Michigan Legacy Art Park to honor the Pure Michigan Team

Michigan Legacy Art Park to honor the Pure Michigan Team

Thompsonville, Mich. – Michigan Legacy Art Park will present the 2014 Legacy Award to Travel Michigan’s Vice President George Zimmermann for his leadership in spearheading the launch of the phenomenally successful Pure Michigan campaign. The Legacy Award presentation happens during the Legacy Gala, the Art Park’s signature fundraising event, on August 16, 2014 at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Michigan.

This year, the Legacy Award recognizes the significant positive impact the Pure Michigan campaign has on our state. The campaign effectively and meaningfully shares with the world the story of Michigan – its arts, history, culture and natural beauty. Travel Michigan’s Vice President George Zimmermann will accept the award on behalf of the team who made the Pure Michigan campaign a reality. Mr. Zimmermann has recently announced his plans to retire at the end of April.

“What better time to celebrate George Zimmermann’s leadership and the work of the talented staff at Travel Michigan,” said Renee Hintz, executive director of Michigan Legacy Art Park. “The creative efforts of the advertising team at McCann Erickson, the Travel Commission, and the dedicated leaders throughout the Michigan travel industry have not only boosted tourism in our state, residents have rediscovered their Michigan pride.”

The Pure Michigan campaign created in partnership with McCann Erickson advertising agency and launched in 2006, originally aired in three advertising regions outside Michigan. By 2009 the Pure Michigan campaign aired nationally and received the Top 10 Tourism Campaign on record by Forbes magazine. In 2013 alone, Pure Michigan attracted 4 million out-of-state visitors who spent $1.2 billion at Michigan businesses.

George Zimmermann was named “One of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales and Marketing” by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) in 2012. In 2011, he was named State Tourism Director of the Year by his peers, the National Council of State Tourism Directors.

The Legacy Gala begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner, keynote address, presentation of the Legacy Award and a tribute video about the honoree. The annual event is the main fundraiser for Michigan Legacy Art Park – a place that attracts over ten thousand visitors each year to discover more than forty outdoor sculptures and thirty poetry stones along 1.6 miles of hiking trails. The Art Park’s education programs, summertime concerts and year-round events further inspire awareness, appreciation and passion for Michigan history, culture and environment.

Tickets to the 2014 Legacy Gala are $75 per person and can be purchased online at www.michiganlegacyartpark.org/events or by calling 231.378.4963. Sponsor tickets start at $250 and are partially tax-deductible.