Wasabi Publicity Inc., Executive Recognized for PR Excellence

New York, NY — The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) recognized Christopher Zappia with a Gold Adrian Award for public relations excellence for his winning entry in the 53rd annual Adrian Awards Competition, the largest and most prestigious travel marketing competition globally.

HSMAI paid tribute to Christopher Zappia during the 20th annual HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala, a black-tie affair attended by more than 1,000 hospitality, travel and tourism marketing executives, on Feb. 1, 2010 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Christopher Zappia is the Director of Corporate Publicity for Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR firm that specializes in hotel publicity. As the Director of Marketing for the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, Christopher Zappia reached out to Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama after he spent five days held captive by Somali pirates. “When I saw Captain Richard Phillips on Today and he said that being held hostage on a life boat ‘wasn’t like being on the Queen Mary’; I knew I needed to reach out to him,” Zappia said. “After tracking him down, I was able to partner with Jet Blue to fly him to Long Beach and provide him with a five day Queen Mary experience. The media showed up and it was great publicity for my company.”

This year’s contest attracted nearly 1,100 entries from around the world, with entries judged by top executives from all sectors of the industry.