Saint Johners Win Top Awards At Global Cruise Industry Event In Portugal
LISBON – Saint John was front-and-centre Wednesday night at the Seatrade Cruise Awards in Portugal with Betty MacMillan, cruise development manager of Port Saint John, winning Port Personality of the Year and Discover Saint John winning Marketing Initiative of the Year.
Discover Saint John won for the large mural of a woman painted last summer by world-famous artist Sean Yoro (known as Hula).
“We knew that in inviting Sean, we were creating a compelling project that would tell the unique urban story of the worlds highest tides,” Discover Saint John executive director Victoria Clarke told Huddle in a note from Lisbon.
“Having the opportunity to be here in Lisbon, with Team #SaintAwesome, representing the Bay of Fundy cruise experience – has been the pinnacle of this project.”
In a press release, Seatrade said MacMillan was honoured for her pioneering work in the Atlantic cruise industry.
“MacMillan was recognized for her decades-long efforts to grow Port Saint John’s seasonal cruise business and her determination and tireless work to develop and promote the port and the entire Canada/New England region.”
MacMillan credits the many people she has worked with over the years, including Port Saint John’s operations and security team, ship greeters and tour operators like Aquila Tours and Ambassatours.
“It’s never been just me, so many have contributed to our success in Saint John,” said MacMillan in a text message from Lisbon. “I’ve made promises to cruise lines for a very long time and so many on the ground have delivered on that promise.”
In the Marketing Initiative category, Discover Saint John was up against some industry heavy-hitters for the award. Capital Cruising, the operator for the cruise industry in London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi in the United Araba Emirates (UAE) were the two other nominees.
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Charlotte Thornton, senior marketing executive for Seatrade, says the judging panel was looking for exceptional cruise-related marketing initiatives that delivered tangible results.
“This was an extremely competitive year – and making the shortlist is a fantastic testimony to the success of Discover Saint John’s marketing strategy for cruise tourism,” said Thornton in an e-mail to Huddle when the nominees were announced in August.
There was a high-profile winner in the category last year. O, The Oprah Magazine and Holland America line won for a cruise vacation designed by editors of the magazine.
Discover Saint John commissioned the mural because of Hula’s global reach and reputation. He has 240,000 followers on Instagram, and Clarke says these are the kinds of things you need to draw attention to the city and its unique assets.
“It’s an excellent marketing piece for [the cruise industry here] because one of the stories they tell about coming into our port and what makes it so unique globally is the 28-foot change in tides, twice a day, every day,” said Clarke.
“Our director of marketing and communications, Jillian MacKinnon, had originally seen a Sean Yoro painting on an iceberg and it was on the front cover of CNN.com and our lofty, audacious goal was to see our project on the front page of CNN.com and we accomplished that.”
Banner Photo: Jillian MacKinnon, director of marketing and communications for Discover Saint John, and Victoria Clarke, Executive Director, celebrate with their award after the ceremony Wednesday night. Image: submitted.