EDMOND—Armstrong Auditorium hosted a special group on January 27: 50 Oklahoma Certified Tourism Ambassadors and guests. The tourism ambassadors explored the building’s lobby, its archaeological exhibit and its theater before attending a Russian National Ballet Theatre performance of Swan Lake.

The group included front-line tourism workers, such as receptionists, taxi drivers, waiters, tour guides, a tourism writer and the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism sales manager. Armstrong International Cultural Foundation marketing director Shane Granger guided the ctas through the Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered exhibit and the rest of the auditorium, sharing facts about the chandeliers, candelabra, wood paneling and acoustics.

In the theater, a cta asked Granger why a church would support a concert series. Granger responded that the Philadelphia Church of God believes that performing arts are the highest expression of the human spirit and that they glorify the Creator of human beings. He said the church also hopes that those who come to concerts will be inspired by that experience to achieve a higher potential in their own lives.

According to its website, the Certified Tourism Ambassadors program aims “to increase regional tourism by inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.” The national certification program includes more than 10,000 members in 15 states. When the organization opened its Oklahoma branch in August 2012, it invited Armstrong Auditorium representatives to join and to participate in its initial focus group.

In Oklahoma, ctas meet at networking events several times per year; each meeting is hosted by one of the metro area’s main attractions. Granger suggested that the auditorium be added to the host list, and organized the meeting to coincide with the ballet. He said that the public relations department plans to host more networking events in the future.

Granger and Armstrong International Concert Foundation head usher Edwin Trebels are members of the cta program. Certification requires studying a 189-page binder about the impact of tourism, the history and attractions of Oklahoma (one of which is Armstrong Auditorium), the effective use of resources, and techniques for fulfilling and surpassing customer expectations. After studying the binder, cta candidates attend a four-hour class and must pass a certification examination.

Granger and Trebels said the group responded positively to the auditorium; the okc cta featured the visit on its Facebook page, Twitter feed and February newsletter.

Granger said that bringing the ctas to the auditorium, especially when it is presenting a Russian ballet, increases its profile among tourism experts. In turn, those experts, when asked, “What is there to do in okc?” are likelier to respond, “see a concert at Armstrong Auditorium.”

“My hope,” Granger said, “is that we now have a good-size group of Certified Tourism Ambassadors who can talk from first-person experience about the auditorium and what it has to offer.”