The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Division
of Tourism announces that Richard Taylor, the
Director of the Hattiesburg Convention and Visitors
Bureau, has been selected as one of the top tourism
professionals in the state at the Governor’s Awards
Luncheon during the Mississippi Governor’s
Conference on Tourism held in Natchez.
“For his leadership, knowledge of tourism
development and marketing savvy, along with his
ability to assemble a great staff, who has garnered
Hattiesburg state, regional and national recognition
in the tourism industry,” said Craig Ray, Tourism
Director, “Rick Taylor is being inducted in the 2006
Mississippi Tourism Hall of Fame.”
The Mississippi Tourism Hall of Fame is a program of
the Tourism Division that allows tourism officials
to recognize those individuals who have contributed
to the long-term growth of the tourism industry in
Mississippi.
Since his arrival to Hattiesburg in 1993, Taylor has
instituted a variety of programs to increase the
visibility of the area and grow the local tourism
industry. The result has been Hattiesburg’s
recognition as a dynamic environment for leisure
travelers, meeting and convention delegates, sports
enthusiasts and tournament participants.
The development, construction and highly successful
operation of the Lake Terrace Convention Center has
made Hattiesburg a leader in the meetings industry
in Mississippi and the Southeast. Since opening in
July of 1998, this facility has hosted more than 1
million guests. In December of 2005, out of 2,000
entrants, the Lake Terrace Convention Center was
awarded
ConventionSouth Magazine’s Reader’s
Choice Award for Exceptional Convention Facility for
the second consecutive year.
In 2003, management of Hattiesburg’s Historic
Saenger Theater was added to Taylor’s
responsibilities to further the growth of the
Historic Downtown Area. Within one year, event
volume at this facility doubled.
In addition to facility management, Taylor is
responsible for the operation and management of the
Hattiesburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
The CVB’s role is to grow the local tourism industry
through marketing, public relations and the
Hattiesburg Visitors Center. The CVB has been
recognized by their peers in the state as
Mississippi’s CVB of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2004
for its effective approach to tourism economic
development. In 2004, the CVB received national and
international accolades for the results of its
18-month research and branding project. This
project received a Gold, Silver and Bronze Award for
outstanding tourism marketing by the Hospitality
Sales and Marketing Association, International.
Hattiesburg joined Las Vegas, Barbados and Malaysia
in New York City in January 2005 to be recognized as
the best marketing programs of 2004.
This was Hattiesburg’s second trip to the tourism
industry’s most prestigious award event. Under
Taylor’s leadership, the Hattiesburg CVB was awarded
the nation’s top tourism public relations honor, the
Edward L. Bernay’s Award, in 1996 for bringing
Olympic Teams to Hattiesburg prior to the 1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Prior to moving to Hattiesburg, Taylor worked five
years in tourism development in the British, French
and Dutch islands of the Caribbean. He received his
B.A. from Ambassador University in Los Angeles and
his M.S. in Economic Development from the University
of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
“Nobody in the business puts the ‘wow’
in the product more than Rick Taylor,” said Gray
Swoope, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer
of the MDA.
The MDA Tourism Division created the Mississippi
Tourism Hall of Fame in 2002. This distinction
recognizes tourism industry professionals who have
given so much of their time and talents to make
Mississippi tourism what it is today. Each
recipient receives the Mississippi Tourism Hall of
Fame award created by Helen Fielder, Raku artist.
They will also be highlighted on a plaque in the
main entrance hall of the Division of Tourism office
in Jackson.
