The Houston Airport System’s cutting-edge interactive map application — the first of its kind in the world with turn-by-turn wayfinding technology that doesn’t require downloading a separate app to smart devices — and its new business-focused website won two highly competitive categories when winners of the annual American Marketing Association Houston Chapter Crystal Awards were announced at the awards banquet at the Bayou City Event Center on May 10, 2018.

HAS won for Mobile App in the Interactive Media and Multimedia category and Non-profit website in the Website category.

This is the latest in the parade of honors for the innovative interactive wayfinding available on the Airport System’s award-winning fly2houston.com website. Launched in June 2017, the mobile friendly application designed by San Francisco-based company LocusLabs provides travelers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport with turn-by-turn wayfinding technology.

The “LocusMaps Online” navigation tool provides graphic and text “transit path” directions that take the user from their originating point to their destination with the most direct and efficient path possible. As important, it offers searchable navigation, with location information and search terms for points of interest including gates, ground transportation, ticket kiosks, shops, restaurants, security checkpoints, and more.

The goal of serving the business community drove the reinvention of the Airport System’s business partnerships website.  The site provides critical information to job seekers, badge applicants, contractors, concessionaires, volunteers, and community partners.

The new business website — fly2houston.com/biz/ — provides a streamlined, professional look, feel and navigation by aligning with the design of the existing passenger website. The new website was implemented with a customized database, data models, and content management system. Collectively, those technical improvements ensured a more stable, scalable, and efficient platform to support HAS’s business owners.

The on-brand and attractive design of the website is enhanced further by new photography of both personnel and airport scenes. Its visual appeal sends the message that Houston Airport System is a great employer and partner and welcomes and accommodates all target user groups. 

Website sessions have increased 360 percent year-over-year, from more than 10,000 in January 2017 to more than 36,000 in January 2018.

Each spring, AMA Houston hands out nearly 100 Crystal Awards to Texas’ best and brightest marketers. The Crystal Awards gala is the largest marketing event in Houston and is attended by more than 650 marketing professionals from almost every industry. The Crystal Awards is the only show in Houston that determines winners based on results. The Crystal Awards committee sets criteria, tabulates results, and certifies finalists and winners. A select panel of esteemed marketing professionals from across the country acts as judges. Past participants have been senior marketers from other AMA chapters, Ogilvy & Mather, FedEx, Accenture, University of Michigan, and more.