LRCVB Wins Two Prestigious Henry Awards Tourism Awards

L to R: Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis; Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) President & CEO Gina Gemberling; LRCVB Director of Communications Jeff Chastain; LRCVB Content Creator David Wilson and Arkansas Director of Tourism Dalaney Thomas at the 50th Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Jonesboro on February 27. The LRCVB won two Henry Awards recognizing excellence in tourism.

The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) was the big winner during the 50th Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism held last week in Jonesboro. The LRCVB took home two Henry Awards, recognizing excellence in the tourism industry.

“These are incredibly prestigious recognitions in our industry,” said LRCVB President & CEO Gina Gemberling. “Tourism is the second largest industry in Arkansas, and the awards recognize the significance of the work done to grow this large and important part of our economy. It’s fiercely competitive.”

The LRCVB won the Tourism Organization of the Year Award based on its development and implementation of its 10-year Tourism Master Plan released in January 2023. The goal outlined in the plan is to combine a vision for the future with actionable strategies to build a roadmap for Little Rock’s tourism industry for the next decade. The award is presented to a convention and visitors bureau, advertising and promotion commission, chamber of commerce, or other tourism entity for excellence in the field.

“The Tourism Master Plan was the culmination of a full year of research and planning,” said Gemberling. “There was comprehensive participation with more than 500 industry partners and community leaders, which resulted in a solid strategy and focus.”

The plan focused on nine key areas for tourism growth in Little Rock: destination development, tourism infrastructure investment, reinvestment in public and open spaces downtown and along the riverfront, evolution of a targeted marketing approach, enhancement of the visitor experience, optimized utilization of the Statehouse Convention Center and Robinson Center, community engagement, leveraging positive destination perception, and investment in resources to further ongoing equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.

The LRCVB also won The Natural State Tourism Development Award for its Experience Little Rock in Color campaign. This interactive video series featured more than 50 local leaders telling their “Big on Little Rock” stories. These leaders represented the Black, LGBTQ+, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the city.

“Having so many influential citizens share their story was awe-inspiring,” said LRCVB Vice President of Marketing, Communication & Community Engagement Kasey Summerville. “It shows Little Rock is an inclusive and welcoming place for visitors of all backgrounds.”

The video series was conceived with an agency partner to elevate the image of Little Rock.

“It was a great experience working with MHP/Team SI Content Studio on this project,” said Summerville. “They took our vision to capture and create content that represents all of Little Rock.”

For more information, visit www.littlerock.com.