POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks recently received recognition with a 2022 Readers’ Choice Award from publishers and editors of ConventionSouth, the national multimedia resource for planning events in the South.

“ConventionSouth readers and fans have voted to decide the best meeting sites in the South, and it is no surprise to us that The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks has been selected to receive our annual Readers’ Choice Award,” said ConventionSouthAssociate Publisher Tiffany Burtnett. “The value in receiving this prestigious recognition is that it comes from the United States’ top meeting professionals who hold events in the South. These planners demand the highest level of customer service and quality facilities, and they have determined that The Keeter Center - College of the Ozarks indeed displays the commitment to professionalism, creativity, and service that they require.”

The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks is among 416 convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), meeting facilities, and hotels located across the South to receive this year’s Readers’ Choice Award. Throughout the year, meeting professionals nominated the meeting sites they believe provide exemplary service for group events. The nominated sites are then compiled onto an online ballot where meeting professionals and fans are asked to vote for the best of the best. With over 8,000 voters participating in the selection process and the highest social media interaction to date, the results represent the highest level of engagement by readers to date.

“I am delighted that The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks has been recognized for this prestigious honor,” said Mollie Crawford, director of sales and marketing at The Keeter Center. “Our students deserve this recognition because they are the reason we are so successful. During their time at The Keeter Center, our students develop professional skills in hospitality, culinary arts, and business.” 

The College’s Work Education Program allows students to participate in a unique opportunity: earning their education while building their resume. Ninety percent of students accepted to Hard Work U. exhibit financial need. Students who work at The Keeter Center, the College’s largest workstation, work 15 hours per week, plus two 40-hour weeks per year. Upon graduation, students will successfully earn their four-year degree from College of the Ozarks, a liberal arts college, and graduate debt free.   

Since creation in 2001, this is the first time that The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks has received this award. The Keeter Center will be featured as an award recipient in the December 2022 Awards Issue of ConventionSouth magazine. This issue will also showcase some of the most talented meeting professionals in the nation as ConventionSouth also presents planners with its annual “Meeting Professionals To Watch” designation. 

“Featuring peer advice and trade secrets from our Meeting Professionals to Watch in 2023, our Awards Issue is one of the most popular must-read resources within the meetings industry,” Burtnett said.

“When meeting planners choose The Keeter Center, they are not only selecting one of the most unique venues in Missouri but also are supporting the students in the Work Education Program,” Crawford said. “Meeting attendees appreciate being served by students who demonstrate genuine, world-class hospitality. Along with a personalized service experience, meeting attendees enjoy attention to detail with levels of service encountered only in world-class cities and five-star hotels, and students present culinary creations that feature a farm-to-table approach. 

“Whether a planner chooses a buffet or plated dinner option, our culinary team of students and staff present distinctive selections that are crowd-pleasing and delectable. We do our utmost to incorporate campus products made by students, such as our milled products from our on-campus working grist mill, seasonal vegetables from our gardens and greenhouses, and pork products from our campus hog farm.”

The Keeter Center is located just two miles south of the main attractions of Branson. For meeting planning inquiries, call 417.690.2120. For more information, please visit Keetercenter.edu.

Celebrating 40 years as a leading meeting planning resource for Southern destinations, ConventionSouth magazine is based in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and is distributed to more than 18,000 meeting professionals located across the country who book events held within the South, according to Burtnett.

A complete list of award winners can be found online at: https://conventionsouth.com/2022-readers-choice-award-winners-announced/.