Alto Awards celebrate the best of Alberta Tourism at the annual Travel Alberta Industry Conference
Travel Alberta honoured eight organizations and two individuals at the Alto Awards Gala, on October 22, at The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Conference Centre. These recipients have each played an important role in transforming Alberta's tourism industry. The Alto Awards recognizes individuals and organizations committed to enriching Alberta's tourism industry and inspiring others with what can be achieved by working together.
New to the 2012 Alto Awards is the Tourism Community of the Year Award, acknowledging a collaborative and successful effort for a community to work together to support tourism. There have also been changes to the Marketing Excellence Awards, as it will now be divided into three separate categories based on budget. The Friends of Tourism Award has been discontinued at this time.
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Alto Ambassador: Randy Bertrand - Devon The 2012 Alto Ambassador Award recognizes an exceptional Albertan who has made an outstanding contribution to the Alberta tourism industry. Randy Bertrand is a true believer in tourism being a driving force of regional economic development. Under his leadership, the development of tourism became the largest economic driver in the town of Devon, which now enjoys more than 750,000 annual visitors. Photo (L-R): Stephanie Dancause-Cote, Manager of Airport Services Development with the Calgary Airport Authority, Randy Bertrand and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
| Alberta Pride: Ice on Whyte Festival - Edmonton This award recognizes an organization that captures the essence of the Alberta experience, showcasing our warm, western hospitality and the unique opportunities available in our province. The Ice on Whyte Festival is an international ice carving competition featuring teams from China, Russia, Europe, Mexico and Canada. The week-long event also includes a giant ice slide, an interactive childrens' play area, family skating and live music. In 2012, the festival drew 43,000 visitors with ice carvings at the Alberta Legislature grounds and a multitude of activities at End of Steel Park in Edmonton. Finalists:
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 Photo (L-R): Brian Hodgson, Sergeant-at-Arms & Director of Visitor, Ceremony & Security Services for the Alberta Legislature, Wanda Bornn, Producer of the Ice on Whyte Festival Society and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
 Photo (L-R): Zahra Al-Harazi, CEO & Creative Director of Foundry Communications, Liz Taylor, Executive Director of Tourism Red Deer and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation | Marketing Excellence (Up to $10,000): Tourism Red Deer - 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Online Campaign This award recognizes innovative and creative marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging travel to and within our province. Tourism Red Deer focused its online efforts utilizing mobile visitation tools, shared user-generated content and a quick and adaptive web-presence. Information cards with QR codes directed visitors to view packages, event information and related content. The tournament generated an estimated $12 million in economic spin-off, with local hotels, shops and restaurants reporting an increase in visitation. Finalists:
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Marketing Excellence ($10,000 - $25,000): Tourism Red Deer - Finalist:
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 Photo (L-R): Leanne Shaw-Brotherston, Chairman of the Calgary Hotel Association, Myrna Pearman, Tourism Partner of Central Alberta Country Drive and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
 Photo (L-R): Michael Hannan, President of Brewster Travel Canada, Karen Connellan, Senior Manager of Consumer Marketing with the Calgary Stampede and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
Marketing Excellence (Over $25,000): Calgary Stampede - We're Greatest Together Connecting the emotional bonds Calgarians have for the Stampede, an integrated brand platform was streamlined for all consumer communications across the organization. One element was a suite of digital tools including a Park Passport program, mobile app, online planner, email reminders and daily tips. During the ten day festival, the 2012 Calgary Stampede broke attendance records, reaching 1,409,371 visitors, an increase of 234,674 from the previous year. Finalists:
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| Marketing Partnership: Tourism Calgary and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra - Singing Tweets
This award recognizes the exceptional achievement in marketing through collaboration between two or more organizations. Calgarians tweeted useful tips on how to stay warm this upcoming winter. From November 21 to 24, 2011, Calgary submitted tweets that used the hashtag #cpowarmup or replied to @Calgary. Tourism Calgary and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra created a YouTube video, setting the tweets to choral music. The Singing Tweets YouTube video ran in conjunction with a fully integrated marketing campaign which included media visits, press releases, social media postings and the support of the Experience WOW regional campaign. The CPO Virtuosity Festival sold out in part to this promotion. Finalists:
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 Photo (L-R): Janna Tominuk, Executive Director of Edmonton Tourism, Jeff Hessel, Marketing Director of Tourism Calgary and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
 Photo (L-R): Josephine Wasch, International Sales Manager of Via Rail, Edward Kennan, General Manager of Stonebridge Mountain Resort and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
Service Excellence: Stoneridge Mountain Resort - Canmore This award recognizes superior customer service and a strong dedication to increasing the visitor experience. The team at Stoneridge Mountain Resort displays their passion by creating a mountain experience that guests will cherish for a lifetime. Stoneridge Mountain Resort attributes it success to staff empowerment, personalized service, a strong commitment to guest satisfaction, anticipation of guest needs, positive attitudes and team work. Finalists:
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| Sustainable Tourism: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump - Fort Macleod This award honours organizations that protect and enhance the environment while meeting the needs of visitors and the local community. Environmental stewardship, cultural integrity and community well-being are top priorities for this organization. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump has minimized its impact on the environment by reducing energy and water consumption, and increasing its recycling program. The regional economy has been strengthened by improving site relationships with First Nations communities and tourism industry partners. The experience has been enhanced by First Nations storytellers providing visitors with an in-depth understanding of how the Plains People organized highly sophisticated communal buffalo hunts for more than 5,700 years. Finalists:
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 Photo (L-R): Marc Tremblay, Executive Director of Conseil de développement économique de l'Alberta, Quinton Crow Shoe, Site Marketing & Program Coordinator of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
 Photo (L-R):Perry Wilford, Chair of the Board of Directors with the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association, Stuart Black, Director of In Resort Services with Banff Lake Louise Tourism and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
Tourism Community of the Year: Banff Lake Louise Tourism - Town of Banff
This award acknowledges a successful event for a community to work together to promote tourism. Banff Lake Louise Tourism partnered with 30 community-based industry partners to develop, program, brand and promote SnowDays, a 30 day winter festival in Banff National Park. More than 130 events occurred during the festival, including an outdoor staking rink, ice climbing wall, a road hockey tournament, international ice carving competition, geo-caching and mountain themed movie nights. The diverse events offered throughout the festival boosted visitation by an estimated 12 per cent. Finalists:
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| Tourism Media: Lola Brown - "Come to Calgary," Good Times Magazine, January 2012 This award recognizes the high caliber of writing published to promote Tourism in Alberta and to provide a noticeable benefit to visitors. Brown's article highlights the sharp contrasts in what Alberta has to offer. From the pastoral images of prairies, majestic mountains and heartwarming cowboys ...to bustling metropolises, breathtaking urban skylines and diverse cultural offerings, Brown demonstrates that Alberta has a lot to offer. Finalists:
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 Photo (L-R): Nora Ahern, Managing Director of Village & Co, Hala Dehais, Manager of Public Relations with Tourism Calgary and Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
Award applications were submitted by tourism organizations across the province until September 7. A team of 24 industry volunteer judges selected the finalists for each category. To learn more about the Alto Awards, visit www.industry.travelalberta.com/alto.
