The City of Garland’s Public & Media Relations (PMR) team and the Garland Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Garland, recently earned national and statewide recognition for excellence.
The National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) announced the winners of its 2022 programming awards in September in Denver. Garland’s PMR team earned two first-place trophies and one second-place trophy, in addition to an Award of Honor for Overall Excellence.
In the Promotion of a City/County category, the "DFW Sports Zone" video highlights the many sporting activities and facilities available to Garland residents and visitors alike.
In the Public Service Announcement (Non-COVID) category, the team found a fun, imaginative way in "Downtown Parking" to remind residents plenty of parking is available while the Downtown Square is under construction.
Finally, in the Animal Services category, "MTV Cribs - Garland Animal Services" shined a spotlight on the City’s new Animal Shelter & Adoption Center.
Congratulations to Dan Bach, Nick Gibson, Pedro Hernandez and the rest of the PMR team, and to the City departments that participated in these award-winning productions.
In addition to the recognition from NATOA, PMR also received state honors for videos produced in conjunction with Visit Garland. These awards include two first-place trophies from the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus' (TACVB) newly evolved Destination Excellence Awards.
The Visit Garland team earned a total of six first-place Destination Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to destination management in Texas. The awards were presented during TACVB's annual conference in September in South Padre Island, Texas.
“Veronica on the Go” was awarded the top award in the Video, Storytelling and Podcast Series category. Through this video series, Visit Garland team member Veronica Maldonado highlights Garland’s most notable and easy-to-access locations. The ongoing series, including animation, is produced through the PMR department.
In the Community/Local Engagement Promotion category, “Parking on the Square” received first place from both judges and peers. To remind patrons there is plenty of parking around the Downtown Square during construction, the Visit Garland team reached out to PMR to create this informative yet humorous video.
“Garland Pho Real Trail” earned first place in the Public Relations category. With Garland boasting the 14th largest Vietnamese population in the U.S., Visit Garland created a dedicated page listing all the Vietnamese restaurants in the city that serve pho. The Pho Trail was added to Visit Garland's app to lead visitors to the restaurants and allow patrons to check in at locations, becoming a challenge where patrons can win prizes for visiting pho restaurants.
“Band Together on the Square” took home first place in the Leisure/Tourism Marketing Campaign category. The Band Together concert series was created during a legacy improvement project to encourage foot traffic to Downtown businesses. The concerts focused on local bands and singer-songwriters, setting the stage for music lovers to recognize Garland as a music destination where they can catch on-the-rise artists.
Lastly, Visit Garland’s “Let’s Meet: Garland Meeting Planner Guide” earned first place in the Meetings & Conventions Promotion category. The guide provides succinct information regarding City-owned facilities and additional distinct facilities in the community.
For more City of Garland video productions, watch the City’s government access cable channel, CGTV, on Frontier (channel 44), Spectrum (channel 16) or AT&T Uverse (channel 99). CGTV is also available online at GarlandTX.gov; click on the “City Videos” button. Videos also are available on the City’s social media pages.