DCVB Earns Awards For Its Work, and Workplace

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) is Durham, NC.'s official marketing agency. Funded by a portion of the visitor-paid occupancy tax collected by hotels in Durham County, the organization is charged with getting people to visit Durham for both work and play.  Since its inception in 1989, DCVB has won nearly 140 awards and citations for its work, practices, policies.  In short, working at DCVB means producing top quality results in a top quality environment.

For the fourth time since the award's inception in 2005, DCVB has been recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for its excellence in workplace flexibility. 

"Flexibility in the workplace is as much about helping employees be effective and productive as it is about yielding positive business results for an organization," said Shelly Green, DCVB's President and CEO.  "We see great benefits (as do our employees) from the policies and practices we have in place that promote work/life balance."

The awards are part of a research-based initiative called "When Work Works."  The Foundation surveys employees and employers about the flexibility programs and practices at their workplace as well as the perceived level of  support fostered in their workplace culture.

“Our research consistently finds that employees in effective and flexible workplaces have greater engagement on the job and greater desire to stay with their organization. In addition, they report lower stress levels and better overall health,” said Ellen Galinsky, president of Families and Work Institute.  According to Galinsky, DCVB ranks in the top 20% of employers nationally in terms of its programs, policies and culture for creating an effective and flexible workplace.

The organization has also been recognized with several honors for its creative work - all of which is done in-house at DCVB. "The creative team at DCVB is outstanding.  Whether it's publications, direct-mail, or websites, these folks consistently produce innovative, award-winning work," said Green. 

The work they have done this past year has received two 2012 MarCom Creative Awards and three honorable mentions.  To date, DCVB has won four platinum awards and nine golds from MarCom, along with numerous honorable mentions.  This year the awards were:

• Platinum (highest award): 2010-11 Annual Report
• Gold: Mini-Meeting Planners Guide
• Honorable Mentions: 2011-12 Preservation Durham Fundraising Campaign
  2012 Visitor & Relocation Guide
  Durham LGBT Travel Portal

The MarCom Creative Awards are part of an international competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications practitioners. Entries were judged by industry professionals who looked for companies and individuals whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.

DCVB was also recognized recently by the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina (DMANC) with Platinum awards for the same two publications.  

In addition to the Sloan Awards, DCVB was the first CVB in the nation to achieve Green Plus certification  recognizing organizations that have achieved a high level of commitment to people, performance and the planet.  

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is Durham's primary point of contact for visitors.  They operate the Visitors Information Center at 101 E. Morgan Street in Downtown Durham, and maintain the Durham Event Calendar, among many other resources.