Stars of the Industry Awards

Among the most vital contributors to a visitor’s experience and satisfaction are the frontline professionals they encounter during their trip. These professionals are also essential to their employers’ success and that of the overall Kentucky travel industry. To acknowledge the essential nature of the frontline travel and tourism services provided by thousands of Kentuckians, KTIA is requesting nominations of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional frontline service. Stars of the Industry Awards will be presented to five deserving frontline service employees.  

Recipients will be honored during the 2019 Kentucky Travel Industry Annual Conference on Thursday, November 7 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington. The awards will be presented during the Commissioner & Awards Luncheon that will also feature the annual industry update presentation by Kentucky’s Tourism Acting Commissioner Jay Hall.


Nomination Information 

  1. A nominee must be an employee of a KTIA member organization or business.
  2. All frontline employees are eligible for nomination irrespective of the type of business or their job title as long as their primary duties bring them into direct service contact with visitors/guests. Examples include, but are not limited to hotel front desk clerks, visitor center hosts, restaurant wait staff, museum and other attraction docents and tour guides, car rental associates, etc. 
  3. Nominations must be made by a person in a supervisory or management role and who has direct knowledge of the content and quality of the nominee’s work.
  4. More than one nomination from the same company can be submitted.
  5. Award recipients will be selected by KTIA’s Nominating Committee. 
  6. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 p.m. ET, Friday, September 30.
  7. It is strongly encouraged that recipients be present to accept their awards. Travel expenses will be the responsibility of the recipient’s employer. Conference registration fees will be waived for the recipient.

Award Recipient Selection Criteria

There’s just one: Exceptional guest/visitor service…that is the only criterion. In judging nominations, the committee will consider tenure and examples of exceptional service. The more detail that is provided in the nomination statement, the better equipped the committee will be to understand the nominee's achievements and to fairly evaluate each nominee.


Nomination Form

A nomination form must be completed for each nominee. Completed forms should be emailed to Sarah Brock at [email protected] or by fax to 502.223.5646.

2019 Nomination Form


Questions?

Contact Hank Phillips by email at [email protected] or by phone at 502.223.8687 with any questions.