FLORENCE – Randa Hovater, Manager of Media Relations at Florence-Lauderdale Tourism and Kate Brown Vice President of Investor Relations and Business Growth at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce have completed the three-year program of the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College and earned certification as a Travel Marketing Professional (TMP).
Brown and Hovater were among 65 STS Marketing College graduates in the Class of 2019. The graduates were announced at
Randa Hovater
the STS Connections conference in Little Rock, Arkansas on Monday, February 10. The program began in 1992 and has produced 1,296 TMPs.
STS Marketing College uses facilities at the University of North Georgia, located in Dahlonega, Georgia, to teach travel marketing for a week each summer. The continuing education program began in 1992.
Registration is open for the 2020 session, which will take place July 26-31. STS membership is not required, but STS members receive a reduced tuition rate.
Kate Brown
Instructors are travel industry professionals such as convention and visitor’s bureau executives, public relations practitioners, sales and marketing consultants, and research experts.
“Our Marketing College program is designed to provide applicable tools and working knowledge that our travel and tourism professionals can immediately implement when promoting their destinations, attractions, hotels, and events,” said Monica Smith, Southeast Tourism Society’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Study topics include online marketing strategies, creating an eye-catching and engaging tourism brochure, social media content planning and distribution, Google analytics, travel and tourism research, community engagement, economic impact studies, and budgeting. In addition to classroom work, students also must complete two projects that relate to their job while utilizing skills that were learned throughout the program.
“Since its inception almost 30 years ago, Marketing College has elevated the level of service and professionalism visitors receive when traveling to the Southeast and has supported efforts to increase economic development through tourism. We’re proud to be a part of that positive impact throughout the region,” said Smith.
About Southeast Tourism Society (STS)
Headquartered in Roswell, Georgia, Southeast Tourism Society (STS) is an association that works to unite all segments of the travel and tourism industry through its four pillars of education, advocacy, recognition, and networking. Established in 1983, STS is an engaged network of 1000+ members from 13 states and the District of Columbia including Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. For more information, visit SoutheastTourism.org.
Media Release/Wendy Thomas
Southeast Tourism Society
