unique identity, we aspire to create lasting memories and enrich the lives of both residents and visitors alike, ensuring that Brownsville remains a destination of choice for generations to come.

Visit Mesquite

1 of 5

In-house or Agency: In-house

Description: In late 2023, Visit Mesquite underwent significant changes in staff and leadership. With renewed enthusiasm, Visit Mesquite launched a new strategic marketing campaign to bolster our brand identity, increase community pride and facilitate economic development through visitors.


The marketing strategy included new social media videos to tell the story of Mesquite and highlight local businesses, facilitating large-scale events to build relationships with stakeholders (Solar Rodeo), and creating a new streamlined website to serve as a landing page for digital and print advertisements.

Below are a few insights into the success of this campaign (Oct 23 - Mar 23):
Visitors: +2.7% YoY
Visit Nights: +8.7% YoY
Visitor Spend: +8.8% YoY
Facebook Reach: +21.1%
Instagram Reach: +160K%
Instagram Followers: +382%
Facebook Followers: +21.3%
Video Views: +338%

Objectives: Increase Community Engagement, Generate Brand Awareness, Improve Community Partner Relations, Generate Hotel Revenue and Economic Development

Project Costs: $900,000

Visit Boerne

1 of 4
In-house or Agency: In-house

Description: Despite being a small team with a limited budget, Visit Boerne has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance and made a significant impact within the Texas travel industry through innovative data-driven strategies, continuous growth, and commitment to mentorship and collaboration. We have instituted a pay it forward initiative that offers a no-cost, two-day mentorship training program here in Boerne for DMO directors or their representatives from various destinations that have identified themselves as needing guidance and support.

Objectives: To share our knowledge and experience with other destinations in hopes that they will be successful as well and contribute to the continued growth and success of the Texas travel and tourism industry.

Project Costs: There is no cost to the mentored DMO. We cover the cost of food and lodging while they are here.
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