TURNER and Travel Wisconsin Win Big At This Year’s ESTO Awards

Drumroll please … TURNER and Travel Wisconsin have won the prestigious Mercury Award for our Tasty Makers campaign. Winners were honored at Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO) Tuesday night Awards Dinner and Presentation. Produced by the U.S. Travel Association, the ESTO Awards are judged by a panel of marketing experts and industry professionals.

Some background: The Mercury Awards recognize members for excellence and creative accomplishment in state and territory destination marketing and promotion; and inspire, through showcasing outstanding work, the continued development of imaginative and exciting marketing and promotional programs. ESTO is the leading annual learning and knowledge-sharing forum for destination marketing professionals.

TURNER and Travel Wisconsin’s Tasty Makers campaign is an ongoing program designed to shine a well-deserved light on the diversity and deliciousness of Wisconsin’s cuisine. By focusing on focusing on the state’s unique artisans, chefs, farmers, cheese makers and more (with an emphasis on BIPOC innovators), we have been able to showcase a lesser-known side of the destination.

We’ve brought dozens of journalists and content creators to the state to experience these unique flavors firsthand; they’ve gotten knee-deep in cranberry marshes, enjoyed multi-course dinners with James Beard Award-winning chefs, and taken part in discussions that spotlighted indigenous agricultural traditions.

Check out the Wisconsin Tasty Makers case study.

The results so far have been extraordinary, with coverage in Travel + Leisure, The New York Times, USA Today, Thrillist, Midwest Living and more. And Wisconsin’s culinary profile is about to get even bigger: the blockbuster Top Chef competition series just announced that it would be filming its next season in the destination. Stay tuned …