By Maddie Sims | maddie@theexaminer.com
The Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) hosted its 34th Annual Hall of Fame Awards on Feb. 3 at the Tyrrell Park Garden Center.
This year’s theme, “Rooted & Refined,” celebrated the individuals who helped cultivate Beaumont’s tourism and meetings industry throughout 2025 and honored the meeting planners who seeded Beaumont as their host city for curated meetings, sporting events, and reunions — contributions that helped forge the city’s continued growth and success, according to a news release.
The awards ceremony has been an annual tradition started by local sales directors out of a desire to recognize the people who have created great economic impact in Beaumont, Beaumont CVB Director of Marketing Desirée Pete said. Additionally, while there are specific awards listed, everyone part of the CVB is recognized for their contributions.
In terms of economic impact, it was announced that, in 2025, Beaumont welcomed 90 organizations and 80,642 convention delegates and sports participants across 133 events. Additionally, CVB-partnered events brought in more than $9.1 million in revenue directly to Beaumont.
During the awards ceremony, three special recognitions were made. Frank Neal received a posthumous award for his lasting dedication to Beaumont and the local softball community, as he was integral in building the reputation of Beaumont as a softball and baseball friendly community.
The CVB presented its Annual Service Award to Donna Woodside for her work as a hotel partner. Woodside’s commitment to working with the CVB to have events and meetings serviced was meaningful and helped to make a seamless experience for event planners, the group share.
Lastly, the Partnership Award went to Kenneth Raggette, whose work with the CVB reportedly supported the CVB’s mission and helped advance its efforts, making his selection as the 2026 “Partner of the Year” recipient a no-brainer.
Guests were treated to Cajun and Creole dishes, as well as barbecue and desserts. There was also an interactive cowboy hat customizing station for attendees.
“The night was a success”, said Shannon Mires, director of Sales for the Beaumont CVB. “It was a great evening full of Texas fun, networking and recognition of the very people who helped to make Beaumont thrive economically.”
The Beaumont CVB actively works to attract a diverse range of events to Beaumont, including conferences, conventions, and sporting events, according to the CVB. The supported events inject valuable tourism dollars into the local economy, creating a positive ripple effect that benefits the entire community. In 2024, the most recently recorded year, Beaumont brought in more than $33 million in tax revenue directly attributed to travel spending from tourism. Direct spending purchases by travelers to Beaumont was more than $391 million.
