Visit Topeka Wins Gold For Topeka Dino Days Campaign, Adding To List Of Recent National Recognition
Visit Topeka is the recipient of another national award recognizing the creativity and innovativeness of its 2022 Topeka Dino Days activation! The North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) recently announced winners of its 31st annual NATJA Travel Media Awards Competition, with winning entries including publications, travel journalists and photographers, and destination marketing organizations. In the DMO categories, Visit Topeka took home a Gold Award for Creative Marketing Campaign for its work on Topeka Dino Days, which included four primary exhibits and a citywide activation of local attractions and businesses.
“The Topeka Dino Days event was an incredible experience that inspired visitors from across the country!” said Dené Mosier, president and CEO of the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and chair of the Visit Topeka Board of Directors. “Our exhibit, Tiny Titans, broke the discovery center’s single-day attendance record after launching in March of 2022. As chair of the Visit Topeka board, I am thrilled to see this hard work recognized by the North American Travel Journalists Association. Visit Topeka created an innovative and disruptive travel campaign that brought our community together and increased traffic for local attractions and businesses.”
“Topeka Dino Days was a roaring success for the Topeka Zoo and our entire community!” said Brendan Wiley, CEO of the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center. “We were thrilled to partner with Visit Topeka to bring this community-wide travel experience to life. Our Dinosaurs Alive experience exceeded our expectations and gave visitors a new reason to explore our incredible zoo and conservation center. I am proud to see this hard work recognized by NATJA with a Gold Award for best Creative Marketing Campaign.”
“This award is an incredible honor,” said Sean Dixon, president of Visit Topeka. “The amount of collaboration, creativity, and hard work that went into this campaign was truly staggering. Visit Topeka was recognized for best Creative Marketing Campaign alongside some of the best travel and tourism organizations in North America and received Gold Award recognition in a category filled with incredible competition. I cannot wait to build on this success and inspire more families to discover what Topeka has to offer!”
Visit Topeka’s NATJA Gold Award comes on the heels of a slew of related honors, including two 2022 Adrian Awards from Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International and a 2022 Travel Industry Association of Kansas Marketing Award for the Topeka Dino Days campaign. Local partner Sprout Creative was also recognized for its work on Topeka Dino Days with a Platinum MarCom Award. Meanwhile, Dixon in October was named one of Northstar Meeting Group’s most influential meetings industry professionals for 2022.
