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Media Contact:

Tracie McPherson
Visit Omaha
Director of Communications
402-444-3607
tmcpherson@visitomaha.com

OMAHA, NE August 17, 2017 - For the second year in a row, Omaha receives top honors at one of the largest convention trade shows in the tourism industry. Visit Omaha’s recreation of Omaha’s Old Market Entertainment District received third place, out of 700 organizations, for best trade show booth at the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Expo in Toronto, Canada. Last year Visit Omaha received top honors for best booth.

“The whole idea behind the booth is to bring a taste of Omaha directly to national convention planners who attend ASAE’s Annual Meeting each year,” said Keith Backsen, executive director for Visit Omaha. “Receiving an award for the second straight year means our message is resonating with convention decision makers and grabbing their attention.”

To change it up, this year Visit Omaha created its own play money. “Omaha Bucks” were included in welcome packets to encourage participants to go shopping at the Visit Omaha booth. This also provided an opportunity for Visit Omaha’s sales team, which includes hotel and convention center representatives, to engage with event planners in a creative way. The “Omaha Bucks” could be used to purchase Omaha Steaks beef jerky, handcrafted soap made by the Benson Soap Company, and souvenir Omaha craft beer mugs.

“In years past, we typically had 200-300 attendees stop by the Visit Omaha booth. This year there was a total of 807 people representing 453 different organizations through the booth, many with potential meeting business for Omaha,” added Backsen.

ASAE first-time attendees judged the booth on a number of factors including company identity, product presentation, design elements, exhibit personnel and overall presence on the tradeshow floor. ASAE is an organization made up of 7,400 trade associations and individual societies, with a membership of more than 35,000 that represent almost every sector of the economy and countless professions, all of which hold meetings throughout the country.

Visit Omaha is the official tourism authority for the City of Omaha, also known as the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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