Visit Montgomery earned three major honors at the Maryland Tourism Coalition’s 44th Annual Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit, taking home awards for Cooperative Partnership, Best Digital Campaign, and Visionary Impact.
The awards recognize Visit Montgomery’s leadership as the official destination marketing organization for Montgomery County and its role in advancing tourism collaboration across the state.
“We are honored to be recognized by our industry colleagues during the Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit. Collaboration and partnerships are deeply engrained in Visit Montgomery’s organizational culture. We all thrive when we work together,” said Visit Montgomery President and CEO Kelly Groff.
Visit Montgomery received the Cooperative Partnership Award for its role in the Meet in Maryland collaboration, a multi-destination sales and marketing initiative launched in Fiscal Year 2025. The partnership includes Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, Visit Baltimore, Visit Howard, Ocean City, and Experience Prince George’s, with a shared goal of expanding outreach to meeting professionals and attracting more conferences, conventions, and business events to Maryland. Together, the participating destinations represent 58 percent of Maryland’s adjusted tourism sales and use tax revenue, underscoring the program’s statewide economic significance.
The organization was also recognized with the Best Digital Campaign award for a collaborative marketing effort centered on the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Working alongside Visit Frederick, Visit Allegany, and Visit Hagerstown/Washington County, Visit Montgomery helped develop a brand identity and digital campaign designed to promote exploration beyond the canal itself and into surrounding communities. The park draws more than five million visitors annually and ranks as the 16th most visited national park in the country. The “Beyond the Canal” campaign encouraged overnight stays and deeper regional engagement, with digital efforts accounting for 78 percent of campaign website traffic. The initiative also integrated print advertising with QR code and UTM tracking to connect offline and online engagement through BeyondTheCanal.com.
The third honor of the night, the Visionary Impact Award, was presented to Visit Montgomery President and CEO Kelly Groff. The award recognizes leaders who have launched new collaborative initiatives that deliver meaningful impact through major industry projects, highlighting Groff’s role in shaping partnerships and strategic efforts across Maryland’s tourism landscape.
