On Tuesday, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) awarded the City of Lynchburg an Excellence in Economic Development Gold Award for the 2018 “Year in Review” annual report, produced by the Office of Economic Development and Tourism. IEDC’s prestigious awards program recognizes the world’s best economic development marketing materials, programs and partnerships, honoring organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban and rural communities. Lynchburg was awarded in the population category ranging from 25,000 to 200,000.
Marjette Upshur, director of economic development and tourism, accepted the awards at IEDC’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN. Promotional awards are judged on the effectiveness of the promotion, innovation/creativity, quality and completeness of information and contribution to the economic development profession.
“The recipients of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development awards represent the very best of economic development and exemplify the ingenuity, integrity, and leadership that our profession strives for each and every day”, said 2019 IEDC Board Chair, Tracye McDaniel. “We’re honored to recognize more than 100 communities for their excellent work, which forges new opportunities for our profession. We look forward to even greater participation from economic developers across the globe in the 2020 awards program.”
In 2015, the Opportunity Lynchburg website and digital marketing strategy won IEDC’s Silver Medal for General Website, which recognizes the best communities using the web as an effective marketing tool to promote services and other information to their audiences. In 2017, Lynchburg received two awards for Lynchburg Innovation Week and “This is Lynchburg: Welcome Home” promotional video.