Tourism Westman hands out awards

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This article was published 17/06/2023 (1042 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winning the award for event of the year at the 2023 Tribute to Tourism Gala is a testament to how hard staff and organizers at Manitoba Ag Days have worked to bring the event back to a post-pandemic world, general manager Kristen Phillips says.

“It was wonderful to actually have the event, and then to be recognized as event of the year was just such a cherry on top,” Phillips told the Sun. “Our board of directors is such a passionate group of farmers who care about the ag industry. Our event is in very good hands.”

The awards gala, hosted by Tourism Westman, was held on Wednesday at the Souris-Glenwood Memorial Complex in Souris, 47 kilometres southwest of Brandon. Attended by 175 guests, it was the first gala held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s Manitoba Ag Days, which took place at the Keystone Centre in Brandon in January, was also the first time that event returned to in-person attendance since 2020.

Virtual events with video-recorded speakers were held in 2021 and 2022.

“All the hard work that was put in 36 months before the show was extremely difficult,” Phillips said.

Manitoba Ag Days, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led, provincially incorporated organization, draws up to 40,000 people annually with an economic impact of $350 million, Tourism Westman says. The 2023 event generated 4,151 room nights for local hotels alone.

Brandon Tourism received the marketing excellence tribute, an award that recognizes a business, organization, event or attraction that has developed an effective marketing campaign that increases tourism to southwestern Manitoba, for its new website and app.

The app was designed to align with Brandon Tourism’s new brand, which focuses on the city’s food, culture and wide range of experiences. Lanny Stewart, director of marketing and communications with Brandon Tourism, said winning the award left him feeling “humbled and honoured.”

“This is a Brandon Tourism award, [because] this is a team effort,” Stewart said. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes here who keep the train on track, so to speak. So, it’s a great team and we’re happy to be recognized.”

Minnedosa’s Tom Instance won the volunteer of the year award for his work on the groomed and maintained trails that people enjoy year-round at the Squirrel Hills Trail Park in Minnedosa.

Instance, who has charted the trails and led the development and placement of signage, warming shacks and pro-active trouble shooting, says just being nominated was a “great feeling,” but winning the award was a huge honour. He hopes that his example will lead others in the community to explore how they can volunteer their time for the benefit of others.

“It’s rewarding to do something that can help other people,” Instance said.

The Souris Hotel won the service excellence award for the delivery of exemplary service and enhancement of visitor experience as demonstrated through a high degree of visitor satisfaction. Officially open to the public in 2018, the business has a 9.3 out of 10 rating on booking.com, a 4.6 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, and has been ranked by the Travelmyth algorithm as one of the top 50 hotels in Manitoba in numerous categories.

The Aspiring Youth award went to Cassandra Cardy and Zac Easton of Minnedosa, who met while studying creative communications at Red River College. The duo’s interest in marketing and branding led them to create a social media following in which they showcased dining delights in Winnipeg and the United States. The pair recently purchased the Dari Isle restaurant in Minnedosa.

Section 6 Brewing Co., The Dock on Princess and Kickin’ Axe in Brandon won the partnership award, which recognizes alliances that demonstrate a co-operative approach to tourism development and promotion.

Sioux Valley Dakota Nation won the award for Indigenous tourism for Dakota Nation Winterfest, a four-day immersive event that incorporates the culture and traditions of the Dakota people through traditional games, cultural exhibits, sports, a talent show and more.

The resilience and innovation award was presented to La Bella Terra greenhouse in Minnedosa for demonstrating innovation, resilience, adaptation and support for their local community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Ride Like Ole” event in Minnedosa won the award for outstanding contribution by an individual. The event was named after Ole Heie, an aspiring 12-year-old elite athlete who died the summer of 2021 while out on a run.

After discussion with the Heie family, the idea of 172-kilometre bike ride fundraiser planned for the Squirrel Hills trail park was named in his honour and featured seven cyclists making the trek from the historic Inglis elevators, traversing Riding Mountain National Park and ending at the park’s historic Eastgate site.

Among the seven mountain bike riders to complete the entire ride were Ole’s parents, Leigh and Rob Heie, Richard Dupuis, Dave Ternier, Paul Archbutt and Tim Frykoda, all of whom are Valley Life Recreation Inc. board members, and friend Kevin Earl, along with Ole’s sister Ava and other friends and family joining for the second half of the ride.

What began as a local event with the goal of raising $17,200 culminated with $30,000 contributed to Minnedosa’s Squirrel Hills Trail Park in Ole’s name. A new trail was also named Ole’s Way.

The Mid-West Show N’ Shine in Hamiota won the award for event of the year with a budget under $5,000.

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