Who knows Lake of the Ozarks the best?

The LakeExpo audience, that’s who.

So we’re putting together a brand-new kind of contest that uses LakeExpo’s audience (you) to craft the perfect Lake of the Ozarks getaway… and then give it away to a lucky winner.

It’s called The Perfect Getaway. And you’re going to want to be part of it.

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How It Works

The Perfect Getaway is what you might call a “crowdsourced contest.”

It will take place in two rounds.

Round 1 — Vote For Businesses

In Round 1, participants will get the chance to vote for their favorite business in a dozen different vacationer-focused categories. Think of it as, “If someone was coming to the Lake for the first time, where would I say they have to go?”

Voting for Round 1 takes place from May 1 – May 18. We’ll have the link prominently placed all over LakeExpo.com and social media. You won’t be able to miss it!

Round 2 — Vote For Getaways

Our team will take the voting results from Round 1, and using the businesses who rose to the top, we’ll assemble three different vacation packages:

• The Perfect Family Getaway

• The Perfect Party Getaway

• The Perfect Couples’ Getaway

You’ll get the chance to vote for your favorite package from those three, and by voting, you’ll be entered to win one of them!

Voting for Round 2 takes place from May 23 – June 1.

We’ll announce the winners the first week of June.

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What Are The Categories?

We have 10 different categories. Since this is the first year of the contest, we’d love to hear feedback when it’s over, about whether we should add more or make changes next year.

• Lodging

• Boat Rentals/Marinas

• Restaurants By Water

• Restaurants By Land

• Coffee & Sweets

• Wineries & Breweries

• Entertainment

• Family Fun

• Treat Yo’Self (shopping, spas, & salons)

• Free Stuff

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When Does Voting Start?

Voting for Round 1 takes place from May 1 – May 18.

Voting for Round 2 takes place from May 23 – June 1.

Watch LakeExpo.com and our social media pages for links to vote.

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More Q&As

Q: Where do I vote?

A: Our voting page will go live when voting opens on May 1, and we’ll be publicizing it then. Watch LakeExpo.com and download the LakeExpo app so you don’t miss it!

Q: Can people vote more than once?

A: Nope. One person, one vote, per round. We think that gives more authentic results and also you don’t have to think about going back to vote every day.

Just make sure you vote once in Round 1 (May 1 – May 18) and then come back and vote once in Round 2 (May 23 – June 1)!

Q: “Why isn’t ____ business in the contest?”

A: Two possible reasons.

1. We designed this contest to be vacation-specific. So for example, there are no HVAC companies in it, because you really don’t need an HVAC company when you’re on vacation (but we love all you HVAC guys out there. Killin’ it.)

2. We didn’t simply add every single business we could find: we approached as many businesses as we could and gave them the chance to join the contest or opt out. Those who joined paid an entry/marketing fee (which means they value you!) and agreed to donate a gift certificate to one of the Perfect Getaway package winners (which makes them just plain awesome). So no matter which of them wins Round 1, we’d urge you to support all of these local businesses!

The deadline for businesses to join is April 28: if you’d like to be included, call the LakeExpo marketing team at 573-693-1990.

Q: When will you announce the winners?

A: The first week of June.

Q: If I win, when can I use my vacation package?

A: All participating businesses have agreed to make the gift certificates to their establishments valid in 2025 and 2026. So, you’ve got this summer and next summer.

Q: If I win, do I have to treat the gift certificates as a single “weekend getaway?”

A: Nope! Use them whenever you like. Although we’d love for winners to stick to our itinerary and let us know how their epic weekend went!