ORCVB Newsroom --> Press Release
Secret City Festival Wins 2007 Festival of the Year Award
Oak Ridge festival honored by Southeast Tourism Society|
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OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (September 7, 2007) – The 5th Annual Secret City Festival was honored with the prestigious 2007 Festival of the Year Award at the Southeast Tourism Society's (STS) Fall Meeting on Wednesday, September 5. This award, named the Shining Example Award, designates the Secret City Festival as the best festival in the Southeast United States with attendance up to 100,000.
"This is a very high honor, and we are so excited to be among the recipients who have achieved this honor in the past," said Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau (ORCVB) President Katy Brown. "The Southeast Tourism Society is an extremely reputable organization among the tourism community, and to be honored by that association is quite an achievement."
In fact, when Tennessee Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker heard that Oak Ridge won the STS award, she immediately expressed her congratulations. "This achievement is a huge honor for Oak Ridge and for the Secret City Festival. It speaks volumes about where they've come from and where they are going, and I am so pleased to see them win this award. Tourism is a very important economic driver for our state, and the Secret City Festival is one of the wonderful, unique events that continue to fuel Tennessee's economic growth."
The Shining Example Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the advancement of tourism in the southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The award honors the "best of the best" in nine general categories. The Festival of the Year Award is given to an outstanding festival that generated substantial growth in the past year. Nominations are open to member organizations only, so the ORCVB applied for the award under its membership.
Festival Coordinator Jane Gibson said of the award, "It shows that this festival is well-known not only in Tennessee, but also in the southeast United States. We have come a long way from what we originally envisioned five years ago, and we are so excited to see where we can go in the future."
The Secret City Festival began with approximately 5,000 attendees during its inaugural year, and in 2007, more than 25,000 visitors attended the two-day event, traveling from as far as New York and Missouri to attend the much publicized Oak Ridge Boys concert, World War II Re-enactment, Manhattan Project facilities tours, children's activities, history displays and more. Those numbers are significant when noting the population of Oak Ridge is just over 27,300.
According to Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, "This award has very special meaning, as the City has long recognized the importance of heritage tourism in our community. We are honored to be a ‘shining example,' and will work even harder to grow our Secret City Festival in the years to come."
The Secret City Festival takes place the third weekend in June each year. The dates for 2008 are June 20 – 21. For more information, visit www.SecretCityFestival.com.
STS is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to the development of industry organizations & professionals and the promotion of tourism within and to STS member states by sharing resources, fostering cooperation, networking, providing continuing education, cooperative marketing, consumer outreach, advice & consultation, governmental affairs and other programs.
The ORCVB is a non-profit organization, formed to strengthen the area economy through the marketing and promotion of Oak Ridge as a destination for meetings, business, and leisure travel. Visit us online at www.oakridgevisitor.com or call (865) 482-7821 for more information.
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Web Link: More information at the Southeast Tourism Society can be found on the web at: http://www.southeasttourism.org/awards_program.html
Photo of award (1.2 MB is available upon request)
Photos of festival available online: http://oakridgevisitor.com/photos