Tourism bureau makes coveted list from ConventionSouth for ninth year since award’s inception
Visit Sarasota County (VSC) has been recognized by three leading national publications and associations for its efforts to attract meetings to the community to enrich the local economy, the tourism marketing organization has announced.
VSC was named a 2025 Readers’ Choice organization by ConventionSouth, a national multimedia resource for planning events in the South, a news release explains. “Throughout the year, meeting professionals nominated the meeting sites they believe provide exemplary service for group events,” the release adds. With more than 7,000 voters participating in the selection process, including “the highest social media interaction to date, this was the competition’s most successful and engaging year,” the release points out.
With this accolade, the release notes, VSC joins the ranks of more than “500 other convention and visitor bureaus, hotels, and unique venues located across the South.”
The recognition began in 2001, the release adds, making this the ninth time that VSC has received the Readers’ Choice Award.
In December, VSC also was recognized as “a Platinum Choice Award Winner by Smart Meetings, a leading source for information and inspiration about destinations and venues,” the release continues. “After VSC was nominated, Smart Meetings readers voted on their favorite destinations and venues, based on actual lived experiences in ballrooms” and other sites, placing the local tourism bureau in the same competitive group as larger destinations such as Kissimmee and Miami, the release points out.
The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota was named an award-winner in the hotel category, the release adds.
Further, the release says, “the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) awarded VSC two bronze awards — one for its Support the 941 hurricane recovery campaign”; the other, for its Indicators & Insights Summit. That accolade came through the 69th annual Adrian Awards, “the largest competition dedicated to travel marketing,” the release points out. “The 2025 awards recognize exceptional achievements across advertising, digital marketing, public relations/communications, and integrated campaigns,” the release explains.
“Being recognized by some of the top meetings associations in the country reflects something we never take for granted — trust,” said Erin Duggan, president and CEO of Visit Sarasota County, in the release. “That trust is earned through strong results and strong relationships, and it pays dividends far beyond a successful event, generating Tourist Development Tax paid by visitors and reinvested back into our community,” Duggan explained. “We also share this recognition with the sales teams at our hotels and sports venues — it’s their partnerships and expertise, paired with ours, that turn handshakes into room nights,” she added.
“All year long, VSC attracts events ranging from athletic competitions to corporate retreats, helping drive demand beyond peak season to support hotels” and to help keep the local economy strong, the release says. In the 2025 fiscal year, the release adds, VSC’s incentive program paid $28,000 to assist hotels with booking meetings and conventions, while international outreach and creative collaborations — such VSC’s ‘Art Car’ partnership with Lipstick Lex — “kept Sarasota top of mind overseas.”
For more information on VSC’s sales efforts, visit www.sarasotameetings.com.