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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Donna Andrews or Rebecca Rodgers
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
(314) 421-1023 or pr@explorestlouis.com

ST. LOUIS RECEIVES INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE
AND SERVICE AWARDS

Meeting Planners Give High Marks to CVC

ST. LOUIS - February 5, 2008 -- The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (CVC) recently received two prestigious awards from two of the travel industry's most prominent publications.

Readers and subscribers of Meetings & Conventions magazine have voted the St. Louis CVC as a recipient of the 2008 Gold Service Award. The honor is given to convention and visitors bureaus that have excelled in professionalism and dedication in their service to meeting professionals. Meetings and Conventions readers made their awards selections based on strict criteria including:  professionalism of staff; support on hotels and site inspections; assistance with ground transportation planning; guidance on local attractions; and liaison with local vendors and services.

"We are thrilled to receive this award from a publication that is such an important tool for meeting and convention planners," said Steve Stickford, CVC Senior Vice President of Sales and Services. "Service to our clients is our number one goal, so to receive an award that says we have excelled in this area by a jury of our clients is an honor and a tribute to our Convention Services team."

St. Louis was also chosen to receive the Award of Excellence by corporate meeting planners and Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine. The esteemed award, voted by the magazine's subscribers, is awarded to hospitality industry leaders that provide superior service and support, promotional assistance, and a high level of supplier facility and venue information to clients.   

"As a destination, St. Louis has so much to offer meeting and convention planners that it can be overwhelming for clients who haven't held a meeting here in a while," said Kathy Steffen, Director of Convention Services. "Our job is to ‘connect the dots' and help make the planning process as seamless as possible for our customers. Receiving this award of excellence lets the CVC know we're doing a good job of getting the word out about St. Louis and helping planners make the right connections."

Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine (www.themeetingmagazines.com ), published monthly since 1983, is circulated to more than 40,000 corporate meeting planners with the responsibility for staging and planning meetings, incentive travel programs, conferences and conventions.

Meetings & Conventions (www.mcmag.com) is a division of NORTHSTAR Travel Media LLC, publishers of worldwide directories, periodicals, electronic products, and destination information services for the travel, meetings and hospitality industry.

The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission is the official destination marketing organization for St. Louis City and County for visitors of all types. The CVC also operates the America's Center® convention complex and the Edward Jones Dome.