Mad men and women were out in force at the 1960s-themed awards dinner produced by industry legend Meri Took and held in the Hamilton Island Convention Centre.
Some of the crowd were still drying their eyes after Olympic bronze and gold medallist Alisa Camplin’s incredibly moving conference closer about the dedication it takes to win gold, while the rest of the attendees were drying their hair after getting caught in a surprise shower. After all, water is the natural enemy of hairspray and there were a lot of impressive beehives bobbing around.
Lionel Cole made another appearance, playing with the Song Division crew who played ’60s-themed stings while the award-winners walked to the stage.
Spice wishes to warmly congratulate all of the winners, with an extra special nod to Christine Kotsis from ExpoNet for taking out business development person of the year and national meetings and events professional of the year, Mark Day from Business Events Geelong for accepting the award in his first year as the convention bureau manager, Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley for winning in its launch year, Adelaide Oval for winning after its extensive redevelopment and Arinex, Verve Creative Events, AV1 and Adelaide Convention Centre for their admission to the MEA Hall of Fame.
Without further ado, here are the 2014 national MEA award winners:
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR Christine Kotsis, ExpoNet
EVENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR Liz Williamson Department of Education, Training and Employment, Programs and Events Unit, CEP
MEETINGS MANAGER OF THE YEAR Julie McGraw GEMS Event Management
OPERATIONS PERSON OF THE YEAR Michael Davey Microhire-VIC
Y MEA FUTURE LEADER Ashleigh Moore Lumi NSW
REGIONAL DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANISATION Business Events Geelong
MEETINGS & EVENTS ORGANISATION 8 OR MORE EMPLOYEES Arinex Pty Limited
MEETINGS & EVENTS ORGANISATION LESS THAN 8 EMPLOYEES Verve Creative Events
IN-HOUSE MEETINGS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT ASHM Conference and Events Division
EVENT MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION Verve Creative Events
MEETING VENUE – UNDER 500 DELEGATES Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley
MEETING VENUE – 500 DELEGATES OR MORE Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
SPECIALTY MEETING VENUE Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority
SPECIALTY EVENT VENUE The Star Event Centre
BANQUET & CATERING Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
EXHIBITION SERVICES Adelaide Expo Hire Pty Ltd
SUPPORT SERVICES Arinex Technology
TECHNICAL & CREATIVE PRODUCTION: BRANCH TURNOVER < $5 MILLION Scene Change Adelaide Pty Ltd
TECHNICAL & CREATIVE PRODUCTION: BRANCH TURNOVER > $5 MILLION AV1
IN-HOUSE AV SERVICES (COMPANY OR DEPARTMENT) Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
ASSOCIATION OR GOVERNMENT MEETING OF THE YEAR Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre – The Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders Summit
EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR Tourism Australia – ATE
PUBLIC EVENT OF THE YEAR (INCLUDING FESTIVALS) Adelaide Convention Centre –The 2014 Cellar Door Wine Festival-Adelaide
SPECIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR Belle-Laide Events Pty Ltd –ATE 14 Farewell Event
CORPORATE MEETING OF THE YEAR TAFE Queensland Brisbane – TAFE Queensland Brisbane’s Graduation Ceremony
Awards for Excellence
NATIONAL MEETINGS OR EVENTS PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Christine Kotsis, ExpoNet
PLATINUM AWARD Scene Change Adelaide Pty Ltd
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD Jim Delahunty, ExpoNet
Education Award
CATEGORY A (1-5 EMPLOYEES) Crunch Events and Catering
CATEGORY B (6-30 EMPLOYEES) Department of Education, Training and Employment, Programs and Events Unit, CEP
CATEGORY C (MORE THAN 30 EMPLOYEES) Tourism Australia
CATEGORY C (MULTI-SITES) Arinex Pty Ltd
IN-HOUSE MEETING MEMBER ASHM Conference and Events Division
Corporate Social Responsibility Awards
CATEGORY A (1-5 EMPLOYEES) Crunch Events and Catering
CATEGORY B (6-30 EMPLOYEES) Business Events Sydney presents ‘105th Rotary International Convention, Sydney 2014’
CATEGORY C (MORE THAN 30 EMPLOYEES) Tourism Australia
CATEGORY C (MULTI-SITES) Intercontinental Adelaide
IN-HOUSE MEETING MEMBER ASHM Conference and Events Division
If you have any top-notch photos from the MEA 2015 Conference, please email them through to egardiner@intermedia.com for possible inclusion in the August edition of the magazine. A full gallery of pics will be published on the Spice Facebook page so please like us to stay in the loop.
