Adams & Knight and Connecticut Statewide Marketing and Tourism Win Seven Top HSMAI Adrian Awards – Including Multiple Platinum and Best of Category Awards

Avon, Conn. (February 25, 2026) — Adams & Knight, in partnership with its client, the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism, captured seven awards at the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI) Adrian Awards — the world’s largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition.

Three different campaigns for Connecticut tourism were recognized among the world’s best tourism marketing. The Connecticut Pizza Capital of the U.S. and the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail campaigns each received three awards Platinum, Gold, and Best of Category recognition for earned media excellence. Additionally, the Connecticut Make It Here campaign secured Gold in the highly competitive Integrated Marketing category.

Adams & Knight was the only agency to earn two platinum honors for a single client in this year’s competition. Together, all these wins represent one of the most successful showings in history for Connecticut’s tourism marketing.

“These seven awards aren’t for a single campaign. They reflect a consistent approach to building bold, culturally resonant work that delivers measurable results,” said Anthony Anthony, former Chief Marketing Officer for the Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism. “The common thread is always clear strategy, confident storytelling, and execution that moves perception in a meaningful way.” 

Selected from more than 750 entries and judged by leading industry experts, the Adrian Awards recognize the most innovative and effective travel marketing campaigns worldwide.

“It’s an honor to be recognized among the best in travel and tourism marketing,” said Felicia Lindau, leader of Adams & Knight’s Travel and Tourism division. “These awards reflect the strength of our partnership with Connecticut’s Statewide Marketing & Tourism team, the power of insight-driven strategy and creative, and the seamless integration across all of the agency’s disciplines — including PR, social media, creative, content, video production, paid media, and website development.

Some brief descriptions of the award-winning campaigns and the results they drove.

Connecticut Pizza Capital of the U.S.
This year-long, PR-driven campaign boldly declared Connecticut the Pizza Capital of the U.S. and sustained that conversation nationally for more than twelve months. The campaign generated extremely cost-effective results, including:

• 19+ billion impressions across 4,000+ earned media stories
• A viral cultural moment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• A 68% increase in nationwide Google searches for “Connecticut pizza”
• A 37% increase in long-distance visitation (500–3,000 miles)
• The largest shift in positive perception in the state’s history
• An $11 lift in visitor spending for every $1 spent on marketing this campaign

The state’s reduced marketing budget demanded a bolder strategy — one sustained with discipline over a full year, culminating in the launch of the Connecticut Pizza Trail and the most significant brand perception shift in state history.

Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail
The nation’s first Christmas Movie Trail campaign transformed Connecticut’s role as the backdrop for 22 holiday films into a tangible tourism product. It tapped into the powerful consumer trend of “set-jetting,” where audiences travel to experience the real-life locations behind their favorite on-screen moments.

Launched through a cinematic unveiling event featuring Hallmark stars, immersive set experiences and an engaging contest to be an “extra” in an upcoming holiday movie production, the campaign generated:

• 10.1 billion earned impressions across 750+ national media placements
• A viral cultural moment on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show featuring Jon Hamm and Lindsey Lohan
• A 1,325% surge in CTvisit.com searches related to movies filmed in Connecticut

The Christmas Movie Trail positioned Connecticut as America’s Christmas movie destination and created a scalable winter tourism asset with lasting economic impact. 

Michelle Bonner, Vice President of Public Relations at Adams & Knight, who led the earned media strategy for the Pizza Capital of the U.S. campaign and the Christmas Movie Trail Event added, “With these two earned media campaigns, we built something that could live way beyond a single news cycle. We told just the right stories at just the right times to just the right audience. Helping tell Connecticut’s stories is a privilege — one we approach with discipline and deep respect for the place itself.” 

Connecticut Make It Here

The State’s Make It Here campaign platform was originally developed to position Connecticut as a good place to live and work. In 2025, Adams & Knight expanded that platform so it could support a more cohesive approach to promoting Connecticut as a conducive environment for living, working, and visiting.  

The new Make It Here tourism-focused campaign earned Gold by integrating results-generating TV, video, social media, out-of-home, content marketing, and earned media strategies. In 2025 alone, the Make It Here integrated campaign inspired:

• A 30% increase in visits to CTvisit.com to learn more
• A 112% lift in interest in visiting the state
• Immediate action toward planning a visit by 59% of those exposed to the campaign

“Rather than trying to build equity in two different brand platforms, our tourism campaign now leverages the Make It Here theme across all Connecticut marketing initiatives,” added Morgan Nyerick, Director, Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism. “With this synergy, Make It Here positions the state as a place for innovation and creation while also playfully showcasing the countless ways people can experience, explore, and enjoy Connecticut. It’s an invitation — not just to visit, but to see what’s possible here.”

The Adrian Awards are widely regarded as the “Oscars” of the travel marketing industry, recognizing excellence in advertising, public relations, digital strategy and integrated campaigns.