Visit KC extends hometown partnership with MMGY

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In the spirit of National Travel & Tourism Week, Visit KC announced today that it has extended its relationship with MMGY Global, selecting the international firm as its agency of record for an additional five years, effective May 1, 2021. MMGY Global is the world’s leading travel, tourism and hospitality marketing company, based in Kansas City for more than 40 years.  

MMGY’s selection wraps up a comprehensive, months-long RFP process guided by a taskforce of Visit KC Board members and staff.

“As the economy strengthens and Americans return to travel, Kansas City is well positioned to responsibly welcome the world back with our collective teams at the helm. Over the course of our successful partnership, Visit KC and MMGY have regularly met or exceeded several key performance indicators, including room-night production, brand awareness and consumer engagement,” said Visit KC Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications Traci Moon. “With credit to MMGY’s hometown pride and their global reputation for travel-focused, data-driven strategies, our two teams will set a new standard for how agencies and destinations can work hand-in-hand for the betterment of their communities.”

Visit KC’s agency of record partnership with MMGY began in 2016. Since then, the two organizations have partnered on several award-winning campaigns, as well as digital platforms, social media initiatives, out-of-market brand activations, convention partnerships, Super Bowl promotions and, most recently, a four-phased strategic marketing campaign to guide the destination forward as the travel industry rebounds.

In 2019, MMGY was named one of the fastest-growing agencies in the world by Adweek. Its growing portfolio of clients include Costa Rica Tourism, Visit California, the Los Cabos Tourism Board, LATAM Airlines, Princess Cruises and Aparium Hotels, the owners of Kansas City’s Crossroads Hotel, among others.  

“As specialists in travel marketing, we are fortunate to work with incredible travel brands around the world, but there is no greater pride and responsibility we take than representing our hometown,” said Katie Briscoe, MMGY Global President. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Visit KC team and our community partners to ensure a greater success and long-term health that tourism provides our city’s economy.”

The new scope of work between Visit KC and MMGY includes strategic planning for the leisure travel and convention audiences, as well as media buying, travel research and insights, creative services, cooperative marketing development, performance analytics, video/photography production and expanding the destination management organization’s established New Midwest brand, in addition to new, shared priorities focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

“We are excited and proud to announce this groundbreaking partnership with MMGY Global as we collaborate on new efforts with the agency’s leadership to address social inequities in the travel and tourism industry,” said Visit KC President & CEO Jason Fulvi. “Together, we are committed to prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging efforts across all our marketing strategies as they play an integral role in organizational growth and destination success. Through a more equitable travel market and a greater investment in strategic partnerships with minority and women-owned businesses, we pledge to create compelling brand messages and campaigns that accurately reflect the rich diversity of our culture, all the while raising the profile of our hometown businesses for years to come.”

About Visit KC

Headquartered in Downtown Kansas City, Visit KC is the chief hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. With a mission of igniting global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 1,000 community partners to drive the marketing, sales and service of the destination’s convention and tourism industry—a sector that supported more than 48,000 jobs in 2019. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

About MMGY Global

MMGY Global is the world’s leading integrated marketing firm specializing in the travel, hospitality and entertainment industries. With eight operating brands across the world, the award-winning organization maintains a global communications practice in all marketing channels, serving many of the world’s premier travel and tourism brands. As a company dedicated to the travel industry, MMGY Global strives to create a connected, inclusive and peaceful world by promoting travel as a cultural bridge of understanding. For more information, visit mmgyglobal.com.