Blue awards for Tahoe businesses

After years of promoting the Blue World in its advertising campaign, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is finally trying to get local buy-in into the marketing concept.
LTVA Executive Director Carol Chaplin said the point is to “try to bring us all together with one single focus, with a single message.”
The idea is for customers to see “blue” throughout the community once they get here, not have it just be in ad campaigns outside the basin.
Chaplin gave a presentation to the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association on Aug. 14. With little discussion, the association agreed to pony up $750 to sponsor the Blue Experience award. This is just one of the Blue Ribbon Awards.
The awards are how LTVA is trying to get the local business person to see the relevance of the Blue World and to promote it.
Winners in all four categories can be any individual or business on the South Shore. However, the chamber of commerce based in Nevada has a big role in this event. Nomination forms are on its website at www.tahoechamber.org and the number to call for information is for that chamber’s PR woman at (530) 544-5050, ext. 220.
Danny Freemon who is on the lodging board and a member of the chamber of commerce based in California said his chamber has been giving out awards like this for the last six months.
“We have a whole list of people we have given awards out to,” Freemon said.
The winners will be announced Nov. 6 at noon at the Horizon. The deadline for entries is noon Oct. 3.
The awards include Blue Experience. The brochure says, “Think about a business that makes you feel special, welcomed and wanting to recommend and return.”
The Service award winner must be nominated by a peer, employer or customer.
The Entrepreneur award will go to someone who “has created a unique business, service or product that has already created a buzz in our community.”
The Green award is for the “person or business that has made an effort to significantly improve and protect our environment by implementing a green service or program.”