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Excellence in Practice - Case Study Competition
 
Competition Information
Download Entry Form
Each day DMOs are finding innovative ways to meet the challenges of the marketplace. The "Excellence in Practice - Case Study Competition", an initiative funded by the Destination & Travel Foundation, highlights best practices from destination marketing organizations (DMOs) globally by connecting universities and students to DMOs to examine, within the individual destinations, one of the three major challenges identified by the 2008 Futures Study - advocacy, technology and social responsibility.

Competing to provide the best case studies, winning Undergraduate and Graduate teams receive an invitation for one team representative to present their case studies at DMAI’s 98th Annual Convention in Seattle, July 16-18, 2012.  Winning case studies will also be made available in the association’s online community.

Areas of Focus
Case study submissions must focus on one of the following issues:

Advocacy: Case studies that articulate how partnerships, best practices and resources can be used to advocate the value and impact of destination marketing organizations to their leadership, stakeholders and community.

Technology: Case studies that describe the operation and benefits of technological solutions (i.e. CRM, interactive advertising, mobile marketing, rich Internet applications and social media, etc.) that DMOs can implement to enhance the level of sophistication, intuitiveness and interaction that drive customer attention enhance personal experiences and integrate data systems within the organization. 
 
Social Responsibility: Case studies that provide best practices in social responsibility or sustainability specific to the destination marketing industry.  This critical initiative provides an opportunity for our industry to suggest synergistic solutions that combine a rewarding visitor experience with sustainable economic development. Case studies may include organizational, environmental, community, economic development and/or sustainable tourism initiatives.

Upcoming Spring Semester Deadlines
  • Call for case study entries issued - January 2012
  • Due date for case study submissions - April 27, 2012
  • Winning undergraduate & graduate case studies announced - June 7, 2012
  • Presentation at DMAI's 98th Annual Convention - July 16-18, 2012

Participation Criteria

The following entry rules must be strictly adhered to, failure to do so may result in disqualification:

  • Entries must be original case studies and written by the student team members.
  • Entries must be submitted without any names or logos identifying students, faculty or institution; destination marketing organization (DMO) name can be disclosed.
  • Entries can be received by individuals or groups (up to 4 team members) from academic institutions with an interest in destination marketing. Multiple entries may be received from the same institution.
  • Students may be undergraduates or graduate students. Teams shall indicate their academic level on the competition entry form.
  • Entries are required to have at least one faculty advisor.
  • Entries must be developed in conjunction with a DMO. A DMO professional should be an advisor to the submission writer and the DMO must endorse the submission. The role of these advisers is to provide guidance and context to the submissions.
  • An advisor may be the advisor on more than one entry.
Submission Guidelines
Each case study must include a professional-quality business report of no more than 3000 words (word limit does not include Figures, Tables, or List of References), and an informational slide presentation summarizing the report's key themes. Graduate case studies may also include appendices (which are not subject to a word limit) to expand on concepts unfamiliar to the reviewer. Submitted reports should follow the following format:
  • Problem Statement: Challenge the DMO was addressing
  • Challenges & Opportunities: Background information on the problem
  • Business Solution: The results and how the DMO responded to the problem
  • Lessons Learned/Business Case: The learning points from the case study for the sponsoring DMO
  • The impact on the destination marketing industry 
  • List of References: Use and documentation of related primary or secondary research, or cited works
A completed entry form, original student-written case study and informational slide presentation must be submitted to DMAI Student and Educators Advisory Council staff liaison, Mitchell Gehrisch at no later than April 27, 2012.

Upon submission of an entry, DMAI is granted the royalty free and perpetual non-exclusive rights that allow reproducing, publish, have published in derivative works, distribute in any medium and any location this work, or any portion thereof. Furthermore, entrants vouch that their work submitted is original and that permissions to use all copyright material have been obtained by the authors.

Evaluation Criteria
Case studies will be judged by a panel of industry experts,  and will be evaluated based on the following 100-point scale:
  • Problem Statement:10 points
  • Challenges & Opportunities: 15 points
  • Business Solution: 25 points
  • Lessons Learned/Business Case: 20 points
  • Industry Impact: 20 points
  • List of References: 10 points
Judges will consider the effectiveness of the case study in communicating solutions for the contest theme of Excellence in Practice in terms of the advocacy, technology, or social responsibility issues for management of destination marketing. The quality and appearance of the case study report and informational slide presentation will also be taken into account.

Awards
The award for each winning team (1 undergraduate and 1 graduate) will cover expenses for one member of the winning team to attend DMAI’s 98th Annual Convention. This includes:
  • American Airlines Airfare (booked by DMAI)
  • Airport Transfer Roundtrip
  • Lodging (three nights)
  • Conference Registration

Case Study Competition Contact
Mitchell Gehrisch - email
Phone: +1.202.835.4080
Fax: +1.202.296.7889

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