Spotsy Arts Festival Nabs Virgo Award 2nd Year in a Row

Press Release, Director of Community Engagement Michelle McGinnis from Spotsylvania County Government · 15 Jan

The Spotsylvania Arts Festival is recognized for the second year in a row by a marketing association supporting Virginia's tourism industry. The Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations (VADMO), an association supporting destination marketing organizations and the development of tourism and travel professionals in Virginia, recently announced awards to the winners of the 2019 VIRGO Awards.

Spotsylvania County was announced the winner this year for its entry in the Niche Tourism-Culture/Heritage Category for the 2019 Spotsy Arts Festival campaign. This marks the second year in a row that Spotsylvania has received this award for the arts festival and the sixth year the county has taken home the award, designating Spotsylvania as a place known for its unique events.

Established in 2009, the VIRGO Awards recognize and celebrate the success of destination marketing organizations along with their respective staff members and volunteers. Theresa Earles, Tourism Development Manager with Suffolk Tourism, manages the VIRGO Awards on behalf of VADMO, and says “Each year, VADMO honors the best and brightest in Virginia’s tourism industry. Whether it is an innovative marketing campaign, a wildly successful destination event, or a top-notch tourism professional; the VIRGO Awards showcase the immense talent and dedication of VADMO’s members.”

Judges for the awards are industry peers. Submissions are evaluated on the quality of the submission, economic efficiency, and the economic or community impact. The awards are for projects, campaigns, and efforts completed between January through December 2019. The full VIRGO Award ceremony may be viewed at www.vadmo.org .

The Spotsy Arts Festival is a two-day, annual event held on the Historic Courthouse lawn in August. This event brings in over 50 artists and artisans from up and down the east coast to Spotsylvania County, selling everything from fine jewelry to nature photography to driftwood sculptures. With over 1,500 visitors, the Spotsy Arts Festival has proven to be a wonderful ally for regional tourism and continues to grow each and every year. The Spotsylvania Department of Community Engagement promotes local events and encourages learning more about the county’s places of interest by visiting the tourism website at www.visitspotsy.com. To learn more about the Spotsy Arts Festival, visit https://www.spotsyartsfestival.com/ or follow on Facebook @SpotsyArtsFestival.

The Virginia Association of Destination Marketing Organizations is a not-for profit 501(c)(6) membership organization made up of destination marketing organizations, visitor bureaus, and the companies that support them. Since it started in 1978, the organization has been promoting professionalism within the Virginia tourism industry and has worked on behalf of its members to make sure that tourism and travel continue to be strong economic drivers in the Commonwealth’s economy. For more information about VADMO please visit www.vadmo.org.