SoMeT Thank You

Dear Friends,

As President and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and on behalf of our Board and staff, I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who voted for Huntsville to host the Social Media Tourism Symposium (#SoMeT13US) this November.

SoMeT Support

The outpouring of support and willingness to help us spread the word ultimately proved that Huntsville should host this prestigious event. Expected to bring in 300 attendees from across the country, the economic impact of #SoMeT13US will be impressive.

We estimate a direct impact that should exceed $180,000. While here, these social media attendees will post, tweet and blog about their experiences for the entire Internet community to see. Huntsville, Madison, Madison County and all of Alabama will benefit from this exposure for quite some time.

Our entry into the competition was dependent on a representative attending the #SoMeT13US conference last fall. Thanks to Charity Stewart, who works for our great partner the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, that preliminary requirement was met. We were among 13 communities vying to host this prestigious symposium with the winner determined solely by Facebook votes.

Thank You

We appreciate the time you took to vote and to share the urgent call to action with your friends and family. You did everything you could to secure the conference for our community. Missoula, Montana ran a great campaign and the city is quite attractive.

We won because of you! Winning the competition to host #SoMeT13US was a team effort, and you are all valued team members.

Please keep in mind that the Convention and Visitors Bureau is here to bring all types of conferences, meetings, tournaments and trade shows to our community. Chances are that many meetings you attend could be held right here.

Give us a call or send an e-mail, and we can take it from there.

Thanks so much for your support through all four rounds of the competition. We were “in it to win it,” and you made that happen!

All my best,

Judy S. Ryals,
President & CEO

About the Author

As the longest serving director of a tourism agency in the State of Alabama, Judy Ryals, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to call Madison County home. She is among the first females to serve as a board member of the International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus. Ryals considers it an honor and privilege to lead the agency that promotes the Madison County community to the state, region and nation.