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Each year, VADMO honors the best and brightest in Virginia’s tourism industry. Whether it is an innovative marketing campaign, a successful and impactful destination event, or a top-notch digital or print promotion, the VIRGO Awards showcase the immense talent and dedication of destination marketing organizations across the Commonwealth.
Industry peers - located outside of Virginia - served as Judges for the awards and the submissions were evaluated on the quality of the application, economic efficiency, budget, purpose and objective of the initiative/event and the economic or community impact.
Projects, campaigns, and efforts completed between January and December of 2024 were eligible to be submitted.
New categories - for a total of 10 Awards - are included this year to recognize the many new opportunities in Destination Marketing for agritourism, wineries, breweries and regional events.
VIRGO Categories for 2025
BEST COMPREHENSIVE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
(One Award in each Subcategory based on DMO Operating Budget)
- DMOs with Total Operating Budgets under $500K
- DMOs with Total Operating Budgets $501K - $1mil
- DMOs with Total Operating Budgets $1mil +
A comprehensive advertising campaign is an all-encompassing plan that aligns all marketing activities with your destination's objectives. It involves a meticulous integration of various elements such as digital marketing, traditional marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, etc.
DMOs with Total Operating Budgets $501K - $1mil
WINNER: Culpeper
DMOs with Total Operating Budgets $1mil +
WINNER: Visit Williamsburg
BEST DIGITAL AND/OR SOCIAL MEDIA INITIATIVE
Recognizing excellence in digital marketing, content creation, and social media strategy.
WINNER: Yorktown
BEST PRINT COLLATERAL
Recognizing outstanding design, creativity, and effectiveness in printed marketing materials.
(Examples include, rack cards/brochures; visitor guides; direct mail pieces; annual reports; posters/flyers, etc.)
WINNER: Page Valley
BEST IN NICHE TOURISM (One Award in Each Subcategory)
- Eco-Tourism/Outdoor Adventure
- Agritourism/Culinary/Winery/Brewery
- Arts/Music/Culture/Heritage
Creative and successful tourism initiatives that showcase a destination’s niche tourism market.
Eco-Tourism/Outdoor Adventure
WINNER: Suffolk Tourism
Agritourism/Culinary/Winery/Brewery
WINNER: Halifax & Clarksville (Joint Nomination)
Arts/Music/Culture/Heritage
WINNER: Suffolk Tourism
BEST REGIONAL MARKETING INITIATIVE
Two or more cities, counties or towns that have established a program, event or campaign that markets a region as a consolidated destination.
WINNER: Pulaski County and New River Valley
BEST DESTINATION EVENT
Events, festivals, sport tournaments, concerts, reenactments, shows that generated a significant number of visitors.
WINNER: Prince William - LPGA Solheim Cup