Over 200 of Gwinnett’s hospitality industry professionals were in attendance at Infinite Energy Forum in Duluth on Friday, December 8th for Explore Gwinnett’s Annual Tourism Awards Luncheon.
“2017 proved to be a year of growth for Gwinnett’s hospitality industry. We have several new hotels being built, we’re embarking on a massive redevelopment of the Infinite Energy Center campus and over the last year we’ve recorded $1.25 billion in visitor expenditures,” said Lisa Anders, executive director of Explore Gwinnett. “This awards ceremony celebrates our growth and the hospitality professionals who work to improve our destination day in and day out.”
Explore Gwinnett’s prestigious 2017 “Friends of Tourism” Award winners are:
Friends of Tourism:
Jane Miller (Volunteer Ambassador)
Explore Gwinnett Barbara Mullin (Director of Sales)
Exceptional Hospitality Neil Humphreys (Director of Operations)
Infinite Energy Center Darrell Willms (General Manager)
Proof of the Pudding Christina Matthews (Catering Sales Manager)
Atlanta Marriott Peachtree Corners Nicole Russell (Sales Manager)
Dave & Busters Nick Masino (Senior Vice President of Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett)
FUMI Hibachi and Sushi Bar (presented to Eddie Li, Owner and Chris Wise, Manager)
Gwinnett Sports Commission Partner of the Year:
Georgia Swarm – National Lacrosse League Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Classic Partner of the Year:
Stewart Cink – PGA Professional Golfer
Additionally, the hospitality community once again exemplified strong community stewardship participating in Explore Gwinnett’s annual hospitality industry charity drive. The 2017 recipient was Project Kids Eat. Project Kids Eat is a Norcross-based charity that works to feed families who live in extended stay hotels. Explore Gwinnett organized a drive to collect toiletries for those families in need.
“If you drive by a local extended stay on a weekday morning and you’ll see the school bus pick up dozens of children,” says Anders. “Gwinnett doesn’t have a designated homeless shelter yet, so many times our extended stay hotels serve as homes for families who are down on their luck.”
Nearly 10,000 toiletry items were collected to benefit local families.
ABOUT EXPLORE GWINNETT
Explore Gwinnett, the marketing brand for the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau (GCVB), is Gwinnett County’s official tourism organization and is dedicated to strengthening Gwinnett County’s economy by marketing the county as a destination for conventions, sporting events, meetings and leisure travel through sales, marketing and promotion. Explore Gwinnett also houses the Gwinnett Sports Commission, and the GCVB Board also oversees the operations and management of Infinite Energy Center.
