Visit Dublin was honored for travel marketing excellence by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the annual Adrian Awards Celebration at the New York Marriott Marquis, February 18, 2025.
Visit Dublin received a Bronze, Best of Category Adrian Award for its winning entry in the Integrated Campaign - Innovation category.
The Winning Entry: The "Other Dublin" Campaign
What: Visit Dublin installed billboards in downtown Dublin, Ireland inviting (or daring) our Irish friends to join us in Dublin, Ohio for St. Patrick's Day...pints on us.
Why: An affordable way to generate national and international press about Dublin, Ohio.
How: We placed prominent billboards in Dublin, Ireland for the month leading up to St. Patrick's Day saying that pints are on us if you visit Dublin, Ohio between March 8-18. A simple landing page was set up at OtherDublin.com that explained the offered and drove bookings. Anyone bold enough to make the trek and present a valid Irish ID at the Visitor's Center would receive a VISA gift card to use on drinks while visiting.
The Goals:
To attract visitors from Dublin, Ireland to the city in Ohio, Visit Dublin Ohio is extending an especially warm invitation across the pond in the month of March –
free pints of beer to any Dubliner who makes the 3,566 mile (or 5,738 km) trek from Ireland to the “other Dublin” from March 8-18.
Home of the largest three day Irish festival in the world and ranked one of the top ten cities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Dublin, Ohio is known for the greenest, grandest day of the year and its Irish attitude. While in town, Dubliners can experience the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Celtic Cocktail Trail and the St. Paddy’s Day pub crawl.
“We’re proud to share a name, and we’d love to share a pint…or a few!” said Visit Dublin’s Marketing Director Sara Blatnik. “There are a lot of great cities in the U.S. to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and we think we’re one of the best. We’re ready to show off our Midwestern hospitality to our other Dublin friends.”
With a new Aer Lingus flight route that flies direct from Dublin, Ireland to Cleveland, Ohio, Visit Dublin hopes this might be just the incentive needed to foster some cross-cultural connection. Historic Dublin and Bridge Park, the trendy new Dublin hotspot with shops, restaurants and more, is bustling. The Columbus Zoo, one of the largest in the United States, is only 10 minutes away.
