Huntsville named 2021 host city for Southeast Tourism Society Domestic Showcase
Premier regional tourism conference heading to the Rocket City
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2020
(Huntsville, AL) – This week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it was announced that Huntsville will have the honor of hosting one of the premier tourism industry events in the South – Southeast Tourism Society’s Domestic Showcase. The Domestic Showcase conference is one of the largest industry marketplace events of its kind, bringing together over 600 tourism professionals, tour operators, and destination marketing organizations throughout the South. Hosting an event of this magnitude will not only bring a positive impact on the local economy, but a level of exposure that is extremely beneficial for Huntsville/Madison County, North Alabama, and the state of Alabama as a whole.
Domestic Showcase will be held in Huntsville, February 8-11, 2021, and will be Huntsville’s first time serving as the host destination. Next year’s event will also mark the first year the conference will be hosted by the Southeast Tourism Society, following a change in leadership announced in 2019 from the convention’s original host organization, Travel South USA. Travel South USA began the first regional, domestic, computerized marketplace in 1983 to bring more group travel business to the Southern states, since expanding to include travel media representatives, state tourism offices, and other travel and tourism entities.
The Southeast Tourism Society was established in 1983, and serves as a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism throughout the Southeast United States.
“We are thrilled to host the 2021 Domestic Showcase. We look forward to being the first host city under the new guidance of our partners at the Southeast Tourism Society, and we appreciate the work Travel South USA has done to make this conference what it is today,” said Judy Ryals, President/CEO for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). “Domestic Showcase is a first-rate conference for our industry, and they’ll have a first-rate experience to match when they visit the Rocket City.”
A team of Huntsville/Madison County and Alabama representatives, including Ryals, CVB Vice President of Tourism Jennifer Moore, Executive Vice President Charles Winters, Tourism Sales Manager Pam Williams, Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association President/CEO Tami Reist, and Grey Brennan, Deputy Director for the Alabama Tourism Department, were in attendance for this year’s Domestic Showcase to make the 2021 announcement.
“Domestic Showcase is one of the premier events of our industry, and we look forward to welcoming them in 2021,” said Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism Director. “Hosting events of this stature highlights Alabama’s role as a leader in tourism in the Southeast, and we hope attendees will take advantage of all that we have to offer during their time here.”
The announcement this morning was accompanied by a video designed to give this year’s attendees a preview of what they can expect to experience in the Rocket City.
To learn more, contact Kristen Pepper, Director of Marketing for the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, at 256-551-2294 or kristen@huntsville.org.
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About Huntsville/Madison County CVB
The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization which was developed in 1970 to create economic growth for Huntsville/Madison County by marketing the community as a top-of-mind convention and visitor destination. As the official city/county agency which promotes the area as a tourist destination and convention site, the CVB works with an array of hospitality industry partners to market our destination to visitors of all types.
