Gov. Henry McMaster will deliver remarks and award industry leaders at the 57th annual South Carolina Governor’s Conference on Tourism & Travel at noon, Feb. 9, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenville.
Joining the governor for the awards ceremony will be Duane Parrish, director of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, and Jamarcus Gaston, Greenville lifestyle TV host and producer.
The conference is the largest annual gathering of the state’s tourism industry, according to a news release. The two-day conference starts on Feb. 7, opening with a “state of tourism” address from Parrish, followed by networking events, keynotes and tours of the city in the following days. The event wraps up on Feb. 9 after the awards ceremony.
Sabrita Maybin, author and TedX speaker; Heather McGowan, a national future-of-work strategist; Kim Palmer, destination optimization program director for Miles Partnership; and Ariana Pernice, vice president of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Visitor and Convention Bureau, will be among the presenters at the conference.
Awards will include:
· The Governor’s Cup, given to the attraction, destination or development that demonstrates “extraordinary success in tourism,” according to the release
· The Charles A. Bundy Award, given to the attraction, destination or development that “helps rural communities reach their tourism potential”
· The Fred Brinkman Award, presented periodically to an individual who has “consistently, over a long period of time, made an outstanding contribution to the tourism industry on a local, regional and statewide level.”
Reach Molly Hulsey at 864-720-1223.
