SASI-ONE 2014 Award Winners Honored At

SASI-ONE 2014 Award Winners Honored at ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining & Cultural Tourism

A total of 21 SASI-ONE Awards (SASI = Shop America Salutes Innovation) for shopping and cultural tourism marketing excellence were presented at the annual SASI-ONE Awards Breakfast on Thursday, January 29, during the ONE Travel Conference at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia. The awards are sponsored by CenterCal Properties in partnership with Shop America Alliance and the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council. Brandace Bruning, Vice President, CenterCal Properties, serves as the SASI-ONE Awards Chairperson.

SASI-ONE Awards recognize prominent leaders in the tourism industry for their vision and commitment to developing shopping and cultural tourism. Along with the 8 SASI-ONE Gold Awards and 9 SASI-ONE Merit Awards for shopping and cultural tourism marketing excellence, 4 SASI-ONE Special Award Recipients were honored in the categories of Shop America Tourism Partner of the Year, TravMedia Tourism Journalist of the Year, Cultural & Heritage Tourism Destination of the Year and the Chairman’s Choice Award. The achievements of SASI-ONE Winners from throughout the USA and the winners of the special awards were showcased in a video presentation that can be viewed at ONEtravelconference.com.

A prestigious panel of judges selected the 8 SASI-ONE GOLD WINNERS and 9 SASI-ONE Merit award winners. The judges were Jan Kroells, Vice President, Bloomington MN Convention & Visitors Bureau; Millie Phillip and Samantha Sommers, Tourism Account Executives, Mall of America; Bill Von Bank, Tourism Marketing Manager, Explore Minnesota Tourism; Rose Hapanowich, Director of Travel & Tourism, Destiny USA; Christine Szalay Strange, Vice President, The Outlet Shops of Grand River and Carolyn Feimster, President, CJF Marketing International.

The SASI-ONE Awards are awarded annually at the ONE Travel Conference. To view the video award presentation of the 2014 SASI-ONE Awards and or information about entering the 2015 Awards, visit ONETravelConference.com or call 843.341.6392. SASI-ONE 2014 GOLD Award Winners: Category: Single Shopping Center Location Beverly Center Chinese Tourism Program Beverly Center Honorees: Carlos Montenegro, Beverly Center; Charlie Gu, China Luxury Advisors, Jones Advertising, Susan Vance, Beverly Center; Amy Drouillard, Jackie Mangiapane, The Taubman Company Singing the Mississippi Story…to the Tune of $24 Million The Outlets of Mississippi Honorees: Kathy Hackshaw, Angela Shepard, Outlets of Mississippi. Strategy+Style Marketing Group: Karen Fluharty, Sue Helondovitch Madison Avenue Fashion Heritage Week Madison Avenue Business Improvement District Honorees: Matthew Bauer PhD, President, Madison Avenue Business Improvement District; Museum at FIT, NYC & Company, Titan Outdoor, C&G Partners North Dakota Oil Workers Vacation Getaways Mall of America Honorees: Doug Killian, Senior Director International Sales; Rachel Oeike, Director of Marketing, Mall of America Category: Multi-Center Shopping Centers International Tourism Marketing Launch & Campaign Westfield USA/Westfield Travel Collection Honoree: Shaun Swanger, VP Marketing, Westfield US Category: Travel Partner Developing the Chinese Shopper in Texas TaxFree Shopping Ltd in Texas Honoree: Carolyn T. Petty, President, TaxFree Shopping Ltd. Category: Destination Management Organization Sarasota: Where Artistic Expression and Inspiration Meet Campaign Visit Sarasota County Honoree: Lynn Hobeck Bates, Public Relations Manager, Visit Sarasota County Twin Cities Premium Outlets Grand Opening Countdown Giveaway Eagan Convention & Visitors Bureau Honorees: Brent Cory, President & CEO, Derek Ramthun, Marketing Manager, Shayna Levin, Marketing Coordinator, Eagan Convention & Visitors Bureau SASI-ONE 2014 MERIT Award Winners: Category: Single Shopping Center Location Runway Ready: An Exclusive Suite of On-Site Services for the Busy Traveler Fashion Outlets of Chicago/Macerich Honoree: Jennifer Devermann, Fashion Outlets of Chicago/Macerich Category: Multi-Center Shopping Centers Foxy Moms Fashion Show Craig Realty Group, Outlets of Castle Rock, Outlets at Silverthorne Honoree: Peggy Ziglin, Director of Tourism/New Business Category: Cultural & Heritage Organization The Henry Ford 2014 Holiday Gift Guide The Henry Ford Honorees: Carol Kendra- VP Marketing, Communications and Sales, Cheryl Preston, Designer, Christine Ribusovski, Design Coordinator; David Lyman, Copywriter, Pam Foxworth, Online Coordinator, Renee Enright, Design Coordinator, Roy Ritchie, Photographer; Terri Anderson, Sr. Director of National Retail Sales Category: Destination Management Organization Bookit.com Vegas Week Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Honorees: Art Jimenez, Sr. Director of Sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Shop Las Vegas Partners – Forum Shops at Caesars, The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian/The Palazzo, Fashion Show Las Vegas, Miracle Mile Shops and Town Square Las Vegas GOGO Worldwide Vacations Las Vegas Sales Promotion April – June 2014 Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Honorees: Art Jimenez, Sr. Director of Sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, GOGO Worldwide Vacations Shop Las Vegas Partners – Forum Shops at Caesars, The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian/The Palazzo, Fashion Show Las Vegas, Miracle Mile Shops and Town Square Las Vegas Las Vegas – Betting on Culture Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Honorees: Jim McMichael, Diversity & Cultural Tourism Marketing Manager, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Nicole Bordges, Account Manager, US Airways Magazine, Pace Communications, Lindsey Patterson, Associate Media Director, R&R Partners Category: Travel Partner Wellness Travel: Shaping America’s Health & Economy Wellness Tourism Worldwide Honoree: Camille Hoheb, Founder, Wellness Tourism Worldwide The Guide to Selling Wellness Travel, Spanish Edition Wellness Tourism Worldwide Honoree: Camille Hoheb, Founder, Wellness Tourism Worldwide Spot The Canadian Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Honoree: Denise Thevenot, Executive Director, Louisiana Tax Free Shopping SASI-ONE 2014 Special Awards: Chairman’s Choice Award WestJet Christmas Miracle 2013 Shop America Tourism Partner of the Year Daniel Shen, CEO, East West Marketing/Lion Tours TravMedia Tourism Journalist of the Year Ben Abramson, Travel Editor, USA Today Cultural Heritage Destination of the Year The Getty, Los Angeles, California

ONE Travel Conference for Shopping, Dining and Cultural Tourism is produced annually by Shop America Alliance and the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council. The Conference brings together leaders in the travel industry to focus on The Power of Partnership, speaking with ONE Voice. The 2015 ONE Travel Conference was held at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Fairfax County, Virginia, January 27-29, 2015. For more information visit ONETravelConference.com or call 843.341.6392.

Shop America Alliance is the travel trade organization representing hundreds of the premier shopping tourism destinations, retailers, shopping centers, museum stores and outlets in America. Founded in 1998, Shop America Alliance co-produces the annual ONE Travel Conference and SASI-ONE Awards and The Cultural Traveler guidebook, publishes Shop America Magazine and markets more than 175 shopping tours in 40 cities. For more information, visit shopamericatours.com or call 707.224.3795. US Cultural & Heritage Tourism Marketing Council (USCHT) is a travel trade association with the mission to market U.S. cultural and heritage tourism experiences. USCHT represents leading U.S. tourism destinations, attractions and travel partners engaged in marketing U.S. cultural and heritage to travelers throughout the United States and around the world, co-produces the annual ONE Travel Conference and SASI-ONE Awards and The Cultural Traveler guidebook and sponsors market research on the Cultural and Heritage Traveler. For more information, visit TheCulturalTraveler.com or call 843.341.6392. ###