Mote wins Best of Show award from VISIT FLORIDA
Photo: From left: Brian Arndt, Paradise; Sofie Wachtmeister, Mote; Glenn Bowman, Paradise; Stacy Alexander, Mote; Kristen Murphy, Paradise; Rudy Webb, Paradise; Cedar Hames, Paradise. (Credit Mote Marine Laboratory.)
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium's redesigned web site, mote.org, won Best of Show for its budget class on Monday during VISIT FLORIDA’s 48th Annual Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism in Tampa.
The web site was redesigned through a team effort among Mote, a Sarasota-based marine Lab and public Aquarium, and its St. Petersburg-based marketing and web contractors Paradise Advertising & Marketing and Big Sea, Inc.
The Best of Show award honored mote.org as the top choice among many different kinds of projects in its class: tourism marketing budgets under $500,000. In the web site category for any budget, it won a Bronze Award.
The Flagler Awards, named for Henry Flagler and presented each year since 1999, honor individuals and organizations that help maintain and improve Florida’s position as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. Entries receive scores from a panel of judges who assess the creativity, innovation, production quality and effectiveness of projects in each category, along with Best of Show at multiple budget levels. Each category includes Bronze and Silver awards for runners up and a Henry Award for the winner.
Mote is an independent, nonprofit, marine science institution dedicated to informal science education to enhance ocean literacy among the public. Mote Aquarium, open 365 days per year in Sarasota, supports Florida tourism by hosting more than 300,000 visitors annually, including many international guests.
This year’s Flagler Awards were presented Monday, Aug. 31, during the opening night of the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism being held Aug. 31 – Sept. 2, 2015, at the Tampa Convention Center.