PRESS RELEASES

For Immediate Release:

TUNICA Convention & Visitors Bureau Wins Gold Service Award for Second Consecutive Year

Presented by Meetings & Conventions Magazine

Quality service is the key to maintaining customers and is also key to winning Meetings & Conventions' Gold Service Award. Now in its 18th year, this coveted award is given to select convention & visitors bureaus that have excelled in professionalism and dedication in their service to meeting professionals.

This year M&C's readers, relying on their extensive industry experience, nominated and selected 56 domestic and 18 international/offshore CVBs to earn the Gold Service distinction. The publication's meeting planner readers relied on the following criteria for voting: Overall professionalism of staff; support on hotels and site inspections; assistance with ground transportation planning; guidance on local attractions; and liaison with local venders and services.

"The value of service can never be understated in defining a superior bureau - creating a lasting impression is extremely important," states Bernard W. Schraer, Meetings & Conventions Group Publisher. "The 2001 Gold Service winners have excelled in many areas not only with their industry clients but with the demanding readers of M&C," Schraer adds, "M&C 's entire staff joins our readers in saluting these outstanding CVBs who have continued to focus on effective working partnerships with meeting professionals."

The Tunica CVB will be honored and receive their Gold Service Award as part of M&C''s Gold Awards gala ceremony on November 9, 2001 in New York City. "The Tunica Convention and Visitors bureau is honored to receive M&C's Gold Service Award for the second consecutive year. As the only Mississippi CVB to ever win this distinguished award two years in a row, it is a testament to our staff's dedication to serving the visitors of Tunica, Mississippi," stated Webster Franklin, Executive Director of the Tunica CVB.

Meetings & Conventions is a publication of the Cahners Travel Group. Cahners is a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a leading publisher and information provider in the areas of scientific, professional business and consumer publishing.

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Mississippi Tourism Division

Post Office Box 849

Jackson, Mississippi 39205

Telephone: (601) 359-3297

Fax: (601) 359-5757