Cincinnati USA Virtual Reality Experience Wins Pinnacle Award
June 13, 2017
The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau recently was honored with an American Marketing Association Cincinnati Pinnacle Award for its Cincinnati Virtual Reality Experience.
The AMA’s “Best Use of Technology for SALES Enablement” award recognizes the innovative use of technology for driving sales initiatives, asset creation, relationship development, and conference and trade show participation.
Launched in 2016, the Cincinnati USA Virtual Reality Experience provides a motion-focused, guided tour through Cincinnati that showcases some of the city’s top entertainment districts, venues, restaurants and attractions.
Produced by Lightborne Communications, the three-minute narrated video is an immersive experience targeted toward meeting planners, attendees and visitors that aims to leave the audience with an emotional connection to The Queen City and its myriad offerings.
“In Cincinnati, and especially here at the CVB, we value innovation, hard work and civic pride,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO of Cincinnati USA.
He continued, “Our marketing team has taken these qualities and has paired them with cutting-edge technology to create a product that we are truly proud of and that has helped drive meetings to our region.”
The CVB sales team uses the 360-degree experience at various trade shows and events to increase engagement, promote Cincinnati as a meetings and conventions destination, and give future attendees a glimpse of what to expect when visiting the destination.
By syncing monitors with a virtual reality headset, the CVB’s 360-degree video becomes more than a singular experience, allowing a large audience to follow along with what an individual viewer is viewing on the screen.
Cincinnati USA’s new trade show booth, also revealed in 2016, includes built-in screens to make the virtual reality experience suitable for group viewing.
At IMEX America 2016, the CVB used its new Virtual Reality Experience to showcase the city to hundreds of meeting planners, ultimately receiving 35 RFPs collectively worth 45,000 room nights and a potential economic impact of more than $13 million.
“Great marketing and sales initiatives happen when we’re able to evoke some sort of feeling or call to action from our audience,” explained Randie Adam, vice president of marketing and visitor services for Cincinnati USA.
She added, “We’re excited to see that our virtual reality experience is encouraging people to host their meetings in Cincinnati or to come for a visit and that it’s working.”
The AMA Cincinnati Pinnacle Award marks the most recent accolade for the CVB’s award-winning marketing team, which has been a repeat recipient of previous AMA Awards, Middy Awards from the Ohio Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, and Ruby Awards from the Ohio Travel Association.
To view the Cincinnati USA Virtual Reality Experience on a mobile device:
1. Install the YouTube application.
2. Once it’s installed, click here.
3. After opening the video, ensure that the quality is set to at least 1440s.
4. Hold your mobile device at arm’s length and move it around – the video will follow where it’s pointed.
5. The experience is meant to be immersive, so make sure to look up, down and behind you.
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.
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