The ongoing efforts of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Development (TCD) to market Warwick to businesses and tourists alike were recognized on October 24th at the 55th Annual Conference of the Northeastern Economic Developers Association, where TCD took home several awards, including the coveted "Best of Show" - the highest honor given in the annual Awards for Excellence.
TCD staff has developed its advertising and marketing campaigns in concert with Artinium, Inc., which was awarded the city's contract through the public bid process. Artinium is a Warwick-based business that is well known throughout the hospitality industry.
In addition to "Best of Show", for their mobile marketing campaign promoting www.warwickmobile.com, the city of Warwick has also earned General Purpose/Excellent for its City Map; Annual Report/Excellent for the City on the Move Book; Tourism Brochure/Excellent for the Warwick Travel Guide; Single Print Ad/Superior for the "Warwick: Our Unique Blend" campaign; Print Ad Campaign/Best of Show/Superior for the Warwick Mobile App; and Targeted Industry Material/Superior for the City on the Move ad.
The ads are used in targeted online sites, such as boston.com and tripadvisor.com, are placed in targeted print publications and complimentary literature is distributed at trade shows and conferences throughout the region. The city's economic development website and the mobile site are also heavily promoted in real estate and broker publications and resources. Monthly reports of online activity show that these campaigns are attracting above-average interest from Internet users.
These promotions will continue, even as TCD prepares to launch two seasonal campaigns - the annual Stay, Park & Fly program, which encourages travelers to stay overnight in participating Warwick hotels prior to their flight the next day - and "Shop Warwick," an initiative launched several years ago to encourage people to go to Warwick businesses, and purchase products made here, for their holiday gift-giving needs.
As always, our TCD staff is available to answer questions and work with businesses to help them succeed here in Warwick. Please don't hesitate to contact them at (401) 738-2000, ext. 6202 to learn what the city can do to help your business grow, or download www.warwickmobile.com on your smartphone to stay up-to-date on what's happening in Warwick.
Scott Avedisian is the mayor of Warwick.