• New Visit Jacksonville President and CEO Daniel O’Byrne is scheduled to present a report Wednesday about the state of the local tourism industry at the 2010 Destination Outlook. This year’s theme, “Immerse Yourself in Our Community,” ties in the new Visit Jacksonville branding campaign, “Immerse Yourself Here.” Visit Jacksonville will also release the fiscal year 2010-2011 marketing plan and the 2010 annual report. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. and the program is 9-10:30 a.m. It’s at the Southpoint Marriott.
• Enterprise Florida has openings for its sales mission Feb. 13-16 to the Dominican Republic, Florida’s ninth-largest trading partner with total Florida-Dominican trade for 2009 surpassing $4 billion. Participation is limited. The deadline to register is Nov. 30. For details, e-mail [email protected].
• Congratulations to the journalists at the University of North Florida. The Spinnaker, UNF’s weekly student-operated campus newspaper, won the 2010 Pacemaker award, the Associated Collegiate Press’ highest honor. The Spinnaker staff collected the award for the first time and it was also the first time the staff had been named a finalist. “We held our own with newspaper staffs nearly twice our size,” said Editor-in-chief Josh Gore, a UNF senior. The Spinnaker has a staff of 24 and a circulation of 4,000.
• It’s for the birds, in a good way. The Florida Audubon Society recognized Lesley Royce, conservation director for Duval Audubon Society, at the annual Audubon Assembly. Duval Audubon received recognition for its Bird Steward Volunteer Program and received the 2010 Best Conservation Project Award for taking action to protect the birds of Huguenot Memorial Park.