Portland, Maine --- The Events Team at Maine magazine was recently recognized by the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) for their efforts in promoting and producing the 2012 Kennebunkport Festival (kennebunkportfestival.com). The Festival, which took place June 5 – 9, was a celebration of food, wine, art, and community held in one of Maine’s quintessential coastal destinations.
Kevin Thomas, Publisher and Leanne Ouimet, Director of Events & Sponsorships for the organization were each presented with Destination Marketing Excellence Awards.
“When we produce and promote an event, we put our all into it because we want people everywhere to know what we know – Maine is an amazing place with so much to offer and discover,” said Kevin Thomas. “While being recognized for our efforts by an organization like the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association is a great compliment, our greatest achievement is and will always be our ability to share our love for all things Maine,” he added.
“To see the support and effort Maine magazine's publisher Kevin Thomas and his representatives provided at the Kennebunkport Festival, promoting the state of Maine, its communities and people who live and work there, was astounding. With Kevin at the helm, Maine magazine's involvement ensures a professional and well-run and publicized event. It would be nice if all states had someone with Kevin's passion as publisher of their state magazine,” said Maralyn D. Hill, President, IFWTWA.
According to the Association, the Awards were presented because both Thomas and Ouimet were “available and responsive to journalist requests and questions, have a well-designed and easy to navigate website, provided well-written and thorough fact sheets about the destination and its points of interest, was well-connected with excellent sources in the region, provided an excellent variety of hi-res images upon request at no charge, and proactively stayed in touch with journalists by sending destination-specific press releases.”
Angie Helton of Northeast Media Associates, who assisted with promoting the Festival, was also presented with a Destination Marketing Excellence Award. Chef David Turin, owner and head chef of David’s and David’s 388 and a participant in the Festival, was presented a Culinary Excellence Award by the Association.
The International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association is a dynamic nonprofit organization based out of Southern California. What started out as a small group of prominent Frenchmen rating restaurants in 1956 is now a global network of journalists and photographers who cover the hospitality and lifestyle fields, and the people who promote them. Members cover a broad spectrum of travel destination attractions such as active and passive adventure activities, ecology, historical features, culture, fairs, festivals, food, wine, and special events. The association’s membership includes professionals in culinary arts and sciences, the wine growing and production industry, and hotel and hospitality management industries.
About Maine Magazine
Published 12 times a year by the Maine Media Collective, Maine magazine (themainemag.com) is the state’s definitive lifestyle publication that gives readers a fresh look at the incredible people, places, restaurants, artists, and business people who make today’s Maine such a vibrant place to live. In addition, the Maine Media Collective is home to Maine Home+Design (mainehomedesign.com), Eat Maine, Art Maine, and the Brand Company – a marketing firm.
