{"id":114836,"date":"2025-05-19T04:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T18:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/?p=114836"},"modified":"2025-05-19T04:00:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T18:00:37","slug":"vtic-introduces-new-award-category","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/vtic-introduces-new-award-category\/","title":{"rendered":"VTIC introduces new award category"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>THE Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and Visit Victoria have launched an new award category in the 2025 Victorian Tourism Awards that will recognise the state\u2019s most outstanding events.<\/p>\n<p>The Hallmark Events category will honour major events that significantly contribute to Victoria\u2019s visitor economy, enhance its national and international brand, and create lasting economic and social impact.<\/p>\n<p>VTIC chief executive officer Felicia Mariani said the new category reflected the vital role hallmark events play in shaping Victoria\u2019s identity as a global destination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictoria is known around the world for its enviable calendar of major events, from world-class sporting fixtures to internationally acclaimed exhibitions and cultural festivals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new category provides an opportunity to recognise these unique events that drive tourism, stimulate economic growth, and leave a lasting brand legacy for our state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Visit Victoria CEO Brendan McClements said the state stood out as the nation\u2019s events capital, with a vibrant sporting, cultural and food scene driving visitors here in droves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictoria has a world-class major events pipeline, which plays a key role in our record $40 billion visitor economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVisit Victoria is proud to work with VTIC to support this new Hallmark Events category, recognising the incredible events that showcase our State globally and highlight how we are \u2018Every bit different\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To be eligible for the Hallmark Events award, events must demonstrate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An average attendance of at least 100,000<\/li>\n<li>Attraction of interstate and international visitors specifically travelling for or extending their stay due to the event<\/li>\n<li>A measurable economic impact to Victoria, and<\/li>\n<li>Exceptional media reach, with national and international coverage reinforcing Victoria\u2019s position as a leading global event destination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Nominations are now open, with entries closing on May 28 and final submissions due by August 26.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, head to <a href=\"http:\/\/vtic.com.au\/victoriantourismawards\">vtic.com.au\/victoriantourismawards<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THE Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and Visit Victoria have launched an new award category in the 2025 Victorian Tourism Awards that will recognise the state\u2019s most outstanding events. The Hallmark Events category will honour major events that significantly contribute to Victoria\u2019s visitor economy, enhance its national and international brand, and create lasting economic and [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/vtic-introduces-new-award-category\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":114837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-114836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VTIC introduces new award category - Geelong Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the new Hallmark Events category in the 2025 Victorian Tourism Awards, recognising major events boosting tourism and the economy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/geelongtimes\/news\/vtic-introduces-new-award-category\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VTIC introduces new award category - 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