OFFICIAL GUIDES OF SAVANNAH PROMOTES LONGTIME SALES EXECUTIVE LAURA SIMPSON AND ADDS JOAN MCKEE TO THE TEAM

Savannah, Ga. – Aug. 5, 2022 – Official Guides of Savannah (OGS) recently promoted Laura Simpson to Sales & Marketing Manager and hired Joan McKee for the new position of Executive Assistant.   

Simpson, promoted from Sales Executive to Sales & Marketing Manager, has been in the tourism industry for 16 years, and with OGS since 2016 working with their sales team. She is a 1989 graduate from the University of Georgia and a 2011 graduate of Leadership Savannah, a course offered to individuals with a commitment to improving Savannah through leadership.

McKee was hired as the Executive Assistant for OGS and Convention Consultants, the sister company of OGS. McKee brings a diverse background including a Bachelor of Music Performance at Georgia Southern University and a Masters of Vocal Performance at Georgia State University. McKee is a former professional singer and actor who also has experience in education, food and beverage management, retail management, and theatre management.

“The backbone of any organization is a strong team, and we’ve been able to develop a wonderful team of employees dedicated to the Savannah hospitality industry,” said DeAnne Mitchell, CEO of OGS. “Both of these ladies possess strong interpersonal skills and are Savannah locals who have more knowledge about the city of Savannah than most, making them invaluable assets to the OGS team.”

Official Guides of Savannah is a daily distributor of tourism and hospitality-related printed materials in the Savannah area. They distribute more than 2.4 million brochures to over 160 locations annually. For more information about Official Guides of Savannah, please visit www.savguides.com or Convention Consultants www.savtours.com

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For media inquiries, please contact  Allie Robinson at allie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-547-3100 or Lesley Francis at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).

SAVANNAH TOURISM LEADER ELECTED AS NEW PRESIDENT OF VISITOR INTERNATIONAL

SAVANNAH, GA – January 13, 2022 – The International Association of Visitor Information Providers announces the election of DeAnne Mitchell of Official Guides of Savannah as its President for 2022.Visitor International is a non-profit organization whose member companies around the world specialize in providing client information to visitors during their stay in their destination, to guide them to wonderful experiences.

As a lifelong Savannah resident, DeAnne Mitchell has a natural ability to customize traveler experiences, rendering her the premier source for local visitor information. She manages a team of over twenty people across two different entities, Official Guides of Savannah and Convention Consultants, which together provide a full menu of services to the local hospitality industry including the provision of tailored private tours to visitors to our region. In 1995 DeAnne began her entrepreneurial journey in event & destination management by joining her mother’s business. She has since grown her team and added unique and creative ways to provide her clients with distribution and display services for their printed collateral. Most recently, DeAnne developed two new client offerings by adding mobile marketing services and a virtual brochure rack accessible on the web.

Visitor International elected DeAnne Mitchell to the role of President at its recent annual meeting which gives members from all over the world the opportunity to discuss trends within the tourism industry and how to better serve that industry. The following slate of Officers and members of the Board of Directors were elected for 2022:

President: DeAnne Mitchell of Official Guides of Savannah, Southeast U.S.

Vice-President: Yiannis Yiannakakis of City Contact, Athens, Greece

Secretary: Kira Keon of Certified Folder Display Service, Canada

Treasurer: Tom Reiter of Brochures Unlimited, Northeast U.S.

Past President: James Morrison of Getaways On Display, Northeast U.S.

Member At Large-Europe: Sandra Mathieu of BHS Promotion-Nice, France

Member At Large-US: Peter Magaro of CTM Media Group, Eastern U.S. and Canada

Executive Director: Mark Kaufman

“I have dedicated my career to providing Savannah’s visitors with unforgettable memories and I am honored to now lead Visitor International on a global platform,”   said DeAnne Mitchell. “Visitor International members share a common interest in the practices, procedures, opportunities and challenges unique to our ‘visitor information’ industry. They are guided by a common code of standards and ethics with a mission to highlight the importance of providing quality visitor information to locations in a professional and courteous manner. Brochures have a vital role in tourism as they inform and influence visitors to enjoy great local experiences. This creates delighted visitors which then positively affects their connection with the hospitality and tourism providers as well as the destination itself.”

For more information about Official Guides of Savannah, please visit www.savguides.com for Convention Consultants www.savtours.com or for Visitor International  www.visitorinternational.com

 

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For media inquiries, please contact  Allie Robinson at allie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-547-3100, Crystal Vogel at crystal@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-509-1510 or Lesley Francis at lesley@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).