Tidemark at the 2026 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Celebrating award-winning work, learning from Florida’s tourism industry, and bringing new ideas home to Northwest Florida.

Tidemark Marketing recently attended the 2026 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism(opens in new tab) in West Palm Beach, joining tourism professionals from across the state for several days of education, industry insights and recognition of some of Florida’s best tourism marketing. For us, the conference offered an opportunity to learn, connect and bring home new ideas. It also gave us something especially meaningful to celebrate: three Flagler Awards for our longtime client, Florida’s Forgotten Coast.

Three Flagler Awards Come Home to the Forgotten Coast

Florida’s Forgotten Coast(opens in new tab) received three Flagler Awards recognizing tourism marketing efforts across multiple categories.

Tidemark is proud to work alongside the Franklin County Tourist Development Council and its marketing partners to help tell the story of this special part of Northwest Florida. And this work is personal to us. The Forgotten Coast isn’t just a client. It’s home. Our agency was built here. We live here, work here, and know firsthand what makes Franklin County different. Having the opportunity to help market our home as a destination is something we value, and seeing that work recognized at the state level makes it even more meaningful.

The three awards are also a reflection of what strong destination marketing requires: a clear understanding of place, thoughtful strategy, creative execution and collaboration among people who care about how that story is told.

A Reminder That How a Brand Speaks Matters

One of our favorite educational sessions of the conference focused on social media tone of voice, led by Heather Gosendi and Kaitlyn Sullivan of St. John. It was a topic especially close to the work we do at Tidemark. Strong branding goes far beyond a logo, color palette or website. The words a business uses, the personality behind its social media, and the way it communicates with its audience all shape how that brand is understood and remembered. For businesses and destinations alike, consistency in how you sound can be just as important as consistency in how you look. The session reinforced an idea that guides much of our own brand strategy work: a strong brand should have a recognizable voice.

Celebrating Florida Tourism

The conference also included the Chairman’s Dinner, where attendees had the opportunity to hear from Governor Ron DeSantis(opens in new tab) during a special appearance.

From educational sessions to conversations with other professionals working throughout Florida, the conference provided a valuable look at what is happening across the tourism industry and where destination marketing continues to evolve.

We returned to Northwest Florida with new ideas, fresh perspective and plenty of inspiration to put to work for our clients. But the best part was bringing something else home, too: Three Flagler Awards for Florida’s Forgotten Coast. That’s something worth celebrating!